Efficacy of tandospirone in patients with irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhea and anxiety

AIM: To investigate the efficacy of tandospirone in patients with irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhea(IBS-D) and anxiety in a prospective, randomized, controlled study.METHODS: Two hundred patients with IBS-D and moderate anxiety were randomized to receive pinaverium and tandospirone(arm A) or pinaverium and placebo(arm B). Tandospirone or placebo was given thrice daily at a fixed dose of 10 mg and pinaverium was given thrice daily at a fixed dose of 50 mg. The duration of treatment was 8 wk. Patients were assessed for abdominal pain and diarrhea. Anxiety was evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety(HAM-A). The primary study endpoints were response rates forabdominal pain and diarrhea. The secondary study endpoints were response rates for anxiety. Adverse events were also evaluated.RESULTS: One hundred and seventy of 200 patients(82 patients in arm A and 88 patients in arm B) completed the study. Demographic and baseline characteristics of the 200 participants were comparable in the two arms. At week 8, the overall response rate for abdominal pain and diarrhea was 52.0% for arm A and 37.0% for arm B(P < 0.05). The HAM-A score showed that the response rate was 61.0% for arm A and 21.0% for arm B(P < 0.01). The treatments were well tolerated and no significant adverse events were reported.CONCLUSION: Tandospirone is effective and can be combined with pinaverium in IBS-D patients with anxiety.

Sedimentary environment controls on the accumulation of organic matter in the Upper Ordovician Wufeng–Lower Silurian Longmaxi mudstones in the Southeastern Sichuan Basin of China

The Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian mudstones(including the Wufeng, Guanyinqiao and Longmaxi Formations) in the Sichuan Basin are some of the most important shale gas plays in China. In order to enhance our understanding of the process of formation of organic carbon up to 10%, optical, microscopy and geochemical methods have been used to investigate the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of the formation. Firstly, three mudstone lithofacies were identified based on a wide variety of mudstone laminations. These are:(a) indistinctly laminated mudstone;(b) parallellaminated mudstone; and(c) nonparallel-laminated mudstone. Then, combining with the evidence from depocenter migration, Th/U ratios and total organic carbon, the abundant organo-minerallic fabrics suggest that organic carbon was preferentially deposited and preserved in anoxic, low energy and stagnant water conditions during deposition of the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations. On the contrary, the Guanyinqiao Formation with poor organic carbon was deposited in oxic and high-energy water conditions.