To examine the efficacy of Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2716 (LG21) as a probiotic for Helicobacter pylori in humans, 31 subjects infected with the bacterium ingested yogurt containing LG21 daily for an 8 week period. The [(13)C]urea breath test and assays of serum pepsinogens revealed a significant improvement following LG21 treatment. LG21 was thus determined to be effective in both suppressing H. pylori and reducing gastric mucosal inflammation.

DBE is more useful for complete examination of the colon than MEI-Cap in patients with incomplete or technically difficult colonoscopy.

We report a rare case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) enterocolitis in a healthy 57-year-old woman. In March 1999, she developed hematochezia, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Total colonoscopy on March 17th showed multiple aphthoid lesions and friable mucosa from the terminal ileum to the rectum and a shallow ulcer on the ileocecal valve. Repeat total colonoscopy on April 19th showed faded aphthoid lesions in the terminal ileum, and biopsy specimen revealed CMV inclusion bodies. Symptoms and endoscopic findings improved without any specific medication. In previous reports, the definition of "immunocompetent individual" varied. Here, we define immunocompetent individual as one who has no associated diseases, is not under immunosuppressive therapy, has no recent history of operation, is negative for human immunodeficiency virus antibody, is not pregnant, has no obvious infectious course, and is less than 70 years of age. This is the ninth report of CMV enterocolitis in an immunocompetent individual in the world literature.

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Background and Aim: Various types of colonoscope are available for total colonoscopy, including those with variable stiffness (VS) and/or magnetic endoscope imaging (MEI). Factors related to the patient, such as gender, age and body mass index (BMI), also affect the degree of technical difficulty associated with the procedure. The present study investigated, using retrospective analyses, which type of colonoscope was appropriate, in relation to gender, age and BMI, in order to overcome procedural difficulties. Methods: Three types of colonoscope (CF-240I, fixed stiffness type; CF-240AI, VS type; CF-240DI, VS type with MEI) were used for a total of 433 consecutive patients who underwent total colonoscopy by five experienced endoscopists at Tokai University Hospital from August 2001 to August 2003. Cases with a history of abdominal surgery, requests by physicians for a particular type of colonoscope, or sedation during the procedure were excluded. Age, gender, body height and weight, and cecal intubation time (primary endpoint) were recorded. Results: Use of the VS scope resulted in a shorter intubation time in the subgroups of female, younger (age < 40 years) or older (age ≥ 60 years), and thin (BMI < 20 kg/m 2 ) patients when compared with a conventional scope. There was no significant difference between results obtained with VS and VS + MEI in any subgroup. Conclusion: The VS type of colonoscope seems to be the best choice for an easier procedure in particular patient subgroups. In the present study, no advantage was demonstrated for VS + MEI over VS alone.