[Acute carbon monoxide poisoning].

Carbon monoxide is one of the most common cause of poisoning both in industry and in homes. About 75-80% of cases of acute oxicarbonism occur in homes. The chief domestic source of poisoning was in the past the escape of illuminating gas, today the incomplete combustion of methane or GPL.

[Possible consequences of urban pollution caused by radio frequency].

The AA. report the results of an inquest on the health effects of radio wave pollution in an area of Trieste, where television transmitters and broadcasting are installed. The following results were obtained: the measure of electromagnetic fields showed in the mentioned area a power density 10-100 times higher than that + in other zones of Trieste.

Results of hepatic and hemopoietic controls in hospital personnel exposed to waste anesthetic gases.

The authors report on pollution measures in some operating theatres and consider biological data for the hepatic and hemopoietic functions in operating room personnel and in control groups. Waste gas concentrations range from 17.3 to 22.

Inaccuracy of death certificate diagnoses in malignancy: an analysis of 1,405 autopsied cases.

In 1,405 patients who died at the General Hospital of Trieste in 1974 and 1978, malignant neoplasm was revealed at autopsy. Clinical diagnosis was accurate in 54 per cent of these patients. The tumor was clinically suspected in 19 per cent and was undiagnosed in 27 per cent.

[Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and non-oncological liver diseases (case report)].

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), an oncofetal glycoprotein, has been originally suggested as a tumor marker for colorectal cancer and afterwards has been regarded as a specific marker for different cancers. The determination of CEA in 73 patients with "benign" hepatic diseases points out the limitation of test's diagnostic value on account of the not infrequent observation of false positives in the examined cases. In particular the greatest incidence and intensity of elevated levels of CEA has been found in hepatic cirrhosis.

[Chylous ascites. A case report].

The Authors report a recent personal case of chylous ascites associated to metastatic carcinoma of body's pancreas, because of uncommon absolute occurrence of this clinical manifestation. The diagnostic and therapeutic problems are discussed on the ground of the remarks from the review of medical literature.

[A case of primary hyperaldosteronism. Case report].

The authors discuss a reported case of primary aldosteronism, which is relatively uncommon within hypertensive population. The diagnosis of primary aldosteronism must be suggested by the presence of the association of arterial hypertension and hypokaliemia, which nevertheless is not pathognomonic. It is emphasized the significance of the detection of this syndrome on account of the correction following surgical removal of the adenoma of the adrenal cortex.

[A case of primary hyperparathyroidism. Clinical contribution].

The authors discusses some clinical, laboratory and instrumental problems of a reported case of primary hyperparathyroidism caused by adenoma from the point of view of medical literature. Nethertheless the lack of the specificity of the clinical manifestations and the slowly progressive evolution of this disease, primary hyperparatiroidism must be suspected in the presence of his most common multifarious complications. The finding of hypercalcemia in these conditions and from screening procedures requests parathyroid functional tests and exclusion of other causes of which chiefly pseudohyperparathyroidism may be difficult to be differentiated.

[Zieve's syndrome. Case report].

The Zieve's syndrome consists of the transient association of cholestatic jaundice, hemolytic anemia, hyperlipemia, in a chronic alcoholic. The Authors, after a short introduction regarding physiopathological problems, describe and subsequently examine on the clinical ground a recent personal observation, which had been mentioned for the rarene-s of this disease.

[Prevision of the hazard of acute carbon monoxide poisoning. A nomogram for calculating blood HbCO on the basis of the carbon monoxide concentration in air, the length of exposure and the lung ventilation (author's transl)].

The kinetics of carbon monoxide absorption was studied by the authors. An equation is proposed which enables to define the percentage of blood HbCO on the basis of the CO concentration in the air, the length of exposure, and the lung ventilation. The results proved to be satisfactory and were found to be comparable to the experimental data reported in the literature.

[A study of cardiac dynamics during multistage exercise tests performed on a bycicle ergometer (author's transl)].

The authors analysed the behaviour of the mechanical systole (electromechanical systole; tension time, left ventricular ejection time), as well as of the diastole (both cardiac and hemodynamic diastole) during exercise tests performed on a bycicle ergometer, with 40, 80, 120 watt workloads. The mechanical systole--as well as its components--duration is influenced, during exercise test, by both heart rate and stroke volume--pulse pressure being assumed as an indirect index of the latter. The study of the correlation between the two above mentioned parameters has a great importance in evaluating the cardiac pump efficiency both in health and disease.