Zinc deficiency as a problem in patients with Crohn's disease and fistula formation.

Zinc deficiency is common in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), especially in those with skin lesions and growth retardation. Patients with fistulas have been considered to be another group with zinc deficiency. We therefore determined serum zinc concentrations of 50 patients with CD. Zinc deficiency was diagnosed in 17 out of 50 patients (34%). Serum zinc concentrations of patients with fistulas were significantly lower than those of patients without fistulas, and zinc deficiency was found in 11/17 (65%) patients. Zinc deficiency may play a role in the formation and clinical course of fistulas. Therefore, in view of possible therapeutic implications, determination of serum zinc concentration in patients with CD and fistulas appears to be of value.

A data processing system adapted to the special needs of the emergency laboratory.

A data processing system for the emergency laboratory was integrated in our clinical laboratory computer system, its prime objective being the service requirements of the laboratory. It included the possibility of simultaneous optical reading of request forms and on-line capturing, processing, and printing of laboratory test data. Priority request forms, which allow the clinician to specify the interval by which emergency test results must be available, are registered by an optical reader and arranged according to urgency by the computer. The production of worksheets is replaced by visual display of information required for accurate specimen analyses on a large colour TV screen. The individual processing status of all tests from as many as 30 request forms is displayed in a colour code. For process control the updated delay time for test performance is faded in. All reports are produced by direct machine transfer of verified test results. For security purposes all steps of sample processing (request, result, report) are recorded via line printers outside the emergency laboratory. The capacity of the computer for managing sample and data processing reduces the work load for technicians. This results in a reduction of the turn-round time of tests. 95% of all requested tests are performed and reported within the requested time period and in emergencies, test results are available within 5-10 min. There has been no major breakdown of the system in over one year of use.

[Hemostatic properties of gastric juice under basal conditions and after stimulation with pentagastrin or secretin-pancreozymin (author's transl)]. / Hämostaseologische Eigenschaften des Magensaftes und deren Beeinflussung durch den Pentagastrin- und Sekretin-Pankreozymin-Test.

Unsoluble gastric mucus and gastric juice from 11 normal volunteers were separated by centrifugation and investigated for hemostatic properties. Unsoluble gastric mucus added to citrated blood shortened reaction time and increased duration of maximum amplitude of thrombelastographic recordings, indicating an acceleration of hemostatic processes. On the other hand gastric juice inhibited coagulation and enhanced fibrinolytic activities, as shown by thrombelastographic recordings, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and euglobulin lysis time. Unsoluble gastric mucus accelerated hemostasis even more after stimulation by secretin-pancreozymin, as evidenced by thrombelastographic recordings. Gastric juice of patients with duodenal ulcers showed a significant change of these parameters to the opposite after pentagastrin. We conclude, that stimulation respectively inhibition of HCl and proteases, following pentagastrin respectively secretin-pancreazymin may influence hemostatic properties of gastric juice and gastric mucus as well.