A method to measure the adsorption of bile salts to vegetable fiber of differing water holding capacity

Dietary vegetable fibers have physico-chemical properties which may influence their role in nutrition. A method is described which measures bile acid adsorption to fibers of differing water holding capacity. Such absorption studies are complicated by the water held in the fiber matrix which includes bile acid in solution. The entrapped solution gives some apparent adsorption but this can be removed by washing the fibers with water. This method differentiates between strong adsorption and reversible adsorption. This enables dietary vegetable fibers to be classified according to their bile acid absorption capacity which may be useful in selecting fibers for clinical trials.     

Idiopathic pulmonary hilar fibrosis: an unusual cause of pulmonary hypertension

A 37-year-old man with progressive exertional dyspnea had pulmonary hypertension associated with pulmonary arterial and venous obstruction. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary hilar fibrosis, a variant of mediastinal fibrosis. Pulmonary hilar fibrosis can mimic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, and pulmonary venous hypertension.