These good population-based results are due, in part, to the nationwide prospective quality assurance registration.

Objectives

Objectives To describe the endosonographic image of the anal sphincter 2-7 days after delivery in women who had undergone a primary repair of an obstetric sphincter tear. Methods

ABSTRACT

SUMMARY Normal and metaplastic gastrointestinal mucosa obtained at surgical resection were studied by light microscopy, using the unlabelled antibody enzyme method for immunohistochemical staining of lysozyme, pancreatic endoproteases, and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI). Paneth cells in the mucosa of normal small intestine, gastric mucosa with intestinal metaplasia, and colonic metaplastic mucosa were found to contain anionic trypsin, cationic trypsin, lysozyme, and PSTI immunoreactivity, but not chymotrypsin and elastase immunoreactivity. Normal gastric and colonic mucosa and some goblet cells in the small intestine showed positive PSTI immunoreactivity but no endoprotease immunoreactivity. The presence of immunoreactive trypsin and immunoreactive PSTI in the Paneth cells, which are of secretory type, probably indicates an important extrapancreatic source of these proteins rather than a storage of endocytosed material.The Paneth cells originally described by Schwalbe in 18721 and later by Paneth in 18882 are normally found at the base of the crypts of Lieberkuhn in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Paneth cells are also found in metaplastic areas in gastric or colonic mucosa.3 They are ultrastructurally similar to secretory cells and like the pancreatic acinar cells, with apically located large cytoplasmatic granules. Among proposed properties and functions are the abilities to secrete immunoglobulins and lysozyme into the gut lumen and to eliminate metals from the mucosa into the luminal contents.4Using an immunohistochemical technique, we found a trypsin like immunoreactivity in the Paneth cells in the duodenum, the small intestine, and in metaplastic areas in the gastric mucosa in man.5 The purpose of this investigation was to further characterise the trypsin like immunoreactivity and to determine if the Paneth cells also contain other pancreatic endoproteases as well as the pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI).