Behavior and gastroesophageal reflux in the premature neonate.

Background: The belief that behavioral observations assist in the clinical diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) disease in premature neonates has not been formally tested. The purpose of this study was to determine whether esophageal acidification was associated with a recognizable pattern of behavioral changes in these infants.

Methods: The behavior of 14 healthy premature infants was recorded by a video camera while esophageal pH was simultaneously monitored.

Divalent cations increase [3H]-prostacyclin binding to membranes of neuronal somatic hybrid cells.

1 [3H]-prostacyclin binding to membranes of a highly differentiated neuronal somatic hybrid is increased equally in the presence of Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+ or Sr2+ ions. 2 Analysis of the binding of [3H]-prostacyclin in the presence of low (1 mM) or high (50 mM) Mg2+ ion concentrations has revealed a cation-dependent increase in ligand receptor affinity (Kd values = 57.4 nM and 21.