The incidence of gastric cancer is very high in Japan, Korea, and China. Reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with gastric cancer requires early diagnosis, which can be facilitated by applying gastroscopy more frequently in high-risk groups. A strategy of population screening for gastric cancer is currently being adopted in Korea, Japan, and the Matsu region of Taiwan, but using different screening methods. In addition, the history of pepsinogen (PG) in research as a gastric cancer biomarker has varied, in that the use of serum levels of PGI and PGII and the PGI/PGII ratio as gastric cancer screening tools was introduced in Japan before 1990, but in Korea the first research results were only reported in 2008. This review first evaluates the physiology of PG, followed by the usefulness or limitations of serum PG testing with regard to the detection of gastric cancer. Finally, the factors affecting the efficacy of PG tests as a gastric cancer biomarker (i.e., Helicobacter pylori infection status, gender, histopathologic features, and cancer location and depth) are evaluated. It was found that the strategies used to increase the efficacy of PG tests should be individualized in each country according to the seroprevalence of H. pylori.
China ; Early Diagnosis ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Gastroscopy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Incidence ; Japan ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Pepsinogen A ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Taiwan

Objectives: South Korea has the highest suicide rate among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries; there is an increasing trend in suicide attempts among middle and high school students. Various factors contribute to the risk of suicide among adolescents, and the perception of suicide prevention has emerged as a significant factor. This study aimed to investigate the association between emotional and behavioral difficulties among middle and high school students and their perceptions of suicide prevention and to explore differences in suicide perception according to age. Methods: A survey was conducted among community middle and high school students, including 530 participants, between 2020 and 2021. Emotional and behavioral difficulties were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Korean version, and participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on the importance and possibility of suicide prevention. A correlation test and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationships between the variables, and suicide awareness was compared according to age. Results: The participants who displayed higher strength or lower difficulty were more likely to respond positively to suicide prevention measures. They also exhibited high strength and low difficulty levels, thus agreeing with the importance of suicide prevention. Regarding age-related perceptions of suicide, adults aged 20–29 years reported the lowest probability of suicide prevention. Conclusion Suicide perceptions influence the incidence of suicide. Therefore, active societal engagement through suicide prevention campaigns and related education is essential to improve such perceptions. Continuous attention and support are required to address this issue.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Development of antibiotic resistance is a significant clinical problem in the eradication of H. pylori. To select an appropriate regimen, systematic information on antibiotic resistance is mandatory. Thus, we investigated the distribution of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and evaluated the antibiotic resistance of H. pylori isolates from Korean patients in 2003. METHODS: The susceptibility of 65 isolates obtained in 2003 to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, tetracycline, azithromycin, and ciprofloxacin were determined by agar dilution method. RESULTS: Resistance rates of H. pylori to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, tetracycline, azithromycin, and ciprofloxacin were 18.5%, 13.8%, 66.2%, 12.3%, 32.3%, and 33.8%, respectively. Multi-drug resistance rate of H. pylori was 47.7%. Especially, 6.2% of the H. pylori isolates were resistant to both amoxicillin and clarithromycin. In addition, resistance to amoxicillin and clarithromycin resulted in decreasing tendency of the eradication efficacy for H. pylori. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the antibiotics used for H. pylori eradication show high resistance rates in Korea. Furthermore, continuous surveillance of antibiotic susceptibilities should be needed and further increases in antibiotic resistance would require susceptibility testing before treatment to maximize the efficacy of H. pylori treatment.
Aged ; *Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; English Abstract ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/microbiology ; Helicobacter pylori/*drug effects ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective: Owing to prolonged social distancing and the resultant isolation, the prevalence of depression and suicidality has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the severity of depression and suicidality in Korean community populations and examine their awareness of suicide and suicide prevention during the pandemic. Methods: This study surveyed a community population in 2020 and 2021, involving 668 participants. We evaluated the severity of depression and suicidality using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation as well as questions about awareness of suicide. We performed a correlation analysis to confirm the association between variables, and compared participants’ suicide awareness according to the severity of depression. Results: The severity of depression and suicidality in the community population decreased in 2021 compared to 2020. Awareness of the importance of suicide prevention increased in 2021, but the percentage reporting that it is possible decreased slightly. The group with higher depressive symptoms reported a lower possibility of suicide prevention. Conclusion Increasing social interest in suicide, as well as awareness of suicide prevention, is important for reducing suicide rates. Suicide prevention campaigns, education, and social policies are needed, particularly during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to establish an ideal treatment regimen for H. pylori eradication in three aspects: clinical, microbiological, and reinfection. METHODS: Four hundred thirty two patients with H. pylori positive peptic ulcer were randomized to receive two types of triple therapy: one includes colloidal bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole and tetracycline (BMT), and the other includes omeprazole, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (OAC). RESULTS: More than 50% of symptom reduction within 1 week was 94.4% both in OAC and in BMT group. The percentages of side effects were 21.6% and 27.1% in OAC and BMT regimen, respectively. Good compliance with at least 85% intake was 99.0% and 95.2% in OAC and BMT regimen. The eradication rates of H. pylori were 85.9% and 89.1% in OAC and BMT regimen. Resistance rates to metronidazole and clarithromycin were 40.6% and 10.2% by E test, 74.3% and 27.0% by broth microdilution, and 45.3% and 10.9% by disk diffusion method. The eradication rates for H. pylori was 100% and 77.8% by BMT in patients with metronidazole-sensitive and -resistant strains, and 100% and 80.0% by OAC with clarithromycin- sensitive and -resistant strains, without significance by their resistances. The recrudescence rate within 1 year after eradication was 21.2% and 14.2% for OAC and BMT regimen without significant difference. The reinfection rate after 1 year was 4.0% and 5.0% for OAC and BMT regimen. CONCLUSION: Because the eradication rate of BMT regimen is 89.1% in spite of high metronidazole resistance rate, and there was no statistical difference in the aspects of symptom reduction, side effect, compliance, recrudescence and reinfection rate, BMT regimen is as favorable as OAC to eradicate H. pylori.
Amoxicillin ; Bismuth ; Clarithromycin ; Colloids ; Compliance ; Diffusion ; Drug Resistance* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Metronidazole ; Omeprazole ; Peptic Ulcer ; Recurrence* ; Tetracycline

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, some patients fail to respond to PPI therapy. We investigated the efficacy of response to PPI therapy in patients with GERD symptoms. METHODS: A total of 179 subjects with GERD symptoms were prospectively enrolled and diagnosed with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD, n = 100) and erosive reflux disease (n = 79) by gastroscopy and Bernstein test and/or 24-hour esophageal pH testing. Subjects then received a standard dose of daily PPI therapy for at least 4 weeks. PPI therapy response was evaluated using questionnaires including questions about demographics, GERD symptoms, GERD impact scale, Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), hospital anxiety and depression scale, and abbreviated version of the World Health Organization quality of life scale. RESULTS: The rates of complete (> or = 80%), satisfactory (> or = 50%), partial (< 50%), and refractory response in the 179 participants were 41.3%, 30.2%, 18.4%, and 10.1%, respectively. Thus, overall response rate (complete and satisfactory responses) was 71.5%. Multivariate analysis showed body mass index < 23 kg/m2 (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.12-4.34), higher total PSQI score (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.05-1.35), history of psychotherapy or neuropsychiatric medication (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.23-4.85), and NERD (OR, 3.30; 95% CI, 1.54-7.11) were associated with poor response to PPI therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological factors, sleep dysfunction, body mass index < 23 kg/m2, and NERD seem to be the major factors that lead to a poor response to PPI treatment in patients with GERD symptoms.
Anxiety ; Body Mass Index ; Demography ; Depression ; Esophagitis ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prospective Studies ; Proton Pump Inhibitors* ; Psychology ; Psychotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Interactions between H. pylori and gastric epithelial cells contribute to gastric inflammation and epithelial damage. This study was performed to evaluate the gene expression profile of AGS cells by adhesion of H. pylori. METHODS: Changes in AGS cell gene expression induced by co-culturing with H. pylori (G69a strain) (4, 12, 24, 48 hours) were monitored using oligonucleotide microarray. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for data validation by the Assay-on-Demand Gene Expression product method. RESULTS: A total of 270 (2.66%) and 19 genes (0.19%) were up-regulated in AGS cells by H. pylori adhesion. Gene ontology analysis showed that up-regulated genes were categorized into endolipidase activity (17 genes), receptor binding (17 genes), integrin binding (4 genes), and two down-regulated genes into GTP binding category. The expression levels of 20 up- and 5 down-regulated genes were quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Sixteen genes involving cytokine activity (IL8, IL1B, TNF), hydrolase activity (PTP4A1, ERCC1, CASP8, CASP7, ACIN1), VIP receptor activity (VIPR2), and neuropeptide Y receptor activity (GPR83) were confirmed to be up-regulated. Five genes, namely, ARF3, M17S2, DDB2, AWP1, and WTAP were confirmed to be down-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: Host genes are significantly changed by H. pylori adhesion, which might explain the gastroduodenal pathogenesis induced by H. pylori infection.
Epithelial Cells ; Gene Expression* ; Gene Ontology ; Guanosine Triphosphate ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Inflammation ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Receptors, Neuropeptide Y ; Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide ; Transcriptome*

BACKGROUD/AIMS: Obesity is a rising problem in industrialized countries. Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown a positive association between obesity and colorectal polyps. There are few studies investigating the association between colorectal adenomatous polyps and body fat composition in Korea. We tried to examine the relationship between body fatness and colorectal adenomatous polyps in health check-up subjects in Korea. METHODS: Six thousand seven hundred and six routine health check-up subjects, who visited our hospital between March 2002 and April 2005 and underwent distal colon examimation with sigmoidoscopy, were enrolled in this study. Among them, colonoscopy was done in 860 patients to evaluate the entire colon. We tried to reveal the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and size, location, number and histopathological type of polyps. BMI was used as an indicator of obesity. RESULTS: The mean value of BMI in total polyp-free group (23.8+/-2.9) was not different from that of the polyp group (24.5+/-2.8, p=0.09). The frequency of rectosigmoid polyps in obese patients (20.4%) was higher than that in non-obese patients (16.0%, p<0.05). The frequency of adenomatous polyp was not different between obese and non-obese group. Number of polyps (> or =4) correlated well with obesity. Moreover, age and triglyceride level in patients with colonic adenoma were significantly higher than in patients without colonic adenom. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that obesity is not associated with colonic adenomatous polyp in Korean population. However, we observed that obesity may be associated with rectosigmoid colon polyps. Furthermore, age and triglyceride level might be the risk factors of colonic adenomatous polyps in Korean population.
Adenomatous Polyps/*complications/epidemiology/pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Body Mass Index ; Colonic Neoplasms/*complications/epidemiology/pathology ; Colonic Polyps/complications/epidemiology/pathology ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/*complications/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sigmoidoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Failure rates of Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment turned out to be exceeding 10%, causing recurrence of peptic ulcers. In the case of eradication failure, the Korean College of Helicobacter Research and Practice recommends quadruple therapy consisting of proton pump inhibitor, bismuth, tetracycline and metronidazole. Many reports regarding the eradication rates of quadruple therapy have been reported. However, most were limited by short follow-up periods. Hence, we evaluated the efficacy of the metronidazole containing quadruple therapy as a second line treatment from April, 1996 through July, 2004. METHODS: Sixty-three patients were enrolled. Treatment consisted of aforementioned quadruple therapy for 1 week. Four to six weeks after completion of treatment, biopsies and CLO tests were performed to detect the presence of H. pylori. The patients were then followed-up with upper endoscopy once every year. RESULTS: The efficacy of the quadruple therapy was 74.6% in intention-to-treat analysis and 83.9% in per protocol analysis. Eradication rates of the years 1996, 1999-2000, 2001, and 2002-2004 were 75.0%, 93.8%, 100%, and 72.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data can not reveal the evidence of decreasing trend for eradication rate quadruple therapy of H. pylori in 8 years. However, eradication rate of 72.7% in recent 2 years necessitates the development of more efficient eradication regimen.
Adult ; Antacids/administration & dosage ; Anti-Infective Agents/*administration & dosage ; Bismuth/administration & dosage ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; English Abstract ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/*drug therapy ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Metronidazole/*administration & dosage ; Middle Aged ; Peptic Ulcer/microbiology ; Proton Pumps/antagonists & inhibitors ; Recurrence ; Tetracycline/administration & dosage

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ecabet sodium is known for its bactericidal effect against H. pylori. It was reported that a supplement of ecabet sodium to conventional triple therapy showed good results in Asia. The Aim of this study was to ascertain the efficacy of additional ecabet sodium on conventional triple therapy for eradication of H. pylori. METHODS: We reviewed the cases of 111 patients (Group A) with H. pylori infection who received ecabet sodium with triple therapy (20 mg of rabeprazole, 1 g of amoxicillin, 500 mg of clarithromycin and 1 g of ecabet sodium, twice daily for 7 days). Another 186 patients (Group B) received PPI-based triple therapy (same as the above, except without the ecabet sodium). Eradication was evaluated 4 weeks later after completion of treatment by 13C-UBT. RESULTS: Eradication rates were 74.8% (83/111) in group A and 70.4% (131/186) in group B by intention-to-treat analysis (p=0.420), and 75.2% (82/109) in group A and 70.7% (128/181) in group B by per protocol analysis (p=0.405). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of ecabet sodium to conventional triple therapy did not increase the eradication rate of H. pylori in this study. These findings imply that ecabet sodium as an additional agent cannot overcome antibiotic resistance, which is the most important cause of failure of triple therapy.
2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles ; Amoxicillin ; Asia ; Clarithromycin ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Korea ; Sodium