Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) 1 receptor (CRF(1)) activation in the brain is a core pathway orchestrating the stress response. Anatomical data also support the existence of CRF signaling components within the colon. We investigated the colonic response to intraperitoneal (ip) injection of cortagine, a newly developed selective CRF(1) peptide agonist. Colonic motor function and visceral m...

Differential measurements of small and large bowel transit times were performed in 13 subjects iwth a radiotelemetering pressure-sensitive capsule incorporating less than 10mugCi of 51-Cr. Six patients had constipation. The other seven patients had diarrhoea due to the irritable bowel syndrome (3), following vagotomy and pyloroplasty (3), or due to laxative abuse (1). This new method enables th...

Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) is an alternative surgical approach to alleviate fecal incontinence and constipation. This study aimed to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of SNS with acupuncture on gut transit time and colon c-kit protein expression in rats with slow transit constipation (STC). Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: blank control, SNS, Mos...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Although probiotics have been extensively studied in irritable bowel syndrome, data on the impact of probiotics on chronic constipation are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the effects of kefir, which is a probiotic fermented milk product, on the symptoms, colonic transit, and bowel satisfaction scores of patients with chronic constipation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty consecutive...

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reduce colonic proliferation and exert a mild laxative effect. We have studied the effect of the highly unsaturated eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester (EPA-EE) on the growth and metabolism of colonic bacteria in vitro, and in vivo. For the in vitro study, growth was assessed by viable counts. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was significantly inhibited in a...

1. Pemberton JH, Rath DM, Ilstrup DM. Evaluation and surgical treatment of severe chronic constipation. Ann Surg 1991;214:403-11. 2. Nam YS, Pikarsky AJ, Wexner SD, Singh JJ, Weiss EG, Nogueras JJ, et al. Reproducibility of colonic transit study in patients with chronic constipation. Dis Colon Rectum 2001;44:86-92. 3. Kamm MA, Hawley PR, Lennard-Jones JE. Outcome of colectomy for severe idiopat...