[The role of caregiver in patients at risk of difficult discharge: a needs analysis in a medical ward].

Introduction: the continuous increase in life expectancy and the large amount of elderly population the caregiver become an important figure in domiciliary assistance. He is not often prepared to fulfil this complex role, because he has a great number of unsatisfied needs. For this reason the aim of this study is to identify and analyze the caregiver's educational needs, in anticipation of frail elderly's home discharge.

Late complication of open inguinal hernia repair: small bowel obstruction caused by intraperitoneal mesh migration.

We describe a case of small bowel obstruction due to prosthetic mesh migration. A 67-year-old male, who had undergone prosthetic repair of inguinal hernia 3 years before, was admitted for a mechanical small bowel obstruction. Laparotomy revealed the penultimate ileal loop choked by an adhesion drawing it towards a polypropylene mesh, firmly attached to the parietal peritoneum of the inguinal region.

The stereospecific effects of isoflurane isomers in vivo.

The anesthetic potency of racemic isoflurane and the optically pure stereoisomers was examined in rats. The (+) isomer was 53% more potent than the (-) isomer (minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) = 1.06 +/- 0.

Immunological pattern in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

The aim of this work was to perform an immunological study in six patients with 21 hydroxylase deficiency in mild form (M210HD) and in 2 patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency in classical form (C210HD) and in their parents, in whom a previous HLA,C4,Bf typing demonstrated high prevalence of DR5 and phenotypic absence of fraction C4B of complement (C4BQO). This study contains the evaluation of C3, IgA, IgG, IgM levels, anticardiolipin antibodies (IgG and IgM) and circulating immunocomplexes. A study of lymphocyte subsets was also performed.

Effects of Centella asiatica extract on mucopolysaccharide metabolism in subjects with varicose veins.

The effects were studied of the total triterpenic fraction of Centella asiatica on serum levels of the uronic acids and lysosomal enzymes involved in mucopolysaccharide metabolism (beta-glycuronidase, beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, arylsulfatase) in patients with varicose veins. The basal levels of uronic acids (467.7 +/- 69.