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Background: The occurrence of the disturbances of oropharyngeal phases of swallowing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients has been well documented., The Aim of Study: Assessment of the oesophageal manometry for detection of the oesophageal phase of swallowing in ALS patients., Material and Methods: The study was carried out in 12 dysphagic ALS patients and 10 sex- and age- matched healthy volunteers., Results: The mean upper oesophageal contractile: amplitude, duration and velocity during the wet and dry swallows in ALS individuals were statistically differ as compared to control subjects. The abnormalities of vocal folds function was also found in the fiberoscopy examination of larynx in all ALS patients., Conclusions: This study reveal the occurrence of disturbances of the oesophageal phase of swallowing in ALS patients with dysphagia.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common forms of cancer and the second leading cause of death in Poland. Most cases of CRC are sporadic but a small percentage occurs in heritable syndromes such as dominant autosomal adenomatous and hamartomatous polyposis syndromes and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers. In a majority of cases CRCs are thought to develop in a step wise progression from normal epithelium through polyp form to carcinoma. Many genetic changes are observed in this process like inactivation of the tumor suppressor genes as well as the activation of specific oncogenes. Molecular biological studies have shown mutations of p53, Apc, k-ras and/or changes in proteins like APC and DNA microsatellite instability or loss of heterozygosity. For several years now great progress in this field and new concepts of screening strategies and therapeutic options have been made (gene therapy).

Background: Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is a very rare disease caused by tumor with gastrin producing cells accompanied by hypergastrinemia leading to gastric hypersecretion and peptic ulcers and their complications., Case Study: Female case of gastrinoma (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome; Z-E) with a record of 38 yrs of survival. Acute gastro-duodenal ulcers started at 28 yr of age and Z-E was diagnosed by using gastrin assays. Basal and maximal acid outputs and ratio of basal/maximal outputs were away over normal limits. Because of ulcer recurrence and complications, patient was subjected to several gastric surgeries but refused total gastrectomy. She was also treated with many H2-receptor (R) antagonists and proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), each new drug being initially highly effective but then showing declining efficacy except when PPI, lansoprazole was used. The gastrin level rose in the course of disease from initial high value of 2000 pg/mL to the extreme 4500 ng/mL at present. During the last 2 yrs, metastasis mainly to liver developed and they were successfully treated by synthetic octapeptide derivative of somatostatin and, as a result, metastatis partly reduced and plasma gastrin drasticly decreased. Biopsy taken from liver metastasis showed the presence of typical gastrinoma cells with gastrin and chromogranin, while that from oxyntic mucosa revealed the ECL-cell hyperplasia with carcinoid tumors and unexpected gastric atrophy., Conclusions: This phenomenal case described in this article might be the new proven evidence needed by gastroenterologists to overturn the traditional treatment using total gastrectomy as a treatment of choice to the partial gastrectomy combined with proton pump inhibitors.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) plays an important role in the regulation of postprandial gastric motor activity which was found to be abnormal in duodenal ulcer patients. This study was designed to compare the influence of CCK on gastric myoelectrical function in duodenal ulcer patients and healthy controls. Fifteen patients with active duodenal ulcer and Helicobacterpylori (H. pylori) infection and 15 healthy controls were included into this study. Electrogastrography (EGG) was performed before and 4 weeks after the eradication of H. pylori in ulcer patients and in healthy controls. We compared EGG parameters in the fasting and postprandial period and during intravenous infusion of caerulein, an analog of CCK with or without addition of loxiglumide, a specific CCK-1 receptor antagonist. The amplitude of fasting EGG in duodenal ulcer patients was similar to that in control subjects and was not affected by H. pylori eradication. In contrast, the amplitude of postprandial EGG was markedly increased in duodenal ulcer patients when compared to that in healthy controls and it was significantly reduced following the eradication of H. pylori. The blockade of CCK-1 receptors with loxiglumide in healthy controls or H. pylori eradicated ulcer patients significantly enhanced postprandial EGG amplitude almost to the level observed in the infected duodenal ulcer patients, but failed to affect this amplitude in ulcer patients. Exogenous caerulein, an analog of CCK, failed to affect EGG amplitude in duodenal ulcer patients with H. pylori infection, but it reduced significantly EGG amplitude in these patients after H. pylori eradication and in control subjects. This inhibitory effect of caerulein in H. pylori negative ulcer patients and healthy controls was abolished by the addition of loxiglumide. Ulcer patients showed significant dysrhythmia with tachygastria up to 20% of the recording time both under basal conditions and postprandially and H. pylori eradication was followed by a significant decrease in tachygastria to about 5%, the value being similar to that in healthy controls. We conclude that the amplitude and frequency of gastric myoelectrical activity are enhanced in duodenal ulcer patients and impaired in response to CCK but these changes can be normalized by successful H. pylori eradication.

Leptin, an ob gene product of adipocytes, plays a key role in the control of food intake and energy expenditure but little is known about leptin response to strenuous exercise in fasted and fed subjects or before and after blood donation. This study was designed to determine the immediate effects of strenuous exercise in healthy volunteers under fasting or fed conditions and before and one day after blood donation (450 ml) on plasma levels of leptin and gut hormones [gastrin, cholecystokinin (CCK), pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and insulin], as well as on "stress" hormones (cortisol, catecholamines and growth hormone. Two groups (A and B) of healthy non-smoking male volunteers were studied. All subjects performed incremental exercise tests until exhaustion (up to maximal oxygen uptake--VO2max), followed by 2 h of rest session. Group A perfomed the tests on a treadmill, while group B on a cycloergometer. In group A, one exercise was performed under fasting conditions and the second following ingestion of a standard liquid meal. In group B, one exercise test was performed as a control test and the second 24 h after blood donation (450 ml). Blood samples were withdrawn 5 min before the start of the test, at the VO2max, and 2 h after finishing the exercise. No significant change in plasma teptin were observed both immediately and 2 h after the exercise in fasted subjects, but after the meal the plasma leptin at VO2max and 2 h after the test was significantly higher, while after blood donation was significantly reduced. The postprandial rise in plasma leptin was accompanied by a marked increment in gut hormones; gastrin, CCK and PP and stress hormones such as norepinephrine, cortisol and GH. These hormonal changes could contribute to the postprandial rise in plasma leptin concentrations, while the fall of leptin after blood donation could be attributed to the inadequate response of stress hormones and autonomic nervous system to exhausting exercise. We conclude that strenuous physical exercise; 1) fails to affect plasma leptin level but when performed after meal but not after blood withdrawal it results in an increase and fall in plasma leptin, and 2) the release of gut hormones (gastrin, CCK and PP) and stress hormones (norepinephrine, cortisol, GH) increase immediately after exercise independently of feeding or blood donation and 3) following blood donation the strenuous exercise resulted in a marked reduction in the plasma leptin, cortisol and GH concentrations, possibly due to the impairment in the autonomic nervous control of these hormones.

Manometric analysis of swallowing was conducted on 35 subjects, aged 44 to 60. The course of physiological changes in pressure during oral and pharyngeal phase of swallowing was analysed. To objectify the evaluation of analysed phenomena, parameters that include both pressure values inside pharynx and oesophagus and time dependences connected with changes in their value were used as proposed by the authors of this paper and as applied by other authors involved with these issues.

This study was designed to evaluate gastric myoelectrical and mechanical activities in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) patients. Twenty patients with IPD (14 male and 6 female, mean age 42 +/- 9 years) were studied. Patients were divided into two groups: group A--early stage of disease (no. = 6) and group B--advanced IPD (no. = 14). Electrogastrography (EGG) was performed in fasting and postprandial conditions (Synectics system). The cross-sectional area of the gastric antrum was measured by sonography (Hitachi EUB-240). The antral area in fasting conditions was 2.1 +/- 0.4 and 4.2 +/- 1.2 cm2 and gastric emptying was 75 +/- 5 and 125 +/- 12 min in groups A and B respectively. EGG showed dysrhythmias (range 1-6 cycles per minute) in about 75% of both groups of IPD patients without increase in signal amplitude after a meal. Our results suggest that gastric motility is particularly impaired in patients with advanced IPD. It may be caused by the primary degenerative process in the autonomic nervous system of the gut.

Manometric examinations of swallowing were conducted on 81 patients after partial laryngectomy and on 35 subjects being a control group. Resection of piriform recess, a part of the base of the tongue, the hyoid bone or its part is the factor that causes intensified difficulty during swallowing and increase in the frequency of the occurrence of aspiration. The results of manometric examinations indicate that the shape and mobility of the tongue and the mobility of remaining after the surgery parts of the larynx have the greatest influence on the efficient swallowing in patients who have undergone partial laryngectomy due to cancer initially located in the supraglottic area. The larynx mobility is closely related to the remaining of the hyoid bone. The importance of remaining the possibly non-deformed structure and mobility of the tongue during partial laryngectomy involves the issue of reconstruction of defects occurred during the surgery. Manometric examinations confirm the effectiveness of the method involving reconstruction of defects in a part of the base of the tongue with a vascular pedicle flap of the submandibular gland.

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection has been shown to affect gastric acid secretion and the somatostatin-gastrin ratio but its effects on gastric motility have not been evaluated. This study was carried out in 12 patients (10 males and 2 females, mean age 33 +/- 6 yrs) who underwent endoscopy and Campylobacter-like Organism (CLO)-test. All patients were found initially to be Hp positive according to CLO-test. Gastric emptying was evaluated by measuring antral diameter with ultrasonography (Hitachi EUB 240) in fasted and fed patients. Electrogastrography (EGG) with antral manometry were done 5 h before and 4 h after a meal before the therapy and one month after the eradication with triple therapy (lanzoprazole 30 mg daily- 2 x 250 mg clarithromycin 500 mg t.i.d.-3 x 500 mg and metronidazole 500 mg b.i.d.-2 x 500 mg). In Hp positive patients before the triple therapy the mean fasted antral diameter was 4.3 cm2, initial EGG showed significant dysrhythmia of electrical control activity (ECA) with tachygastria up to 25% of recording time in 9 of 12 Hp positive patients without normal increase of the power of signal in any of tested subjects. In 7 Hp positive fasted antral manometry failed to exhibit gastric phases III of the migrating motor complex (MMC). Hp eradication was accomplished in 10 of 12 examined patients and this was followed by a decrease in tachygastria to 3 cpm rhythm with an increase of the ECA power after meal. Phase III of MMC was observed again in 7 Hp negative patients with a decrease of fasted antral diameter (p < 0.05). Fasted and fed antral motility pattern increased after eradication. Two patients remained Hp positive after standard therapy. We conclude that most symptomatic non ulcer dyspeptic Hp positive patients show changes in ECA and antral hypomotility that are associated with Hp infections.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is multifactorial disorder in which acid exposure has a central role in the mucosal damage, and the mainstay of medical treatment is the suppression of gastric acid secretion justifying the use of H2 receptors antagonists. In our study we compared the effects of ranitidine and ebrotidine, a novel H2 antagonist with gastroprotective properties, on the motor, pH and endoscopic aspects of GERD in randomized cross-over trial in humans. Twenty patients with endoscopic evidence of erosive esophagitis were included in the study. Esophageal manometry and 24-hour pH-metry were done with the use Synectics (Sweden) systems. The same examinations were repeated after 20 days period of treatment with either ranitidine or ebrotidine, given in single dose 300 and 800 mg (nocte) respectively. The pressure within the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in the untreated and treated with ebrotidine or ranitidine patients remained lowered. Patients with GERD showed increase in duration and decrease in amplitude and propagation of peristaltic waves in the esophageal body which were not improved after treatment. Complete healing after 40 days of treatment was comparable with ebrotidine and ranitidine and averaged about 40%. The pH-metry showed improvement in treated patients in the reflux frequency and time pH below 4, ranitidine being more effective than ebrotidine. It can be concluded that GERD patients showed weaker primary peristalsis unrelated to LES pressure and treatment. Treatment with ebrotidine or ranitidine reduced significantly the endoscopic and self-assessment score, ebrotidine and ranitidine being equally effective in healing of esophageal mucosal lesions.

Intestinal motility in fasted animals shows cyclic changes (MMC) that are interrupted by feeding. The aim of this study was to determine the possible implication of nitric oxide (NO) (that was proposed as nonadrenergic noncholinergic neurotransmitter) in the motor components of MMC in 5 conscious dogs equipped with monopolar electrodes implanted along the small bowel. In fasted dogs with typical MMCs, L-NNA (an inhibitor of NO synthase) (5 mg/kg-h i.v.) decreased the MMC interval from control 80 +/- 7 to 60 +/- 4 min and increased significantly the spike activity. Infusion of L-arginine (L-Arg) (a substrate of NO synthase) (10 mg/kg-h i.v.) increased the MMC interval from control 79 +/- 7 to 96 +/- 8 min and reduced the slow waves with spikes by about 25%. Similar but transient effects were observed when glycerin trinitrate (GTN) (a donor of NO) (1 mg/kg-h) was administered. After ingestion of meal, the MMC cycles were replaced by irregular spike activity with an average of about 35% slow waves with spikes. Infusion of L-Arg (10 mg/kg-h) reduced by about 90% the postprandial spike activity. Also, infusion of GTN (1 mg/kg-h) strongly reduced the postprandial spike activity. L-NNA in fed dogs caused an initial increase in spike activity followed by phase III-like activity. Similar effects were obtained when L-NNA was infused in dogs with fed-like motility patterns induced by i.v. infusion of caerulein (75 pmol/kg-h). L-NNA added to L-Arg infusion reversed in part the changes of intestinal motility patterns induced by L-Arg. We conclude that NO system exerts a tonic inhibitory influence on intestinal myoelectric activity by reducing the frequency of MMC pacesetter and by suppressing the postprandial spike activity.