SUMMARYBackground: Proton-pump inhibitors effectively suppress stomach acidity. They are widely used for treating gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and related conditions. While generally safe, omeprazole and other proton-pump inhibitors can delay gastric emptying. Aim: To test the hypothesis that tegaserod can normalize or prevent omeprazole-induced delay in gastric emptying.Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled, parallel group study in 40 healthy male volunteers. After informed consent and screening, qualified volunteers were treated with unblinded omeprazole 20 mg b.d. and either blinded tegaserod 6 mg

SUMMARYBackground AGN 201904-Z is a new, slowly absorbed, acid-stable pro-proton pump inhibitor (pro-PPI) rapidly converted to omeprazole in the systemic circulation giving a prolonged residence time.

Previously, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-modified surfaces have shown promise in supporting cellular growth and adhesion on synthetic polymeric substrates. Surfaces prepared using a novel modification technique were investigated in the current work for their ability to support corneal epithelialization, important to the integration of a synthetic artificial cornea. EGF could be tethered to PDMS surfaces via a high-density, hetero-bifunctional PEG-NSC linking layer with a tunable surface concentration of up to 300 ng/cm(2). Only a small fraction of the EGF on these surfaces could be removed with SDS rinsing, indicative of covalent tethering. Studies with human corneal epithelial cells suggest a relatively linear increase in the number of corneal epithelial cells with increasing EGF concentration at all times. However, confluence was not achieved at any time point. It is believed that the presence of the non-adsorbent PEG layer, useful for preventing non-specific adsorption of proteins, may limit the cellular response by minimizing the adsorption of adhesion molecules. The effects of the EGF alone are clearly not sufficient to result in epithelialization of an artificial cornea surface. Altering both the adhesion and growth of corneal epithelial cells in a controlled manner may be necessary for epithelialization of an artificial cornea.

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