[CoQ10 blood levels and erythrocyte concentration of GSH in ischemic heart patients during exercise test (effects of vitamin E)]. / Comportamento della concentrazione plasmatica di CoQ10 ed eritrocitaria di GSH in cardiopatici ischemici sottoposti a test ergometrico (effetti indotti dall'assunzione di vitamina E).

During exercise there is an increase of oxygen consumption with production of superoxide anion. Tocopherols and ubiquinones are intrinsic lipid components involved in antioxidant protection and also glutathione reduced is an important water soluble antioxidant. The authors take into consideration 28 patients with ischemic heart disease coming in a rehabilitation center. In a group of 14 of them we studied the effects on the exercise ergonometer test of administration of 1200 mg of tocopherol on the behaviour of ubiquinone plasmatic levels and GSH. In this group CoQ10 after exercise increase significantly (0.762 SD 0.134 g/ml before vs 0.827 SD 0.89 after). GSH doesn't increase after (2.5 SD 0.459 mM/l vs 2.492 SD 0.457). In the group of patients without tocopherol after exercise CoQ10 decrease significantly (-39%) and also GSH has the same behaviour (-15%). Our study shows that the administration of tocopherol prevents lipoperoxidation occurring during exercise test.

Focal cerebral ischemia and patent cardiac foramen ovale.

By means of transthoracic contrast echocardiography, the prevalence of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) was studied, in a continuous series of 48 patients aged less than 50 years with a recent episode of acute cerebral ischemia. A PFO was found in 11 subjects (23%). In the subgroup of younger patients (aged less than 30 years), the prevalence was much higher than in those aged 30 or more (58% against 11%, p = 0.0022). In the 19 patients with clear evidence of extracardiac causal factors of cerebral ischemia, there was no PFO; of the remaining 29 subjects, a PFO was present in 11 (38%) (p = 0.0015). In conclusion, the possible presence of a PFO must be carefully investigated in subjects with cerebral ischemia aged less than 30, as well as in subjects aged between 30 and 50 in whom there is no acceptable explanation for their cerebral ischemic episode.

[Cardiopulmonary echinococcosis: a report of a clinical case]. / Echinococcosi cardio-polmonare: descrizione di un caso clinico.

The authors report a case of hydatid cyst of the ventricular septum. The patient, an asymptomatic 30-year-old woman, was hospitalized in the Department of Pneumology after a routine chest X-ray test which detected two round masses in the lungs. During hospitalization the patient was asymptomatic and standard ECG was normal, but two-dimensional echocardiography (2D echo) revealed a cardiac cyst localized in the mediobasal portion of the ventricular septum. The finding was confirmed by computed tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. An echinococcosis was suspected on the basis of the patient's origin (Morocco) and because of the presence of cystic lesion also in the lungs, and was confirmed by positive hemagglutinin test. The patient underwent surgery (suction of cardiac cyst in extracorporeal circulation and washing with formaline 2%). This case is of particular interest because of the rarity of cardiac localization of echinococcosis (0.02-2%) and the lack of symptoms or of asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmias despite the location in the ventricular septum. Patients with hepatic or pulmonary hydatid disease could be routinely investigated by 2D echo because this imaging technique is: noninvasive, feasible and has a high sensitivity for detecting intracardiac echinococcal cysts.

[Dynamic electrocardiographic study of a group of urban bus drivers]. / Studio elettrocardiografico dinamico su un gruppo di conducenti di autobus urbani.

On the initiative of Preventive Medicine promoted by the Genoa Urban Transport Company, authors carried out an inquiry of dynamic electrocardiography by Holter during the normal working activity of a group of 95 drivers. It was observed mean value of heart rate of 86.23 +/- 10.08; moreover patients with more working seniority shown a lesser increase of the pulse rate with statistical difference as compared with other groups. In any case we don't observe any change of ventricular repolarization.