[Heparan sulfate: its kinetic effects on fibrinolytic-coagulative parameters after oral administration]. / Eparansolfato: cinetica degli effetti su parametri fibrinolitico-coagulativi dopo somministrazione orale.

The effects of the oral administration of 100 or 200 mg of heparan sulphate or placebo over time were assessed in nine healthy volunteers. Blood samples were collected at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 hours after administration to assay prothrombin activity, partially activated thromboplastin time, and the activation to tPA and PAI-1. A significant increase (P < 0.001) of tPA activity and a reduced inhibition of fibrinolytic systems by PAI-1 were observed. These effects, which were clearly dose-dependent, appeared 2 hours after administration and persisted for 6-8 hours. On the contrary, no changes were recorded in coagulative tests at the doses used.

[Heparan sulfate: efficacy and safety in patients with chronic venous insufficiency]. / Eparansolfato: efficacia e tollerabilità in pazienti affetti da insufficienza venosa cronica.

Fifty patients suffering from chronic venous disease were treated for 30 days with heparan sulphate 100 mg per os, b.i.d., or mesoglycan 50 mg per os, t.i.d., in a single blind random study. Both therapies led to a marked improvement in comparison to basal clinical values, but patients treated with heparan sulphate showed the greatest and most rapid regression of symptoms, associated with a significant improvement in plethysmographic index of capacitance and venous flow. Patients treated with heparan sulphate also showed an increased fibrinolytic activity and a reduced antithrombin III consumption, both of which were statistically significant.

[Ferroprotein succinylate: treatment of iron deficiency in obstetrics and gynecology]. / Il ferroproteinsuccinilato: terapia della carenza marziale in ostetricia e ginecologia.

Aim of this multicentric clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a new iron compound: iron proteinsuccinylate. 3,200 patients affected with iron deficiency due to obstetric or gynecologic etiology were treated with iron proteinsuccinylate, at a daily dose of 80 mg Fe3+, for at least 30 days. Iron proteinsuccinylate induced a statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.01) in mean values of hemoglobin and serum iron. The compound also caused a disappearance or improvement of subjective symptomatology (asthenia, anorexia) and of clinical conditions deriving from iron deficiency state (polypnea, cutaneous and mucous pallor). The treatment was well tolerated and caused a few slight side effects (diarrhea, epigastralgia, nausea) in 2.4% of patients.

Liver triglyceride accumulation after chronic ethanol administration: a possible protective role of metadoxina and ubiquinone.

Hepatoprotective actions of metadoxina and ubiquinone have been studied in alcoholic rats by evaluating hepatic triglyceride accumulation and serum biochemical parameters of liver function. The two drug-treated groups displayed significantly lower triglyceride concentrations as compared to the ethanol-treated group. No significant differences were found among the two drug-treated and the control groups. Electron-microscopic abnormalities were found only in ethanol-treated rats. Serum biochemical parameters of liver function did not show any significant difference among all four groups. These results suggest a possible protective role of metadoxina and ubiquinone in ethanol-induced liver triglyceride accumulation.

[The demography of the Albanian minority in Calabria. First results]. / La demographie des minorites albanaises de Calabre. Premiers resultats.

PIP: Demographic changes in the population of Albanian origin in Calabria, located in southern Italy, are discussed. Using data from official Italian sources, the author examines the impact of international migration in the early 1900s and after World War II on this specific population. A decrease in population size, a lower birth rate, and an increased number of elderly people comprise the major demographic changes. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND ITA)^ieng

In vivo immunopotentiating activity of thymopentin in aging humans: increase of IL-2 production.

The effect of thymopentin (TP-5) treatment on lymphocyte immune functions has been investigated in immunocompromised aged subjects. TP-5 was able to improve the cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity (CDH) to recall antigens and the proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A, and Pokeweed (PWM) as well as the PHA-induced interleukin-2 (Il-2) production. On the other hand, no detectable changes were induced by TP-5 treatment either on PWM-induced immunoglobulin synthesis or on lymphocyte subsets identified by monoclonal antibodies. Our results suggest that the enhancement of Il-2 synthesis might be a crucial mechanism of the immunopharmacological action of TP-5 in aging humans.

Immunological features of nonhealing midline granuloma.

A 60-year-old man affected by nonhealing midline granuloma (NHmG) is described. The histopathological features, the clinical course and the radiosensitivity of the lesion clearly differentiate this pathological condition from malignant lymphomas and from Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). The presence of antinuclear antibodies with an antinucleolar pattern in a subject bearing HLA-B8 suggests the involvement of autoimmune phenomena and a close relation between NHmG and WG.

Detection and further characterization of a newly described microsomal autoantibody associated with chronic delta infection.

Sera from 162 patients with acute or chronic hepatitis and from patients with autoimmune diseases have been investigated for autoantibodies by indirect immunofluorescence on human and animal tissues. A small proportion (14.2%) of young patients with chronic delta hepatitis has been found positive for cytoplasmic staining which was maximal in hepatocytes and renal proximal tubules. This autoantibody has been found to react with microsomal antigenic determinant different from the classic liver-kidney microsomal LKM antigen as demonstrated by fluorescence absorption experiments with purified subcellular organelles and by fluorescence-blocking tests. The microsomal autoantibody displayed also organ and species-specificity different from those shown by the LKM-positive sera. The positive patients showed persistence of the microsomal autoantibody during the follow-up without other serological markers of autoimmunity. There was no evidence of a particular course of chronic delta hepatitis in patients positive for the microsomal autoantibody.

Autoantibody pattern in non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Acute and convalescent sera from 44 patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis were tested for organ and non-organ specific autoantibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. In the acute-phase sera, 36.4% of the patients were positive for smooth muscle antibodies. Brush border antibodies and anti-reticulin antibodies were detected in 13.6% of the patients. Only two patients (4.5%) were positive for anti-nuclear antibodies. The autoantibody pattern did not relate to the different epidemiology, sex, a previous hepatitis B virus infection or to the biochemical liver function tests. The autoantibody pattern did not differ statistically in patients who recovered (23 cases) and in patients who progressed to chronic liver disease (21 cases), even if a higher frequency of smooth muscle antibodies was detected in the latter group. Convalescent sera screening showed that the clinical course of the disease did not relate to the behaviour of smooth muscle antibodies, brush border antibodies and anti-reticulin antibodies. However, an increase (28.6%) in anti-nuclear antibodies in patients who progressed to chronic liver disease was observed. The clinical significance of the presence of serological markers of autoimmunity in patients with chronic sequelae following acute non-A, non-B hepatitis is discussed.

Anti-ribosomal ribonucleoprotein autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sera from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients giving a fluorescent ribosomal pattern on tissue and cell preparations also showed precipitating autoantibodies against purified rat liver ribosomes. Ribosomal antigen is also present in rabbit thymus cellular extract (RTE), since the same sera gave precipitin lines against RTE in identity with ribosomes. Immunofluorescent staining was completely inhibited by serum absorption with ribosomes or with RTE. However ribosomal RNA and RNase or trypsin-treated ribosomes failed to react with these autoantibodies as demonstrated in immunoabsorption and immunodiffusion studies. These data suggest that these sera contain autoantibodies directed against some antigenic site composed of a portion of both RNA and ribosomal protein. Ribosomal autoantibodies were detectable at a low frequency in SLE patients characterized by an active disease and renal involvement.

Altered expression of B lymphocyte surface immunoglobulins in minimal change nephrotic syndrome and focal glomerulosclerosis.

In 20 patients with nephrotic syndrome (10 minimal change glomerulonephritis, MCN; 10 focal glomerulosclerosis, FGS) the peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a statistically significant increase in IgG-bearing cells (SIgG-C) in comparison with 30 patients with other histological types of primary glomerulonephritis with and without nephrotic syndrome (14 and 16, respectively). In the same MCN and FGS patients the serum IgG levels were slightly decreased. Furthermore, 5 cases of MCN in sustained remission for 1 year after steroid therapy showed normalization of the SIgG-C and the serum IgG levels. The possible significance of these phenomena in the pathogenesis of the hypo-IgG-globulinemia in MCN and FGS is discussed.

[The logit-linear transformation of Italian provincial life tables, 1971-1972]. / La trasformazione lineare logit delle tavole di mortalita provinciali italiane 1971-1972.

PIP: The main features of logit-linear transformation are first described. A model is then applied to obtain complete survivorship functions for Italian provincial life tables for 1971-1972. The results are compared with abridged life tables calculated by G. Caselli and V. Egidi using factor analysis. The use of the logit model in mortality projections is also considered. (summary in ENG, FRE)^ieng

Defective suppressor cell activity in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia were investigated for the ability to induce suppressor cell activity (S.C.A.) following in vitro exposure to Concanavalin A (Con A). The generation of Con A-S.C.A. is significantly impaired in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia compared to the healthy controls. No correlation was found between Con A-S.C.A. and the clinical or laboratory parameters of the disease. This impaired ability to induce Con A-S.C.A. in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia reflects a functional T-cell defect, which may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

[On methods for the rapid estimation of the synthetic indicator of fertility]. / Sui metodi di stima rapida di un indicatore conguinturale della fecondita.

Two methods that have been developed by G. Calot and E. Lombardo to provide quick estimates of synthetic measures of fertility from partial data are described and evaluated. The data used are for Italy for the period 1971 to 1980. "The results reveal that [the methods] are practically equivalent; however Lombardo's method is to be preferred because it also gives an estimate of age-specific fertility rates....[This method is then] applied to...national and regional Italian data in order to anticipate the age-specific fertility rates as well as the synthetic period measures for 1979 and 1980." (summary in ENG, FRE)