Digest
HIGH DEFINITION PH PROBE DEFINES POSTPRANDIAL ACID POCKET AT THE GASTRIC CARDIA
The gastric cardia represents a transition zone between the squamous epithelium of the oesophagus and the oxyntic epithelium of the body of the stomach. Virtually absent in the neonate and probably a metaplastic response to acid exposure, it is a site of high prevalence of pathology, particularly neoplasia. The authors use a high definition pH probe clipped to the gastro-oesophageal junction, which allowed simultaneous reading of pH at 12 sites over a 10 cm length. Probes within the cardia showed a high pH during the fasting period. Postprandially, a distinct acid pocket pH<4 (see fig) developed after about 30 minutes and remained acidic for the next hour, while probes within the body of the stomach showed pH>4 due to acid buffering by the food. The pocket of acid in the cardia was the source of postprandial acid reflux (see fig). Acidification of the cardia following postprandially is postulated to be relevant to the high incidence of inflammation and metaplastic changes noted in this region.
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Plots of pH against time between 46.5–48.5 minutes postprandially. Probe position is shown on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. Acid pocket is shown with an episode of reflux half way through the 2 minutes record. SCJ, squamocolumnar junction.
SULPHATE IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING NORMAL HOMEOSTASIS IN THE GUT
Sulphate (SO42-) is an abundant anion in plasma and is essential for numerous metabolic and cellular processes. Sulphate conjugation (called sulphonation) of structural components (such as proteins, cholesterol and carbohydrates) is essential for the maintenance of normal structure and function of tissues. In this study, the authors use mice lacking the hyposulphataemic …
