[Short-term and long-term surgical prophylaxis with pefloxacin]. / Short-term e long-term profilassi chirurgica con pefloxacina.

In the present study the efficacy and safety of pefloxacin (400 mg/5 ml vial) intravenously administrated for surgical prophylaxis was assessed. Nine hundred and fifty-two patients were treated (599 M, 343 F), with a mean age of 57.9 years +/- 18.6 SD, and in all cases surgical prophylaxis was carried out according to the following scheme: short-term with 2 vials (800 mg) 1 h before the operation, repeated at 12 and 24 hours after the operation; long-term 2 vials (800 mg) 1 h before the operation repeated at 12 and 24 hours after the operation and followed by 1 vial every 12 h for other 2 days. The choice between the two schemes was conditioned by the type of operation and by the basic conditions of the patient. Pefloxacin was seen to be effective in preventing the onset of post-surgical infections (97%), also maintaining the clinical parameters considered within normal limits. Safety was also highly satisfactory, since only 22 (2.3%) cases of side effects occurred, particularly involving the gastro-intestinal system. Thus, in conclusion, the validity of pefloxacin in surgical prophylaxis, with special emphasis on its efficacy in elderly and compromised patients is asserted.

[A case of voluminous serous cystadenoma of the ovary. Clinico-social considerations]. / Su un caso di voluminoso cistoadenoma sieroso dell'ovaio. Considerazioni clinico-sociali.

The case of a voluminous serous cystadenoma of the ovary in a young woman is reported. At a time when health education and diagnostic progress have significantly modified the evolution of such neoplastic growths, the remarkable size of the tumour (28 litres of serous liquid), the absence of any complications whatsoever and the youth of the patient make the case particularly interesting and trigger a number of remarks on social factors.

Charge-transfer complexes of hematoporphyrin having a pharmacological interest.

Complexes formed by hematoporphyrin with donor molecules were prepared and isolated. Among these complexes particular attention is given to that formed by reacting dimethylaminoethanol with hematoporphyrin. Some data are reported on the chemical evidence of formation like u.v. spectra. The product, named Hematodeanol, determines some sufficiently specific effects on the CNS; it remarkably cuts down the depression induced by pentobarbital, moderately hinders convulsions by metrazole, delays hypothermia by reserpine, facilites the learning of conditioned avoidance response (CAR) and improves the learning of a sound discrimination at variable interval. The actions become evident when tests are carried out after a continuous treatment for 7 days and according to the data of the investigation of pharmacokinetic kind, the phenomenon may be attributed to the fact that the drug concentration in the nervous tissue, when it is administered several times at intervals of 24 h, inclines to increase progressively.