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Gastrocolic Reflex
The gastrocolic reflex or gastrocolic response is a physiological reflex that controls the motility, or peristalsis, of the gastrointestinal tract following a meal. It involves an increase in motility of the colon consisting primarily of giant migrating contractions, in response to stretch in the stomach following ingestion and byproducts of digestion entering the small intestine. The reflex propels existing intestinal contents through the digestive system helps make way for ingested food, and is responsible for the urge to defecate following a meal. Physiology An increase in electrical activity is seen as little as 15 minutes after eating. The gastrocolic reflex is unevenly distributed throughout the colon, with the sigmoid colon exhibiting a greater phasic response to propel food distally into the rectum; however, the tonic response across the colon is uncertain. Increased pressure within the rectum acts as stimulus for defecation. Small intestine motility is also increased i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reflex
In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs via neural pathways in the nervous system called reflex arcs. A stimulus initiates a neural signal, which is carried to a synapse. The signal is then transferred across the synapse to a motor neuron, which evokes a target response. These neural signals do not always travel to the brain, so many reflexes are an automatic response to a stimulus that does not receive or need conscious thought. Many reflexes are fine-tuned to increase organism survival and self-defense. This is observed in reflexes such as the startle reflex, which provides an automatic response to an unexpected stimulus, and the feline righting reflex, which reorients a cat's body when falling to ensure safe landing. The simplest type of reflex, a short-latency reflex, has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cholecystokinin
Cholecystokinin (CCK or CCK-PZ; from Greek ''chole'', "bile"; ''cysto'', "sac"; ''kinin'', "move"; hence, ''move the bile-sac (gallbladder)'') is a peptide hormone of the gastrointestinal system responsible for stimulating the digestion of fat and protein. Cholecystokinin, formerly called pancreozymin, is synthesized and secreted by enteroendocrine cells in the duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine. Its presence causes the release of pancreatic juice from the pancreas and bile from the gallbladder. History Evidence that the small intestine controls the release of bile was uncovered as early as 1856, when French physiologist Claude Bernard showed that when dilute acetic acid was applied to the orifice of the bile duct, the duct released bile into the duodenum. In 1903, the French physiologist showed that this reflex was not mediated by the nervous system. In 1904, the French physiologist Charles Fleig showed that the discharge of bile was mediated by a substance t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sennosides
Senna glycoside, also known as sennoside or senna, is a medication used to treat constipation and empty the large intestine before surgery. The medication is taken orally (swallowed by mouth) or via the rectum. It typically begins working in around 30 minutes when given by rectum and within twelve hours when given orally. It is a weaker laxative than bisacodyl and castor oil. Common side effects of senna glycoside include abdominal cramps. It is not recommended for long-term use, as it may result in poor bowel function or electrolyte problems. While no harm has been found to result from use while breastfeeding, such use is not typically recommended. It is not typically recommended in children. Senna may change urine to a somewhat reddish color. Senna derivatives are a type of stimulant laxative and are of the anthraquinone type. While its mechanism of action is not entirely clear, senna is thought to act by increasing fluid secretion within and contraction of the large int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under certain circumstances. Sufficiently high doses of laxatives may cause diarrhea. Some laxatives combine more than one active ingredient, and may be administered orally or rectally. Types Bulk-forming agents Bulk-forming laxatives, also known as roughage, are substances, such as fiber in food and hydrophilic agents in over-the-counter drugs, that add bulk and water to stools so they can pass more easily through the intestines (lower part of the digestive tract). Properties * Site of action: small and large intestines * Onset of action: 12–72 hours * Examples: dietary fiber, Metamucil, Citrucel, Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colonic Transit Time
Colon cleansing, also known as colon therapy, colon hydrotherapy, a colonic, or colonic irrigation, encompasses a number of alternative medical therapies claimed to remove toxins from the colon and intestinal tract by removing accumulations of feces. Colon cleansing in this context should not be confused with an enema which introduces fluid into the colon, often under mainstream medical supervision, for a limited number of purposes including severe constipation and medical imaging. Some forms of colon hydrotherapy use tubes to inject water, sometimes mixed with herbs or other liquids, into the colon via the rectum using special equipment. Oral cleaning regimes use dietary fiber, herbs, dietary supplements, or laxatives. Those who practice colon cleansing believe in autointoxication, that accumulations of putrefied feces line the walls of the large intestine and that these accumulations harbor parasites or pathogenic gut flora, causing nonspecific symptoms and general ill-healt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy includes various types of nerve damage associated with diabetes mellitus. The most common form, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, affects 30% of all diabetic patients. Studies suggests that cutaneous nerve branches, such as the sural nerve, are involved in more than half of patients with diabetes 10 years after the diagnosis and can be detected with high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. Symptoms depend on the site of nerve damage and can include motor changes such as weakness; sensory symptoms such as numbness, tingling, or pain; or autonomic changes such as urinary symptoms. These changes are thought to result from a microvascular disease, microvascular injury involving small blood vessels that supply nerves (vasa nervorum). Relatively common conditions which may be associated with diabetic neuropathy include distal symmetric polyneuropathy; Oculomotor nerve palsy, third, Fourth nerve palsy, fourth, or Sixth nerve palsy, sixth cranial nerve palsy; mononeuro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis (gastro- from Ancient Greek – gaster, "stomach"; and -paresis, πάρεσις – "partial paralysis") is a medical disorder of ineffective neuromuscular contractions (peristalsis) of the stomach, resulting in food and liquid remaining in the stomach for a prolonged period. Stomach contents thus exit more slowly into the duodenum of the digestive tract, a medical sign called delayed gastric emptying. The opposite of this, where stomach contents exit quickly into the duodenum, is called dumping syndrome. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, feeling full soon after beginning to eat (early satiety), abdominal bloating, and heartburn. Many or most cases are Idiopathic disease, idiopathic. The most commonly known cause is autonomic neuropathy of the vagus nerve, which innervates the stomach. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is a frequent cause of this nerve damage, but trauma to the vagus nerve is also possible. Some cases may be considered post-in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of spinal cord injury may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury. Injury can occur at any level of the spinal cord and can be ''complete'', with a total loss of sensation and muscle function at lower sacral segments, or ''incomplete'', meaning some nervous signals are able to travel past the injured area of the cord up to the Sacral S4-5 spinal cord segments. Depending on the location and severity of damage, the symptoms vary, from numbness to paralysis, including bowel or bladder incontinence. Long term outcomes also range widely, from full recovery to permanent tetraplegia (also called quadriplegia) or paraplegia. Complications c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Functional Constipation
Functional constipation, also known as chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), is defined by less than three bowel movements per week, hard stools, severe straining, the sensation of anorectal blockage, the feeling of incomplete evacuation, and the need for manual maneuvers during feces, without organic abnormalities. Many illnesses, including endocrine, metabolic, neurological, mental, and gastrointestinal obstructions, can cause constipation as a secondary symptom. When there is no such cause, functional constipation is diagnosed. Functional constipation requires symptoms to be present at least a fourth of the time. Causes include anismus, descending perineum syndrome, inability to control the external anal sphincter, poor diet, unwillingness to defecate, nervous reactions, and deep psychosomatic disorders. Comorbid symptoms such as headache may also be present, especially in children. Functional constipation is diagnosed using the Rome criteria, a consensus of experts. The cri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diarrhea
Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin with loss of the normal stretchiness of the skin and irritable behaviour. This can progress to decreased urination, loss of skin color, a fast heart rate, and a decrease in responsiveness as it becomes more severe. Loose but non-watery stools in babies who are exclusively breastfed, however, are normal. What is diarrhea? How is it caused, treated and prevented? (see also script)The most common cause is an infection of the intestines due to a virus, bacterium, or parasite—a condition also known as gastroenteritis. These infections are often acquired from food or water that has been contaminated by feces, or directly from another person who is infected. The three types of diarrhea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion of gas from the Gastrointestinal tract, intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environmental air, and hence flatus is not entirely generated in the stomach or bowels. The scientific study of this area of medicine is termed flatology. Passing gas is a normal bodily process. Flatus is brought to the rectum and pressurized by peristalsis, muscles in the intestines. It is normal to pass flatus ("to fart"), though volume and frequency vary greatly among individuals. It is also normal for intestinal gas to have a Feces, feculent or unpleasant odor, which may be intense. The noise commonly associated with flatulence is produced by the external anal sphincter, anus and gluteus maximus, buttocks, which act together in a manner similar to that of an embouchure. Both the sound and odor are sources of embarrassment, annoya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdominal Distension
Abdominal distension occurs when substances, such as air (gas) or fluid, accumulate in the abdomen causing its expansion. It is typically a symptom of an underlying disease or dysfunction in the body, rather than an illness in its own right. People with this condition often describe it as "feeling bloated". Affected people often experience a sensation of fullness, abdominal pressure, and sometimes nausea, pain, or cramping. In the most extreme cases, upward pressure on the diaphragm and lungs can also cause shortness of breath. Through a variety of causes (see below), bloating is most commonly due to a build up of gas in the stomach, small intestine, or colon. The pressure sensation is often relieved, or at least lessened, by belching or flatulence. Medications that settle gas in the stomach and intestines are also commonly used to treat the discomfort and lessen the abdominal distension. Causes One of the causes of abnormal bloating is excessive eating and air swallowing, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
