Oral chenodeoxycholic acid increases small intestinal permeability to lactulose in humans.

In animals, chenodeoxyholic acid (chenodiol) causes significant small intestinal mucosal injury which is paralleled by increased intestinal permeability. The objective of this study was to determine whether chenodiol increases small intestinal mucosal permeability in humans. This was assessed in a before-after trial by collecting urine from nine fasted healthy male volunteers for 3 h after oral intake of an isotonic solution containing 1 g mannitol, 5 g L-rhamnose and 10 g lactulose, all nondigestible sugars.

An unusual cause of GI bleeding in a quadriplegic: report of a case and review of the literature.

The authors report a case of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a quadriplegic. The cause was a Mallory-Weiss tear, a previously unrecognized problem in these patients. The incidence of bleeding in patients with spinal cord injury is as high as 25 percent in the few reported series.