No abstract

The effects of biliary lecithin on fat absorption were studied in 1 day bile fistula rats fed micellar solutions of bile salt, monoglyceride and radioactive free fatty acids. By electron microscopy and measurement of uptake of radioactivity into liver and adipose tissue, it was shown that in the absence of bile lecithin there was significant impairment of fat release from mucosa. Fat clearance was effected by the feeding of phosphatidyl choline or choline, but not phosphatidyl ethanolamine, inositol or cholesterol. In the absence of luminal choline there was a decrease in incorporation of radioactive leucine into mucosal protein. It is concluded that biliary and dietary lecithin or choline play an important role in triglyceride transport out of intestinal mucosa, by providing surfactant lecithin for the chylomicron envelope and by supporting mucosal protein biosynthesis.

Familial aggregation of diseases potentially associated with metabolic syndrome (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases) was assessed in a colonoscopy-based case-control study of colorectal neoplasia in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, in 1993-1996. Each familial disease was analyzed by logistic regression using generalized estimating equations. Case probands had incident adenomatous polyps (n = 172) or incident (n = 25) or prevalent (n = 132) colorectal cancer (CRC), while control probands (n = 282) had a negative colonoscopy and no history of CRC or polyps. Significant effect modification was evident in the data, with the strongest positive associations between familial diabetes and colorectal neoplasia among older probands with symptoms (parents: odds ratio (OR) = 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2, 4.8; siblings: OR = 5.8, 95% CI: 2.6, 13.3). Familial hypertension was also associated with colorectal neoplasia among probands with symptoms (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.6). In stratified analyses, familial diabetes, hypertension, and stroke were positively associated with adenomatous polyps in subgroups of probands who were older and/or had symptoms, while only familial diabetes was possibly associated with CRC. Associations in other proband groups may have been obscured by high cumulative incidence of parental CRC. Family studies are needed to understand the contribution of specific environmental and genetic factors in accounting for the disease aggregations.

Bile was collected from 12 rats, six of each sex, for the first 5 h following the creation of a biliary fistula. The bile acid content of the bile was analyzed by combined thin-layer and gas chromatographic techniques. Total bile acids and the glycine and taurine conjugates were measured. Although bile volumes and total bile acid outputs were similar in rats of both sexes, significant sex differences were found in the amounts of individual bile acids secreted. The female rat secretes considerably more cholic and lithocholic acids, and considerably less β-muricholic, deoxycholic, and hyodeoxycholic acids. The female rat also secretes less glycine-conjugated bile acids and in contrast to the male the bulk of this is glycocholic acid. The greater secretion of β-muricholic acid by the male rat suggests that this sex has a more efficient mechanism for the metabolism of chenodeoxycholic acid.

We studied the effectiveness, tolerance to, and beneficial metabolic effects of amino acid dialysate over an intermediate period in six CAPD patients. Two liters of 1% amino acid solution (Amino-Dianeal) were alternated with dialysate containing glucose. After four weeks there were significant increases in BUN (from 64 to 102 mg%), total body nitrogen (from 1333 to 1380 g), serum transferrin (from 175 to 222 mg%) and anion gap (from 15.1 to 17.3). Initially, there was a significant rise in HDL cholesterol, however, this was not sustained. No significant change was detected in total-body potassium, fasting serum albumin, triglyceride, insulin, glucagon, electrolytes, anthropometric measurements and daily ingestion of calories and proteins. During the study individual fasting, plasma amino acid levels showed significant increments in respect to histidine, tryptophan and glycine but alanine decreased. Several essential amino acids continued to show values below normal. Two hours after consumption of breakfast and concurrent infusion of the amino acid solution, the plasma levels of the amino acids in the dialysate peaked at emia, which develops in almost onehalf of the CAPD patients (7), and the significant weight gain observed in some of them. Furthermore, the daily losses of albumin and amino acids in the dialysate may induce protein malnutrition, especially if these losses are not replaced by an adequate daily protein intake. The presence of protein malnutrition in CAPD patients is indicated by the low serum albumin and total protein, and by the decrease in total body nitrogen over one year of CAPD (8).