The painting from Elisabeth Lüderitz shows Dr. Carl Lüderitz standing to the right. Carl Lüderitz provided the first comprehensive description of peristalsis in 1889, 10 years before Bayliss and Starling described the peristaltic reflex. At that time, the peristaltic reflex was referred to as the Lüderitz–Bayliss–Starling reflex. This review provides a short biography of Dr. Carl Lüderitz, a translation of his 1889 paper, honors his contributions, and reviews the history of peristalsis.

The number of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations was not different between the bitter and placebo condition.

Use of conductive swallow gel for esophageal impedance-manometry (HRMZ) procedure allows for more accurate readings of distension/CSA. Gel keeps the air out of the bolus better than the saline during swallow, which allows for clear impedance signals.

44% of women and 25.3% of men with EDS had prescription claims for at least one class of GI drugs compared with 19.2% and 9.6% of controls, respectively (P < .0001). Note the peripubertal increase in GI prescriptions among women with EDS, which adds to the evidence of worsening EDS disease burden among peripubertal females, as well as a critical time window for future research.

In this paper, we describe double-labeled neurons in the distal human GI tract suggesting a SC origin of enteric neurons as has been shown in rodents.

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Potential strains for promoting 5-HT secretion.

Remarkable increments of esophageal pH (∆pH) were found to be associated with post-reflux swallow-induced peristaltic waves (PSPWs), showing the occurrence of esophago-salivary reflex in clinical setting. PSPW-associated ∆pH was significantly lower in PPI-refractory than in PPI-responsive reflux-related heartburn, representing a predictor of PPI response.

The use of α-galactosidase together with meals high in oligosaccharides was in this pilot study not superior to placebo in reducing postprandial gas or other gastrointestinal symptoms or the concentration of hydrogen in expired air in adult IBS subjects.

Certain gastric smooth muscle relaxation pathways and their selective inhibitors.

Simultaneous video imaging of colonic wall movements with two site electrophysiological recordings along the isolated whole mouse colon. Two distinct patterns of propagating neurogenic motor activity can be recorded with different velocities in an empty colon.

In this study, pharmacological properties of different orthosteric (MRS2179, MRS2279, MRS2500) and allosteric (BPTU) blockers have been tested in human and porcine intestinal tissues and in cell cultures. The picture describes the pathway involved in smooth muscle relaxation.

Papain, a cysteine-protease of papaya has region-specific effects on gastric motility, which is dependent on its enzymatic activity. Based on these findings papain may be beneficial in functional dyspepsia.