This study evaluates 216 patients with schistosomal colonic disease, diagnosed by endoscopic biopsies at the Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh. The colonoscopic appearance was suggestive of schistosomiasis in 98 of these patients (45.37%), Schistosoma mansoni ova in stool was detected in only 24 of these 216 patients (11-11%). The most common histopathological finding in colonic biopsies of these patients was Schistosoma mansoni ova in the colonic mucosa with no or mild inflammatory celis infiltrates. These findings correlate with the endoscopic appearances in most

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Six patients with a ruptured Echinococcus liver cyst were treated by means of endoscopy. The treatment consisted of endoscopic sphincterotomy, cyst material extraction and hypotonic saline lavage via a nasobiliary catheter. In five patients successful complete endoscopic treatment was achieved, including removal of daughter cysts. In the sixth patient only partial treatment could be performed with clearance of daughter cysts since there was no communication with the main liver cyst. Follow-up ultrasonography, CT and ERCP in all patients showed complete cure and no evidence of disease recurrence in five of them. The sixth patient required surgery one month after endoscopic treatment of the acute biliary obstruction.

Background/Aim:A large number of diseases are ascribed to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), particularly chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Successful treatment of H. pylori infection with antimicrobial agents can lead to regression of H. pylori–associated disorders. Antibiotic resistance against H. pylori is increasing, and it is necessary to find new effective agents. Nigella sativa seed (NS), a commonly used herb, possesses in vitro anti-helicobacter activity. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of NS in eradication of H. pylori infection in non-ulcer dyspeptic patients.Materials and Methods:The study was conducted on 88 adult patients attending King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, from 2007 to 2008, with dyspeptic symptoms and found positive for H. pylori infection by histopathology and urease test. Patients were randomly assigned to four groups, receiving i) triple therapy (TT) comprising of clarithromycin, amoxicillin, omeprazole [n= 23], ii) 1 g NS + 40 mg omeprazole (OM) [n= 21], iii) 2 g NS + OM [n= 21] or iv) 3 g NS + OM [n= 23]. Negative H. pylori stool antigen test four weeks after end of treatment was considered as eradication.Results:H. pylori eradication was 82.6, 47.6, 66.7 and 47.8% with TT, 1 g NS, 2 g NS and 3 g NS, respectively. Eradication rates with 2 g NS and TT were statistically not different from each other, whereas H. pylori eradication with other doses was significantly less than that with TT (P < 0.05). Dyspepsia symptoms improved in all groups to a similar extent.Conclusions:N. sativa seeds possess clinically useful anti-H. pylori activity, comparable to triple therapy. Further clinical studies combining N. sativa with antibiotics are suggested.