Tissular growth factors profile after teduglutide administration on an animal model of intestinal anastomosis.

Background: Teduglutide is an enterotrophic analogue of glucagon-like peptide-2, with an indirect and poorly understood mechanism of action, approved for the rehabilitation of short-bowel syndrome. This study aims to analyze the response of tissue growth factors to surgical injury and teduglutide administration on an animal model of intestinal anastomosis.

Methods: Wistar rats (n = 59) were distributed into four groups: "ileal resection" or "laparotomy", each one subdivided into "postoperative teduglutide administration" or "no treatment"; and sacrificed at the third or the seventh day, with ileal sample harvesting.

Glutaminemia prognostic significance in critical surgical patients - An analysis of plasma aminogram profile.

Background: Glutamine depletion is common in the critically-ill patients. Glutaminemia lower than 420 μmol/l has been considered as an independent predictive factor of mortality, but the indications for exogenous glutamine supplementation remain controversial. This study intends to determine the glutaminemia profile in critical surgical patients and to investigate its correlation with the severity indexes and the prognosis.

Intestinal dysfunction in the critical trauma patients - An early and frequent event.

Background: Small-bowel dysfunction exerts a relevant prognostic impact in the critically ill patients. Citrullinemia has been used in the evaluation of the intestinal function and it is considered an objective parameter of the functional enterocyte mass. Present study proposes to determine the intestinal dysfunction prevalence and the citrullinemia kinetic profile in severe trauma patients and to investigate its correlation with severity indicators and clinical outcome.

Citrullinemia stimulation test in the evaluation of the intestinal function.

Background: Citrullinemia is been reported as a quantitative parameter of the enterocyte mass and function.

Aim: The objective of this research is to analyse the value of fasting and stimulated citrullinemias in the intestinal function evaluation.

Methods: A case-control study was undertaken, including 11 patients with short bowel syndrome, 13 patients submitted to malabsorptive bariatric surgery and 11 healthy controls.