Search

Ribonuclease activity was determined in the duodenal contents of healthy children, in children with cystic fibrosis and with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Assays were made at 7.0, in 0.05 M buffer without and with 0.35 M NaCl. The ratio of activity in 0.35 M NaCl to that in buffer alone was found to be 2.4 +/- 1.3 for children with cystic fibrosis as compared with 12 +/- 5 for the control group and children with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency.

Comparative study of the antigenic properties of the duodenal juice has been carried out; the samples of duodenal juice were collected from the following three groups of children: 1) healthy children 2) children with lambliosis 3) children with cystic fibrosis. The method of double diffusion and precipitation in agar according to Ouchterlony and immunoelectrophoresis technique according to Scheidegger were used. The author's own specific rabbit antisera were applied. On the basis of the results achieved the conclusion may be drawn that the duodenum content of children suffering from cystic fibrosis includes, apart from antigens immunologically identical with the duodenal content of healthy children, also a separate antigen with specific traits for cystic fibrosis. It was also found that a pathological mucoprotein, appearing sporadically in the duodenum juice of children with lambliosis is in no connection with the antigen specific for cystic fibrosis.