[Infection hypothesis for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis--caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae?]. / Infekcyjna hipoteza patogenezy miazdzycy--przyczyna Chlamydia pneumoniae?

Possible causal relationship between development of atherosclerosis and Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is discussed. If the hypothesis is verified, antibiotics will play important role in the treatment of this artery disease.

[Effect of compositional modification of coffee on certain indices of lipid metabolism in healthy volunteers and patients with hyperlipoproteinemia]. / Wplyw modyfikacji skladu kawy na niektóre wskazniki gospodarki lipidowej u osób zdrowych i chorych na hiperlipoproteinemie.

An effect of a 14-day drinking of coffee on some blood serum indices of lipid metabolism was investigated in 20 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with hyper lipoproteinemia (type IIb). The study was carried out in two subgroups: healthy volunteers or patients with hyperlipoproteinemia assigned to the first subgroup drank ordinary coffee and patients assigned to the second subgroup drank coffee deprived of irritant substances (4 glasses daily). It was found that ordinary coffee significantly increased total serum cholesterol and decreased serum HDL-cholesterol in healthy volunteers. Such effects were not seen in subgroup drinking coffee deprived of irritant substances. More significant increase in serum total cholesterol and decrease in serum HDL-cholesterol were found in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia. Drinking of modified coffee does not cause any significant changes in serum lipid metabolism. The authors concluded that drinking of the ordinary coffee should be restricted in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia and use of coffee deprived of irritant substances might be recommended to patients with this disease.

The effect of coffee deprived of irritant substances upon some indices of lipid metabolism in healthy volunteers and patients with hyperlipoproteinemia.

Effect of 14 days coffee drinking upon some blood serum indices of lipid metabolism was studied on 20 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with hyperlipoproteinemia (type IIb). The study was done in two subgroups: healthy volunteers or patients with hyperlipoproteinemia which had belonged to the first subgroup drank ordinary coffee and the ones which belonged to the second subgroup drank coffee deprived of irritant substances. (4 glasses per day). It was found that in healthy volunteers ordinary coffee had given rise to a significant increase of serum total cholesterol and to a decrease of serum HDL-cholesterol. These changes were not observed in subgroup drinking coffee deprived of irritant substances. More significant rise of serum total cholesterol and decrease of serum HDL-cholesterol were found in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia. Drinking of modified coffee does not cause any significant changes in serum indices of lipid metabolism. The authors concluded that drinking of ordinary coffee should be restricted in patients with hyperlipoproteinemia and coffee deprived of irritant substances might be recommended to patients with this disease.

Nutrition and development of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancerogenesis is a multistage process. Dietary studies may contribute to elucidation of that complex problem.

Seasonal prevention of duodenal ulcer recurrences with pirenzepine.

Seasonal accumulation of duodenal ulcer recurrences suggests that maintenance therapy could be limited to the more risky periods. We carried out a 2-year, multi-centre, randomized, double blind study in 250 patients in whom the last ulcer proved to be healed at the endoscopy on entry. One-hundred-and-twenty-six patients in group A were given pirenzepine 2 X 25 mg while 124 in group B had 2 X 50 mg daily from the beginning of January to the end of March, and from the beginning of September to the end of November for two consecutive years. Test endoscopies were performed each year at the end of February, May and November. Both groups proved to be well comparable. Thirty-five patients dropped out from group A in the first and 10 in the second year; in group B 27 and 29, respectively. As the effect did not show any dose relation, the four yearly cycles were summarized. Recurrence rate checked in May was 22.1% while in both pirenzepine protected months it was 11.3% (p less than 0.0005) and 13.4% (p less than 0.001), respectively. We conclude that pirenzepine administered in the risky seasons prevents the peak ulcer incidence and reduces the recurrence rate to a level lower than in the non-risky season. Thus pirenzepine is effective in ulcer prevention even if administered in an interrupted manner.

[Clinical and metabolic evaluation of patients with chronic pancreatitis following a special peptide diet]. / Die klinische und metabolische Beurteilung der chronisch Pankreatitiskranken nach besonderer Peptiddiät.

The purpose of present investigations was to evaluate the effect of peptide diet upon clinical and metabolic course of chronic pancreatitis. Nitrogen, potassium and sodium balances were done for 24 days in 4 patients with chronic pancreatitis fed with peptide diet as well as in 5 patients fed with normal low fat diet. Administration of peptide diet improved protein nutritional status of all patients, due to better absorption of aminoacid components and increased nitrogen retention. On the basis of obtained results the authors discuss possibility of dietary treatment of chronic pancreatitis with peptide diet.

Ranitidine in the maintenance therapy of gastro-duodenal ulcer disease: Polish open multicentre study.

Our first stage 3-week trial (6) and second stage up to 6 weeks (7) showed that ranitidine provides the highest healing rate of 97% for duodenal and 95% for gastric ulcer. The study has been now prolonged for one year to assess the efficacy of maintenance therapy. Out of 258 patients who completed the second stage 232 voluntarily entered the open stage 3 in which they were given a single dose R 150 mg nocte, and were endoscopied after 4, 8 and 12 months. There were 153 duodenal and 79 gastric ulcers. 191 patients completed the study; no undesired effects were found and there was no medical reason to withdraw the drug from the long term use. Recurrent ulcer was found in 33.3% out of 126 duodenal ulcer cases, and in 29.2% out of 65 gastric ulcer patients who completed stage three. Sixteen percent of recurrent gastric ulcers and 26% of duodenal ulcers were asymptomatic. Recurrence rate was about twice as high in smokers as in non-smokers. These findings were compared with our long-term endoscopic survey of the natural history of peptic ulcer disease (8) in which yearly recurrence rate of duodenal ulcer was 68.4% and of gastric ulcers 73.5%, 14% of them being painless. This indicates that R is fairly well tolerated in long term use and may be useful to curb the ulcer recurrence rate.