Azospirillum brasilense AerC and Tlp4b Cytoplasmic Chemoreceptors Are Promiscuous and Interact with the Two Membrane-Bound Chemotaxis Signaling Clusters Mediating Chemotaxis Responses.

Chemotaxis in and depends on the presence of hexagonal polar arrays composed of membrane-bound chemoreceptors that interact with rings of baseplate signaling proteins. In the alphaproteobacterium Azospirillum brasilense, chemotaxis is controlled by two chemotaxis signaling systems (Che1 and Che4) that mix at the baseplates of two spatially distinct membrane-bound chemoreceptor arrays. The subcellular localization and organization of transmembrane chemoreceptors in chemotaxis signaling clusters have been well characterized but those of soluble chemoreceptors remain relatively underexplored.

Clinical impact of routine esophagram after peroral endoscopic myotomy.

Background And Aims: It is unclear whether the common practice of postoperative day (POD) 1 esophagram impacts clinical care or reliably identifies significant adverse events (AEs) related to peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). Therefore, we aimed to correlate the most clinically relevant esophagram findings with postoperative outcomes after POEM.

Methods: Patients were retrospectively reviewed and included if they underwent POEM at 1 of the 3 study institutions between 2014 and 2018.

Durability of pneumatic dilation monotherapy in treatment-naive achalasia patients.

Background: Pneumatic dilation (PD) is often billed as a "short term" treatment for achalasia but anecdotally can last years. This study sought to explore how long a single pneumatic dilation may induce symptom remission in a treatment-naïve achalasia patient.

Methods: A single center, retrospective chart review of patients with an ICD-9 or - 10 code of achalasia between 2005 and 2017 was performed.

Throat Clearing, Frequently Reported, But is it GERD Related?

Goals: To identify the association of throat clearing (TC) with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) during objective reflux monitoring in a large number of patients studied in our esophageal testing laboratory.

Background: TC is frequently reported and considered to be an atypical symptom of GERD. Atypical GERD symptoms have been widely investigated and empirically treated with proton pump inhibitors.

Symptom Index or Symptom Association Probability?: A Closer Look at Symptom Association in Suspected GERD Patients.

Background: Symptom index (SI) and symptom association probability (SAP) are popular methods used to measure symptom association in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Aim: To investigate whether these 2 methods yield similar results in analysis of both typical and atypical GERD symptoms.

Materials And Methods: Combined impedance-pH reflux studies of 1471 patients tested for possible GERD symptoms from January 2010 to May 2015 were reviewed.

Concomitant Administration of a Histamine2 Receptor Antagonist and Proton Pump Inhibitor Enhances Gastric Acid Suppression.

Study Objective: Because it has been hypothesized that histamine2 receptor antagonists (H2 RAs) might interfere with the action of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) when the drugs are given concomitantly, we sought to compare the pharmacodynamic effects of simultaneous administration of a PPI and an H2 RA with the effects of each drug administered alone.

Design: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, three-way crossover study.

Setting: Esophageal motility laboratory at a large teaching hospital.

Characteristics of Consecutive Esophageal Motility Diagnoses After a Decade of Change.

Background And Aims: Combined multichannel intraluminal impedance and esophageal manometry (MII-EM) measures concomitantly bolus transit and pressure changes allowing determination of the functional impact of esophageal motility abnormalities. Ten years ago our laboratory reported MII-EM results in 350 consecutive patients. Since then high-resolution impedance manometry (HRIM) became available and the definitions of ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) and nutcracker esophagus were revised.

Cough and Throat Clearing: Atypical GERD Symptoms or Not GERD at All?

Goals: To investigate the frequency of throat clearing (TC) and cough and how often each is associated with a positive symptom index (SI) for reflux.

Background: Many patients referred to our esophageal laboratory for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) evaluation have "atypical" or "extraesophageal" symptoms.

Study: We reviewed ambulatory impedance-pH studies of 267 patients referred for evaluation of possible GERD symptoms from January 2012 to December 2013 to evaluate the frequency of cough, TC, and their association with an abnormal number of reflux episodes.

Prospective analysis of association between statin use and breast cancer risk in the women's health initiative.

Background: Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs that affect many intracellular pathways that may have implications for chemoprevention against cancer. Epidemiologic data on statins and breast cancer are conflicting. We analyzed updated data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) to assess the relationship between statins and breast cancer risk.