Gastric emptying in patients with peptic ulcer and normal subjects was studied using the acetaminophen method. The subjects consisted of 15 normal subjects, 52 gastric ulcer patients and 65 duodenal ulcer patients, who were studied in active stage of the ulcer. As an indicator of gastric emptying, the plasma acetaminophen concentration was measured by dye method (diphenylhydrazyl), as mcg/ml, at 45 minutes after ingestion of a high calory pasty test meal (200 ml) with 1.5 gr of acetaminophen. In normal subjects, the plasma acetaminophen concentration was 9.4 +/- 3.6 mcg/ml. In gastric ulcer patients, the concentration was 7.4 +/- 3.2 mcg/ml, which showed significantly delayed gastric emptying (P less than 0.05). In duodenal ulcer patients, the concentration was 11.6+/-3.3 mcg/ml, which suggested significantly rapid gastric emptying (P less than 0.05). In consideration of gastric secretion, gastric ulcer cases with lower acid secretion have more delayed gastric emptying. In duodenal ulcer cases with hypersecretion, gastric emptying is more rapid than normo-and/or hyposecretory cases (P less than 0.005). The delayed gastric emptying may play a role in etiology of gastric ulcer. On the other hand, the rapid gastric emptying with gastric acid hypersecretion may be important in the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer.

We treated 18 patients with chronic hepatitis C by recombinant interferon-alpha (6 MIU for 24 weeks). In seven patients, serum aminotransferase levels declined to normal (responders). To evaluate the effect of interferon on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, namely tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), the serum levels of these enzymes were determined by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using a specific monoclonal antibody. In responders, there was a tendency, but not a significant one, towards either an increase in serum MMP 1 levels or a decrease in serum TIMP 1 levels. In contrast, in nonresponders, both a significant decrease in MMP 1 and MMP 3 and a significant increase in TIMP 1 were observed. The number of cases of either increase in serum MMP levels or decreased in serum TIMP levels was significantly larger in responders than in nonresponders. Furthermore, the ratio of MMP 1 to TIMP 1 significantly increased in responders, suggesting that the balance between matrix formation and degradation in hepatic fibrosis tended to move toward degradation. These data indicate that interferon may exert a beneficial effect on hepatic fibrosis in parallel with improvement of aminotransferase activity.