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As new therapeutics are emerging for the treatment of patients with HCV, the nomenclature for defining virologic response is becoming outdated, leading to inconsistencies and confusion. A recent paper has attempted to devise a new nomenclature that will be able to respond to future advances in HCV therapy.
Impaired growth is common in children and adolescents with Crohn's disease, but it can be difficult to interpret growth status accurately. Bone age is a useful measure of skeletal maturity, but should serial bone-age estimation be part of the routine care of children with Crohn's disease?
A retrospective analysis of adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy in patients with resectable biliary tract adenocarcinoma shows they confer no survival advantage in the treated groups, leading the authors to conclude they have no benefit. However, the study design does not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn about these treatments.
Elastography has been shown to increase the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses. Recent data have led to questions about the validity of its use in a routine clinical setting, outside controlled studies. Further improvements of the technique are needed to increase the reproducibility of its results and make it a useful clinical tool.
Enteric glia encompass a diverse range of glial cells that populate the gastrointestinal tract. In this Review, Gulbransen & Sharkey provide a timely update on the different types of enteric glia and their role in normal and abnormal gut function. In addition, key areas in which further knowledge is needed to fully appreciate the physiology of these cells are also highlighted.
Gastrointestinal motility results from coordinated contractions of the smooth muscle tissues forming thetunica muscularisof the alimentary canal. Smooth muscle cells are organized into an electrical syncytium that also incorporates interstitial cells. Myogenic, neural and humoral factors provide integrated control of contractile activity. Kenton Sanders and colleagues provide an overview of the cells and mechanisms that generate and regulate smooth muscle contractile behaviour and gastrointestinal motility.
Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is a common condition in neonates with a largely unknown aetiology. In this article, Babette Peeters and colleagues provide an overview of molecular and genetic studies in patients with isolated IHPS and categorize the various syndromes associated with IHPS. The authors hope this article will provide a basis for future studies in IHPS and stimulate researchers to use the results of extreme phenotype studies in evaluation of their results in isolated IHPS.
Diarrhoea and constipation are two of the most common symptoms encountered by primary care physicians and gastroenterologists. Luminally acting agents are less likely to cause adverse events than drugs with systemic actions. This Review discusses luminally acting treatments for diarrhoea and constipation, focussing on new agents and those that are currently in clinical trials.
Postoperative ileus is a common complication of abdominal surgery and places a considerable burden on health-care systems. In this Review, the authors outline evidence that postoperative ileus is mediated by the immune system and highlight new therapeutic approaches to interrupt the inflammatory cascade that characterizes this condition.
