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Using an in vivo closed-loop technique in rat jejunum, we have confirmed previous in vitro studies that cystic fibrosis (CF) serum inhibits water, sodium, and glucose absorption and transmural potential difference. CF heterozygote serum or sera from children with diarrhoeal disorders not associated with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency had no effect on transport. Sera from patients with Shwachman’s syndrome and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency had identical effects to CF serum. These results challenge the specificity of the CF “factor.”. Speculation: PANCREATIC-RELATED FACTORS The pancreas may modulate small intestinal absorption of water, electrolytes, and glucose via an humoral pathway. In exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, there could.be a deficiency of a normal serum factor which stimulates absorption or, alternatively, a factor which inhibits absorption could be present. © 1981 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.

The aim of this research was to study the maternal and prenatal complications which may occur in the abruptio placentae and in placenta praevia.All the patients who were hospitalized in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Policlinico Umberto I, from January 1993 to July 2000 have been studied. Moreover, a comparative study between the onset of complications of the two pathologies considered and the ones found in a control group was carried out. We found 62 cases of placenta previa and 48 cases of abruptio placentae. The total amount of childbirths was 6861, so the incidence of abruptio placentae was 0.007%, while the incidence of placenta previa was 0.009%.The results show that the most frequent maternal complication, in both pathologies, was haemorrhage. We did not find any statistically meaningful difference between the percentage of haemorrhage in the two pathologies ( p=0.0608), but we noted a higher percentage of haemorrhage compared to the control group. The number of hysterectomies was higher in patients with placenta previa compared to patients with abruptio placentae. The most frequent fetal complication was premature birth, significantly more frequent than in the control population (p=0.0210).As a matter of fact, we can affirm that, in all its clinical manifestations abruptio placentae is a more dangerous disease than the placenta previa, except in the complications of the discharge of the afterbirth and of the postpartum, where haemorrhage and uterus atony lead to a great number of hysterectomies.

In the present paper, serum CA125 modifications in patients undergoing their first IVF cycle were compared with those of patients in their second attempt. A significant increase of this marker was detected in each group of patients at day 14 after embryo transfer. However, the level of CA125 monitored in the patients in their second attempt was significantly higher than that determined in patients undergoing their first ovarian stimulation. This condition does not influence either ovarian response or oocyte and embryo quality. Moreover similar IVF outcome was obtained. Therefore we propose that patients undergoing repeated assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles may suffer from ovarian surface epithelial damage and/or altered cellular growth rate.

Any therapeutic intervention needs consent from the patient, after have received information from the physician. This is often seen as a bureaucratic accomplishment but it could enhance therapeutic alliance. We propose to divide consent from information, offering a place in which doubts and emotions can be explored, with the assistance of a psychological interview. We believe that this new approach can enhance physician-patient relationship, with an improvement in patient satisfaction and a decrease of claims and complaints.

Retinol Binding Protein-4 (RBP-4), the action of which was initially thought to be only the transport of vitamin A, is a major circulating adipocytokine involved in the inflammation. We evaluated the serum RBP-4 levels in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and correlated them with transthyretin (TTR), inflammation markers, disease activity, and body mass index (BMI).In 41 children of mean age 11.9 ± 3.6 years (range 5-17.7 y) with IBD (19 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 22 with Ulcerative colitis (UC) serum RBP-4, TTR, Amyloid A (SAA), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), disease activity and BMI were prospectively determined and compared with those of 42 matched controls.No difference in the RBP-4 and TTR serum levels, between patients and controls as well as between active and remission state of the disease was noticed. A negative correlation of serum RBP-4 with the disease activity, SAA and ESR and a positive correlation with TTR was found, but no significant correlation with CRP or BMI was found. Inflammation markers were significantly increased in patients compared to controls and had a positive correlation with the disease activity.RBP-4 negatively correlated with disease activity of children with IBD probably indicating a protective anti-inflammatory mechanism of action in addition to transport of vitamin A.

Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) is a dysplastic lesion that precedes cervical cancer. The diagnosis is made by colposcopic, cytologic and bioptic exams. Therapy may be physical, pharmacological or surgical.We prepared a model of interview (consisting of 9 questions) for 33 colposcopic centers in the Lazio region. Our aim was to evaluate their therapeutic strategies for CIN and cervical condylomata. We referred to SIGO 1999 guidelines for CIN therapy and to European guidelines for cervical condylomata therapy.The centers used drugs more for HPV infections (57%) than for dysplasia (33%). Drug therapy was used more in the past (66.67%). Actually they prefer treating CIN I with electrocoagulation diathermy (DTC), CIN II with loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEP) or Laser, CIN III with cold knife conization or LEEP, cervical condylomata with laser or DTC.The results show that the centers prefer physical therapy. Therapeutic strategies comply with SIGO 1999 guidelines for therapy of CIN and with European guidelines for cervical condylomata partially.

We analysed 37 clinical samples from 33 patients with bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis, two cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with cured tuberculous meningitis, and 14 serum samples from healthy individuals, for the presence of tuberculostearic acid (TSA) by frequency pulsed electron capture-gas chromatography (FPEC-GC) and chemical ionisation gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (CIGC-MS). TSA was detected in 36 of the 37 samples from patients with active tuberculosis and none of the patients with cured tuberculous meningitis; only one of 14 controls generated a similar chromatographic profile. Analysis of biological fluids by FPEC-GC and CIGC-MS for the presence of TSA may be a valuable method for rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.

From January 1995 to January 2001, 40 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were treated at our Institution. Fourteen of these, with a clinical CR after surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy, were evaluated monthly by gynecological examination, Ca-125 RIA assay, pelvic ultrasound with transabdominal and transvaginal probe and color Doppler. Six pelvic relapses, from 1.5 to 3.0 cm, were detected by transvaginal ultrasound (US). They showed a rich neovascularization with low resistance, high flow, PI from 0.3 to 1.0 and RI0.5 in all cases. US did not reveal any sign of relapse in the remaining eight patients. In all cases of pelvic relapses ultrasonic signs of recurrence preceded the increase of Ca-125 by one to six months (average 3.8).