Predictive factors of abdominal compartment syndrome in neonatal age.

In the pediatric population, abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is a known complication of abdominal wall defect repair. However, there are only few reports on ACS in newborns and only a proposal of critical intra-abdominal pressure value (IAP) in term newborns, absent in preterm newborns. Although the prevalent clinical sign is tense abdominal distension, it may be difficult to distinguish ACS from pathologies that will not require decompression.

Vasospastic angina and scombroid syndrome: a case report.

Scombroid syndrome is a fish poisoning characterised by the onset of symptoms compatible with a pseudoallergic reaction; it is rarely also responsible of signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndromes, as demonstrated in this case report.

[Clinical use of a new class of anticoagulant drugs: the direct thrombin inhibitors].

The coagulation cascade, and particularly thrombin, plays a very important role in arterial and venous thrombosis. Thereby, it is clear that thrombin inactivation is an optimal strategy for thrombotic disease prevention and treatment. The direct thrombin inhibitors are a new class of anticoagulant drugs directly binding thrombin and blocking its interaction with fibrinogen.

Effects of chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs) in sensitive, multidrug resistant and apoptosis resistant leukaemia cell lines.

Recently discovered chemically modified tetracyclines (CMTs) have shown in vitro and in vivo anti-proliferative and anti-tumour activities. Here, we evaluated in vitro the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity of six different dedimethylamino chemically modified tetracyclines (CMT-1, CMT-3, CMT-5, CMT-6, CMT-7 and CMT-8) in sensitive and multidrug resistant myeloid leukaemia cells (HL60 and HL60R) in vitro. Three of these compounds (CMT-5, CMT-6, CMT-7) showed low cytotoxic activity both in sensitive and in resistant cells, CMT-3 was endowed with a high anti-proliferative activity only in sensitive cells and was moderately effective as apoptosis inducing agent, with an activity similar to that shown by doxycycline.

Neurons and ECM regulate occludin localization in brain endothelial cells.

We report that extracellular matrix and neurons modulate the expression of occludin, one of the main components of tight junctions, by rat brain endothelial cells (RBE4.B). Of the three extracellular matrix proteins which we tested (collagen I, collagen IV, and laminin), collagen IV stimulated at the best the expression of occludin mRNA.

Effects of insulin-oral hypoglycemic agents combined therapy in outpatients with type 2 diabetes.

To evaluate the efficacy of combined insulin-OHAs therapy in subjects with NIDDM who received treatment with OHAs and insulin alone, we selected 60 outpatients divided in two groups: Group A: 36 subjects treated with OHAs therapy that received insulin treatment for secondary failure; Group B: 24 subjects in which OHAs therapy was added to insulin regimen to avoid the effects of hyperinsulinization. In the group A body weight increased significantly (+1.94 +/- 2.

[Color Doppler-echo in rheumatoid arthritis with extra-articular location. Preliminary experience].

Introduction: Chronic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis usually involves articular synovia and extends to other joint components such as bursae, tendons and sheaths. Conventional US with high frequency transducers is an accurate tool for assessing abnormal changes in evolutive rheumatoid arthritis. We investigated the role of color and power Doppler imaging in staging extra-articular involvement, monitoring local inflammatory changes and drug treatment response.

Synergistic effects of laminin and thyroid hormones on neuron polarity in culture.

This study is aimed to elucidate whether triiodothyronine (T3) and laminin have additive effects in regulating neural differentiation. We focused our attention on the expression of synapsin I, the 68 kDa component of the neurofilament triplet (NF-68), growth associated protein (GAP)-43 and microtubule associated protein (MAP)-2 as markers of synapses, cytoskeleton, axons and the somatodendritic domain, respectively. The addition of T3 to the medium of differentiating rat cortical neurons cultured on laminin did not have any effect on the concentration of these proteins, but was critical for their subcellular localization, suggesting a synergistic role of thyroid hormones and laminin in the establishment of neural polarity.

[The heart of the patient with beta thalassemia major. Study with magnetic resonance].

Purpose: The main cause of death in beta-thalassemia major patients is congestive heart failure which is traditionally referred to myocardial iron overload. Recently, some investigators have found that cardiac failure is not caused by the iron overload. In their opinion, left-sided heart failure develops years after the onset of acute myocarditis and might be related to a late autoimmune process.

Feedback inhibition of insulin secretion and insulin resistance in polycystic ovarian syndrome with and without obesity.

Hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance is a well-known feature of polycystic ovarian (PCO) syndrome. In this study, the comparative roles of the peripheral tissues and the pancreatic beta-cells in its pathogenesis were evaluated. We determined basal serum C-peptide values (index of insulin secretion) and in vivo insulin action on peripheral glucose utilization (by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp technique) in obese (n = 5) and nonobese (n = 5) PCO women compared to obese (n = 5) and nonobese (n = 5) normal ovulatory women.

[Serum protein changes in diabetes mellitus].

Aim: To evaluate the serum protein pattern in a wide sample of diabetic patients using the simple method of electrophoresis, identifying the characteristics for each condition and correlating the various components.

Experimental Design: A retrospective study was made using medical records.

Setting: The Institute of Clinical Medicine I at Palermo University Hospital during the years 1990, 1991 and 1992.

Serum uric acid, insulin secretion and resistance in nonhyperuricemic and hyperuricemic obese female subjects.

In order to study the relationships between obesity, serum uric acid, insulin secretion and insulin resistance in female subjects, we evaluated serum C-peptide and glucose-induced insulin utilization (euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp) in 16 obese (8 nonhyperuricemic and 8 hyperuricemic) and 10 nonobese control subjects. Baseline C-peptide levels were significantly higher in hyperuricemic compared to both nonhyperuricemic obese subjects and controls (P < 0.001).

Blood pressure, insulin secretion and resistance in nonhypertensive and hypertensive obese female subjects.

Objective: To study the relationships between blood pressure, insulin secretion and insulin resistance in obese female subjects.

Design: Evaluation of insulin-secretion and resistance respectively by blood C-peptide determination and glucose clamp technique in nonhypertensive and hypertensive obese female subjects.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of University Hospital.

[Hyperinsulinism/insulin resistance: cause, effect or marker of essential arterial hypertension?].

Essential hypertension is often accompanied by metabolic abnormalities which commonly include hyperinsulinemia/insulin resistance. Even in the absence of these metabolic disorders, high blood pressure tends to be associated with insulin resistance. These observations raise two orders of questions: 1) whether hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are simply innocent bystanders or are causally involved in the initiation and/or promotion of hypertension; 2) whether blood pressure elevation is eventually caused by excess of insulin or whether it is a manifestation of the complex metabolic state responsible for insulin resistance.

[Insulin resistance: related clinical syndromes].

The authors, after having defined and listed the pathogenetic mechanisms of insulin resistance, describe the main, more or less frequent, syndromes with accompany this condition, classified on the basis of the prevalent etiology (dismetabolic, disendocrine, genetic, mixed), identifying of each one, when possible, the modes of determining the same insulin resistance. The more frequent diseases, whose common feature is the insulin resistance (obesity, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, acanthosis nigricans, polycystic ovarian syndrome) are particularly considered on the basis of recent literature and of personal data.