Neurohumoral substances and their receptors play a major part in the complex regulation of gastrointestinal motility and have therefore been the predominant targets for drug development. The numerous receptors involved in motility are located mainly on smooth muscle cells and neuronal structures in the extrinsic and intrinsic parts of the enteric nervous system. Within this system, receptor ago...

Anaerobic fermentation of the undigested polysaccharide fraction of carbohydrates produces hydrogen in the intestine which is the substrate for methane production by intestinal methanogens. Hydrogen and methane are excreted in the flatus and in breath giving the opportunity to indirectly measure their production using breath testing. Although methane is detected in 30%-50% of the healthy adult ...

The effects of octreotide on six normal subjects and five patients with scleroderma were investigated. Changes in intestinal motility and in plasma motilin were examined after a single injection of octreotide. Octreotide stimulated intense intestinal motor activity in normal subjects. Motility patterns in the scleroderma patients were chaotic and non-propagative, but, after octreotide was given...

Medical information has been traditionally maintained in books, journals, and specialty periodicals. A growing subset of patients and caregivers are now turning to diverse sources on the internet to retrieve healthcare related information. The next area of growth will be sites that serve specialty fields of medicine, characterized by high quality of data culled from scholarly publications and o...

BACKGROUND Obesity and overweight affect more than half of the US population and are associated with a number of diseases. Rimonabant, a cannabinoid receptor 1 blocker in the endocannabinoid (EC) system, was indicated in Europe for the treatment of obesity and overweight patients with associated risk factors but withdrawn on Jan, 2009 because of side effects. Many studies have reported the effe...

Introduction Some effects of 13adrenoceptor agonists on gastrointestinal motility have been investigated in monogastric species (Burks, 1987). Several side effects of /3-blockers are mediated through the central nervous system which is involved in the control of gastrointestinal motility. This study was undertaken to determine the central and peripheral actions of /3!and P2agonists on forestoma...