Ambulatory monitoring of oesophageal pH in reflux oesophagitis using a portable radiotelemetry system.

Abstract

The sample population in this initial case control study of the adenosine diphosphate ribosyl transferase (ADPRT) response of inflammatory bowel disease patients included: 23 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC)-active and inactive, 13 patients with Crohn's disease (CD)-active and inactive, 14 first degree relatives of UC and CD patients, and 19 age-matched controls. Adenosine diphosphate ribosyl transferase activity was determined after one hour incubation with 1% plasma (the constitutive value) or with 1% plasma and 100 microM H2O2 (the activated value) with the resulting difference designated as the induced value. Statistically significant decrease in ADPRT activity was found for the constitutive, activated and induced values in human mononuclear leucocytes of UC and CD patients, compared with controls. The values in the first degree relatives of UC and CD patients were not significantly different from either the control or disease populations, indicating an intermediate ADPRT response. These results may be related to the nature of the immunological response of IBD patients and comparable with similar findings in other diseases with known DNA repair deficiencies--for example, colon cancer.