Tritiated thymidine autoradiographic study on origin and renewal of gastrin cells in antral area of hamsters

The origin and renewal of the gastrin cells in the pyloric glands of hamsters were studied by [3H]thymidine autoradiography combined with the immunoperoxidase identification technique. After a single injection of [3H]thymidine, the labeling index of gastrin cells was 0.3%, indicating that a few gastrin cells at the isthmus region have a self-replicating activity. Following pulse labeling after five repeated injections of [3H]thymidine at 6-hr intervals, the labeling index of the gastrin cells showed a linear increase (from 1.2% on the 1st day to 5.2% on the 4th day), and attained a plateau (5.6%) on the 5th day. These findings indicate that most gastrin cells differentiate functionally within 5 days. On the 5th day after the last of 41 injections repeated at 6-hr intervals, the labeling index of gastrin cells was 25.8%, and it decreased gradually as follows: 22.3%, 18.3%, 11.2%, 7.3%, 0.9%, and 0% on the 10th, 15th, 20th, 30th, 50th, and 100th day, respectively. From analysis of this decreasing curve, the turnover time of the gastrin cells (a half-life of the cells) was estimated to be 10-15 days. Spatially. the labeled gastrin cells were at first found in a region from the isthmus to the upper level of the glands and later in the lower level of the glands. This indicates that the gastrin cells arising from immature precursor cells at the isthmus region migrate downwards toward the bottom of the glands.

G-cell population and serum gastrin response to cimetidine-OXO test meal in relation to histopathological alterations in resected stomachs from patients with peptic ulcer disease

The relationship between histopathological alterations and G-cell population in the stomach was studied in l4 resected stomachs from patients with chronic peptic ulcer disease (6 with duodenal ulcer and 8 with gastric ulcer). G-cells were identified by indirect immunoperoxidase method. When atrophy was graded three steps (0, 1, 2), the average grade of DU and GU was 0.23 and 0.89, respectively. There was a significant correlation (r=0.871, p less than 0.005) between atropic grade and G-cell population in each stomach. The mean occupation rate with intestinal metaplasia was 0.9% in DU and 35.8% in GU. There was no correlation between total pyloric area and G-cell population, however residual pyloric area excluding intestinal metaplasia correlated significantly with G-cell population (r=0.557, p less than 0.05). There was a significant difference in the mean G-cell population which were 26.5 millions in DU and 8.9 millions in GU. The mean integrated gastrin response to Cimetidine-OXO test meal were 559+/-236 pg/ml in DU and 216+/-124 pg/ml in GU, and there was significant correlation (r=0.889, p less than 0.005) between G-cell population and integrated gastrin response. The average age of both groups, however, was 27.7 in DU and 52.8 in GU, so that these differences of G-cell population and functional G-cell mass in both groups might originate in the histopathological alterations accompanying with the aging.

Estimation of serum acid proteases at pH 1.8 and pH 3.5 in patients with duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer and gastric carcinoma

Using a simple hemoglobin method on the basis of Anson-Mirsky's method, acid protease levels in serum were measured at pH 1.8 (pepsin) and pH 3.5 (gastricsin) in 18 healthy controls and 14 patients with duodenal ulcer, 19 patients with gastric ulcer and 18 patients with gastric cancer. Though acid protease activity in pH 1.8 in duodenal ulcer has a tendency to show a little higher level than healthy controls, there is no significant difference in acid protease levels between controls and each of three diseases.

Dynamic aspects of gastric emptying in patients with peptic ulcer according to ulcer stages

The pattern and the time of gastric emptying were investigated in 38 patients with peptic ulcer and 7 healthy volunteers using the double-sampling method. The pattern of gastric emptying assumed the following three attitudes, that is, exponential (44%), quadratic (29%) and unclassified (27%) pattern. These patterns appeared to depend on the distance from the gastric angle to the pyloric ring measured from X-ray pictures in the upright position. There was no significant difference in the gastric emptying time in patients with peptic ulcer according to its site. During follow-up observations of the same case, the gastric emptying time had a tendency to shorten in patients with duodenal ulcer while it showed no definite variation in patients with gastric ulcer.

Pathological studies on the intracerebral and retinal arteries in cerebrovascular and noncerebrovascular diseases

Histological examinations of the intracerebral and retinal arteries were preformed in patients who had cerebrovascular disease and in those cases who did nott. Fibrinoid degeneration, fibrous nodule, and splitting, which are most frequently found in putamen, thalamus and pons, are thought to be the main changes in cerebral hemorrhage and infarction. Fibrous and fibro-hyalinoid thickenings of the retinal arteries were found mainly in the neighboring region of the optic disk, which reflects the changes of the intracerebral arteries. Hyalinoid thickening was found in the ora serrata, which does not reflect the changes of the intracerebral arteries. Our results suggest that patients with these retinal artery changes in the region near the optic disk if moderate to severe have an increased risk of having or incurring cerebral hemorrhage and infarction, but the arterial changes in the ora serrata do not always indicate risk of cerebral hemorrhage and infarction.