The coeliac iceberg in Italy. A multicentre antigliadin antibodies screening for coeliac disease in school-age subjects

Background : Recent studies suggest that coeliac disease (CD) is one of the commonest, life-long disorders in Italy. The aims of this multicentre work were: (a) to establish the prevalence of CD on a nationwide basis; and (b) to characterize the CD clinical spectrum in Italy. Patients and methods : Fifteen centres screened 17201 students aged 6–15 years (68.6% of the eligible population) by the combined determination of serum IgG- and IgA-antigliadin antibody (AGA) test; 1289 (7.5%) were IgG and/or IgA-AGA positive and were recalled for the second-level investigation; 111 of them met the criteria for the intestinal biopsy: IgA-AGA positivity and/or AEA positivity or IgG-AGA positivity plus serum IgA deficiency. Results : Intestinal biopsy was performed on 98 of the 111 subjects. CD was diagnosed in 82 subjects (75 biopsy proven, 7 not biopsied but with associated AGA and AEA positivity). Most of the screening-detected coeliac patients showed low-grade intensity illness often associated with decreased psychophysical well-being. There were two AEA negative cases with associated CD and IgA deficiency. The prevalence of undiagnosed CD was 4.77 × 1000 (95% CI 3.79–5.91), 1 in 210 subjects. The overall prevalence of CD, including known CD cases, was 5.44 × 1000 (95% CI 4.57–6.44), 1 in 184 subjects. The ratio of known to undiagnosed CD cases was 1 in 7. Conclusions : These findings confirm that, in Italy, CD is one of the most common chronic disorders showing a wide and heterogeneous clinical spectrum. Most CD cases remain undiagnosed unless actively searched.     

The overall and step-by-step duration of cesarean section

The purpose of this study is to define the time for different steps of Caesarean section from the moment the women lays on the operating table to the last stitch on the skin. The study is prospective and include 82 elective and emergent CS. The traditional surgical technique is used without omitting any step. The mean stay of the women in the operating theater is 90 min. The preparation for the anesthesia/analgesia is 23 min (range 8-41). The proper time of the operation is 44.3 min. The laparotomy by Pannenstiel incision takes 3 min. The opening time of the uterus is 37 sec (10-190) and the closer on two layers is 17 min (10-35). The extraction of the foetus takes 53 sec (15-180). The exteriorization of the uterus doesn't affect the repair time. Leaving the visceral and parietal peritoneum unsutured can spare 5.5 min. The elective CS takes more time than the emergent one. The time from the beginning of the operation to the extraction of the foetus is longer in resection (7 min) than in first CS (5 min).     

Consciousness during anesthesia for cesarean section

47 women on which sectio cesarean has been done in occasion of belvic-fetal disproportion, anatomical abnormalities of the pelvis, bad position of presentation. We studies presence of consciousnes spontaneous realtion to pain and possibility for contact according the method of Tunstall M.E. It was proved that the use of benzodiazepin derivate--Dormicum impacts substantially influensences of the studied processes. Introduction anaesthetics (thiopental-kalipsol, dormicum-kalipsol and thiopental and helothan in 0.3%) are reliable protection against the operative stress during sectio cesarean and give adequate anaesthesia until baby is born.     

Immunohistochemical localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen

Summary Immunohistochemical investigations were carried out to determine organ and cellular localization of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease viral antigen (RHDVA). It was found in certain parenchymal liver cells near the interlobular septs and in some macrophages and pseudoeosinophils of all studied organs and blood. Whereas in morphologically preserved hepatocytes and macrophages the RHDVA accumulated in the nuclei, in cells with disintegrated nuclei it was distributed throughout the cytoplasm.     

Effect of thyroid hormones and IGL in vivo on protein synthesis in the mitochondria of thyroidectomized animals

The effect of tri-iodothyronine (T₃) and IGL on the intensity of incorporation of L-[¹⁴C]tyrosine and on the rate of protein synthesis in the liver mitochondria of thyroidectomized rats and on the radioactivity of the amino-acid pool in the liver was investigated. The intensity of incorporation of L-[¹⁴C]tyrosine into proteins in the liver mitochondria of thyroidectomized animals and the rate of protein synthesis in them were found to be only half of their values in animals undergoing mock operations. Administration of T₃ or IGL to thyroidectomized rats restored protein synthesis in the liver mitochondria to normal. IGL had a similar effect to T₃ on all biochemical indices studied. The absence of thyroid hormones circulating in thyroidectomized animals or administration of T₃ or IGL to them did not change the radioactivity of the free tyrosine pool in the liver tissue.Central Biophysical Laboratory, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N. A. Yudaev.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 86, No. 8, pp. 167–170, August, 1978.     

Family planning in big town conditions depending on the birthplace of the parents.

The purpose of this article is to determind what effect if any place of birth has upon family size, both actual and ideal, in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. It is a retrospective study of 181 families comprised of 2 cohorts, one with couples married for 5 years, the other with couples married for 10 years. The author found that place of origin, whether rural, other towns, Plovdiv itself, or a combination of any two of those, had no significant effect on desired or ideal family size. 79.1% of the women considered the two-child family ideal. When asked to specify an ideal family size in the light of their personal experience, however, 17.8% preferred a single-child family. 18.6% in the 10-year cohort preferred this size and 16.8% in the 5-year cohort. This evidence that individuals retrospectively modify their ideal family size downwards. Those couples in which both partners came from villages had the highest actual family size (1.62). For the total contingent the average number of children was 0.14, smaller than the planned one.     

Rate of cesarean section and perinatal infant mortality at "Maichin dom"

The aim of this retrospective study is to find the CS rate, which to maintain the perinatal mortality at a lowest possible level in groups of patients with normal and high risk pregnancies. There were 123598 births for a period from 1976 to 2000 years. The CS rate has increased from 4.8% to 24.5% and the PNM has decreased from 27.7@1000 to 11.4@1000. The statistical analysis shows that the for this period the CS rate is one of the factors to decrease the PNM (r = -0.776, p < 0.05). In the group of pregnancies with normal risk the PMN is between 8 and 11@1000 at the CS rate of 15-16% while in the group with high-risk pregnancies the same PNM is achieved with 24-26% CS rate. The antenatal mortality is not influenced by the CS rate and is almost unchanged for 24 years (r = -0.339, p > 0.05).