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The efficacy of postoperative DVT prophylaxis of defibrotide and heparin calcium was evaluated in a group of 47 patients undergoing general surgery for oncological pathologies. A sub-group (24 patients) received defibrotide treatment, 400 mg b.i.d. i.m.; the second subgroup (23 patients) was treated with heparin calcium, 5000 IU b.i.d. s.c., from the day before operation until the 7th postoperative day. No postoperative thrombotic symptoms were observed in either group of patients.

Twenty-five patients with enhanced spontaneous platelet aggregation and impaired arterial or venous circulation syndromes have been treated by indobufen. Each of them received, by oral administration, 200 mg of the drug twice a day for periods of time from fifty one to hundred eleven days. This treatment normalized, in all the cases, the platelet aggregation. In eight patients of the group, three hours after the last drug administration, the average of the maximum platelet aggregation curves deflections, induced by ADP, epinephrine, ristocetin and collagen, resulted significantly reduced, while, in seven other patients, twelve hours after the last drug administration, only the aggregation curves induced by ADP and epinephrine resulted significantly inhibited. Most on the patients with arterial impairment syndromes noticed some improvements of their symptoms. Also the patients with light subjective post-phlebitic symptoms declared to feel better. The drug has been well tolerated. Therefore, its use is recommendable whenever it is advisable to get a full antiplatelet effect whose the prompt reversion might be required.

The simultaneous presence of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions at different binding sites of a multiepitope antigen makes the description of the kinetic parameters of the so called "one step" solid phase immunometric assays complex. The authors extended the "one step" approach to the concept of the "soluble sandwich" methodology which differs from the former by the delayed solid phase capture of the biotinylated immunocomplex to a streptavidin coated solid support. Using prolactin monoclonal IEMAs as a model, the equilibria involved in the reactions have been studied on a thermodynamic basis through a description of the kinetics of the interactions between biotinylated Mabs and solid phase streptavidin both in presence and/or in absence of the antigen and HRP-conjugated antibody. A comparative evaluation of models in which the biotinylated antibody was previously insolubilized on the streptavidin solid phase has been performed as well. The experimental work was carried out by using 125I labelled McBiot and Prolactin to trace individual interactions and peroxidase/H2O2/TMB systems to develop the enzymatic analytical signals. A new instrument/data reducing system was also optimized to expand the OD reading range provided by conventional, single wavelength colorimeters. The greater flexibility theoretically expected for the "soluble sandwich" approach and the possibility to extend the analyte working range without detrimental effects on the readability of low doses responses have been experimentally confirmed.

An original method for 5-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol (A-diol) measurement using an antiserum against A-diol-16-CMO-BSA is described. A-diol and testosterone (T) were determined by radioimmunoassay methods in spermatic and peripheral venous plasma of nine normal subjects during surgical intervention for inguinal hernia repair. In spermatic venous plasma the levels of T and A-diol were, respectively, 25.9 +/- 13.3 and 4.8 +/- 5.1 microgram/100ml (mean +/- SD) with an A-diol/T ratio of 0.19 +/- 0.15 (mean +/- SD); in peripheral plasma the levels of T and A-diol were, respectively, 269 +/- 58 and 91 +/- 25 ng/100 ml (mean +/- SD) with an A-diol/T ratio of 0.35 +/- 0.12 (mean +/- SD) significantly different from spermatic venous plasma (p less than 0.01). From these data a mean testicular A-diol secretion of about 0.70 mg/24 h can be calculated: this value corresponds approximately to the 50% of the blood production rate (BPR) of this steroid. So it can be assumed that a large amount of A-diol in systemic blood comes from sources outside the male gonad.

Some hemorheological factors were studied in 34 patients affected by retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and in 25 healthy control subjects. Whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, fibrinogen and hematocrit were increased in RVO patients compared with controls. Erythrocyte filterability was reduced in RVO patients compared with controls. However, when evaluating the type of capillaropathy at fluorescein angiography, blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were altered both in patients with and without evidence of capillary non-perfusion. Reduction of red cell filterability showed statistical significance only in patients with capillary non-perfusion. This finding suggests that reduced erythrocyte filterability might be a causal factor in the development of capillary non-perfusion in RVO patients.