Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Jarnum

Publications and source records attributed to S Jarnum.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

1 alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 in intestinal calcium malabsorption. A pilot study.

The effect of oral 1 alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 (1 alpha (OH)D3) was studied in six patients with calcium malabsorption and steatorrhoea due to small-intestinal resection or small-bowel disease. After 3 months of treatment with 1 alpha (OH)D3 a significant increase in calcium absorption, but not in bone mineral content (BMC), was observed. During treatment urinary calcium increased significantly. We conclude that comparative long-term studies should be carried out to determine the effect and side effects of 1 alpha (OH)D3 and conventional vitamin D in calcium malabsorption after small-intestinal resections.

Administration, Oral↗

Crohn's disease of the duodenum.

Seven cases of Crohn's disease of the duodenum are presented. They made up 2% of 350 cases of Crohn's disease seen over a period of 15 years. Mean age at onset of Crohn's disease was 22 years (range, 13--47). All patients had other, and most patients severe, lesions elsewhere in the alimentary tract. In three patients the duodenal lesion appeared simultaneously with or within a year of lesions elsewhere, in four cases not until 4 to 15 years later. The period of observation after detection of regional duodenitis was 2 to 14 years; mean, 8 years. The commonest complaint due to duodenitis was epigastric pain. It was present in everyone. Gastrointestinal bleeding rarely occurred. Complicating pancreatitis was not seen. Pathophysiologic abnormalities (decreased vitamin B12 and iron absorption, abnormal protein loss) depended more on the extraduodenal extension of Crohn's disease than on the duodenal lesion. In three patients duodenal obstruction required a bypass operation (gastrojejunostomy or duodenojejunostomy). The same three patients and three other of the series were subjected to other surgical treatment, including ileal resection and, in four cases, subtotal colectomy. Two patients died, one of pneumonia in his home and one in her home town of, probably, acute gastroenteritis complicating a severe short-bowel syndrome. The prognosis in this series seemed to be worse than in Crohn's disease in general, not because of the duodenal lesion but because of its association with severe lesions elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.

Adolescent↗

Nitrogen absorption following small-intestinal resection.

A nitrogen balance study was performed in 40 patients with various small-bowel resections. Twenty-two patients had part of or the whole colon in function; 18 had an ileostomy. The patients had body weights that were about 95% of their ideal body weight (range, 133% to 71%). Net nitrogen absorption was significantly lower in patients with extensive small-bowel resection (greater than or equal to 150 cm) (median, 8.0 g/day approximately 64% of the dietary nitrogen intake) compared with patients with small-bowel resection less than 150 cm (median, 9.6/day approximately 82% of the dietary nitrogen intake). No difference in nitrogen balance was observed between the two groups. The median nitrogen balance was not significantly different from zero. No difference in nitrogen absorption, nitrogen balance, or body weight could be demonstrated between patients with part of or the whole colon in function and patients with an ileostomy. We conclude that patients with extensive small-bowel resection may have a significant nitrogen absorption, even in the presence of an ileostomy.

Adolescent↗

Stereomicroscopic examination of stained rectal biopsies in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Rectal biopsy samples from 22 healthy control subjects, 54 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 34 with Crohn's disease with involvement of the colon or rectum were investigated in a stereomicroscopic study. Samples were stained as whole mounts with Alcian Green before the stereomicroscopic examination. In ulcerative colitis, biopsies almost constantly showed changes in the mucosal surface pattern, including irregular, enlarged crypt openings filled with exudate, granulated and bulging surface, and patchy localization of the goblet cells. There was a close correlation between the stereomicroscopic findings and the clinical disease activity, the sigmoidoscopic findings, and the histologic activity. Apart from the stereomicroscopic observation of small superficial erosions in one fourth of the biopsies, no changes of diagnostic value were observed in Crohn's disease.

Adolescent↗

Endogenous faecal calcium in chronic malabsorption syndromes and in intestinal lymphangiectasia.

Endogenous faecal calcium was measured by an isotopic technique in five patients with protein-losing enteropathy due to intestinal lymphangiectasia and in ten patients with chronic malabsorption due to severe Crohn's disease (one patient) or extensive small-bowel resection (nine patients). In most patients absorption of dietary calcium and calcium balance were also determined. Endogenous faecal calcium and digestive juice calcium were highly increased in 3 patients with intestinal lymphangiectasia and normal or subnormal in the remaining 12 patients. Absorption of dietary calcium was normal in patients with intestinal lymphangiectasia but extremely low in most patients with chronic malabsorption syndromes. It is concluded that a net loss of calcium in stools in patients with intestinal lymphangiectasia is due to increased endogenous faecal calcium. In contrast, a net loss of calcium in stools in patients with extensive small-bowel resection is due to decreased absorption of dietary calcium with normal or almost normal endogenous faecal calcium.

Adult↗

Survival rate in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The survival rate in 709 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (CIBD) was calculated by the log rank test. There were 297 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 412 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). In both diseases there was a survival rate of about 94% in the first year of observation against an expected rate of 99.5% in a general population matched for sex and age. This was because a large number of patients were severely ill at their first admission and required immediate or early surgery. During the subsequent 11 years the death rate in CIBD was higher (two to three times) than in the general population. After 12 years the survival rate was about 77% in both CD and UC. The difference was statistically insignificant. There was no significant difference in the sex ratio. The cancer rate was low. No gastrointestinal cancer occurred among patients with CD. Colorectal cancer was found in four patients with UC, three of whom presented with cancer on their first admission. It is concluded that recurrence and reoperation for recurrence in Crohn's disease have not impaired the prognosis compared to ulcerative colitis in this series.

Adolescent↗

The relapse-preventing effect of methyl-salazosulphapyridine compared to salazosulphapyridine during long-term treatment of ulcerative colitis. A double-blind controlled trial.

In an attempt to improve the relapse-preventing effect of salazosulphapyridine (SASP) and to encircle the part of the molecule essential for therapeutic actin, methyl-SASP was compared to SASP in a controlled double-blind trial without cross-over. The patient group comprised 33 patients with ulcerative colitis who had been symptom-free for 1--6 months on continuous treatment with SASP (on an average 2 g daily). The daily doses were SASP 1 g X 3 and methyl-SASP 125 mg x 3. Thirty patients completed the trial, 14 on SASP and 16 on methyl-SASP. Applying clinical criteria, the relapse rate after 6 months was 0.14 in the SASP group and 0.69 in the methyl-SASP group. The difference is highly significant. The blood concentrations of SASP, methyl-SASP, sulphapyridine (SP), and methyl-sulphapyridine (methyl-SP) were measured after 3 and 6 months. The methyl-SASP concentration was on an average twice as high as that of SASP, and the methyl-SP on an average 1/10 of SP (the differences are significant). It is concluded that whereas SASP showed a relapse-preventing effect in ulcerative colitis in this study comparable to that previously reported, the effect of methyl-SASP was only comparable to that of placebo, and the active substance in SASP does not seem to be unsplit SASP.

Adult↗

The therapeutic effect of methyl-salazosulphapyridine versus salazosulphapyridine in active ulcerative colitis. A double-blind controlled trial.

In an attempt to improve the ratio between therapeutic effect and side effects of salazosulphapyridine (SASP), methyl-salazosulphapyridine (methyl-SASP) was compared with SASP in a randomized controlled double-blind trial, without cross-over, in patients with active ulcerative colitis. The patient group comprised 53 patients. The daily doses were 1 g SASP x 3 and 125 mg methyl-SASP x 3. The methyl-SASP group comprised 26 patients, the SASP group 27 patients. The treatment period was 4 weeks. Applying clinical symptoms (bowel movements, registered by the patients on special charts), clinical condition (assessed by the patient), proctoscopic signs, and registration of side effects, it is concluded that methyl-SASP had an effect on ulcerative colitis indistinguishable from that of SASP. The rate of side effects was significantly less in the methyl-SASP group. The blood concentrations of SASP, methyl-SASP, sulphapyridine, and methyl-sulphapyridine were estimated at start during, and at the end of the trial. The methyl-SASP concentration was on an average twice as high as that of SASP, and the methyl-sulphapyridine on an average 1/13 of sulphapyridine, the differences being significant. It is concluded that methyl-SASP presents an improvement in the effect/side effect ratio when dealing with symptomatic ulcerative colitis. The discrepancy between the outcome of the present trial and the lack of effect in a controlled trial on the relapse-preventing effect of methyl-SASP is at present unexplained. A type II error in the present trial (or a type I error in the prophylactic one) is a possibility, or the patient-group selected for the present trial had a spontaneously benign course, cases demanding prednisone or colectomy having been excluded.

Adult↗

Urolithiasis and hyperoxaluria in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

The incidence of urolithiasis was registered in 87 patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease and compared with that of renal oxalate excretion. All patients were studied while on a standardized diet with fixed amounts of fat, calcium, and oxalate. Pyelography had been performed in all. Nine, or 35%, of 26 hyperoxaluric patients had urolithiasis, compared with 14, or 23%, of 61 patients were normal renal oxalate excretion, the difference being statistically insignificant. No significant difference in urinary oxalate or urinary calcium in stone-formers as compared with non-stone-formers could be demonstrated. Oxalate was a more frequent component of calculi in patients with normal renal oxalate excretion than in patients with hyperoxalura. Thus, we were unable to demonstrate an increased incidence of urolithiasis in patients with hyperoxaluria compared with a control group with normal renal oxalate excretion. Our results cast doubt on the concept that enteric hyperoxaluria per se is the cause of stone diathesis in chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Adult↗

Long-term parenteral nutrition.

Nineteen patients (11 women and eight men) aged 20-68 received long-term parenteral nutrition, mostly at home, for six to 63 months (mean 19 months). Indications for LTPN were extensive, active Crohn's disease in three patients, intestinocutaneous fistulas in three, and short-bowel syndrome in the remaining 13 patients. Subclavian or intra-atrial (Broviac) catheters were most commonly used, for which the average life was four and seven months respectively. Complications of long-term parenteral nutrition included pneumothorax in four out of 48 subclavian vein punctures. Catheter-induced thrombosis of central veins was shown by phlebography 17 times in nine patients, and eight episodes of total occlusion occurred. Two of these patients had pulmonary infarction. Nineteen episodes of catheter sepsis occurred in 11 patients, but only one was fatal. Complications related to intestinal disease included intra-abdominal abscesses and intestinal fistulas, and disturbances of liver function. Five patients died, though in only two was death related to long-term parenteral nutrition. One of these patients died from catheter sepsis, the other had subdural haematoma possibly caused by anticoagulant treatment. Eight of the 14 surviving patients still needed parenteral nutrition. All received a disability pension, but six had an acceptable quality of life with almost normal social activities.Despite problems such as difficulties in maintaining standardised infusion programmes, it was concluded that long-term parenteral nutrition at home is practicable and consistent with an acceptable quality of life.

Adult↗