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Biomedical subjects

S Somers

Publications and source records attributed to S Somers.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Relation of pyloric motility to pyloric opening and closure in healthy subjects.

The relation between pyloric motor activity, opening, and closure was examined in eight healthy men. Manometry was performed with an assembly combining 13 side holes and a sleeve sensor positioned astride the pylorus. Simultaneous with manometry, pyloric opening and closure and antroduodenal contractions were observed fluoroscopically with the antrum filled with barium. During intraduodenal normal saline infusion, coordinated antral pressure waves swept over the pylorus and ejected barium into the duodenum. No localised pyloric motor pattern was observed under these conditions. In contrast, the intraduodenal triglyceride infusion was associated with the absence of antral pressure waves and virtual absence of antral wall movement. At the pylorus, there was a zone of luminal occlusion less than 1 cm long that persisted for the period of observation. This zone of luminal occlusion corresponded precisely with manometric recordings of a narrow zone of pyloric phasic and tonic activity. During the duodenal triglyceride infusion, the pylorus was closed for 98.5% of the measurement period when basal pyloric pressure was 4 mm Hg or more, and during this motor pattern, barium did not traverse the pylorus. Localised pyloric contractions cause sustained pyloric closure, whether these contractions are phasic or tonic. These contractions occur independently of antral or duodenal contractions and may interrupt gastric emptying.

Adult

Contrast medium gel for marking vaginal position during defecography.

A tampon soaked with contrast medium, which had been inserted into the vagina as part of standard defecography procedure, obscured signs of anterior rectocele and rectal intussusception in a 34-year-old woman. A contrast medium gel for marking vaginal position was formulated, and postsurgical examination with use of the gel revealed improved rectal function and no intussusception. The gel provided excellent contrast without obscuring important diagnostic information.

Adult

Gastric ulceration after fundoplication.

Gastric ulceration after fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux is relatively uncommon, occurring in 1% to 3% of cases. During the period 1974 to 1979, approximately 100 modified Belsey fundoplications were performed at McMaster University Medical Centre. In four patients gastric ulceration developed after the surgery. In all cases the ulcers were located in the proximal stomach, an unusual site. Published reports of gastric ulceration after fundoplication were reviewed, special attention being given to the cause. The authors conclude that local ischemia and mechanical trauma are important in the development of ulceration, which can occur as early as one week after fundoplication. The detection of ulcers requires awareness of the condition and special attention to the symptoms. Because the gastric anatomy is altered by the fundal wrap, the area can be visualized more easily by double-contrast barium studies than by endoscopy.

Adult

Duodenal duplication cysts: case report and review of the current literature.

Duodenal duplication cysts constitute a rare congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal system, and a preoperative diagnosis of the condition is even less common. The authors present a case of a duodenal duplication cyst in a 3-year-old child in whom they were able to make the correct diagnosis preoperatively by means of ultrasonography and computed tomography.

Child, Preschool

Barium meal or endoscopy? A prospective randomized study of patient preference and physician decision making.

This study examines the preference of 64 out-patients for either a barium meal or an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The sequence of the examinations was randomized to avoid order bias. An initial preference for a barium meal of almost two-to-one, with 53% having no preference, was changed after the investigations to a preference for endoscopy of two-to-one with 5% having no preference. The use of mild sedation and the skill of the endoscopist had a major impact on the patients' opinion of the endoscopic procedure, and on their choice of examination for any repeat study. There was little agreement between clinical diagnosis and the result of investigation, but clinicians tended to accept the reported result of the investigation, especially if the result was abnormal. Despite a change in diagnosis in 34 of 49 patients there was little change in management as a result of the investigations, supporting the view that young patients with dyspepsia may be managed with symptomatic treatment initially, and without investigation. This study lends further support to the view that endoscopy should be the investigation of choice in patients with persistent dyspepsia, especially those whose age or infirmity may make barium examination suboptimal.

Barium Sulfate

Changing patterns of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis.

In a 4 year and 4 month period 80 patients with necrotizing enterocolitis were treated. Review of the mode of clinical presentation, radiological features, management, mortality, and complications showed that there have been considerable changes over this period. The disease is now frequently diagnosed clinically prior to the development of paralytic ileus. Scalloping of the bowel wall and separation of the bowel loops are probably the earliest radiological signs. The management has become a more aggressive medical approach with more limited and well-defined surgical indications. These changes have been associated with a marked decrease in mortality and a concomitant increase in the number of late complications.

Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous

Strictures and other late complications of neonatal necrotising enterocolitis.

Eighty infants have been treated for neonatal necrotising enterocolitis within a period of five years. Twenty-five per cent developed strictures of the small or large intestine. Four cases of atresia including two with multiple cyst formation were seen. Four patients developed severe malabsorption requiring hyperalimentation with slow recovery of small bowel function in two survivors. The radiological features of these complications is illustrated and the role of radiology in the management of these patients is discussed.

Constriction, Pathologic

Preliminary studies with the sensitive cytochemical assay for parathyroid hormone.

A modification of the cytochemical assay for parathyroid hormone (PTH) is described which permits the measurement of as little as 0.1 fg ml-1. Using this assay circulating concentrations in normal humans range between 1 and 30 pg ml-1 using a bovine PTH standard. Elevated values are found in hyperparathyroidism with reduced concentrations in hypoparathyroidism. Where detectable, PTH concentrations measured by radioimmunoassay are on average fourteen-fold higher than by cytochemical assay. No cross reactivity was found with AVP, calcitonin and 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D in concentrations normally found in health or disease.

Adult

Benign oesophageal papillomatosis. A case report with a review of the literature.

An 18-year-old boy presented with a four-year history of dysphagia which had been treated repeatedly by endoscopic removal of papillomata of the oesophagus. Eventually, due to increasing dysphagia and repeated recurrences of the papillomata, resection of the affected lower third of the oesophagus was deemed necessary. The resected segment of the oesophagus was carpeted with numerous benign squamous papillomata. The clinical features, radiographic appearances, and pathology of this extremely rare tumour are presented. Only two acceptable cases of oesophageal papillomata can be found in the literature, making this the third case, and apparently the only one with multiple lesions.

Adolescent

The relationship between scholastic progress and nutritional status. Part I. A study of 488 school beginners.

The reading progress of 488 Chatsworth Indian school beginners, in relation to their nutritional status, was assessed. It was found that the majority of the children were grossly growth-retarded and some 90% of them could be classified as slow learners. The significance of these findings is discussed. It is recommended that dietary supplementation be introduced for preschool as well as for school-going children in communities where growth retardation is prevalent.

Achievement

The effect of acid-stimulating and inhibiting drugs on the ultrastructure of gastric parietal cells in man.

The ultrastructure of the human parietal cell at rest, after stimulation of gastric acid secretion by pentagastrin and after inhibition with propantheline or cimetidine, an H2-receptor antagonist, was studied. On stimulation there was an increase in the total secretory surface area of the gastric gland and canaliculus, with a concomitant decrease in the tubulovesicular system. On inhibition there was a decrease in the secretory surface area and a corresponding increase in the tubulovesicular system. These results are in agreement with other reports and support the hypothesis that during secretion of acid the tubulovesicular system increases the secretory surface by eversion or fusion of the vesicles and tubules with the plasmalemma. On inhibition there is thought to be reformation of the tubulovesicular system by pinocytosis. There is also ultrastructural evidence for the theory of membrane flow between the tubulovesicular system and the microvilli of the canaliculus and gastric lumen. Furthermore, there was an increase in lysosomal activity after the administration of the inhibiting drugs. It is suggested that the increased lysosomal activity could be involved in reducing the quantity of membrane after the membrane flow which occurs on gastric acid inhibition.

Depression, Chemical