[Scientometric and publication malpractices. The appearance of globalization in biomedical publishing]. / Scientometriás és publikációs praktikák. A globalizáció megjelenése az orvosi publicisztikában.

Attention is drawn to publication and scientometric malpractices utilized by biomedical authors who do not adhere to the accepted ethical norms. The difference between duplicate/redundant and bilingual publications is defined. In the course of discussion of the manipulations that may be observed in the field of scientometry, it is pointed out that abstract of congress lectures/posters can not be taken into consideration for scientometric purposes even if such abstracts are published in journals with impact factors. A further behavioral form is likewise regarded as unacceptable from the aspect of publication ethics: when a physician who has participated in a multicentre, randomized clinical trial receives recognition (in an appendix or in an acknowledgement of an article) as having contributed data, but assesses this appreciation as co-authorship and thereby attempts to augment the value of his or her publication activity. The effects of globalization on biomedical publication activity are considered, and evidence is provided that the rapidly spreading electronic publication for a give rise to new types of ethical dilemmas. It is recommended that, in the current age of Anglo-American globalization, greater emphasis should be placed on the development of medical publication in the mother tongue (Hungarian).

[Scientometrics and publishing in Hungarian medical science. Ethical and technical issues]. / A scientometria és a hazai szakirodalmi tevékenység. Etikai és technikai kérdések.

The authors present an account of the main ethical and technical aspects relating to the measurement of medical publication activities and the compilation of publications lists. It is demonstrated that the Anglo-American scientometric system (Institute for Scientific Information, USA) is currently gaining stable ground in Hungary. At the same time, however, there continues to be a place for a national publication index used to assess Hungarian-language publication activity, for the two systems conveniently supplement one another. The criterion system of medical publishing established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) is described in detail, and is recommended for wide-ranging application in Hungary.

[Changes of authorship characteristics in Hungarian medical publications in the period of 1967-97]. / A hazai orvosi közlemények néhány szerzói jellegzetességének változása 1967 és 1997 között.

Authorship characteristics of publications appeared in the 1967-1977-1987-1997 volumes of the Orvosi Hetilap (Medical Weekly) were analysed and compared with corresponding data in the international medical literature. Following results were achieved: 1. The total number of medical publications gradually decreased although the number of pages of the volumes steadily increased during the period studied; this could be explained rather by a changed structure or editorial policy than by lowering of the readiness for publishing. 2. The number of authors per paper gradually increased over a period of forty years, the same trend was observed in the world literature as well. 3. Heads of department are more and more included among the authors; previously they gave preference to the first place, presently they figure mostly as last authors. 4. As to the origin of the communications the pattern did nor change essentially: about half of the papers came from university departments, while about 20 to 30 per cent of the authors worked in hospitals; the remaining papers were the result of cooperations. 5. Both the absolute number of ratio of the dual publication of "original" articles decreased in the last twenty years; the language used for dual publication in international journals markedly changed: while in 1967 both English and German were used with the same frequency, in 1997 English was chosen in 95 per cent of dual publications.--Results were discussed rather shortly, similar studies in the international literature were cited, but authors did not intend neither to outline their's point of view nor to to take part in the current international discussion on authorship.

Gastric blood flow and acid secretion: problems of the methodology and regulatory mechanisms.

Methods for proper measurement of gastric mucosal blood flow (MBF) in animal experiments or in clinical studies are critically reviewed. It can be stated that none of the techniques hitherto published fulfill all the criteria for proper measurement of the mucosal blood flow and concomitant acid production in the stomach. Some give an estimate of local blood flow changes (e.g. H2 gas clearance, laser Doppler flowmetry) in man without the possibility of simultaneous acid measurement. The 99mTc-MAP clearance technique developed by the authors reflects changes in both parameters and may also be used in clinical studies, when limitations of the method are taken into consideration. As a rule we assume that acid production and mucosal blood flow may change independently. The effects of various bioactive substances and drugs on both parameters are analysed. It seems that many contradictory findings have arisen because of differences in technique and experimental animals used.

Humoral mechanisms and clinical aspects of biliary tract motility.

This review is intended to summarize current information on neurohumoral regulation of the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi motility under both physiological and pathological circumstances with emphasis on Hungarian contributions to today's knowledge. The mechanism of action of neurohumoral agents that interact on these segments of the biliary tract, and the explored details of the stimulation-contraction/relaxation coupling process of these substances, will be discussed. A modified classification of biliary tract motility disorders with new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches will also be provided. This information will aid understanding of the pathogenesis of motor disorders of the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi, and will indicate possibilities for pharmacological exploitation in the treatment of diseases resulting from biliary tract motility abnormalities.

Pain relief and functional recovery after endoscopic interventions for chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Pain and functional deterioration in chronic pancreatitis is multifactorial. Early surgery in non-alcoholic patients with mild to moderate chronic pancreatitis can relieve pain and prevent progression of pancreatic insufficiency for some time, but the good results are only short term. Endoscopic intervention can relieve pain and recover pancreatic function without surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: To achieve the burned out state of chronic pancreatitis, occlusion of the pancreatic duct was first attempted by our team with Ethibloc at ERCP. Temporary obstruction of the pancreatic duct did not result in a long-lasting symptom and relapse-free situation because of early recovery of pancreatic function. On the contrary, endoscopic simple and double papillotomy, pancreatic drainage with citrate lavage, biliary endoprosthesis with multiple stents and endoscopic decompression of pseudocysts with or without jejunal feeding resulted in pain-free patients for a considerable time and in several cases significant functional recovery occurred. In cases where pain remained, percutaneous celiac plexus block with long-lasting steroids can be applied and only if all of these treatments fail should surgery be recommended. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic intervention can successfully substitute for surgery for chronic pancreatitis in individual cases.

[Criminology in biomedical research]. / Az orvostudományi kutatás kriminológiája.

Fraud in biomedical research is far more frequent than detected and published. The author discusses the essence of fraud in research, the causes why data of medical investigations are falsified citing some interesting examples from the literature. Difficulties and consequences of detecting scientific misconduct and possible mechanisms to avoid false results to be published are mentioned.

[Prostaglandins and damage to the gastric mucosa]. / A prostaglandinok és a gyomornyálkahártya károsodása.

The author critically analyses the involvement of prostaglandins in peptic ulceration. Clinical evidence suggests that for the treatment of peptic ulcer other available drugs (e.g. H2-blockers) are as effective and have fewer side-effects. A potential role in prevention of drug induced gastric mucosal damage (NSAID, ASA) may be verified in further studies.

Types of atrophic gastritis in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Histological examination of the gastric mucosa was performed in 44 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome with extraglandular symptoms (mean age 51.9, range 22-76). Biopsy specimens were taken from each of three separate regions: the antrum, the corpus, and the transitional zone between the antrum and the corpus. The incidence of chronic atrophic gastritis was considerably higher in patients with Sjögren's syndrome than in the controls. In the young patients with Sjögren's syndrome atrophic lesions were more common both in the antrum and in the corpus than in the control group. In middle aged patients, however, only the antrum, and in the elderly only the corpus, was much more commonly affected than in the controls. All three types of chronic atrophic gastritis occurred in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Decreased gastric acid secretion was associated mainly with atrophic gastritis of types A and AB, whereas hypergastrinaemia occurred almost exclusively in gastritis of type A.

[The effect of chronic alcohol consumption on blood pressure]. / A tartós alkoholfogyasztás hatása a vérnyomásra.

In 1984, a hypertension screening programme was carried out on 13,772 adult subjects in conjunction with a radiological tuberculosis project in the Hungarian town of Csongrád. Among other factors, the effects of a long-lasting and heavy alcohol intake on blood pressure levels were investigated. 21.4% of the men and 2.3% of women admitted to being regular alcohol consumers. Direct and significant relationships were found between the quantity of alcohol consumed and both the systolic (p less than 0.001) and diastolic (p less than 0.05) blood pressures. The prevalence of hypertension (WHO criteria) was higher in heavy drinkers (29.9%) than in abstinent subjects (20.5%, p less than 0.001). When participants were subgrouped according to age groups only the men provided sufficient data. The systolic blood pressure of heavy drinkers was elevated as compared with that of non-drinkers.

The effect of long-term administration of lorglumide (CR 1409) on rat pancreatic growth and enzyme composition.

The effects of lorglumide (CR 1409), a potent cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor blocker developed recently by the Rotta Research Laboratories, were studied on pancreatic growth and enzyme composition. In secretory studies, the inhibitory effect of 4 mg/kg of lorglumide administered subcutaneously proved to last more than 3 h. The trophic effect of exogenous CCK (600 ng/kg given three times daily for 2 weeks) was significantly decreased by the simultaneous administration of 4 mg/kg of lorglumide. To study the role of endogenous CCK released by feeding while maintaining pancreatic trophism, 4 mg/kg of lorglumide was administered subcutaneously four times daily during the feeding period for 2 weeks. Lorglumide significantly decreased pancreatic weight, pancreatic content of soluble protein, trypsinogen, and chymotrypsinogen, while decreases in DNA, lipase, and amylase failed to reach statistical significance. According to our experiments, high-doses of lorglumide could inhibit not only the trophic effect of exogenous CCK but also the effect of endogenous CCK released by food and lorglumide itself.

[Immunohistochemical studies in contaminated small bowel syndrome]. / Immunohisztokémiai vizsgálatok fertözött vékonybélszindrómában.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the number of the immunoglobulin producing cells in the lamina propria of the small intestine by immunocytochemical techniques, using peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) complex in normacid patients with CSBS. 25 patients were studied including 13 patients with bacterial overgrowth, where the bacterial concentration was higher than 10(4) colony forming units/ml, and 12 subjects with normal bacterial concentration, served as control. The patients with CSBS were treated with antibiotics according to the antibiotic resistance. After treatment the luminal bacterial concentrations was lower than 10(4) cfu/ml in 7 of 13 patients (CSBS I. group). In 6 patients the bacterial concentration remained high (CSBS II. group). The immunoglobulin producing cells were determined in biopsy specimens taken from the lower part of duodenum. The number of the IgA and IgM producing immunocytes was significantly decreased only in the CSBS II. group. Our results show that temporary immunological alterations may play an important role in the mechanism of the recurrent CSBS.

[Requirements for successful pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (comparative study of Kreon and Panpur)]. / A sikeres pancreas-enzimpótló kezelés feltételei (összehasonlító vizsgálatok Kreonnal és Panpurral).

Factors influencing the effectivity of replacement therapy with Panpur and Creon were controlled by in vivo and in vitro investigations. Both enteric coated preparations were equally acid protected, they even seemed to be more effective in hyperacid than in anacid chronic pancreatitis patients. Thus the uneven results of Panpur treatment in pancreatic steatorrhea cannot be explained by acid inactivation of the enzymes. Creon dose-dependently ameliorated the steatorrhea as well as vitamin B12 absorption while crushed but not the intact Panpur has only some insignificant effect. Good mixing of pancreatin with the B12-intrinsic factor - R protein complex and with the protein containing meal seems to be important for digestion of protein as well as fat. Unbound, overflowing trypsin activity of Panpur resulted in fast proteolytic inactivation of lipase. This could be diminished by soybean trypsin inhibitor which increased the in vivo effectiveness of the preparate. In summary Creon fulfilled two important factors of replacement therapy more successfully than Panpur: good mixing with meals and stability of lipase against proteolytic splitting, that is why it proved to be more effective for replacement therapy of pancreatic insufficiency.

The effect of CR 1409, a potent CCK receptor antagonist, on basal and stimulated pancreatic secretion in rat.

The effect of a specific cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor blocker from Rotta Research Laboratorium (Monza/Milano, Italy), CR 1409 (Lorglumide), on pancreatic secretion was investigated. CR 1409 caused a rightward and parallel shift in the dose-response curve of CCK-8-stimulated pancreatic protein secretion in anesthetized rats, demonstrating a competitive mechanism of inhibition. The mean pA2 value, showing the 50% inhibitory dose of CR 1409, was 6.4. CR 1409 proved to be about 1,000 times more potent as a CCK receptor blocker than proglumide, the first glutaramic acid analogue with anti-CCK potential. In conscious rats, pancreatic protein and water secretion were significantly diminished for about 2 h in response to 300 micrograms/kg of CR 1409 given subcutaneously during diversion of pancreatic juice, demonstrating inhibition of endogenous CCK by this new glutaramic acid derivative. By contrast, during reintroduction of precollected pancreatic juice into the duodenum, when the release of CCK is almost totally eliminated, pancreatic secretion was not modified by the same dose.

Course and regression of acute interstitial pancreatitis induced in rats by repeated serial subcutaneous cholecystokinin-octapeptide injections.

The aim of this study was to examine histologic and biochemical alterations in experimental acute interstitial pancreatitis (AIP) induced by serial repeated supramaximal cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-OP) stimulation in rats. High doses of CCK-OP (60 micrograms/kg body wt) were administered subcutaneously (sc) six times at hourly intervals for 1 d (Group I) or for 3, 5, or 7 d (Group II). Rats were killed after 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 d in both groups and also after 13, 20, and 27 d in Group II. During the course of the AIP, the morphological alterations were more pronounced in the repeatedly treated rats, but their appearance and disappearance essentially occurred in parallel in the two groups. Increased mitotic activity of the centroacinar and acinar cells were observed in d 5 and rose further even in Group II. The pancreatic weight and the protein and DNA contents reached a minimum on d 5 in both groups. The lowest enzyme activities did not occur in parallel. Thereafter, functional regeneration occurred despite continuing CCK-OP overstimulation in Group II. The toxicity of repeated CCK-OP hyperstimulation, thus, was limited: after its fifth administration, it failed to further aggravate the acute pancreatic damage or prevent the regeneration. This might be explained by a decreased CCK-OP sensitivity of the preexisting acinar cells, and/or increased CCK-OP tolerance of newly-formed ones.

Mechanisms of action of alcohol administration on the trophic effect of soybean trypsin inhibitor and cholecystokinin octapeptide in rat.

Influence of alcohol administration on the trophic effect of cholecystokinin-octapeptide and soybean trypsin inhibitor administration was examined in male Wistar rats. Two x 4 mL of 20% alcohol given intragastrically during 2 wk did not significantly influence pancreatic weight, DNA, protein, trypsin, chymotrypsin, amylase, lipase, or trypsin inhibitor contents of the pancreas. It diminished the hypertrophy but not the hyperplasia seen after CCK-8 treatment, and eliminated the hyperplasia, as well as the hypertrophy provoked by SBTI administration. Secretory studies and CCK measurements demonstrated decreased CCK release in response to SBTI stimulation after 3-d alcohol administration. The results indicate that alcohol inhibits the enzyme synthesis of the CCK stimulated dividing and/or newly formed acinar cells and the endogenous CCK release.