[Comparative digestive and metabolic utilization of beans, lentils and chick peas in the rat]. / Utilisations digestive et métabolique comparées de la fève, de la lentille et du pois chiche chez le rat.

Faba bean, lentil or chick-pea raw seeds were used as the only protein food in the rat. The balanced diet was designed to suit growth requirements. Nitrogen apparent digestibility coefficient (CUDa) was 72% in the faba bean, 75% in the lentil, 76% in the chick-pea groups respectively, but the CUDa of some essential amino acids were much lower: 52-51-71% for methionine, 60-39-78% for cystine, 73-71-75% for valine, while arginine CUDa values (87-87-82) were higher than all other AA CUDa values. Growth rate (8.9-6.7-9.1 g/d) and food intake index (2.1-2.5-2.2) were satisfactory. Blood and muscle free amino acid concentrations related to digestible intake showed that methionine from the 3 legumes, threonine from chick-pea, arginine and lysine from faba bean were not fully available.

[Protein metabolism in the newborn lamb. I. Impact of the ingestion of colostrum on blood glucose, blood levels of gammaglobulin and free amino acids in tissues]. / Métabolisme protéique de l'agneau nouveau-né. I. Conséquences de l'ingestion de colostrum sur la glycémie, la gammaglobulinémie et les teneurs en acides aminés libres des tissus.

Ten newborn lambs were divided into two groups at birth. Five of them were fed hourly with cow colostrum; the others (unfed lambs) were given saline. Jugular blood levels of glucose, urea, free amino acids and IgG1 were measured during the 10-hour period following birth. The lambs were then exsanguinated under pentobarbital anaesthesia. Free amino acid levels were determined in liver, muscle (longissimus dorsi) and skin. The glycogen contents of the liver and whole body were measured. The IgG1 levels were determined in the intestinal wall and in the contents of the abomasum and small intestine. The blood glucose levels increased after birth in both groups and did not differ significantly in either group. After colostrum feeding, hepatic glycogen and blood urea concentrations were higher in fed than in unfed lambs. Blood free essential amino acid levels which increased after birth in the fed group, were higher in that group than in the unfed one. Nonessential free amino acid levels remained nearly constant throughout the experimental period and did not differ significantly in either group (fig. 2). Free threonine and valine in the liver, skin and muscle were higher in the colostrum-fed lambs than in the others. IgG1 levels increased after birth in the blood of the fed lambs and seemed to be closely related to the intestinal contents of these compounds (fig. 3). The amount of blood free essential amino acids provided by the hydrolysis of colostral proteins was estimated at about 43% of the amount entering the small intestine.

[Protein and energy value of spiruline blue algae supplemented by amino acids: digestive and metabolic utilization by the growing rat]. / Valeur proteique et energetique des algues bleues spirulines supplementees en acides amines: utizisation digestive et metabolique par le rat en croissance

Protein and energy value of 6 samples of "Spirulina" was studied on growing rats in 1972 and 1973. Sample RL 1(Spirulina platensis, originating from Tchad) was grown in artifical conditions in a laboratory. Others samples (Spirulina maxima) were grown in the solar evaporator near Mexico, washed and dried either on heated rollers (MR8, MR13) or by spraying (MA 7, MA10). Sample MA10 D corresponds to sample MA10, bleached by ethanol plus acetone (Baron, 1975). Each Spirulina sample was the only protein source of balanced, starch diets. The diets were supplemented in essential amino acids (E.A.A.) according to the requirements of growing rats (table 1). The ratios [(digestible nitrogen/metabolisable energy (EM] of the Spirulina diets were similar to that of the control diets containing herring meal. The diets were fed to groups of 15 to 17 growing rats. Energy and nitrogen balances were established by the comparative slaughter technique. Blood and muscle samples were taken at slaughter for the determination of free amino acids levels.

Intra-amniotic prostaglandin PGF2alpha (THAM salt) and the laminaria tent in midtrimester termination of pregnancy.

PIP: 20 patients underwent intraamniotic administration of PGF2alpha for termination of pregnancies ranging from 14-20 weeks gestation. Success was achieved in 18 patients (90%) with this method. The 2 failures were terminated vaginally with adjunctive use of intracervical laminaria and intravenous pitocin induction. 10 of the patients had intracervical laminaria placed 4-24 hours prior to drug administration. This latter group was noted to have a shorter induction-abortion interval, shorter onset of uterine contractions, and a decreased incidence of vaginal bleeding prior to abortion. No serious side effects occurred in either group of patients. Clinical toxicity in the form of gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting were common but could generally be controlled with antiemetics. No significant changes were recorded in blood counts, platelet counts, liver function tests, and renal function tests from pretreatment values and at 24 and 48 hours posttreatment. There were no instances of hemorrhage, fever, or infection which occur as complications of hypertonic saline abortion.^ieng