Duodenal ulcer in South Africa: home-pounded versus milled maize.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa there is suggestive evidence that home-pounded maize protects against duodenal ulceration. Therefore the purpose of the present paper was to test, in an animal model, whether oil from home-pounded maize gives protection against ulceration and whether this effect is present in commercially prepared maize oil. METHODS: Gastric ulceration was induced in rats with topical ethanol 1 h after giving oil prepared either from fresh-pounded or from commercially treated maize. The lengths of the linear ulcers produced were measured with a planimeter and summed in each rat. Control observations were made using arachis oil (which is known not to be ulceroprotective) and horse gram lipid (which is known to be strongly ulceroprotective). Statistical comparisons were performed mainly with the Mann-Whitney U-test, but also with reference to the normal distribution. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was performed on the oil from fresh maize, and the fractions similarly investigated for ulceroprotective activity. RESULTS: Fresh maize oil was strongly ulceroprotective (P = 0.0039), commercial maize oil was not (P = 0.2864). The active ingredient in the fresh maize oil was located in the fraction near the solvent front. CONCLUSION: These findings support the hypothesis that home-pounded maize protects against duodenal ulceration.

The Application of histochemical methods in the study of the skin in leprosy. Demonstration of bacillus-containing capillaries and axons by treatment for phosphatases

Capillaries and nerves have been shown to contain sufficient alkaline and acid phosphatase, respectively, for these structures to be outlined by histochemical methods. Carbol-fuchsin staining combined with these methods have shown the presence of bacilli in the capillaries and in the axons.