[A peculiar case of hypomagnesemia]. / Un singolare caso di ipomagnesemia.

An old man with previous resections of small intestine for infarction and sigmoid for adenocarcinoma presented vomit, vertigo, visual impairment, fatigue, serum non detectable, reduced cellular magnesium, no ECG alterations. For the lack of symptoms proportionate to this alteration, an adaptation to progressive decrease in cellular magnesium is hypothesized.

[Primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome. An early case]. / Sindrome di overlap tra epatite autoimmune e cirrosi biliare primitiva. Un caso precoce.

A 21-year old asymptomatic woman had accidental report of increased transaminases. Serologic tests were negative, autoimmune profile was positive for anti-nuclear, antimitochondrial antibodies and rheumatoid factor. Histology of the liver biopsy showed severe necro-inflammatory activity both in biliary epithelium and in intralobular area, suggesting primary biliary cirrhosis/autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome.

Comparison of magnesium concentration in serum, erythrocytes and gastric tissue in two groups of patients affected by chronic gastritis, Helicobacter pylori negative and positive.

UNLABELLED: Magnesium seems to be an important factor both for acid gastric secretion regulation (together with Ca2+) and for Helicobacter pylori survival and virulence. It can therefore be useful to evaluate if Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is accompanied by variations in the host Mg availability. In this study serum, erythrocytary and gastric tissue Mg concentration was measured in 36 patients affected by chronic antral gastritis. Based on the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection, the patients were subdivided in two groups: group A: Helicobacter pylori negative, n = 23; group B: Helicobacter pylori positive, n = 13. RESULTS: While no differences were found between the two groups for serum Mg (group A 0.81 +/- 0.07 mm/L, group B 0.81 +/- 0.11 mm/L), both erythrocytary Mg (EMg) and gastric tissue Mg were found significantly lower in the HP positive subjects (erythrocytary Mg: 2.14 +/- 0.55 vs. 1.81 +/- 0.34 mm/L; gastric tissue Mg: 729.2 +/- 333.8 vs. 510.6 +/- 178.8 microg/g of dried tissue for group A and B respectively, p < 0.001 for both determinations). Erythrocytary Mg reduction is a clue of the whole body reduction in Mg availability (and consequently in gastric cells as well); the erythrocytary Mg reduction detected in the present paper for Helicobacter pylori positive patients can weaken gastric cells by impairing their metabolism. The hypothesis submitted is to impair Mg utilization in Helicobacter pylori, in order to improve eradication treatment, and in the meantime to preserve Mg homeostasis in infected cells.