Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: Medical or surgical treatment? Report of an interactive workshop

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common disease of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With the introduction of proton pump inhibitors medical treatment of GERD has been significantly improved. However, the development of laparoscopic antireflux surgery resulted in an increasing interest of surgeons in this disease. An interactive meeting was organized in order to develop an agreement between gastoenterologists and surgeons regarding therapeutic decisions and this is the main topic of this paper.     

Learning and memory function in men with untreated blood pressure elevation

Learning and memory processes were compared in 20 men with untreated blood pressure elevation and 20 normotensive control subjects matched for age, education, and average alcohol consumption. Subjects were identified from a larger sample of 469 factory workers who had participated in an epidemiologic investigation. Three measures (e.g., Symbol-Digit Learning Test [Ryan & Butters, 1980] and Visual Reproductions-Immediate and Delayed Recall [Wechsler, 1945] ) from a previously administered test battery were chosen for comparison on the basis of statistical power calculations. Results indicate that relative to normotensive control subjects, men with elevated blood pressure performed more poorly on all three tests. These results are independent of other known influences on neuropsychological performance and are likely a consequence of elevated blood pressure.     

Simple staining for heat-fixed brain sections after topographical pH analysis or autoradiographic studies

Powerful topographic techniques are now available, among which autoradiographic and fluorescent mapping are the most prevalent. These techniques produce images that usually do not correlate with brain anatomy; subsequent staining is required to allow a precise association between the parameter(s) investigated and brain structures. A simple staining procedure is described, compatible with heat-fixed brain sections, and that was found particularly valuable in association with topographical tissue pH studies using the fluorescent pH indicator umbelliferone.     

Acute volaemic changes modify the gastroduodenal resistance to the flow of saline in anaesthetized dogs

The effect of acute and sequential volaemic changes on the gastroduodenal flow of saline was assessed in 23 anaesthetized dogs following two different experimental protocols. Hypervolaemia, by i. v. infusion of saline, induced a gradual decrease on gastroduodenal flow which amounted to 76% below control values (P < 0.001) when volaemic expansion attained 5% of body weight. This effect was volume dependent (17% increase on gastroduodenal flow per volume of infused saline equivalent to 0.5% of body weight, P < 0.001), lasted for at least 90 minutes after infusion was completed and was also obtained by expanding previously bled animals. Hypovolaemia due to bleeding was followed by an increase on gastroduodenal flow of about 88% above control values (P < 0.05) when haemorrhage was equal to 3% of body weight. This effect was also volume dependent (23 % increase on gastroduodenal flow per volume of blood shed equivalent to a 0.5% of body weight, P < 0.01) and was reversed after blood volume was restored. These modifications in the resistance of the gastroduodenal segment to the flow of liquid due to acute volaemic changes suggest that the extracellular fluid volume modulates the contractile activity of the gastroduodenal portion of the gut possibly to set a gastroduodenal handling of liquid adequate to cope with volaemic imbalances.     

Evaluating podiatry services: Testing a treatment specific measure of health status

This study reports on the preliminary testing of a new measure designed for use alongside EQ-5D in evaluating outcomes in podiatry: the Podiatry Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Individuals aged 18 years or more, receiving podiatry services in clinic or domicilliary locations across four NHS Trusts in Yorkshire and Humberside UK took part in a questionnaire survey. Respondents reported high levels of problems on all six PHQ dimensions. Correlations suggested that the PHQ and EQ-5D were measuring distinct constructs. The levels on each dimension were well defined in terms of self-rated morbidity on the PHQ visual analogue scale (PHQ_vas) and the EQ-5D_vas, although PHQ_vas appeared to be slightly more sensitive to changes in health on the dimensions. There was a strong relationship between clinicians' Podiatry Clinical Score rating and reported symptoms for four out of six PHQ dimensions and PHQ_vas. The PHQ was able to distinguish respondents in terms of their self-reported morbidity in EQ-5D and in terms of their morbidity as assessed by clinicians. It is suggested that the respondent completed PHQ appears to be a useful new measure for assessing foot-related health. However, further investigation of the psychometric properties of the measure is required.