Detection and characterization of Helicobacter pylori from patients with gastroduodenal diseases.

Polymerase chain reaction and cytotoxin assays were performed to identify as Helicobacter pylori type I (cagA+/tox+) or type II (cagA-/tox-) 56 (59.6%) strains from 94 patients. Of these patients 64 were affected by nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD), 10 by gastric ulcer (GU), 19 by duodenal ulcer (DU), and 1 by both GU and DU.

[Ischemic hepatitis. Description of 4 cases and review of the literature].

We studied four patients who presented a striking elevation of blood transaminases suggesting acute hepatitis. The post mortem histological examination of the liver revealed centrolobular necrosis that is commonly diagnosed as ischaemic hepatitis. The liver necrosis arose from heart failure which was worsened by an acute anaemia in one patient and by a severe hypoxemia, due to respiratory failure, in another.

[Pharmacologic effects and safety profile of bethanechol in the differential diagnosis of pseudo-anginal thoracic pain].

The use of bethanecol has recently been proposed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of esophageal manometry in identifying the origin of symptoms in patients with non cardiac chest pain. In this study we report our experience in 30 patients who underwent esophageal functional studies. Despite its low diagnostic value, bethanecol test (two subsequential doses of 50 micrograms/kg) demonstrated an excellent safety profile, there were few side effects, and patients tolerance was good.

Radionuclear determination of glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow to detect early decrease of renal function in insulin dependent diabetes.

To evaluate the role of renal haemodynamic factors in the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy, we determined by radionuclear techniques glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) in 18 patients affected by insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in good metabolic control, with normal blood pressure and plasma creatinine. GFR and RPF measured in the same patients after ten months correlated with proteinuria and duration of diabetes. Our finding of a significant correlation between the decline of RPF and duration of diabetes may support the haemodynamic hypothesis of progression of diabetic nephropathy.