[Mortality study in a cohort of workers employed in the hot working processing of plastics and rubber].

Objectives: to study mortality rates among workers in companies manufacturing thermoplastic and rubber articles (excluding tyres).

Design: cohort study.

Setting And Participants: the cohort includes 4,543 workers employed up to 2000 in 131 companies in the Province of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy) exposed to emissions from hot processing of plastics (3,937) and rubber (606).

[Biological monitoring of the PAH exposure in the hardening of metals].

The hardening of metals involves the immersion of hot components in mineral oil with production of aerosols containing PAHs, to wich workers can be exposed. The determination of airborne PAHs and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPy) was performed for a group of workers and the latter resulted within the reference values. However, the average 1-OHPy concentration on metal workers (0.

Occupational risk factors for renal cell cancer: a case--control study in northern Italy.

Relatively little is known about occupational and other risk factors for renal-cell carcinoma (RCC). Associations between RCC and occupations, exposures and other factors were investigated in a hospital-based case-control study in Bologna (central-northern Italy). Between 1986 and 1994, 324 histologically confirmed RCC cases were diagnosed at Policlinico S.

Microbiological events during commercial meat fermentations.

Microbiological developments during industrial meat fermentations (salami), made with and without commercial starter cultures, were followed at two factories in Germany and Italy. In the German product microbial growth was evident only for the first 48 h, followed by a gradual decline in numbers of most micro-organisms. The pH fell from 5.

[Significance of the degree of oxidative hepatic metabolism in conditioning the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacodynamics of propafenone].

The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma concentrations of propafenone (P) and 5-hydroxy-propafenone (5-OH-P) at steady state in 36 patients with ventricular premature beats, Lown class greater than or equal to 2, submitted to antiarrhythmic treatment with propafenone either in acute administration (AA) (300-450 mg) or in chronic administration (CA) (150-300 mg t.i.d.

Indoor climate and air quality in new offices: effects of a reduced air-exchange rate.

In response to a request from the personnel of a credit bank that had been moved into a new building, an evaluation was made of employee health complaints. The prevalence of symptoms was determined using a self-administered questionnaire. Ventilation effectiveness, contaminant concentrations (which included chemicals and bioaerosols) and microclimate were studied to establish their relationship to environmental discomfort and to the health problems mentioned by the employees.

Minimal effective concentration values of propafenone and 5-hydroxy-propafenone in acute and chronic therapy.

We evaluated the antiarrhythmic efficacy and the minimal effective concentrations of propafenone and its metabolite 5-hydroxy-propafenone during a) acute intravenous infusion (1.5 mg/kg in bolus followed by 45 minutes infusion), b) an acute oral single-dose test (450 mg), and c) 14-day chronic therapy (300 mg tid) followed by a washout. Oxidative metabolism was assessed by a debrisoquine oral test in every patient.

Tocainide and metoprolol: an efficacious therapeutic combination in the treatment of premature ventricular beats.

A double-blind crossover study was performed in 20 patients to verify the efficacy of tocainide plus metoprolol in patients with premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) class Lown greater than or equal to 2 (mean frequency greater than or equal to 30/h) judged as being "stable" by at least three basal 24-h Holter ECGs with PVC variation of less than +/- 25%. All 20 patients were submitted to a placebo period; and all were subsequently randomized to therapy with tocainide 1800 mg/day or metoprolol 200 mg/day for 15 days and then to tocainide 1800 mg + metoprolol 200 mg/day or tocainide 1200 mg + metoprolol 200 mg/day for 15 days, followed by a crossover of the two combination treatments. At steady state in every stage we controlled for plasma levels of the drugs, a 24-h Holter recording, and a 12-lead ECG.

[Plasma levels of anti-arrhythmic drugs and clinical effectiveness in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias].

In spite of the ratio between plasmatic concentration and antiarrhythmic effects of a drug many factors can be influenced by many factors, the plasma level monitoring plays an important clinical role. The efficacy of the antiarrhythmic therapy should be evaluated not only by means of ECG-Holter monitoring and/or electrophysiological study but also by the means of determination of plasmatic and tissular concentration of a drug and metabolites. This latter is indispensable in the evaluation of new antiarrhythmic drugs and of a dose/effect relationship during acute and chronic therapy.

Antiarrhythmic efficacy of propafenone: evaluation of effective plasma levels following single and multiple doses.

In 11 patients with stable premature ventricular beats, the kinetics of single (150 and 300 mg) and multiple (150 mg t.i.d.

Propafenone for refractory ventricular arrhythmias: correlation with drug plasma levels during long-term treatment.

The efficacy of propafenone, a new antiarrhythmic drug, was studied in 21 patients with ventricular arrhythmias refractory to previous antiarrhythmic medications. Group A included 10 patients with chronic ventricular premature complexes (VPCs), 6 of whom had nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) and 4 of whom had recurrent, sustained VT; all received propafenone, 900 mg/day. Group B included 11 patients, all with chronic VPCs, 9 of whom had nonsustained VT and 5 of whom had sustained VT; all received propafenone, 450 mg/day.

[Clinical pharmacology of propafenone].

Aim of our study is to examine some aspects of the relationship between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of Propafenon that are important as far as its current use is concerned. Orally administered Propafenon is largely absorbed and easily metabolized by the liver. Bioavailability is on the average 50%.