Survival and causes of death in thalassaemia major.

Survival and causes of death were studied in 1087 Italian patients with thalassaemia major who were born on or after Jan 1, 1960. At the age of 15 years, the Kaplan-Meier estimate of survival after the first decade of life was 80.6% for subjects born in 1960-64, 84.

Metformin potentiates B-cell response to high glucose: an in vitro study on isolated perfused pancreas from normal rats.

This study investigated the effects of metformin on pancreatic A-B- and D-cell functions using the isolated perfused rat pancreas model. The lactate output rate following metformin infusion was also monitored. Metformin was infused at the low "therapeutic" concentration of 1.

[Body mass index, blood lactate and therapeutic effectiveness of metformin in type II diabetes mellitus].

Obese type II diabetic patients are often treated with metformin after full doses of sulfonylureas or insulin fail to achieve a satisfactory metabolic control. Clinical practice has often indicated that metformin has little effect on normal weight type II diabetics. The effectiveness of metformin vs placebo was evaluated in a double blind cross-over study on 53 type II diabetic patients with unsatisfactory glycaemic control.

Effects of long-term glibenclamide administration on gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormones in normal fasting rats.

We previously reported that sulfonylurea treatment reduces insulin (IRI), glucagon (IRG) and somatostatin (SRIF) release following metabolic stimuli from the isolated perfused pancreas of normal rats and that a reduction in IRI, IRG and SRIF pancreatic content was also observed. The present work was undertaken to investigate the effects of long-term glibenclamide treatment on the gastrointestinal content of gut hormones in normal rats. Moreover, the effects of sulfonylurea treatment on IRI, IRG, and SRIF pancreatic content were also analyzed and compared to the peripheral hormone plasma levels.

Therapeutic value of citicoline in the treatment of glaucoma (computerized and automated perimetric investigation).

The favourable neurotrophic effects obtained by means of the intramuscular administration of citicoline, one of the intermediate compounds of phospholipids, on the visual field of patients suffering from open-angle glaucoma are referred. The drug was administered at the dose of 1 gm for ten consecutive days. Visual field was examined by means of central computerized perimetry and automated perimetry.

Effects of metformin therapy on plasma amino acid pattern in patients with maturity-onset diabetes.

Plasma amino acid concentrations and metformin levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in a group of diabetic patients on therapy with the biguanide drug. Diabetic patients treated with metformin showed higher concentrations of plasma glutamate, asparagine, alanine, methionine and tryptophan, and lower levels of ornithine in comparison with normal subjects, and higher levels of alanine when compared to diet-treated diabetic patients. No correlation emerged between amino acid concentrations and metformin dose or plasma concentration.

Ganglioside treatment of vincristine-induced neuropathy. An electrophysiologic study.

A 5-week treatment with vincristine (0.20 or 0.25 mg/kg, i.

Adaptation of sarcolemmal action potential mechanisms to chronic depolarization in denervated skeletal muscle.

Action potential properties were studied in rat extensor digitorum longus fibers, at different times after locally setting the membrane to a holding potential of -90 mV. Whereas in normal muscles holding potential duration had little effect on the action potential, the holding potential duration markedly influenced membrane excitability in the fibers previously depolarized by increasing the K+ concentration of the bathing medium. In this case, when the holding potential was prolonged from 20 to 180 s, action potential overshoot, maximum rate of rise, and maximum rate of fall increased 1.

Pancreatic A- and D-cell response to arginine during acute alloxan-induced intra-islet insulinopenia.

This study was performed to investigate the role of pancreatic B-cell function on glucagon and somatostatin response to arginine. Isolated perfused rat pancreas was used for the experiment. Acute B-cell destruction was induced in vitro by 0.

Insulin dependent diabetes in thalassaemia.

Diabetes mellitus was observed in 29 of 448 patients with thalassaemia major attending seven Italian centres. Twelve patients, at onset of clinical diabetes, presented with an asymptomatic glycosuria, 13 with ketosis, and four with ketoacidosis. All were diagnosed after 1979, at a mean age of 17 years.

Immunological changes in beta-thalassemia major patients positive for HTLV-III antibodies.

Antibodies to HTLV-III were found in 6 of 206 Sicilian patients with thalassemia major, aged 1 to 30 years. None of the patients showed clinical signs related to immuno-deficiency syndromes. Immunological investigations carried out in all positive patients showed alterations similar to those found in thalassemic patients without antibodies to HTLV-III.

[AIDS: epidemiology, physiopathology and clinical aspects].

The epidemiology, physiopathology and clinical aspects of adult and paediatric AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are discussed and recent bibliographical references are reported.

Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP). A useful marker of zinc status in beta-thalassemic patients.

Intensive desferrioxamine treatment may negatively affect zinc stores in thalassemic patients. Two groups of young thalassemic patients, with good and poor compliance to desferrioxamine treatment, and a control group were investigated. Leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP), zinc content in neutrophils, plasma zinc levels, and urinary zinc excretion were determined.

[Prevalence of anti-LAV/HTLV III antibodies in groups at risk of infection and in donors blood in the province of Catania].

The prevalence of anti-LAV/HTLV III antibodies in serum samples of individuals at high risk for AIDS and of healthy individuals living in the province of Catania is reported. Serum samples were collected over the period 1983-86 from 220 drug addicts adults, 339 from multitransfused thalassemia patients, 71 from hemophiliacs, 22 from subjects of the hospital staff who had had contacts with positive subjects, 9 from family contacts of positive multitransfused thalassemics and 7270 from blood donors. Prevalence of antibodies among drug addicts was 14% and a positive subject was found as early as 1983.

[Influence of transfusion regime on precocious fusion of the proximal humeral epiphysis in thalassemia major].

The precocious fusion of the proximal humeral epiphysis has been reported in adolescents with thalassemia major. We evaluated the incidence of this skeletal abnormality in two groups of patients characterized by a different timing of the hypertransfusional regimen (i.e.

Alpha-adrenergic system in the modulation of pancreatic A and B cell function in normal rats.

The role of the alpha-adrenergic system in the control of pancreatic A and B cell function was investigated in an isolated perfused rat pancreas model. Two experimental procedures were performed. In the first one we evaluated the effects of two distinct concentrations (10(-8) M and 10(-7) M) of five adrenergic substances, with varying degrees of potency on the alpha-adrenergic presynaptic receptor, on insulin (IRI) and glucagon (IRG) release induced by arginine (20 mM) plus glucose (6.

[Pleural colonization of thymoma].

Six observations of peculiar pleural implants completely separated from invasive thymomas (examined by conventional chest x-ray and CT) were reviewed. CT was more effective than chest x-ray; number, size and extent of pleural lesions were underestimated by plain film studies. Moreover CT provides a densitometric evaluation of the pleural pathology being useful in differential diagnosis.