-Background -Gastric polyps are small gastric lesions, asymptomatic in most cases and are generally discovered inadvertently during upper digestive endoscopy. Aim -To retrospectively review the characteristics and frequency of gastric polyps, derived from the gastric mucosal epithelium in a large series of endoscopies. Methods -One hundred and fi fty three patients in a series of 26,000 consecutive upper digestive endoscopies done over a 5-year period, being that each patient had only one examination were analyzed and their histological and Yamada classifi cation, as well as their location, size, histopathological fi ndings and treatment studied. All patients had at least one gastric polyp, as confi rmed by histological examination. Results -The polyps were classifi ed as hyperplastic, adenomatous and fundic gland polyps. The most of them measure less than 1 cm (hyperplastic polyps -60,5%; adenomatous polyps -73,6%; fundic gland polyps -72%). Hyperplastic polyps were the most frequent and accounted for 71.3% of the cases, whereas fundic gland polyps accounted for 16.3% and adenomatous polyps for 12.4%. Hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps were primarily single, whereas fundic gland polyps tended to be multiple. A carcinoma was detected in one hyperplastic polyp (0.9%) and in two adenomatous polyps (10.5%). High grade dysplastic foci were found in four adenomatous polyps (21%). Conclusions -The digestive endoscopy is the safest and effi cient method for the diagnosis of the gastric polyps, that in most of the patients does not show characteristic symptoms. The histopathological defi nition is not possible to the endoscopic glance being needed the pathologist's aid, once the conduct to be adopted will depend on the result of the biopsy.

In this study, there was a predominance of patients with UC, young people under 40 years of age, individuals with racial miscegenation, and low annual incomes.

This survey was designed to evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in asymptomatic children from families of low and high socioeconomic status living in two neighboring communities in Teresina in northeastern Brazil. The study included 303 children, 163 (53.8%) males and 140 (46.2%) females, ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years. Helicobacter pylori status was determined by the H. pylori stool antigens test, in which sensitivity and specificity values for Brazilian children were 96.9% and 100%, respectively. The prevalence rates were 55.0% (93 of 169) and 16.4% (22 of 134) for children of low and high socioeconomic status, respectively (P < 0.001). Infection with H. pylori occurred early in life (before 2 years of age) in both groups (22.9% versus 14.3%; P = 0.061) and increased as the children became older. The rate of infection in children 11-12 years of age living in the poor area was as high as the levels found in Brazilian adults. An improved standard of living is followed by a sharp decrease in the prevalence rates in children, even in a developing country such as Brazil.

-Context -Colonoscopy plays an indubitable role in the setting of clinical practice, however, it is an invasive exam; complex, lengthy, embarrassing, not devoid of risks and discomfort that yields fear and anxiety in the majority of patients. In a new era of rising competition between health institutions, where the quality of health care and client satisfaction are praised, studies regarding tolerance-related colonoscopy issues yield great potential to be explored. In the present study, tolerance is defined as willingness to repeat the exam. Objectives -Evaluate information associated to bowel preparation, the exam itself and post-examination period that might interfere with the tolerance to the colonoscopy. Methods -Analysis of the tolerance to the colonoscopy at three stages (pre, post, and during) through a checklist: patient's questionnaire and a medical assessment form were used. Results -In this present study, 91.2% of 373 patients exhibited positive tolerance to the colonoscopy. Aspects related to a negative level of tolerance were patient gender (12.9% of women versus 3.2% of men would not repeat the exam), age extremes (less than 20 years and greater than 80 years of age), and abdominal pain, both during the bowel preparation and after the procedure. Conclusions -Gender, age, patient cooperation and abdominal pain were the decisive components regarding tolerance to the colonoscopy. Notably, in two phases of the exam, the abdominal pain was the most important feature associated to a lessened tolerance. HEADINGS -Colonoscopy. Patient satisfaction. Abdominal pain.

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Helicobacter pyloriis the most important carcinogen for gastric adenocarcinoma. Bacterial virulence factors are essential players in modulating the immune response involved in the initiation of carcinogenesis in the stomach; host genetic factors contribute to the regulation of the inflammatory response and to the aggravation of mucosal damage. In terms of environmental factors, salt intake and smoking contribute to the development of lesions. Various therapeutic schemes are proposed to eradicateH. pyloriinfection, which could potentially prevent gastric cancer, offering the greatest benefit if performed before premalignant changes of the gastric mucosa have occurred.

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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is considered the second most prevalent infection in man. A precise diagnosis is important for treating patients with the indicative gastrointestinal symptoms. The present study analyzes the effectiveness of a molecular biology method (PCR) comparing the results obtained with the histology and with the rapid urease tests. PCR was used in the detection and genotyping of the H. pylori urease-C gene and the patterns which were obtained from the patients studied. 141 biopsy samples from 131 patients were evaluated. 59 paraffin biopsies samples were positive for H. pylori according to the histological examination. Of those, 59/12 (20.3%) were amplified using PCR. Of the 82 samples from the fresh biopsies, 64 were positive for H. pylori according to the rapid urease test (78%); there was an agreement of 100% with PCR. Sixty positive H. pylori samples were genotyped (58 samples of fresh biopsies and 2 samples of paraffin biopsies) using two restriction enzymes. The patterns observed were analyzed with the computational program BIO 1D; 11 patterns with the enzyme HhaI and 12 patterns with the enzyme MboI were found. However, it was not possible to find a statistically significant correlation between the specific genotypes and digestive pathologies. Accordingly, future research should be performed to confirm a statistically significant relationship between genotyping and gastrointestinal symptoms.