Abdominal pain and distention are major complaints in irritable bowel syndrome. Abdominal distention is mainly attributed to intraluminal retention of gas or solid contents, which may cause mechanical stress to the gut wall. Visceral hypersensitivity (VHS) may account for abdominal pain. We sought to determine whether tonic colon distention causes persistent VHS and if so whether mechanical str...

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is involved in both motor and sensory functions in hollow organs, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the involvement of 5-HT in visceral sensation of the urinary bladder remains unknown. Because distention-induced ATP release from the urothelium plays an essential role in visceral sensation of the urinary bladder, we investigated the regula...

Successful insect development is achieved via appropriate fluctuation of ecdysteroid levels. When an insect's ecdysteroid level is disrupted, physiological and developmental defects occur. In the pupa of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, the rectal sac is an essential organ that operates as a repository for degraded ecdysteroids, and it can be distended by administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). O...

The most well known complications of fleet enema solution are cardiac insufficiency, renal failure, water-electrolyte imbalance, and ileus. A 7-y-old girl with phenylketonuria and long-term constipation was admitted to the emergency department with symptoms of seizure, vomiting and abdominal distention. Laboratory results revealed hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. ECG findings showed normal s...

In an in vitro model for distention-induced peristalsis in the guinea pig small intestine, the electrical activity, intraluminal pressure, and outflow of contents were studied simultaneously to search for evidence of myogenic control activity. Intraluminal distention induced periods of nifedipine-sensitive slow wave activity with superimposed action potentials, alternating with periods of quies...

UNLABELLED During food consumption the brain integrates multiple interrelated neural and hormonal signals involved in the regulation of food intake. Factors influencing the decision to stop eating include the foods' sensory properties, macronutrient content, and volume, which in turn affect gastric distention and appetite hormone responses. So far, the contributions of gastric distention and or...

These experiments were performed to determine the importance of cephalic-vagal stimulation in the acid secretory response to eating in normal human subjects. Cephalic stimulation was induced by a modified sham feeding (MSF) technique, during which subjects chewed and expectorated appetizing food. The response to MSF was compared with that to gastric distention with 600 ml NaCl, glucose, or food...

The development of a normal pulmonary alveolar epithelium, essential for gas exchange, is critical for the successful adaptation to extrauterine life. From observations of natural and experimental developmental abnormalities, it has been hypothesized that mechanical factors may play a role in regulating differentiation of the pulmonary alveolar epithelium. To test this hypothesis directly, we h...