THE PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NONINVASIVE METHOD FOR THE EVALUATION OF PEPTIDE ABSORPTION, TRANSPORT, AND METABOLISM.

THE PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NONINVASIVE METHOD FOR THE EVALUATION OF PEPTIDE ABSORPTION, TRANSPORT, AND METABOLISM. WHEN CARBON-13 LABELED PEPTIDES EXEMPLIFIEDBY LEUCYLLEUCINE ARE ADMINISTERED ORALLY, THEY ARE ABSORBED,TRANSPORTED TO THE LIVER, TRANSAMINATED, AND OXIDATED, AFFORDING 13CO2 AS A METABOLITE, THE KINETICS OF 13CO2 PRODUCTION CAN BE MEASURED IN BREATH AND QUANTIFIED BY NON- COMPARTMENTAL ANALYSIS. THIS STUDY WILL DEVELOP A BREATH TEST INDEX FOR DIPEPTIDE METABOLISM THAT WILL DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN NORMAL CONTROLS AND CASES PRESENTING WITH DISEASES WHICH HAVE DERANGED NORMAL PROTEIN DYNAMICS. THE PEPTIDE BREATH TEST WILL BE CONFIGURED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PORTABLEINFRARED INSTRUMENTATION FOR MEASURING STABLE ISOTOPES IN BREATH. IT WILL BE VALIDATED AGAINST CONVENTIONAL OBJECTIVEMEASURES OF PROTEIN BALANCE WITH A VIEW TOWARDS ESTABLISHINGITS UTILITY BOTH AS A DIAGNOSTIC TOOL AND AS A MANAGEMENT AID IN THE TREATMENT OF NUTRITIONAL DISORDERS. THE PEPTIDE BREATH TEST WILL ALSO BE STUDIED AS A MEANS TO OBSERVING INTERINDIVIDUAL VARIATIONS IN GASTRIC EMPTYING AND TRANSIT TIME IN CONNECTION WITH PATTERNS OF DIETARY INTAKE.