Gastritis and Gastric Cancer

This book is a comprehensive overview of invited contributions on Helicobacter pylori infection in gastritis and gastric carcinogenesis. The first part of the book covers topics related to the pathophysiology of gastric mucosal defense system and gastritis including the gastroprotective function of the mucus, the capsaicin-sensitive afferent nerves and the oxidative stress pathway involved in inflammation, apoptosis and autophagy in H. pylori related gastritis. The next chapters deal with molecular pathogenesis and treatment, which consider the role of neuroendocrine cells in gastric disease, DNA methylation in H. pylori infection, the role of antioxidants and phytotherapy in gastric disease. The final part presents the effects of cancer risk factors associated with H. pylori infection. These chapters discuss the serum pepsinogen test, K-ras mutations, cell kinetics, and H. pylori lipopolysaccharide, as well as the roles of several bacterial genes (cagA, cagT, vacA and dupA) as virulence factors in gastric cancer, and the gastrokine-1 protein in cancer progression.