Relationships among intragastric meal distribution during gastric emptying scintigraphy, water consumption during water load satiety testing, and symptoms of gastroparesis.

Gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES) measures total gastric retention after a solid meal and can assess intragastric meal distribution (IMD). Water load satiety test (WLST) measures gastric capacity. Both IMD immediately after meal ingestion [ratio of proximal gastric counts after meal ingestion to total gastric counts at (IMD)] and WLST (volume of water ingested over 5 min) are indirect measures of gastric accommodation.

Buspirone for early satiety and symptoms of gastroparesis: A multi-centre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial (BESST).

Background: Patients with gastroparesis and related disorders have symptoms including early satiety, postprandial fullness and bloating. Buspirone, a 5-HT receptor agonist, may improve fundic accommodation.

Aim: To determine if buspirone treatment improves early satiety and postprandial fullness in patients with symptoms of gastroparesis.

Hair Loss in Patients with Gastroparesis: A Sign of Nutritional Deficiency in Gastroparesis?

Introduction: Some patients with gastroparesis (Gp) report hair loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of patient-reported hair loss in Gp patients, analyze hair loss association to severity of Gp and nutritional deficiencies, and study effects of multivitamin treatment on hair loss.

Methods: Patients with Gp were questioned about hair characteristics, Gp symptoms, and diet.

Fourier Phase Analysis of Dynamic Antral Contraction Scintigraphy: New Software, Reference Values, and Comparisons to Conventional Gastric Emptying.

Dynamic antral contraction scintigraphy (DACS) has been used to evaluate for gastric dysmotility by measuring antral contraction frequency and ejection fraction (EF). Fourier phase image analysis has the potential to assess gastric antral contractions for dyssynchrony as has been used for analyzing nuclear cardiology ventriculography (multigated acquisition studies) for cardiac dyssynchrony. The aims of this study were to determine whether Fourier phase analysis helps to characterize antral motility physiology, whether Fourier phase analysis correlates with conventional gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES), and which DACS parameters may aid in diagnosing gastric dysmotility, particularly delayed gastric emptying (GE).

Proximal and distal intragastric meal distribution during gastric emptying scintigraphy: Relationships to symptoms of gastroparesis.

Background: Total gastric retention (TGR) from gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES) is used for diagnosing gastroparesis (Gp), but correlates poorly with patients' symptoms. Regional intragastric meal distribution (RIMD) can also be assessed from GES. This study classified patients' meal distribution as proximal or distal to relate RIMD to symptoms of Gp.

Gastric half emptying time (T ) for 4-h gastric emptying scintigraphy simplifies reporting but reduces detection of gastroparesis.

Background: Gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES) reports percent retention at 1, 2, and 4 h. Time to empty half the meal (T ) could simplify GE reporting.

Aims: To compare the performance of GES T to 1-, 2-, and 4-h retention.

Role of patent foramen ovale in migraine etiology and treatment: a review.

An increased prevalence between patent formen ovale (PFOs) and migraine exists but there is conflicting data regarding causal relationship between these two conditions. It is controversial whether cardiac screening and intervention like PFO closure provides any benefit in this population and so this area still remains under intense investigation. The management of migraine lies at the intersection between the practice of primary care physicians, neurologists, and cardiologists.

Remote triggering of fault-strength changes on the San Andreas fault at Parkfield.

Fault strength is a fundamental property of seismogenic zones, and its temporal changes can increase or decrease the likelihood of failure and the ultimate triggering of seismic events. Although changes in fault strength have been suggested to explain various phenomena, such as the remote triggering of seismicity, there has been no means of actually monitoring this important property in situ. Here we argue that approximately 20 years of observation (1987-2008) of the Parkfield area at the San Andreas fault have revealed a means of monitoring fault strength.

Preseismic velocity changes observed from active source monitoring at the Parkfield SAFOD drill site.

Measuring stress changes within seismically active fault zones has been a long-sought goal of seismology. One approach is to exploit the stress dependence of seismic wave velocity, and we have investigated this in an active source cross-well experiment at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) drill site. Here we show that stress changes are indeed measurable using this technique.

The subduction zone flow field from seismic anisotropy: a global view.

Although the morphologies of subducting slabs have been relatively well characterized, the character of the mantle flow field that accompanies subduction remains poorly understood. To analyze this pattern of flow, we compiled observations of seismic anisotropy, as manifested by shear wave splitting. Data from 13 subduction zones reveal systematic variations in both mantle-wedge and subslab anisotropy with the magnitude of trench migration velocity |V(t)|.

Intermittent plate tectonics?

Although it is commonly assumed that subduction has operated continuously on Earth without interruption, subduction zones are routinely terminated by ocean closure and supercontinent assembly. Under certain circumstances, this could lead to a dramatic loss of subduction, globally. Closure of a Pacific-type basin, for example, would eliminate most subduction, unless this loss were compensated for by comparable subduction initiation elsewhere.

Migration of seismic scatterers associated with the 1993 Parkfield aseismic transient event.

The time-varying deformation field within a fault zone, particularly at depths where earthquakes occur, is important for understanding fault behaviour and its relation to earthquake occurrence. But detection of this temporal variation has been extremely difficult, although laboratory studies have long suggested that certain structural changes, such as the properties of crustal fractures, should be seismically detectable. Here we present evidence that such structural changes are indeed observable.