[Prognostic value of cellular ploidy in adenocarcinoma of the middle rectum]. / Valore prognostico della ploidia cellulare nell'adenocarcinoma del retto medio.

A retrospective study of DNA content in 38 medium-rectal adenocarcinomas (a rectal part between 8 and 12 cm. from anus) was performed using flow cytometry in order to find probable correlations among ploidy, grading, staging and survival in patients who had undergone a surgical operation from January 1975 to December 1989. At the beginning of the work, 21 patients were alive and 17 were dead. Histologically 15 carcinomas (39.4%) were G1, 22 (57.8%) were G2 and only 1 (2.6%) was G3. Moreover 1 case (2.6%) was pT1, 7 (18.4%) were pT2 and 30 (78.9%) were pT3. 11 adenocarcinomas (29%) were euploid and 27 (71%) were aneuploid. These percentages agree with literature data. 11 of dead patients (64.7%) had aneuploid neoplasias and 6 (35.3%) diploid; 16 of alive patients (72.2%) had aneuploid carcinomas and 5 (23.8%) diploid. The difference of survival between aneuploid and diploid carcinomas isn't statistically significative (X2 = 0.168 ns). No correlation was found among aneuploidy, grading and staging, probably on account of small number of analyzed cases, owing to particular and little rectal part included in the study. Likely, having a larger case number we'll be able to obtain more incisive informations from this type of analysis in the next future.

[Circadian variations of sinus rate in subjects with normal or pathological sinus node (author's transl)]. / Variazioni circadiane della frequenza sinusale in soggetti con nodo del seno normale e patologico.

Circadian variation of sinus rate (SR) is well described in subjects with normal sinus node (SN). On the other hand there are on data in literature concerning the SR daily variations in patients with SN disfunction. In order to clarify this problem we studied the SR circadian variation in normal subjects (12, and in patients with intermittent bradycardia (11), persistent bradycardia (9) and intermittent 2:1 seno-atrial block (7). SR was recorded utilizing ECG Holter monitoring. By histograms obtained every two hours, modal, maximum and minimum SR were evaluated. Time series were analyzed with a computer program for cosinor method. In the patients with normal SN, circadian periodicity in SR was confirmed with acrophase at 1626 (maximum SR), 1638 (minimum SR) and 1631 (SR mode), respectively. In patients with intermittent bradycardia a circadian rhythm was detected only in minimum SR (acrophase 1651) and in SR mode (acrophase: 1631). No statistically significant circadian variations of the 3 parameters of SR were observed in patients with both persistent bradycardia and sinoatrial block. These data suggest that: - the disappearance of circadian periodicity is proportional to the severity of SN dysfunction; - the patients with intermittent bradycardia show a more normal behavior at low rates than at high ones; - the disappearance of circadian rhythm in patients with marked SN disfunction can be related to SN intrinsic involvement and/or autonomic nervous system disfunction.