Improving mercury flux chamber measurements over water surface.

A modified floating flux chamber was designed and used to measure mercury evasional fluxes in a coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea in different meteo-marine conditions during the hours of maximum insolation (PAR intensity 360-430 W m(-2)) in the summer season. The chamber has been modified providing a flap at the inlet port preventing the back-flow of air from the interior of the chamber. Results demonstrate that the modified flux chamber gives flux values noticeably higher both in rippled sea conditions (mean value 7.

Cost and outcome analysis and cost determinants of liver transplantation in a European National Health Service hospital.

Background: Liver transplantation has become established therapy for end-stage liver disease. Survival rates are satisfactory and the current challenge is the implementation of cost-optimization policies.

Methods: This study was a cost-outcome and cost-determinant analyses in an Italian National Health Services liver transplantation unit.

Structural determination of the O-specific chain of the lipopolysaccharide from the mushrooms pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas tolaasii.

The complete structure of the O-specific polysaccharide of the lipopolysaccharide isolated from the cultivated mushrooms pathogen Pseudomonas tolaasii is described. The structural determination, achieved by chemical and spectroscopical analyses, indicates a novel tetrasaccharide repeating unit built up of two units of 2-acetamido-2,6-di-deoxy-glucopyranose (Quinovosamine, QuipNAc) and two units of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-gulopyranuronamide (GulpNAcAN), one of which is acetylated at C-3 position:

Photo-induced formation of dissolved gaseous mercury in coastal and offshore seawater of the Mediterranean basin.

The first measurements on the daily trend of dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) concentration determined in coastal and offshore waters of the Mediterranean basin are reported. Marked daily behaviour tracking solar radiation has been observed at the coastal sampling station with DGM values ranging from 11.0 to 38.

Atmospheric mercury near a chlor-alkali plant in Sweden.

Atmospheric mercury species/fractions were measured near a chlor-alkali plant in Sweden during August 28 to September 4, 2001. The concentration of total gaseous mercury in the plume from the plant was measured using TEKRAN and GARDIS instruments. Gaseous elemental mercury was measured using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technique.

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Mercury exposure and elimination rates in captive bottlenose dolphins.

Mercury concentrations in fish, faeces and exhaled air were investigated in order to evaluate total mercury exposure through the gut in captive bottlenose dolphin and excretion via intestine and pulmonary routes. Results showed that faeces account for elimination of 34-48% of dietary mercury; while only 0.9-1.

Non-traumatic abdominal emergencies: imaging and intervention in acute pancreatic conditions.

Pancreatic emergency, unrelated to traumatic events, can occur as a consequence of the more significant pancreatic pathologies (acute and chronic pancreatitis, tumors) or of the interventional or surgical treatment carried out as therapy for the above-mentioned lesions. Acute pancreatic conditions are represented by pancreatic infections, the involvement of organs, structures, and adjacent spaces within the pancreatic disease, and, lastly, vascular complications. Acute pancreatic conditions are common in pancreatic diseases and can be catastrophic; even if there is a gamut in the severity of clinical presentation, each can be potentially life threatening.

[Splenic epidermoid cyst. Clinical case and review of the literature].

The occasional discovery of an epidermoid cyst of the spleen, rare kind of lesion, in a 25 years old man who underwent a US for urethral colic, permit to the authors a review of the literature. Treatment is individualized in a partial or total splenectomy.

Effects of rivastigmine on cognitive function in dementia with lewy bodies: a randomised placebo-controlled international study using the cognitive drug research computerised assessment system.

This study was designed to assess the effects of rivastigmine (Exelon) on the cognitive functioning of patients suffering from dementia with Lewy bodies. This was a prospective, multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled exploratory study conducted at sites in the UK, Spain and Italy. The treatment period was 20 weeks with a 3-week posttreatment follow-up.

Daily trend of dissolved gaseous mercury concentration in coastal seawater of the Mediterranean basin.

A daily trend of DGM concentration in shallow coastal seawater has been measured in an area of the Mediterranean basin. Values up to 47 pg/l were determined for a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intensity of 350 W/m2. The lowest value (18 pg/l) has been observed before sunrise.

Bioactivation and toxicity in vitro of HCFC-123 and HCFC-141b: role of cytochrome P450.

The bioactivation and cytotoxicity in vitro of 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123) and 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b), two replacements for some ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), were investigated in rat liver microsomes and isolated rat hepatocytes. Both compounds were activated by cytochrome P450 to reactive metabolites, as indicated by: (i) the depletion of exogenous and cellular glutathione, (ii) the increased LDH release from hepatocytes, (iii) the loss of microsomal P450 content and activities, and (iv) the formation of free radical species observed in the presence of the two compounds. Moreover, the formation of two stable metabolites and an increased production of conjugated dienes, a marker of lipid peroxidation, were observed for both HCFC-123 and HCFC-141b.

Inactivation of rat liver cytochrome P450 (P450) by N,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide.

N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), an organic solvent widely used in industry, is bioactivated by cytochrome P450 (P450) to reactive metabolites which are believed to be responsible for the hepatotoxicity observed in animals and humans. A decrease of the activating enzyme has been reported in rats treated with DMF, although the specific P450 isoform(s) involved and the nature of the reactive species responsible for this and the other toxic effects are still being investigated. In the present work, the effect of DMF and of the structurally related N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) on the activating enzyme and the nature of the reactive species involved in the mechanism of P450 inactivation by the two chemicals were investigated in vitro.

Cytochrome CYP2E1 phenotyping and genotyping in the evaluation of health risks from exposure to polluted environments.

Humans are exposed to over 70,000 man-made chemicals including drugs, food additives, herbicides, pesticides, and industrial agents. It is well established that environmental chemicals are the cause of numerous human diseases including cancer. In most cases, chemical carcinogens require metabolic activation, which is mainly achieved by P450s enzymes.

Long-term results of a randomized study comparing three immunosuppressive schedules with cyclosporine in cadaveric kidney transplantation.

In this randomized controlled trial started in October 1990, 354 cadaveric kidney transplant recipients were assigned to receive either cyclosporine (CsA) monotherapy (115 patients), CsA + steroids (117 patients), or CsA + steroids + azathioprine (122 patients). The median follow-up was 85.1 mo.

Dissolved gaseous mercury concentration and mercury evasional flux from seawater in front of a chlor-alkali plant.

The dissolved gaseous mercury concentration and mercury degassing rate have been measured in a marine area polluted by a chlor-alkali plant (Rosignano Solvay, Italy), which uses mercury in chlorine production. During the summer the DGM concentration (130 pg l(-1)) and the evasional flux (14 ng m(-2) h(-1)) were 3-4 times higher than those measured at the control stations. A seasonal behaviour has been highlighted at all the sampling sites, with minimum levels in the winter.

Genetic repeat polymorphism in the regulating region of CYP2E1: frequency and relationship with enzymatic activity in alcoholics.

Background: Differences in the regulatory region of the CYP2E1 gene could be responsible for the interindividual variation in the cytochrome P-450 2E1 (CYP2E1) involved in ethanol oxidation. Recently, a polymorphic repeat sequence in the human gene was described between -2178 and -1945 base pairs. Its frequency seemed to vary among different ethnic populations, and it was suspected to be related to an increased inducibility to further ethanol intake.

Bioactivation to free radicals and cytotoxicity of 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b).

1. The in vitro bioactivation by rat liver microsomes and the cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes of 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b), a replacement for some ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), have been investigated. 2.

Predilution haemofiltration--the Second Sardinian Multicentre Study: comparisons between haemofiltration and haemodialysis during identical Kt/V and session times in a long-term cross-over study.

Background: The potential superiority of various renal replacement treatment modalities consisting largely of convective mass transfer as opposed to primarily diffusive mass transfer, is still a matter of debate. The objective of the present study was to evaluate acute and long-term clinical effects of varying degrees of convection and diffusion in a group of 24 clinically stable patients with end-stage renal disease.

Methods: The patients were prospectively assigned to three consecutive treatment schedules of 6 months each: phase I (HF1) (on-line predilution haemofiltration)-->phase II (HD) (high-flux haemodialysis)-->phase III (HF2; as phase I).

Spreading of HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell repertoire in long-term nonprogressors and its role in the control of viral load and disease activity.

Long-term non-progressors (LTNP) represent a minority of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals characterized by stable or even increasing CD4+ T-cell count and by stronger immune responses against HIV than progressors. In this study, HIV-specific effector CD8+ T cells, as detected by both a sensitive ex vivo enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay and specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) peptide tetramers, were at a low frequency in the peripheral blood of LTNP, and recognized a lower number of HIV peptides than their memory resting cell counterparts. Both factors may account for the lack of complete HIV clearance by LTNP, who could control the viral spread, and displayed a higher magnitude of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses than progressors.

Therapeutic embolization of idiopathic renal arteriovenous fistula using the "stop-flow" technique.

Purpose: To present a case of massive idiopathic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) successfully treated with an endovascular procedure.

Case Report: A 42-year-old woman with microscopic hematuria was found to have a massive idiopathic renal AVF. Percutaneous embolization was undertaken using a dual approach to deliver an occluding balloon through the draining vein and an arterial access to selectively catheterize the aneurysmal afferent artery.

Bioactivation and cytotoxicity of 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123) in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The bioactivation and cytotoxicity of 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (HCFC-123), a replacement for some ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, were investigated using freshly isolated hepatocytes from non-induced male rats. A time- and concentration-dependent increase in the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase and a concentration-dependent loss of total cellular glutathione were observed in cells incubated with 1, 5 and 10 mM HCFC-123 under normoxic or hypoxic (about 4% O2) conditions. Lactate dehydrogenase leakage was completely prevented by pretreating the cell suspension with the free radical trapper N-t-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone.

Efficacy of rivastigmine in dementia with Lewy bodies: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled international study.

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies is a common form of dementia in the elderly, characterised clinically by fluctuating cognitive impairment, attention deficits, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and other neuropsychiatric features. Neuroleptic medication can provoke severe sensitivity reactions in patients with dementia of this type. Many deficits in cholinergic neurotransmission are seen in the brain of patients with Lewy-body dementia; therefore, drugs enhancing central cholinergic function represent a rationally-based therapeutic approach to this disorder.

Dementia with lewy bodies: findings from an international multicentre study.

Objectives: To describe the baseline demographic, neuropsychiatric and neurological data of a large selected clinical sample of patients with dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) from an international multicentre trial with rivastigmine. To examine the usefulness of the Consensus Criteria for the diagnosis of DLB in different countries.

Methods: Seventeen centres from Spain, the UK and Italy recruited patients diagnosed clinically as probable DLB according to recent Consensus Criteria (McKeith et al.