Insulin to glucagon (I/G) ratios were found to be higher in portal than in peripheral blood in human subjects in the postabsorptive state and after injections of glucose or alanine. This reflects greater removal of insulin than of glucagon by the liver. Nevertheless, peripheral I/G ratio provides an index of the portal ratio since there is good correlation between the two. Studies are in progress of the effects of total parenteral nutrition on transport of glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and other substrates between liver and leg in depleted or septic human subjects. Coterminous measurements are also made of nitrogen and energy balance and hormone concentrations. We plan to initiate studies of oxidation and clearance in human subjects of intravenous fat emulsions labelled with 14C. (Author)

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