OBJECTIVES To assess the economic impact, research output and research support of digestive diseases, and to compare them to those of other common disease entities, specifically mental, cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous system diseases. METHODS Economic burden was assessed with the use of (a) published Canadian government data of direct cost from 1963 to 1993, (b) data from the...

Purinergic signaling is important for many biological processes in humans. Purinoceptors P2Y are widely distributed in human digestive system and different subtypes of P2Y receptors mediate different physiological functions from metabolism, proliferation, differentiation to apoptosis etc. The P2Y receptors are essential in many gastrointestinal functions and also involve in the occurrence of so...

Behavioral gastroenterology is a new interdisciplinary science that explores the influence of unhealthy lifestyles and psychological factors on the digestive system and addresses the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of digestive diseases. Moreover, the concept of whole-course intervention with a focus on disease prevention and a new model of integrated therapy based on alter...

Hiroshi Karasawa, Seiichi Yakabi, Lixin Wang, Andreas Stengel, Jean Rivier, and Yvette Taché Department of Medicine, CURE/Digestive Diseases Center, Digestive Diseases Division, University of California at Los Angeles, and Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California; and The Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, Salk Institute, La Jolla, Califo...