[Results of an airborne spore study in various regions of southern Sardinia].

Fungal air spores can play a significant role in several allergic manifestations. Therefore, the identification of geographic areas of mould distribution could be helpful to the clinician, especially if associated with fungal air spore recording in homes or working environments of sensitized subjects, in determining the real clinical importance of sensitization to fungi. On this basis, we studied the occurrence of airborne fungi at two urban sites and at two rural sites in the South of Sardinia, from May 1987 to April 1988, using the gravity plate method.

[Hygienic and microbiological quality of starters and coagulants used in the production of sheep's milk cheese].

The hygienic level of the raw materials is prevailing in the determination of microbial quality of finished product in food production. Not all alimentary products have the same possibilities of being contaminated. They develop, with a series of intermediate passages, from products that can not be contaminated to products that can be easily attached from micro-organisms.

[The role of early protein restriction in patients with initial renal insufficiency].

The effect of early protein restriction (0.6 g:kg/p.i.

[Maxillo-mandibular fracture outcome. Therapeutic program].

The ill-consolidated outcomes of the maxillo and jaw fractures often show ill-positions of the mandible and/or of the jaw in the three space-levels. In order to program a suitable surgical correction of such pathologic pictures it is necessary to make a cephalometric test and a gnathologic one. The result of these tests will guide the therapeutical choise which will be either the re-opening of the surgical treatment to be effected through the usual osteotomy of the mandible.

A comparison between computerized tomography and myelography in radicular lumbar syndromes.

The clinical, tomographic and myelographic findings in 40 patients with radicular lumbar syndromes are analysed and discussed. The study shows that indications for surgical treatment must take into account errors in determining the level of the syndrome based on clinical examination (25%), false negatives (10%), and false positives (15%) resulting from CT scan and, finally, false negatives resulting from myelography (10%). It is emphasized that at present there is no real evidence to support preference for one or other of these instrumental tests.

Clinical and electrophysiological investigation of the results of operation for lumbar disc hernia. Preliminary results.

The long-term results of operations to remove disc hernias were assessed clinically and electrophysiologically in two groups of patients treated by different surgical techniques. The electrophysiological parameters determined were the motor conduction speed of the sciatic nerve, the H reflex, the minimum latency of the F wave and quantitative analysis of the EMG by the Willison method. The preliminary results reported in the present paper are related to two comparable samples of patients who underwent hemilaminoarthrectomy or hemilaminectomy for disc hernia at L5-S1.

Role of oxygen radicals scavenging enzymes in the protoporphyrin induced photohemolysis.

Inhibition of superoxide dismutase by diethyldithiocarbamate or cyanide increases the rate of red blood cells lysis after irradiation in the presence of protoporphyrin IX. Catalase activity, which is decreased during the photohemolytic process, appears to be not essential for the lytic event. No relationship between catalase activity and hemolysis rate was found.

Quantitative analysis of the bone destroying activity of osteocytes and osteoclasts in experimental disuse osteoporosis.

With the aim of analysing the role played by osteocytes in phospho-calcic homeostasis and in bone metabolism, the amount of bone tissue respectively reabsorbed by osteocytes and by osteoclasts had morphometrically been evaluated in unloaded skeletal segments.

Inhibition of diamine oxidase by antihistaminic agents and related drugs.

Various drugs were tested as inhibitors of diamine oxidase on the basis of chemical relationships to the enzyme substrates. It was found that serotonine tryptamine and phenformin are good competitive inhibitors while cimetidine and pheniprazine are non-competitive inhibitors. Other antihistaminic drugs like promethazine are less powerful inhibitors.

Pig kidney diamine oxidase. A new method of purification.

Diamine oxidase has been purified from pig kidney by a new method to rapidly obtain larger amounts of pure enzyme with a good yield. The enzyme obtained gives only one band in SDS gel electrophoresis. The specific activity and the absorption spectra were identical to those of already preparations homogeneous reported by different methods of purification.

Selective inactivation of catalase during protoporphyrin induced photohemolysis of human red blood cells.

The level of some enzymatic activities in red blood cells before and after photohemolysis induced by protoporphyrin IX was studied. A 30% decrease in catalase activity was found both in normal erythrocytes and those from patients affected by favism. Other proteins though present in larger amounts inside the erythrocytes are not affected by the photohemolytic process.

Oxidative deamination of carboxyethyl-cysteine and carboxymethyl-homocysteine.

Snake venom L-aminoacid oxidase, while inactive on 4C and 5C dicarboxylic alpha-amino acids, may oxidize their 6C and 7C homologues alpha-aminoadipic and alpha-aminopimelic acid. It has been demonstrated that the enzyme also oxidizes S-carboxyethyl-L-cysteine and S-carboxymethyl-L-homocysteine, two analogues of alpha-aminopimelic acid with the gamma or delta methylene groups substituted by a sulfur atom. As oxidation products the corresponding ketoacids were obtained.

Subpopulations of T lymphocytes in human extravascular fluids.

Surface markers of lymphocytes from various human extravascular fluids (cerebrospinal fluid, aqueous humour, colostrum, breast and ovary cyst fluids, peritoneal and pleural transudates) are compared with those of lymphocytes from peripheral blood. Significantly higher percentages of T cells are found in all extravascular fluids: the great majority of extravascular T lymphocytes show high E rosette-forming ability and bear IgG Fc receptors (T Fc+ cells). Functional implications of the shown high predominance of T Fc+ cells in extravascular fluids are discussed on the basis of presently available information on the immunological role of such cells (cytotoxic? suppressor? amplifier?).

Surface markers on lymphocytes from human cerebrospinal fluid. Predominance of T lymphocytes bearing receptors for the Fc segment of IgG.

Surface markers of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells have been studied in comparison with those of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The great majority (about 95%) of CSF cells bear surface markers of thymus-dependent lymphocytes (E rosettes with uncoated sheep red blood cells), while being devoid of bone-marrow derived cell markers (EAC rosettes with complement-coated red blood cells). In contrast with lymphocytes from peripheral blood, CSF cells form predominantly 'early' and 'sphere'-shaped E rosettes, and bear receptors for the complement-fixing segment of immunoglobulins G.