Gut
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To date, most concepts on the frequency of gastro-oesophageal reflux episodes and the efficiency of the antireflux barrier have been based on inferences derived from measurement of oesophageal pH. The development of intraluminal impedance monitoring has highlighted the fact that pH monitoring does not detect all gastro-oesophageal reflux events when little or no acid is present in the refluxate, even if special pH tracing analysis criteria are used. In November 2002, a workshop took place at which 11 specialists in the field of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease discussed and criticised all currently available techniques for measurement of reflux. Here, a summary of their conclusions and recommendations of how to achieve the best results from the various techniques now available for reflux measurement is presented.
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Appendicectomy and smoking are environmental factors that are known to influence ulcerative colitis (UC). The phenotype of UC is different in patients with coexistent primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This study investigates the interaction of appendicectomy and PSC on the epidemiology and clinical behaviour of colitis. ⋯ In contradistinction to UC, appendicectomy did not significantly influence the prevalence of the PSC groups, or the extent of colitis in PSC-IBD, but as with UC, did appear to delay their onset. The extensive milder colitis, which is characteristic of PSC-IBD, relates to other poorly understood factors. Further prospective studies are required to determine any influence of appendicectomy on the extent of colitis in IBD and an associated dysplasia or colorectal cancer.
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Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is a major mediator of the stress response in the brain-gut axis. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is presumed to be a disorder of the brain-gut link associated with an exaggerated response to stress. We hypothesised that peripheral administration of alpha-helical CRH (alphahCRH), a non-selective CRH receptor antagonist, would improve gastrointestinal motility, visceral perception, and negative mood in response to gut stimulation in IBS patients. ⋯ Peripheral administration of alphahCRH improves gastrointestinal motility, visceral perception, and negative mood in response to gut stimulation, without affecting the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in IBS patients.