[Prevalence of intestinal parasitoses in a sample of Italian and immigrant workers employed in the food sector of Turin]. / Prevalenza di parassitosi intestinali in un campione di lavoratori italiani ed extracomunitari impiegati nel settore alimentare in Torino.

We studied the prevalence of intestinal parasites in a random sample of immigrants and Italians employed in the food industry. Prevalence ranged from 20.8% among immigrants to 5.6% among Italians. Where helminths are widespread among Indochinese, protozoa are more common among africans. Three cases of Entamoeba histolytica in asymptomatic subjects were identified and successfully treated. We observed high levels of Giardia intestinalis both in Italians (2.2%) and immigrants (3.9%). Prevalence of intestinal protozoa was significantly associated with year of immigration, showing higher levels for new immigrants. The public health implications of parasite screening and treatment among recent immigrants were also discussed.

The 30-minute aminopyrine breath test: optimization of sampling times after intravenous administration of 14C-aminopyrine.

In a retrospective analysis of 78 well-defined patients, the procedure of the aminopyrine breath test was evaluated. After intravenous administration of 14C-aminopyrine (1.5 microCi, 1 mg) 14CO2 was sampled at 15-min intervals for 1 h. Samples taken at 15, 30, 45 and 60 min were similarly able to distinguish between patients with mild liver disease and patients with enzyme induction. The results of the aminopyrine breath test at each sampling time were highly correlated with the galactose elimination capacity and the fractional clearance of indocyanine green. It is concluded that sampling at 30 min represents a satisfactory compromise between practicality and accuracy of the test.

[Pharmacological therapy of portal hypertension]. / Pharmakologische Therapie der portalen Hypertonie.

Bleeding from esophageal varices is a feared complication of liver cirrhosis with high mortality. Pharmacotherapy of the acute bleeding episode with vasopressin has been shown to be effective in controlled studies, but side effects of this therapy are high and therefore replacement of vasopressin with somatostatin is under investigation. Another potential lead is the combination of vasopressin with vasodilators such as nitroglycerin. While acute pharmacotherapy of the patient with esophageal varices is well accepted, chronic or prophylactic pharmacotherapy is still in the investigative stage. Prophylactic therapy with beta-blockers, e.g. propranolol, has been shown to be effective in compensated patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. In patients with more advanced stages of the disease, or with cirrhosis of other etiology, the effectiveness of propranolol has not been proven. The mechanism of propranolol is similar to that of vasopressin, i.e. it lowers portal pressure by reducing portal flow. To maintain function of the affected organ, an alternative approach--namely lowering of portal pressure through reduction of the pathologically elevated resistance--should be actively investigated.

[Differential erythrocyte parameters in thalassemia minor and hyposideremic syndromes]. / Parametri eritrocitari differenziali tra talassemia minor e sindromi iposideremiche.

In order to estimate the validity of the discriminant function suggested by England e Fraser, we have determined the number of red cells (RBC) mean cell volume (MCV), hemoglobin mean concentration (MCV) and red cells distribution (RDW) in normal subjects, iron-deficient patients and uncomplicated thalassemia minor. The results obtained allow us to point out that RDW in the patients with thalassemia are higher than in normal subjects. In patients with iron-deficiency, instead, RDW medium is increased, but with a remarkable distribution of values. These results point out that anisocytosis is higher in iron-deficiency than in thalassemia.