A significant proportion of adults believe they suffer from food allergy, and 20-65% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) attribute their symptoms to something in food that activates an abnormal response. This systematic review evaluates the role of food allergy in aetiology and management of these disorders. Activation of gastrointestinal mucosal immune system may be one of the causative factors in the pathogenesis of functional dyspepsia and IBS. This activation may result from effects of bacterial infection or other luminal factors including commensal microbial flora and food antigens. Some studies have reported on the role of food allergy in IBS; only one epidemiological study on functional dyspepsia and food allergy has been published. The mechanism by which food activates mucosal immune system is uncertain, but food specific IgE and IgG4 appeared to mediate the hypersensitivity reaction in a subgroup of IBS patients. Exclusion diets based on skin prick test, RAST for IgE or IgG4, hypoallergic diet and clinical trials with oral disodium cromoglycate have been conducted, and some success has been reported in a subset of IBS patients. Further well-controlled studies are needed to establish whether food allergy plays a role in the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia and IBS.

We studied effects of i.v. atilmotin (BAX-ACC-1638, a novel motilin agonist, circulating t(1/2) < 10 min) on gastrointestinal transit in humans using a randomized, parallel-group, dose-response double-blind study of i.v. atilmotin, 6, 30, 60 microg or vehicle (placebo) given 2 min after standardized breakfast, lunch and dinner. The breakfast meal contained (99m)Tc-eggs and (111)In-milk. Full gastrointestinal transit was measured by scintigraphy. Primary endpoints were % gastric emptying (GE) at 30 min, GE t(1/2), colonic filling (CF) at 6 h, and geometric centre of colonic transit at 24 h. Analysis included adjustment for age, gender and body mass index, with Bonferroni correction applied for multiple comparisons. A significant treatment effect of atilmotin was detected for GE (%) at 30 min for solids and liquids (P < 0.01 for both). There were no significant effects on CF or CT and no significant adverse clinical events. Thus, atilmotin accelerates GE of solids and liquids in healthy humans. These data suggest that, at the doses tested, atilmotin should be considered for treatment of stomach motility disorders.

Th is paper is a critique of the social movement unionism (SMU) theory. Arguing that characteristics of social movement unions reflect the very contradictory nature of unions under capitalism, it renders a view that the SMU theory romanticizes so-called social movement type unions (the COSATU in South Africa, the CUT in Brazil, and the KCTU in South Korea) and falls short of prescriptive measures for social transformation and a clear vision of a future society. Focusing on the case of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in South Korea, it examines whether the SMU theory can adequately address the limitations of the current trade union movement in South Korea.

This article examines diverse visions of an alternative society articulated by individuals and groups in the Global Justice Movement (GJM). It finds that many dissenters of globalization tend to converge on the idea that localization, economic descaling and political devolution would foster social conditions favourable to a just and sustainable society. Critiquing this idea, this article identifies a number of foreseeable problems associated with a descaled, localized economy with a decentralized political structure. With a notable silence on the issue of the movement of people, local-centred economic models may provide an ecological ground for anti-immigration and trade protectionism of the rich countries. Small-scale farming and small scale eco-technology are far too inadequate to meet the food and energy needs of the populace in huge urban areas. Given the fast growing rate of urbanization globally, localizers must address the issue of how to go about restructuring the economy without infringing on people's occupational aspirations and their preference for certain modes of living (rural or urban). In short, the presumed positive correlation between a descaled local economy and social justice is challenged throughout the article.

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