[Arterial hypertension and syncope in an adult patient with coarctation of the aorta]. / Ipertensione arteriosa e sincope in adulto portatore di stenosi istmica dell'aorta.

An uncommon case of aortal coartactation in an adult patient treated, since five years, for hypertension and faintness is described. The surgical treatment led to complete resolution of her symptomatology without drug therapy.

[Findings in relation to serum and urinary iron in heterozygotic beta-thalassemia]. / Indagine intorno al ferro sierico ed urinario nella beta-talassemia eterozigote.

Iron status (expressed as serum ferritin and iron levels) has been compared in normal and in heterozygous beta-thalassemic subjects. A higher serum ferritin concentration has been found in beta-thalassemic males, showing, therefore, a shift towards super-normal values of the balance between tissue iron and serum ferritin levels. In beta-thalassemic subjects the serum ferritin levels have been found in the normal range and this seems to be correlated with an adequate and ready iron supply by protein transferrin to hyperplastic bone marrow. The higher urinary iron values in normal male subjects can be explained in this way: a large iron supply from the transferrin to the thalassemic erythroid cells limits the contribution from this protein to the urinary iron.

[The "lamellar cranium": a particular radiologic feature of Cooley's disease]. / Il "cranio lamellare": un particolare aspetto radiologico del morbo di Cooley.

The skull in homozygous beta-thalassemia (Cooley's anemia) may present with several abnormalities, such as osteopenia, widening of the diploic space, and a "hair on end" appearance. In some cases it presents also a particular stratified aspect owing to a variable number of osseous lamellae, arranged so as to be parallel to the inner table. This "lamellated skull" was observed in 16 patients, selected from 150 patients with Cooley's anemia (10.6%). The possible mechanisms are discussed. The pluristratified lamellar osseous production could be brought about by repeated periosteal osteoblastic reaction to the sinusoidal neovascularization associated with marrow hyperplasia in poorly or not at all transfused patients.