Renal intravascular shockwave lithotripsy in complex mono Ch-EVAR.

BACKGROUND: Our objective is to present the Peripheral Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) System in the treatment of calcific renal artery stenosis (RAS) during Chimney Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (Ch-EVAR). The Ch-EVAR technique is a bail out procedure in treating aortic aneurysms with challenging anatomy regarding the proximal sealing zone. RAS typically involves varying degrees of calcification, and final treatment can be fraught with risk of vessel's damages and suboptimal results, particularly when renal angioplasty represents the only feasible course of action in Ch-EVAR. METHOD: We present a case of a patient with a complex juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm and a pre-obstructive chalky stenosis of the right renal artery who underwent mono ChEVAR associated to visceral Intravascular Lithotripsy shockwave angioplasty. CONCLUSION: IVL is an attractive modality for the treatment of challenging, heavily calcified renal arteries that combines the calcium-disrupting capability of lithotripsy with the familiarity of balloon catheters to facilitate proper stent deployment. RESULT: We propose the IVL system as an additional tool in the vascular surgeon's armamentarium not only to obtain large-bore access to enable Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and EVAR but also to perform angioplasty of severely calcified visceral arteries during Ch-EVAR.

Treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars. Position statement of the Brazilian expert group GREMCIQ.

Keloids (K) and hypertrophic scars (HS) are abnormal responses to wound healing that occur as the result of dermal inflammation. Despite the advances on their treatment, many patients still suffer from the negative effects of excessive scarring; its approach is impaired by the lack of objective data on different treatments and the large genetic variability among patients and the difficulties in producing multicentre studies. Their incidence among the Brazilian population is high, as the result of an admixture of Amerindians, Europeans and Africans ancestral roots. With the aim of producing multicentre studies on K and HS, a panel of senior Brazilian dermatologists focused on their treatment was invited to contribute with the K and HS Treatment Brazilian Guidelines. In the first part of this study, different treatment modalities for keloids and HS are fully reviewed by the panel. The second part of the study presents a consensus recommendation of treatment for different types of lesions. More than a literature review, this article aims to show the pitfalls and pearls of each therapeutic option, as well as a therapeutic approach by the Panel of Experts on keloids and Scars on a highly mixed population, providing simple guidelines.

Evaluation of a model to improve collection of blood cultures in patients with sepsis in the emergency room.

Sepsis begins outside of the hospital for nearly 80% of patients and the emergency room (ER) represents the first contact with the health care system. This study evaluates a project to improve collection of blood cultures (BCs) in patients with sepsis in the ER consisting of staff education and completion of the appropriate BC pre-analytical phase. A retrospective observational study performed to analyse the data on BC collection in the ER before and after a three-phase project. The first phase (1 January to 30 June 2015) before the intervention consisted of evaluation of data on BCs routinely collected in the ER. The second phase (1 July to 31 December 2015) was the intervention phase in which educational courses on sepsis recognition and on pre-analytical phase procedures (including direct incubation) were provided to ER staff. The third phase (1 January to 30 June 2016; after the intervention) again consisted of evaluation. Before the intervention, out of 24,738 admissions to the ER, 103 patients (0.4%) were identified as septic and had BCs drawn (359 BC bottles); 19 out of 103 patients (18.4%) had positive BCs. After the intervention, out of 24,702 admissions, 313 patients (1.3%) had BCs drawn (1,242 bottles); of these, 96 (30.7%) had positive BCs. Comparing the first and third periods, an increase in the percentage of patients with BCs collected (from 0.4% to 1.3% respectively, p < 0.0001) and an increase in the percentages of patients with true-positive BCs (from 0.08% to 0.39% of all patients evaluated respectively, p < 0.0001) were observed. The isolation of bacteria by BCs increased 3.25-fold after project implementation. These results can be principally ascribed to an improved awareness of sepsis in the staff associated with improved pre-analytical phase procedures in BC collection.

Spectral characterization of intraoperative renal perfusion using hyperspectral imaging and artificial intelligence.

Accurate intraoperative assessment of organ perfusion is a pivotal determinant in preserving organ function e.g. during kidney surgery including partial nephrectomy or kidney transplantation. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has great potential to objectively describe and quantify this perfusion as opposed to conventional surrogate techniques such as ultrasound flowmeter, indocyanine green or the subjective eye of the surgeon. An established live porcine model under general anesthesia received median laparotomy and renal mobilization. Different scenarios that were measured using HSI were (1) complete, (2) gradual and (3) partial malperfusion. The differences in spectral reflectance as well as HSI oxygenation (StO2) between different perfusion states were compelling and as high as 56.9% with 70.3% (± 11.0%) for "physiological" vs. 13.4% (± 3.1%) for "venous congestion". A machine learning (ML) algorithm was able to distinguish between these perfusion states with a balanced prediction accuracy of 97.8%. Data from this porcine study including 1300 recordings across 57 individuals was compared to a human dataset of 104 recordings across 17 individuals suggesting clinical transferability. Therefore, HSI is a highly promising tool for intraoperative microvascular evaluation of perfusion states with great advantages over existing surrogate techniques. Clinical trials are required to prove patient benefit.

Inferring the demographic history of the Adriatic Flexopecten complex.

Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences can be a useful tool in taxonomical studies, which has important implications in terms of species traceability. The aim of our study is to solve the controversy regarding the taxonomical status of the Flexopecten group, which includes two putative sister species (F. glaber and F. proteus) that co-occur in the Adriatic Sea and are clearly distinguishable on the basis of morphometric characters. Our molecular analysis using three mitochondrial genes (COI, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and one nuclear gene (Histone H3) suggest that F. glaber and F. proteus are the same species, as evidenced by both putative species appearing mixed in all genetic trees with no clustering according to species. Using a Bayesian approach, we inferred the demographic history of the Flexopecten group, which suggests that first F. glaber occurred in the Mediterranean, then F. glaber colonized the Adriatic sometime in the last 18,000 years, and finally the F. proteus morph appeared only recently in the Adriatic Sea. We propose F. proteus to be synonymized with F. glaber, which should have priority and be used in the future.

Protection against high-dose homologous infection in calves immunized with intestine or membrane extracts from Haemonchus placei.

Control of Haemonchus placei, one of the most important cattle nematodes in Brazil, relies on the use of anthelmintics. However, there is a need for integrated control, which includes active immunization. The aim of this work was to assess the protection afforded to calves by immunization with adult H. placei extracts against a high-dose challenge infection, a condition frequently found in the tropics. Holstein calves aged 8-10 months were immunized four times with intestinal extracts (Group D) or with a Triton X-100-soluble fraction of adult H. placei (Group A), challenge-infected with 120,000 infective larvae and sacrificed 40 days later. Immunized animals had higher IgG titers than the controls against tested fractions after the 2nd immunization, peaking after the 4th. Sera from both immunized groups recognized bands of similar apparent mass in both antigenic preparations, some of which were similar in molecular weight to Haemonchus contortus antigens with known protective effect to sheep. Egg counts were 49% and 57% lower in Groups A and D than in controls, respectively. High levels of protection were observed in two of the four calves in Group D, as evidenced by very low worm numbers recovered at necropsy, absence of eggs in the uteri of the recovered females and reduced worm length. Group D animals also showed milder signs of anemia than the other infected animals. Results demonstrate that protection against homologous high-dose challenge can be achieved by immunizing calves with H. placei gut antigens.

Physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of meat from heavy-weight Iberian and F1 Large White × Landrace pigs finished intensively or in free-range conditions.

Iberian (IB, n = 60) and crossbred Large White × Landrace (F1, n = 58) pigs were slaughtered at 160 kg, after finishing under intensive conditions or on pasture and acorns. The study was carried out as a factorial arrangement of treatments, and physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of meat were assessed in Longissimus thoracis samples. Physical characteristics included the assessment of drip loss, cooking loss, shear force, and color coordinates in meat samples processed at 2 and 9 d postmortem. The interactions of genetic group and finishing system were significant (P < 0.05) for cooking loss in meat aged for 9 d and for sensorial tenderness and global acceptability of meat, but none of the other physicochemical, color coordinates, and sensory variables analyzed showed a significant interaction. Genetic group was the main factor influencing the variables analyzed, with a major (P < 0.01) influence on all meat physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes. Relative to F1 pigs, the IB produced meat with higher intramuscular fat content and marbling score, more appealing color coordinates, lower shear force, and higher sensorial tenderness. The finishing systems affected (P < 0.05) most physical characteristics, but not chemical composition of meat and their impact on sensory properties was small. The tenderness, juiciness, and global acceptability of meat were much higher in IB pigs, and flavor was also more desirable, but the difference was smaller. The differences in sensory properties between meats originating from the two genetic groups were largely explained by the higher fat deposition in IB pigs, such that a higher level of marbling was positively associated with all the sensory attributes evaluated. Ageing meat for up to 9 d postmortem benefited pork quality, improving meat tenderness, and color, particularly in crossbred pigs and those finished intensively.

Effects of dietary inclusion of citrus pulp and rockrose soft stems and leaves on lamb meat quality and fatty acid composition.

Meat from lambs finished with high-starch diets often contains low concentration of vaccenic (t11-18:1) and rumenic (c9,t11-18:2) acids and high concentration of t10-18:1. We hypothesized that replacing cereals by dehydrated citrus pulp (DCP) and the inclusion of tanniferous feed sources in oil supplemented diets might reduce the accumulation of t10-18:1 and increase the t11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 in lamb meat, without affecting the productive performance. In total, 32 lambs were assigned to four diets which combine two factors: basal diet (BD) (cereals v. DCP) and Cistus ladanifer (CL) (0 v. 150 g/kg dry matter). Feed intake, average daily weight gain and carcass traits were not affected by treatments, except for dressing percentage that was reduced with DCP (P=0.046). Both DCP and C. ladanifer reduced tenderness and juiciness of meat, and C. ladanifer also reduced (P0.05) by diets. However, DCP increased the proportions of odd-chain FA (P=0.005) and several minor biohydrogenation (BH) intermediates in meat lipids. C. ladanifer had few effects on meat FA profile. The proportions of t11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 were high in all diets (5.4% and 1.5% of total FA, respectively) and were not influenced by the treatments. Basal diet and CL showed some significant interactions concerning FA composition of intramuscular fat. In diets without C. ladanifer, replacement of cereals by DCP increased the 18:0 (P<0.05) and decreased t10,c12-18:2 (P<0.05), t10-18:1 (P<0.10) and t10-/t11-18:1 ratio (P<0.10) with a large reduction of the individual variation for t10-18:1 and of t10-/t11-18:1 ratio. Combined with cereals, C. ladanifer increased 18:0 and reduced the BH intermediates in meat. Replacement of cereals by DCP seems to promote a more predictable FA profile in lamb meat, reducing the risk of t10-shifted BH pathways in the rumen.

Carcass characteristics and fat depots in Iberian and F Large White × Landrace pigs intensively finished or raised outdoors in oak-tree forests.

A factorial experiment was performed with 117 barrows belonging to the Iberian (IB) and crossbred F Large White × Landrace (F) genetic groups, either intensively finished (IN) or finished outdoors on pasture in an oak and cork tree forest (EX). Information was collected on carcass weight, yield, and dimensions; weight of organs, carcass cuts, and abdominal fat depots; backfat depth; measurements of the longissimus thoracis (LT); and yield of different leg tissues. For the 41 slaughter and carcass traits analyzed, the interaction between genetic group and finishing system was significant ( < 0.05) in 18 traits, and overall, there was a more pronounced influence of genetic group than of finishing system. In most variables, particularly those related with fat deposition, the interaction reflected mostly changes in mean differences among genetic groups rather than in their ranking, where IB pigs consistently produced fatter carcasses, regardless of the finishing system. Liver weight in IB-EX pigs was lower by nearly 8% when compared with F-EX or IB-IN pigs, but the opposite pattern was found in F pigs, where liver weight in F-EX pigs was higher by 16% relative to IB-EX pigs or to F-IN pigs. The deposition of adipose tissue was much larger ( < 0.05) in IB pigs compared with F pigs, with means for fat depots in IB pigs that were higher by about 25% in total abdominal fat, 94% in dorsal fat depth, 72% in intermuscular plus subcutaneous fat in the leg, and over 300% in intramuscular fat (IMF). The deposition of lean tissue was much lower in IB pigs ( < 0.05), with means for trimmed loin weight corresponding to about one-half of the means obtained in F pigs, whereas lean percentage in the leg of IB pigs was about two-thirds of the mean in F pigs and the mean area of the LT was nearly one-half of that observed in F pigs in the same finishing system ( < 0.05). A strong correlation was observed between the various fat depots when the full data set was considered (correlations of IMF with abdominal fat and backfat depth of 0.65 and 0.83, respectively; < 0.05), but the correlations were much smaller when they were estimated within breed, particularly for IB pigs (-0.10 and 0.20 for the correlations of IMF with abdominal fat and backfat depth, respectively; > 0.05), indicating that it is feasible to reduce subcutaneous and abdominal fat without compromising IMF and meat quality.

Glomerular filtration rate is increased in man by the infusion of both D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid and sodium D,L-3-hydroxybutyrate.

A high glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is often found early in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It has been suggested that high circulating glucose, glucagon, and GH levels could play a role in this increase in GFR. On the other hand, patients with IDDM in poor metabolic control also have high circulating ketone body levels. This study was undertaken to determine whether exogenous D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid at two infusion rates (40 and 30 mumol kg-1 min-1) for 180 min altered renal plasma flow (RPF), GFR, and the excretion rate of total protein, beta 2-microglobulin, and albumin in 11 normal (N) subjects and 11 IDDM patients in whom euglycemia was achieved and maintained using the insulin-glucose clamp technique. RPF and GFR were measured by a priming-continuous infusion of [125I]hippurate and [51Cr]EDTA, respectively. The 40 mumol kg-1 min-1 D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid infusion increased RPF and GFR in both N and IDDM subjects. Mean RPF increased from 588 +/- 78 (+/- SD) to 706 +/- 129 mL min-1 1.73 m-2 in N and from 671 +/- 101 to 781 +/- 99 in IDDM. GFR increased from 121 +/- 11 to 151 +/- 15 ml min-1 1.73 m-2 in N and from 136 +/- 11 to 191 +/- 16 in IDDM. The filtration fraction also was significantly higher in IDDM than in N during the D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid infusion. The 30 mumol kg-1 min-1 D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid infusion increased RPF and GFR to a somewhat lesser extent in both groups. D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid infusions increased the tubular reabsorption rate of ketone bodies and sodium. The increase in tubular sodium reabsorption rate was correlated significantly to that in the tubular ketone body reabsorption rate. A significant decrease in urinary pH was found during the D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid infusion. D,L-3-Hydroxybutyrate sodium salt (30 mumol kg-1 min-1) also was infused in 5 of the 11 diabetic patients. A similar increase in GFR and RPF occurred. Both total protein and beta 2-microglobulin, but not albumin, excretion rates increased during D,L-3-hydroxybutyric acid (40 mumol kg-1 min-1) infusion in N and IDDM subjects. D,L-3-Hydroxybutyric acid infusion did not change plasma glucagon, GH, or renin activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Fibroelastic papilloma: A not-so-benign cardiac tumor.

Six fibroelastic papillomas, ranging in size from 2 to 17 mm, were diagnosed among 106 benign cardiac tumors observed at our institute since 1970. Two were incidental autopsy findings, and involved the pulmonary and aortic semilunar valves, respectively; four were surgically removed specimens from the left side of the heart. Clinical diagnosis was achieved in two young subjects, aged 25 and 31 years, by 2D-echo examination, following an episode of acute myocardial infarction precipitated during a soccer game; the tumor was related to the mitral valve apparatus in both cases, and a coronary embolism, either neoplastic or thrombotic, was the most likely cause of myocardial infarction. Thus, cardiac left-side fibroelastic papilloma should be considered a potentially lifethreatening tumor in hemodynamic terms. Like myxoma, this tumor entails the risk of systemic embolism that may also occur in the coronary arterial tree, precipitating myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac arrest.

Fatal encephalopathy due to Lagochilascaris minor infection.

A 14-year-old boy with a tetralogy of Fallot showed a subacute, progressive encephalopathy characterized by headache, stupor and coma. Death occurred three months after the beginning of the illness. Neuropathologic examination revealed diffuse foci of necrosis of the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum, and the presence of the nematode Lagochilascaris minor in the parenchyma and in the cisterns at the base of the brain. In almost all 28 cases of human lagochilascaris previously reported, the worms were located in the soft tissues of the neck and throat, tonsils, mastoids and paranasal sinuses. This is the first reported case in which Lagochilascaris infected the brain. Since the life cycle of the worm is unknown the pathogenesis of the central nervous system lesions is obscure.

Teaching of undergraduate veterinary parasitology: the South American perspective.

Undergraduate teaching of veterinary parasitology in South American countries is basically similar to most of the veterinary schools and offers lectures and practicals in parasitology (P) predominantly in the second year of the curriculum, and parasitic diseases (PD) in the third year, but in some schools also in the fourth and fifth years. However, there is a great variation in teaching hours allocated to P/PD between totals of about 50-169 h during the full curriculum. In addition to the lectures and practicals, schools are increasingly using tools (CD-ROMs) for self-instruction and new forms of education, such as workshops, round tables, and field practicals. The large number of important parasite species of large and small animals in tropical and subtropical areas would require additional hours for teaching--at least in some of the schools--considering the multidisciplinary characteristics of veterinary parasitology.

Pathophysiology of Haemonchus placei infection in calves.

This study was conducted to investigate the pathophysiology of Haemonchus placei infection in Friesian calves. Seven calves were divided into two groups, three uninfected calves (control group) and four infected animals. The latter group were infected orally with 500 H. placei larvae kg-1 body weight. Five weeks after infection they were all housed in metabolic crates and injected with 125I-bovine albumin. 51Cr-red cells and 59Fe-transferrin, to study albumin metabolism, erythrokinetics and ferrokinetics. The results showed that there was a significant reduction in the mean haematocrit values and reduced weight gains in the infected calves compared with the controls. There was also a change in the distribution of albumin from the extravascular to the intravascular pool and a significant increase in the plasma and blood volumes of infected calves although the blood and albumin loss via the gastrointestinal tract recorded in this study was similar in both groups.

Dynamics of the humoral immune response of calves infected and re-infected with Cooperia punctata.

The dynamics of the humoral immune response of calves were analysed after primary infection and re-infection with the intestinal nematode Cooperia punctata. 12 male 5 month-old Holstein-Friesian calves were randomly divided into two groups A and B. At the beginning of the experiment Group A animals were each infected experimentally with a single oral dose of 130,000 infective third stage larvae (L3) of C. punctata. The animals of Group B were kept as non-infected controls. The two calves from Group A with the highest infections died of cooperiosis at 32 and 44 days after infection (DAI), respectively. On DAI 100 the calves were treated with the recommended dose of oxfendazole. On DAI 180 the remaining four calves of Group A and three animals of Group B (B1) were infected with 260,000 L3 of C. punctata, while the other three calves of Group B (B2) served as non-infected controls. Monitoring of the humoral immune response predominantly demonstrated an IgG1 response against both adult and L3 antigen of C. punctata. Moreover, re-infections increased the levels of these immunoglobulins. IgA levels were less increased than IgG1 and no significant increase was observed in IgG2 and IgM levels. Immunoblotting analysis showed that total IgG present in the serum of the primary infected animals mainly reacted against adult proteins of 12-14 and 17-20 kDa and against L3 proteins of 33 and 43 kDa. After re-infection total IgG reacted with the same adult proteins but also with an adult 29 kDa protein.

Haemonchus placei in calves: effects of dietary protein and multiple experimental infection on worm establishment and pathogenesis.

An experiment was conducted to examine the influence of dietary protein and immunisation on parasite establishment and pathogenesis of Haemonchus placei in calves. Four groups of 4-6-month-old worm-free calves (n = 4) were given a low protein diet (LP) containing 213 g crude protein (CP) per head per day or a high-protein diet (HP) containing 469 g per head per day CP. Five weeks later, calves in one of the two groups of each dietary treatment were given 50,000 H. placei infective larvae (L3). Twenty-five days later, infection in these groups was terminated by dosing with oxfendazole. This immunisation process was repeated 4 days later. Four days after termination of the second immunisation all calves were challenged with 100,000 L3. Five weeks later, all calves were slaughtered for abomasal worm counts. Worm establishment was lower in the immunised groups; however, only the HP-I group showed a significant reduction (P < 0.05). All calves gained weight during the first 13 week period, and after challenge the non-immunised groups lost weight, independent of the level of protein in the diet (P < 0.05). Packed cell volume values for all treatments only dropped after challenge (P < 0.05) and the HP-immunised group presented values significantly higher when compared with the other treatments. All calves were hypoproteinaemic and hypoalbuminaemic at the end of the experiment, regardless of the treatment. Immunised calves showed a normocytic normochromic anaemia, while the non-immunised groups presented a microcytic normochromic anaemia.

Cooperia punctata trickle infections: parasitological parameters and evaluation of a Cooperia recombinant 14.2 kDa protein ELISA for estimating cumulative exposure of calves.

Three groups of four calves each were trickle infected with three different levels of Cooperia punctata: 310 (group A), 1250 (group B) and 5000 (group C) third stage infective larvae (L3) twice a week over a 17-week period. Group D was the non-infected control group. Parasitological parameters as faecal egg counts (epg), worm burdens, size of worms and number of eggs per female were collected and the differences between the groups compared. Serological analyses were also conducted to investigate the efficiency of a recombinant C. oncophora CoES 14.2kDa protein in an ELISA to detect C. punctata antibodies. Group C had higher faecal egg counts until week 9 when the values decreased to those in group B. Mean faecal egg counts in group A were always lower than in the two other infected groups. The worm burdens were highest in group C, and lowest in group A, although the number of worms as a percentage of total larval intake was higher for the lower group. The mean length of the worms was shorter and the number of eggs per female lower for group C than for both other groups. ELISA using the CoES 14.2kDa proved to be efficient in measuring C. punctata antibodies. For group C it took 4 weeks to get increased levels of antibodies and this was one and 2 months more for groups B and A, respectively. Overall, there was a congruent relation between C. punctata antibodies and the cumulative exposure to the three different levels of trickle infections.

A family of activation associated secreted protein (ASP) homologues of Cooperia punctata.

Activation-associated secreted proteins (ASP) of nematodes have been studied as potential vaccine components. In this study we report the cloning and analysis of cDNA and genomic sequences of Cooperia punctata and establish the presence of two 75% identical ASP-1 genes in C. punctata. Additional C. punctata ASP paralogues were shown to be present. Analysis of PCR products amplified from genomic DNA from a pool of worms revealed extensive sequence diversity within this family of proteins, reflecting the presence of different ASP paralogues in a single worm as well as extensive polymorphisms between different worms. ASP proteins contain a conserved region called the sperm-coating protein (SCP) domain of unknown function, which is present as a single copy in proteins from yeast and a wide range of multi-cellular organisms. Only in three nematodes has a protein composed of duplicated SCP-domains been identified. C. punctata is the first organism in which at least two such genes are found. Database searches identified similarity of the C-terminal cysteine-rich domain of ASP proteins to a nematode metallothionein motif. Cp-asp-1b was expressed in Escherichia coli and both the N-terminal and C-terminal domain were shown to be recognized by sera of C. punctata infected bovines. The description of the asp gene family of C. punctata provides the basis for more detailed studies into the extent of variation and immunological recognition of this family that may assist in rational vaccine design.

[Effectiveness of ketanserin in the treatment of light-to-moderate arterial hypertension]. / Efficacia della ketanserina nel trattamento dell'ipertensione arteriosa lieve-moderata.

The above study was undertaken in order to demonstrate the efficacy of ketanserin in mild to moderate essential arterial hypertension. Twenty-two patients, mean age 49.7 yrs., were studied during 36 months. After a 15-day washout period with clinical and instrumental assessment of basal conditions, treatment with 40 mg ketanserin every 12 hrs. was started. Pressure, blood chemistry and instrumental investigation were carried out systematically and showed the hypotensive action of ketanserin as well as a significant (about 12%) rise in HDL-cholesterol.

[Evaluation of neuropsychological parameters in a group of metal mechanics occupationally exposed to radio frequencies]. / Valutazione di alcuni parametri neuropsicologici in un gruppo di lavoratori metalmeccanici professionalmente esposti a radiofrequenze.

In view of the increasing interest in electromagnetic fields, the effects on behaviour were studied in a group of foundry workers following prolonged exposure to radiofrequencies. The results of behavioural tests revealed significant differences between the exposed and control groups as regards neuropsychological performance. Anxiety and depression tests, however, indicated no pathological alterations, in contrast to previous observations. Nevertheless, the results need to be confirmed by further, more detailed studies.