A comparison of Swedish IBS patients and general practitioners regarding viewpoints on IBS: a Q-methodology study.

OBJECTIVES: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal condition. A respectful patient-doctor relationship with good communication is crucial for optimal treatment. Q-methodology is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods used to study subjectivity. The aim of this study was to compare viewpoints on IBS between patients with IBS and general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: We conducted a Q-methodology study by including 30 patients and 30 GPs. All participants were asked to complete Q- sorting of 66 statements on IBS using an online software program. Data were processed using factor analysis. In addition, 3 patients and 3 GPs were interviewed. RESULTS: Three factors were extracted from both groups: Patient Factor 1 'Question the diagnosis of IBS', Patient Factor 2 'Lifestyle changes for a physical disorder', Patient Factor 3 'Importance of a diagnosis', GP Factor 1 'Unknown causes of great suffering', GP Factor 2 'Lifestyle changes are important, stress makes IBS worse', GP Factor 3 'Recognized the way IBS affects patients'. There was a strong and statistically significant correlation between patient Factor 1 and GP Factor 1, with a Pearson's r of 0.81 (p < 0.001). Correlations between other factors varied. CONCLUSIONS: There was consensus between patients and GPs that IBS is a physical and not a psychiatric disorder of unknown etiology. They also seemed to agree that IBS has a great negative impact on patients' lives and that lifestyle changes are beneficial. There were conflicting opinions regarding gender, cultural factors and the use of antidepressants.

Time and Motion at the Endoscopy Unit-A University Hospital Experience.

Background/aims: An effective workflow at the endoscopy unit is important for optimal production. We conducted a time-and-motion study to identify the amount of time that patients spend during the different steps of a regular endoscopy procedure and compared propofol with midazolam sedation. Methods: Data from 376 patients were prospectively collected. Durations of the different procedure steps were measured. Correlations between recovery times, age, and dose of sedative were calculated. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate how various factors affect recovery time. Results: The use of midazolam resulted in significantly shorter procedure duration for gastroscopy (5.1 vs 8.3 min), shorter endoscopist delay duration for either types of endoscopy (5.9 vs 8.3 min for gastroscopy and 6.7 vs 11.4 min for colonoscopy), shorter endoscopy room duration for gastroscopy (22.2 vs 30.0 min), shorter recovery time for colonoscopy (23.4 vs 27.4 min) and shorter Endoscopy Unit Duration for either type of endoscopy (77.1 vs 101.4 min for gastroscopy and 99.6 vs 123.2 min for colonoscopy). There was a weak correlation between dose of midazolam and recovery time. Conclusions: In contrast to other studies, propofol administration leads to more time spent at different steps in the workflow at our unit. Implementing propofol sedation will not improve efficacy if other steps in the workflow are not taken into account.

Doctors and patients' perspectives on obesity. A Q-methodology study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with stigma and discrimination. Health care providers should approach these patients professionally and without stigma, since treatment of obesity requires a relationship with mutual understanding between the doctor and patient. OBJECTIVE: To explore how patients and general practitioners (GPs) perceive obesity, using Q-methodology, which allows quantitative analysis of qualitative data. METHODS: A Q-methodology study, comprising 24 patients with obesity and 24 GPs. We created 48 statements with viewpoints on obesity. All participants sorted these statements in a forced grid with a quasi-normal distribution ranking from -5 (most disagree) to +5 (most agree). Subsequently, factor analysis was performed. Six patients were interviewed to explain their viewpoints. RESULTS: Analysis yielded 3 dominant groups (factors) of patients: (i) They acknowledge the importance of healthy lifestyle and feel mistreated by health care. (ii) They have a decreased quality of life, but do not blame health care, and (iii) They don't need treatment and don't have an impaired quality of life. For the GPs, the 3 dominant factors were: (i) They have understanding for the patients and feel that health care is insufficient, (ii) They believe that obesity may be hereditary but mainly is a lifestyle problem, and (iii) They believe obesity can be treated but is very difficult. CONCLUSIONS: Viewpoints on obesity were different, both within and between the groups. Some GPs consider obesity mainly as a lifestyle problem, rather than a chronic disease. If patients and doctors can find mutual viewpoints on obesity, both patient satisfaction and a treatment strategy will be more effective.

Obesity affects quality of life and increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Achieving and maintaining weight loss is difficult and for this reason a mutual understanding between the general practitioner (GP) and the patient is crucial. We used Q-methodology to study the patients and GPs perspectives on obesity. We show that there are different groups of patients that have different perspectives on obesity, but also different groups of doctors who have different perspectives on obesity. If the GP is aware of the fact that the patients' viewpoints regarding obesity may be different than his/her own viewpoints, it allows improvement of the doctor­patient communication and hence, patient satisfaction.

The effectiveness of the colorectal cancer referral pathway - identification of colorectal cancer in a Swedish region.

INTRODUCTION: To shorten the time for diagnosis of suspected colorectal cancer (CRC), a standardized colorectal cancer referral pathway (CCRP) was introduced in Sweden in September 2016. However, the effects of the CCRP are still uncertain, and CRC is also found in patients undergoing a routine colonoscopy. OBJECTIVE: To identify all CRC-cases in the Region Örebro County and to investigate via which diagnostic pathway they were diagnosed. Furthermore, to investigate the reasons for and possible effect of not being included in the CCRP for cases found via colonoscopy. METHODS: Review of medical records of patients with CRC referred to the department of surgery in the Region Örebro County in 2016-2018 (n = 459). RESULTS: In CRC-cases found through colonoscopy (n = 347), 37.5% were diagnosed via a routine waiting list and 62.5% within the CCRP. No difference in tumor stage or tumor grade was found between the two groups. The non-CCRP showed a longer time to diagnosis than the CCRP group (21.5 days, IQR 7-43 vs. 13 days, IQR 8-17 (p < .001), respectively). Non-rectal cancer was more common in the non-CCRP group (81.5% vs. 57.6%, p < .001). The non-CCRP group had lower median Hb-value (106, IQR 87-129 vs. 117, IQR 101-136, p = .001). 85% of the non-CCRP group was found to meet one or more CCRP referral criteria, with bleeding anemia being the dominant criterion to meet. CONCLUSION: The CCRP did not appear to improve prognostic outcomes for CRC-patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04585516.

Vectorial secretion of interleukin-8 mediates autocrine signalling in intestinal epithelial cells via apically located CXCR1.

BACKGROUND: In the intestinal mucosa, several adaptations of TLR signalling have evolved to avoid chronic inflammatory responses to the presence of commensal microbes. Here we investigated whether polarized monolayers of intestinal epithelial cells might regulate inflammatory responses by secreting IL-8 in a vectorial fashion (i.e. apical versus basolateral) depending on the location of the TLR stimulus. RESULTS: In the Caco-2 BBE model of polarized villus-like epithelium, apical stimulation with TLR2 and TLR5 ligands resulted in the apical secretion of IL-8. The CXCR1 receptor for IL-8 was expressed only on the apical membrane of Caco-2 BBE cells and differentiated epithelial cells in the human small intestine and colon. Transcriptome analyses revealed that Caco-2 BBE cells respond to stimulation with IL-8 supporting the hypothesis that IL-8 induces G protein-coupled receptor signalling. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that IL-8 induces autocrine signalling via an apical CXCR1 in Caco-2 BBE intestinal epithelial cells and that this receptor is also expressed on the apical surface of differentiated human intestinal epithelial cells in vivo, suggesting an autocrine function for IL-8 secreted in the lumen.

The effect of acute serotonergic modulation on rectal motor function in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients suffer from visceral hypersensitivity and show increased activity in the brain emotional arousal network following a rectal stimulus, compared with controls. Serotonergic activity can be decreased by acute tryptophan depletion (ATD), which increases visceral perception and also increases activity in the brain's emotional arousal network during rectal stimulation. Treatment with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor such as citalopram is effective in some IBS patients. Hence, serotonergic modulation alters visceral perception. However, it is not clear whether serotonergic modulation alters rectal motor function. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to evaluate the effect of the administration of ATD and citalopram on rectal motor function in diarrhea-predominant IBS (d-IBS) patients and controls using a barostat procedure. METHODS: Following a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, an ATD and citalopram experiment was conducted. Fourteen d-IBS patients and 14 healthy, matched (age, sex, BMI) controls participated. Rectal volume (RV), adaptive relaxation (RAR), and compliance (RC) were determined using a barostat procedure. RESULTS: d-IBS patients showed significantly decreased RV (P<0.04), RAR (P<0.03), and RC (P=0.05) compared with the controls. ATD and citalopram did not influence RV, RAR, or RC significantly (all P's>0.1). CONCLUSION: d-IBS patients have disturbed rectal pressure-volume relations. Visceral perception in IBS is associated with both increased activity in the brain's emotional arousal network and decreased RC. Acutely decreasing or increasing serotonergic activity does not affect these characteristics in d-IBS patients or healthy controls. The pathophysiology in d-IBS contains both a rectal motor component and a central neuropsychologic component.

Acute tryptophan depletion slows gastric emptying in females.

Serotonin (5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter involved in the brain-gut axis. It is possible to lower the 5-HT level in the body by means of a nutritional intervention using an amino acid mixture; the acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) method. We studied the effect of ATD on gastric emptying in healthy females, who received both ATD and placebo in a random order. Gastric emptying was measured using the [(13)C]octanoic acid breath test. The present data demonstrate significant differences in both gastric emptying and lag phase (Tlag) between the ATD and placebo experiment. Eight out of ten subjects showed a delayed gastric emptying in the ATD experiment. Both the gastric half-emptying time (T1/2) and the Tlag were significantly higher in the ATD experiment. T1/2 in the ATD experiment was 137.2 (range 76.2-634.8) min; T1/2 for the placebo experiment was 98.5 (range 63.7-168.8) min (P=0.028). Tlag in the ATD experiment was 83.7 (range 45.1-356.2) min; Tlag for the placebo experiment was 56.9 (range 23.2-101.2) min (P=0.007). We conclude that lowering the 5-HT level in the body using the ATD method leads to a significantly delayed gastric emptying of a solid meal. Nutritional manipulation of the serotonergic system in healthy volunteers may lead to alterations in gastrointestinal motility.

Gastrointestinal profile of symptomatic athletes at rest and during physical exercise.

Some athletes suffer from exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances. We developed a profile of GI parameters in 10 symptomatic and 10 asymptomatic athletes both at rest and during exercise. Exercise included 90 min of cycling and running at 70% of maximal power. We measured oesophageal motility, gastro-oesophageal reflux, gastric emptying, orocaecal transit time (OCTT), intestinal permeability and intestinal glucose absorption. During cycling the number and duration of refluxes were increased, whereas gastric emptying showed no differences between rest, cycling and running. The OCTT was increased in the running trial, compared to rest (P=0.005). Also, intestinal permeability was higher in the running trial, compared to rest (P=0.008). There were no differences in intestinal glucose absorption between rest and exercise. Compared with asymptomatic athletes the symptomatic subjects had a higher intestinal permeability (P=0.001), more reflux episodes (P=0.03) and a longer duration of reflux (P<0.05) during cycling. No differences were observed at rest. In conclusion, there is no difference in GI profile between symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes at rest. During exercise, symptomatic subjects have a longer OCTT and a higher intestinal permeability, which is more pronounced during running than during cycling.