Feeding with olive oil attenuates inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rat.

Chronic inflammation of long-term ulcerative colitis contributes to an increased risk of colon cancer. Few studies address whether extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) intake suppresses inflammation, cell proliferation and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) in the experimental colitis model. The aim of this study was to assess whether a 5% EVOO suppressed inflammation, increased cell proliferation and the expressions of STAT3 and STAT3 phosphorylation (pSTAT3) in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Rats were administered DSS via drinking water (weight percentage: 4%) for 1 week with a 1-week recovery period for three cycles. Rats were divided into three groups: control group, standard diet without DSS; DSS group, standard diet+DSS; and DSS+EVOO group, EVOO diet (weight percentage: 5%)+DSS. Rats were sacrificed 5 weeks after DSS was first administered, and colonic damage was histologically and biochemically evaluated. As a result, chronic feeding of 5% EVOO attenuated inflammation. This was evaluated using a disease activity index, body weight loss and a histological score. Enhanced expressions of STAT3, pSTAT3, COX-2 and iNOS by DSS was attenuated by EVOO. In addition, EVOO attenuated increases in cell proliferation (PCNA) caused by DSS and recovered decreases in apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3). In conclusion, the study indicated that chronic feeding of 5% EVOO inhibited chronic inflammation in DSS-induced colitis in rats and also attenuated cell proliferation and recovered apoptosis in DSS colitis.

Brief Questioning by Nursing Staffs before Endoscopic Examination May Not Always Pick Up Clinical Symptoms of Endoscopic Reflux Esophagitis.

The clinical features of patients reflux esophagitis without any symptoms have not been clearly demonstrated. This study evaluated the clinical features of patients with endoscopy-positive reflux esophagitis, who did not complain of symptoms, as detected by brief questioning by nursing staffs. Eight thousand and thirty-one patients not taking medication for gastrointestinal disease, were briefly asked about the presence of heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia and acid regurgitation by nursing staffs before endoscopy for assessment of esophagitis utilizing the Los Angeles Classification. Endoscopically, 1199 (14.9%) patients were classified as positive for reflux esophagitis. The endoscope positive subjects who complain heartburn were 539/1199 (45.0%).The endoscope positive subjects who do not complain symptoms were 465 in 1199 positive reflux esophagitis (38.8%). We compared endoscopic positive subjects without any complain by brief question by nursing staffs to endoscopic positive subjects with heartburn. Male gender, no obesity, absence of hiatus hernia, and low-grade esophagitis were associated with endoscopy-positive patients who do not complain of symptoms. The results of this study indicated correct detection of clinical symptoms of reflux esophagitis might be not easy with brief questioning by nursing staffs before endoscopic examination.

Dysphagia in adult Japanese is not equivalent to the grade of endoscopic reflux esophagitis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the correlation between dysphagia, detected by nursing staff in a brief interview and endoscopic findings in reflux esophagitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 8,031 Japanese subjects without medication for gastrointestinal disease were briefly asked about the presence of heartburn, dysphagia, odynophagia, and acid regurgitation by nursing staff before endoscopy for assessment of esophagitis utilizing the Los Angeles Classification. RESULTS: The grade of endoscopic esophagitis was not equivalent to symptoms of dysphagia in 8,031 subjects. We evaluated the characteristics of subjects who complained of only dysphagia. Univariate analysis indicated that non-smoking, and non-drinking females were associated with a higher risk for dysphagia, and multivariate analysis indicated the gender was associated with dysphagia. There was no association of dysphagia with herniation and distribution of age. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that dysphagia was not equivalent to the endoscopic findings according to a brief interview by nursing staff and that dysphagia might be more common in females and those who do not smoke or drink.