Hydroxycinnamic Acids as Markers of Italian Blood Orange Juices.

Extraction, resolution, and determination of the trans-hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, p-coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic) were performed in 82 orange juices derived from the most important blood and blond varieties grown in Italy. Soluble solids, acidity, and anthocyanins were also determined. Hydroxycinnamic acids were more abundant in blood orange than in blond juices. Ferulic acid was the major component in all cases, but the distribution of the four acids was typical in each variety. Discriminant analysis of the experimental results showed that these acids could be used as markers of blood and blond varieties. The statistical model was used to recognize some mixtures of blood and blond juices.

A century of suicide in Italy: a comparison between the old and the young.

This study analyzes suicide rates from 1887 to 1993 in the Italian population between the ages of 15 and 24 years old and over 65 years of age, based on official data published in the Health Statistics Year Book. The rates of death by suicide (per 100,000) subjects) are calculated for each year and for 10-year periods, as are the mortality rates relative to each method of suicide, standardized by gender. The latter analysis was possible starting from 1951 only, when it became customary to record method. The findings indicate an increase in the suicide phenomenon in the elderly population in Italy over the test period. Rates are at least 3 times higher for men than for women. The highest rates are reported for elderly men, but there appears to have been a greater proportional increase in the number of suicides committed by elderly women. The rise was statistically significant in both males and females. By contrast, a rather constant decrease in suicide rates in young people emerges from the beginning of the century through to the present date. This decrease is more marked in females, although suicide rates are lower for females than for males. Over the study period, substantial changes have come about in the suicide methods used by both young and old people. There was an increase in poisoning by care exhaust fumes, jumping from heights, hanging, and firearms.

Lower suicide rates associated with a Tele-Help/Tele-Check service for the elderly at home.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine the impact on suicidal behavior of Tele-Help/Tele-Check, a telephone service designed to provide elderly people with home assistance. Tele-Help is an alarm system that the client can activate to call for help; in Tele-Check the client is contacted about twice a week for assessment of needs and for emotional support. METHOD: The authors determined the number of suicides among 12,135 elderly subjects who were connected to the Tele-Help/Tele-Check service in the Veneto region of Italy from Jan. 1, 1988, to Dec. 31, 1991, and compared it with the suicide rate for the general population in the Veneto region. RESULTS: Only one death by suicide was found in the elderly subjects connected to Tele-Help/Tele-Check, compared with the expected number of 7.44 for the general population (standardized mortality ratio = 13.44%). CONCLUSIONS: Since many of the traditional risk factors for suicide were concentrated in the elderly subjects studied, the Tele-Help/Tele-Check service appears to provide support of great interest for the prevention of suicide in the elderly.

Operative laparoscopy for tubal pathology.

Tubal pathology has represented in the last years, the main indication to operative laparoscopy, mainly as a consequence of the widespread use of this technique in the treatment of the ectopic pregnancy. Furthermore, operative laparoscopy has been widely applied to the treatment of the distal tubal pathology for infertility, when IVF/ET failed or was not accepted. The Authors discuss the rationale for these applications of operative laparoscopy and also the possibility of performing by laparoscopy demolitive interventions on the tubes.

Operative laparoscopy for ovarian pathology.

In the last few years, the improvements of the operative laparoscopy have led to the use of these techniques as an alternative to traditional surgical approaches. Ovarian pathology has been more and more treated by a laparoscopic approach. In this paper, the risks and complications of the operative laparoscopy in the different forms of ovarian pathology.

Use of the AN69-S (Biospal) in conventional hemodialysis (HD) and in biofiltration (BF).

The authors report the results of a comparative study between biofiltration and conventional hemodialysis with cuprophan and AN69-S hemodialyzers. Using AN69-S in conventional hemodialysis and in biofiltration, there was an almost total absence of cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting and symptomatic hypotension even though map and DBW were reduced.