Bran, hypertriglyceridaemia and urate clearance

Eight subjects having raised triglyceride levels associated with conditions such as diabetes, hyperuricaemia, obesity and hypothyroidism were given 50 g of bran per day to determine the effect of increasing dietary fibre on triglyceride and purine metabolism. The study was continued for two months. No significant effect was noted on the serum cholesterol or triglyceride level. There was a significant (p less than 0-0125) increase in the urate clearance during the initial two weeks of bran treatment, but serum uric acid levels did not alter.

Calculus disease of the urinary tract at a district hospital

At a District General Hospital the organization of a clinic for the investigation and treatment of patients with calculus disease of the urinary tract is described. The way in which such a clinic may be orgainzed is discussed and the results presented. In patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria, sodium cellulose phosphate causes a significant reduction in urinary calcium levels when used in such a clinic.

Unabsorbable carbohydrates and diabetes: Decreased post-prandial hyperglycaemia

Two test meals were taken in random order on separate days by 8 non-insulin-requiring diabetic volunteers after 14-hour overnight fasts. Addition of 16 g guar and 10 g pectin to the control meal containing 106 g carbohydrate decreased markedly and significantly the rise in blood-glucose between 30 and 90 minutes and also resulted in significantly lower insulin levels between 30 and 120 minutes. When these meals were fed to 3 insulin-dependent diabetic subjects, a similar flattening of the post-prandial glucose rise ensued. This addition of certain forms of dietary fibre to the diet of diabetics significantly decreases post-prandial hyperglycaemia and would be expected to improve the control of blood-glucose concentration.

[New aspects in the treatment of oxalate lithiasis (author's transl)]

The causes of hypercalciuria and simple diagnostic criteria for the various forms of hypercalciuria are outlined. Indications, effectiveness, limitations, and side effects of cellulose phosphate are described. Emphasis is placed on the biochemical pathogenesis and classification of hyperoxaluria. The problems of measuring and controlling oxalate excretion in patients with hyperoxaluria and calcium oxalate stones are discussed. Succinimide offers a partly successful approach to the reduction of endogenous oxalate synthesis.

Hemodialysis versus cross hemodialysis in experimental hepatic coma

In this study, the effects of conventional hemodialysis on experimental hepatic coma have been compared with those of hemodialysis against blood from a normal donor which allows exchanges without mixing of blood. cuprophan and polyacrylonitrile membranes were compared. Cross hemodialysis with a donor resulted in rpompt but transient recovery of consciousness, whichever membrane was used. Cuprophan hemodialysis without donor had no effect. Polacrylonitrile hemodialysis without donor allowed progressive and prolonged improvement in the consciusness level and the electroencephalograms. Therefore, clearance of middle molecular weight substances was more effective than exchange with a donor. Preliminary results in man showed total recovery of consciousness in six of ten patients with acute liver failure and coma and partial recovery from complete grade IV coma to grade II encephalopathy in two patients. These two patients reacted when called by their name by opening their eyes and obeying simple orders.

[Effect of different levels of protein and cellulose in the diet on the radiosensitivity of guinea pigs]

Investigations included 6 groups of male guinea pigs counting 50 guinea pigs in each of them. Starting from the age of 25 days the animals were kept on standard rations consisting of granulated combined fodder with diverse protein (22.8, 17.5, 13.8 per cent) and cellular tissue (11.8, 13.6, 15.7 per cent) content. The results failed to show any significant dependance of the animals' radiosensitivity on the protein and cellular tissue levels in the diet.

Dietary fiber and diverticular disease

Can the regular consumption of bran and other fibrous foods help in preventing diseases of the colon? Indirect evidence supports the idea, although much remains to be learned. It seems probable that bulkier feces could increase the diameter of the colon and prevent sudden sharp rises in pressure that are believed to be responsible for the formation of diverticula. For most people, fiber is probably harmless and it may do some good.

Urinary oxalate in summer and winter in normal subjects and in stone-forming patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria, both untreated and treated with thiazide and/or cellulose phosphate

Urinary oxalate excretion has been measured by a specific enzymatic method in normal subjects and stone formers with idiopathic hypercalciuria. In every group studied urinary oxalate was higher in the summer than in the winter. These differences were slight and not significant in normal subjects but were considerable and statistically significant in the stone formers both untreated and when treated with thiazide. Thiazides raise urinary oxalate only very slightly but cellulose phosphate leads to large rises in urinary oxalate both in the summer and the winter. The highest values of urinary oxalate were seen in the summer in patients treated with cellulose phosphate. The mean rise in this group was 70% above normal and this must be viewed with some anxiety.

Effect of sodium cellulose phosphate therapy on crystallization of calcium oxalate in urine

Effects of oral sodium cellulose phosphate therapy (5 g three times a day with meals for 4 days) on renal excretion of oxalate and on the crystallization of calcium oxalate in urine were examined in six patients with absorptive hypercalciuria on a constant metabolic dietary regimen. During treatment, urinary oxalate increased by 9-50 mg/day. However, urinary calcium decreased by 138-225 mg/day (50%-70%). Thus, the state of saturation of urine with respect to calcium oxalate decreased or did not change significantly. There was no consistent or significant change in the formation product ratio (limit of metastability) or in the crystal growth of calcium oxalate in urine.

The response of the newborn rat to injury. I. Vascular and humoral aspects

The development of oedema in response to irritants injected into the skin, or pleural cavity of rats, has been shown to differ according to the age of rat studied. It was found that newborn rats were less responsive, with respect to oedema formation, at certain times after the injection of a particular irritant. Attempts to suppress the reactions of these animals using anti-histamines, anti-serotonin and kinin-depleting agents were less successful than in adults. Analysis of serum, plasma and exudate proteins revealed quantitative and qualitative differences between newborn and adult rats. The ability of various agents to cause increased vascular permeability in the skin of newborn rats was found to vary with the age of animal studied. Thus histamine, 5-hydroxytryptomine, cellulose sulphate and prostaglandin E2, all failed to cause increased vascular permeability in the skin of rats younger than 3 wk of age. However, lymph-node permeability factor induced increased vascular permeability in newborn (i.e., 6-hr-old) rats. An attempt was made to correlate these results with those of oedema formation following the infections of certain irritants.

The acute effect of sodium cellulose phosphate on intestinal absorption and urinary excretion of calcium in man

Intestinal 47Ca absorption has been determined from blood and stool radioactivity after oral administration of the isotope in nine patients before and during cellulose phosphate treatment. Oral administration of 5 g cellulose phosphate concomitant with 47Ca in 100 mg "carrier" calcium as CaCl2 decreased 47Ca absorption by 80 per cent. Cellulose phosphate, 5 g three times daily, decreased urinary excretion of non-radioactive calcium by 47 percent. Urinary magnesium excretion decreased by 47 percent whereas urinary phosphorus excretion increased by 67%. Calcium and magnesium excretion in urine decrease because cellulose phosphate binds divalent cations within the GI tract. The increased phosphorus excretion is probably due to partial hydrolysis of the substance in the gut.

Evaluation of a microcrystalline bovine collagen hemostatic agent in canine solid viscera injury using abdominal impedance plethysmography

Bioelectric impedance as a sensitive noninvasive technique for detecting and monitoring changes in compartmental body fluid volume was used to compare the efficacy of two hemostatic agents in controlling postoperative abdominal bleeding following surgically induced solid viscera injury. Gelatin foam-oxidized cellulose sponge and bovine MCHH were both effective topical hemostatic agents. It appears that MCCH has certain advantages over conventional agents.

Long-term treatment of hypercholesterolemia with colestipol hydrochloride

Colestipol hydroxhloride (15 gm/day) (an anion exchange resin that binds bile acids) of placebo was administered to 92 patients with hypercholesterolemia who were followed for periods up to 36 months. There was a prompt (1 month), significant (p smaller than 0.05 minus 0.001), and sustained (36 months) lowering of serum cholesterol in the colestipol HCl-treated group, but no significant change in the placebo group. Serum triglycerides increased in both treatment groups in parallel; the reason was not apparent. Side effects were equally distributed between colestipol HCl and placebo and were primarily gastrointestinal (upper abdominal distress, constipation). Colestipol HCl appears to be a safe and effective treatment for hypercholesterolemia; tolerance does not seem to develop.