[Dominant polycystic kidney disease in children. Clinical aspects related to age and problems of early diagnosis]. / La malattia policistica renale dominante nel bambino. Gli aspetti clinici peculiari dell'età ed i problemi della diagnosi precoce.

Two cases of Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (DPKD) are reported in newborns of two different affected families. One of two infants was prenatally diagnosed by ultrasound, few cases of in utero diagnosis being previously reported. The two infants had different course: one had no symptoms (14 months now), on the contrary the other one had abdominal mass at birth and oliguria in the first 48 hours, then acute pyelonephritis at 15 months. The increasing incidence of DPKD diagnosed in infants and children by US screening in risk subjects is stressed and importance of precocious diagnosis for genetic counselling emphasized.

[Asymptomatic electrocardiographic abnormalities during antiblastic chemotherapy]. / Anomalie elettrocardiografiche asintomatiche in corso di chemioterapia antiblastica.

In patients under antiblastic treatment electrocardiographic abnormalities without subjective symptomatology were observed. The genesis of these abnormalities is discussed in the light of wath is known from the literature. Periodical electrocardiographic control of patients treated with antiblastic drugs is highly recommended.

Influenza B-associated Reye syndrome: report of a case with isolation of a coxsackie A5 virus from CSF.

A 16 month old girl developed Reye syndrome a few days after an episode of influenza. The diagnosis of RS was made on clinical and laboratory data. Virological examinations were done on specimens of stools, throat swab, spinal fluid and two samples of serum. A coxsackievirus A5 was isolated from the spinal fluid. A seroconversion was found against the variant of influenza type B virus circulating in our region at that time and the isolated coxsackie A5 strain. The involvement in the CNS of coxsackie A5 and the demonstration of a simultaneous infection with influenza B virus supports the hypothesis that a mixed viral infection could trigger the Reye syndrome.

[Evaluation of erythrocyte deformability in subjects with essential arterial hypertension]. / Valutazione della deformabilità eritrocitaria in soggetti con ipertensione arteriosa essenziale.

Red blood cell filtration rate was studied in patients with essential hypertension selected according to the homogeneity of parameters which could interfere with such a test. An increase of filtration time in control subjects was put in evidence both in patients without vascular complications and in patients with cerebrovascular diseases; no significant difference was seen between the two groups. The red cell filterability behavior can be correlated to hypertension and is an expression of red cell deformability alterations. The variation of this hemorheological parameter could be better defined by an improvement of the red cell filterability test and by further studies on the membrane function in essential hypertension.