A Study on the Efficacy of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Helicobacter pylori-Negative Primary Care Patients with Dyspepsia in Japan

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There have been few studies on the efficacy of proton pump inhibitors and the doses required to treat dyspeptic symptoms observed in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of different doses of omeprazole and different administration methods in Helicobacter pylori-negative, dyspeptic patients. METHODS: Patients with chronic upper abdominal symptoms within the previous 3 months were randomly divided into three groups: a daily, omeprazole 20 mg treatment group (OPZ20, n=61); a daily, omeprazole 10 mg treatment group (OPZ10, n=72); and an on-demand omeprazole 20 mg treatment group (on-demand, n=62). After 4 weeks of administration of the drug, symptom improvement rates were evaluated based on the Overall Global Severity score. RESULTS: The rates of symptom improvement after 4 weeks of treatment were 65.6% (40/61) in the OPZ20 group, 47.2% (34/72) in the OPZ10 group, and 50.0% (31/62) in the on-demand group. The OPZ20 group exhibited a significantly higher improvement rate (p=0.034) than the OPZ10 group. The OPZ20 group had significant improvements in regurgitation, postprandial fullness, vomiting, and bloating compared with the OPZ10 group. CONCLUSIONS: Daily treatment with 20 mg of omeprazole was efficient in treating upper abdominal symptoms. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, number UMIN000002621.

Efficacy of Rehabilitation and Arthroscopic Subacromial Decompression in Arthroscopic Capsular Release for Frozen Shoulder / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

We treated 26 frozen shoulders in 26 cases separated into two groups by arthroscopic capsular release. Group A comprised 14 patients (male 7, female 7) with an average age of 53.7 (34-78) who underwent arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD). Group B consisted of 12 cases (male 5, female 7) with an average age of 58.2 (41-78) who were treated without ASD. The mean follow-up period was 14 (12-16) months. We compared the range of motion in the effected shoulders and the Japan Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores between the two groups. We also investigated any improvement of ROM one month after operation in regards to rehabilitation being performed 3 times or under 2 times per week in order to acquire a greater ROM of external rotation. Group A led group B significantly with superior clinical results including ROM and JOA scores. Furthermore, rehabilitation administered 3 times per week increased the ROM of the shoulder after one month of operation. Therefore, it was found that in arthroscopic capsular release of frozen shoulder, additional treatment with ASD and frequent rehabilitation with ROM exercises for external rotation yielded clinical improvement in frozen shoulder outcomes.