Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2019; 25(2): 269-281
Published online Jan 14, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i2.269
Figure 1
Figure 1 Visceral sensitivity parameters in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls. A: The first sensation threshold was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.084); B: The defecating sensation threshold was significantly lower in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) patients than in controls (P = 0.009); C: The maximum tolerable threshold was significantly decreased in the patients (P < 0.001); D: The rectoanal inhibitory reflex threshold was also significantly lower in IBS-D patients (P = 0.032). Each set of data is presented as box-whisker plot or scatter plot. Boxes indicate the interquartile range; lines inside the boxes indicate the medians (the median lines and the edges of the boxes of plot D overlap); the two whiskers indicate the maximum and minimum of the data; and the lines in the scatter plots indicate the mean values. RAIR: Rectoanal inhibitory reflex; IBS-D: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.
Figure 2
Figure 2 Mucosal histology and immunohistochemistry in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls. A and B: Mucosae of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) patients and healthy controls both exhibited a normal histology (Scale bar = 20 μm); C and D: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) immunoreactivity was mainly scattered in the epithelium and lamina propria in IBS-D patients (Scale bar = 20 μm); E and F: Protein gene product (PGP) 9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers were distributed in the lamina propria, showing fibrous appearance. (Scale bar = 20 μm). G: Mean optical density of BDNF in the colonic mucosa in IBS-D patients was significantly higher than that in controls (P = 0.031); H: The area occupied by PGP 9.5-immunoreactive fibers was greater in patients than in controls (P = 0.002). IBS-D: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome; BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; H-E: Haematoxylin and eosin; PGP: Protein gene product; MOD: Mean optical density.
Figure 3
Figure 3 Colonic mucosal brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA levels in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and healthy controls. Mucosal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA level is expressed as a fold-change relative to the average level of healthy controls. Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome patients showed a significantly higher BDNF mRNA level than subjects in the control group (P = 0.001). IBS-D: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome; BDNF: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor.