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Biomedical subjects

A T Axon

Publications and source records attributed to A T Axon.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Effect of duodenal ulcer surgery and enterogastric reflux on Campylobacter pyloridis.

To assess the effect of duodenal ulcer surgery on Campylobacter pyloridis gastric biopsies were done and fasting bile acid concentrations in gastric aspirates were measured in 35 patients with active duodenal ulceration and 54 who had undergone surgery at some time. Biopsy specimens were assessed blind for the presence of C pyloridis and scored for severity of reflux gastritis by the use of a histological grading system. Among patients who had undergone highly selective vagotomy the proportion who were C pyloridis-positive was similar to that in the unoperated group, but among those who had undergone Billroth I partial gastrectomy, Billroth II partial gastrectomy, or truncal vagotomy and gastroenterostomy it was significantly lower (p less than 0.001). The absence of C pyloridis correlated strongly (p less than 0.001) with high reflux scores and increased bile acid concentrations in the stomach. Reflux scores and bile acid concentrations were significantly higher (p less than 0.01) after Billroth I and Billroth II partial gastrectomies and truncal vagotomy and gastroenterostomy than in the active duodenal ulcer or highly selective vagotomy groups. There was a highly significant correlation (p less than 0.001) between reflux scores and bile acid concentrations. These results suggest that reflux may disrupt mucus and thus cause the death of campylobacters that live beneath it. They also suggest that reflux may produce a reflux-specific gastritis. Highly selective vagotomy may protect against these changes in the gastric mucosa.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Functional diarrhoea.

Functional diarrhoea remains an elusive and a difficult condition to diagnose and treat; however, with careful history-taking a logical approach to management can be made. Each patient must be considered individually and sub-classification should be attempted. It is very important to rule out organic disease. Unfortunately treatment remains empirical in the majority of cases, but more is now known about functional disorders and there is hope for the future.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1986

Ultrasound detection of choledocholithiasis: prospective comparison with ERCP in the postcholecystectomy patient.

The role of ultrasound as a screening test for choledocholithiasis was prospectively assessed by comparing the results of upper abdominal ultrasound with direct cholangiography in 59 unselected symptomatic postcholecystectomy patients. Ultrasound detected duct stones in 13 of 29 patients (sensitivity, 45%) and their absence in 29 of 30 (specificity, 97%). A positive ultrasound diagnosis of choledocholithiasis was correct 13 times out of 14 (predictive value, 93%) whereas a negative diagnosis was correct on only 29 of 45 occasions (predictive value, 64%). No significant learning effect was seen. Intestinal gas obscuring the distal common duct was the most important factor limiting the ability of ultrasound to detect duct stones. Duct stones were present in 25 of 35 patients shown to have a dilated common duct on ultrasound, and in 4 of 24 with nondilated ducts; the predictive value of duct dilatation at ultrasound for duct stones was therefore 71% and that of nondilatation in excluding stones was 83%. Dilated intrahepatic bile ducts were demonstrated at ultrasound in only 17% of patients with choledocholithiasis. We conclude that ultrasound cannot reliably diagnose or exclude bile duct stones and is an inadequate screening test for the symptomatic postcholecystectomy patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography in pancreatitis with persistent or recurrent pain.

We have reviewed the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograms (ERCPs) of 115 patients already known to have pancreatitis, who were referred because of persistent or recurrent pain, in order to determine the prevalence of those lesions that have been regarded as amenable to conservative surgery. Such lesions were seen on the pancreatograms of 35 patients and on the cholangiograms of 29 patients. In all, 53 patients (46.1%) had 'treatable' lesions demonstrated at ERCP. Preoperative ERCP is helpful in demonstrating operable features in both pancreatic and biliary systems, and should be part of any prospective long-term study of pain relief in pancreatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Healing and recurrence of duodenal ulcer after treatment with tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate (TDB) tablets or cimetidine.

Eighty patients with duodenal ulcer were randomly allocated to treatment with tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate (TDB) tablets or cimetidine. Ulcers healed in 78% of patients treated with TDB and in 74% treated with cimetidine, supporting previous observations that the efficacy of these two agents is similar. Duodenal ulcer recurred in 43% of patients in the 12 months after treatment with TDB and in 78% of patients treated with cimetidine, with a significantly greater incidence of recurrence 6-12 months after cimetidine treatment. Tripotassium dicitrato bismuthate tablets may be preferable to cimetidine in the initial management of duodenal ulcer, because they offer a smaller likelihood of recurrence in the 12 months after successful treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Reflux gastritis: distinct histopathological entity?

A total of 98 patients who had either undergone gastric surgery (23) or who had peptic ulcers (56), or who had normal endoscopic findings (19), all underwent gastric biopsy, together with measurement of pH and total bile acid concentration in their fasting gastric juice. The biopsy specimens were graded "blind" for the presence of foveolar hyperplasia; oedema and smooth muscle fibres in the lamina propria; vasodilation and congestion of superficial mucosal capillaries; and a paucity of both acute and chronic inflammatory cells in the brief that these features constituted a distinctive histological picture related to reflux of alkaline duodenal content into the stomach. We found a strong association between severe grades of each of these histological variables and both hypochlorhydria (pH greater than or equal to 4) and increased bile acid concentrations in the stomach. Furthermore, when the individual grades were added together to give a composite "reflux score," there was a significant difference in the incidence of hypochlorhydria (p less than 0.01) and raised bile acid concentrations (p less than 0.005) between those patients with a reflux score above and below 10. Although we do not claim that reflux is invariably accompanied by a distinctive histological picture, we suggest that recognition of this hitherto poorly documented combination of features as reflux gastritis may assist in the selection of patients for specific treatment and minimise the overdiagnosis of premalignant dysplasia (with which the lesion may be confused) in the postoperative stomach.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Campylobacter like organisms and reflux gastritis.

A total of 98 patients, who had undergone gastric surgery (23), or who had peptic ulcers (56), or who had normal endoscopic findings (19) underwent gastric biopsy, together with measurement of pH and total bile acid concentration, in their fasting gastric juice. The biopsy specimens were stained by the Warthin-Starry method for Campylobacter like organisms and were also graded "blind," as described in the preceding paper, for the five features that we believe may constitute the histological picture of reflux gastritis. The individual grades were added together to give a composite "reflux score" (0-15) for each patient. We found a notable association between the absence of Campylobacter like organisms and previous surgery for peptic ulceration, high reflux scores (greater than 10), hypochlorhydria (pH greater than or equal to 4), and increased bile acid concentrations (greater than or equal to 1 mmol/l) in the stomach. These findings further support our contention that reflux gastritis represents a distinct histopathological entity causally related to the effects of enterogastric reflux on the gastric mucosa and suggest that there may be two major categories of chronic gastritis: chronic superficial, or atrophic gastritis related to Campylobacter like organisms and reflux gastritis. Our data also imply that patients with peptic ulceration may, after gastric surgery, revert from being positive for these organisms to being negative and may undergo a possible transition from Campylobacter related chronic gastritis to reflux gastritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Potential hazards of hypochlorhydria in the treatment of peptic ulcer.

The introduction of ulcer-healing drugs that do not induce hypochlorhydria--the main aim of therapy thus far--has led to the consideration of the possible disadvantages of acid secretion inhibition. Potential dangers are that micro-organisms destroyed by the normal stomach survive and proliferate in the stomach and small intestine. The incidence of gastric cancer is higher in pernicious anemia and after partial gastrectomy. It has been suggested that the intragastric bacteria may convert dietary nitrate into nitrite that may then be nitrosated to carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. The third potential hazard is the development of stagnant loop syndrome in patients treated with H2 antagonists. In a double-blind randomised trial of colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) versus cimetidine in duodenal ulcer, gastric juice was aspirated for pH measurement. There was a significant increase in the total number of bacteria isolated during cimetidine treatment (P less than 0.01) and an increase in nitrate-reducing organisms (P less than 0.05), but no change in the CBS group. It is concluded that there may be advantages in using ulcer-healing drugs that do not reduce H+ concentration.

Blind Loop Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

Cellobiose/mannitol test: physiological properties of probe molecules and influence of extraneous factors.

The influence of gastric emptying, intestinal transit, renal and hepatic function, and variations in the timing of urine collections, on the cellobiose/mannitol test of intestinal permeability has been studied. None of these extraneous factors influences the cellobiose/mannitol recovery ratio, and there is only a modest effect of renal function on urinary mannitol recovery. Cellobiose is almost totally recovered in the urine within 10 h of intravenous injection, whilst mannitol is less completely recovered, perhaps due to hepatic metabolism. The simultaneous administration of two probe molecules in the cellobiose/mannitol test, and the use of a ratio to express results, thus achieves the desired object of minimising the effect of extraneous factors on the test result. The cellobiose/mannitol test is therefore not subject to the limitations of previous tests of intestinal permeability using orally administered probe molecules, and is widely applicable as a screening test for coeliac disease.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMed1985

Bile duct calibre: the discrepancy between ultrasonic and retrograde cholangiographic measurement in the post-cholecystectomy patient.

The discrepancy between bile duct measurements obtained by ultrasound and retrograde cholangiography in post-cholecystectomy patients was prospectively evaluated by performing real-time biliary tract sonography on 50 patients 2-3 h prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC). A significant discrepancy was detected (P less than 0.001) which was greatest in 14 patients shown by cholangiography to have duct dilatation without evidence of biliary tract disease (P much less than 0.001). Factors contributing to the discrepancy included: measurement of different regions of the duct by the two techniques, loss of duct wall elasticity producing a 'floppy duct' phenomenon, the capacity of the biliary tract for rapid spontaneous change in calibre, radiographic magnification and ultrasonic underestimation of duct diameter. The sonographic diameters were significantly correlated to the diameters measured by ERC (r = 0.73). Although ERC generally agreed with ultrasound in the diagnosis of duct dilatation (specificity 90%), there was significant disagreement between the two techniques in the detection of non-dilatation, dilated or 'dilatable' systems being missed by ultrasound in 11 out of 21 (52%) of cases in which they were found by ERC. Our results suggest that, in the investigation of the symptomatic post-cholecystectomy patient, direct comparison of bile duct size measured by ultrasound and ERC is of limited clinical value.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Effect of increased intake of vitamin C on the mutagenic activity of gastric juice and intragastric concentrations of ascorbic acid.

Mutagenic activity, ascorbic acid levels and pH were measured in fasting gastric juice from eight patients given oral supplements of vitamin C (1 g qid X 7 days). Supplementation significantly reduced mutagenic activity and increased intragastric ascorbate levels without altering gastric pH. These results demonstrate for the first time the relation between intragastric ascorbate levels, mutagenic activity and oral supplements of vitamin C. The findings are discussed in relation to the possible chemoprevention of gastric cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Double blind controlled trial of oral vancomycin as adjunctive treatment in acute exacerbations of idiopathic colitis.

A prospective double blind trial of vancomycin vs placebo was undertaken in 40 consecutive adult patients with exacerbation of idiopathic colitis (33 ulcerative colitis, seven Crohn's disease). Vancomycin or placebo (500 mg six hourly) was given for seven days in addition to routine medical therapy. Although there was no significant overall difference in outcome between the two groups, there was a trend towards a reduction in the need for operative intervention in patients with ulcerative colitis treated with vancomycin compared with controls. The efficacy of vancomycin was not attributable to its known action against C difficile, which was not isolated from any of the patients. The data suggest that microbiological factors may play a part in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and that further studies using antimicrobials are desirable.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Medium term complications of endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy.

One hundred and fifteen patients were reviewed between 18 months and five years after successful endoscopic biliary sphincterotomy for choledocholithiasis, postcholecystectomy in 93 (81%). Thirteen (14%) postcholecystectomy patients and 11 (50%, p less than 0.001) with intact gall bladders are dead (cause of death was ascertained in each case). Of the others, 43 were interviewed and 48 completed a postal questionnaire. Stone free common ducts had been documented in 69 (76%), presumed in 16 (17%), and not achieved in six (7%, excluded from analysis). None of the responding patients had developed serious new problems. Current symptoms of those with and without gall bladders and those with 'documented' and 'presumed' duct clearance are similar. In no case has an episode of cholangitis since sphincterotomy been confirmed and only one patient has had documented recurrent duct stones. Continued incompetence of the sphincter was shown radiologically by the presence of bile duct gas in 14 (41%) of 32 patients. These results suggest that medium term complications of endoscopic sphincterotomy are unusual.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Small intestinal permeability in dermatological disease.

Passive small intestinal permeability was investigated in 62 patients with atopic eczema, 29 with psoriasis and 18 with dermatitis herpetiformis, using the cellobiose/mannitol differential sugar absorption test. Urinary recovery of cellobiose and mannitol in patients with both psoriasis and eczema were similar to values in a control population, and were not affected by the extent or activity of skin disease. The cellobiose/mannitol recovery ratio was abnormally high in seven patients with eczema, six of whom underwent jejunal biopsy. Jejunal mucosal morphology was normal in five, and one patient was found to have coeliac disease. Cellobiose/mannitol recovery ratio was also abnormal in seven patients with psoriasis, and in 11 with dermatitis herpetiformis, seven of whom had a normal jejunal biopsy. These findings demonstrate that the passive permeability of the small intestine is normal in the majority of patients with atopic eczema and psoriasis. Increased absorption of macromolecules from the gut lumen cannot be ascribed to defective intestinal integrity, and is unlikely to be relevant to the pathogenesis of eczema. Abnormal intestinal permeability may be a more sensitive manifestation of gluten-sensitive enteropathy than jejunal biopsy in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Adolescent↗