Serum pepsinogen I levels: assessment of gastric acid secretion?

We measured serum PG I levels by an Elisa technique before and after stimulation with pentagastrin in 260 patients (161 males and 99 females). The serum levels were correlated to basic acid output (BAO), maximum acid output (MAO) and peak acid output (PAO). The correlation coefficient between serum PG I and PAO varied between -0.

IgA antigliadin antibodies in celiac and inflammatory bowel disease.

Antibodies against gliadin of the IgA class were assessed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique in children with celiac disease, healthy blood donors, and adult patients with active Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Significantly higher antibody values were found in celiac children during gluten challenge and during the first 3 months on a gluten-free diet, compared with the findings in the healthy blood donors. The patients with active Crohn's disease had significantly higher levels of IgA antibodies to gliadin than the controls did.

The determination of ammonium in Kjeldahl digests using the gas-sensing ammonia electrode. Comparison of the direct method with the known-addition method.

The efficacy of the ammonia electrode for analysis of the nitrogen content of a large series of Kjeldahl digests was investigated. By using this electrode, two methods for the measurement of ammonium concentrations were compared, the direct method and the known-addition method. When the direct method was used, a marked shift in the electrode potential occurred within a few hours, causing errors of 9-17% in the results.