please refer to fig1 and fig2 , which are views showing a kit for a gastric emptying measurement and isotope tracer retention in a solid phase of a test meal , according to the present invention , where isotope tracer retention percentage is obtained in fig2 in vitro gastric digest at ph 2 . 3 to imitate the gastric condition after administering the test meal . as shown in fig1 , the kit comprises a dry mix 1 , which is shipped in a foil , an isotope tracer 2 and a plurality of collecting tubes 3 . a standardized recipe is provided to clinicians in the test meal , which has fixed proportions of carbohydrate , protein , and fat . the raw ingredients in the test meal include a lyophilized egg flour . the characteristic is that the isotope tracer 2 is coagulated with albumin of the egg flour into a solid form at more than 75 ° c ., which means the isotope tracer is well incorporated into a food product . more than 90 % of the isotope tracer is retained in a mimic gastric fluid at 35 ˜ 39 ° c . for three hours . the isotope tracer 2 is a 13 c glycine , a 14 c ( carbon - 14 ) glycine , a tc - 99 m phytate , a tc - 99 m sulfur colloid or a tc - 99 m dtpa ( diethyl - triamine - pentaacetic acid ). more than 93 % of the 13 c glycine is retained in a mimic gastric fluid at 35 ˜ 39 ° c . for 4 hours . more than 98 % of the tc - 99 m phytate is retained in a mimic gastric fluid at 35 ˜ 39 ° c . for 4 hours . more than 90 % of the tc - 99 m dtpa is retained in a mimic gastric fluid at 35 ˜ 39 ° c . for 3 hours the dry mix 1 comprises egg powder ( 7 . 4 %), all purpose flour ( 19 . 6 %), glutinous rice powder ( 3 . 9 %), whole milk powder ( 35 . 7 %), levulose ( fructose ) flour ( 8 %), foaming powder ( 3 %), cream powder ( 22 %), cream fragrance powder ( 0 . 2 %), and salt ( 0 . 2 %), having a most preferred calorie of about 289 . 5 ± 12 . 5 kcal . the test meal is standardized in a format , for example a format of a muffin or a semisolid soup . criteria on format selection are concerning convenience , palatability , stable incorporation of the isotope tracer , and capability on being amended on the standardization for the measurement of a gastric emptying . furthermore , fructose instead of sucrose is preferably offered to patients having diabetes , who are often the cases with gastric disorders . glycine is a smallest amino acid , so that it has the fastest adsorption and metabolism rate . the present invention is capable of getting a half - gastric emptying time in a shorter period , is cost low , and has a well chemical stability . the chemical stability of the dry mix 1 and stable isotope tracer last more than 2 years . the present invention costs low and provides a rapid gastric emptying measurement by a carbon breath test or a scintigraphy , comprising the following steps : ( a ) rapidly constituting a solid test meal comprised with the dry mix 1 , the isotope tracer 2 and water , by mixing them up , and then cooking the test meal in 9 minutes . if the isotope tracer 2 is a 13 c glycine or a 14 c glycine , then a carbon breath test is used to determine a half - gastric emptying time ; if the isotope tracer 2 is a tc - 99 m phytate , a tc - 99 m - sulfur colloid , or a tc - 99 m dtpa , then a scintigraphy is used to determine the half - gastric emptying time . please refer to fig3 , which is a view showing the principle of a 13 c glycine breath test according to the present invention . as shown in the figure , the test meal 10 is taken by mouth 11 and is digested in the stomach 12 ; the 13 c glycine ( nh 2 ch 2 13 cooh ) is metabolized in the liver 13 ( h 13 co 3 − + metabolites ); a gas 16 of 13 co 2 is obtained in lung 14 ; and , then , the gas 16 is exhaled by the mouth 15 to be collected for a test . ( b ) collecting breath samples from the patients before administering the test meal to the patient . ( c ) oral administering the solid meal with 100 ml ( milliliter ) of water in 10 minutes . ( d ) collecting breath samples each collected from the patient at every 15 minutes during four hours after administering the test meal to the patient . ( e ) measuring a carbon isotope ratio by a mass spectrometer or an infrared spectrometer , if the isotope tracer is a 13 c glycine , to determine the gastric ha if emptying time of the patient . as shown in fig4 , the x - axis is sampling time after oral administering the breath meal ; and the y - axis is the increase amount of a 13 c / 12 c ratio . so , fig4 shows a curve of an increase amount of 13 c / 12 c ratio . in a medical examination , the isotope ratio of 13 c / 12 c is expressed as δ 13 c according to the following equation : δ 13 ⁢ c = r s - r pdb r pdb × 1000 ⁢ ( per ⁢ ⁢ mil ) , where the r s is the isotope ratio of 13 c / 12 c in an unknown sample and the pdb is a primary standard whose ratio of 13 c / 12 c is 0 . 0112372 . ( f ) converting results obtained from 13 co 2 breath tests at ( e ) to % 13 c to be expressed in a percentage of an administered dose of 13 c recovered per hour ( i . e . a % 13 c recovery / hr or a % 13 c dose / hr ), and to be expressed in a cumulative percentage of the administered dose of 13 c recovered over time ( i . e . a % 13 c cumulative dose ). the shape of the curve of the % 13 c dose / hr shows the dynamics of the process . it reflects the rate at which the process occurs . the % 13 c cumulative dose , derived numerically from the % 13 c dose / hr data , informs about the global process ( as shown in fig6 ). ( g ) a non - linear regression analysis is performed on the originally measured data to obtain parameter values of the rate at which stomach empties . the dry mix 1 uses fructose as an alternative to sucrose containing formulation , where the fructose is preferable to diabetes individuals for long - term follow - up examinations . besides , the 13 c abundance of mix 1 ( δ 13 c =− 25 . 5 per mil ) is close to the baseline of human breath , which indicates the test meal prepared without isotope tracer did not cause apparent fluctuation of 13 c / 12 c ratio in breath test . ( cv = 0 . 27 % in 4 hr after administering to the patients ) ( see fig7 ). the dry mix 1 and the 13 c glycine 2 are provided separately for a longer term of storage , which minimize the concerns on stability and fda regulation . they mimic a true meal and are convenient for palatability , easy preparation , good stability and good precision . the 13 c glycine 2 combined with the dry mix 1 could be oral administered through stomach to small intestine for a rapid adsorption and a rapid metabolism in liver . the present invention significantly improves current methodologies because it is not limited by the availability of gamma cameras at clinical sites . it is more convenient than a scintigraphic test , because the patient do not have to remain motion less under the expensive instrument . it allows more people to take the test simultaneously . the between - day cv for the same individual is below 10 %, which significantly improves the reproducibility of the solid gastric emptying measurement ( as shown in fig8 ). in addition , the followings are examples of preferred embodiments in detail : the composition of the dry mix 1 is prepared according to fig9 . the dry mix 1 is packed in an aluminum foil and is standardized in weight and calorie . the weight is 70 ± 3 grams and the total calorie is 289 . 5 ± 12 . 5 kcal . the 13 c / 12 c isotope ratio measured with a mass spectrometer is − 25 . 5 ± 0 . 2 per mil , which is close to the 13 c / 12 c isotope ratio − 24 . 6 ± 1 . 3 per mil of the exhaled human breath with a general daily diet and so indicates that the kit &# 39 ; s formula and composition are close to a general daily diet ( gut 2002 ; 51 , suppl iii , a109 .) ( amer j clin nutr 1980 ; 33 , 2375 .). the shelf - life for the dry mix 1 stored at a room temperature is at least one year and that for a 13 c glycine is more than 5 years . the 13 c glycine solid test meal is prepared by putting the dry mix 1 in a container to be mixed with a dissolving 13 c glycine ( 50 mg ( milligram )/ 50 ml ); and then is stirred to be battered and is instantaneously coagulated at more than 75 ° c . for 5 minutes by a waffle iron to produce a test meal in a muffin format . the tc - 99 m phytate solid test meal is prepared by putting the flour of the dry mix 1 in a container to be mixed with 1 mci ( millicurie ) of a tc - 99 m phytate and 50 ml of water , and then is stirred to be battered and is instantaneously coagulated at more than 75 ° c . for 5 minutes by a waffle iron to produce a test meal in a muffin format . the tc - 99 m dtpa solid test meal is prepared by putting the flour of the dry mix 1 in a container to be mixed with 1 mci of a tc - 99 m dtpa and 50 ml of water ; and then is stirred to be battered and is instantaneously coagulated at more than 75 ° c . for 5 minutes by a waffle iron to produce a test meal in a muffin format . to assess the extent of 13 c glycine retention in the solid phase of the test meal , a simulated gastric digest is made . a muffin is prepared as described in the section above with 100 mg of a 13 c glycine mixed with the dry mix 1 and water . after chewing the test meal , it is put into a semi - permeable membrane ( spectra / pormembrane mwco 3 , 500 , 54 mm × 150 mm ) incubated and shook with a simulated gastric juice ( 2 g ( gram ) of sodium chloride ; 3 . 2 g of pepsin ; and , 7 ml of hcl in 1000 ml , ph 1 . 2 ) at 37 ± 2 ° c . having different time intervals . 5 ml aliquot of the liquid phase were removed at regular 60 min intervals , centrifuged and aliquots of the supernatants removed for c - 13 glycine quantification with liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry . results are then expressed as a percentage , p %, of the initial amount of the 13 c glycine added . and , ( 100 − p %) means an incorporation percentage of the 13 c glycine in the test meal . the results ( as shown in fig2 ) show more than 93 % of the 13 c glycine is incorporated in the test meal after 4 hours . to assess the extent of tc - 99 m phytate retention in the solid phase of the test meal , a simulated gastric digest is made . a muffin is prepared as described above with 1 mci of a tc - 99 m phytate , which is equivalent to 156 . 25 μg ( microgram ) with a specific activity of 10 . 06 mci / μmol ( μmol , micromolar ) mixed with the dry mix 1 and water . after chewing the test meal , it is put into a semi - permeable membrane ( spectra / pormembrane mwco 3 , 500 , 54 mm × 150 mm ) incubated and shook with a simulated gastric fluid ( 2 g of sodium chloride , 3 . 2 g of pepsin and 7 ml of hcl in 1000 ml , ph1 . 2 ) at 37 ± 2 ° c . having different time intervals . 5 ml aliquot of the liquid phase were removed at regular 60 min intervals , centrifuged and aliquots of the supernatants removed for liquid scintillation counting results are then expressed as a percentage , p %, of the initial amount of a radioactivity added . and , ( 100 − p %) means an incorporation percentage of the tc - 99 m phytate in the test meal . the results ( as shown in fig2 ) show more than 98 % of the tc - 99 m phytate is incorporated in the test meal after 4 hours . to assess the extent of tc - 99 m dtpa retention in the solid phase of the test meal , a simulated gastric digest is made . a muffin is prepared as described above with 1 mci of a tc - 99 m dtpa , which is equivalent to 110 . 22 μg with a specific activity of 4 . 54 mci / μmol , mixed with the dry mix 1 and water . after chewing the test meal , it is put into a semi - permeable membrane ( spectra / pormembrane mwco 3 , 500 , 54 mm × 150 mm ) incubated and shook with a simulated gastric fluid ( 2 g of sodium chloride , 3 . 2 g of pepsin and 7 ml of hcl in 1000 ml , ph1 . 2 ) at 37 ± 2 ° c . having different time intervals . 5 ml aliquot of the liquid phase were removed at regular 60 min intervals , centrifuged and aliquots of the supernatants removed for liquid scintillation counting . results are then expressed as a percentage , p %, of the initial amount of a radioactivity added . and , ( 100 − p %) means an incorporation percentage of the tc - 99 m dtpa in the test meal . the results ( as shown in fig2 ) show more than 87 % of tc - 99 m dtpa is incorporated in the test meal after 4 hours . the stability and suitability of a test meal for the solid gastric emptying measurement to perform a gastric emptying test , a baseline sample of breath is collected using a septum capped glass tube in the morning after an overnight fast ; and then is analyzed to obtain a baseline δ 13 c level . the blank solid test meal is prepared by putting the flour of the dry mix 1 along with water in a container ; and then is stirred to be battered and is instantaneously coagulated at more than 75 ° c . for 5 minutes by a waffle iron to produce a blank test meal in a muffin format . the patient then administered the blank test meal along with 100 ml water within 10 minutes . the breath samples are collected with a 15 - minute interval for 4 hours and analyzed using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer and are plotted into fig7 . the x - axis of fig7 is a sampling time and the y - axis of fig7 is the 13 c / 12 c isotope ratio ( δ 13 c ). the curve shows the variation of the breath samples is only 0 . 27 %. it means the fluctuation of the baseline of the breath tests for the dry mix 1 of the test meal is very low and stable ; and do not affect the results of the breath tests . the 13 c abundance of dry mix 1 was determined to be − 25 . 5 ± 0 . 2 per mil with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer , which closely approximates the 13 c abundance of fasting breath co 2 from the patients . besides , the low baseline fluctuation indicates it will not alter the co 2 abundance in breath test ( am . j . clin . nutr . 33 : 2375 ˜ 2385 , 1980 ). a test meal is prepared by putting the dry mix 1 along with a dissolving 13 c glycine ( 50 mg / 50 ml ) in a container ; and then is stirred to be battered and is instantaneously coagulated at more than 75 ° c . for 5 minutes by a waffle iron to produce a test meal in a muffin format . the test meal is administered after an overnight fast along with 100 ml of water within 10 minutes . the first one of the breath samples is collected before the test meal is administered so that a baseline is obtained . and the rest of the breath samples are collected with an 15 - minute intervals during 4 hours after the test meal is administered . a measurement can be conveniently done using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer . the results obtained are then expressed in a δ 13 c value ( 13 c / 12 c ). fig6 shows a cumulative % 13 c dose excretion curve of the breath tests , which resembles the reversed retention curve . the 13 co 2 excretion parameters are derived from the chi - square distribution in statistics and the equation is expressed as follows . , where cd is the cumulative percentage of the administered dose ; t is the time ; and , m is the total cumulative percentage of the dose recovered . a non - linear regression analysis is performed on the originally measured data to obtain values of the m , k , and β for each individual breath test . the half emptying time is calculated by making cd equal to m / 2 in the cd equation : t 1 2 = ( - 1 k ) ⁢ ln ( 1 - 2 - 1 β ) the lag phase for the breath test has been defined , which is expressed as follows : ( w 0 . 5378 × h 0 . 3964 )× 0 . 024265 = 1 . 6566 ( unit : m 2 , meter square ) which is calculated according to the formula of haycock et al . ( j . pediatr ., 93 , 62 - 66 , 1978 .) co 2 ⁢ ⁢ production = 300 ⁢ ( mmol ⁢ / ⁢ m 2 · hr ) × bsa ⁡ ( m 2 ) = 497 ⁢ ( mmol ⁢ / ⁢ hr ) ( 9 ) n = 1 ( only the carboxyl group of glycine is 13 c labeled ) ( 10 ) measuring 13 c / 12 c of breath samples using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer ( δ 13 c , per mil ) ( 11 ) obtaining a δδ 13 c of breath samples at each sampling time by subtracting δ 13 c collected at time zero from δ 13 c at each sampling time . results of δδ 13 c are shown in fig4 . ( 12 ) the δδ 13 c value obtained by the mass spectrometric analysis is converted to % 13 c ; and results on 13 co 2 breath tests are expressed in percentage of the administered dose of 13 c recovered per hour ( i . e . % 13 c recovery / hr or % 13 c dose / hr ). fig5 represents a 13 co 2 excretion ( in % 13 c dose / hr ) in a course of time . the shape of the % 13 c dose / hr curve shows the dynamics of the process . it reflects the rate at which the process occurs ( delayed , accelerated , with or without a lag phase ). the % 13 c dose / hr is calculated by the following equation eq . 1 : % 13 ⁢ c ⁢ ⁢ dose ⁢ / ⁢ hr = mmol 13 ⁢ c ⁢ ⁢ excess ⁢ ⁢ in ⁢ ⁢ breath ⁢ ⁢ ( a ) mmol 13 ⁢ c ⁢ ⁢ excess ⁢ ⁢ administered ⁢ ⁢ ( b ) × 100 eq . ⁢ 1 the definition of mmol 13 c excess in breath ( a ) and mmol 13 c excess administered ( b ) were shown below : mmol 13 ⁢ c ⁢ ⁢ excess ⁢ ⁢ in ⁢ ⁢ breath = ( % 13 ⁢ c 1 - % 13 ⁢ c t 0 100 ) × co 2 ⁢ ⁢ production ⁢ ⁢ % 13 ⁢ ct = ( δ ⁢ ⁢ t 1000 + 1 ) × 0 . 0112372 ( ( δ ⁢ ⁢ t 1000 + 1 ) × 0 . 0112372 ) + 1 ( a ) 0 . 0112372 is the ratio of 13 c / 12 c of pdb % 13 c t and % 13 c t 0 : the concentration of 13 c at time t and t 0 ( i . e . time zero ) δt = δ 13 c value at time t (% 13 c t −% 13 c t 0 ) is also called “ 13 c atom percent excess ” mmol 13 ⁢ c ⁢ ⁢ excess ⁢ ⁢ administered = ( % 13 ⁢ c substr . - % 13 ⁢ c t 0 100 ) × m m × n ( b ) % 13 c substr . =% 13 c present in substrate m = molar mass of substrate m = amount of substrate n = number of atoms , 13 c - labelled ( 13 ) the % 13 c cumulative dose is derived numerically from the % 13 c dose / hr data and is calculated from the following eq . 2 , which informs about the global process . the 13 c cumulative excretion is shown in fig6 . % 13 ⁢ c cumul . dos ⁢ ⁢ t i + 1 = % 13 ⁢ c cumul . dose ⁢ ⁢ t i + ( % 13 ⁢ c dose ⁢ ⁢ t i + % 13 ⁢ c dose ⁢ ⁢ t i + 1 2 ) × 1 n eq . ⁢ 2 n = number of samples per hour n = 4 , if a breath sample is taken every 15 minutes t i = time i sampling time δ 13 c δδ 13 c % 13 c ( min ) ( per mil ) ( per mil ) ( dose / hr ) % 13 c cumul . dose 0 − 21 . 6 0 — — 15 − 20 . 3 1 . 3 1 . 10377 0 . 13797 30 − 18 . 3 3 . 3 2 . 80151 0 . 61787 45 − 17 . 0 4 . 6 3 . 90500 1 . 45618 60 − 16 . 0 5 . 6 4 . 75382 2 . 53853 75 − 15 . 0 6 . 6 5 . 60262 3 . 53309 90 − 15 . 6 6 . 0 5 . 09334 5 . 17009 105 − 14 . 7 6 . 9 5 . 85726 6 . 53892 120 − 14 . 5 7 . 1 6 . 02701 8 . 02445 135 − 13 . 7 7 . 9 6 . 70603 9 . 61608 150 − 14 . 7 6 . 9 5 . 85726 11 . 18649 165 − 15 . 4 6 . 2 5 . 26310 12 . 57654 180 − 16 . 4 5 . 2 4 . 41430 13 . 78622 195 − 17 . 3 4 . 3 3 . 65035 14 . 79430 210 − 17 . 3 4 . 3 3 . 65035 15 . 70689 225 − 18 . 0 3 . 6 3 . 05617 16 . 54521 240 − 18 . 6 3 . 0 2 . 54685 17 . 24559 ( 14 ) mathematically analyzing the 13 co 2 excretion curves with a sigma plot software . the cumulative % 13 c dose excretion curve of the breath test ( as shown in fig6 ) is described as an equation : cd = m ( 1 − e − kt ) β ; and , m = 22 . 844 , k = 0 . 0101 and β = 2 . 8256 are obtained . all of these parameters were determined by a non - linear regression analysis . the half emptying time is calculated by making cd equal to m / 2 in the cd equation and being defined by t 1 2 = ( - 1 k ) ⁢ ln ⁡ ( 1 - 2 - 1 β ) eq . ⁢ 3 . the half - emptying time is equal to 151 . 0 minutes , which is calculated by entering these parameters of k and β into the equation of eq . 3 . the lag phase for the breath test is expressed as t lag = 1 / k ln β ( eq . 4 ). the emptying delayed time is equal to 102 minutes , which is calculated by entering these parameters of k and β into the equation of eq . 4 . a between - day reproducibility of the solid gastric emptying measurement for the same subject the reproducibility of the solid gastric emptying measurement is investigated by thirty - five volunteers within a one - week period using a 13 c breath test . the dry mix 1 , water and a 13 c - glycine are mixed thoroughly . the mix is cooked exactly as directed , and is coo led to a room temperature . the patients arrive at the clinician &# 39 ; s facility after an overnight fast and a baseline sample of co 2 is collected from the patients . the test meal is administered with 100 ml of water . the patients remain within a certain area throughout the test . samples are continuously collected with a 15 - minute interval for 4 hours . the appearance of label is measured appropriately . the 13 co 2 excretion curves are mathematically analyzed using a non - linear regression method to get the half - emptying time ( t 1 / 2 ) and the lag phase time ( t lag , emptying delayed time ). the between - day coefficient variance is below 10 %, either for t lag or t 1 / 2 ( as shown in fig8 ). to sum up , the present invention relates to a 13 c - glycine kit for solid or semisolid gastric emptying measurement . the test meal is made in a muffin form by a quick coagulation of albumin with the other constituents in the dry mix 1 together with the 13 c - glycine cooked at more than 75 ° c . the incorporation of the isotope tracer 2 mixed into the muffin and the characteristics of the 13 c - glycine are the major causes for a good precision and stability during the gastric emptying measurement . the measurement is finished soon even including the preparation of the test meal . besides , the test meal is easy for a quick preparation . the advantages also include the low cost of the 13 c - glycine , a long shelf - life of the 13 c - glycine , and the palatability provided . the isotope tracer and the dry mix are provided separately , which makes it easy for the quality and quantity control and is easy to obey the fda regulations . furthermore , fructose is chosen as an alternative to sucrose containing formulation is preferred for the diabetes which is often the case for a gastric disorder . so , the present invention allows an accurate standardization and a more convenient measurement for gastric emptying results . the preferred embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention . therefore , simple modifications or variations belonging to the equivalent of the scope of the claims and the instructions disclosed herein for a patent are all with in the scope of the present invention .
the present invention provides a test meal kits that are used in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal disorders characterized by changes in the rate of gastric emptying ; and , with a breath test or a nuclear scintigraphy scan , are used to measure a half - gastric emptying time useful for therapy monitoring of gastrointestinal disorders in clinical .