Colloid shift in technetium-99m sulfur colloid liver-spleen scans of trauma patients.

To assess the radiosulfur colloid distribution in the liver-spleen scans of trauma patients, 73 trauma patients (age: 4-74 years, mean: 32 years) who had Tc-99m sulfur colloid liver-spleen scans for trauma workup were studied and compared with the liver-spleen scans of 87 control patients (age: 2-64 years, mean: 36 years). Radiocolloid distribution was visually assessed by two physicians independently, and the areas of the greatest density in the liver and spleen on the posterior view that included both organs were compared. The scans were grouped into three grades: Grade I, liver density greater than spleen density; Grade II, both organs showing equal density; and Grade III, splenic density greater than liver density (colloid shift). Forty-three of the trauma patients (59%) were in Grade III, 22 (30%) in Grade I, and 2 (11%) in Grade II. The control group had 12 (14%) patients in Grade III, 54 (62%) in Grade I, and 21 (24%) in Grade II. When the young adults and children of the trauma patients (age: 4-20 years, mean: 14 years) were looked at separately, 17 of 20 (85%) showed colloid shift (Grade III). It is concluded that there is a significantly higher incidence of colloid shift in trauma patients compared to control patients (P less than .01).

The effect of glucose on tyrosine transport by the intestine in vitro.

The influence of glucose on intestinal amino acid transport has been reported as inhibitory, stimulating or indifferent by different workers. Because these conflicting reports could be related to solute concentrations as well as the individual amino acid under study, the question was investigated again using varying concentrations of solute. The amino acid tyrosine was chosen for study because most workers on this question have used other neutral amino acids like glycine. Everted sacs of the rat intestine were used. Although it appeared that in low concentration glucose and tyrosine facilitated each other and at higher concentrations this facilitation disappeared. These differences were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05) when compared to the transport activity observed when these substances were studied alone. It is concluded that glucose and tyrosine do not affect the transport of each other in the rat intestine. These results are discussed and their possible practical value commented on the light of the conflicting observations referred to above which have been obtained with other neutral amino acids.