Polyamines, diamine oxidase, and ornithine decarboxylase activity in colorectal cancer and in normal surrounding mucosa.

We investigated the polyamine levels [putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm)] and their metabolism by simultaneously considering the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities in human colorectal cancer and in normal surrounding tissue. Single and total polyamine levels were significantly higher in the neoplastic tissue than in the surrounding mucosa from the same patients. Furthermore, the ODC activity was significantly higher and the DAO activity significantly lower in the neoplastic tissue than in the surrounding mucosa.

[Cholecystectomy and duodenogastric reflux].

With the aim of evaluating whether cholecystectomy causes an increase in duodenogastric reflux (DGR) 34 patient (12 males and 22 females, mean age 50 years) were examined before and 6 months after cholecystectomy. DGR was evaluated by assaying total and individual biliary acids in gastric juice and was expressed as fasting bile reflux (FBR) in mumol/h. The histology of gastric mucosa in endoscopic biopsies taken from the antrum and body was also analysed.

[The evolution of immunosuppression in clinical kidney transplantation: the experience of 700 cases].

Kidney transplantation was first introduced in Italy in 1966 by the II Surgical Pathology of the University of Rome giving a great contribution to the development of the transplant surgery in this country. The authors report their 25-year experience analyzing the results obtained in more than 700 kidney allografts. A progressive refinement in the surgical transplant technique both from cadaver and live as well as clinical trials on new immunosuppressive protocols characterized their work.

[Surgical technique aspects in multiorgan transplantation: personal experience].

The Authors report their experience with multiorgan transplantation performed in 3 patients affected by multifocal cancer of the liver, either primitive (2 cases) or secondary (1 case). The rationale for this new approach was the unfeasible single liver transplantation taking into account the extracapsular diffusion of the neoplasia.

[Transplantation of the pancreas: surgical aspects].

Based on their personal as well as international experiences, the authors describe different surgical techniques employed in pancreatic allograft related to different complications rate and patient and graft outcome. In fact, the surgical technique represents an only partially solved problem, because of the high percentage of complications dealing with the different approaches. Even though several procedures concerning either the site of implantation either the treatment of the exocrine function have been so far used, the results up to now obtained are the main limiting factor for a large clinical application of pancreatic transplantation.