[Clinical trial of the activity and therapeutic effectiveness of 3 drugs with diuretic and antihypertensive action]. / Sperimentazione clinica dell'attività e dell'efficacia terapeutica di tre farmaci ad azione diuretica ed antiipertensiva.

The Authors have examined, by statistical analysis of the variance for a three-period cross-over design, the effects of fenquizone, furosemide and chlorthalidone on 24 in-patients affected by hypertension, edematous cardiac, renal and liver diseases. The fenquizone, given at doses of 20 mg/die/os, has shown an hypertensive activity comparable to that of the other two diuretic compounds. Such an activity occurs without secondary effects on the heart rate, the electrolites and acid-base balance and on the other parameters taken into account among which the renal functionality test, uricemia and glycemia. At low doses fenquizone has an hypotensive action without showing the characteristics secondary effects of diuretics so that it can be employed for long-term treatments without any risk.

[Luxations of the Charnley type and Kerboull-modified Charnley-type total prostheses]. / Luxations des prothèses totales type Charnley et Charnley modifiées Kerboull.

The authors have observed 82 dislocations in a series of 4833 total hip prostheses of the Charnley or modified Charnley type. This represents 1.7 p. 100 of the cases. In 26 instances, the hip dislocated only once. In other instances, the dislocation became recurrent. Several factors favoured the incidence of dislocation and could be corrected - malposition of the prosthetic components as shown in radiographs, leverage due to ossification or hypertrophic synovium, and non-union after division of the greater trochanter. In 17 instances, no reason could be found except muscle atrophy. This type of case was difficult to treat and continued to dislocate later.

[Recent fractures of the humeral diaphysis in adults. Comparison of orthopedic and surgical treatment. Apropos of 252 cases]. / Les fractures récentes de la diaphyse humérale de l'adulte. Comparaison du traitement orthopédique et des traitements chirurgicaux. A propos de 252 cas.

Two hundred and fifty two cases of fracture of the humeral shaft have been treated by the authors, half conservatively by mobilisation against the chest wall and half surgically. The main surgical procedures were plating, nailing without reaming, fascicular intramedullary pinning, or external fixation. Conservative treatment gave satisfactory results without iatrogenic complications. However, significant limitation of movement was seen in 61 cases and was severe in 14. Eight non-unions occurred. The best surgical fixation was either by intramedullary nailing or fascicular intramedullary pinning in fractures of the upper third or the middle third of the humeral shaft. These techniques resulted in very few post operative radial palsies. Plating is indicated in unstable fractures of the lower third of the humerus. Conservative treatment or blind intramedullary nailing or pinning is indicated in cases of initial radial palsy, the nerve being explored only after three to six months in the absence of recovery.

[Variations in the taste function of smokers]. / Variazioni della funzione gustativa nei soggetti fumatori.

Cigarette smoke is linked to many pathologies and also affects a very important aspect of human physiology that is taste. In fact already in the past years, researchers have worked on this phenomenon and have come to the conclusion that smoke influences the perception of bitter taste. In our study we researched the detection and identification threshold in thirty smokers, for the citric acid, quinine, sodium chloride and saccharose, and it turned out that smokers suffer a raise in quinine identification and sodium chloride detection and identification threshold. On the basis of the results obtained with sodium chloride, a theory on hypertension etiopathogenesis is suggested.

Nicotine and cotinine affect the release of vasoactive factors by trophoblast cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: To examine nicotine (N) and cotinine (C) effects on trophoblast cells (TCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) secretion of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1), soluble endoglin (sENG), placental growth factor (PlGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). STUDY DESIGN: Human placentas and umbilical cords were collected from uncomplicated pregnancies at term from a total of 24 non-smoking women with a history of normal blood pressure. TCs and HUVEC were cultured for 24 h with C or N (from 10(-12) to 10(-7) M). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: sFlt-1, sENG, PlGF, TGF-beta and VEGF release and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were evaluated by ELISA and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. RESULTS: N and C reduced sFlt-1, sENG and PlGF release by TCs and TGF-beta release by HUVEC. Conversely, N and C increased PlGF secretion, while N alone increased sFlt-1 release by HUVEC. N and C were able to modulate VEGF mRNA expression in HUVEC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that N and C affect the balance of some important vasoactive factors released by TCs and HUVEC. This might be one of the possible mechanism through which smoke reduces the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy as well as contributes to the well known detrimental effects of smoking on fetal development.

[Use of hydrogen peroxide is combination with drug cocktails in the treatment of thrombophlebitis and its sequelae and of in the treatment of varicose ulcer]. / L'uso del perossido di idrogeno in associazione a cocktails medicamentosi nel trattamento delle tromboflebiti, loro sequele e dell'ulcera varicosa.

An association of hydrogen peroxide and drug cocktails was given interarterially and by slow arterial in 19 cases of lower extremity phlebopathy. Repair of ulcer lesions, even those of considerable extent, was achieved in a relatively short space of time, together with the disappearance of marked regression of subjective symptoms and local oedema.

Inhibition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphomannose isomerase by the NO-donor S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine.

Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI; EC. 5.3.1.8) is an essential metalloenzyme in the early steps of the protein glycosylation pathway in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The Cys150 residue (according to Candida albicans PMI numbering) is conserved in the active centre of mammalian and yeast PMI, but not in bacterial species where it is replaced by Asn. Here, the dose- and time-dependent inhibitory effect of the NO-donor S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PMI catalytic activity is reported. The analysis of the X-ray crystal structure of C. albicans PMI and of the molecular model of S. cerevisiae PMI provides a rationale for the low reactivity of Cys150 towards alkylating and nitrosylating agents.

Modulation of the catalytic activity of cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi, by temperature and pH.

Cysteine proteinases are relevant to several aspects of the parasite life cycle and of parasite-host relationships. Here, a quantitative investigation of the effect of temperature and pH on the total substrate inhibition of cruzipain, the major papain-like cysteine proteinase from Trypanosoma cruzi, is reported. Values of the apparent catalytic and inhibition parameters Km, Vmax, Vmax/Km, and K(i) for the cruzipain-catalysed hydrolysis of N-alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-arginine-(7-amino-4-methylcoumarin) (Z-Phe-Arg-AMC) and azocasein were determined between 10.0 degrees C and 40.0 degrees C and between pH 4.5 and 8.5. Values of Km were independent of temperature and pH, whereas values of Vmax, Vmax/Km, and K(i) were temperature-dependent and pH-dependent. Over the whole pH range explored, values of logVmax, log(Vmax/Km), and logK(i) increased linearly with respect to T(-1). Values of Vmax and Vmax/Km were affected by the acid-base equilibrium of one temperature-independent ionizing group (i.e. pK(unl)' = pK(lig)' = 5.7 +/- 0.1, at 25.0 degrees C). Moreover, values of K(i) were affected by the alkaline pK shift of one ionizing group of active cruzipain (from pK(unl)" = 5.7 +/- 0.1 to pK(lig)" = 6.1 +/- 0.1, at 25.0 degrees C) upon Z-Phe-Arg-AMC binding. Values of logK(unl)', logK(lig)', and logK(lig)" were temperature-independent. Conversely, values of logK(unl)" were linearly dependent on T(-1). As a whole, total substrate inhibition of cruzipain decreased with increasing temperature and pH. These data suggest that both synthetic and protein substrates can bind to the unique active centre of cruzipain either productively or following a binding mode which results in enzyme inhibition. However, allosteric effect(s) cannot be excluded.