[Parathyroid adenoma and empty sella syndrome. Observations on a clinical case].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Biscaldi.
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In this work the authors describe a case of acute intoxication by "VANTAL" (DDT and Dimethoate) occurred in a group of six longshoremen. The authors particularly consider the reports about the gastroenteric apparatus and the central and peripheric nervous system. It has in fact been possible to document all kinds of pathologic condition from gastritis to duodenal ulcer in all subjects; whereas only three subjects out of six showed alterations in E.E.G. and E.M.G.
The psycho-social problems of a group of 365 Italian emigrants to Switzerland, admitted to psychiatric hospitals, were studied. It was found that non professional subjects (housewives, unemployed, retired) and manual workers (builders, waiters, factory workers) were more likely to suffer from psycho-social disorders. Only 11.1% of those studied had received a secondary education, therefore it could be assumed that subjects having a low technical and cultural level were less prepared, psychologically, for their new situation and were thus more susceptible to psycho-social disorders. The most frequent diagnoses were found to be: affective disorders, alcohol addiction, opiate addiction and schizophrenia. The study revealed that emigrants ran a greater risk of first time admittance to psychiatric wards whereas the local population had a greater number of relapses. In conclusion it is stressed that assistance with an aim to improve work, social and relationship conditions and to integrate the emigrants into their host society can reduce some forms of psycho-social disorders.
The clinical and socio-professional fate of subjects with occupational asthma is not univocal. We re-examined twenty-nine subjects diagnosed in our center as suffering from this disease an average 14 months, SE 1.54 after the diagnosis. At the follow-up examination each patient underwent interview, spirometry and methacholine challenge, 18 patients (group A) had ceased exposure to the sensitizing agent but among them only 7 had been relocated in another area of the plant, the others had resigned or retired. The other patients had not changed workplace, 7 (group B) having had intermittent exposure to the offending agent and 4 (group C) having continued to be exposed daily. At the follow-up examination only 9 patients were asymptomatic, each of them belonging to group A, whereas in the other 9 of the same group symptoms persisted, although reduced. In group B and C all patients were still symptomatic and required pharmacologic treatment. Within group A patients who became asymptomatic had shorter duration of symptoms before diagnosis (12.9 months, SE 6.4 vs 23.9, SE 9.7), higher FEV-1 (96.1, SE 6.7 vs 86.9, SE 5.6) and PD20FEV-1 (1773.4 micrograms, SE 590 vs 730.8, SE 295) at the time of the diagnosis and showed a significant (p < 0.01) increase in FEV-1 (from 96.1, SE 6.2 to 101.6, SE 5.5) and a tendency to decrease in bronchial reactivity to methacholine at the follow-up examination. At the time of the follow-up examination only 5 out of 29 patients (17.2%) had been contacted by the compensation board.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We describe the case of a 36 ys aged woman complaining of symptoms of oculorhinitis with itching, occasional dyspnea and laryngeal constriction. The patient related her symptoms with the emission of dusts and steam from a factory in the neighbourhood producing manufactures using polyester resins dissolved in styrene. No bronchospastic response was obtained after challenge with methacoline and ultrasonic nebulization of distilled water, which instead provoked a significant increase of nasal resistance. The inhalation challenge with styrene produced a dual nasal response. To our knowledge this is the first case of non occupational neighbourhood rhinitis provoked by styrene.
A large part of the general population is potentially exposed to excessive concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), both in the domestic and work environment. Beside acute, often fatal poisoning, the possibility of occult intoxication should be considered; this condition can affect people who are often unaware of the existence of a toxic exposure in their homes or work places. We describe two non-smoking patients, husband and wife, 53 and 57 years old, respectively, who suffered cephalea, nausea and neurobehavioural disturbances during a period of approximately one year; these symptoms were reported to improve or disappear on several occasions during the patients' absence from home. Careful anamnesis suggested a protracted exposure to nonlethal concentrations of CO contaminating the patients' bed-chamber from the misfunctioning flue of the heating system. It was not possible to measure carboxyhaemoglobinemia until approximately 24 hours since the last presumptive exposure. The levels found were therefore relatively low (4-5%), yet higher than the reference values for normal non-smoking subjects. Carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations almost returned into the normal range during the period of hospitalization. These two cases exemplify how low level CO exposure may cause aspecific pathological manifestations that are often misdiagnosed or overlooked.
The relationship between alcohol and work was studied in a group of 537 voluntary patients (393 male and 144 female) admitted to the department of Medicina del Lavoro, Pavia University for alcohol rehabilitation. The highest incidence of alcohol abuse was found in non-working subjects (pensioners, unemployed, housewives) although the start of excessive drinking takes place after beginning a working activity; a cause-effect relationship between these two factors can not be clearly determined, however. It is true that the stress provoked by this new condition (introduction to the work experience) can, in certain subjects, be a contributing factor in alcohol abuse. The increasingly lower age of initiation to alcohol reconfirms the need for prevention and instruction even at scholastic level. We can deduce how no working condition, low age and low education can constitute makers of risk for alcohol abuse.