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The anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste sorted by plant was investigated in a 3 m3 stirred digester, operating under mesophilic conditions. Yields of gas obtained at 7 kg total volatile solids per m3 per day and 15-day hydraulic residence time (about 10% biodegradeable solids, 20% total solids) were as much as 1.6 times the digester volume per day. Better sorting should improve the yields which already compare favorably with the existing literature data. A kinetic study on the substrate utilization was performed by employing the "first order" model.

The aim of this study was to evaluate renal Doppler resistive index in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension (EH) and to correlate its changes with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy assessed by echocardiography. Twenty-eight EH patients (19 males, 9 females, mean age 56.2 +/- 8.6 years) and 13 normotensive subjects (7 males, 6 females, mean age 57.6 +/- 7.9 years) were studied; all patients underwent a complete echocardiographic study (M-mode, two-dimensional and Doppler) and a color Doppler echography of renal and intrarenal arteries. After the renal Doppler waveform was obtained, resistive index was calculated by peak systolic velocity (S) and lowest diastolic velocity (D) with the formula S-D/S. EH patients were divided into two subgroups on the basis of left ventricular mass (LVM): Group EH1 with normal LVM (15 patients) and Group EH2 with increased LVM (13 patients). All patients evidenced normal renal morphology and function and received no therapy throughout the entire observation period. Renal resistive index was significantly higher in EH patients than in controls; however, the maximum difference was observed between normotensive subjects and the EH patients with increased LVM (p0.00001). At univariate analysis, significant correlations were found between renal resistive index and age, body mass index, left ventricular relative wall thickness and LVM. However, when multiple regression analysis was used, only age (p0.01) and LVM (p0.05) remained significant predictors of resistive index. In conclusion, our data show that in EH patients resistive index, which is considered an expression of arterial impedance, is well correlated with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy, presently considered the best index of the severity of hypertensive disease. This correlation may be the expression of the involvement of two target organs in hypertension.

We report the case of a rather rare form of K-light chain deposition disease (LCDD) in a 61-year-old man with hypertension and rapidly progressing nephropathy. Laboratory findings prompted suspicion of the diagnosis which was confirmed by light-microscopic and immunofluorescent studies of samples taken by percutaneous renal and liver biopsy. Hepatic and urinary K-light chains were present; no circulating light chains were detected. Bone marrow examination evidenced mild infiltration of lymphoid cells, all positive for K-light chain staining. Plasma cells were within normal ranges. LCDD appeared as nodular glomerulosclerosis with rare crescents and extensive tubular involvement with K-light chain deposits. There was no evidence of altered liver function, nor was amyloid found in the bone marrow, kidney or liver. After one year of continuous therapy with melphalan and prednisone, the patient's renal function has not worsened. We conclude with a review of the clinical and physiopathological features of the light chain subgroup of monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition diseases (MIDD).

The paper describes the activity directed towards the production of a monolithic DBS front-end receiver. The basic technological choises for the front-end production are discussed. Main design features and performances of the developed circuits (low-noise preamplifier, dual-gate mixer, high stability local oscillator and IF amplifier) are reported. The adopted solution for a compact mounting of the full front-end receiver is described.

On the basis of a personal case, the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic problems of variants of dissecting aneurysm of the aorta with benign course are discussed. The usefulness of cardio-aortic angioscintigraphy in the interests of early diagnosis of aneurysm and aortography by catheterism for specifying its location and extent, is pointed out. Spontaneous benign development would seem to be tied up with the affected area of the aorta, the modalities of dissection, and above all with the establishment of a distal return breach for blood flow into the aortic lumen. The predominant role of cystic medionecrosis in determining dissection is stressed and the usefulness of intensive pharmacological therapy based essentially on hypotensive and beta-blocking substances confirmed.

The results obtained using hemodilution, plasmapheresis, plasma-exchange and erythro-apheresis in the treatment of several diseases with hyperviscosity syndrome are discussed. These therapeutic approaches seem very useful not only in the treatment of hyperviscosity syndrome, but also in the prevention of vascular damage.

Evaluation of stored iron by means of DFOX-induced sideruria in 101 subjects with various degree of hyposideraemia with or without anaemia, is reported. Three groups were examined: 49 patients with chronic loss of blood and malabsorption and urinary iron values up to 1 mg/24hr; 43 with non-bleeding neoplasia, collagen disease, lymphoma, cirrhosis of the liver etc. and values of 1-2mg/24 hr; 9 with rheumatoid arthritis and cirrhosis of the liver and values over 2 mg/24 hr. The reasons why hyposideraemia may accompany incipient of frank tissue hypo-, normo- or hypersiderosis are discussed.