Serum beta-glucuronidase activity during pregnancy in gestational diabetes

Serum beta-glucuronidase (S beta G) activity was investigated as an early indicator of diabetes in pregnant women. The enzyme activity was determined in the sera of three groups: nonpregnant women (18 to 40 years old) with and without glucose intolerance, pregnant women with and without glucose intolerance, and pregnant women with a family history of diabetes. The S beta G activity values (means +/- SD) in normal pregnant women were 603 +/- 223, 872 +/- 270 and 1,336 +/- 353 Fishman units during the three trimesters, respectively. A slight increase in S beta G activity was found in the sera of healthy pregnant women with a family history of diabetes during the first and second trimesters. High values of S beta G (2,765 +/- 392 units) were found in all stages of pregnancy in diabetic women. Thus, the determination of S beta G activity may be a valuable aid in the early detection of reduced glucose tolerance in pregnancy.

[Controlled clinical trial of nomifensine in treatment of depression (author's transl)]

Therapeutic efficacy of Nomifensine and Nortriptyline was compared with a double blind study on 29 patients suffering from several kinds of depression. The patients were admitted to the Institute of Nervous and Mental Diseases of the University of Florence. Drugs were administered according to a flexible dosage varying from 50 mg to 125 mg/day, subdivided in 2-3 doses. The experiment is referred to the first 15 days of treatment. In order to estimate the effect of the drugs, the Hamilton's scale for depression was used. This scale was administered before treatment and on the 5th, 10th, 15th, day of therapy. Scores of Hamilton's scale and of some "Clusters" were computerized. It was found that Nomifensine has an antidepressant effect comparable to that of Nortriptyline. No relevant differences were noted in the range of action of these drugs. No side-effects were detected in the doses employed.

Fibrinolytic activity in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in subarachnoid hemorrhage from ruptured intracranial saccular aneurysm before and during EACA treatment

10 patients suffering from intracranial aneurysm causing subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have been treated during the acute pre-and postoperatory phase with omega-aminocaproic acid. The blood and the cerebrospinal fluid of the treated patients have been analyzed in order to study fibrin(ogen) degradation products (FDP) and fibrinolytic activity (FA). The results so obtained show only an alteration of local fibrinolytic processes either inside or around the aneurysmatic clot: there were no alterations of the systemic FA. Furthermore, monitoring of FDP and FA was a very useful tool in those patients who took advantage of the treatment with omega-aminocaproic acid which protected them from rebleeding.

Monoamine acid metabolites in ventricular CSF of patients with brain tumours

Homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) in ventricular CSF were determined in 19 patients (12 female 7 male) with brain tumours. No relationship was found between ventricular fluid pressure (VFP) and levels of HVA and 5-HIAA. A relationship was observed between ventricular CSF, HVA concentrations and tumour induced alterations in CSF dynamics. HVA concentrations were very high in patients whose tumours involved the third ventricle, the aqueduct, or the fourth ventricle, producing marked alterations in CSF flow. HVA concentrations significantly lower than in controls were observed in cases where tumours involved the lateral ventricles. Concentrations of acid metabolites in patients with little or no alteration in CSF dynamics corresponded with those in patients with other neurosurgical disorders.

Determination of HVA and 5-HIAA in ventricular CSF of patients with brain tumors

Ventricular concentrations of homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were evaluated in 17 patients suffering from brain tumor and 4 pseudo-tumor patients. Significant differences were observed in those patients in whom the tumor leads to a marked modified CSF dynamic. No relationship were on the contrary observed between VFP and HVA or 5-HIAA levels.