Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:6.3.4.6 (urease)
 7,490 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Clinical scientists from eight European countries and China gathered in the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an on April 26-28, 2001 to discuss collaboration on a modern approach to gastric cancer prevention. Participants at the First Sino-European Workshop on Immunogenetics and Pathogenesis of Gastric Cancer presented their most up-to-date research results on topics ranging from epidemiology and immune mechanisms to Helicobacter pylori and vaccine development. Researchers then formed groups with their Chinese or European counterparts to plan future research endeavors which will benefit Chinese and European populations alike. After 3 years of organization between the Institute of Digestive Diseases of the Fourth Medical University in Xi'an, China and the Laboratory of Immunogenetics, VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the first workshop came into being under the joint sponsorship of the Commission of the European Union, National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Institute of Digestive Diseases, Xi'an, China. As gastric cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor in China, the workshop was of special significance to the Chinese researchers and to the Chinese population in general. During the workshop, presentations on the epidemiology of gastric cancer showed that this disease is in fact common the world over: it is the second most common cancer next to lung cancer and about 1 million new cases were diagnosed in 2000. Three-quarters of the cases of gastric cancer occur in Asia, and approximately 80% of these cases are in China and Japan. Genetic factors and environmental factors such as diet and H. pylori infection play a role in gastric carcinogenesis. As a recognized cause of gastric cancer, H. pylori was the subject of various presentations ranging from immunological studies, molecular analysis of strains and pathogenesis to vaccine development. Specific areas of discussion included bacterial-epithelial interactions in H. pylori infection, epidemiology in China, global distribution of vacA and cagA genotypes, new evidence for host factors, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and H. pylori as independent risk factor for gastric cancer, new diagnostic techniques for H. pylori using serum levels of pepsinogen I, and autoimmune processes in corpus atrophy. Vaccine development using a variety of strategies against H. pylori was the subject of an entire session of talks. Oral immunization with urease with Escherichia coli heat labile enterotoxin was shown to be safe and immunogenic in humans as a mucosal adjuvant. Results of a study using attenuated Salmonella typhimurium as a vehicle for DNA-mediated immunization in mice were also presented. A final presentation discussed an ongoing trial comparing strain variability in the vacA and cagA gene sequences and disease expression between H. pylori infection in Europe and China. Researchers also discussed the role of IL1 gene family and TNF gene polymorphisms in gastric pathology and various immune mechanisms involved in gastric cancer, such as down-regulation of NF kappa B, IL-1 and IL-1RA, cyclooxygenase signalling, and identification of MGAg antibodies. An interactive discussion followed each presentation and ideas and suggestions were provided. According to specialty, the presenters were then assigned to groups of four or five to make plans for joint research projects. A number of international and Chinese observers were present, including representatives from the European Commission, the World Health Organization and the Chinese National Center for Biotechnology Development, and offered input on the financial feasibility of such projects.
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PMID:The immunogenetics and pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Highlights of the First Sino-European Workshop on the Immunogenetics and Pathogenesis of Gastric Cancer. 1253 77

This study is designed to investigate, for the first time, circulating and gastric mucosal levels of IL1-alpha, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and matched controls, according to the presence or absence of active Helicobacter pylori infection. Furthermore, in order to evaluate whether modified lipid profile was associated to an increased cardiovascular risk, this was determined in the same groups. Cytokine levels were measured using ELISA in 58 patients with IHD and 52 controls. Active H. pylori infection was assessed if either culture of H. pylori or rapid urease test gave a positive result. Our findings indicate increasing cytokine mucosal levels in H. pylori-positive patients compared to H. pylori-negative subjects. However, the increase was statistically significant only for IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the gastric mucosa of IHD patients. In H. pylori-positive controls, IL-8 mucosal levels positively correlated with both IL1-alpha (r = 0.98; P = 0.0003) and IL-6 (r = 0.83; P = 0.03) levels. Circulating cytokine levels were comparable in IHD and healthy subjects, regardless of H. pylori status. There were no correlations between mucosal and circulating cytokine levels. Active H. pylori infection was not associated with a modified lipid profile in either controls or IHD patients, although ApoAI levels were significantly higher in H. pylori-positive controls compared to those H. pylori-negative. Taken together, the results of the present study provide evidence that active H. pylori infection may play a role as a trigger factor in the pathophysiology of IHD by inducing an inflammatory cascade concentrated on gastric mucosa.
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PMID:Serum and mucosal cytokine profiles in patients with active Helicobacter pylori and ischemic heart disease: is there a relationship? 1734 40