[Lipid-metabolic and blood coagulation factors in chronic peripheral arteriopathies]. / Su alcuni fattori lipido-metabolici ed emocoagulativi nelle arteriopatie croniche periferiche.

The authors have tested serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, with the plasmatic levels of Antithrombin III and other parameters (Quick time, PTT, fibrinogenaemia and platelets) in patients affected by chronic obstructive arterious diseases in various stages including a group of patients affected by diabetes mellitus. The results show that there is a correlation between the behaviour of the parameter tested and the follow-up of the diseases, particularly for HDL and LDL cholesterol and Antithrombin III. The authors suggest the use of these tests for monitoring this kind of vascular peripheral diseases.

[Determination of anti-core antibodies with the immunoenzymatic method. Comparison with the radioimmunological method]. / Determinazione degli anticorpi anti-core con metodo immunoenzimatico. Confronto con la metodica radioimmunologica.

The authors tested 366 samples for the detection of HBcAb using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmuno assay (RIA). Twenty samples were titered to compare the sensitivity of the two tests. The results showed that the two methods gave very similar results, with only a few doubtful cases for RIA. ELISA seems to be more sensitive than RIA for the titration of the positive samples. The authors conclude that the ELISA method is easier than RIA and does not require any apparatus in particular.

Effect of anaesthesia on serum levels of LH and FSH in man with and without GnRH test.

The effect of anaesthesia with atropine and pentobarbital (PB) in three groups of volunteers has been tested. The dose used for the anaesthesia was 20 mg/kg body weight of PB. The experiment was performed with and without stimulation test with GnRH. Anaesthesia was shown to increase serum levels of LH and to increase the response to stimulation with GnRH. Atropine and mental stress seem to have no effect on the hormones. No variation in serum levels of FSH in the anaesthesized volunteers was noted. The data obtained have been statistically controlled.

[Association of serum tumor markers in solid neoplasms (CEA, ferritin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, parathormone and calcitonin)]. / Studio di una associazione di markers tumorali sierici in alcune neoplasie solide (CEA, ferritina, alfa-1-antitripsina, paratormone e calcitonina).

The Authors have tested serum levels of CEA, ferritin, Alpha-1-antitrypsin, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) in 286 patients affected by lung, gastrointestinal, breast and other kinds of cancer and by non neoplastic diseases. 50 healthy subjects were tested as matched controls too. None of the tested patients was subjected to blood transfusion, therapy with iron, radio- or chemotherapy before the blood drawing. Cea, ferritin, PTH and CT were tested by radioimmunoassay; AAT by laser nephelometry. All the healthy subjects showed serum levels of the markers in the normal ranges. Also the percent of cases with contemporaneous pathological markers was examined. The obtained data have been statistically controlled with "chi square" test. The results show that CEA, ferritin, AAT and CT are higher in the tumor groups than in the others. On the contrary PTH seems to be not useful as tumor marker. The Authors conclude affirming that it is not possible to use any of the tested substances as a specific tumor marker but it is useful to test at the same time these markers in the patients suspected to be affected by cancer for an early diagnosis and therapy, as there are few false positive and false negative cases.

[Comparison of two methods for measuring human serum immunoglobulins (laser-nephelometry and radial immunodiffusion)]. / Confronto fra due metodi di dosaggio delle immunoglobuline sieriche uwane (laser-nefelometria e immunodiffusione radiale).

The AA. have tested 50 serum samples for immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) with two different methods: laser-nephelometry (LN) and radial immunodiffusion (RID). Mean values of IgG and IgA are almost the same in the two tested methods and there is a good correlation between LN and RID (IgG: r = 0,98; IgA: = 0,96). Also IgM have showed a good correlation (r = 0,987) but mean values obtained with LN are just a few lower than those obtained with RID. Regression lines, calculated for all the Ig, confirm these conclusions. The AA. conclude affirming that the obtained difference for IgM is due to the different standards used for LN and RID determinations.

[Serum tumor markers in lung neoplasms (correlation with histological types)]. / Utilizzazione di alcuni markers tumorali sierici nelle neoplasie del polmone (rapporto con i quadri istologici).

The AA. have tested serum levels of ferritin, alpha-1-antitripsyn, C4 and Phosphohexoseisomerase (PHI) in 50 patients affected by primary lung cancer, 40 patients affected by chronic lung diseases and a control group of 40 healthy males and females. All the test have a percentage of pathological case higher in the group of neoplasms than in the group of chronic diseases and ferritin seems to have the highest sensitivity. Obtained results have been correlated also to the morphoradiological and histological kind of neoplasm. "Peripheral" morphoradiological kind and III WHO histological kind are the group with more pathological cases. All the data have been statistically controlled.

[Effect of atropine on hypophyseal gonadotropins in the basal condition and under GnRH stimulation]. / Azione dell'atropina sulle gonadotropine ipofisarie in condizioni basali e dopo stimolo con GnRH.

The Authors have tested serum levels of LH and FSH in 10 healthy males after stimulation test with GnRH preceded by administration i.m. of 1 mg. of atropine 10' and 1 hour before the test, to examine some interferences of the drug on ipophisary gonadotropins. Atropine has no effect on LH and FSH release because there are no differences between mean values of the hormones during the test with and without atropine, at any time it is administered. All the data obtained have been controlled with Student's "t" test.

[Effects of pentobarbital on serum PRL and TSH in the basal condition and under TRH stimulation in man: preliminary note]. / Effetti del pentobarbital sui livelli sierici di PRL e TSH in condizioni basali e dopo stimolo con TRH nell'uomo: nota preliminare.

The Authors have tested serum levels of PRL and TSH in six healthy males, anaesthesized with 20 mg./Kg. body weight of pentobarbital with and without stimultion with TRH. PB has no effect on serum levels of TSH but there is an inhibition of PRL release 180', 240' and 360' after the administration of the drug. The AA. have found no effects of PB on the stimulation test with TRH. All the data obtained have been examined with Student's "T" test.

Inhibiting effect of atropine on prolactin blood levels after stimulation with TRH.

With this study, the Authors, have demonstrated that atropine has an inhibiting action on the hypophysis response and that such inhibition is correlated to the length of time between the i.m. injection of anticholinergic and the intravenous administration of TRH. Such results make believe that in human, as in the animal the cholinergic system plays a role, maybe important, in the prolactin release.

[Serum levels of GPI, AAT and CEA in primary lung neoplasms and chronic bronchopneumopathies]. / I livelli sierici di GPI, A1AT e CEA nelle neoplasie polmonari primitive e nelle broncopneumopatie croniche.

The Authors have tested serum levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), phosphohexose-isomerase (GPI) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 133 patients affected with primary lung cancer, not treated with any drug, and in 183 patients affected with not neoplastic lung diseases or healthy, to control the utility of these markers in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. In many patients all the tests have been made at the same time. The three tumoral markers have been also examined in connection with the histological kinds of lung cancer. Results show that is suitable to test GIP and A1AT at the same time because they are percentually more pathological; serum levels of CEA, that are not very elevated in the pathological cases, seem in correlation with the histological kind of cancer.