The socio-economic aspects of malnutrition in Sicily.

Malnutrition clinical conditions in Sicily, Italy, are examined. Malnutrition today is a result of excess of eating, while immediately after the Second World War, it was a result of deficiency of eating. The main interest in this study is to examine the relationship between social and nutritional conditions in children who are a vulnerable part of the whole population. This is also confirmed by other data reported on this subject, in Sicily.

Spondylo-costal dysostosis in two siblings.

Two new cases of Spondylo-Costal Dysostosis (SCD) are reported in two siblings with strikingly similar skeletal abnormalities. Parental consanguinity documents in this family an autosomal recessive inheritance of trait. Clinical variability of SCD is discussed on the basis of clinical and radiological features. Its genetic heterogeneity is pointed out even considering the occurrence of cases with autosomal dominant as well as recessive inheritance.

Hypogonadism in beta-thalassemic adolescents: a characteristic pituitary-gonadal impairment. The ineffectiveness of long-term iron chelation therapy.

The pituitary-gonadal function was studied in 18 beta-thalassemic female adolescents, 8 with delayed puberty and 10 with primary amenorrhea,treated with repeated transfusions and long-term iron chelation therapy by subcutaneous infusion. A 100 micrograms gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) test, a double-bolus GnRH test after estradiol administration in non-responders, a 400 micrograms thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test and a 'high dose' human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) test were performed. LH and FSH peak levels were significantly lower in thalassemic patients than in controls, both in the 100 micrograms GnRH test (LH was 4.3 +/- 0.7 mIU/ml vs 40.8 +/- 6.0 mIU/ml and FSH 3.3 +/- 0.5 mIU/ml vs 9.6 +/- 1.1 mIU/ml, respectively) and in the double-bolus GnRH test (LH was 2.3 +/- 0.2 mIU/ml vs 59.0 +/- 4.9 mIU/ml and FSH 1.8 +/- 0.3 mIU/ml vs 14.0 +/- 1.0 mIU/ml). The mean prolactin response to the TRH test was 27.8 +/- 3.2 ng/ml. After the 'high dose' hMG test 12 out of 14 admitted patients showed a poor response, lower than 250 pg/ml. Our data suggest that the hypogonadotropic condition of the thalassemic adolescents is due to pituitary hyporesponsiveness to GnRH and that most of these patients also have an impairment of ovarian function. Both conditions are a consequence of iron deposits in glands. Moreover, there is evidence that pituitary-gonadal function cannot be preserved by long-term iron chelation therapy.

[Urinary tract malformations. Symptomatology, delayed diagnosis and urinary tract infections]. / Le uropatie malformative. Sintomatologia, ritardo diagnostico e infezione delle vie urinarie.

The authors examined 88 patients (32 Males and 56 Females) aged between 1 day and 13 years, suffering from urinary tract malformation, diagnosed during 1981-82 . The vesicoureteral reflux was the urinary tract malformation most frequently observed (56.81%). The patients showed symptoms of the illness within the first year of life in a percentage of 52%, while the 82% was symptomatic in 5 years. 30 months and 11 days was the average age at which the symptoms of the illness appeared, while the diagnosis was effected at an average of 47 months and 15 days. The authors pointed out the reasons of this diagnostic delay and the possibilities of filing it up. Urinary tract infection was found at the time of hospitalization in a percentage of 55%. The authors described the kind of germs isolated and their resistance to the most common antibiotics.

Circulating immune complexes and platelet thromboxane synthesis in patients with insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes mellitus.

Platelets from diabetic subjects with circulating immune complexes (CIC) synthesized greater amounts of thromboxane than did platelets from CIC-negative patients or controls. In view of the known action of CIC on platelet function, a relationship between these two factors may be suggested in the initiation and progression of microangiopathy in diabetes.