Incidence of prostate cancer in Sicily: results of a multicenter case-findings protocol.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) in Sicily in patients who entered an early detection protocol. METHODS: From February 2002 to February 2004, 16,298 subjects aged 40-75 entered the protocol. Patients with suspicious DRE, PSA>10 ng/ml, PSA

Wound management with N-carboxybutyl chitosan.

In patients undergoing plastic surgery, donor sites were treated with soft pads of freeze-dried N-carboxybutyl chitosan to promote ordered tissue regeneration. Compared to control donor sites, better histoarchitectural order, better vascularization and the absence of inflammatory cells were observed at the dermal level, whilst fewer aspects of proliferation of the malpighian layer were reported at the epidermal level. Accordingly, N-carboxybutyl chitosan leads to formation of regularly organized cutaneous tissue and reduces anomalous healing.

Molecular properties and active form of nonspecific acid phosphatase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Equilibrium sedimentation experiments of the native acid phosphatase indicate a dimer-tetramer dissociating nonequilibrating system with a dimer Mr = 180,000 g/mol. The hydrolysis of nitrophenylphosphate was used to determine the sedimentation coefficient of the active species. The s20,w value for the species which degrades nitrophenylphosphate is 13.52 +/- 0.46 S in 1% sucrose and 13.72 +/- 0.11 S in 1.3 M sodium chloride, corresponding to the Svedberg value of the tetramer species. Several lines of evidence are presented which, together with previous data, indicate that the Schizosaccharomyces pombe nonspecific acid phosphatase is composed of 4 identical or nearly identical polypeptide chains: a, equilibrium sedimentation analysis of the enzyme in denaturing agents indicates the presence of homogeneous material having Mr = 90,800 g/mol; b, digestion with carboxypeptidase A releases 0.82 mol of tyrosine/monomer molecular weight. Concomitant phosphatase inactivation occurred during the splitting off of the tyrosyl terminal residue. Furthermore, a unique NH2-terminal residue (histidine) was determined.

Oxygen consumption during surface-induced deep hypothermia under halothane anesthesia.

The effect of halothane-100% oxygen anesthesia on oxygen consumption was studied in 10 dogs subjected to surface-induced deep hypothermia with 30 minutes of circulatory arrest. The results were compared with previous oxygen consumtion data under ether-100% oxygen anesthesia. Low cardiac output, especially during the rewarming period, low PaO2, and a large arteriovenous oxygen difference during rewarming were significantly different in the halothane group, despite identical oxygen consumption in both groups. These differences could not elucidate the exact cause of postoperative motor disturbances associated with 30 minutes of circulatory arrest in the halothane group. The possibility that there was higher oxygen consumption under halothane anesthesia is discussed.

Heparinless, oxygenatorless perfusion rewarming following surface-induced deep hypothermia for open-heart surgery.

To facilitate perfusion rewarming without the use of total body heparinization or an oxygenator following open-heart correction with surface hypothermia, we divised a pump circuit. The circuit, totally primed with 100 c.c. of saline, consists of polyurethane-polyvinyl-graphite (PPG) coated Tygon tubes (with one end tapered by heat treatment) and a copper-coil heat exchanger. A roller pump was used to achieve partial bypass from the left atrium to the ascending aorta with flow rates up to 70 c.c. per kilogram per minute. Experiments in dogs resulted in rapid rewarming, immediate return of cardiac function, and hematologic alterations similar to those noted during surface rewarming. The safety of the method was also demonstrated. Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and platelet values returned to control levels upon rewarming, and no thromboemboli or bleeding problems were noted. Six clinical experiences were accumulated. Details of the method, hematologic and blood chemical analyses in dogs, and the first clinical trial in a 3-month-old infant with transposition of the great vessels are reported.