Recently, the relationship between gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori infection is attracting much attention. We analyzed the effects of Helicobacter pylori infection and dietary habits on the occurrence of gastric cancer using a nested case-control study method. We carried out a questionnaire survey on the life styles of 5768 males over 40 years old at a health insurance society in Tokyo in 1988. We collected serum specimens from 849 examinees obtaining their consent for future study and storaged at -80°C. Thereafter we have been tracing the occurrence of cancer. Subjects were 15 newly-registered gastric cancer cases and 30 controls matched for age. For these 45 subjects, serum Helicobacter pylori antibody (HP antibody), pepsinogen (PG) I, PGII and PGI/II were examined.
The results were as follows:
(1) The HP antibody positivity rate of all subjects was 64.4%, 80.0% in the gastric cancer cases and 56.7 % in the controls (odds ratio, 3.06; 95 % confidence interval, 0.72-13.0) .
(2) The PG I/II ratio was 2.13 in the cancer cases and 3.75 in the controls (P<0.05) .
(3) The dietary habits survey revealed that the cancer cases drank coffee more frequently than the controls.
(4) The multivariate analysis indicated that the low level of PGI/II exerted the strongest influence on occurrence of gastric cancer.
These results suggest that Helicobacter pylori infection contributes to the occurrence of gastric cancer to some degree, but a low level of PGI/II is a higher risk factor. Some of the subjects' dietary habits are also suspected as risk factors and further investigation is needed.

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Transverse lines (Harris) were observed on the femur roentgenogram of a child (4Y, 8M) suffering from a fracture of the left femur diaphysis. The roentogenograms of the right femur and other long bones were examined.
The following results were obtained:
1. Transverse lines (TLs) were observed on the distal end of the diaphysis of the left femur as 7 thick piled lines and symmetrically on the right femur, as well as on the tbias. Which were characteristic of Harris lines.
2. About 10 irregular thin lines were observed on the proximal area of thick piled lines of femurs and they occupied the lower 1/3 of the diaphysis. In addition, the same lines were observed on the proximal area of the left humerus.
3. It was considered that these TLs were caused by the stress of physical violence of the parents and the hyponutrition, as indicated from the results of body examinations and information of circumferences.

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A-10-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because of blood in his stools and abdominal pain with vomiting. On admission, his white blood cell count was 11000/mm³ and colonoscopy showed erosions and redness throughout the total colon and rectum. By conservative therapy including fasting and administration of antibiotics, the symptoms disappeared and laboratory data were completely normalized within a few days. No bacteria nor viruses were detected in the stool culture. However, a campylobactor colitis was suggested by the clinical symptoms and procedures.

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