UNLABELLED INTRODUCTION Gastroparesis is a common motility disorder that is characterized by delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical obstruction. Diabetes, along with other neuromuscular and infiltrating disorders, can predispose individuals to an increased risk of developing gastroparesis. Gastroparesis can be easily diagnosed through gastric emptying studies but is usually di...

The inhalation of isocyanates, such as toluene diisocyanate (TDI), diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) can induce hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) as well as bronchial asthma in humans, but the precise pathological features and their pathogenetic mechanisms have not been elucidated. To provide insight into the pathological features of isocyanate-induced hyp...

Smooth muscle layers of the gastrointestinal tract consist of a heterogeneous population of cells that include enteric neurons, several classes of interstitial cells of mesenchymal origin, a variety of immune cells and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Over the last number of years the complexity of the interactions between these cell types has begun to emerge. For example, interstitial cells, consis...

The glucagon-like peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) are proglucagon-derived peptides cosecreted from gut endocrine cells in response to nutrient ingestion. GLP-1 acts as an incretin to lower blood glucose via stimulation of insulin secretion from islet beta cells. GLP-1 also exerts actions independent of insulin secretion, including inhibition of gastric emptying and acid secretion, reduction in food ...

Gastrointestinal motility research is progressing rapidly, leading to significant advances in the last 15 years in understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying motility, following the discovery of the central role played by the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). As experimental knowledge of ICC physiology has expanded, biophysically based modeling has become a valuable tool for integrating ...

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) control gastrointestinal motility; some pace slow waves and others act in enteric neurotransmission. This review asks the question, does either class of ICC receive and respond to messages carried by neuromediators from these nerves? Relevant evidence includes the presence of receptors or responses to exogenous neuromediators and responses to endogenous neurome...

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the focus on finding chemotherapeutic agents have recently shifted to natural products. Piper betle is a medicinal plant with various biological activities. However, not much data is available on the anti-cancer effects of P. betle on breast cancer. Due to the current interest in the potential effects of antioxidants from natural pr...

Diabetic gastroparesis (DG) is a common clinical complication of diabetes mellitus. Leptin may cause delayed gastric emptying in the central and peripheral pathways. Microcirculatory disturbances in the stomach make gastric smooth muscles and nerves hypoxic-ischemic, thereby impairing gastric motility. Irbesartan is an angiotensin II (ATII) receptor blocker that indirectly decreases serum lepti...

Located within the tunica muscularis of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are networks of cells known as interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). ICC are critical for important basic functions of GI motility such as generation and propagation of slow-wave pacemaker activity and reception of regulatory inputs from the enteric nervous system. We have developed a novel procedure to identify and isolate in...