[Prokinetic activity and antral inflammation. Usefulness of cisapride combined with H2 antagonists in gastritis]. / Attività procinetica e flogosi antrale. Utilità della cisapride associata ad H2 antagonista nella gastrite.

In order to evaluate the symptomatic efficacy of cisapride on motility disorders often associated with mild inflammatory changes of the upper gastrointestinal tract, the authors carried out a comparison between two groups of patients (15 patients in each group, 10 males and 5 females) with histologic antral gastritis, treated respectively with famotidine 40 mg/day per os plus cisapride 10 mg ter/die per os, and famotidine alone. While the endoscopic evaluation performed four weeks later did not show a significant difference between the two groups, both macroscopically and microscopically, cisapride was able to ameliorate all those symptoms presumably provoked by delayed gastric emptying.

[Peptic ulcer and Helicobacter pylori. Comments on the authors' cases]. / Ulcera peptica ed Helicobacter pylori. Considerazioni su casistica personale.

The presence of Helicobacter was tested on a group with antral or duodenal ulcer with or without gastritis, versus a group without gastric or duodenal pathology. Furthermore an open trial was performed between omeprazole and colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) on patients similarly affected by peptic disease. Although CBS did eliminate Helicobacter in more than a half of patients, what was not obtained by omeprazole, this result did not mean a better control of peptic disease: in fact the omeprazole was remarkably more active in our series on clinical and endoscopic ground, whether the Helicobacter was present or not, and further studies are required to assess the real significance of Helicobacter pylori in the above conditions.

[The efficacy of the omeprazole-levosulpiride combination in the therapy of distal reflux esophagitis]. / Efficacia della associazione omeprazolo-levosulpiride nella terapia dell'esofagopatia distale da reflusso.

The therapeutic effectiveness of levosulpiride associated with omeprazole versus omeprazole alone in the reflux esophagitis has been evaluated. Two groups, each of 9 patients, were investigated before and after therapy on a clinical ground and endoscopically. While no difference was shown in terms of macro and microscopic resolution, a better subjective relief was obtained in the group treated with the association levosulpiride-omeprazole.

[Drugs affecting upper respiratory tract motility: cisapride]. / Farmaci attivi sulla motilità delle prime vie digestive: cisapride.

The article is a short review of older and more recent drugs aimed to modify the gastrointestinal motility. Cisapride the newer one is considered with particular attention.

[Constipation. A critical review]. / La stipsi. Revisione critica.

The paper reviews the current knowledge about constipation, a widespread although often overlooked medical problem. Correct management entails a thorough clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic assessment.

[Reiter's syndrome. Description of 2 cases with Chlamydia trachomatis infection]. / Sindrome di reiter. Descrizione di due casi con infezione di Chlamydia trachomatis in atto.

Two cases of Reiter's syndrome that followed chlamydial infection are reported. The presence of ocular and genitourinary symptoms that suggest Reiter's disease is common, as the presence of histocompatibility antigen HLA B 27. Both cases had a particularly favourable course. The peculiar persistence of IgA anti-Chlamydia antibodies for relatively long periods of time induce the Authors to advance a hypothesis of use in chronic chlamydial infection diagnosis.