[Role of paired filtration dialysis in substitutive treatment].

The Authors have evaluated the possibilities of use of the PFD in the regular dialysis treatment. At first they have studied in 8 patients the advantages offered by this technique in terms of depuration of small molecules and of tolerance in comparison with HD and HDF. Subsequently, they have compared the performances obtained in HF in a second group of 7 patients with the results observed in PFD executed by using 2 dialyzers on line and, in a second phase, in parallel, extending the comparison parameters to a higher molecular weight solute such as the beta 2-M.

Bowel frequency in healthy children.

Bowel frequency was recorded, on a diary sheet basis, in 662 children from six Italian cities. There is a wide interindividual variability, showing a sharp decrease with age; we report the distribution of the percentiles in the different age groups. Among infants, the breast-fed ones pass significantly more stools than the formula-fed.

Heat stable enterotoxin produced by Escherichia coli in acute diarrhoea.

We screened 569 children with acute onset diarrhoea from five Italian towns for heat stable enterotoxin produced by Escherichia coli. We compared an enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) with the standard suckling mouse assay for detection of the enterotoxin. A total of 31 (5.

Acetylcholine increases intracellular sodium activity in sheep cardiac Purkinje fibers.

The action of acetylcholine (ACh) on intracellular sodium activity (alpha iNa) was studied in sheep Purkinje fibers by means of a Na+-selective microelectrode technique while transmembrane potentials and contractile force were simultaneously recorded. In quiescent fibers, 10(-4) to 10(-5) M ACh shifted the resting potential to less negative values and increased alpha iNa from 5.57 +/- 0.

Electrical and ionic mechanisms of early reperfusion arrhythmias in sheep cardiac Purkinje's fibers.

The mechanisms of induction of early reperfusion arrhythmias were studied in sheep cardiac Purkinje's fibers superfused in vitro. Transmembrane potentials, intracellular sodium activity (aiNa), and contractile force were recorded. Stoppage of the flow of Tyrode's solution (ischemia) for 1 hour initially decreased slightly aiNa (-0.

Induction of overdrive excitation in the sinoatrial node in the presence of caffeine.

The induction of spontaneous repetitive activity by a drive ('overdrive excitation') was studied in the sinoatrial node of the guinea pig by recording electrical and mechanical activity in sinoatrial preparations made quiescent by exposure to 20 mM caffeine of caffeine plus high [Ca]0. Electrical drive induced action potentials that were followed by oscillatory potentials and simultaneous aftercontractions. The oscillatory potentials (and the associated aftercontractions) increased in magnitude with successive action potentials, thereby initiating spontaneous beats during slow drives or after fast drives.

Effectiveness of enteric-coated preparations on nutritional parameters in cystic fibrosis. A long-term study.

To evaluate the effectiveness of enteric-coated pancreatic enzyme supplements in comparison to conventional preparations of ingested enzyme on growth and nutritional parameters of patients with cystic fibrosis, we conducted a long-term study involving 40 patients. The data reproduced here were recorded after 6 months of therapy with powder-containing capsules or with enteric-coated products. Fat absorption was estimated by measurement of steatorrhoea with the steatocrit method.

T-lymphocyte subsets in pregnant women with Graves' disease.

T-lymphocyte subpopulations, anti-thyroid microsomal antibody titres, and free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine levels were investigated in 10 patients with Graves' disease before, during and after pregnancy. Twenty pregnant subjects and 100 normal age-matched, non-pregnant female volunteers served as controls. Pregnant patients with Graves' disease showed decrease levels of free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine, and decreased titres of anti-thyroid microsomal antibodies, with clinical remission during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Influence of testosterone therapy on clinical and immunological features of autoimmune diseases associated with Klinefelter's syndrome.

To examine the role of sex steroid hormones in the development of autoimmune diseases, we studied five patients with Klinefelter's syndrome associated with autoimmune disease, three of whom had Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and two of whom had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum testosterone (T) and LH levels, antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) titers, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), hemolytic complement (CH50) levels, and peripheral T lymphocyte subsets (OKT3+, OKT4+, and OKT8+) were measured before treatment, after 60 days of placebo treatment, and after 60 days of oral T undecanoate (TU) treatment. Before treatment and after placebo, with respect to normal men, the patients had lower serum T and higher LH levels, lower percentages and absolute values of OKT3+ (total T lymphocytes) and OKT8+ (suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes) cells, and, consequently, an increased OKT4/OKT8 ratio.

On the mechanisms by which hypoxia eliminates digitalis-induced tachyarrhythmias.

The mechanism by which hypoxia abolishes the tachyarrhythmias induced by cardiac steroids was studied in cardiac Purkinje and ventricular muscle fibres. In muscle fibres, hypoxia reduces excitability markedly, reduces the size and increases the time to peak of the oscillatory potentials (Vos) and of the aftercontractions induced by cardiac steroids, thereby abolishing the tachyarrhythmias. In Purkinje fibres, hypoxia also decreases Vos and excitability but abolishes the tachyarrhythmias only if repeated or prolonged.

[Association of serum tumor markers in solid neoplasms (CEA, ferritin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, parathormone and calcitonin)].

The Authors have tested serum levels of CEA, ferritin, Alpha-1-antitrypsin, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) in 286 patients affected by lung, gastrointestinal, breast and other kinds of cancer and by non neoplastic diseases. 50 healthy subjects were tested as matched controls too. None of the tested patients was subjected to blood transfusion, therapy with iron, radio- or chemotherapy before the blood drawing.