BACKGROUND AND AIMS The 13C-Hiolein breath test (98% [U-13C] labelled long chain triglyceride mixture (highly labelled triolein) was evaluated as a non-invasive, non-radioactive test for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Accuracy and clinical validity were examined with reference to both the secretin pancreozymin test and faecal fat analysis. METHODS A secretin pancreozymin test and faecal f...

BACKGROUND Sugar intolerance and functional gastrointestinal disorders are both common in school age children. Both may present with similar complaints such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and bloating. Lactose, fructose and sucrose hydrogen breath tests are widely used to detect sugar malabsorption. AIM To determine the proportion of children with symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorder...

Different methods of performing the (14C) aminopyrine breath test have been assessed. A tracer dose of 2 muCi without a loading dose and with a single breath collection at two hours was the method selected, since it gave the best discrimination between patients with hepatocellular diseases and normal subjects (5.2 +/- 0.2%, mean +/- SEM). Reduced values occurred in patients with chronic active ...

Background The sensitivity of peripheral chemoreflex is a marker of the severity of heart failure and the prognosis of the outcome in these patients. The assessment of chemosensitivity in these patients remains an actual problem. Objective The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between a Breath-Holding Test (BHT) and single-breath carbon dioxide test and to evaluate the reliabil...

BACKGROUND Monitoring alcohol use is important in numerous situations. Direct ethanol metabolites, such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG), have been shown to be useful tools in detecting alcohol use and documenting abstinence. For very frequent or continuous control of abstinence, they lack practicability. Therefore, devices measuring ethanol itself might be of interest. This pilot study aims at eluci...

There have been a considerable number of cases litigating the validity of the forensic breath alcohol test and the potentials for a false positive ethanol reading. Recently, a claim asserted that the prior use of an over-the-counter (OTC) “oral care strip” normally used to suppress halitosis of the oral cavity, produced a false positive result when a subject was given a breath alcohol test duri...

BACKGROUND Dyspepsia is a condition defined by chronic pain or discomfort in the upper gastrointestinal tract that can be caused by Helicobacter pylori. The carbon-13 urea breath test (¹³C UBT) is a non-invasive test to detect H. pylori. OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility of the ¹³C UBT in adult patients with ulcer-like dyspepsia who have no alarm fe...

Background: The prevalence of genetically determined lactase non-persistence is based on the results of the lactose H 2 breath test. This test, however, is an indirect test, which might lead to misinterpretation. Design: We determined lactase activity in healthy Chinese and Dutch students using a novel C-lactose digestion test. The cut-off value of this test was established in a Chinese populat...