It all began with Coca Cola India's (Coca-Cola) realization that something was surely amiss. Four CEOs within 7 years, arch-rival Pepsi surging ahead, heavy employee exodus and negative media reports indicated that the leader had gone wrong big time. The problems eventually led to Coca-Cola reporting a huge loss of US $ 52 million in 1999, attributed largely to the heavy investments in India and Japan. Coca-Cola had spent Rs 1500 crore for acquiring bottlers, who were paid Rs 8 per case as against the normal Rs 3. The losses were also attributed to management extravagance such as accommodation in farmhouses for executives and foreign trips for bottlers.

1 Please explain the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the gastrointestinal tract.

2 What is the difference between a submandibular salivary gland swelling and swelling of a salivary lymph node?

3 How does Barrett's oesophagus develop?

4 Is it recommended to treat asymptomatic endoscopically diagnosed reflux oesophagitis with acid suppression and/or antireflux measures?

5 Is it recommended to give a young patient, diagnosed endoscopically to have mild reflux oesophagitis, life-long proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to prevent the development of Barrett's oesophagitis?

6 Is it safe to give a patient with reflux oesophagitis who is on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for treatment of acid suppression, aspirin in antiplatelet doses (75-325 mg per day)?

7 Does a combination of magnesium and aluminium hydroxide salts, taken as antacid for reflux oesophagitis, have serious long-term adverse effects?

8 In the treatment of reflux oesophagitis with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), should the PPI be life long or given for 4-8 weeks, as mentioned by the drug manufacturers?

9 Would a patient who suffers with reflux oesophagitis as a result of a hiatus hernia, and who is not responsive to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), benefit from a highly selective vagotomy?

10 1. What are the causes of belching and what appropriate drug can be used? 2. What are the effects of smoking on the gastrointestinal tract and what is its role in peptic ulcer disease?