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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: It Is More than Just Heartburn

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2017) | Viewed by 37772

Special Issue Editor

Center for Esophageal Diseases and Swallowing, University of North Carolina, 4030 Burnett Womack Building, 101 Manning Drive, CB 7081, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7081, USA
Interests: evaluation and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease; hiatal hernia; achalasia; Barrett’s esophagus; esophageal cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is usually identified with one of the many symptoms it causes—heartburn. Unfortunately, this simplistic view is embraced, not only by patients, but also by many family practitioners, internists, pulmonologist, and even gastroenterologists.

The goal of this symposium is to elucidate the clinical presentation of this disease, the proper diagnostic evaluation, and the treatment options, with stress on the benefits and risks of both pharmacological and surgical therapy. In addition, we will stress the link between gastroesophageal reflux disease and two lethal diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and esophageal cancer. Knowing the cause and effect relationship with GERD and the natural history of these two diseases, physicians will have the opportunity of intervening at an early stage.

The topics outlined (listed as follows) of contents will be discussed by gastroenterologists, pulmonologists and surgeons. All the invited participants are national and international experts with a strong track record of scholarship and contributions to their respective field. We also encourage experts in the field to contribute their latest research, perspective, or reviews on this fascinating and rapidly progressing topic.

In particular, we welcome topics covering (topics include but are not limited to):

  • Pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease
  • Clinical presentation of gastroesophageal reflux disease: esophageal and extra-esophageal symptoms
  • Evaluation of GERD: (a) Symptomatic evaluation; (b) Barium swallow; (c) Upper endoscopy; (d) Esophageal manometry; (e) Dual channel ambulatory pH monitoring; (f) Evaluation of potential aspiration: Bronchoscopy with broncho-alveolar lavage (pepsin, bile acids)
  • Medical and surgical treatment of GERD. Tailoring to the individual patient
  • GERD and IPF
  • Lung transplantation and rejection: The bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome
  • Scleroderma and end-stage lung disease: A challenging problem
  • From heartburn to Barrett’s esophagus
  • Endoscopic treatment of high grade dysplasia and early esophageal cancer
  • Surgical treatment of high grade dysplasia and early esophageal cancer
  • Esophageal cancer in 2016: Importance of a multidisciplinary approach

Prof. Marco G. Patti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease
  • Heartburn
  • Esophageal manometry
  • Ambulatory pH monitoring
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • Barrett’s esophagus
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Proton pump inhibitors
  • Laparoscopic fundoplication
  • Lung transplantation
  • Esophagectomy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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1615 KiB  
Article
Exploration of the Esophageal Mucosal Barrier in Non-Erosive Reflux Disease
by Nicolaas F. Rinsma, Ricard Farré, Fred J. Troost, Montserrat Elizalde, Daniel Keszthelyi, Zsuzsanna Helyes, Ad A. Masclee and José M. Conchillo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18(5), 1091; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18051091 - 19 May 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5003
Abstract
In the absence of visible mucosal damage, it is hypothesized that the esophageal mucosal barrier is functionally impaired in patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). The aim of the present study was to perform an exploratory analysis of the mucosal barrier in NERD [...] Read more.
In the absence of visible mucosal damage, it is hypothesized that the esophageal mucosal barrier is functionally impaired in patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). The aim of the present study was to perform an exploratory analysis of the mucosal barrier in NERD compared to erosive esophagitis (EE) and controls. A second aim was to explore TRPV1 gene transcription in relation to the mucosal barrier function and heartburn symptoms. In this prospective study, 10 NERD patients, 11 patients with active erosive esophagitis and 10 healthy volunteers were included. Biopsies from non-eroded mucosa were obtained for (1) ex vivo analyses (Ussing chamber) of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and permeability (2) gene transcription of tight-junction proteins and transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1). No differences in TEER or permeability were found between NERD and healthy volunteers, whereas TEER was lower in patients with erosive esophagitis. TRPV1 gene transcription was not significantly different between EE, NERD and controls. Conclusions: esophageal mucosal barrier function and TRPV1 transcription is not significantly altered in NERD patients. Future research is needed to explore other potential mechanisms that may account for the high symptom burden in these patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: It Is More than Just Heartburn)
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3350 KiB  
Article
Shp2 Inhibits Proliferation of Esophageal Squamous Cell Cancer via Dephosphorylation of Stat3
by Chen Qi, Tao Han, Hua Tang, Kenan Huang, Jie Min, Jing Li, Xinyu Ding and Zhifei Xu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18010134 - 12 Jan 2017
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5293
Abstract
Shp2 (Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2) was originally reported as an oncogene in kinds of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. However, recent studies indicated that Shp2 may act as tumor suppressors in several tumor types. We investigated the function of Shp2 in esophageal [...] Read more.
Shp2 (Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2) was originally reported as an oncogene in kinds of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. However, recent studies indicated that Shp2 may act as tumor suppressors in several tumor types. We investigated the function of Shp2 in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). The expression level of Shp2 was analyzed in tumor tissues in comparison with adjacent normal tissues of ESCC patients by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Shp2 was knocked down by Short hairpin RNA to evaluate its function in ESCC cell lines. The relationship between Shp2 and p-Stat3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) in human ESCC tissues was statistically examined. A significant low expression of Shp2 was found in ESCC tissues. Low expression of Shp2 was related to poorer overall survival in patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Knockdown of Shp2 increased the growth of ESCC cell lines both in vivo and vitro. Activation of Stat3 (p-Stat3) was induced by Shp2 depletion. Expression of p-Stat3 was negatively correlated with Shp2 expression in ESCC tissues. Furthermore, knockdown of Shp2 attenuated cisplatin-sensitivity of ESCC cells. Shp2 might suppress the proliferation of ESCC by dephosphorylation of p-Stat3 and represents a novel research field for targeted therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: It Is More than Just Heartburn)
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Review

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886 KiB  
Review
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux in Children
by Anna Rybak, Marcella Pesce, Nikhil Thapar and Osvaldo Borrelli
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18(8), 1671; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18081671 - 01 Aug 2017
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 14867
Abstract
Gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) is common in infants and children and has a varied clinical presentation: from infants with innocent regurgitation to infants and children with severe esophageal and extra-esophageal complications that define pathological gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although the pathophysiology is similar to [...] Read more.
Gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) is common in infants and children and has a varied clinical presentation: from infants with innocent regurgitation to infants and children with severe esophageal and extra-esophageal complications that define pathological gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although the pathophysiology is similar to that of adults, symptoms of GERD in infants and children are often distinct from classic ones such as heartburn. The passage of gastric contents into the esophagus is a normal phenomenon occurring many times a day both in adults and children, but, in infants, several factors contribute to exacerbate this phenomenon, including a liquid milk-based diet, recumbent position and both structural and functional immaturity of the gastro-esophageal junction. This article focuses on the presentation, diagnosis and treatment of GERD that occurs in infants and children, based on available and current guidelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: It Is More than Just Heartburn)
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4867 KiB  
Review
Primary Esophageal Motility Disorders: Beyond Achalasia
by Francisco Schlottmann and Marco G. Patti
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2017, 18(7), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18071399 - 30 Jun 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 11961
Abstract
The best-defined primary esophageal motor disorder is achalasia. However, symptoms such as dysphagia, regurgitation and chest pain can be caused by other esophageal motility disorders. The Chicago classification introduced new manometric parameters and better defined esophageal motility disorders. Motility disorders beyond achalasia with [...] Read more.
The best-defined primary esophageal motor disorder is achalasia. However, symptoms such as dysphagia, regurgitation and chest pain can be caused by other esophageal motility disorders. The Chicago classification introduced new manometric parameters and better defined esophageal motility disorders. Motility disorders beyond achalasia with the current classification are: esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction, major disorders of peristalsis (distal esophageal spasm, hypercontractile esophagus, absent contractility) and minor disorders of peristalsis (ineffective esophageal motility, fragmented peristalsis). The aim of this study was to review the current diagnosis and management of esophageal motility disorders other than achalasia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: It Is More than Just Heartburn)
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