Antireflux surgery - choosing the right candidate.

Introduction: Surgical gastric fundoplication is an effective treatment option for gastroesophageal reflux disease. In contrast to acid suppression, fundoplication nearly abolishes all types of reflux, acid and nonacid. However, in some cases lasting side effects of the procedure may overshadow its positive effects.

Diverging trends in alcohol use and mental health in Australian adolescents: A cross-cohort comparison of trends in co-occurrence.

Background: In recent years, psychological distress in Western countries has rapidly increased among older adolescents while alcohol use has declined, though little is known about younger adolescents. It is also unclear if and how these trends relate to co-occurring alcohol use and distress. This study sought to examine temporal changes in the prevalence of distress, alcohol use, and their co-occurrence among young Australians.

Human iPSC-derived liver co-culture spheroids to model liver fibrosis.

The lack of adequate humanmodels that recapitulate the cellular composition and response of the human liver to injury hampers the development of anti-fibrotic drugs. The goal of this study was to develop a human spheroid culture model to study liver fibrosis by using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived liver cells. iPSCs were independently differentiated towards hepatoblasts (iHepatoblasts), hepatic stellate cells (iHSCs), endothelial cells (iECs) and macrophages (iMΦ), before assembly into free floating spheroids by culturing cells in 96-well U-bottom plates and orbital shaking for up to 21 days to allow further maturation.

Orphan receptor GPR176 in hepatic stellate cells exerts a profibrotic role in chronic liver disease.

Background & Aims: Chronic liver disease (CLD) remains a global health issue associated with a significant disease burden. Liver fibrosis, a hallmark of CLD, is characterised by the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) that gain profibrotic characteristics including increased production of extracellular matrix protein. Currently, no antifibrotic therapies are available clinically, in part because of the lack of HSC-specific drug targets.

The long-term effectiveness of a personality-targeted substance use prevention program on aggression from adolescence to early adulthood.

Background: Addressing aggressive behavior in adolescence is a key step toward preventing violence and associated social and economic costs in adulthood. This study examined the secondary effects of the personality-targeted substance use preventive program on aggressive behavior from ages 13 to 20.

Methods: In total, 339 young people from nine independent schools ( age = 13.

Inability to belch syndrome: what the gastroenterologist needs to know.

Purpose Of Review: To review recent publications on the inability to belch syndrome.

Recent Findings: Five recent retrospective case series indicate that the inability to belch syndrome usually starts in early childhood and is often accompanied by gurgling noises in the chest, pain in the chest or upper abdomen, bloating, and excessive flatulence. Currently, the vast majority of patients who have been identified with inability to belch have self-diagnosed the syndrome on the basis of information available on the internet.

Effect of a selective personality-targeted prevention program on 7-year illicit substance related outcomes: A secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy of the selective personality-targeted PreVenture program in reducing cannabis and stimulant use over a 7-year period spanning adolescence and early adulthood.

Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 14 Australian schools. Schools were randomized to PreVenture, a brief personality-targeted selective intervention, comprising two 90-minute facilitator-led sessions delivered one week apart, or a control group (health education as usual).

Adapting a coach-assisted web-based intervention for parents of adolescents who refuse school: qualitative study with users of the Partners in Parenting Plus programme.

Background: School refusal is a heterogenous problem which typically emerges in adolescence and co-occurs with internalising disorders. A substantial proportion of adolescents do not respond to existing treatment modalities; thus, novel, effective intervention options are needed. Partners in Parenting Plus (PiP+) is a coach-assisted, web-based intervention designed to empower parents to respond to adolescent internalising disorders.

Ziverel for PPI-refractory reflux symptoms: efficacy and mechanisms of action in humans.

Objectives: It is thought that esophageal hypersensitivity in combination with an impaired mucosal barrier function contributes to PPI-resistant reflux symptoms. Ziverel, a bioadhesive agent that coats the esophageal wall, was shown to have a positive effect on reflux symptoms. However, the mechanisms of action are unclear.

10-year follow-up results of the European Achalasia Trial: a multicentre randomised controlled trial comparing pneumatic dilation with laparoscopic Heller myotomy.

Objective: As achalasia is a chronic disorder, long-term follow-up data comparing different treatments are essential to select optimal clinical management. Here, we report on the 10-year follow-up of the European Achalasia Trial comparing endoscopic pneumodilation (PD) with laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM).

Design: A total of 201 newly diagnosed patients with achalasia were randomised to either a series of PDs (n=96) or LHM (n=105).

The effect of sleep positional therapy on nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux measured by esophageal pH-impedance monitoring.

Background & Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an electronic positional therapy wearable device on nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux measured by pH-impedance reflux monitoring.

Methods: We performed a single-center, prospective, interventional study in 30 patients with nocturnal reflux symptoms and a nocturnal esophageal acid exposure time (AET) ≥1.5% measured off acid-suppressive medication by ambulatory pH-impedance reflux monitoring.

Effect of Selective Personality-Targeted Alcohol Use Prevention on 7-Year Alcohol-Related Outcomes Among High-risk Adolescents: A Secondary Analysis of a Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Alcohol consumption is one of the leading preventable causes of burden of disease worldwide. Selective prevention of alcohol use can be effective in delaying the uptake and reducing harmful use of alcohol during the school years; however, little is known about the durability of these effects across the significant transition from early adolescence into late adolescence and early adulthood.

Objective: To examine the sustained effects of a selective personality-targeted alcohol use prevention program on alcohol outcomes among adolescents who report high levels of 1 of 4 personality traits associated with substance use.

Peroral endoscopic myotomy versus pneumatic dilation in treatment-naive patients with achalasia: 5-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: 2-year follow-up data from our randomised controlled trial showed that peroral endoscopic myotomy is associated with a significantly higher efficacy than pneumatic dilation as initial treatment of therapy-naive patients with achalasia. Here we report therapeutic success rates in patients treated with peroral endoscopic myotomy compared with pneumatic dilation at the 5-year follow-up.

Methods: We did a multicentre, randomised controlled trial in six hospitals in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, and the USA.

Systematic review: Clinical effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux.

Background: Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux symptoms have a major impact on sleep quality and are associated with complicated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We performed a systematic review to assess the data on the effectiveness of the currently available interventions for the treatment of nocturnal reflux symptoms.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library.

Sleep Positional Therapy for Nocturnal Gastroesophageal Reflux: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial.

Background & Aims: Experimental studies have suggested that sleep position plays a role in the occurrence of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux and the left lateral decubitus position is most favorable. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a novel electronic sleep positional therapy wearable device on sleep position and nocturnal reflux symptoms.

Methods: We performed a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial in patients with nocturnal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux.

Development of a Preliminary Question Prompt List as a Communication Tool for Adults With Achalasia: A Modified Delphi Study.

Background: Question prompt lists (QPLs) are structured sets of disease-specific questions that enhance patient-physician communication by encouraging patients to ask questions during consultations.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a preliminary achalasia-specific QPL created by esophageal experts.

Methods: The QPL content was derived through a modified Delphi method consisting of 2 rounds.

Associations Between Sleep Position and Nocturnal Gastroesophageal Reflux: A Study Using Concurrent Monitoring of Sleep Position and Esophageal pH and Impedance.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of spontaneous sleep positions on the occurrence of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux.

Methods: In patients referred for ambulatory pH-impedance reflux monitoring, the concurrent sleep position was measured using a sleep position measurement device (measuring left, right, supine, and prone positions).

Results: Fifty-seven patients were included.

The 7-Year Effectiveness of School-Based Alcohol Use Prevention From Adolescence to Early Adulthood: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Universal, Selective, and Combined Interventions.

Objective: Alcohol use is a leading cause of burden of disease among young people. Prevention strategies can be effective in the short-term; however little is known about their longer-term effectiveness. The aim of this study was to examine the sustainability of universal, selective, and combined alcohol use prevention across the critical transition period from adolescence into early adulthood.

The inability to belch syndrome: A study using concurrent high-resolution manometry and impedance monitoring.

Introduction: Although inability to belch has previously been linked to dysfunction of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Our aim was to study mechanisms underlying inability to belch and the effect of UES botulinum toxin (botox) injections in these patients.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with symptoms of inability to belch.

It's the Content That Counts: Longitudinal Associations between Social Media Use, Parental Monitoring, and Alcohol Use in an Australian Sample of Adolescents Aged 13 to 16 Years.

(1) Background: More time spent on social media has been linked to increased alcohol use, with exposure to peer alcohol-related content on social media (content exposure) named as a critical factor in this relationship. Little is currently known about whether early content exposure may have lasting effects across adolescent development, or about the capacity of parental monitoring of social media use to interrupt these links. (2) Methods: These gaps were addressed in both cross-sectional and longitudinal contexts among a longitudinal sample of Australian secondary school students ( = 432) across the ages of 13-16.

Characterisation of patients with supine nighttime reflux: observations made with prolonged wireless oesophageal pH monitoring.

Background: Although nighttime reflux symptoms are common, the presence of nocturnal reflux is seldom confirmed with a standard 24 hours pH study.

Aim: To study patients with supine nighttime reflux symptoms using prolonged wireless pH monitoring.

Methods: In this retrospective study, patients with typical acid reflux symptoms were studied using 96-h pH monitoring.