Background/Aims Little research has been done to evaluate the effect of stress in exacerbating the symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux (GER). We aimed to investigate the effect of acute stress on esophageal motility and GER parameters in healthy volunteers. Methods A total of 10 (M:F = 8:2, median age 34 years-old) healthy volunteers without any recurrent gastrointestinal symptom...

BACKGROUND A Stanford University study reported that in asymptomatic GERD patients who were being treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), 50% had pathologic esophageal acid exposure. AIM We considered the possibility that the high prevalence of pathologic esophageal reflux might simply have resulted from calculating acidity as time pH < 4. METHODS We calculated integrated acidity and ti...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may occur with acid, bile or in a mixed form. Endoscopic injury and mucosal metaplasia are a known sequelae to pathological GERD. The aim of the study was to determine the contribution of acid and duodenogastroesophageal reflux to endoscopic severity in patients with GERD and Barrett's esophagus (BE). MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-one pati...

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with 99"Tc-HIDA offers a noninvasive method to detect duodenogastric reflux. Biliary reflux was graded using the persistence rather than the intensity of the radioactive refluxate: Grade 0 was considered the absence of reflux, minimal reflux, or reflux in the first 10-15 min; Grade 1 was repetitive reflux lasting less than 10 min; Grade 2 was persistent reflux; and Gr...

Symptoms of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are commonly encountered in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the data obtained from questionnaires, high-resolution manometry (HRM), and ambulatory impedance-pH monitoring in patients with persisting GERD symptoms and to explore the possible underlying causes for this clinical presentation. After completing the...

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with 99mTc-HIDA offers a noninvasive method to detect duodenogastric reflux. Biliary reflux was graded using the persistence rather than the intensity of the radioactive refluxate: Grade 0 was considered the absence of reflux, minimal reflux, or reflux in the first 10-15 min; Grade 1 was repetitive reflux lasting less than 10 min; Grade 2 was persistent reflux; and Gr...

BACKGROUND Standard treatment for patients with erosive esophagitis (EE) is proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), but some patients are resistant to PPIs. We aimed to evaluate the acid-inhibitory effects and efficacy of a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (vonoprazan) in patients with PPI-resistant EE. METHODS This randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of vonoprazan evaluated gastric an...

BACKGROUND To investigate whether PPIs BID is superior to QD for treatment of GERD in a short time. METHODS We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, EMBASE, Ovid, EBSCO, and Web of Science databases (from 1998 to May 2016) to select RCTs, which compared the efficacy of PPIs BID versus QD for GERD. The primary outcomes were symptom relief or esophageal mucosal healing at weeks 4 and 8. Th...

HYPOTHESIS Although genetic changes associated with the progression to Barrett esophagus and adenocarcinoma have been identified, changes in gene expression associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease have not been reported. We examined expression levels of several genes important in carcinogenesis and compared expression levels with alterations in esophageal acid exposure. PATIENTS, DESI...

Several papers have reported [1] about "functional disorders of the esophagus" in European countries and the USA; however, few reports on these disorders have been found in Japan except concerning achalasia [2]. Having an opportunity to study with Dr. DeMeester, a well-known surgeon in this field, I had the personal experience of measuring the esophageal motility and pH recording in many patien...