The cover image used with permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, is based on the Original article, Exploring hypotheses and rationale for causes of infantile colic, by CAMILLERI, MICHAEL et al., DOI 10.1111/nmo.12943.

GERD has a worldwide prevalence and is the main risk factor for both Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Here, we discuss current knowledge of the genetics of GERD and a possible genetic overlap with related disorders. We further highlight genes and cellular pathways that have been implicated in the pathophysiology of GERD.

Our aim was to evaluate the effects of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS) on rectal sensitivity, fecal microbiota, and symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Rectal sensitivity improved with scFOS and placebo alike; however, scFOS, but not placebo, significantly increased fecal Bifidobacteria and reduced anxiety score.

Appropriate oropharyngeal sensory feedback is essential for safe and efficient swallowing. Non-dysphagic older patients present impaired cortical activation compared with young healthy volunteers in response to pharyngeal electrical stimulus. Older patients with dysphagia also present disturbances in the pharyngo-cortical connection together with a disrupted pattern of cortical activation. Swallowing therapy in older people with dysphagia should include strategies aiming to stimulate the pharyngeal sensory afferents to promote recovery of the swallowing function.

The goal of our study was to perform a detailed time and spectral domain analysis of the esophageal mucosal blood perfusion (EMBP) waveform from of NE patients and controls to determine the optimal EMBP biomarkers that combined with suitable statistical learning models may produce robust discrimination between the two groups.

The present study showed that the exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF), a widely used insecticide, from the first day of gestation to early adulthood, in a rat model, is associated with low EFS-induced ileal contraction, elevated iNOS expression, partial inhibition of AChE activity, and low ileal muscle thickness.

We studied one US (n=304) and one Swedish IBS cohort (n=168), and fecal incontinence (FI) ≥ one day per month was reported by 19.7% (USA) and 13.7% (Sweden) of IBS patients.FI was associated with loose, frequent stools, urgency, and adverse impact on quality of life, psychological symptoms, and work productivity.

A consensus definition of transient lower espohageal sphincter relaxation (TLESR) using high resolution manometry is proposed. TLESR is defined as LES relaxation occurring in absence of swallowing, lasting more than 10 seconds and associated with crural definition inhibition. Reflux on impedance, esophageal shortening, common cavity, upper esophageal sphincter relaxation without swallow and secondary peristalsis are alternate diagnostic criteria.

Stigma toward chronic illness is a pervasive public health issue. This is the first study to evaluate stigmatizing beliefs toward IBS and IBD.

We report a meta-analysis of GERD GWA studies from three independent population-based cohorts identifying 30 independent suggestive signals of association, showing concordant risk directions and functional effects on gene expression.

Total-esophagogastric junction contractile integral (EGJ-CI), a new metric summarizing EGJ contractility over the entire length of standard HRM, was tested in 65 healthy controls and 452 GERD patients and proved to be superior over conventional metrics and other HRM metrics for prediction of pathological reflux. In particular, the negative predictive value approached 90% if total-EGJ-CI was within the upper two-thirds of the normal range. These findings suggest that GERD is highly unlikely if the EGJ can maintain normal contractility over several minutes.

In the light of the results of our meta-analysis, PPI therapy is associated with a 70% increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients with GERD. Omeprazole could significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events. Thus, we believe that doctors should be advised to carefully consider the use of PPIs in clinical situations, and try to choose the best treatment option for each patient.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of IBS mucosal supernatants on human colonic muscle contractility. Supernatants were obtained from biopsies of IBS patients and asymptomatic subjects. IBS supernatants reduced colonic contractility mucosal likely through muscular intracellular oxidative stress damage. Depending on the IBS subtype, further different neuromotor mechanisms are involved.

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Spatio-temporal diameter map of the anal canal from a single subject. The changing colors from blue to red illustrate increasing diameter.

Ingestion of unabsorbable residues and defecation produce profound changes in colonic content. The rapid turnover of colonic biomass (about 1/3 daily) indicates a high adaptation potential of microbiota to the intraluminal environment.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of propofol on carbachol (CCh)-evoked short-circuit currents (Isc). The results show that propofol inhibits CCh-induced intestinal secretion by directly targeting basolateral K⁺ channels.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and clinical utility of paper food and gastrointestinal symptom journals as data collection tools for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Paper journaling of food and symptoms appears to be a feasible and usable data collection tool for IBS patients. Over half perceive journaling as at least somewhat clinically useful.

Pepsin in saliva is a proposed biomarker for oropharyngeal reflux, which may be present in saliva from subjects with GER. The concentration of salivary pepsin decreases rapidly as a function of time after the reflux event. Therefore, saliva samples must be obtained soon after reflux occurs.