["Pseudomonas aeruginosa" in the hospital of Avellino, and the presence of colonies in the obstetric, pediatric and neonatal wards. A microbiological study of the environment and of hygienic and prophylactic measures (author's transl)]

We observed two episodes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonisation taking place in a Hospital. This organism was isolated in a pure culture from the faeces of 41 newborn children, many patients and from a large part on the obstetrics and pediatry division's staff. The AA. investigated the ways of spreading of this germ which caused both in the adults and the babies, no sign of illness. Biotypes one causing the first episode and the other related to the second one were isolated them showed a wide spectrum of resistance to several antibiotics and they of disappeared after accurate measures of hygiene concerning persons and places were adopted.

[Excretion of urinary hydroxyproline in urinary tract diseases]

Urinary hydroxyproline has been measured in 150 patients, 70 of them with urinary diseases. High values were found in chronic hyperazotaemia and in carcinoma with bone metastasis. In the latter, the prognostic value was of particular interest where the lesions are not yet identifiable radiologically.

[Proposed new method of separation of Hb A2 for standardization of the screening of microcythemias]

The AA. suggest a dose-method of Hb A2, which implies the adoption of tris-EDTA-Glycin tampon with a different concentration anode-cathode; the electrophoretic bands, obtained by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, are eluted in the same tampon, but it is suggested to use 15 cc of tampon for A fraction elution and 1.5 cc for A2 fraction elution. The lecture must be done by spectrophotometry to 415 nm. By using this method the normal values of Hb A2 ranges from 1.7% to 3.5% and so there isn't any confusion with pathologic values. The AA. compare this method with that recommend a densitometric lecture of the strips and with those that imply the adoption of cromathographic columns, and they underline its advantages. In conclusion, the AA. suggest the adoption of an unified method for microcytemic screening that could be used in all laboratories.

[Use of radioisotope technics for determination of thyroid hormones. Research on blood and urine]

At first the AA. present the recent progresses reached in the Endocrinology diagnostic with the aid of the radioisotopic techniques; successively they refer about the principles regulating the chemical reactions used in the dosage of the single hormones and about the use of index interesting the clinical practice. The AA. compare the methods of dosage used in the kits of various firms outlining the problems concerning the technological times, the operations number, the contamination risk. They performed several control tests on the T3 RIA, recently introduced into the clinical diagnostic, on the calibration curve, on the repeatibility of the results, on the recovery tests, on the sensitivity of the tarature curve, showing the normal and abnormal values obtained in their hospital. They refer moreover on the results obtained dosing together on the same samples T4, TBC, ETR, T3, RIA, TSH and on the clinical utility of the single tests. Several dosages of T3 and of T4 were effected on urine to have informations on the urinary excretion levels of the thyroid hormones in normal and abnormal subjects. At last they hypothesize the use of the hormonal urinary values and the plasmatic ones for calculating an ormonal thyroid clearance.