[The clinical and functional status of the stomach and small intestine in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases concurrent with chronic opisthorchiasis].

To study the impact of Opisthorchis infestation on the upper digestive tract and small bowel in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, the authors examined 164 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, including 71 patients with ulcerative colitis and 45 with Crohn's disease without parasitosis and 48 with chronic opisthorchiasis (31 with ulcerative colitis and 17 with Crohn's disease). A control group consisted of 20 healthy individuals and 20 patients with chronic opisthorchiasis. A diagnosis was established by colonofibroscopy and a morphological study of colonic biopsy specimens. Gastric mucosal atrophic changes and motor evacuatory disorders as duodenogastric reflux were significantly more frequently encountered in inflammatory bowel diseases concurrent with chronic opisthorchiasis. The presence of Opisthorchis infestation significantly worsened fat and carbohydrate malabsorption in the small bowel in inflammatory bowel diseases.

[Exocrine function of the pancreas in patients with ulcerative colitis].

Fecal elastase-1 was measured in 38 patients with ulcerative colitis to evaluate the functional state of pancreas by enzyme immunoassay with the use of monoclonal antibodies. It was shown that absolute and relative fecal elastase-1 levels in patients with chronic inflammatory intestinal disorders significantly decreased with increased severity of the disease.

[Trophologic insufficiency and absorptive function of small intestine in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

The study included 93 patients with grade 1-3 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the stable clinical phase. Absorptive function of the small intestine was evaluated by biochemical methods and with the use of radionuclides; plasma tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were measured by an enzyme immune-assay. Trophologic status in 44% of the patients with COPD was unaltered whereas 14% had an excessive body weight. Trophologic insufficiency (TI) was diagnosed in 42% of the patients. Severe TI or cachexia occurred in 5.4% of the patients and only in severe COPD. Impaired absorptive function of the small intestine documented in moderately-severe and severe phases of COPD correlated with the severity of the disease. There was close relationship between body weight deficit and reduced protein absorption (r = 0.77 +/- 0.09). The presence and progress of TI correlated with the magnitude of increment of plasma TNF-alpha. The level of TNF-alpha in patients with COPD and cachexia was 7.8 times its normal value. Elevated plasma TNF-alpha concentration positively correlated with body weight deficit (r = 0.77 +/- 0.12). Also, significant direct correlation was found between the rise in TNF-alpha concentration in patients with COPD and TI and enhanced excretion of fat measured by the method of Van de Kamer (r = 0.56 +/- 0.12), albumin (r = 0.78 +/- 0.12), and d-xylose (r = 0.46 +/- 0.12). It is concluded that impaired absorption of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in the small intestine plays an important role in the mechanisms underlying the development of trophologic insufficiency in patients with moderately-severe and severe phases of COPD.

Serotonin metabolism parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

We studied disorders in serotonin metabolism in patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver with and without inflammatory process (cytolysis syndrome) and their impact for the formation of depressive disorders. Blood serotonin content decreased in patients with cirrhosis of the liver with pronounced depressive disorders. Serum serotonin level was elevated in all patients with the cytolysis syndrome.