SUMMARYThe lactulose H2 breath test is in use as a simple non-invasive measurement of mouth to caecum transit time, but its reproducibility has never been assessed. We have examined the reproducibility of mouth to caecum transit time in 21 normal subjects using lactulose 10, 15, and 20 g; seven subjects being studied with 10 g and 12 each with 15 and 20 g doses. Transit time decreased with increasing doses of lactulose although the differences were not significant between or within (n=5)

SUMMARY One hundred and one patients were studied in a double-blind controlled trial to assess the role of oral cimetidine in preventing the continuation or recurrence ofacute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage from various sources, chiefly peptic ulcer. The dose of cimetidine was 800 mg on entering the study followed by 400 mg six hourly.

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Summary and conclusionsFifty-four outpatients with endoscopicaily diagnosed benign gastric ulcer were allocated at random to treatment with either cimetidine 800 mg daily for six weeks or carbenoxolone sodium 300 mg daily for one week then 150 mg daily for five weeks. Ulcers were reassessed by endoscopy at the end of the trial. The endoscopist was unaware of the treatment and did not take part in the clinical care of the patients.Twenty-one of the 27 patients (78%) given cimetidine and 14 of the 27 (52%) given carbenoxolone had healed ulcers. Symptomatic response occurred earlier with cimetidine but was not significantly better. Unwanted effects were more common in the carbenoxolone group: 12 patients developed hypokalaemia, four of whom needed oral potassium supplements.The results suggest that histamine H ,-receptor blockade is at least as effective as carbenoxolone sodium for benign gastric ulcer and produces fewer side effects.