Reply to critique of "A randomized trial of the effects of the no-carrageenan diet on ulcerative colitis disease activity".

This article is an invited response to a critique by industry of our published study about the impact of carrageenan supplement on the interval to relapse in ulcerative colitis patients on a no-carrageenan diet.

A randomized trial of the effects of the no-carrageenan diet on ulcerative colitis disease activity.

Carrageenan is a very common food additive in Western diets, but predictably causes inflammation in thousands of cell-based and animal experiments. To assess the impact of carrageenan exposure on the interval to relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, clinical trial was conducted to assess if patients with ulcerative colitis in remission would have a longer interval to relapse if they followed a diet with no carrageenan.

The role of pancreatoscopy in the preoperative evaluation of intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas.

Background: Intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm managed by operative resection of the affected segment of the pancreas.

Goals: To evaluate the role of peroral pancreatoscopy in the diagnosis and preoperative localization of the affected region of the pancreatic duct and to undertake the appropriate operation for each patient.

Study: Five patients with suspected intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas were studied using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, computed tomography of the abdomen, endoscopic ultrasonography, and peroral pancreatoscopy.

The role of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in acute and chronic pancreatitis.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) plays a pivotal role in the management of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis. Whereas endoscopic observation during ERCP permits recognition of abnormalities involving the major and minor duodenal papillae such as papillary tumors or choledochocele, radiographic evaluation enables the detection of structural abnormalities of pancreaticobiliary ducts like strictures or calculi. Sphincter of Oddi manometry, a technical advance of ERCP, is essential for the diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, which may present clinically as recurrent pancreatitis.