Epidemiological correlation between chromium content in gallstones and cholesterol in blood.

The authors measured the chromium in gallstones and bile from patients in three areas (Kawasaki (a city adjacent to Tokyo) in Japan, Chiang Mai and Bangkok in Thailand) by means of neutron activation analysis. The chromium in three types of gallstones (cholesterol, pigment, and rare stones) and bile from patients living in Bangkok were evidently larger than those from patients living in Kawasaki and Chiang Mai. The high chromium intake by Bangkok patients continued from the start of gallstone formation until the time the stones were removed. The total-cholesterol, triglyceride, and hemoglobin A(1C) levels in the blood from Bangkok residents with high chromium intake over a long period were clearly lower than those of Japanese and Chiang Mai residents. The authors showed that the high dietary intake of chromium over a long period may play a role in the lowering of total-cholesterol, triglyceride, and hemoglobin A(1C) in blood.

H. pylori infection and the correlation to chronic active gastritis detected by the histological criteria of the sydney system.

In Thailand, chronic active gastritis and chronic atrophic gastritis have not been given frequent mention. Our aim is to present the relationships of the many variables in histological classification of chronic bacterial gastritis by the Sydney System. This paper presents the prevalence of chronic active gastritis by studying the degree of H. pylori infection detected by the Modified Toluidine Blue staining (MTBs) and histological grading, using the Sydney System. A total of 355 dyspeptic patients who underwent endoscopy in Kawila hospital, Chiang Mai, northern Thailand from January 1996 to January 1998, were included in the study. Overall, 284 patients (80.3 %) had an H. pylori infection. Diagnosis varied from normal, chronic gastritis, and acute gastritis to chronic active gastritis in 11 (3.1 %), 95 (26.8 %), 0 (0 %), 249 (70.1 %) patients respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of neutrophils presented with lymphocytes are 85.2, 90.1, 97.2, and 60.4 %, respectively. We conclude from the study that chronic active gastritis is a very common condition in Thailand. If chronic active gastritis is present, H. pylori is usually detected, and the degree of infection is well correlated to the degree of inflammation.