Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: from malabsorption to misinterpretation.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) was originally described as a cause of maldigestion and malabsorption in situations where disruptions of intestinal anatomy or physiology favored the proliferation of bacteria normally confined to the colon. In this context, the pathogenesis of symptoms resulting from SIBO was well described. More recently, the concept of SIBO was extended to explain symptoms such as bloating, altered bowel habit and discomfort among individuals with irritable bowel syndrome and since then a whole host of gastrointestinal and extragastrointestinal disorders have been attributed to SIBO.

A History of the Discovery of Helicobacter Pylori, with Special Reference to Giulio Bizzozero.

Helicobacter pylori is a microorganism that is highly prevalent in mankind and closely linked to several gastroduodenal disorders. Though Helicobacter pylori was introduced to the scientific community in 1983 by Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, a closely related Helicobacter species had been described one hundred years earlier by the Italian pathologist Giulio Bizzozero in the canine stomach. In this review we analyze the different steps involved in the discovery of Helicobacter and provide a biography of the pioneer Giulio Bizzozero.

Impacts of intestinal fermentation on gastroesophageal reflux disease: can the tail wag the dog?

Communication between the foregut and the hindgut is amply illustrated by the gastro-colonic reflex and the impact of constipation on gastric function. Less well studied are the effects of the small intestinal or colonic microbiome and its metabolites on motor and secretory activities in the esophagus and stomach. In the study, the authors posit that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth promotes gastroesophageal and laryngo-pharyngeal reflux and in support of this hypothesis report an amelioration of related symptoms with antibiotic and dietary therapies.

Probiotics in Health Care: A Critical Appraisal.

Consumption of probiotic products continues to increase, perhaps driven by an interest in gut health. However, the field is filled with controversy, inconsistencies, misuse of terminology, and poor communication. While the probiotic concept is biologically plausible and in some cases mechanistically well established, extrapolation of preclinical results to humans has seldom been proven in well-conducted clinical trials.