The behavior of Italian family physicians regarding the health problems of women and, in particular, family planning (both contraception and NFP).

The hospital-centered trend that has dominated medical culture and the management of health care during this entire century has, in the last few years, undergone a reversal in Italy. Conditions in other countries suggest that similar changes have or will become increasingly common. The family physician today manages many of the functions previously handled by hospitals and specialists.

[Correlated study of visual evoked potentials-polyneuropathy in diabetic patients without retinopathy].

The functional study of visual pathways by means of pattern reversals VEPs (visual evoked potentials) was used as a noninvasive method in the study of diabetic patients, but the correlations between alterations in VEPs and the involvement of peripheral nervous system were not explored. Among 35 diabetic patients not suffering from retinopathy, we tested early deteriorations in visual pathways by means of pattern reversals VEPs and we considered similarities between these alterations, clinical metabolic parameters of the disease and clinical and paraclinical aspects of polyneuropathy (PNP). Four of these patients were insulin-dependent and 31 non-insulin-dependent, all with normal electroretinography and fluorangiography.

[Evaluation of the effectiveness of monotherapy in the treatment of epilepsy].

On 44 patients undergoing monotherapy, with total plasma levels of drug therapeutic range, 33 had a reduction of the frequency of seizures, while the remaining 11 were unmodified. There was 90% improvement in Primary Generalized seizures, 73% in Secondary Generalized and 62% in Partial Complex; 27% of PC, 16% of PG and 16% of SG shifted to polytherapy. Considering that monotherapy can be better managed and is less toxic, we can recommend it as first choice treatment in newcomers, as a maintenance therapy, and as treatment of choice for the gradual elimination of therapy.

Free drug levels monitoring as a detector of false metabolic refractory epilepsy.

Unbound and total plasma levels of carbamazepine (CBZ) and phenobarbital (PB) were evaluated in a group of 12 refractory patients out of 397 subjects, with normal values of total drug concentration and unbound levels below the expected ones. We established a minimal acceptable 'subtherapeutic' free drug level, i.e.