Spinal cord compression: an unusual presentation of malignant pleural mesothelioma. A case report and review of the literature.

Pleural malignant mesothelioma is a locally invasive tumor that tends to progress due to direct extension of the tumor into the pulmonary parenchyma, the chest wall, the mediastinum, or the abdominal cavity via the diaphragm. In the later stages of the disease, distant metastases can occur. Metastases to the nervous system are rare, and clinical signs of nervous system involvement typically appear between 2 months and 6 years after the primary diagnosis.

Asbestos-related diseases in entertainment workers.

Objectives: To investigate asbestos exposure in 4 patients (3 cases of malignant mesothelioma and 1 case ofpleural plagues) previously employed in the entertainment business.

Methods: The patients were seen at the Occupational Health Unit of the "Clinica del Lavoro Luigi Devoto" in Milan (Italy). Information regarding exposure to asbestos (occupational, environmental, and familial) was collected through a standardized questionnaire administered to the patients by an occupational physician.

Hemodynamic changes across the human ductus venosus: a comparison between clinical findings and mathematical calculations.

We investigated the hemodynamics of the ductus venosus in the human fetus by means of a combined approach based on Doppler and computational techniques. The aim of our study was to assess the blood velocity changes across the ductus venosus. Color Doppler equipment was used to investigate 29 normal fetuses between 20 and 39 weeks of gestation.