Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in epileptic dogs.

OBJECTIVES: Studies in humans have demonstrated the role of Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite, in epileptic seizures. This study aimed to investigate the serological correlation between T. gondii and N. caninum and epilepsy in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical record database of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Perugia, was searched for dogs serologically tested by IFAT for T. gondii and N. caninum and following specific inclusion criteria. Dogs were stratified by having a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or suffering different conditions. RESULTS: One-hundred and twenty-eight dogs were included, 64 with epilepsy and 64 without clinical signs of epilepsy. Seventeen of the 64 epileptic dogs (26.6%; 95% CI: 15.7% to 37.4%) and twenty-one of the 64 non-epileptic dogs (32.8%; 95% CI: 21.3% to 44.3%) tested positive for T. gondii. Eight of the epileptic dogs (12.5%; 95% CI: 4.4% to 20.6%) and three of the non-epileptic dogs (4.7%; 95% CI: 0% to 9.9%) tested positive for N. caninum. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of T. gondii or N. caninum seroreactivity between epileptic and non-epileptic dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The results obtained do not seem to support the role of T. gondii and N. caninum as causative agents of dog epilepsy.

[Physiopathology and clinical aspects of the alveolar surface active system (pulmonary surfactant)]. / Fisiopatologia e clinica del sistema tensioattivo alveolare (surfactant polmonare).

Existing knowledge of the pulmonary alveolar surfactant system is summarised in monographic form. Particular attention is directed to its physiopathology, synthesis mechanisms, and pathology in man, as well as to the methods used into its clinical investigation. Stress is laid on the importance of the system in the direct or indirect determination of many cardiac and pneumocardiac diseases. Ways in chich deficiencies on the part of this system can be treated are critically discussed.

Structure-activity relationship of some steroidal compounds in ocular inflammation.

The structure-activity relationship of some topically applied 21-desoxy-substituted steroids as anti-inflammatory agents was investigated; the anti-inflammatory activity remained unaltered or increased on introducing a methyl group in position 6alpha and a hydroxyl group in position 11beta, even after eliminating the hydroxyl group in position 21. The activity of the molecule was further increased by the introduction of a hydroxyl group in position 17alpha and a fluorine atom in position 9alpha.

Dose-response study with indoprofen i.v. as an analgesic in postoperative pain.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group study was carried out in 100 patients with postoperative pain. The analgesic activity of indoprofen given in a single dose as an i.v. bolus followed by a 2-h infusion, at total doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg was investigated. The highest dose of 400 mg was given additionally as an i.v. bolus alone. Intensity of pain was assessed before, and 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h after treatment on a 0-4 point scale. An overall assessment was made at the end of treatment by the investigator and the patient using a 0-4 point scale and a visual analogue scale. Statistical analyses according to a multiple regression model on rating scale scores at fixed times and on overall assessments showed: (i) indoprofen was always more active than placebo in providing pain relief; (ii) there was a significant dose--response relationship; and (iii) there was no difference between the two schedules of administration of the largest dose.

Effect of i.v. indoprofen on cancer pain and serum prolactin and growth hormone levels--a controlled pharmacologic study vs i. m. morphine and placebo.

Single doses of indoprofen (400 mg, i.v.), morphine hydrochloride (10 mg, i.m.), and placebo were given to 12 women with moderate to severe tumor pain, mainly due to bone involvement, according to a Latin square design. Analgesic response, along with serum prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) levels, were measured after each treatment under double-blind conditions. Indoprofen and morphine were not significantly different as regards pain relief, but both were significantly more effective than placebo. Unlike morphine, however, indoprofen did not raise PRL. GH levels did not change following any treatment. In a second study indoprofen (400 mg, i.v., three times daily for 7 days) did not modify the PRL response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone nor serum GH levels. On the basis of the above findings it is suggested that indoprofen may be a safe alternative to opiates for relief of moderate to severe pain in women with breast tumors suspected of being prolactin-dependent.

Radioisotopic labelling of endoalveolar surface-active phospholipidic fractions from rabbit pulmonary lavage.

A simple method of detecting endoalveolar tensioactive system fractions employing intravenously injected 131I-triolein has been devised. The tracer has been administered to 7 adult rabbit groups then sacrificed at different time intervals after the injection. Endoalveolar tensioactive system lipidic fractions collected by pulmonary lavage have been separated with thin-layer chromatography and their radioactivity evaluated by scanning plates. Endoalveolar tensioactive system fractions containing considerable amounts of C 18 fatty acids have been selectively labelled.

Arterial hypertension and microalbuminuria in IDDM: the Italian Microalbuminuria Study.

Arterial hypertension and poor glycaemic control are central to the development of microalbuminuria in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Recent consensus has established sensitive criteria for their detection and treatment, although the proportion of patients who may benefit is unclear. Between 1988 and 1990, we measured urinary albumin to creatinine concentration ratio (A/C) in 3,636 adult out-patients with IDDM of more than 3 years duration, serum creatinine under 133 mumol/l and who were not undergoing antihypertensive treatment. A/C indicating microalbuminuria (> or = 2.38/2.96 mg/mmol, male/female) was found in 620 of 3,451 patients without proteinuria, and associated with hypertension (blood pressure > or = 140 and/or 90 mmHg; p = 0.0016; rate: 39.6%), independent of diabetes duration (p = 0.0082) and male gender (p = 0.0350; relative risk = 1.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.32). Hypertension was less common among those with normal A/C (27.5%, p < 0.0001) but was positively related with diabetes duration. Of the 1,015 patients with A/C > or = 2.0 mg/mmol 529 were reexamined. Glycated haemoglobin levels exceeded 3 SD above the mean of normal in 84.3% of the 198 microalbuminuric patients (AER = 20-200 micrograms/min), but were comparably poor (79.2%) in normoalbuminuria. Duration of diabetes was inversely related to glycated haemoglobin only in microalbuminuria (0.05 < p < 0.1). Intervention to lower blood pressure remains mainly restricted to those patients with long-term diabetes and slower development of kidney disease. Near-normalisation of glycaemia remains the priority for the majority of patients with microalbuminuria.