[Preventive cardiology: comparisons of European and Italian projects with the Cardiac Units from Emilia Romagna region. A workshop of IACPR/GICR - Emilia Romagna].

A workshop endorsed by the Italian Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation--Emilia Romagna Section--held in Piacenza in May 2011, gave the opportunity to discuss the emerging role of Preventive Cardiology in the modern era. From the new documents recently published by the European and Italian Scientific Associations, the barriers in their implementation, and the contribution of the health care providers, physicians, nurses, both in primary and secondary prevention were discussed. The local initiatives of cardiac prevention in different areas were presented and compared.

Severe postpartum hypertension and reversible cerebral angiopathy associated with ergot derivative (methergoline) administration.

A 36-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 2) delivered a healthy child by cesarean section at the 37th week of an unremarkable gestation. Blood pressure remained within normal range throughout the pregnancy, surgery, and for the 9 following days. On day 10, about 36 hours after the initiation of oral methergoline to suppress lactation, the patient complained of severe posterior headache, flashing scotomata, hypertension, tonico-clonic seizures and then homonymous left hemianopsia and hemiparesis.

Magnesium and cardiovascular drugs: interactions and therapeutic role.

Numerous experimental, epidemiological and clinical studies have pointed out a relevant role for magnesium deficiency in the development of many cardiovascular diseases. Some pharmacological treatments may interfere with magnesium turnover, and magnesium deficiency may alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of some cardiovascular drugs. Loop and thiazide-like diuretics increase magnesiuresis, and total bodily magnesium deficiency may appear during prolonged treatment with diuretically active doses of these drugs.

Low-dosage ibopamine treatment in progressive renal failure: a long-term multicentre trial.

A multicentre trial (11 nephrology centres) was carried out to test the effects of ibopamine, an orally active dopamine-like drug, on the progression of chronic renal failure. For a 2-year period 189 chronic renal failure patients (serum creatinine level 1.5-4.

Prolonged treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid for primary biliary cirrhosis.

Eighteen patients affected with biopsy-proved primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) (histological stage III and IV) received ursodeoxicholic acid (UDCA) 600 mg for 1 year. Signs and symptoms and biochemical tests (glutamic and oxalcetic transaminase, glutamic and pyruvic transaminase, bilirubine, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, leucine aminopeptidase, bile acids, plasma proteins electrophoresis, immunoglubulins A, G and M) and antimitochondrial antibodies were evaluated before the treatment and every four months during the treatment. The results were compared with those obtained in 8 untreated patients affected PBC.