The aims of the study were: a. to describe the socioeconomic conditions of a randomized sample of over 75 years elderly of Torino USL; b. to evaluate the impact on doctors of a better knowledge of ...patients and c. to evaluate the feasibility and the results of a collaborative teamwork with doctors, nurses and social workers. Social workers or nurses evaluated the functional abilities of the elderly with the ADL and IADL scales, the cognitive function with the Mini Mental State and depressive symptoms with the Care Scale. 40 General Practitioners were randomized in two groups and each randomly selected 5 men and 5 women over 75 years, among their patients. Half of the doctors (experimental group) were offered a WHO textbook on drug prescription for the elderly and three monthly meetings with nurses and social workers, to globally evaluate the patients situation and define necessary interventions. 340 patients were recruited for the study (mean age 81 years). No differences were observed in the outcomes of the experimental and control group. An overall improvement of diagnostic skills and reduction of drug prescription was observed in both groups, but the impact of the latter was larger in the experimental group.
In a 71-year-old female with severe hypertension, bilateral renal artery stenosis and renal adenocarcinoma, a renal vein renin study revealed suppressed renin secretion from the kidney with carcinoma ...and contralateral ischemia. The hypertension was not cured by surgical removal of the kidney with carcinoma. Hypertension is frequently noted in patients with renal adenocarcinoma (28% of 603 patients reported in the literature). This type of hypertension is frequently improved after removal of the tumor (83% of 36 surgically treated patients). In certain patients the pathogenesis of hypertension associated with renal adenocarcinoma may be related to renin secretion from the tumor or to renin activation due to regional ischemia caused by vascular compression. In other patients the renin-angiotensin system does not appear to play a pathogenic role in the development of hypertension associated with renal adenocarcinoma.
Copper directly reactive with diethylditiocarbamate, ceruloplasmin, monoamine oxidase (SMAO) and diamine oxidase of the serum (SDAO) were studied in healthy subjects, in nine months pregnant women ...and in some pathological conditions. Increased values of copper were found in pregnancy. Ceruloplasminaemia was increased in hyperthyroidism, congestive hearth failure, Hodgkin's disease, and in pregnancy. Ceroluplasminaemia was strongly reduced in Wilson's disease. SMAO was increased during pregnancy. Statistical analysis showed no correlations between the variations of the data in different pathological conditions. In healthy subjects and in pregnant women, correlation was found between the values of ceruloplasmin obtained using both enzymatic and KCN methods. Statistical analysis of regression lines obtained in both groups of patients showed significative differences between slopes and elevations. It is possible that ceruloplasmin in pregnant women has different composition compared with healthy controls.
The binding of ganglioside GM1 to bovine serum albumin has been studied by using absorption and fluorescence properties of the protein chromophores. Differences in the ultraviolet absorption spectrum ...and in fluorescence quenching, as well as a marked shift of the wavelength at the fluorescence maximum provide information about the binding of this ganglioside to albumin. Ultracentrifugal studies showed that there are two forms of the GM1-protein complexes which differ markedly in their molecular weight. These two forms have been separated on this basis, by a chromatographic sieving procedure, and designated as complexes I and II. Both complexes are characterized by a GM1: protein ratio of one ganglioside micelle per albumin polypeptide chain. Complex II polymerizes slowly and irreversibly to a dimer, complex I. These results have been correlated with the optical studies in order to draw limited inferences as to the environment of the binding sites on the native protein. The interaction between GM1 micelles and albumin is mostly hydrophobic and the two complexes are actually mixed ganglioside-protein micelles. At submicellar concentrations of ganglioside a binding of ganglioside GM1 to albumin also occurs. This process is due, however, to an aspecific, reversible adhesion of GM1 molecules on the albumin surface with no apparent perturbation of the albumin structure.
The binding of ganglioside G
M1
to bovine Serum albumin has been studied by using absorption and fluorescence properties of the protein chromophores. Differences to the ultraviolet absorption ...spectrum and in fluorescence quenching, as well as a marked shift of the wavelength at the fluorescences maximum provide information about the binding of this ganglioside to albumin. Ultracentrifugal studies showed that there are two forms of the G
M1
‐protein complexes which differ markedly in their molecular weight. These two forms have been separated on this basis, by a chromatographic sieving procedure, and designated as complexes I and II. Both complexes are characterized by it G
M1
: protein ratio of one ganglioside micelle per albumin polypeptide chain. Complex II polymerizes slowly and irreversibly to a dimer, complex I. These results have been correlated with the optical studies in order to draw limited inferences its to the environment of the binding sites on the native protein. The interaction between G
M1
micelles and albumin is mostly hydrophobic and the two complexes are actually mixed ganglioside‐protein micelles. At submicellar concentrations of ganglioside a binding of ganglioside G
M1
to albumin also occurs. This process is due, however, to an aspecific, reversible adhesion of G
M1
molceules on the albumin surface with no apparent perturbation of the albumin structure.
