Evaluation of colloidal bismuth (De-Nol) in the treatment of duodenal ulcer employing endoscopic selection and follow up

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of colloidal bismuth (De-Nol) was performed on 20 patients with active duodenal ulceration employing endoscopic selection and follow up after a treatment period of 28 days. By these means it was shown that healing of ulcers was significant in those patients treated with the active compound. In addition a greater number (9/10) of patients treated with colloidal bismuth showed symptomatic improvement than those receiving placebo (6/10) but this difference did not reach statistical significance. The results of endoscopic and symptomatic assessment of the patients receiving colloidal bismuth were in complete agreement although there was a poor correlation between these results in those receiving the placebo. This supports the results from a previous study that endoscopic assessment of duodenal ulcer healing provides a more objective assessment than do clinical methods.

Mechanism of interferon uptake in parental and somatic monkey-mouse hybrid cells

Dose-response curves of interferons in different sensitive cells are regularly sigmoidal. In somatic monkey-mouse hybrid cells, however, a significant decrease in the slope of the curve for primate interferon was observed, while the dose-response effect was unaltered for mouse interferon. High concentrations of primate interferon were 10- to 100-times less effective in hybrid clones than in parental monkey CV-1 cells; at low concentrations the antiviral effect was 10- to 20-times higher in hybrid clones than in the parental cells. The receptor(s) for primate interferon located on the cell membrane was destroyed by trypsin but not by EDTA. Similarly, acid pH inactivated these receptor sites. We, thus, postulate that the antiviral effect is, at least partially, related to the amount of interferon taken up by the cells. Uptake could be conditioned by active cooperation of two cell-specific factors: a receptor and an activator. The activator might be missing or inactivated for primate interferon in the hybrid cells. We suggest that the putative antiviral protein is not cell-species specific, and that information for its synthesis in the hybrid cells might be located on a mouse rather than a monkey chromosome.

Double-blind trial of carbenoxolone sodium capsules in duodenal ulcer therapy, based on endoscopic diagnosis and follow-up

A high-dose double-blind trial of carbenoxolone sodium capsules (Duogastrone) in the treatment of duodenal ulceration was combined with endoscopic diagnosis and follow-up. Thirty-one ambulant patients with an endoscopically visible duodenal ulcer were allocated at random to a 12-week course of treatment with either carbenoxolone sodium 300 mg daily or a placebo. Symptomatic and endoscopic follow-up was performed at 2-4 weeks, 6-8 weeks, and 12-16 weeks. Carbenoxolone was shown to increase the rate of healing of duodenal ulcers in the early stages of treatment, but by 12 weeks there was no difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference in symptomatic improvement between the two groups at any stage of treatment. Side effects, especially hypokalaemia, were prominent in the patients treated with carbenoxolone. There was a poor relation between endoscopic and symptomatic improvement in patients on either form of treatment.

The influence of preparturient intramammary vaccination on immunoglobulin levels in bovine mammary secretions

Immunoglobulin concentrations were measured in colostrum and milk from individual mammary glands of three cows. Two of the glands of each cow had been vaccinated with a live, formalinized, E. coli vaccine. No major differences were found between immunoglobulin concentrations in colostrum from vaccinated and non-vaccinated glands. However, markedly higher concentrations of all immunoglobulins were found in mammary secretions from the vaccinated glands taken 2 and 3 days after calving. IgA concentrations were significantly higher in milk from vaccinated glands than in milk from non-vaccinated glands from day 2 to day 28.

Endoscopic examination of the duodenal bulb: clinical evaluation of forward- and side-viewing fibreoptic systems in 200 cases

Two-hundred fibreoptic examinations of the duodenal bulb were carried out on 149 patients. The importance of combining the initial examination with a general endoscopic survey of the oesophagus and stomach is stressed. At the present time full examination of the duodenal bulb requires the use of both a side-viewing and forward-viewing endoscope in more than a quarter of cases. The safety and acceptability to the patient of multiple endoscopic examinations carried out as an outpatient procedure has been demonstrated, and the value of the procedure in x-ray negative dyspepsia, in the follow up of ulcer therapy, and in acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage has been shown.

75 Se-selenomethionine scanning in the diagnosis of tumours of the pancreas and adjacent viscera: the use of the test and its impact on survival

The results of pancreatic scanning with (75)Se-selenomethionine in 393 carefully documented patients over a two-year period are presented. On follow up 50 patients had operatively proven malignant tumours in the gland and a further 22 had similar tumours in adjacent organs, clinically mimicking carcinoma of the pancreas and in many cases causing scan abnormalities. Five patients had pancreatic adenomata. Remote tumours rarely affected the scan. Examination of the role of scanning in patients with neoplastic disease revealed that the test was effective in screening and in detection; false negative diagnoses were rare. By contrast, survival following diagnosis was extremely poor with only 8% of pancreatic tumours resectable and 50% metastasized at the time of surgery. Causes of pancreatic dysfunction, other than pancreatitis or carcinoma, which were associated with abnormalities on the scan are described and general aspects of reporting on the scan are discussed. The patterns seen in abnormal scans, while non-specific with regard to aetiology, were anatomically meaningful and useful adjuncts to the diagnosis of pancreatic disease. A normal scan excluded pancreatic cancer with a probability greater than 95%.

Immunity to Escherichia coli in pigs: antibody secretion by the mammary gland after intramammary or intramuscular vaccination with an E. coli vaccine

Indirect hemagglutinating antibody titres in individual gland samples of colostrum and milk from 13 sows were measured. Five of the sows were vaccinated via a mammary gland and five by the intramuscular route with a live formalinised Escherichia coli vaccine and three remained as non-vaccinated controls. Antibody titres were higher in colostral and milk whey from the vaccinated sows than from non-vaccinated groups. The inoculated gland in the group of sows given vaccine by the intramammary route secreted milk containing markedly more antibodies to the vaccine E. coli strain than did the non-vaccinated glands. Milk from the vaccinated gland did not contain higher titres to heterologous E. coli O antigens than milk from non-vaccinated glands. Serum titres were the same or higher than the titres in colostrum from non-vaccinated glands.

Metabolic studies with porcine calcitonin in osteoporosis

This investigation was undertaken to assess the effect of porcine calcitonin on the available indices of bone metabolism in blood and excreta of patients with osteoporosis.

No consistent changes were observed in 4 patients following a single intramuscular injection of calcitonin.

An intravenous infusion of calcitonin in 2 patients resulted in a slight fall in serum calcium concentration and in a marked phosphaturia.

Four patients were studied for periods of 13, 30, 32 and 105 days each during the administration of calcitonin. This was given in 4 individual intramuscular doses totalling from 40 to 160 M.R.C. units daily. Complete balance studies on calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen were undertaken for the early stages of treatment, but no clear evidence of a response was observed.

The results suggest that under these conditions porcine calcitonin may have little value in the management of osteoporosis.