Although histological parameters were significantly improved in the treatment group, there was no significant improvement in symptoms of NUD in the treatment group compared to placebo.

INTRODUCTIONSince the signi®cant impact of Helicobacter pylori infection in the development of most gastric diseases has been established, curative therapy for the infection has been of growing clinical interest. A recent trend in curative therapy is the so-called triple therapy, 1 which consists of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and two different antimicrobials. Various regimens of triple therapy have been reported that utilize different combinations of proton pump inhibitor or antimicrobials, with respect to dosage and duration of treatment. 2,3 Among these, higher dosages of proton pump inhibitor have been considered to be more effective 4 and there are many reports regarding the ef®cacy of proton pump inhibitor/AC regimens using omeprazole, lansoprazole and pantoprazole. 2, 5±7 Rabeprazole, a recently developed proton pump inhibitor, has become available, and has been considered to

The localization and the expression patterns of tight-junction proteins were different in the controls and the rat esophagitis model. The expression of claudin-3 in the esophageal mucosa was decreased, while that of claudin-1 was increased. It is postulated that these alterations in tight-junction proteins most likely increase the permeability of the esophageal the epithelium, thereby impairing the defense mechanism of this epithelium.

The 2-week antibiotic combination therapy against F. varium was effective and safe in patients with chronic, active ulcerative colitis in this long-term follow-up study.

In this study, clinical symptoms reflected the activity of distal colonic lesions, whereas CRP and ESR reflected the activity of proximal lesions. Therefore, total colonoscopy may be indicated when CRP or ESR is elevated in UC patients in clinical remission.