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According to Italian laws (legge 125/01, art. 15, comma 1) about safety on workplaces, it's forbidden alcohol drinking and taking for health workers (art. 8, comma 6, legge 5/06/2003 number 131) (e.g. anaesthesiology, surgery, radiology, nursing etc.). National alcoholism risk prevention program to assess number for year of accidents in health workplaces, is actually in progress leaded by Health Minister and Regional administration (e.g. Tuscany). Particularly, prevention program acts consist in comprehensive informations for health workers and their co- workers, about prevention and identification of alcoholism- related risks. To assess the size of alcohol problems in health workplaces, Occupational Health Medicine Institute of Second University of Naples is going to enrol 500 subjects (200 nursing students, 200 Specialist Registrars of different areas, 100 Consultants). Actually our population consists in 160 Specialist Registrars of different medical subjects (surgery, clinical and laboratory). To verify the importance of alcoholism risk perception, a not validated questionnaire was administrated. This original assessing instrument consists in 23 items with closed answers about demographic information, university, career, lifestyle, knowledge about rules taking alcoholic drinks. Results show a dangerous lack of information about alcohol health effects, even in Medical Specialist Registrars.

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Fetal alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a well recognized pattern of malformations, produced by a heavy and chronic intake of ethanol during pregnancy. The Authors report a clinical case of FAS, observed during an epidemiological study on alcohol abuse of pregnancy women. They describe the anomalies and malformations of a newborn by a heavy drinking mother, and of his seven year old brother. Finally, the Authors consider the toxicological and preventive aspects of problem: counselling women of child-bearing age to the dangers of alcoholic intake during the gestation period is a professional responsibility.

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In albino rats the combined use of two methods based on a continuous perfusion of aconitine nitrate (0.15 mg/ml) or calcium chloride (0.4 M) demonstrated the selectivity of the calcium chloride-induced dysrhythmias model. This rapid screening was carried out with antidysrhythmic agents according to the Vaughan-Williams's classification (1): quinidine (class I) 5 mg/kg; atenolol (class II) 2 mg/kg; amiodarone (class III) 10 mg/kg and verapamil (class IV) 2 mg/kg. A compound synthesized in our laboratory was used to verify model selectivity.

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The authors describe a new method to screen antiarrhythmics drugs by continuous infusion of calcium chloride in albino rat. Results are compared with those of a single injection method. Three reference compounds were tested: verapamil, nifedipine and trimetazidine. Verapamil and trimetazidine were shown to be equally active by the two methods. A fourth compound, synthetized in the laboratory, was active in the various arrhythmia models and, in particular, in the novel model described.

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In this study the authors report a new method to determine estazolam in blood and urine by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). This compound is a triazolobenzodiazepine and shows an interesting psychopharmacological activity. The extraction from biological fluids was carried out using a mixture of ethylenechloride, methylenechloride, and ethylacetate (1:1:8). The HPLC analysis was carried out with a C18 column, using methanol:phosphate buffer (pH 7.5, 0.011M):acetonitrile (65:33:2) as mobile phase. The detector was set at lambda = 240 nm. The method shows good repeatability and a linear response in the range of 0.6 to 10 micrograms estazolam/mL both in serum and urine. A case of non-lethal acute intoxication in which the method was applied is also reported.

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Using Langers' method (10) under their laboratory conditions, the authors determined the characteristics of the high-affinity imipramine-binding site on human platelets in thirty-five normal subjects, equally divided between the sexes and distributed by decade from twenty to sixty years of age and above. Bmax was 440 +/- 121 fmol./mg. protein, Kd 0.96 +/- 0.62, 10(-9) M. Protein concentration was held within a range of 0.2 to 0.55 mg./ml. in order to avoid nonlinear bias with Bmax, expressed in fmol./ml. of incubate. The characteristics of the site did not co-vary with sex or age in this experimental series. However, subject to additional investigation, the curve of the Scatchard graph would seem to indicate the possible existence of a distinct, low-affinity imipramine-binding site.

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A single administration (IP) of lithium chloride in the rat induces a decrease in erythrocyte calcium, proportional to the lithium level (p less than 0.01) and a diminution in cerebral calcium (p less than 0.001) which is accompanied by decrease in cerebral sodium and potassium levels (p less than 0.001). Repeated administration (IP + VO) has the same cerebral effects. The authors report that the reversible decrease in calcium, sodium and potassium, resulting from an increase in cerebral lithium levels, can be demonstrated on sampling at 1.30 and 3 hours (IP), or at 12 hours (VO). These results are relevant to the treatment of manic illnesses using calcium antagonists.

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Intra peritoneal administration of LiCl to rat with a single dose or every day during a week shows that the correlation of brain Li with erythrocytes Li is better than the same correlation with plasmatic Li. With a single dose of Li the variation of the Li level doesn't give significant variations of Mg. With repetitive administrations of Li (near that which occurs in actual therapeutic treatment) we show (44 pairs of results with p less than 0.001) that the increase of Li in erythrocytes is correlated with a decrease of Mg in erythrocytes and an increase of this ion in plasma. The authors demonstrate that the nervous cells don't release Mg when Li get in the brain.

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Imipramine, doxepin, mianserin, pipotiazine and sulpiride, all active upon behavioural despair test of Porsolt and coll. in unique administration, are devoid of activity, with the exception of mianserin and sulpiride, in repetitive administration. It would be possible that a diminution of cerebral levels of neurotransmitters NA and DA after repetitive administration of imipramine, doxepin and pipotiazine (or an over-sensitivity to serotonin in the case of imipramine and doxepin) and an increase of these levels after repetitive administration of mianserin and sulpiride (with an antiserotonin activity for mianserin) would be responsible for these discrepancies.

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After unique injection LiCl enhances, in albino rat, catalepsy induced by arecoline and oxotremorine perhaps by adenylcyclase inhibition and/or decrease of acetylcholine synthesis. After repetitive injection of LiCl during 5 days, this phenomenon is not observable, probably owing to increase of acetylcholine synthesis. After unique injection of LiCl enhances catalepsy induced by dextromoramide, probably on account of cholinergic properties of this drug. In contrast catalepsy induced by morphine or pethidine is suppressed. This constatation would depend on opposite influence upon cerebral neuromediators : lithium diminishing cerebral serotonin and striatal acetylcholine levels and morphine increasing them. After repetitive injections these phenomenons are not observable.

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Among 3 orthoanisamides having different substitution of the nitrogen of a pyrrolidine ring, derivates ethyl (sulpiride) and propyl GRI 1665) show desinhibitory properties by the test of behavioural despair of Porsolt and coll, while the methyl derivative (TER 1546) is inactive.

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In mice isoprenaline increases duration of pentobarbital narcosis without modification of cerebral levels. A correlation between duration of sleep and FFA seric levels increased by isoprenaline is demonstrated. This dual effect is suppressed by pindolol. These facts suggest that hepatic metabolism of pentobarbital is slowed by lipo-mobilisation.

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The hemoglobins of the chicken embryo at several stages of development have been isolated in pure form by column chromatography and their relative amounts and globin compositions determined. The analyses on separated primitive and definitive erythrocytes show that the first contain four hemoglobins different from the adult ones. The two major ones at four days, decrease gradually and are no longer detectable from 15 days on. The two minor ones increase up to 6-7 days, then decrease but are still present at hatching. The definitive embryonic erythrocytes contain two hemoglobins identical to the adult ones but their ratios change gradually during development and approach that of the adult hemoglobins at hatching.

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