A giant planet orbiting the 'extreme horizontal branch' star V 391 Pegasi.

After the initial discoveries fifteen years ago, over 200 extrasolar planets have now been detected. Most of them orbit main-sequence stars similar to our Sun, although a few planets orbiting red giant stars have been recently found. When the hydrogen in their cores runs out, main-sequence stars undergo an expansion into red-giant stars. This expansion can modify the orbits of planets and can easily reach and engulf the inner planets. The same will happen to the planets of our Solar System in about five billion years and the fate of the Earth is matter of debate. Here we report the discovery of a planetary-mass body (Msini = 3.2M(Jupiter)) orbiting the star V 391 Pegasi at a distance of about 1.7 astronomical units (au), with a period of 3.2 years. This star is on the extreme horizontal branch of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, burning helium in its core and pulsating. The maximum radius of the red-giant precursor of V 391 Pegasi may have reached 0.7 au, while the orbital distance of the planet during the stellar main-sequence phase is estimated to be about 1 au. This detection of a planet orbiting a post-red-giant star demonstrates that planets with orbital distances of less than 2 au can survive the red-giant expansion of their parent stars.

[Acute pancreatitis: our experience in the light of natural history]. / Pancreatite acuta: nostra esperienza alla luce della sua storia naturale.

The Authors enumerate main steps of acute pancreatitis natural history. Then they discuss their last five years case-report. After having stated that clinical presentation depends on anatomo-pathological conditions, they consider aetiological causes and morphopathogenetic moments involved in the onset and development of this disease. They conclude stating how only proper diagnosis and treatment can prevent its potential evolution in multiorgan failure.

Simple versus double jejunal pouch for reconstruction after total gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Even though many types of reconstruction after total gastrectomy have been proposed to reduce postgastrectomy syndromes, choosing a method that would further improve the quality of life and nutrition of the gastrectomized patient is controversial. Hunt-Lawrence single pouch reconstruction seems to obtain better results compared with the more common Roux-en-Y technique, but both of these reconstructive approaches are associated with some reduction in food intake and some problems in achievement of ideal body weight. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized trial, after total gastrectomy 18 patients had reconstruction according to the Hunt-Lawrence or single pouch technique (SP group), whereas for 23 patients, the technique was modified with construction of a second pouch in the distal portion of the jejunal loop (DP group). Patients in the two groups were compared at 12 months after surgery for problems in gastrointestinal function, quality of life, improvement in body weight and nutritional parameters, serum albumin, hemoglobin level, and serum protein. RESULTS: The DP group demonstrated fewer symptom problems, better weight maintenance, and better laboratory values when compared with patients undergoing standard single jejunal pouch reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction with use of a double pouch as a gastric substitute leads to better outcome assessments than with a single pouch reconstruction. Our double pouch technique has demonstrated significant improvement in quality of life and nutritional recovery in terms of functional results as well as patient satisfaction.

[Coliphages, viral indicators of contamination]. / Colifagi, indicatori virali di contaminazione.

This paper illustrates the importance of coliphages, which are specific bacteriophages for Escherichia coli strains, as viral indicators, and suggests the usefulness of a routine coliphage search in the detection of viral contamination. The samples studied consisted of 57 surface water, (46 of sea water and 11 of river water), 2 of mud taken from biological treatment plants and 3 samples of sludge. The results revealed that coliphages can be considered valid indicators of viral contamination as they show a good response to the general standards established for indicators. In particular: they are found in sludge (both untreated and treated) and in surface water (both river and sea) in higher concentrations than those of enterovirus; they show greater resistance than bacterial indicators to disinfection as, in different experimental conditions, the drop in the level does not exceed orders of magnitude they are relatively simple to identify, and are easily quantifiable by means of the MPN method, with the result that they can be used for the management of water resources. As regards the possible use of coliphages for the control of the necessary qualitative requisites of sea water for bathing, the relation with fecal coli enables us to make an assessment of coliphages corresponding to 100 fecal coli/100 ml. This levels is equivalent to 0.95 so that a suitable guide line for water for bathing purposes could for example be established at 10 coliphages/1. Although coliphages may be considered good indicators of viral contamination this clearly does not mean that they can replace classic bacterial indicators but rather, that they can provide useful additional information, particularly in those cases where a rapid drop in bacterial content may conceal high risk health and hygiene conditions.

[Methodological possibilities for in vitro evaluation of the antibiotic sensitivity of bacterial plaque from periodontal pockets]. / Possibilità metodologiche per valutare in vitro la sensibilità agli antibiotici della placca batterica proveniente da tasche parodontali.

Two different methods for making the subuletic bacterial antibiogram were compared, namely, the inhibition halo technique and that of percentage reduction. The first, of the more classical nature, is based on the introduction of the antibiotic inside a small cavity made in the culture medium, which leads to the formation of circular haloes around the cavity itself. The magnitude of the hales is all the greater, the more effective the antibiotic. The percentage-reduction technique calculates the reduction, expressed as a percentage, of the total number of colonies grown in the cultural medium containing the antibiotic, with respect to the number of colonies grown on a control culture-plate without antibiotic. Both techniques gave unambiguous results in 92.8% of the cases, both showing satisfactory validity; however, the percentage reduction technique proved to be more complex, to require fuller investigation and to be more expensive than the other. In fact, to make the antibiogram of a bacterial plaque concerning the seven antibiotics tested, 24 plates of agar-culture were necessary with the "r" method, whereas, with that of "inhibition haloes" only two sufficed. In addition, in the case of plaques with scarce microbial density or in the presence of highly invasive germs, by using the "inhibition haloes" method, it is always possible to have some information, which is impossible with the other method.