Tegaserod for female patients suffering from IBS with mixed bowel habits or constipation: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Though the greatest proportion of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients report a mixed bowel pattern (IBS-Mixed), no available therapies have been rigorously evaluated in this subgroup. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the 5-HT(4) agonist tegaserod in women with IBS-Mixed and IBS with constipation (IBS-C).

Methods: This prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study was conducted in 100 centers in North America, South America, and Europe.

Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of tegaserod over 13 months in patients with chronic constipation.

Objective: To assess the long-term safety and tolerability of tegaserod in patients with chronic constipation (CC).

Methods: This 13-month, uncontrolled extension study enrolled CC patients who completed a 12-wk randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled core study. Patients receiving tegaserod 6 or 2 mg b.

Effect of tegaserod on esophageal pain threshold, regurgitation, and symptom relief in patients with functional heartburn and mechanical sensitivity.

Background & Aims: Tegaserod, a 5-HT4-receptor partial agonist, effectively treats irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. The role of tegaserod in functional disorders of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract is unclear. The aims of this study were to determine if tegaserod improves esophageal pain with mechanical and chemical stimuli, GI symptom profile, and global preference in patients with functional heartburn.

Factors motivating dyspepsia patients to enter clinical research.

One of the most influential factors in science and medicine has been the development of placebo-controlled clinical trials. However, recruitment of patients for clinical trials is sometimes a major problem in clinical research. Successful patient recruitment may be enhanced with a clear understanding of the motivating factors that determine a patient's decision to enter a study.

G protein-coupled receptor desensitization as a measure of signaling: modeling of arrestin recruitment to activated CCK-B receptors.

Gastrin is one of the principle hormonal mediators of gastric acid secretion, and its cognate receptor (CCK-B) is a member of the superfamily of GPCRs. Patients with hypergastrinemia may present with a variety of symptoms, including gastric ulcers or malignant tumors. Thus, the molecular mechanisms that terminate CCK-B receptor signaling, as well as an ability to measure gastrin bioactivity in a timely manner, have important clinical implications.

Enterochromaffin cells and 5-HT signaling in the pathophysiology of disorders of gastrointestinal function.

Disorders of gastrointestinal function are common and significantly reduce quality-of-life, as well as negatively impacting healthcare costs. Consequently, there is much interest in understanding the pathogenesis of these disorders. Increasing, albeit as yet limited, evidence has implicated alterations in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release, and the subsequent interaction of 5-HT with specific 5-HT receptor subtypes, in the altered gut function of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other functional bowel diseases.

Gastrointestinal bleeding in adult patients with Meckel's diverticulum: the role of technetium 99m pertechnetate scan.

Obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is often challenging for the primary care physician, but with improved diagnostic testing the cause of this blood loss is determined in most patients. However, approximately 5% of the time no underlying cause is found. One common etiology in patients younger than 40 years of age is a Meckel's diverticulum.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide type-1 receptor regulation. Desensitization, phosphorylation, and sequestration.

The vasoactive intestinal polypeptide type-1 (VPAC(1)) receptor is a class II G protein-coupled receptor, distinct from the adrenergic receptor superfamily. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of the VPAC(1) receptor are largely unknown. We examined agonist-dependent VPAC(1) receptor signaling, phosphorylation, desensitization, and sequestration in human embryonic kidney 293 cells.