The importance of gut motility in the metabolic control of propionic acidemia.

We hypothesized that gut motility likely plays a critical role in the metabolic stability in propionic acidemia (PA). Therefore, 4 known patients with PA (aged 47 months to 185 months) were prospectively studied over 7 days in the Clinical Research Center at Children's Hospital, Boston. Determinations of ammonia, bicarbonate, and amino acids in blood; organic acids and propionylglycine in urine; and a lactulose breath test were conducted under two study conditions: on regular therapy (for 4 days) and on regular therapy plus Senekot (Purdue Frederick Company, Norwalk, Conn), an intestinal motility agent (for 3 days).

Benefit of uncooked cornstarch in the management of children with dumping syndrome fed exclusively by gastrostomy.

Objectives: Children with dumping syndrome fed exclusively by gastrostomy are difficult to manage because liquid diets are given directly into the antrum. The gastric contents are emptied rapidly into the small intestine, with consequent hyperglycemia followed by a delayed hypoglycemia and multiple, often debilitating, symptoms. Uncooked cornstarch is a complex carbohydrate that provides a slow and continuous glucose source and may delay gastric emptying.

[Methodologies of publications in the Revista de Investigación Clínica during the last 20 years].

Objective: To characterize the clinical research methods published in the Revista de Investigación Clínica for the past 20 years.

Design: Comparative study of methods used in the RIC articles published in 3-years periods representing three decades (1972-74, 1982-84, 1992-94).

Results: Out of 273 original papers, 218 (80%) were of clinical research.

Phase II study of the safety and efficacy of a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor in patients with ulcerative colitis.

We examined the effects of an inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase (A-64077) in 11 patients with mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis (UC). Treatment was a daily oral dose of 800 mg for 28 days. Physicians global rating (scale 1-50) included stool characteristics, rectal bleeding, abdominal and rectal pain, urgency, and general well being; sigmoidoscopic evaluation (scale 1-15) included mucosal vascular pattern, erythema, granularity/ulcerations, friability, and exudate.

[Seroprevalence of viral markers of hepatitis B among health professionals. Multicenter study in Mexico].

To determine the prevalence of serological markers for hepatitis B infection among health care workers (HCW) in Mexico we surveyed 1072 volunteers from 26 hospitals in 12 states, from which only 1017 fulfilled the inclusion criteria: 82 patients (8.1%) were excluded because of lipemic and/or hemolyzed serum, leaving 935 persons in the study. The study population consisted of physicians, nurses, laboratory chemists, health laboratory technicians and odontologists.