[Infectious endocarditis. Current aspects of its epidemiology and occurrence]. / Endocardite infettiva. Attualità sulla epidemiologia e sull'incidenza.

In epidemiological terms the frequency of infectious endocarditis is constant. In contrast acute forms in males and old people are on the increase. Atypical cases are more frequent than in the past so that prompt diagnosis is often difficult. Aetiologically, mycete and gram-negative cases are increasingly common.

[Hypotensive effect of sotalol under basic conditions and during exercise. Clinical cases]. / Effetto ipotensivo del Sotalolo in condizioni basali e sotto sforzo. Casistica clinica.

An assessment was made of the efficacy of Sotalol, a beta1 selective beta blocker, in the management of essential arterial hypertension. A single 160 mg dose per diem was administered per os to 34 patients over a period of 14 weeks. Arterial pressure and heart rate were checked periodically. In addition, SAP, DAP and heart rate were evaluated before and during the third week of treatment in 8 subjects under maximum ergometric test conditions. Excellent tolerance was observed. Under basal conditions, all subjects displayed good reduction of SAP and DAP. This was highly significant. During exercise, it was less evident, and the results were only significant for low work loads. It is nevertheless felt that the simple dose protocol of the drug, its good tolerance and its effectiveness under basal conditions suggest that more extensive ergometric studies should be conducted.

[Evaluation of calcium metabolism and pituitary gonadotropin secretion during treatment with nifedipine]. / Valutazione del metabolismo del calcio e della secrezione gonadotropinica ipofisaria durante trattamento con nifedipinia.

The clinical use of calcium antagonist drugs in cardiology theoretically may interfere with the endocrine secretions. Actually the calcium ion appears to be primarily involved in the stimulus-secretion and excitation-contraction coupling. This paper is to evaluate the influence, in vivo, of nifedipine on calcium metabolism, FSH and LH secretions. The level of plasmatic calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and FSH, LH secretion were observed in seven patients under cronic nifedipine treatment. The plasmic level of the hormones under investigation was tested with radioimmunoassay method. Neither calcium nor hormone levels had significant variations during the 28 days control period. From our data we can infer that long term treatment with nifedipine has no influence on calcium metabolism nor on gonadotropic hormones secretions, even though such an influence has been demonstrated in "in vivo" studies.

[The electrocardiogram and arterial hypertension in primary hyperparathyroidism]. / Elettrocardiogramma ed ipertensione arteriosa nell'iperparatiroidismo primitivo.

Cardiovascular conditions of 27 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism have been examinated. Hypertension has been found to be the only alteration significantly present (33,33% of patients), while heart disease are uncommon. Hypertension is often present without concomitant disease of the kidney. Blood pressure became normal in only one case over nine (11,11%) after parathyroidectomy.