Effects of oral doxofylline on inflammatory changes and altered cell proliferation in chronic obstructive bronchitis.

The effects of oral doxofylline (400 mg BID) on bronchial airway mucosa were investigated in 14 patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis. The eligible patients had to have forced expiratory volume in 1 second > 60% of the predicted value and oxygen partial tension > 55 mm Hg. At the onset and the end of the study, bronchial biopsies were performed via a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope. Chronic inflammation of the airways was graded according to absence of lesions = 0, involvement of 1-10% = 1, 10-50% = 2 and > 50% = 3. After three months of treatment, 57% of patients in the doxofylline group presented absence of lesions, while the remaining 43% exhibited advanced lesions. In the control group, absence of lesions was observed in 14%, while lesions of grade 1, 2 and 3 were visible in 14%, 29% and 43%, respectively. At histological examination, a significant difference in the degree of structural changes was observed in the doxofylline group between baseline and the end of the study (p < 0.03). In conclusion, doxofylline may induce favorable effects on inflammatory changes and altered cell proliferation of the airway mucosa in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis.

[A chromatographic method for the urinary pregnanediol dosage for routine analyses (author's transl)]. / Un metodo cromatografico per il dosaggio del pregnandiolo urinario adatto alla routine.

The AA. aiming at a handy and speedy system admitting of being fitted to the equipments of any laboratory hospital have taken into account two procedures, one proposed by Varley and the other of Fotherby and Love reported by Wootton and King for pregnanediol. The two methods have been combined in order to make the process easier. The procedure is based upon chromatography on alumina of ethereal extracts dissolved in cyclohexan. Glucuronate hydrolysis has been obtained with beta-glucuronidase.

[Review of the methods of determination of blood urea with continuous-flow analyzers and a proposal of a completely enzymatic UV method for urea by a continuous-flow analyzer]. / Breve rassegna dei metodi di determinazione della urea plasmatica con analizzatori a flusso continuo e proposta di un metodo UV completamente enzimatico per l'urea su analizzatore a flusso.

After a brief review of the methods for determination of urea by continuous flow analyzers, a method is described based on the urease splitting of urea followed by NH3 reaction with alfa-ketoglutarate + NADH2 catalysed by GLDH. The method has been applied to continuous flow analyzers and seems to be promising.