1,720,995 research outputs found
A synbiotic mixture improves flatulence in irritable bowel syndrome
No full textP.1.254
A SYNBIOTIC MIXTURE IMPROVES FLATULENCE IN
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
C. Cappello ∗ , F. Tremolaterra, D. Consalvo, C. Ciacci, P. Iovino
Policlinico Universitario Federico II, Napoli, Italy
Background and aim: Recent data suggest that the intestinal microbiota
might play a role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) A
recent metanalysis showed that probiotics reduce symptoms of IBS in adults,
according to individual strains.The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of
a commercially available synbiotic mixture which contains a concentrations
of a range of bacteria (5×109 Lactobacillus plantarum, 2×109 L. casei and L.
gasseri, 1×109 Bifidobacterium infantis and B. longum, 1×109 L.sporogenes,
1×109, L. acidophilus and L. salivarus, 5×109 Streptococcus termophilus,
and as well as inuline (beneo synergy) as a prebiotic in patients with Rome III
IBS.
Material and methods: A double-blind, randomized placebo-control clinical
trial of the synbiotic mixture (5g BID) vs. placebo over 4-weeks after a 2
weeks run-in period. Primary endpoints: global satisfactory relief of abdominal
flatulence and bloating; Patients who reported at least 50% of the weeks
of treatment with satisfactory relief were designated as responders. Secondary
endpoints: Change in GI symptoms (abdominal pain, flatulence, bloating and
urgency) on 100 mm of VAS scales, in stool frequency and bowel functions on
validated adjectival scales and in quality of life (SF36). Pre- and post-treatment
total and segmental colonic transit time was assessed according to Metcalf et
Al. A strict exclusion of concomitant medications that could interfere with the
study was requested.
Results: 64 IBS patients (synbiotic n=32, 64% females, mean age 38.7±12.6
years) completed the treatment period. Proportions of responders for satisfactory
relief of flatulence and bloating were not significantly different between
synbiotic and placebo group. Treatment with the synbiotic was associated with
reduced flatulence (ANCOVA, p<0.05). Quality of life significantly improved
in all scale but the vitality in the synbiotic group, while in the placebo group
the significance was reached only in role physical, bodily pain and mental
health. No other significantly differences were disclosed in any endpoints, in
total and segmental colonic transit measurements between groups.
Conclusions: This synbiotic mixture improves flatulence score in patients
with IBS. This data are in keeping with a role of intestinal bacteria in the
pathophysiology of IBS
Colonic gas transit and effects of mechanical stimulation on the abdominal wall
No full textOC3.07.5
COLONIC GAS TRANSIT AND EFFECTS OF MECHANICAL
STIMULATION ON THE ABDOMINALWALL
F. Tremolaterra ∗ , A. Pascariello, D. Consalvo, C. Ciacci, P. Iovino
Università Federico II, Napoli
Background and aim: Bloating and abdominal distension are frequently
reported by patients with functional gastrointestinal disease.
Recently it has been suggested that patients with bloating have impaired
intestinal handling of gas loads.
Aims of our work is study the colon gas handling in irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS) and functional bloating (FB) patients by a specific
gas challenge test and to evaluate the effects on colon gas transit and
bloating symptoms of mechanical stimulation on the abdominal wall.
Material and methods: Fifteen patients (12 F, range 27-64y; 11 IBS, 4
FB) and 5 healthy control (4 F, range 20-40y) were assigned, in random
order, to study I: colonic gas load (5 patients and 5 healthy control) or
study II: colonic gas load + electro-mechanical stimulation of abdominal
wall, active and sham (5 patients active and 5 sham). Colonic gas load
study was performed by a 60 min continuous gas mixture infusion (N2,
CO2, O2 in venous proportion) at 24 ml/min and by its collecting, for
other 30 min, via the anal balloon-catheter. The mechanical stimulation
on the abdomen was performed by an electro-mechanical stimulator
(Free-lax, ADM, Israel) and was applied at active group during evacuation
period of the study II. Symptom perception and abdominal distension
were measured by a validated questionnaire and a metric belt-tape
assembly respectively. Gas retention was calculated as the difference
between the volume of gas infused and the volume of gas recovered.
Results: Study I: patients developed significantly more gas retention
compared to healthy control (586±50ml vs 493±41ml, p=0.01). Further
the patients complained a significant more abdominal perception
then healthy control either to the end infusion period (60° min) or to
the end gas evacuation period (90° min) (4.5±1.0 vs 2.4±0.9 e 1.1±1.0
vs 0±0, p=0.01 e p=0.04, respectively) and more abdominal distension
to the end of gas evacuation period (2.4±1.1mm vs 0.2±0.4mm, respectively;
p=0.004). Study II: no statistically differences was found in
gas retention, perception and abdominal distension, in all study period,
among patients with or without electro-mechanical stimulation.
Conclusions: Our study shows an impaired transit and tolerance of
colonic gas loads in IBS and FB patients not modified by mechanical
stimulation of abdominal wall.
# M. Functional disorders 2. IB
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Esophageal endoscopic findings in adult coeliac patients
No full textESOPHAGEAL ENDOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN ADULT COELIAC PATIENTS
P. Iovino1, F. Sabbatini1, C. Bucci1, A. Vicidomini1, D. Consalvo1, C. Ciacci1
1Medicina clinica e sperimentale, Gastroenterologia, napoli, Italy
INTRODUCTION: We have previously shown that adult coeliac patients with steatorrhoea had a higher prevalence of oesophageal symptoms and a lowered lower oesophageal sphincter pressure at manometry in spite of a normal oesophageal mucosa at endoscopy. Recently, it has been shown that endoscopic oesophagitis was two fold increased in coeliac subjects on normal diet, when compared to non-coeliac dyspeptic individuals, and gluten free diet had a beneficial effect on symptoms relapse.
AIMS & METHODS: Aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of oesophageal symptoms and endoscopic findings in a large cohort of adult coeliac patients on normal and gluten free diet.
1254 coeliac subjects (951 F) median age (29.6 ± 11.6) yrs that underwent upper endoscopy for diagnosis or follow up of coeliac disease were retrospectively studied. A complete medical work up was offered to all of them. We scored the presence of dyspeptic symptoms, oesophagitis (according to Savary-Miller) and the presence of hiatal hernia
RESULTS: 192 (15 %) patients were on gluten free diet and 1062 (85 %) on normal diet. The overall prevalence of dyspeptic symptoms, oesophagitis and hiatal hernia were 30.0 %, 1.6 %, and 10.8 % , respectively. In patients on gluten free diet and in patients on normal diet the prevalence of dyspeptic symptoms was 15.0 % and 33.0 % (p < 0.01), of oesophagitis 2.0 % and 1.6 % (p = NS), of hiatal hernia 12.5 % and 12.8 % (p = NS). No association was found in oesophagitis and hiatal hernia between coeliac patients with childhood diagnosis and coeliac patients newly diagnosed. A significantly higher BMI was found in patients with hiatal hernia.
CONCLUSION: we confirmed in a larger cohort of coeliac patients a higher prevalence of dyspeptic symptoms on normal diet. The overall prevalence of oesophagitis and hiatal hernia was low, irrespective of gluten free diet GUT 2004; 53 Suppl IV A20
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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