[Pentoxifylline in the blood rheological and coagulative changes in chronic respiratory failure]. / La pentossifillina nelle alterazioni emoreologiche e coagulative dell'insufficienza respiratoria cronica.

In this study, some hemorheological and coagulative parameters (blood viscosity, erythrocyte filtrability, CPA, platelet aggregation) have been evaluated in 40 patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure. The results obtained document in these patients, important hemorheologic changes. 11 patients with most serious rheologic changes have been treated with Pentossifillina. A significative improvement of the explored parameters and of the clinical condition has been checked after treatment.

Study of blood vitamin C in lung and bladder cancer patients before and after treatment with ascorbic acid. A preliminary report.

A systematic study of vitamin C blood levels in patients with cancer and an evaluation of their modifications when the patients were orally treated with daily large doses of ascorbic acid (5g/day) have been carried out. For excluding any interference on intestinal vitamin C absorption, all patients with digestive tract cancer have been excluded. Our first results concern 24 lung cancer and 35 bladder cancer patients, operable or not, of different sex and age. The study has shown hypovitaminosis C subclinic conditions for the greater part of subjects: in fact the average haematic rate of ascorbic acid approaches to lower level of physiologic range, appearing very low particularly for the younger patients. Periodic haematic dosages of vitamin C of unoperable and operated patients treated with large doses of ascorbic acid, have shown a rapid increase of its blood concentration which frequently has been very over 1500 micrograms%, the higher level of normal range. These high vitamin haematic levels, generally constant during the time, appear usefull in increasing the defence reactions of the cancerous patient.

[Assay of brain and liver DNA, determination of body growth and of some blood parameters in rats subjected to protein malnutrition during fetal and post-natal development]. / Dosaggi del DNA cerebrale ed epatico, determinazione degli accrescimenti ponderali e di alcuni parametri ematici in ratti sottoposti a malnutrizione proteica durante lo sviluppo fetale e post-natale.

The Authors studied the effects of proteinic malnutrition when it occurred at various periods in the life of rats: the last 10 days of fetal life; nursing (the first 3 weeks of life); after weaning (up to 42 day). The results show that:--the growth in weight of the animals was severely restrained when protein deficiency occurred in post-natal life;--in any case, the blood levels of hematocrit, hemoglobin and proteins were significantly lowered;--organ functions and development were greatly compromised if malnutrition occurred during the period of their cell division. In fact, a brain damage, estimated by protein and DNA modifications, is the result of protein deficiency in pre-natal and, particularly, in nursing period. The hepatic damage, instead, becomes more evident in post-natal life and specially after weaning since the cell division in the liver continues for a much longer period of time.