Many new and developing endoscopic techniques for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are now or will soon be available for clinical use. These new therapies are directed to the gastroesophageal junction and include three basic techniques, which are outlined in this review: thermal remodeling and neurolysis of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) zone; bulking or reinforcing of ...

BACKGROUND Our recent studies show that the external anal sphincter muscle (EAS) operates at a sarcomere length range which is below optimal. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that by surgically increasing sarcomere length and bringing it close to the optimal length, EAS muscle function and anal canal pressure can be enhanced. METHODS Rabbits (n = 25) were anesthetized and subjected to ...

Domain swapping is a term used to describe a process when two or more protein chains exchange identical structural elements. Some cases of amyloid formation can be explained through a domain swapping mechanism therefore this deserves theoretical consideration and studying. It has been demonstrated that diverse proteins in sequence and structure are able to oligomerize via domain swapping. This ...

OBJECTIVE Diaphragmatic paralysis (DP) caused by phrenic nerve injury is potentially life-threatening in infants. Phrenic nerve injury due to thoracic surgery is the most common cause of DP in children. We retrospectively analyzed incidence, surgical details, management and follow-up of our patients with DP after cardiac surgery to develop an algorithm for the management and follow-up. METHOD...

OBJECTIVE To compare the safety and efficacy of patients undergoing dorsal penile plication with patients undergoing ventral and lateral plication. METHODS A retrospective review was performed of all patients who underwent penile plication between 2007 and 2013. Plication was performed through a 2-cm longitudinal incision in the proximal or midpenile shaft without degloving. Plication sutures...