Grading of Atrophic Gastritis is Useful for Risk Stratification in Endoscopic Screening for Gastric Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: In order to screen for gastric cancer effectively, its interval should be set according to the risk. This study aimed to determine whether risk stratification is possible using the data obtained from medical examination or endoscopic findings. METHODS: First, subjects who underwent both cancer screening and medical examination from 2009 to 2015 and underwent cancer screening once more by 2016 were studied. Data such as the lipid profile and history of smoking obtained during the medical examination, and the grade of atrophy and presence of peptic ulcers were studied using multivariate analysis. Next, subjects who underwent cancer screening twice or more between 2009 and 2015 with or without medical examinations were studied to analyze any correlation between the grade of atrophy and cancer occurrence using univariate analysis. In both studies, the status of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection was determined. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, 9378 subjects were included. Aging, advanced atrophy, presence of ulcers, and uric acid levels were identified as risk factors. Among subjects who underwent successful HP eradication therapy, advanced atrophy and aging were observed to be crucial risk factors. In the univariate analysis, there were 12,941 subjects. Gastric cancer occurred more frequently in the more severe atrophy group (P < 0.001). The annual rate of cancer occurrence in the most severe atrophy group was 0.31%, which was approximately thrice as that in the less atrophy group. CONCLUSIONS: Risk stratification was possible based on endoscopic examination alone. The interval should be set depending on each case.

ETAS, an enzyme-treated asparagus extract, attenuates amyloid beta-induced cellular disorder in PC12 cells.

One of the pathological characterizations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the deposition of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) in cerebral cortical cells. The deposition of Abeta in neuronal cells leads to an increase in the production of free radicals that are typified by reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inducing cell death. A growing body of evidence now suggests that several plant-derived food ingredients are capable of scavenging ROS in mammalian cells. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether enzyme-treated asparagus extract (ETAS), which is rich in antioxidants, is one of these ingredients. The pre-incubation of differentiated PC 12 cells with ETAS significantly recovered Abeta-induced reduction of cell viability, which was accompanied by reduced levels of ROS. These results suggest that ETAS may be one of the functional food ingredients with anti-oxidative capacity to help prevent AD.