Two different pathogenetic mechanisms may play a role in acne and in hirsutism.

Objective: Acne is one of the most common skin disorders. Androgens are known to play an important and possibly central role. Androgens secreted from ovaries and adrenal glands (androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulphate, testosterone) and target tissue-produced androgens (testosterone and its 5 alpha-reduced metabolite, dihydrotestosterone) have been implicated.

Acid clearance and oesophageal sensitivity in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis.

This study examined the hypothesis that impaired oesophageal peristalsis was associated with delayed oesophageal clearance of acid in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), some of whom are thought to have impaired oesophageal sensitivity to acid. Sixteen patients with PSS had: (a) oesophageal manometry and endoscopy; (b) acid perfusion of the oesophagus with simultaneous measurement of intraoesophageal pH during perfusion and for the next 10 minutes; (c) 22 hour monitoring of intraoesophageal pH; and (d) an evaluation of reflux symptoms during and after perfusion and during overnight pH monitoring. By oesophageal manometry, eight patients had normal peristalsis and eight patients had impaired peristalsis.

Prevalence of cholelithiasis in alcoholic and genetic haemochromatotic cirrhosis.

The prevalence of cholelithiasis and possible related factors was evaluated in 350 consecutive patients with alcoholic cirrhosis (218 cases, 174 male and 44 female, mean age 58 +/- 9 years) or genetic haemochromatotic cirrhosis (132 cases, 115 male and 17 female, mean age 53 +/- 10 years). At enrollment patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were significantly older than those with genetic haemochromatotic cirrhosis (P < 0.01), and their clinical status was more severe (Child's class B/C in 99 alcoholic cirrhosis cases versus 27 genetic haemochromatotic cirrhosis cases, P < 0.

[Granulosa cell tumor of Abrikossof].

The authors report a case of Abrikossof's tumor that came under their observation. The reappraisal of the literature permits to review on this disorder that was unknown until few years ago. Electronic microscope and immunohistochemical study allowed to recognize the real origin of this tumor.

Anorectal dysfunction and delayed colonic transit in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis.

We studied 14 unselected patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), six with constipation, and eight with normal bowel habits. A control group, matched for age and sex, comprised six patients with idiopathic constipation and seven healthy subjects. Anorectal manometry was performed with perfused catheters and segmental colonic transit was measured by a radiopaque marker technique.

Acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland in childhood.

A 13-year-old girl underwent surgery at the Ear Nose and Throat Department of the Children's Hospital and Scientific Research Institute, Bambino Gesù, Rome, because of an acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland. Two years after total parotidectomy with preservation of the facial nerve, metastasis occurred in a lateral cervical lymph node. Acinic cell tumors are uncommon in childhood; in children under the age of 16 years only 35 cases have been reported.

[Appendicular mucocele. Clinical cases and review of the literature].

The authors report three cases of mucocele of the appendix. They review the literature on this argument and discuss the hypotheses on etiology, pathologic and clinical classification, problems in diagnosis, principles of therapy and prognosis.

Duodenal mucosa and extracellular cyclic nucleotide pattern in coeliac disease.

This study measured the values of cyclic nucleotides and adenylate and guanylate cyclase activities in duodenal mucosa homogenates to verify if they played a part in coeliac disease. Nine controls, 13 patients who did not receive treatment and nine patients who received treatment were studied. Cyclase activity assays were performed under basal conditions and in the presence of gliadin derived peptides.

[Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the diagnosis of pulmonary infections in immunocompromised children].

The authors report their personal case records of broncho-alveolar lavage in immuno-compromised children. 22 children were observed from 1991 to 1992 at the E.N.

[Synchronization of plasma exchange and cyclophosphamide in severe systemic diseases. A consecutive study of 10 patients].

Ten patients with severe systemic diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 2), polymyositis (n = 2), essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia (n = 2), rheumatoid arthritis vasculitis (n = 3) and Wegener's granulomatosis (n = 1), were treated with 3 consecutive plasma exchanges synchronized with pulse cyclophosphamide. This therapeutic regimen was applied every 4 weeks initially and thereafter every 6 weeks in case of positive response after the first 3 cycles; it was combined in all patients with corticosteroid therapy. The treatment was administered for severe flare-up of the disease in 7 patients and for failure of previous treatments, including corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide and plasmapheresis, in 3 patients.

Plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol glucuronide in precocious adrenarche.

The aim was to study 3 alpha-androstanediol glucuronide (3AG) plasma levels and its relationship with 5-ene and 4-ene steroids in children with the benign form of precocious pubarche (precocious adrenarche). Sixty-five children with precocious adrenarche (PA), aged 3.6-8.

[The drug treatment of postoperative pain].

The study, conducted on 40 patients with pain resulting from "minor" general surgery, for the purpose of evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of ST-679 (administered in a single oral dose of 1200 mg in 20 patients) and to compare them with those of paracetamol (administered in a single oral dose of 1000 mg in 20 patients), demonstrated that the new drug was active on all recorded parameters and superior to the reference drug. The evaluation of the evolution of pain, performed using the Scott-Huskisson visual analog scale, evidenced that the maximum analgesic efficacy of ST-679 is reached after 1 hour and 15 minutes from assumption and remains unaltered until the final observation (6 hours). The paracetamol registers maximum analgesic efficacy after 30 minutes, but does not remain constant for the entire observation period.

[Primary stones of the common bile duct].

Primary stones can probably form, although rarely, in the common bile duct. The authors report a series of six cases which they considered as primary common duct stone disease and, in order to get more precise information on this problem, they review the literature on the subject. This disease would be caused by the presence of a lithogenic bile which, with a chronic obstruction of the Vater's ampulla, could let lithiasic particles accumulate in the common bile duct.

The effect of growth hormone administration on testicular response during gonadotropin therapy in subjects with combined gonadotropin and growth hormone deficiencies.

To evaluate the effect of growth hormone on testicular response to human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG) in vivo in humans, we selected patients with combined deficits of GH and gonadotropins who were in substitution treatment with both GH (from the time of diagnosis) and gonadotropins (from the time of induction of puberty). Testicular response to gonadotropin therapy was then evaluated during and six months after the cessation of GH treatment. Blood samples were collected before and 2, 4 and 6 days after hCG administration.

Lower oesophageal sphincter hypersensitivity to opioid receptor stimulation in patients with idiopathic achalasia.

Impairment of non-cholinergic innervation of the lower oesophageal sphincter has been suggested in idiopathic achalasia. As opioid nerves are present in the lower oesophageal sphincter and opioid peptides affect lower oesophageal sphincter motility, the effect of an opioid agonist, morphine (100 micrograms/kg iv), and an opioid blocker, naloxone (80 micrograms/kg iv), on lower oesophageal sphincter motor function was assessed in 10 healthy subjects and in 10 patients with untreated idiopathic achalasia on separate days and in randomised order. In addition, in six of the patients, naloxone 0.

A cytochemical study of mature mouse spermatozoa after C-banding treatment.

Heterochromatin in mature mouse spermatozoa has been investigated by using C-banding treatment followed by either i) Giemsa staining, ii) staining with DAPI, a fluorochrome specific for AT rich DNA and iii) by using quantitative DNA measurements [Acriflavine-Feulgen, DAPI and Ethidium Bromide (EB)]. We have shown that a fraction of the mature sperm chromatin is affected by C-banding treatment. The sperm chromatin treated with Ba(OH)2 and stained with EB doubled fluorescence emission values found in untreated control preparations.

[Mondor syndrome. Etiopathogenesis and case report].

The Authors observed and report a case of Mondor's syndrome in a male. In the attempt to identify the real origin in this peculiar thrombophlebitis they reviewed the recent literature. It is apparently impossible to drawn definitive conclusions from the different studies on this subject.

Steroidal and non-steroidal factors in plasma sex hormone binding globulin regulation.

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a specific steroid-binding plasma glycoprotein regulated by several factors. Sex steroids are currently considered to be the main physiological regulators of this protein. SHBG levels, in fact, increase during estrogen treatment and decrease after androgen administration.

Primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a population-based registry.

Background: The incidence of primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) appears to have increased worldwide in recent years, and this seems to be confirmed by large-sample population studies.

Methods And Results: We derived our data from the Lombardy Cancer Registry, which provides the incidence of cancer in the province of Varese, Northern Italy. From 1978 to 1987 we identified 3261 cases of gastric neoplasms, 119 of which were gastric NHL: 32 (1.

Effect of cold stress on postprandial lower esophageal sphincter competence and gastroesophageal reflux in healthy subjects.

The effect of cold stress on postprandial lower esophageal sphincter competence and gastroesophageal reflux was investigated in nine healthy subjects. All subjects were studied twice in a randomized order according to a common protocol: 30 min after completion of a 700-kcal meal they put their nondominant hand in water either at 37 degrees C (control stimulus) or at 4 degrees C (stressful stimulus) cyclically for 20 min. Pulse rate and blood pressure rose significantly (P less than 0.

Lack of correlation between sex hormone binding globulin, adrenal and peripheral androgens in precocious adrenarche.

Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a specific steroid-binding plasma glycoprotein regulated by several different factors. Sex steroids are currently considered to be the main physiological regulators of this protein. Testosterone (T) in adults seems to be the main hormone active in lowering SHBG.

Abnormal growth hormone responsiveness to stimuli in women with active celiac sprue.

Baseline somatomedin C (Sm-C) and responses of growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and thyrotropin (TSH) to TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) and to L-dopa were evaluated in 10 untreated and nine treated women with celiac sprue, and in 10 normal women. Mean basal Sm-C, GH, PRL, and TSH levels were similar in all groups of subjects. In all subjects, L-dopa decreased PRL levels, without affecting TSH, and TRH increased PRL and TSH levels.

Importance of oesophageal manometry in the diagnosis of oesophageal motility disorders. Report of two cases.

Two cases of dysphagia, in which radiology led to an incorrect diagnosis, are described. In case I the X-ray barium swallow showed only minor oesophageal dilatation with no apparent delay in emptying or abnormality of the cardias, yet achalasia was diagnosed by oesophageal manometry. In case 2, although the barium swallow strongly suggested achalasia, manometry showed a less severe motility disorder characterized by lower oesophageal sphincter dysfunction and normal peristalsis.