Developmental pattern of bile acid metabolism as revealed by bile acid analysis of meconium

The developmental metabolism of bile acids can be partly studied by the analysis of bile acid patterns in meconium. Employing modern analytical techniques, it has been found that besides the main bile acids of humans (cholic, chenodexoycholic, deoxycholic, and lithocholic acids) several "atypical" bile acids occur in meconium. It is unlikely that these "atypical+ bile acids are derived from materno--fetal transfer, and they therefore probably reflect a special fetal bile acid metabolism. Hydroxylations at positions 1 and 6 of the steroid skeleton are regularly encountered. These hydroxylations, as well as the occurrence of 3 beta-hydroxy-delta 5 compounds and of bile acids of the 5 alpha series, suggest that fetal bile acid synthesis differs markedly from that of the adult. These observations are of interest in relation to the origin of unusual bile acids found in the cholestatic condition of the adult. It appears that a resurgence of the fetal biosynthetic patterns takes place under the conditions of cholestatic liver disease.

[Experience in application of electronic data processing in routine medical microbiology (author's transl)]

Experiences in a two years application of electronic data processing in medical routine microbiology are reported. Optical mark reader forms serve as request forms as well as workprotocol. On the left two thirds of these forms (Fig. 1 and 2) the patients data including clinical statements, and the kind of specimen to be investigated (sputum, smear etc.) as well as results not essential for the printout of laboratory reports are filled in. On the right third of the optical mark reader form, in which area the Bell & Howell document reader can read pencil marks, the patients identification number, the tests requested and all results are marked right at the work bench. As shown in the flow diagram (Fig. 3) after completion of the investigation the date on the mark reader forms are read mechanically and the test results are printed (Fig. 5) by means of the computer. In addition, the data processing system, which proved to be very flexible, performs all necessary types of administrative work as filing of laboratory data in a coded form on cards for permanent storage (Fig. 7) statistics and the printout of bills (Fig. 6). The processing of routine microbiology date is achieved by a Siemens DVA 404/3 (64 kbt) connected for magnetic disc device (2993 Mio bytes), and a line printer (60,000 lines per hour) and dialog display monitors, which are used simultaneously for the on line and off line handling of all the data in clinical chemistry-, serology- and hematology-departments of the same institute.

[Possible significance of prostaglandins in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease]

Prostaglandins (E1, E2, F2alpha) produce and intensify peristaltic contractions in the healthy human intestinal muscle system according to dosage (threshold I-10(-4) microng/ml--maximum effective concentration 1 microng/ml). By subsequent introduction of adrenaline, the intestinal muscle system activated by prostaglandines can be completely relaxed again. Intestinal muscles from patients with Crohn's disease show a marked deviation from this behaviour: 1. The intestinal muscle system is extremely sensitive to prostagladins: maximum concentrations are already reached by about a thousand times smaller concentration than in the intestines. 2. The dose of adrenaline does not lead to dialtion, which is usual, but to contraction of the muscle system. These changes in the contractility of the intestine can explain some components of the clinical symptomatology of Crohn's disease.