1. Volume 124, Issue 7, Pages 1950-1957 (June 2003)
Severe villus atrophy and chronic malabsorption induced by azathioprine 
Thomas R Ziegler, Concepción Fernández-Estívariz, Li H Gu, Michael W Fried, Lorraine M Leader 
Gastroenterology 
Volume 124, Issue 7, Pages (June 2003)
DOI: /S (03)

2. Figure 1
Evolution of small-bowel mucosal morphologic changes in a 20-year-old male patient with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). (A ) Normal duodenal morphology in 1994, before the diagnosis of AIH. (B) Severe ileal villus denudation and blunting 6 months after starting azathioprine (AZT; 50 mg/day) for AIH. (C ) Complete loss of jejunal villi 15 months after starting AZT. (D) Severe duodenal villus atrophy and crypt elongation 25 months after beginning AZT, during drug taper (25 mg/day). (E ) Normal duodenal mucosal morphology 18 weeks after AZT discontinuation.
Gastroenterology  , DOI: ( /S (03) )

3. Figure 2
PepT1 and DPP IV mRNA expression in the duodenal mucosa before and after discontinuation of AZT. Endoscopic mucosal biopsies of the third portion of the duodenum obtained in a 22-year-old patient with AIH during the AZT taper and 18 weeks after discontinuation of AZT. Total RNA was isolated, and steady-state PepT1 and DPP IV mRNA expression were determined by Northern blotting, as outlined in the Case Report and in Ziegler et al.20 Low-level expression of PepT1 mRNA (3.3-kilobase transcript, left panel) and DPP IV mRNA (3.6-kilobase transcript, right panel) were evident in duodenal mucosa before discontinuation of AZT (On). Marked upregulation of each mRNA transcript was evident 18 weeks after AZT discontinuation (Off). No change in β-actin mRNA occurred over time, verifying equal RNA loading and indicating that the increase in PepT1 and DPP IV mRNAs were not due to a generalized increase in mRNA species.
Gastroenterology  , DOI: ( /S (03) )