Detection Of GC Research Articles

Immunohistochemical detection of IL-17 and IL-23 improves the identification of patients with a possible diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome

ObjectivesThe diagnosis of primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) continues to be difficult and several patients keep symptomatic for years with different diagnoses before confirmation of pSS. Since the IL-23-IL-17 axis is involved in the etiopathogenesis of pSS we evaluated by immunohistochemistry and morphometric methods the presence of IL-17 as well as IL-23 within minor salivary glands (MSG) obtained from patients with uncertain diagnosis of pSS. Materials and Methods42 patients, with symptoms attributable to pSS, and 8 patients used as a control, were enrolled for the study. Autoantibody detection, histological analysis for the presence of Germinal Centers (GC+), immunohistochemistry to detect IL-23 and IL-17 were performed. ResultsThe detection of GC + anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibody in parallel with the detection of IL-17 and IL-23, displays only a diagnostic reinforcement value. Instead, the detection of a positive reaction for both IL-17 and IL-23 without GC + or autoantibody within minor salivary glands, as detected in 36 % of patients with uncertain diagnosis, may be hold as a sensitive and specific marker to identify those patients who are likely to evolve into pSS. Conclusionwe suggest to use the IL-17/ IL-23 immunohistochemical detection to improve the identification of patients with a possible diagnosis in all cases which do not fully meet the American-European criteria for pSS, in particular when the GC + are not present at histopathological analysis and anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibody are undetectable in the serum.

Evaluation of Self-Collection as a Method of Extragenital STI Screening.

The goal of this study is to improve overall screening, detection, and treatment of Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at our institution. An observational study with two phases was conducted at a U.S. Army Medical Center. Previously collected samples from January 2014 through December 2015 were compared to prospectively collected data from March 2016 through December 2017. All data were collected from a convenience sample of active duty, HIV-positive men who have sex with men. Concordance between provider-collected and self-collected extragenital screening (EGS) samples was evaluated. The rate of detection using EGS was higher than previously found using urogenital screening alone. Our prospective analysis revealed that expanding screening to include extragenital sites increased rates of detection of GC and CT. Our rates of GC detection at the pharynx and rectum, and CT detection at the rectum, were higher than those reported in the literature for men who have sex with men. Rates of CT infection at the pharynx were comparable with those reported in the literature. Detection of GC at the pharynx was exactly concordant between self-collected and provider-collected samples. Concordance of GC and CT detection at the rectum was very good. The kappa coefficient for detection of CT at the pharynx was zero, which corresponded to 44 out of 45 concordant observations. Prior to implementation of EGS at our institution, we missed the opportunity to detect a substantial number of GC/CT infections with urogenital screening alone. Our results suggest that self-collection is a reliable method of EGS as compared to provider collection of samples.

Methods to prevent PCR amplification of DNA from non-viable virus were not successful for infectious laryngotracheitis virus.

Molecular-based testing of poultry dust has been used as a fast, sensitive and specific way to monitor viruses in chicken flocks but it provides no information on viral viability. Differentiation of viable and nonviable virus would expand the usefulness of PCR-based detection. This study tested three treatments (1. DNAse, 2. propidium monoazide [PMA], 3. immunomagnetic separation [IMS]) applied to dust or virus stock prior to nucleic acid extraction for their ability to exclude nonviable virus from PCR amplification. Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) was used as a model. These treatments assume loss of viral viability due to damage to the capsid or to denaturation of epitope proteins. DNAse and PMA assess the integrity of the capsid to penetration by enzyme or intercalating dye, while IMS assesses the integrity of epitope proteins. Treatments were evaluated for their ability to reduce PCR signal, measured as ILTV log10 genomic copies (ILTV GC), of heat and chemically inactivated ILTV in poultry dust and virus stock. Compared to untreated dust samples, there was an overall reduction of 1.7 ILTV GC after IMS treatment (p<0.01), and a reduction of 2.0 ILTV GC after PMA treatment (p<0.0001). DNAse treatment did not reduce ILTV GC in dust (p = 0.68). Compared to untreated virus stocks, there was an overall reduction of 0.5 ILTV GC after DNAse treatment (p = 0.04), a reduction of 1.8 ILTV GC after IMS treatment (p<0.001) and a reduction of 1.4 ILTV GC after PMA treatment (p<0.0001). None of the treatments completely suppressed the detection of inactivated ILTV GC. In conclusion, treatments that use capsid integrity or protein epitope denaturation as markers to assess ILTV infectivity are unsuitable to accurately estimate proportions of viable virus in poultry dust and virus stocks.

Analytical assessment of tar generated during gasification of municipal solid waste: Distribution of GC–MS detectable tar compounds, undetectable tar residues and inorganic impurities

Tar, one of the most challenging impurities in the syngas generated from the gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW), can severely restrict its applicability in advanced utilization systems such as solid oxide fuel cells, gas engines and combined cycle gas turbines. Due to the complexity in sampling and analysis of tar, very limited studies have explored the development of comprehensive analytical procedure to provide insights into the distribution of GC–MS detectable tar compounds, GC–MS undetectable tar residues and inorganic impurities in the syngas from MSW gasification. In this study, Syngas generated from a downdraft fixed-bed gasifier (under different operating conditions) was sampled and analysed to understand the changes in the distributions of tar compounds and to verify the applicability of a sequential analytical procedure for syngas with different contents and distributions of tar and inorganic impurities. The procedure was developed to analyse and quantify the tar compounds and inorganic impurities in tar sampling solutions. The GC–MS analysis of three types of tar containing solutions (collected tar, gravimetric tar solution and evaporated condensate), gravimetric tar procedure (rotary evaporation and weighing), three separation/isolation methods (adsorption, dilution and decomposition) and quantification of inorganic compounds (cations and anions) were studied. With this sequential analytical procedure, enhanced detection and quantification (EDQ) of GC–MS detectable tar compounds at low concentration and correction on the GC–MS undetectable tar contents based on quantification of inorganic impurities were achieved. Distribution of tar and inorganic impurities was determined which revealed the impacts of operating conditions on syngas from MSW gasification.

Thermal Oxidation Rate of Oleic Acid Increased Dramatically at 140 °C Studied using Electron Spin Resonance and GC–MS/MS

AbstractThermal oxidation of oleic acid at high temperatures was studied using combination of electron spin resonance (ESR) spin‐trapping technique and solid phase microextraction (SPME)‐Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry‐mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). Dimethyl pyridine N‐oxide (DMPO) was applied as the spin trap. Alkyl, alkoxyl, and oxidized DMPO adducts were identified in the experimental spectra. At 140 °C, the alkyl radical adduct was the major component, accounting for 63.89% of the total radical adducts. However, the alkoxyl radical adduct was the main radical adduct in the temperature range of 120 to 135 °C. The total amount of spins, a parameter to indicate radical concentrations, detected at 140 °C was nearly three times higher than that at 135 °C. And, the total amount of alkyl radical adducts was higher than that of alkoxyl radical adducts at 140 °C, which indicated a higher alkyl radical formation rate. Besides, a larger amount (10.30%) of oleic acid degraded at 140 °C than that at 135 °C with the detection of GC. More (E)‐2‐Decenal (plastic) and (E)‐2‐undecenal (herbaceous) formed affect the flavor of frying.

Identification of diagnostic utility and molecular mechanisms of circulating miR-551b-5p in gastric cancer

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers globally leading to 850,000 deaths each year. GC patients are often diagnosed at advanced stages which results in poor prognosis. This study aimed to identify a novel circulating miRNA as the diagnostic biomarker of GC and further explore its regulatory mechanisms in GC. Materials and methodsFirst, the candidate serum miRNA was selected after analysis of microarray data. Then, the levels of candidate miRNA in the serum of GC patients were validated in an independent cohort. The diagnostic utility of miRNA was evaluated by using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. The functional and pathways enrichment analysis of targets of candidate miRNA were explored by online tool DAVID. ResultsAfter comprehensive analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset, miR-551b-5p was selected as candidate due to its highest differential fold-change. Another independent cohort showed that serum miR-551b-5p could differentiate GC patients from healthy controls (HCs) with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.84 (95%CI: 0.75-0.93). The functional and pathways enrichment analysis revealed that targets of miR-551b-5p mainly located in cytoplasm and significantly associated with regulation of ubiquitin-dependent protein catabolic process, cell division, and mRNA stability. ConclusionsCirculating miR-551b-5p was a novel promising biomarker for the detection of GC and exploration of the molecular mechanisms of miR-551b-5p is useful to search for new therapeutic strategies of GC.

Circulating MicroRNAs: Valuable Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer is a malignancy with high mortality rate worldwide. Poor clinical symptoms, unfavorable prognosis and absence of proper diagnostic techniques for early detection cause death in many patients. Presence of new sensitive and specific biomarkers for early detection and progression of GC could lead to reduction in the mortality rate. In addition to intracellular miRNAs, circulating miRNAs reflect the state of cancer progression and might be potential biomarkers for rapid detection and also therapy in GC. After giving a brief explanation about circulating miRNAs and their various types, we then reviewed comprehensively the last studies which investigated circulating miRNAs as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers in GC. Research and review articles in PubMed and Scopus databases were summarized. Keywords mainly used were in related to circulating miRNAs and their diagnostic and prognostic value in gastric cancer. Among the numerous circulating miRNAs a comparison was made based on their repeatability, specificity and sensitivity. Comparisons indicated high diagnostic value of circulating miRNAs in comparison with other detection methods based on their high sensitivity and specificity. There was also a relation between altered expression level of large number of circulating miRNAs and clinicopathological factors and also response to therapy in GC. Several advantages of circulating miRNAs as detection biomarker have led to extensive studies and significant advances. Altered expression pattern of circulating miRNAs have correlation with pathological status of GC tissues and their exclusive features make them ideal early diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers for GC.

Frequency-selective non-linear blending for the computed tomography diagnosis of acute gangrenous cholecystitis: Pilot retrospective evaluation

PurposeTo compare the diagnostic performance of frequency-selective non-linear blending and conventional linear blending contrast-enhanced CT for the diagnosis of acute (AC) and gangrenous (GC) cholecystitis. Materials and methodsFollowing local ethics committee approval for retrospective data analysis, a database search derived 39 patients (26 men, mean age 67.8 ± 14.6 years) with clinical signs of acute cholecystitis, contrast enhanced CT (CECT) evaluation, cholecystectomy, and pathological examination of the resected specimen. The interval between CECT and surgery was 4.7 ± 4.1 days. Pathological gross examination was used to categorize the cases into AC and GC. Subsequently, two radiologists categorized the CECT studies in a blinded and independent fashion into AC and GC, during two different reading sessions using linear blending and frequency-selective non-linear blending CECT. ResultsHistologic analysis diagnosed 31/39 (79.4%) cases of GC and 8/39 (20.6%) cases of AC. Image interpretation of linear blending CECT resulted in classification of 7/39 (17.9%) patients as GC and 32/39 (82.1%) as AC, whereas image interpretation of frequency-selective non-linear blending CECT resulted in classification of 29/39 (74.3%) patients as GC and 10/39 (25.7%) as AC. Sensitivity/specificity/PPV/NPV for detection of GC were 22.6%/100%/100%/25% with linear blending CECT and 80.6%/50%/86.2%/40% with frequency-selective non-linear blending CECT, respectively. Based on the histopathologic diagnosis frequency-selective non-linear blending had a significant improvement (p > 0.0001) in the diagnostic accuracy of gangrenous cholecystitis compared with linear blending. ConclusionFrequency-selective non-linear blending post-processing increases the diagnostic accuracy of gangrenous cholecystitis owing to improved visualization of absence of focal enhancement and mural ulcerations.

P07.09 A validation study of the cepheid xpertâ ct/ng for detectingchlamydia trachomatisandneisseria gonorrhoeaein rectal samples

Introduction The objective of this study was to compare the Cepheid Xpert CT/NG (Xpert) and Gen-Probe Aptima (AC2) systems for the identification of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) from rectal swabs. Methods Anorectal swabs were collected from 399 participants (224 men and 175 women) who reported a lifetime history of anal receptive intercourse. True positives for this study were defined if both AC2 and Xpert were positive, or if either AC2 or Xpert were positive and the APTIMA CT or APTIMA GC, which target alternate primers, were positive. Results There was a high level of agreement between Xpert and AC2 for detection of CT and GC from rectal swabs, with only 2/30 discrepant results for GC and 9/59 discrepant results for CT. Following resolution of discrepants, rectal swabs were positive for CT in 58 (14.5%) and for GC in 30 (7.5%) of the 399 participants. For CT, the sensitivity and specificity of Xpert (96.6%, 99.7%) and AC2 (91.4%, 100%) were comparable, with men and women both having high frequencies of rectal CT (17.4% vs 10.9%, P = 0.08). For GC, the sensitivity and specificity of Xpert (100%, 100%) and AC2 (93.3%, 100%) were similar. However, rectal GC was detected much more frequently in men than in women (11.6% vs 2.3%, P Conclusion Rectal GC and CT were common among people reporting a history of receptive anal sex. Xpert and AC2 had high levels of agreement for rectal swab samples. Disclosure of interest statement Reagents for CT/GC testing were provided for by Cepheid and Hologic.

QUANTITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL AND GC-MS ANALYSIS OF LEAF AND BARK EXTRACT OF DOLICHANDRONE ATROVIRENS

The present study deals with the quantitative phytoche mical and GC - MS analysis of aqueous methanolic bark and leaf extract of Dolichandrone atrovirens . This study concerns the quantitative screening of total glycosides, saponins, total phenol content, total flavonoid content a nd vitamin C content. Further ass essed the Dolichandrone atrovirens leaf and bark extracts by using GC - MS. The preliminary screening test results in the detection of bioactive principles and GC - MS analysis revealed the presence of 12 compounds in leaf extract and 11 compounds in bark extr act. This analytical technique identifies the presence of pharmacologically active constituents present in the metabolic aqueous bark and leaf extract of Dolichandrone atrovirens. So that it can be recommended as a plant of phytopharmaceutical importance

Predictive value of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. The high mortality rate of gastric cancer is mainly attributed to late detection, so diagnosis and treatment are crucial to decreasing mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in gastric cancer patients, in addition to the classical cancer tumor biomarkers carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The study was performed on 78 serum samples from gastric cancer patients and 88 serum samples from healthy adults. Serum levels of CFTR, CA199, CEA and CHN were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Results: Spearman's coefficient analysis showed that, in some cases, CFTR was strongly correlated with CA199 and that CFTR levels increased with age. Kruskal-Wallis testing indicated concentrations of CFTR and CA199 had statistically significant association with stage. Logistic regression showed that CFTR and CA199 independently predicted gastric cancer. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) showed that combinations of CFTR, CA199, and CEA yielded the best ROC curve, with an AUC of 0.875. The results of this study indicate that the serum CFTR has a broad application prospects for detection of GC.

Photocatalytically reducing CO2 to methyl formate in methanol over ZnS and Ni-doped ZnS photocatalysts

A series of ZnS photocatalysts were prepared via simple precipitation, ion-exchange and hydrothermal methods, respectively; meanwhile, various Ni-doped ZnS photocatalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The obtained photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, UV–Vis, BET and SEM, and used for photocatalytically reducing CO2 to produce methyl formate in methanol, which worked as both solution of absorbing CO2 and sacrificial reagent. Under the analysis of an on-line ATR-FTIR spectroscopy for CO2 in methanol and detection of GC for the products, the experimental results showed that the ZnS photocatalysts prepared by hydrothermal method had higher photocatalytic activity, which increased rapidly with the increasing hydrothermal time and reached a maximum at 24h. Besides, the doping of Ni2+ could further enhance this activity, the optimal content of Ni dopant was about 0.3wt% and the corresponding methyl formate production rate was 121.4μmolg−1h−1. The high photocatalytic activity could be attributed to that the Ni2+ doping facilitated the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and reduced their recombination probability.

P2.010 Performance of Xpert ® CT/NG Assay Using Residual ProbeTec ET System™ Rectal Samples

BackgroundNucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is the optimal method for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC), but no commercial tests are cleared by the US Food and...

P5.065 Evaluation of Three Different Diagnostic Systems For the Detection of Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae from Oral Specimens

BackgroundTo assess the performance characteristics of the Abbott m2000 (m2000), BD ProbeTec CT/GC Qx Amplified DNA Assay (Viper Qx), and COBAS 4800 (c4800) using oropharyngeal swabs (OP). This study may...

Investigating the Role for IL-21 in Rabies Virus Vaccine-induced Immunity

Over two-thirds of the world's population lives in regions where rabies is endemic, resulting in over 15 million people receiving multi-dose post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and over 55,000 deaths per year globally. A major goal in rabies virus (RABV) research is to develop a single-dose PEP that would simplify vaccination protocols, reduce costs associated with RABV prevention, and save lives. Protection against RABV infections requires virus neutralizing antibodies; however, factors influencing the development of protective RABV-specific B cell responses remain to be elucidated. Here we used a mouse model of IL-21 receptor-deficiency (IL-21R−/−) to characterize the role for IL-21 in RABV vaccine-induced immunity. IL-21R−/− mice immunized with a low dose of a live recombinant RABV-based vaccine (rRABV) produced only low levels of primary or secondary anti-RABV antibody response while wild-type mice developed potent anti-RABV antibodies. Furthermore, IL-21R−/− mice immunized with low-dose rRABV were only minimally protected against pathogenic RABV challenge, while all wild-type mice survived challenge, indicating that IL-21R signaling is required for antibody production in response to low-dose RABV-based vaccination. IL-21R−/− mice immunized with a higher dose of vaccine produced suboptimal anti-RABV primary antibody responses, but showed potent secondary antibodies and protection similar to wild-type mice upon challenge with pathogenic RABV, indicating that IL-21 is dispensable for secondary antibody responses to live RABV-based vaccines when a primary response develops. Furthermore, we show that IL-21 is dispensable for the generation of Tfh cells and memory B cells in the draining lymph nodes of immunized mice but is required for the detection of optimal GC B cells or plasma cells in the lymph node or bone marrow, respectively, in a vaccine dose-dependent manner. Collectively, our preliminary data show that IL-21 is critical for the development of optimal vaccine-induced primary but not secondary antibody responses against RABV infections.

Comparison of the BD Viper System With XTR Technology to the Gen-Probe APTIMA COMBO 2 Assay Using the TIGRIS DTS System for the Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Urine Specimens

Performances of the BD ProbeTec Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)/Neisseria Gonorrhoeae (GC) Q(x) Amplified DNA Assay reagents on a BD Viper System with XTR Technology and APTIMA COMBO 2 Assay reagents on a TIGRIS DTS platform, for detection of both CT and GC were compared. A total of 1018 first-void urine specimens were tested for the presence of CT and GC DNA using the 2 assays. CT was detected in 143 specimens (14%). Eight specimens exhibited discordant results, and they were divided equally between the 2 assays. Based on the original results, the overall agreement for CT was 99.2%, with 97.1% and 99.5% in agreement with positive and negative specimens, respectively. Cohen's Kappa was 0.967. GC was detected in 27 specimens (2.6%). Two specimens exhibited discordant results, and they were divided equally between the 2 assays. Based on the original results, the overall agreement was 99.8%, with 96.2% and 99.9% in agreement for positive and negative specimens, respectively. Cohen's Kappa was 0.961. There was a high level of agreement between the systems for both CT and GC detection.

P-0067 Screening and Triage test for Early Detection of Gastric Cancer (STEAD-GC)

IntroductionGastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Previously, we identified a potential biomarker for non-invasive detection of GC, the DNA methylation of the promoter region of Reprimo, a p53-dependent G2 arrest mediator candidate. Here we developed a quantitative assay (MethyLight) for a mass screening of GC and we reported the preliminary findings of our ongoing prospective trial STEAD-GC (Screening and Triage test for Early Detection of Gastric Cancer) which is being conducted in Chile, a country with a high mortality rate for GC. MethodsTwenty GC cases (tumor, non-tumor tissues and plasma samples) and 41 symptomatic chronic gastritis cases (29 tissues and 12 pairs of tissue and plasma samples) were evaluated for Reprimo levels by MethyLight after DNA extraction and bisulfite conversion. ResultsClinical characteristics were similar in both groups. Age average for GC were 61 y.o with 2:1 male/female ratio. For symptomatic chronic gastritis cases age average was 55 y.o and 1:1 male/female ratio. In tissues and plasma, DNA concentrations were similar in both groups (Avg 32.2 ng/ml [range: 8.9-70.8 ng/ml]). The average DNA levels of Reprimo were higher in GC [964,215 copies/ml, 539,593 copies/ml and 80,113 copies/ml in tumor, non-tumor and plasma, respectively] but lower in symptomatic chronic gastritis [137,721 copies/ml and 8,387 copies/ml, tissue and plasma, respectively]. By a ROC curve we calculated a cut-off of 15,125 copies/ml (specificity 92.9% & sensibility 91.3%). With this cut-off our method correctly identified 10 out of 12 gastritis cases and 16 out of 20 GC cases (p value <0.001). ConclusionWe have developed a MethyLight assay for a noninvasive high-throughput screening of GC. Although we have tested our assay in a small group of samples, results presented here suggest that our STEAD-GC trial may be suitable for a mass screening of GC.

P73 A review of diagnostic tools used in the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) in women attending a London sexual health clinic (SHC)

BackgroundNear-patient microscopy (NPM) has poor sensitivity in the identification of GC in women, with NPM of urethral (Ur) smears no longer recommended by BASHH.AimTo review the diagnosis of GC in...

Can mailed swab samples be dry-shipped for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis by nucleic acid amplification tests?

Dry-shipped and mailed vaginal swabs collected at home have been used in research studies for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC), and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) by nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) in screening programs. A verification study was performed to compare the limit of detection of CT, GC, and TV on swabs that were dry-shipped to paired swabs that were wet-shipped in transport media through the US mail. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepared inocula in sterile water to mock simulated urogenital swabs with high to low concentrations of CT and GC. Replicate swabs were inoculated with 100 μL of dilutions and were dry transported or placed into commercial transport media (“wet”) for mailing for NAAT testing. The University of Alabama prepared replicate concentrations of TV, which were similarly shipped and tested by NAAT. All paired dry and wet swabs were detectable for CT. For GC, all paired dry and wet swabs were detectable for GC at concentrations ≥103. At 102 and 10 CFU/mL, the 10 replicate GC results were variably positive. For TV, wet and dry shipped concentrations >102 TV/mL tested positive, while results at 10 TV/mL were negative for dry swabs. Holding replicate dry swabs at 55 ○C 5 days before testing did not affect results. NAATs were able to detect CT, GC, and TV on dry transported swabs. Using NAATs for testing home-collected, urogenital swabs mailed in a dry state to a laboratory may be useful for outreach screening programs.

Endoscopic Findings in a Mass Screening Program for Gastric Cancer in a High Risk Region - Guilan Province of Iran

Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both sexes in Iran. This study was designed to assess upper GI endoscopic findings among people>50 years targeted in a mass screening program in a hot-point region. Based on the pilot results in Guilan Cancer Registry study(GCRS), one of the high point regions for GC - Lashtenesha - was selected. The target population was called mainly using two methods: in rural regions, by house-house direct referral and in urban areas using public media. Upper GI endoscopy was performed by trained endoscopists. All participants underwent biopsies for rapid urea test (RUT) from the antrum and also further biopsies from five defined points of stomach for detection of precancerous lesions. In cases of visible gross lesions, more diagnostic biopsies were taken and submitted for histopathologic evaluation. Of 1,394 initial participants, finally 1,382 persons (702 women, 680 men) with a mean age of 61.7 ± 9.0 years (range:50-87 years) underwent upper GI endoscopy. H.pylori infection based on the RUT was positive in 66.6%. Gastric adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus were detected in seven (0.5%) and one(0.07%) persons, respectively. A remarkable proportion of studied participants were found to have esophageal hiatal hernia(38.4%). Asymptomatic gastric masses found in 1.1% (15) of cases which were mostly located in antrum (33.3%), cardia (20.0%) and prepyloric area (20.0%). Gastric and duodenal ulcers were found in 5.9% (82) and 6.9% (96) of the screened population. Upper endoscopy screening is an effective technique for early detection of GC especially in high risk populations. Further studies are required to evaluate cost effectiveness, cost benefit and mortality and morbidity of this method among high and moderate risk population before recommending this method for GC surveillance program at the national level.