BACKGROUND Sepsis is a common problem in intensive care patients leading to multi-organ failure and gastrointestinal paralysis. AIM The aim of the study was to investigate whether the gastrointestinal tract is not only the target but also the source of inflammatory mediators inhibiting gastrointestinal motility. METHODS Mesenteric lymph was obtained from rats in which a sepsis was induced b...

Gastrointestinal motility is responsible for mixing and transport of digesta and elimination of undigested residues. The basis for the motility is the electrical activity of the gastrointestinal smooth muscle, which has a recurring pattern. In the small intestine of mature animals, this pattern is associated with periodic fluctuations of mesenteric blood flow, and gastric, pancreatic and biliar...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is often associated with decreased upper gastrointestinal motility, and ghrelin is an appetite-stimulating hormone known to increase gastrointestinal motility. We investigated whether ghrelin signaling is impaired in rats with GERD and studied its involvement in upper gastrointestinal motility. GERD was induced surgically in Wistar rats. Rats were injected...

The Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor (GIMM; Catamount Research and Development; St. Albans, VT) is an in vitro system that monitors propulsive motility in isolated segments of guinea pig distal colon. The complete system consists of a computer, video camera, illuminated organ bath, peristaltic and heated water bath circulating pumps, and custom GIMM software to record and analyze data. Compare...

gastric neurosis, gastroptosis, or refl ux esophagitis (Wingate et al., 2002). Even though there have been great advances in our understanding of the neurohumoral mechanisms controlling gastrointestinal motility in health and disease, the underlying pathogenesis of this condition is not fully understood, therefore, various drugs are used in the treatment of gastrointestinal motility disorders. ...

Relaxin is involved in a variety of functions. Among them, relaxin influences gastrointestinal motility in mice mainly regulating the biosynthesis of nitric oxide, considered as the main substance causing smooth muscle relaxations. Relaxin is able to regulate the different nitric oxide synthase expression depending on the gut region considered. Relaxin also counteracts the hypermotility state, ...

Gastrointestinal motility disorders encompass a wide array of signs and symptoms that can occur anywhere throughout the luminal gastrointestinal tract. Motility disorders are often chronic in nature and dramatically affect patients' quality of life. These prevalent disorders cause a tremendous impact both to the individual patient and to society as a whole. Significant progress has been made ov...