Minerva medica
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Megacolon must be considered as a diagnosis in any case of intractable constipation also in the adult. Besides the Hirschsprung's disease and the idiopathic megacolon, which have no apparent organic cause, many other pathologic conditions may produce a marked dilatation of the large bowel. The differential diagnosis depends, after a valuation of the clinical and radiologic features, also from enzymatic, histologic and functional tests. ⋯ The patients with aganglionic megacolon were admitted to our Hospital respectively for an abdominal palpable mass, a volvolus and incontinence. The two patients with idiopathic megacolon showed the same clinical picture of those with Hirschsprung's disease. We choose a surgical therapy in all five patients, with good long-term results.
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Red blood cells values of 100 male heroin addicts, 100 male smokers and 100 normal men, all of like age, have been examined. Nearly all of the heroin addicts are heavy cigarette smokers. ⋯ In heroin addicts there did not appear any variation related to abnormalities in liver function and dependency life time. The differences between the results of our studies and the literature are determined from a longer exposition to the damage caused from heroin and smoke.