Microbiota appear to play a role in IBS, where qualitative and quantitative changes of bacteriaoccur in IBS subtypes. A-1210477 in vivo Initial therapeutic approaches in IBS have focused on microbiota. The relationship between perturbations of the microbiota,

mucosal inflammation and IBS remains to be further investigated.”
“Objective. To assess the drug utilization patterns for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) prescriptions dispensed in periods with and without restrictions on reimbursement in a public healthcare system. Material and methods. Data on all PPI prescriptions dispensed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) was retrieved from the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) from 1 January 2004 to 31 January 2008. PPI utilization patterns were studied in new and current users of PPI in periods affected and not affected by a change in prescription policy. Results. The policy change resulted in 39% of esomeprazole Cell Cycle inhibitor patients discontinuing PPI therapy during a 12-month period while 23% discontinued PPI therapy during a period not affected by the policy change. The shift frequency to a different PPI was low, 5% and 7% respectively, during periods not affected by policy change. Despite a required shift in most esomeprazole patients, 64% still continued on esomeprazole. Among the 36% who shifted from esomeprazole to a different PPI, 25% subsequently shifted back to esomeprazole. In new PPI users, the proportion

of esomeprazole users declined from 57% before to 20% after the introduction of the policy change. Conclusions. Despite GERD being a chronic disease in most patients, there was a high degree of alteration seen in the utilization patterns of PPIs. A high proportion discontinued PPI therapy indicating mild symptoms or remission. The switching between different PPIs was low indicating good efficacy and tolerability in most patients. The policy change was more effective in new PPI users compared with the mandated shift in ongoing esomeprazole users.”
“Objective. The Reflux Symptom Questionnaire 7-day recall (RESQ-7) was developed, in line with

the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, to address the need for a patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument assessing symptoms specifically in patients Veliparib clinical trial with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who are only partially responsive to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. Materials and methods. The RESQ-7 was constructed using patient interviews and expert consensus. The instrument was psychometrically validated in a clinical trial setting in patients with persistent GERD symptoms despite PPI therapy. Results. Evaluation of content validity yielded a 13-item structure for the RESQ-7, incorporating symptoms overlooked by existing GERD questionnaires, such as hoarseness, cough, difficulty swallowing and burping. Principal component analysis suggested a four-domain structure.