Cardiac manifestations of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumor

Imaging of Gastrointestinal Tract Ailments

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders comprise a diverse range of conditions that can significantly reduce the quality of life and can even be life-threatening in serious cases. The development of accurate and rapid detection approaches is of essential importance for early diagnosis and timely management of GI diseases. This review mainly focuses on the imaging of several representative gastrointestinal ailments, such as inflammatory bowel disease, tumors, appendicitis, Meckel's diverticulum, and others. Various imaging modalities commonly used for the gastrointestinal tract, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and photoacoustic tomography (PAT) and multimodal imaging with mode overlap are summarized. These achievements in single and multimodal imaging provide useful guidance for improved diagnosis, staging, and treatment of the corresponding gastrointestinal diseases. The review evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different imaging techniques and summarizes the development of imaging techniques used for diagnosing gastrointestinal ailments.

Efficacy of Simotang oral liquid for treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction after stable thoracolumbar fractures

AIM: To assess the efficacy of Simotang oral liquid in the treatment of gastrointestinal dysfunction after stable thoracolumbar fractures.

METHODS: One hundred and ten patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction after stable thoracolumbar fractures treated at Xining City Second People's Hospital from January 2011 to December 2012 were randomly divided into either an observation group or a control group. The control group received conventional treatment, and the observation group was given Simotang oral liquid. Clinical effects were observed and compared for the two groups.

RESULTS: The effective rate was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (90.9% vs 74.5%, P < 0.05). The times to first anal exhaust and defecation were significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group (33.4 h ± 4.2 h vs 55.9 h ± 5.1 h, 36.8 h ± 4.8 h vs 63.7 h ± 6.4 h, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Simotang oral liquid can improve clinical efficacy and promote the recovery in patients with gastrointestinal function after stable thoracolumbar fractures.