Recent reports cite an increased incidence in delayed gastric emptying following Roux-en-Y biliary diversion for alkaline reflux gastritis. The effect of Roux-en-Y diversion on the gastric emptying of liquids and solids was evaluated following vagotomy and antrectomy and vagotomy and subtotal gastrectomy. Twenty dogs underwent placements of large Thomas cannula in the stomach. Four dogs with intact stomachs served a controls. Eight dogs each with vagotomy and antrectomy were subdivided into Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy (RYA) and a Billroth II (B-IIA) group. Eight dogs each with vagotomy and subtotal gastrectomy were subdivided into similar groups. Four dogs - Roux-en-Y (RSTG) and four dogs - Billroth II (B-IISTG). Gastric emptying of solid food, normal saline and 25% dextrose was evaluated. RYA dogs demonstrated a significant delay in gastric emptying of solids compared with corresponding B-IIA animals. RYA dogs had 76, 61 and 42% of solid food retained at three, five and eight hours while B-II animals retained 56, 41 and 20%, respectively. The results are highly significant at all time intervals (p less than 0.001 at five and eight hours). Control animals retained 34, 17 and 3% of solid food at three, five and eight hours. RSTG animals had 73, 52 and 28% retained solids at three, five and eight hours, while B-IISTG animals had 55, 42 and 13% retention, respectively (p less than 0.05 at eight hours). Normal saline was significantly delayed in both Roux-en-Y subgroups compared with B-II dogs (p less than 0.02 in V/A, p less than 0.05 in V/STG). There was a trend toward delayed emptying of 25% dextrose in the Roux-en-Y groups, but significance was achieved only in the RYA compared with B-IIA groups (p less than 0.02 at 30 minutes). Delayed gastric emptying following Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy is documented in the experimental animals which underwent vagotomy and appears greater in magnitude than that observed following vagotomy and B-II gastrectomy. These data corroborate the clinical observations of severe delayed gastric emptying in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y diversions for alkaline gastritis.

Eighteen Cebus apella monkeys, (juvenile and adult of both sexes) were inoculated five years ago, with three Trypanosoma cruzi strains (CA1, n = 10; Colombian, n=4 and Tulahuen, n=4), either by conjunctival or intraperitoneal route, once or repeatedly. Parasitological, hematological, serological, enzymatic, radiographic, electro and echocardiographic findings have been peviously published15 and they are similar to those observed in human pathology. The most frequent electrocardiographic alteration was right branch bundle block. Six animals, chosen at random, were sacrificed. Those sacrificed 20 to 25 months post-first inoculation showed focal accumuli of leukocytes with myocytolysis. Foci of diffuse interstitial fibrosis with mild infiltrate of leukocytes among fibers were observed in the animals sacrificed 36 to 47 months post-inoculation. No parasites were seen. The lesions were more prominent in the ventricular walls and the septum. The fact that the infiltrates were predominant in the animals sacrificed at a shorter time after first inoculation and that fibrosis was more severe in those sacrificed at a longer time suggests that there is a progression of the infiltrative lesions to fibrosis, with a leukocytic activity indicative of a chronic phase. These lesions are similar to those described in human chronic Chagas' disease. This would demonstrate that this model is useful in evaluating a progress in the knowledge of the pathogenesis which is still a controversial issue, immunology, immunogenesis and chemotherapeutic agents of the chronic and indeterminate phases of this disease.

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The objective was to study the secretory pattern, both basal and stimulated either by histamine (0.1 mg/kg) or pentagastrin (64 ug/kg) in eighteen Cebus apella monkeys chronically infected with different T. cruzi strains (CA1, n=10; Colombian, n=4 and Tulahuen, n=4) and to describe the morphological findings in the gastrointestinal tract in twelve infected (6 sacrificed and 6 spontaneously dead) and four healthy monkeys. All infected monkeys and 35 healthy ones were evaluated by contrast X-ray examination. No differences were observed in basal acid output between control and infected groups. Animals infected with the Tulahuen and Colombian strains showed significant lower values of peak acid output in response to histamine or pentagastrin (p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively; "t" test) in comparison to the controls. Barium contrast studies showed enlargement and dilatation of the colon in three infected animals. Histopathological lesions were seen in 75% of the autopsied animals either in colon alone (33%) or both, in colon and esophagus (42%). The normal secretion observed in the CA1 infected group could be due to a lower virulence of the strain, a lower esophagic tropism or the necessity of a longer post-infection time to cause lesions.

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L m E R S TO THE EDITOR 385 I 2. Shaw JM, Kolespar GS, Sellers EM, Kaplan HL, Sandor P: Development of optimal treatment tactics for alcohol withdrawal. I. Assessment and effectiveness of supportive care. This work was partly supported by a grant of World Health Organization, Geneva TDR ID 790122, and by the Univenidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires. Argentina. REFERENCES I . Pieper WA, Skeen UI, McClure HM, Bourne PG: 73e chimpanzee as an animal model for investigating alcoholism. Science 176:71-73 ( 1972) 2. Lieber C, Decarli L: Animal models of ethanol dependence and liver injury in rats and baboons. Fed Proc 35: 1232-1236 ( 1976) 3. Le Blanc A E Microdetermination of alcohol in blood by gas liquid chromatography. Can J Physiol Pharmacol46:665-667 (1968) 4. Mikata A, Dimakulangan AA, Hartrofi WS: Metabolism of ethanol in rats with cirrhosis. Gastroenterology 44:159-167 (1963) 5. Marchezott A, Vazqua S, Fellner J, Burucua JE, Garcia Fernandez JC, Amgon R, Koch OR: Metabolismo del alcohol en alcoholism cronicos con y sin daiio hepatica Medicha 36:99-I06 (1976) 6. Koch 0, Garcia Fernanda JC, Merlo A, Mino J, Acevedo C Efecto de dietas deficientes y suplemcntadas en lipotropos sobre la oxidacion del etanol y la estnrctura y funcion mitocondrial en ratas tratadas cronicamente con etanol. Medicina 3935-93 (1979)