NET-RMDs study: networks of fatigue and pain in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases - protocol for an international cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Fatigue and pain are the main symptoms of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Healthcare professionals have a primary role in helping patients to manage both these symptoms, which are part of a complex network of co-occurring factors including sleep problems, psychological distress, social support, body weight, diet, inactive lifestyle and disease activity. The patterns of relationships (networks) between these factors and these symptoms, fatigue and pain, are largely unknown.

Reproducibility and reliability of the 13C-acetate breath test to measure gastric emptying of liquid meal in infants.

Objective: This study assessed the noninvasive 13C-acetate breath test (13C-ABT) as a reliable and reproducible method to evaluate gastric emptying in infants

Methods: Gastric emptying was measured simultaneously by scintigraphy and 13C-ABT in 11 infants with clinical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux to validate the method compared with the gold standard. Gastric emptying was also measured with 13C-ABT in a separate group of 14 healthy infants on 2 consecutive days to evaluate reproducibility of the method. Half-emptying times obtained with scintigraphy and 13C-ABT were correlated with Pearson's analysis.