The European Society of Neurogastroenterology & Motility (ESNM) is a professional medical non-profit organization that was founded in 1982. The ESNM has over 3,100 European members, [1] who are involved in the study of neuroscience and the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal function, and more generally in the advancement of neurogastroenterology. [2]
The ESNM is a member of the United European Gastroenterology, [3] a larger organization of European medical societies concerned with gastroenterology and digestive diseases. [4]
The European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility was founded in 1982 in Leuven, Belgium [5] by Gaston Vantrappen, Martin Wienbeck, David Wingate and other scientists. [1]
In 2004, the association had 350 members. Four years later, the membership had reached 1,000 participants coming from 11 different countries. [1] [6] In 2017, the ESNM has more than 3,100 from all over the world.
The ESNM's mission is to: [1]
The organizational structure of the ESNM consists of :
The 2016 steering committee officers are: [7]
Steering committee members are :
The ESNM currently consists of more than 3,100 individual members and 16 affiliated societies [15] and the Gut Microbiota & Health section.
These national and interest groups are: [16]
To achieve its goals, the ESNM:
The ESNM also sponsors and supports educational programs in the field of neurogastroenterology. [18]
In 2005, the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) and the European Society for Neurogastroenterology and Motility decided to organize Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility meetings.
Date | Place | Event |
---|---|---|
14–19 September 2006 | Boston, USA | 1st Joint International Meeting of the ESNM, the American Neurogastroenterology Societies (ANMS), the Functional Brain Gut Research Group (FBG) and the International Group for Neurogastroenterology and Motility. [19] Among the topics covered in the lectures were: methodologies for health care research, regulation of appetite and obesity and GI motility disorders in children. Workshops covered topics such as the role of serotonin, neuroimaging and placebo effects. [20] |
6–9 November 2008 | Lucerne, Switzerland | 2nd Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. [21] |
26–30 August 2009 | Chicago, USA | 3rd Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. This event aimed at improving understanding of intestinal microflora, new diagnostics, the enteric nervous system and motility disorders of the esophagus. [22] |
26–29 August 2010 | Boston, United States | 4th Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. During these days, applicants discussed mechanisms, medical diagnosis, therapy, brain-gut interactions, psychological aspects of the neurogastroenterology and motility disorders. [23] [24] |
6–8 September 2012 | Bologna, Italy | 5th Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. The purpose was to bring together neurogastroenterology and digestive diseases experts and researchers. This event also offered various conferences and lectures designed to attract physicians and health care professionals interested in staying current on developments in the fields. [25] Topics included the latest scientific breakthroughs, new technologies, stress and pain mechanisms and factors that influence gut flora and digestive disorders. [26] |
The Federation of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (FNM) Meeting Congress is the follower of the Joint International Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting. It is held every two years and is jointly organized by the full members of the International Joint Federation: ANMS (American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society), the ESNM (European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility) and the ANMA (Asian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association). Associate members and also present in the scientific committee are SLNG (La Sociedad Latinoamericana de Neurogastroenterologia) and ANGMA (Australasian Neurogastroenterology and Motility Association). [27]
The 1st Federation of Neurogastroenterology and Motility Meeting was held in Guangzhou, China, in 2014. It was hosted by the Chinese Society of Gastrointestinal Motility. [28]
The second FNM meeting took take place in San Francisco, California August 26–28, 2016. [27]
ENSM will host the 3rd FNM meeting in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, August 29-September 1, 2018. [29]
ESNM starts a new series of Europe-based Neurogastroenterology meetings every two years alternating to the Joint international meetings. NeuroGASTRO meetings bring together experts and emerging young investigators involved in neurogastroenterology, digestive motility and functional gastrointestinal diseases from Europe and from all around the world. The first edition of NeuroGASTRO was held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2015. [30] The program prepared by the scientific committee included the following topics:
The NeuroGASTRO Meeting took place in Cork, Ireland, August 24–26, 2017.
Neurogastroenterology and Motility is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering neurogastroenterology and gastrointestinal motility. It is the official journal of the ESNM and the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS).[ citation needed ]
It edits clinical observations, abstracts of congresses and lectures, meeting reports and book and article reviews. [31] The journal publishes papers from scientists worldwide working in the field of gastrointestinal motility, clinical research and treatments. [32]
Neurogastroenterology and Motility is published by Wiley-Blackwell. [33]
Scientists can submit their articles to the journal. It accepts or refuses the paper after an editorial and peer review process. [34]
According to the publisher, this process is independent of the societies affiliated with the journal. Neither the ESNM, the ANMS, the FBG nor Wiley-Blackwell have any editorial decision-making power. [35]
In 2016, the editors-in-chief are Drs. Gianrico Farrugia, Magnus Simren and Gary Mawe. [35]
In 2011, the ESNM launched the Gut Microbiota & Health Section. [36]
It was set up to raise awareness and understanding of the links between gut microbiota and human health, to expand knowledge and to increase interest in the subject of gut flora. [37]
In 2012, the president of the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of the ESNM was Professor Fernando Azpiroz. [38]
In 2016, the Gut Microbiota & Health Section's board is composed of: Fernando Azpiroz, chairman (Spain), Qasim Aziz (United Kingdom), Joël Doré (France), Paul Enck (Germany), Francesco Guarner (Spain), Magnus Simrén (Sweden), [39] Giovanni Barbara (Italy), S. Murch (United Kingdom), H. Sokol (France), M. Trauner (Austria).
The Gut Microbiota & Health Section is open to any professional involved in the field of gut microbiota. [40]
The section seeks to: provide a forum on new discoveries in gut microbiota and health, to stimulate and encourage research, to share news and information on topics related to gut microbiota, to provide science and educational activities to widely disseminate knowledge in this field.
The Gut Microbiota & Health Section has launched a website on gut microbiota in 2012. [38] [41] Gut Microbiota for Health is an online platform dedicated to experts and to the public. One section, named "Gut Microbiota Research and Practice" is aimed at professionals (researchers, MDs, PhDs...), the other "Gut Microbiota News Watch" is dedicated to a wider audience.
The Gut Microbiota Research and Practice section is aimed at researchers, scientists and health care professionals. It contains papers and reviews, abstracts of congresses and events, and discussions of recent findings on the human digestive system, the immune system, metabolic conditions and gut-brain axis... [42] Thanks to an Internet forum, this section enables scientists from around the world to debate and discuss on gut microbiota issues. [43] Researchers are also allowed to send and submit their scientific articles.
This section gathers 900 online members, which include scientists, clinicians, journalists, institutional representatives... It also brings together 1800 Twitter followers, 1800 LinkedIn members, and 2500 newsletter subscribers with a common interest in gut microbiota. [44]
The other section of the Gut Microbiota For Health website is dedicated to a wider audience. It is called "Gut Microbiota News Watch" and gathers the most recent information on gut microbiota. The aim is to spread information to the mass media and the public.
Gut Microbiota News Watch is dedicated to promoting and spreading information on gut microbiota to the mass media and the public. [38] It offers easy-to understand information on gut microbiota, its key role in the human body, its importance for health and its role in the vital functions. [38]
This website is also connected to social media such as Facebook and Twitter, in order to create a gut microbiota-aware community. [38]
The ESNM's Gut Microbiota & Health Section organizes the annual Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit. The aim is to gather together leading international gut microbiota experts and to keep them up to date through lectures and workshops on the latest advances in gut microbiota research. [45]
It is organized by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) with the support of the Danone group. [46]
The first summit was held in Evian-les-Bains, France, in 2012. More than 200 specialists from 30 different countries participated in this event. [47]
The 2nd Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit was held in Madrid, Spain, a year later. [46]
The 3rd Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit took place in Miami, United States, in 2014. [48] Among the topics covered: In what way does gut microbiota influence functional bowel disorders? How is gut microbiota involved in the development of the metabolic syndrome? Can diet and probiotics have a positive effect on mental health?. [49]
The 4th summit was held in Barcelona, Spain. Since 2015, the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization and the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition joined the summit as co-partners. [50]
The 5th Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit took place in Miami, Florida, in 2016. During this event, scientists discussed topics ranging from diet switch impact on gut microbiota, to pre and probiotics, including fecal microbiota transplantations... [50]
The Gut Microbiota & Health Section publishes scientific papers on gut flora. Its first paper was published in the Neurogastroenterology and Motility journal in 2013. Its theme was: "Gut microbiota and gastrointestinal health: current concepts and future directions". [46]
The gastrointestinal tract is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and other animals, including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Food taken in through the mouth is digested to extract nutrients and absorb energy, and the waste expelled at the anus as faeces. Gastrointestinal is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the stomach and intestines.
The enteric nervous system (ENS) or intrinsic nervous system is one of the main divisions of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and consists of a mesh-like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal tract. It is capable of acting independently of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, although it may be influenced by them. The ENS is nicknamed the "second brain". It is derived from neural crest cells.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may occur over a long time, sometimes for years. IBS can negatively affect quality of life and may result in missed school or work or reduced productivity at work. Disorders such as anxiety, major depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome are common among people with IBS.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine, as well as the mouth, esophagus, stomach and the anus, whereas UC primarily affects the colon and the rectum.
Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), also known as disorders of gut–brain interaction, include a number of separate idiopathic disorders which affect different parts of the gastrointestinal tract and involve visceral hypersensitivity and motility disturbances.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), also termed bacterial overgrowth, or small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome (SBBOS), is a disorder of excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine. Unlike the colon, which is rich with bacteria, the small bowel usually has fewer than 100,000 organisms per millilitre. Patients with bacterial overgrowth typically develop symptoms which may include nausea, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, malnutrition, weight loss and malabsorption, which is caused by a number of mechanisms.
Prebiotics are compounds in food that foster growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The most common environment considered is the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut microbiome.
Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut microbiota. The gut is the main location of the human microbiome. The gut microbiota has broad impacts, including effects on colonization, resistance to pathogens, maintaining the intestinal epithelium, metabolizing dietary and pharmaceutical compounds, controlling immune function, and even behavior through the gut–brain axis.
Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), also known as a stool transplant, is the process of transferring fecal bacteria and other microbes from a healthy individual into another individual. FMT is an effective treatment for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). For recurrent CDI, FMT is more effective than vancomycin alone, and may improve the outcome after the first index infection.
Dysbiosis is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. For example, a part of the human microbiota such as the skin flora, gut flora, or vaginal flora, can become deranged, with normally dominating species underrepresented and normally outcompeted or contained species increasing to fill the void. Similar to the human gut microbiome, diverse microbes colonize the plant rhizosphere, and dysbiosis in the rhizosphere, can negatively impact plant health. Dysbiosis is most commonly reported as a condition in the gastrointestinal tract or plant rhizosphere.
Gastroparesis, is a medical disorder consisting of weak muscular contractions (peristalsis) of the stomach, resulting in food and liquid remaining in the stomach for a prolonged period of time. Stomach contents thus exit more slowly into the duodenum of the digestive tract. This can result in irregular absorption of nutrients, inadequate nutrition, and poor glycemic control. The opposite of this, where stomach contents exit quickly into the duodenum is called dumping syndrome.
Mosapride is a gastroprokinetic agent that acts as a selective 5HT4 agonist. The major active metabolite of mosapride, known as M1, additionally acts as a 5HT3 antagonist, which accelerates gastric emptying throughout the whole of the gastrointestinal tract in humans, and is used for the treatment of gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. It is recommended to be taken on an empty stomach (i.e. at least one hour before food or two hours after food).
Otilonium bromide, sold under the trade name Spasmomen among others, is an antimuscarinic and calcium channel blocker used to relieve spasmodic pain of the gut, especially in irritable bowel syndrome. This means it works in the gut themselves, by relaxing the small muscles of the intestines, which results in relieving cramps and therefore reduces pain.
Prucalopride, sold under brand names Resolor and Motegrity among others, is a medication acting as a selective, high affinity 5-HT4 receptor agonist which targets the impaired motility associated with chronic constipation, thus normalizing bowel movements. Prucalopride was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2009, in Canada in 2011, in Israel in 2014, and in the United States in December 2018. The drug has also been tested for the treatment of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.
FODMAPs or fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols are short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and ferment in the colon. They include short-chain oligosaccharide polymers of fructose (fructans) and galactooligosaccharides, disaccharides (lactose), monosaccharides (fructose), and sugar alcohols (polyols), such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and maltitol. Most FODMAPs are naturally present in food and the human diet, but the polyols may be added artificially in commercially prepared foods and beverages.
Paul Enck is Professor of Medical Psychology and was Head of Research at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany until 2014; since then, he holds a part-time research and consultant position at the department. His research interests were and still are psychophysiology and neurogastroenterology. Since his semi-retirement in 2014, he added popular science writing in medicine and history to his activities.
The gut–brain axis is the two-way biochemical signaling that takes place between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS). The "microbiota–gut–brain axis" includes the role of gut microbiota in the biochemical signaling events that take place between the GI tract and the CNS. Broadly defined, the gut–brain axis includes the central nervous system, neuroendocrine system, neuroimmune systems, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system, the enteric nervous system, vagus nerve, and the gut microbiota.
Hans Gregersen is a Danish bioengineer and scientist. He is regarded as a key figure in the field of gastrointestinal biomechanics and function.
Satish Sanku Chander Rao is the J.Harold Harrison Distinguished University Chair in Gastroenterology at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University. He served as the former President of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society and as Chair of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute Council, Neurogastroenterology/Motility Section.
Pankaj "Jay" Pasricha is a physician and researcher specializing in gastroenterology and neurogastroenterology. He currently serves as the chair of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Formerly, he served as the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology and was the founder and co-director of the Amos Food, Body and Mind Center, Vice Chair of Medicine for Innovation and Commercialization in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Professor of Innovation Management at the Carey Business School.