[Gastric dysplasia: classification and clinical characteristics]. / Displasia gastrica. Classificazioni e aspetti clinici.

Gastric dysplasia is considered to be the morphologic expression of the penultimate stage in gastric carcinogenesis. The clinical importance has been underscored until the close association with gastric cancer was established. Nevertheless, similar lesions are considered as high grade dysplasia by Western pathologists and as carcinoma by Japanese pathologists, using the Japanese group classification. Padova classification, Vienna classification and Vienna revisited, try to overcome these differences; because of this disagreement therapeutic guidelines are also controversial and differences in the incidence of early stages of gastric cancer and its outcome were reported.

[Bilateral adrenal lymphoma. A case report]. / Linfoma surrenalico bilaterale. Descrizione di un caso.

A rare case of malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the adrenal gland in a 59-year-old male is reported. This patient, completely healthy, observed for a routine check after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed one year before, underwent an explorative laparatomy for getting information about a retroperitoneal mass, ultrasound scan observed. A CT guided needle biopsy was inconclusive to clarify this rare haematological diagnosis.

[Blood gastrin and colorectal neoplasms]. / Gastrinemia e neoplasie colorettali.

Gastrin has a trophic effect on the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and seems to have the potential for promoting colonic cancerogenesis through a chronic stimulation of the epithelial proliferation. Plasma gastrin has been reported to be elevated in patients with colorectal neoplasms. The aim of the present study was to verify this observation. Presurgical serum levels of gastrin were compared between 49 patients with colorectal neoplasms and 47 controls hospitalized for other surgical lesions. Results show significantly higher gastrin levels of case group than controls: 72.72 + 85.41 vs. 46.79 + 24.09 pg/ml (p < 0.05), and provide support for the hypothesis of a gastrin-stimulated neoplastic growth enhancing at the same time the potential therapeutic role of reducing gastrin secretion.

[Viral hepatitis. Epidemiologic evaluation of a personal case load in the area of Casale Monferrato in the years 1981-1982]. / Epatite virale. Valutazione epidemiologica di una casistica personale nell'area di Casale Monferrato negli anni 1981-1982.

The results are reported of an epidemiological assessment of 94 patients hospitalised with diagnosed acute viral hepatitis in the Infectious Disease Division of the S. Spirito Hospital, Casale Monferrato in the period march 1 1981, april 30 1982. Hepatitis was found to occur most frequently among young (under 30) males. There were more positive than negative HBsAg cases, most of the latter arising in heroin addicts.

[Epidemiologico-clinical considerations on a case file of acute hepatitis observed 1980-1983]. / Considerazioni epidemiologico-cliniche su una casistica di epatite acuta osservata negli anni 1980-1983.

Between January 1980 and December 1983, 332 consecutive cases of acute hepatitis were observed in adult patients admitted to the Department of Infectious Disease and Gastroenterology of Siena. Sex and age of the patients, the presence of jaundice, the maximum value of the serum-glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase (SGPT) were considered. Serum specimens were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) of the IgM class, antibody against hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) of the IgM class, antibody against cytomegalovirus (CMV) of the IgM class, Paul Bunnel Davidshon reaction. Hepatitis A was diagnosed in 25 cases (7.5%). Hepatitis B in 167 (50.3%). Hepatitis due to CMV in 2 cases (0.6%). And, by exclusion, hepatitis non A, non B in 138 cases (41.6%). Male patients were affected with significantly higher frequency than female (p less than 0.01); the same was seen for young patients (14-30 years) compared to the older ones (31-50 years, and over 50 years) (p less than 0.01 in both). Biochemical investigation showed that hepatitis A and B had a significantly higher, maximum SGPT value than hepatitis non A non B (p less than 0.01 in both). Icteric patients were significantly more frequently observed among hepatitis A and B cases than hepatitis non A non B cases (p less than 0.01 in both).