[Management of uncomplicated arterial hypertension in pregnancy]. / Management clinico-terapeutico dell'ipertensione arteriosa non complicatanella donna in gravidanza.

In the management of uncomplicated arterial hypertension in pregnancy, blood pressure (BP) values of pregnant women should be treated in order to reduce risks of both maternal and fetal complications. To reduce these risks, it is necessary to monitor BP, some hematochemical parameters and albuminuria, to try to prevent more serious clinical complications. Moreover, repeated measurements of BP, as well as frequent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) over 24 h are necessary. In the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy, if there are no high risks, it is possible to try a non pharmacological antihypertensive therapy consisting of a suitable diet, reduction of weight, abolition of some lifestyles (smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and heavy physical exercises). If these measures are not sufficient or the risk is high, a pharmacological therapy with neither toxic nor teratogenic drugs for the fetus will be administered in order to normalize BP without reducing perfusion of the uterus/placenta. Only in case of severe hypertension, a more aggressive pharmacological treatment should be carried out and, if necessary, hospitalization. The drugs suggested in these cases are those which have already been recognised as presenting low side effects. Antihypertensive drugs used in pregnancy can be classified as: suitable (methyldopa, clonidine, long acting calcioantagonists); cautiously used (alpha-blockers, beta-betablockers); contraindicated (ACE-inhibitors, sartans, short acting calcioantagonists). Hyper-tensive crises should be treated with an injection therapy (clonidine, labetalol), with hospital admission if necessary, or if preeclampsia or eclampsia may occur.

[HIV infection and T-lymphocyte behavior: results of a study in Palermo]. / Infezioni da HIV e comportamento di linfociti T: risultati di uno studio palermitano.

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the HIV infection in people with an already impaired immunological system. The seroprevalence follow-up of different markers of HIV should seem to suggest to predict the course of the disease as well as the T4/T8 ratio did. We examined 111 at risk anti-HIV positive people according to these parameters in comparison with their clinical situation. Serum samples from these subjects were examined by means of the ELISA method for anti-ENV/CORE antibodies and HIV antigen, followed by a Western Blot confirmation. The T4/T8 ratio was controlled and measured by means of monoclonal immunofluorescent antibody test. Sixty six out of eighty three (79.5%) symptomatic patients showed a less than 1.0 T4/T8 ratio in comparison with 15/28 (53.6%) asymptomatic people (p less than 0.01) while no difference was seen in the same patients according to the presence or not of anti-core antibodies. In some patients it was possible to observe a positive trend in the T4/T8 ratio.

[Microbiological and serological study in cases of infertility with or without sterility with particular emphasis on the etiological role of Chlamydia trachomatis]. / Indagini microbiologiche e sierologiche in casi di infertilita' e/o sterilita' con particolare riguardo al ruolo svolto in essi da Chlamydia trachomatis.

Microbiological investigations were carried out on two groups of men and women--a) with genital non gonococcal pathology and--b) in infertile/sterile people of the same sex and age (mean age 28.4 y) with the aim to document in them the prevalence of various microorganisms particularly of Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma and Chlamydia trachomatis as aetiological agent of their pathology. Serum antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis were also studied by microimmunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase and ELISA methods in the same population in comparison with apparently healthy blood donors of the same sex and age as control. Finally, 56 infertile/sterile couples were included in this study to investigate the possible role of Chl. trachomatis. Various microorganisms were isolated more frequently from women of the group b) (45.5%-22.9% respectively p less than 0.01). Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma in comparison with Chl. trachomatis were prevalent in all groups investigated (p less than 0.01). Infertile/sterile women had higher anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies than did women with genital non gonococcal pathology or women of the control group (p less than 0.01). Mycoplasma/Ureaplasma strains were isolated from infertile/sterile couples more frequently than Chl. trachomatis but the women of these couples had high titres (greater than 128) of anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies. Finally, IgA as well as IgG anti Chl. trachomatis antibodies were demonstrated in two out of nine peritoneal fluid samples obtained from women affected by PID. In one case, a pregnancy underwent after an ad hoc therapy of the two partners from whom two Ureaplasma strains were isolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Research on the normal value of total blood cholesterol in the adult population of Palermo]. / Ricerche sui valori normali della colesterolemia totale nella popolazione adulta Palermitana.

We chose, as typical values of serum cholesterol, the mean levels of the unimodal distribution of frequency with asymmetrical form, for different age groups, from some quarters of Palermo. We assumed as normal range estimate the interval between the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles, with associated nonparametric 90% confidence intervals for normal limits for the true percentile. For this biometric analysis of ethnic physiology, we controlled the laboratory measurements in several inspection cycles. As the observed frequencies are not a real statistical sample, neither the 95% of the actual reference population: we smoothed the observed frequencies interpolating, with an algebraic polynomial, the mean empiric levels (and the chosen percentiles) of total serum cholesterol of the examined population - since the measurements taken on Mondays, the days after holidays, in January and April were chosen to see, experimentally, how the collected data depend on environmental alimentary factors; the degree of polynomial which gave the best approximation was chosen, on the grounds of the variance analysis; we tested the goodness of fit of the function to the referred frequencies. Moreover, the choice of the function was based on: a) the test of the hypothesis that the dependent variable reading the various specific ages, is normal, so we estimated the kurtosis and the asymmetry of the single frequency distributions; b) the simulation of the hypothesis that the measurements were made at random from gaussian distribution, so that the variances homogeneity of the examined character at various specific ages was examined by Bartlett's test. To identify the stages within which the cholesterolemic levels vary, due to growth and to the sexual maturation, we formed three age groups for males and four for females, whose delimitation is not arbitrary, since the best interpolation of the mean levels observed within such delimited age groups was again obtained by an algebraic polynomial of 2nd degree.

[Epidemiological study on the assay of antibodies to anti-TORCH agents and to HBV in a group of mother/child pairs in Palermo]. / Studio epidemiologico per la ricerca di anticorpi anti-agenti TORCH e di HBV in un gruppo di coppie madre/figlio a Palermo.

The TORCH group: toxoplasma, rubeola, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes virus hominis (HSV) and also the B-virus of hepatitis (HBV) determine congenital malformations in the newborns. For this reason, the Authors leaded an epidemiologic study testing with some antibodies (anti-TORCH and anti-HBV) the serum of groups of mother-newborn of the Obstetrical Clinic of Palermo. This study became manageable because now there are available high specific immunoenzymatic methods, for example ELISA, the passive haemoagglutination and the haemoagglutination-inhibition. In our people, high concentration of rubeola, HSV and CMV and very low concentration of toxoplasma and HBV are shown. The frequency of malformation is related with the subclinical infection. The Authors suggest to extend same investigation at an higher number of pregnant women to prevent these congenital malformations.

[Incidence of possible diabetic conditions in pregnant women: effects on the fetus]. / Incidenza percentuale delle possibili condizioni di diabete nelle gestanti: ripercussioni sul feto.

The Authors studied the mortality and morbidity of newborn who had diabetic mothers. They confronted these dates with those mothers with overweight or with abnormal glucose oral test. There is no difference among them belonging neonatal mortality and morbidity. It would be useful to underline the high risk of mortality in newborn from mothers with diabetic overweight.