Correlations between serum lipids and complement components in adults without demonstrated atherosclerotic disease.

The variability due to age and sex and the reciprocal relations of serum IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, C4, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) were studied in 87 subjects (46 men and 41 women, aged 20-75 years) selected for the absence of significant atherosclerotic lesions. Serum IgA and C3 were higher in men than in women (P less than 0.05) mainly in the age group 41-60, while IgM and HDL-C were higher in women than in men (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.01, respectively), especially in the age group 20-40. Direct univariate correlations with age were found for serum TC (P less than 0.0001), IgA (P less than 0.001), and C4 (P less than 0.01) but the latter correlations was confirmed only in women by multivariate analysis. These 3 variables had the major increment in the age group 41-60 in men, while in women the increase associated with age was more progressive or late. Univariate analysis showed a 'ring' of highly significant correlations (P less than 0.0001) involving serum lipids and complement components (TC-C4-C3-TG-TC). The correlation between TC and C4 was present only in men in multivariate analysis and improved with increasing age. These findings might represent a clue to explain the previously reported association between serum C4 and atherosclerosis.

Percutaneous transcatheter arterial embolization of bone and soft tissue tumors.

Arterial embolization was performed in 36 patients with tumors of bone and soft tissue. Embolization was the only treatment in seven patients with benign lesions. Fourteen patients underwent embolization before surgery to obtain hemostasis and/or reduce tumor size. Fifteen patients with inoperable primary bone tumors or skeletal metastases underwent palliative embolization. The best results were obtained in aneurysmal bone cysts.

[Angiographic control of portocaval anastomoses. A study of hepato-portal circulatory changes after shunt (author's transl)]. / Bilan angiographique des anastomoses porto-caves chirurgicales. Considérations sur les modifications circulatoires hépato-portales après dérivation.

The hepatoportal circulatory changes which occur after porto-systemic shunts have been evaluated in 55 cirrhotic patients studied by post-operative arterioportography. In every one of these cases the shunt was patent. After side to side portocaval shunt (28 patients) the arterioportography shows the complete drainage of the splanchnic blood into the inferior vena cava. A reversed flow was observed in 20 patients. After conventional spleno renal shunt (eight patients) a maintained hepatopetal flow was present only in early angiographic controls, while in later controls all splanchnic blood flow was towards the renal vein, with evidence of reversed portal flow. Even after mesocaval shunt (ten patients) the splanchnic flow was hepatofugal. Instead, after distal splenorenal Warren shunt (two cases) the hepatopetal portal flow seems to be unaffected as evidence by angiography 15 days post-operatively. An increased of the hepatic artery diameter and its intrahepatic branches was observed in 20 out of 27 controls. This hepatic artery "hepertrophy" is related in increased hepatic artery blood flow which seems to be, according to Burchell [5], an important factor in the reestablishment of the liver circulation after portocaval shunt.

[Control of the patency of porto-systemic anastomoses]. / Il controllo della pervietà delle anastomosi porto-sistemiche.

After having discussed the direct and indirect methods to control the patency of porto-systemic anastomoses, the Authors report on their series of 42 cases (28 side-to-side porto-cava shunts, 6 end-to-side porto-cava shunts, 6 spleno-renal shunts, 2 mesenterico-cava shunts) where the postop. control was carried out with portography, hepatic superselective arteriography in 29 cases, transcaval catheterism of the anastomosis in 6 patients, and pre-op., and post-op. echotomography in 15 cases. Portography revealed 39 cases of patent anastomosis and thrombotic occlusion in 3 cases. The typical sign of shunt patency is the visualisation of the inferior V.C. and the less frequent disappearance of right gastric reflux. Furthermore the investigations consented the evaluation of altered post-shunt hepato-portal flow: side-to-side porto-cava shunt (25 patent anastomoses) revealed a complete deviation of portal glow towards the I.V.C. and in 15 cases there was inverted portal flow; portography after splenorenal shunt (5 cases of patent anastomosis) showed a preserved hepatopetal portal flow only in early controls (7 days) while in all long term controls it was hepatofugal. In 13 cases the morphology of the hepatic arterial system was compared before and after surgery; in 12 cases the hepatic artery was larger and its intrahepatic branches more tortuous after surgery Ultrasonography revealed only 8 patent shunts out of 15 examined since the amount of gas in the bowel rendered the exam technically insufficient.