SummaryThe extractive powers of different extraction procedures (Electro-Ultrafiltration, 0.01 M CaClz and standard Dutch methods) were compared mutually for a limited number of nutrients in soil samples from 21 locations. The results showed that for almost all parameters under study (Na, K, Mg, Mn, P, N) the methods are interchangeable. Drawbacks of the EUF technique are lower reproducibility of the results, laboriousness and high cost. Moreover, the extraction of exchangeable forms of Mn and Mg with this technique was incomplete. Extraction with 0.01 M CaCl2 seems recommendable due to the simplicity of the analytical procedure giving sufficient information for practical soil-analytical purposes.

Bile cholesterol saturation and bile acid composition was studied in 12 nonobese male insulin-dependent diabetics and 28 controls. The total bile lipid concentration in the bile rich duodenal aspirate was lower in the diabetics. The bile cholesterol saturation index was lower in the diabetics if calculated according to Thomas and Hofmann, but not if calculated according to Carey's critical tables. A negative correlation was observed between the cholesterol saturation index of the bile of the diabetics and their long-term metabolic control, as measured by the percentage HbA1c. No correlation existed between the saturation index and the metabolic control at the time of bile sampling as measured by serum glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate, free fatty acids, and triglycerides. There was also a negative correlation between the cholesterol saturation index and the serum cholesterol concentrations. The glycine-taurine ratio of the conjugated bile acids was increased in the diabetics, as was the percentage concentration of secondary bile acids (deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid). No correlation was found between the metabolic control of the diabetic state and either the glycine-taurine ratio or the percent concentration of secondary bile acids. These results do not favor a higher incidence of cholesterol gallstones in male juvenile-onset insulin-dependent diabetics. The increased glycine-taurine ratio of the conjugated bile acids and the elevated concentration of secondary bile acids may be due to increased bacterial invasion of the small intestine or decreased absorption of bile acids in the terminal ileum in these insulin-dependent diabetics.

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Feeding of a chemically standardized coarse wheat bran product in a dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight per day over a period of 4 weeks in young healthy male volunteers did cause a significant reduction in total serum cholesterol as well as in total serum triglycerides of 10 and 24%, respectively. Very low density lipoprotein-, high density lipoprotein-, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels tended to diminish during bran feeding. The most marked reduction was observed in the high density lipoprotein- cholesterol fraction. Although the duration of this study was relatively short, it is concluded, that these results could have therapeutic consequences for the dietary management of hyperlipidemia. However, the lowering of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol could also be interpreted as unfavorable since an inverse relationship between high density lipoprotien-cholesterol levels and the occurrence of coronary heart disease has been established.

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