[Occurrence of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts in swimming pools in the province of Palermo, Italy]. / Presenza di cisti di Giardia e oocisti di Cryptosporidium in piscine della provincia di Palermo.

21 samples of waters of 7 swimming pools in the province of Palermo were investigated for the presence of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts. Some chemio-physical parameters (chlorine, temperature, turbidity and pH) were also evaluated as well as the presence of bacterial indicators of faecal (total coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci), mucocutaneous and environmental (Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) contamination. All samples were negative for bacterial indicators of faecal contamination; 3 were positive for the presence of coagulase-negative staphylococci, 1 was positive for Alcaligenes spp. and 2 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 8 samples proved to be positive for Giardia and 6 also for Cryptosporidium. All but one of them were coming from waters of 2 swimming pools of the same recreational center. In all samples the concentration of Giardia was substantially higher than that of Cryptosporidium. This study shows that the disinfection and filtering plants are not always suitable to ensure a good level of the quality of the waters of swimming pools and suggests that should be necessary to check them also for the presence of protozoa like Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which may be responsible for gastroenteritis.

[Evaluation of the effects of verapamil, flunarizine, diltiazem, nimodipine and placebo in the prevention of hemicrania. A double-blind randomized cross-over study]. / Valutazione degli effetti indotti dall'uso di verapamile, flunarizina, diltiazem, nimodipina e placebo nella profilassi dell'emicrania. Studio a doppio cieco randomizzato cross-over.

Notwithstanding progress in the prophylactic treatment of migraine, the available therapies are often inefficient and unsatisfactory. In this study, 50 patients suffering for at least one year from the classic or common type migraine and treated with calcium-antagonists: Verapamil, Flunarizine, Diltiazem, Nimodipine, as well as placebo, were studied. 34 patients completed the study. All of the calcium-antagonists studied resulted efficacious in the prophylaxis of migraine; however, more attention should be paid to Flunarizine since this substance, in addition to its therapeutic efficacy, also has the advantages of a single daily dose which makes it the drug of choice in the prophylaxis of vasomotor migraine.