[Primary enuresis: 144 cases (clinico-statistical observations and therapeutic considerations].

Of 144 cases of enuresis we have studied the distribution according with the age in which the subjects have been treated by a doctor for a first consultation, the clinical form (only night, only day, mixed), the sex. We have examined the familiarity, the associated pathology (encopresis, anorexy), the spontaneous evolution and after therapy. Authors have followed a therapeutic scheme that provides for "conditio sine qua non" a practice in the child to reduce, until suspension, the swallowing of liquids during and after the evening meal and in the previous hours, for the whole period of treatment.

Purification and characterization of Xenopus laevis topoisomerase II.

We have purified to apparent homogeneity a type II DNA topoisomerase from Xenopus laevis oocyte nuclei (germinal vesicles, or GV). The most pure preparations contain a single polypeptide of 175,000 daltons as determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme changes the linking number of DNA circles in steps of two and reversibly knots or catenates DNA rings.

[Microspectrophotometry in the study of physiological and pathological events in erythrocytes].

Microspectrophotometry turns out to be the ideal method for an accurate study of single cells, namely of red blood cells, from the biochemical and physiological standpoint. Hereafter several possible applications are reported: a. the kinetics of gas-exchange (O2 and CO) in human erythrocytes has been made possible by the photosensitivity of the Hb-CO complex.

Structure-activity relationships in N1-acetylderivatives of sulpha drugs.

The N1-acetylderivatives (ASA) of sulphanylamides (SA) were prepared and their stability to hydrolysis was evaluated together with the spectroscopic and antibacteric activity parameters, with the aim both of obtaining electronic structure-activity relationships and of comparing these results with those previously found for SA. From our results it appears that: a) the stability to hydrolysis is dramatically reduced on passing from the aqueous medium (pH 7) to the culture broth, and that b) in general, the ASA examined do not show any greater antibacterial activity with respect to the parent compounds, as suggested by the values of the spectroscopic indices-taken as experimental electronic indices. This result is in full agreement with the structure-activity relationships previously proposed fo the sulpha drugs.

Kinetics of reactions within single erythrocytes: studies by microspectrophotometry.

Single cell spectroscopy has been applied to red blood cells along three different lines of research: a) distribution of single hemoglobin components among different erythrocytes, b) chemical reaction with ligands and diffusion in the red blood cell c) dynamics of hemoglobin S aggregation in single red blood cell. The results reported here show, in general, the great possibilities of using single-cell spectroscopy in investigating complex integrated systems.

Structure-activity relationships in dihydropteroate synthase inhibition by sulfanilamides. Comparison with the antibacterial activity.

A set of 12 acidic, 5 imidic, and 5 amidic sulfanilamides (SA) were tested for their inhibitory activity on dihydropteroate synthase of Escherichia coli. The enzyme inhibition indexes (EII50) were compared with the growth inhibition indexes (GII50), and electronic structures of SA and cell permeability effects were discussed as possible determinant factors of the observed variation of the activity in the SA set. The results strongly support the following conclusion: (a) permeability factors are highly effective in depressing the activity of SA in growth inhibition with respect to enzyme inhibition, but they do not appear to contribute significantly to the activity variation; (b) the activities of the different SA, both in growth and enzyme inhibition experiments, are well accounted for by the electronic features of these compounds.

Evaluation of protein quality: comparison of single-point and multi-point assays.

The quality of different protein sources having a wide spectrum of potential biological values has been assessed with multi-point and singly-point assays on growing Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 60 g. Values obtained with multi-point assays, expressed goth as absolute and relative values, were well correlated irrespective of the response parameter, i.e.

In vitro catenation and decatenation of DNA and a novel eucaryotic ATP-dependent topoisomerase.

Extracts from X. laevis germinal vesicles interlock duplex DNA circles to form catenanes. The catenation activity requires Mg++ and ATP.

Separation of RNA transcription and processing activities from X. laevis germinal vesicles.

A procedure suitable for en masse preparation of germinal vesicles (GV) from X.laevis oocytes (Scalenghe et al., 1978) has been adapted for studies of transcription.

[Plasma levels of phenobarbital in epileptic children. Effect of combination with other anticonvulsants].

The effect of age on the steady state levels of phenobarbitone, alone and when given with phenytoin, sodium valproate and ethosuccimide has been measured in 1 361 children whose ages ranged from one month to 12 years. The relationship between dose and plasma level differed in those under 2 years from those aged between 2 years and 12 years. The addition of the other drugs altered the pharmacokinetics of phenobarbitone.

Electronic aspects of the antibacterial action of sulfanilamides.

Intramolecular interactions in N1-substituted sulfanilamides (SA) can rationalize the trend of their antibacterial powers with the use of a resonance scheme, derived from d orbital symmetry and tested with an extensive spectroscopic investigation on amidic, imidic, and anionic SA. On quantitative grounds, a good relationship is presented between the antibacterial power and the proton chemical shift of the p-amino group. The electronic features for high activity are described.

Single cell observations of gas reactions and shape changes in normal and sickling erythrocytes.

Microspectrophotometry has been applied to single red blood cells to reinvestigate the linked processes of diffusion of gases inside the erythrocyte and their combination with hemoglobin. The experiments took advantage of the photosensitivity of the cabron monoxide derivative of hemoglobin, which allows ligand release from the CO-saturated red cells under strong illumination and recombination when the light is switched off. The photochemical method was also used to study the kinetics of sickling on ligand removal in single erythrocytes of Hb S carriers.

Antibacterial activity and chemical reactivity of sulphanylamides. Rate constants of alkaline hydrolysis of N4-acetylsulphanylamides.

The alkaline deacylation rate constants of a collection of N4-acetylderivatives of acidic and non-acidic sulphonamides (SA) clearly show a definite trend due to the intramolecular effects induced by the different substitutions on the N1 nitrogen. The rate constant is interpreted as a reactivity index of the corresponding non-acetylated compound, and is found to be strictly correlated with the electron-availability of the p-amino group; thus providing an interesting correlation with the antibacterial activity of these drugs. Moreover, the reported experiments corroborate early predictions that the greatest reactivity of the p-amino group pertains to p-aminobenzoate (PAB) in the series of chemically related compounds, and that SA anions show the highest chemical and electronic resemblance to the essential metabolite (PAB); thus the high antibacterial activity of SA anions correctly corresponds to its close resemblance to the metabolite.

Spectroscopic properties and related functions of the stigma measured in living cells of Euglena gracilis.

The spectroscopic properties of stigma inside green and dark-grown cells and of isolated stigma globules have been studied by means of a microspectrophotometer build in the Laboratory. On the base of these results and of the analysis of the absorption spectra of a stigma suspension, cell suspension and the cell methanolic extracts, it can be inferred that pigments localized in the stigma are free carotenoids which are not closely packed and do not show an ordered arrangement. Furthermore, the efficiency of the stigma as shading device is duscussed.

Fast scanning microspectroscopy: an electrodynamic moving-condenser method.

The poor speed performance or the limited optical accuracy of the scanning devices currently employed in microspectroscopy can be substantially improved, for high resolution work, using a method based on the displacement of the condenser by means of an electrodynamic technique. The unit described, for work in the visible range, features random addressing capability for both X and Y scanning axes and focusing by means of arbitrary driving signals. An area up to 500 x 500 microm(2) can be explored with an accuracy of 0.