Telemetric shuttles for the in vivo investigation of the gastrointestinal tract have been available for sometime. We describe herein the use of a new shuttle model whose original features include: a) continous, real time transmission of its location in the small bowel and accurate measurement of the gut length, b) controlled release of 1 ml of a given substance at any chosen site, allowing detailed investigation of intestinal absorption at different levels of the small bowel under physiological conditions. Small bowel length was measured in dogs using the shuttle and was later compared to the actual small gut length measured in the same animals at laparotomy. The telemetric measurement appeared to closely match the direct operative measurements. Insulin absorption from the canine small bowel was then investigated releasing different dosages of insulin together with the pancreatic enzyme inhibitors Soybean and Aprotinine and a surfactant (5-methoxysalicylate). By adjusting the dose of insulin released, the type of adjuvant substance delivered with it and the site of release in the small bowel, we have been able to precisely define the conditions of insulin absorption. Insulin as such is exclusively absorbed in the ileum when released in doses of 500 IU or higher and mixed with aprotinine. For absorption to take place the solution delivered by the shuttle needs to have the correct pH and natremic concentration.

In order to analyze the possible role of pantothenic acid (PA) and ascorbic acid (AA) in wound healing processes, the effects of these vitamins upon the growth of fibroblasts, obtained from human fetal skin or foreskin, were studied. Cell proliferation, protein synthesis and protein release were evaluated. The rate of cell growth remained identical when PA or AA were added to the culture medium. PA increased the basal incorporation of 14C proline into precipitated material while AA did not modify this action. However, when cultures were incubated with PA and AA, the release of intracellular protein into the culture medium increased. These results suggest that the combined use of these two vitamins might be of interest in postsurgical therapy and in wound healing.

To evaluate the effects of pantothenic acid during wound healing processes, fibroblastic cell cultures originating from foreskin were established and subcultured by trypsinization. PA (40 µg/ml) was added to the basal culture medium. The cell proliferation was estimated by cell count and determination of3H-thymidine incorporation. The protein synthesis and secretion were determined by dosage in the cells and in the culture medium.

Apres sphincterotomie endoscopique pour lithiase choledocienne chez une femme de 84 ans traitee avec succes par cholecystectomie et choledocotomie

The authors report a new case of splenic artery congenital aneurysm. With regards to the surgical procedure, they insist on the necessity of a massive resection and remind a particular surgical procedure which allows to restore the colonic continuity with fittest conditions.

Rats are widely used in intestinal motility studies, but no precise observation has yet been carried out on the organization of motility throughout the whole small bowel of the rat. The aim of this work was to investigate the characteristics of small intestinal motility of the rat using an electromyographic technique. The variables describing the pattern of occurrence of the migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) were studied as well as the relative distribution of the 3 phases within the MMC cycles. The mean duration of the MMC was 20 min on the jejunum, and it increased up to twofold along the ileum. The propagation of the MMCs was regular in the jejunum, but about half the MMCs disappeared along the ileum and did not reach the caecum. The electromyographic characteristics of the jejunum are greatly different from those of the ileum, and the motility of a segment is not representative of the whole small bowel motility. Considering these particularities of intestinal motility, rats differ in many details from other species.

The effect of pantothenic acid supplementation and deficiency on wound healing was investigated over a one month postoperative period in rabbits. The supplemented group was injected with pentothenate (20 mg/kg of body weight/24 h) for three weeks and compared to a placebo group (0.5 ml of distilled water). Deficient animals were fed with a pantothenate free diet also for three weeks. These three experimental groups were matched against a control group. The degree of wound healing was determined by the mean of postoperative breaking strength and wound fibroblast population changes. Pantothenic acid urinary excretion measured by gas chromatography served as control of pantothenate consumption. With regard to these three parameters no significant difference has been found between placebo and controls. The average urinary elimination in the pantothenic acid group was significantly higher as far as the pantothenate supplemented group was concerned, while the deficient group showed no significant decrease when compared to controls. Chronic pre- and postoperative pantothenic acid supplementation significantly increased aponeurosis strength after surgery; it improved slightly, but not significantly the strength of the skin. Furthermore, the fibroblast content of the scar became significantly greater during the fibroblast proliferation phase after pantothenic supplementation. These data suggest that pantothenic acid induces an accelerating effect of the normal healing process. The mechanism responsible for this improvement seems to be an increase in cellular multiplication during the first postoperative period. But the exact intimate mechanism of the beneficial effect of pantothenate remains unclear.

Because gastrin is thought to be a trophic agent for the digestive tract, we studied the effects of endogenous variations of plasma gastrin on the small intestinal mucosa after a 90 p. 100 jejunoileal resection in the rat. Hypogastrinemia was induced by antrectomy while hypergastrinemia resulted from vagotomy. Pyloroplasty had no effect on gastrinemia. Small bowel resection increased mucosal weight, DNA and protein content; these changes were more obvious in the jejunum and ileum than in the duodenum. Gastric operations performed before the resection did not significantly modify these parameters except for the level of protein. Our results indicate that endogenous gastrin plays no role in the adaptive growth response of the intestinal mucosa after extensive small bowel resection.

A 90% jejunoileal bypass induces in the rat a protein malnutrition state which is characterized (1) by the decreased level of plasma proteins and albumins and (2) by the reduced level of most essential and non-essential plasma amino acids. In the exocrine pancreas there was a decreased content of digestive enzymes, especially of amylase, while the secretion of enzymes studied in vitro was reduced. In the ileum left in one piece, the specific activities of maltase and sucrase increased significantly while aminopeptidase was unaffected. It is suggested that exocrine pancreatic insufficiency observed after small bowel bypass in the rat might contribute to protein malnutrition (1) by producing maldigestion and (2) by inducing an imbalance in intestinal enzymes favouring a preferential absorption of carbohydrates compared to proteins, thus emphasizing the protein malnutrition state.