New monoclonal antibody-based test for Helicobacter pylori urease in gastric tissue

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate a new monoclonal antibody for Helicobacter pylori urease in gastric tissue. METHODS: A total of 107 volunteers were enrolled. All subjects underwent a 13C-urea breath test and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Gastric aspirates were analyzed for pH and ammonia. Six biopsy specimens in the gastric antrum and body were obtained for a rapid urease test and histology. The new monoclonal antibody-based H. pylori urease test (HPU) was performed to rapidly and qualitatively detect urease in two biopsy specimens. RESULTS: H. pylori infection was diagnosed in 73 subjects. The sensitivity and specificity of the HPU was 89% and 74%, respectively. The subjects were divided into two groups: one with true-positive and true-negative HPU results (n = 90) and the other with false-positive and false-negative HPU results (n = 17). Across all subjects, ammonia levels were 900.5 +/- 646.7 and 604.3 +/- 594.3 mumol/L (p > 0.05), and pH was 3.37 +/- 1.64 and 2.82 +/- 1.51 (p > 0.05). Sensitivity was higher in the presence of atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS: HPU detected H. pylori in approximately 10 min. Gastric aspirate ammonia and pH levels did not affect the test results. Sensitivity was good in the presence of atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia.

Spinal, Cerebral and Cerebellar Embolism after Injection of N-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate in Esophageal Variceal Bleeding

We report a case of spinal, cerebral and cerebellar embolism that occurred following injection sclerotherapy with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate for variceal bleeding. The patient had been diagnosed with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and esophageal variceal bleeding. We performed injection sclerotherapy with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. The patient complained of both leg motor weakness and left arm motor weakness after injection and was diagnosed with spinal, cerebral and cerebellar embolism following the n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate injection. At the follow-up examination, the patient's neurologic symptoms had improved, but left leg motor weakness remained. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of multiple embolizations including the spine, cerebrum and cerebellum after n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate injection for treatment of esophageal variceal bleeding.

Endoscopic Removal of Tangled Plastic Wires in the Stomach Using an Argon Plasma Coagulation and Endoscopic Scissors

Plastic wires are uncommonly swallowed and subsequently may be tangled in the stomach. Although endoscopy with accessories is effective for removal of most wires, sometimes it is hard to remove tangled plastic wires. Early diagnosis and immediate retrieval of ingested wires are important. Mentally impaired adults have a relatively high rate of surgical intervention and complications due to delayed diagnosis. A twenty-one year old woman visited our hospital with foreign bodies in the stomach. She was mentally retarded and had swallowed plastic wires frequently. Esophagogastro-duodenoscopy revealed tangled plastic wires. We cut three wires with argon plasma coagulation and endoscopic scissors to unwind the bundle of wires. We removed the remaining 17 wires one by one. The total length of the wires were 496 cm. We report this unusual case of tangled plastic wires in the stomach removed endoscopically without surgical intervention.