The effect of noise on serum and urinary magnesium and catecholamines in humans.

We have studied whether a short-term exposure to loud noise was able to modify urinary catecholamine excretion and serum concentration and urinary excretion of magnesium and other related electrolytes. In 25 healthy volunteers, blood and urine concentrations of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and creatinine, and urinary catecholamines were measured before and after exposure to noise in an industrial plant. Samples were collected at 08:00 h on the day of the experiment and soon after noise exposure (at 20:00 h). Two further urine samples were collected the following day and 2 days after the experiment, always at 08:00 h in the morning. The sound energy average level was 98 dB(A), but peak levels reached 108 dB(A). Urinary catecholamines were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum magnesium and calcium were significantly increased after exposure to noise, whereas phosphorus displayed a similar but non-significant trend (P = 0.065). Multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences both among subjects (P < 0.001) and after exposure (P < 0.001). Adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine values were not significantly different after exposure to noise (P > 0.05). Urinary magnesium levels were significantly different across time (P = 0.017). Urinary calcium levels were not significantly different across time (P = 0.36). Urinary phosphate values were increased after exposure to noise (P = 0.007); urinary creatinine was not changed after exposure (P > 0.05). Our study shows that noise induces significant increases of serum calcium and magnesium, with a borderline increase of serum phosphorus; this in turn is reflected in a significantly increased urinary excretion of magnesium and phosphate after exposure, which lasts for the following 2 days. Urinary calcium and creatinine were not modified by noise. The difference in catecholamine values did not reach statistical significance. Thus, we failed to substantiate a significant correlation between catecholamine secretion and magnesium metabolism, as others had suggested.

[Tuberculosis of the spine in children. Personal experience]. / Tubercolosi della colonna vertebrale in età pediatrica. Nostra esperienza.

We are currently witnessing a worldwide return of tuberculosis. An extremely rare form is tuberculosis of the spine which is reported above all in extra-European studies. The authors report a case of Pott's disease in a child aged 3 years and 3 months who was referred to their attention due to the appearance of left inguinal swelling, fever and anemia. Diagnostic tests (ETG, CT, MR) showed an abscess involving the L5-S1 intersomatic space, the intervertebral disc and osteolytic lesions of S1, with impairment of the left psoas muscle and diffusion as far as the inguinal region. Chemotherapy was commenced using isoniazid, ethambutol, rifampicin, and streptomycin and lasted 24 months associated with drainage of the ileopsoas abscess. Conservative orthopedic treatment lasting for one year initially took the form of decubitus in bed with hyperdistension of the vertebral column, followed by the creation of a plaster-cast cot on the back and lastly a glass-reinforced resin orthopedic jacket. The follow-up of 2 years and 10 months showed recovery with reconstruction of the vertebral elements and the preservation of intervertebral space.

Evaluation of urinary estriol by latex agglutination inhibition reaction.

The urinary estriol values of a morning sample determined by a new semiquantitative method was correlated with the total 24 hour estriol excretion determined by colorimetric method on patients with normal and pathologic pregnancy. The correlation coefficient, calculated on 240 assays operated on urine samples obtained from 70 normal pregnant women, is highly significant statistically (P less than 0.001). The profiles of the serial assays, obtained by these two procedures on patients with pathologic pregnancy, show a very strong analogy. The Authors believe that such a method, just for its simple and rapid realization, may be applied alternatively to RIA assay or colorimetric method for the cases which are believed to be in need of rapid evaluation of estriol and/or when another method is unfeasible.