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Introduction: The treatment of severely ill patients with psychotic and personality disorders is often conducted in residential settings such as the Therapeutic Communities (TC). In these facilities a multidisciplinary model is employed to ensure integrative care of the complex psychiatric patient. Although the cost of such programs is very high, evidence of efficacy and effectiveness is scarce, especially in Italy., Aim and Methods: Aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of TC treatment in a group of patients with severe psychotic and personality disorders. Eighty-one patients have been assessed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of follow-up in the following areas: global functioning, quality of life, emotion regulation, coping strategies, and insight into illness., Results: At the end of follow-up we could find an improvement in functioning, quality of life, a greater engagement in goal-oriented behaviors, together with a lesser utilization of avoidant coping strategies. However the high dropout rates, which are associated with substance abuse and a diagnosis of personality disorders, should be acknowledged., Discussion and Conclusions: The present study reports the efficacy of residential TC treatment for some severely ill patients with psychotic and personality disorders. Strategies aimed at increasing the motivation and preparation of patients before the program begins should be implemented in order to reduce the high dropout rates.

Secondary lymphoedema of the upper limbs is a fairly frequent complication of breast cancer treatment. It is related to dissection of the axillary lymph nodes, and manifests itself in the form of clinically important lymphostasis, particularly when the dissection is combined with radiotherapy. Despite the fact that the surgical treatment of mammary cancer has become more conservative and, at the same time, radiotheraphy (when necessary) now proves less aggressive and more efficacious, secondary lymphoedema is still reported with incidence rates ranging from 5 to 25%, with an increase of up to 35% and more, when dissection of the axillary lymph nodes is followed by radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to highlight the essential importance of an early diagnosis of secondary lymphoedema, above all in relation to the prevention of this pathology. We report the case of a patient who, at the same time as the axillary lymphnode dissection, underwent a microsurgical operation consisting in the construction of lymphatic-venous shunts in the arm as a preventive measure, because lymphoscintigraphy of the upper limbs, carried out in advance, had revealed a predisposition to the development of lymphedema.

The Authors report a case of intestinal occlusion due to a colo-colonic intussusception arising from a lipoma of trasverse colon and, by a review of the cases in the Literature, they discuss diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in emergency.

After some preliminary remarks concerning epidemiological data about post-mastectomy lymphedema, on the basis of specific etiologic and pathophysiologic aspects, authors report a modern clinical and instrumental staging of lymphedema and an accurate diagnostic protocol, which allows not only to study lymphedema at late stages, but also to individuate the disease at earliest stages. Protocols of medical, physical and rehabilitative treatment mostly used today are schematically described, and they include proper igienic measures for the prevention bacterial and micotic infections, manual lymph drainage, sequential compression therapy, exercises, thermotherapy, bandages and elastic garments. Authors underline above all the importance of Microsurgery in treating post-mastectomy lymphedema, by means of modern methods of lymphatic microsurgery, derivative or reconstructive (multiple lymphatic-venous anastomoses, lymphatic-venous-lymphatic plasty). The operation of multiple lymphatic-venous anastomoses represent the mostly used technique. The registry consists of 194 microsurgical operations, performed in patients treated and followed-up statistically in the last 15 years, with positive result in over 80% of cases.

We performed a prospective randomized study upon 50 patients who had undergone a breast cancer treatment, considering particularly the possibility of appearance of arm secondary lymphedema. The patients were divided in two groups of 25 patients each. In the 1st group, we performed only a clinical follow-up, whilst in the 2nd one, we used also lymphoscintigraphy. The aim of the study was to compare the incidence of arm secondary lymphedema in the two groups, and relate the data with those of the international literature, in order to identify diagnostic procedures indicative of the risk of development of lymphedema and find proper therapeutic preventive measures. It is certainty complex to foresee the appearance of arm lymphedema due to breast cancer treatment. No specific preventive therapeutic methods based upon particular diagnostic investigations were ever reported. Patients had undergone surgery and radiation for breast cancer in the period between April 1992 and June 1994, and controlled at over 5 years after operation. Upper limb lymphoscintigraphy was performed only in one of the two groups of 25 patients, before operation and, furthermore, after 1-3-6 months and 1-3 years from the treatment. Patients who presented lymphoscintigraphic alterations (dermal back flow, diffused or delayed transit of the tracer, etc.), before edema appeared clinically, underwent physical and rehabilitative therapy (bandages, manual lymphatic drainage, mechanical lymph drainage, elastic garments, etc.) and microsurgery (lymphatic-venous anastomoses at the arm), performed early (stages Ib and II) in patients not responsive to physical therapy. In the first group followed only clinically, secondary arm lymphedema occurred in 9 cases (36%), and appeared after a period variable from 1 week to 2 years (3-6 months averagely). In the second group, lymphoscintigraphy, performed preoperatively, permitted to find lymphatic impairment (absence of deltoid way, reduced axillary lymph nodal tracer uptake, delayed transit of the tracer) at the upper limb in 4 patients (15%). After breast cancer surgery, lymphoscintigraphy pointed out alterations of lymphatic circulation in 5 patients (20%) after 1 month, in other 6 cases (56%) at 6 months, other 5 (76%) after 1 year and 3 (88%) at 3 and 5 years. Physical preventive therapy performed in patients with positive lymphoscintigraphy, even before the clinical appearance of edema, allowed to find a clinically evident lymphedema only in 2 cases (8%). The last two patients underwent early (at stage Ib and II) microsurgical operation of lymphatic-venous anastomoses, with complete regression of edema and improved lymphatic drainage of the arm controlled by lymphoscintigraphy (appearance of preferential lymphatic pathways, absence of dermal back flow). Secondary arm lymphedema due to breast cancer treatment appears in 20-25% of cases till 35% when surgery is associated with radiotherapy. Lymphoscintigraphy allows to pointout alterations of lymphatic drainage before the clinical appearance of edema. Preventive physical and rehabilitative measures allows to reduce the clinical appearance of lymphedema significantly. Microsurgical operation performed precociously, at the early stages of the disease, permits to obtain the complete regression of the pathology thanks to the repair of preferential lymphatic pathways before of fibrosclerotic tissural alterations occur, which cause progressive worsening of clinical conditions, together with recurrent attacks of acute lymphangitis.

Axillary lymph-nodal dissection (ALD) for the surgical treatment of breast cancer plays an important role in consideration above all of the incidence of early and late complications (upper limb edema, pain at thoracic wall, impaired function of the limb), that sometimes can hide the real benefit for the patient. Arm lymphedema due to breast cancer treatment particularly represents a significantly disabling complication, from both physical and psychological points of view. It is useful, therefore, to inform patients about the necessity of a preventive treatment aimed at improving prognosis in relation to a possible future disability. Authors report some clinical experiences of work groups who studied psycho-physical damage due to lymphedema after breast cancer treatment. Finally, therapeutic and preventive procedures are pointed out with the aim of reducing the psycho-physical burden of disability correlated to lymphedema.

Endocrine therapy represents one of the most effective instruments for the palliative and adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, in particular in postmenopausal patients. While tamoxifen still forms the treatment of choice during the adjuvant phase and the first-line treatment during the metastatic phase, aromatase inhibitors undoubtedly represent the treatment of choice for patients who do not respond to antiestrogen treatment. These drugs represent a heterogeneous family of compounds able to provide more or less selective inhibition of aromatases by forming an irreversible bond with the catalytic site of the enzymatic complex (type I inhibitors) or using a competitive mechanism (type II inhibitors). Among the type I drugs, 4-hydroxyandrostenedione and hexamestane are those that probably attract greatest clinical interest. These drugs can significantly reduce the circulating levels of estrone and estradiol, and have been shown to be active in 20% of patients pretreated with tamoxifen. Moreover, hexamestane was also effective in patients pretreated with type II inhibitors, of which the parent drug is aminoglutethimide. This drug is still used in the second and third-line treatment of breast cancer but, since it causes collateral effects in a substantial percentage of patients, above all when used at higher doses in combination with hydrocortisone, it will soon be replaced by second and third generation inhibitors, like letrozole, fadrozole, vorozole and anastrozole. These drugs have been shown to be significantly more active than aminoglutethimide, both in vitro and in vivo, and above all more selective. In particular, even at high doses anastrozole has not been found to interfere with steroidogenesis at a corticoadrenal level. Moreover, anastrozole has been shown to be very active even at relatively modest doses given in a single daily dose. Two recent controlled studies, including a total of over 600 patients, recently demonstrated that, if used in second line in patients who no longer responded to adjuvant or palliative tamoxifen therapy, anastrozole is just as effective but probably better tolerated than megestrol acetate. Studies are now in progress or are currently being launched to evaluate the possible value of anastrozole and other third generation inhibitors both as first-line treatment and as adjuvant treatment as an alternative or in combination with tamoxifen.

The efficacy and tolerability of both Terlipressin and Octreotide in the treatment of upper digestive haemorrhage (oesophagus, stomach and duodenum) have been compared, at random, on 30 adult patients. Terlipressin dosage was 2 mg/4 hours i.v. during the first 24 hours, 2 mg/6 hours during the following 24 hours. Octreotide dosage was 50 micrograms i.v. and infusional therapy, 25 micrograms/hours, followed. Haemostasis was obtained in 100% of patients treated with Terlipressin and in 73% of patients treated with Octreotide. Rebleeding occurred in 3 patients treated with Terlipressin and 4 patients treated with Octreotide. Side effects occurred in 4 patients treated with Terlipressin and 8 patients treated with Octreotide. Terlipressin proved to have a better efficacy in comparison with Octreotide, and had less side effects.

Esophageal sutures require the same general criteria applied for the realization of an intestinal suture. The lack of a serous membrane and the particular vascularization of the organ, though, make this portion of the gastroenteric tract very prone to serious complications. Undoubtedly, the introduction of new systems of suture renders easier, faster and more efficacious the work of the surgeon. In particular, the Authors stress the advantages that staplers can offer for the treatment of achalasic megaesophagus.

Intracranial metastases represent 7-17% of all brain tumours, their incidence at autopsy varying between 5.8 and 22% in different series. The neoplasms most commonly metastasizing to the brain are those of lung, breast, renal and skin (melanoma) origin. In two-thirds of cases, intracranial metastases are located within the brain parenchyma, while the remaining third involves the pachymeningeal envelopes. Leptomeningeal metastases are rare and develop mainly from leukemia, lymphomas and breast carcinoma. The route of spread to the central nervous system is usually hematogenous but occasionally direct involvement from adjacent bone or pachymeningeal metastases can occur. Median survival from clinical presentation usually doesn't exceed a few months. However brain metastases are the cause of death only in about 15% of patients. This is probably due because they occur late in the course of the natural history of the disease, when metastatic deposits in other viable organs have already developed. Due to this reason, systematic assessment of metastases to the brain is not advisable in all patients but it should be restricted to symptomatic patients and to asymptomatic patients affected by small cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung, who could benefit from prophylactic brain irradiation. In symptomatic patients, plain skull X-ray, electroencephalography and computed tomography represent appropriate diagnostic tools to provide accurate informations about number, size, site and morphological characteristics of brain metastases.