[Merkel cell carcinoma of the skin. Two clinical cases]. / Carcinoma a cellule di Merkel della cute. Considerazioni su due casi clinici.

In this study are described two clinical cases of Merkel cell tumor treated in the first half of 1991. The MCC is a rare primary skin tumor with an aggressive biologic nature. The elective therapy of primary sites is surgical management with lymphadenectomy although this kind of treatment is debated. Local recurrence high incidence requires a frequent and careful follow-up with possibility of second surgical treatment in the cases without metastasis and a radiochemotherapy in the patients affected by systemic recurrences.

[Tracheostomy: indications, techniques, and complications]. / La tracheostomia: indicazioni, tecnica e complicanze.

The authors report their experience relative to 46 tracheostomies performed over a 10-year period. In 6 cases the indication for a tracheostomy was a post-traumatic respiratory failure; in 20 cases a chronic respiratory insufficiency, in 6 cases a malignant neoplasm of the larynx; in 10 cases a postoperative respiratory insufficiency; in 4 cases for tongue and/or neck wounds. The authors stress the importance of a correct indication, the use of large volume-low pressure cuffs and an appropriate surgical technique to prevent complication of tracheostomy.

Fatal disseminated infection with human herpesvirus-6.

A 13-month-old immunocompetent girl had fever, rash, and multisystem disease, and she eventually died of cardiac failure. Autopsy revealed intracellular viral inclusions of the herpesvirus group, with results of in situ hybridization positive for human herpesvirus-6. This is apparently the first case of fatal disseminated herpesvirus-6 infection.

[Hydatid choleperitoneum: a rare complication of hepatic hydatid disease]. / Idatidocoleperitoneo: rara complicanza della idatidosi epatica.

The authors report their experience relative to hydatid choleperitoneum which is a rare complication of hydatid hepatic disease (one case of 236 operated). They underline how such pathology constitutes a clinic and anatomopathological case, well characterized and different from those offered by other complications of this hepatic disease. They draw attention moreover on how preoperative diagnosis is often difficult and consequently how the surgical therapeutic technique requires a very careful examination of anatomic relations of the lesion and recognize, as a chiefly foundation, a radical treatment of hepatic disease and whenever possible, the removal of the pseudomembrane of encystment.

Benzodiazepine receptor binding by membranes from brain cell cultures following chronic treatment with diazepam.

Murine brain cells differentiated for 19 days in culture before treatment for 5 days with 10 microM diazepam. Radioligand binding to the benzodiazepine receptors on membranes obtained from these cultures was determined by the filtration assay method. Decreased binding was observed in the membranes from treated cultures relative to untreated cells. However, this decrease appears to be due, at least in part, to competition from residual drug in the assay system despite extensive cell and membrane rinses. These data emphasize the difficulty in ascribing the mechanism of benzodiazepine tolerance observed clinically with chronic treatment to receptor down-regulation as determined by binding assays.