Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are not satisfied with acid suppression therapy can benefit primarily from fundoplication, a surgical intervention. Fundoplication has been the standard surgical procedure for GERD. It is effective but is associated with adverse effects, resulting in a declining number of interventions, creating a need for alternative interventions that are effective, yet have a better adverse effect profile. One such alternative involves the application of electrical stimulation to the lower esophageal sphincter. A number of animal studies showed that such stimulation can increase resting lower esophageal sphincter pressure. An acute human study confirmed this effect, and was followed by two open-label studies, with a follow-up of up to 3 years. Results thus far show that the therapy is associated with a significant improvement in symptoms, a significant reduction in esophageal acid exposure, and a very good safety profile. This review will describe the evolution of electrical stimulation therapy for GERD, as well as the safety and efficacy of this intervention.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CEG.S84016 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA.
Creating durable, motion-compliant neural interfaces is crucial for accessing dynamic tissues under in vivo conditions and linking neural activity with behaviors. Utilizing the self-alignment of nano-fillers in a polymeric matrix under repetitive tension, here, we introduce conductive carbon nanotubes with high aspect ratios into semi-crystalline polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels, and create electrically anisotropic percolation pathways through cyclic stretching. The resulting anisotropic hydrogel fibers (diameter of 187 ± 13 µm) exhibit fatigue resistance (up to 20,000 cycles at 20% strain) with a stretchability of 64.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Rep Methods
January 2025
Department of Neurosurgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China; Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China; National Key Laboratory of Brain and Computer Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310012, China. Electronic address:
To restore vision in the blind, advances in visual cortical prosthetics (VCPs) have offered high-channel-count electrical interfaces. Here, we design a 100-fiber optical bundle interface apposed to known feature-specific (color, shape, motion, and depth) functional columns that populate the visual cortex in humans, primates, and cats. Based on a non-viral optical stimulation method (INS, infrared neural stimulation; 1,875 nm), it can deliver dynamic patterns of stimulation, is non-penetrating and non-damaging to tissue, and is movable and removable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Adult neurogenesis has most often been studied in the hippocampus and subventricular zone-olfactory bulb, where newborn neurons contribute to a variety of behaviors. A handful of studies have also investigated adult neurogenesis in other brain regions, but relatively little is known about the properties of neurons added to non-canonical areas. One such region is the striatum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrol Res Pract
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Ankara University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara, Türkiye.
Objective: To investigate the effects of testosterone (T) treatment, with or without levothyroxine, the most widely used and least effective medication for managing hypothyroidism, on the functional and histological changes in propylthiouracil (PTU)- induced hypothyroid rat bladders.
Methods: Male rats (n=35) were split into control, hypothyroid, hypothyroid rats treated with levothyroxine (20 µg/kg/day, oral, 2-weeks), hypothyroid rats treated with Sustanon (10 mg/kg,iIM, once/week, 2-weeks), and hypothyroid rats treated with combined treatment groups. Hypothyroidism was induced by PTU (0.
Front Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Rehabilitation, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Background: Injuries to the common peroneal nerve often result in significant sensory and motor function loss, severely affecting patients' quality of life. Although existing treatments, including medication and surgery, provide some degree of efficacy, their effectiveness is limited by factors such as tolerance and adverse side effects.
Methods: This study aims to evaluate the effects of a 4-week regimen of mirror therapy combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation on lower limb function, muscle strength, and sensation in patients with common peroneal nerve injuries.
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