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The recent discovery of cardiac endocrine function, together with the development of accurate and feasible assay methods for cardiac natriuretic hormone evaluation, i.e. for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and inactive peptide NT-proBNP have confirmed their pathophysiological and clinical significance for cardiovascular disease assessment. Concerning heart failure, their value is for diagnostic screening in selected/unselected populations, for differential diagnosis of dyspnea and for prognostic stratification, and as a guide for follow-up and treatment of patients. Recent Italian recommendations pointed out that BNP/NT-proBNP has a role in ruling-out the diagnosis of heart failure in patients with dubious signs/symptoms: plasma BNP/NT-proBNP concentrations help in the clinical evaluation of chronic heart failure patients when risk stratification is needed, whereas the routine BNP/NT-proBNP assay is still not recommended to guide therapeutic decision-making.

A new model is presented for the prediction of complexity of care for inpatients admitted to General Hospital, developed in a Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry setting. The paper reports about the Modena University data set from a multicentric European research project, funded by the European Union. The Complexity of Care Index (CCI), its conceptual origins and its relations to length of hospital stay and subjective judgement of complexity by doctors and nurses are discussed. We describe a two-step procedure for the detection and treatment planning of complex patients at their admission, using a 8 items screening instrument (COMPRI: COMplexity of care PRediction Instrument), whose development is illustrated. The first results of the project, their relevance in relation to previous works addressing the same research area and their consequences for service planning and provision, particularly concerning C/L Psychiatry, are considered.

The present investigation is related to a well known problem in the regenerative heat exchangers: the internal part corrosion due to acid formation during the gas cooling phase. The Ljungström heat exchanger type has been considered and in particular the internal heating element made by different materials have been investigated in order to identify the best solution in terms of corrosion resistance. In particular two different materials for the heating elements have been considered: an anticorrosion steel (S355JOWP) known as COR-TEN A and a decarburized steel coated with a new generation of porcelain enamel composite. In order to study the anticorrosion effectiveness of the porcelain enamel composites two different coating techniques have been used: a wet flow coating and an electrostatic powder coating. Laboratory accelerated life tests have been performed according to ISO-2722 and ISO-2743 and in particular 30% sulphuric acid solution for different time exposure have been used. Experimental results showed that decarburate steel coated with the porcelain enamel composite via wet flow coating technique exhibit the best behaviour in terms of corrosion resistance.

A detailed analysis of toxic shellfish collected in the Adriatic sea in October 2000 allowed us to isolate a new cytotoxic chlorosulfolipid (3). Its gross structure has been elucidated through an extensive NMR analysis including various 2D techniques; the relative stereochemistry has been solved by applying the Murata's method. Compound 3 showed to posses cytotoxic activity against WEHI 164 and J774 cells. The presence of chlorosulfolipids in toxic mussels from the northern Adriatic sea has not to be considered incidental as we have been detecting these cytotoxic compounds since 1998. Their simultaneous and constant presence together with typical marine biotoxins represents a further risk both to consumers' health and aquacultures economic proceeds. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two new desulfated yessotoxin (YTX) analogues were isolated from a toxic batch of Adriatic mussels collected in October 2004. Their stereostructures were elucidated through extensive NMR and MS-based analysis. The finding of these desulfocarboxyhomoYTXs in shellfish poses additional problems to those institutions entitled to control seafood safety, since desulfated YTXs fail the European Union method currently in force for checking toxicity in mollusks.