Taste acuity and zinc status in chronic renal disease

The malnutrition often associated with progressive renal failure may be related to a progressive deterioration of taste acuity. To determine the relationships between taste acuity, zinc status, and progressive renal failure, 27 subjects were divided into three groups and classified as having mild, moderate, or severe renal failure, with creatinine clearance of 41 to 75, 15 to 40, and 5 to 14 ml/minute, respectively. The subjects were evaluated for recognition taste thresholds for sour and sweet by the Cornsweet method. Serum, urinary, and salivary levels for zinc were determined by atomic absorption techniques. Food diaries were kept for two days; intakes of protein and zinc were calculated from the diaries. There was a significant (p less than .01) inverse relationship between creatinine clearance and recognition taste thresholds for sour and sweet. Serum zinc levels were significantly lower (p less than .01) for subjects with severe renal failure than for subjects with mild renal failure. The subjects who ingested more protein also ingested more zinc.

Response of patients with irritable bowel syndrome and lactase deficiency using unfermented acidophilus milk

Acidophilus milk has been reported to help patients with irritable bowel syndrome by correcting the "imbalance of flora" and to be tolerated better by lactase-deficient subjects by providing bacterial lactase in the small intestine. In a double-blind randomized study, 61 lactase-sufficient patients with irritable bowel syndrome each ingested 240 ml of milk three times a day for 2 wk and the same amount of acidophilus milk for an additional 2 wk. The degree of symptoms during the two milk-drinking periods was the same as during the control periods. Also, 18 lactase-deficient patients ingested unaltered milk for 1 wk and acidophilus milk for 1 additional wk. There was no difference in the degree of tolerance to the two varieties of milk. In summary, patients with irritable bowel syndrome were not helped by the ingestion of acidophilus milk, and lactase-deficient patients were as intolerant to acidophilus milk as to unaltered milk.

Effects of exogenous and endogenous histamine on the respiratory system

There is a statistically strong correlation between the increase of the histamine concentration in the arterial plasma and the increase of airway resistance. The histamine causes a reflex bronchoconstriction on the sensory receptors. Histamine in low concentration increases the unspecific reaction in the bronchial system. This can also be achieved using low concentrations of allergen aerosols. Patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis show high concentrations of histamine in the sputum. The bronchoconstrictive potency of this histamine was found to be not always active. Higher concentrations of histamine can be liberated by washing the inner surface of the bronchial tree. Histamine injected in similar concentrations as that measured in the sputum causes bronchoconstriction. There should be high concentrations of histamine receptors as well as mast cells near the surface of the mucosa of the bronchial wall. There are many questions remaining open, which will be discussed.

A Comparison of the Mojonnier and Roese-Gottlieb Methods for Determining Milkfat Content of Ice Cream

Twenty-two samples of commercial ice cream were analyzed for milkfat content by the Mojonnier and Roese-Gottlieb methods. These samples were tested in duplicate by two analysts and results were compared. The Roese-Gottlieb method gave consistently lower results on the same sample than did the Mojonnier method. There was a wide variation in test results from the two methods. The Roese-Gottlieb test results ranged from 0.10 to 0.30% less than those of the Mojonnier test on the same samples, the Roese-Gottlieb results averaging 0.16% lower than those of Mojonnier method. These variations are highly significant and are attributable to the different amounts of alcohol used for fat extraction.