Evaluation of occupational exposure in magnetic resonance sites.

Purpose: In an attempt to evaluate the exposure level of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) workers to static magnetic fields, the isotropic magnetic flux density values were integrated over time to produce the cumulative exposure. To protect occupational staff a further precautionary step is proposed by introducing a weighting function incorporating the limits imposed by the Italian legislation. The results obtained should be reported, at the end of each working day, on a special dose card, in order to record each worker's exposure to the static magnetic field.

Expression of NA/1 symporter (NIS) in endometrial mucosa of fertile, sterile and post-menopausal women.

The expression of the Na/I Symporter (NIS) in the basolateral cell membrane of the thyroid follicular cells is responsible for the active accumulation of iodide within the thyroid gland and for the subsequent biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. However, several tissues, such as salivary glands, breast, stomach, colon, ovary and endometrium, express NIS even if they are unable to organify iodide. In order to investigate a possible role of NIS in the endometrium, we analyzed, by immunochemistry, the expression of NIS in 44 endometrial samples of 20 patients with primary unexplained infertility, 14 fertile women and 10 in postmenopausal.

Behaviour of cytokine levels in serum and peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a disorder characterised by presence and growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, primarily into the peritoneum. The peritoneal fluid (PF) of women with endometriosis undergoes a number of biological changes, including local inflammatory-reparative phenomena and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) involvement. These activated cells as well as the endometriotic cells secrete various cytokines with pleiotropic biological activities.