0000000000017793

AUTHOR

Serena Di Cello

Insulin-resistance HCV infection-related affects vascular stiffness in normotensives

BACKGROUND AND AIMS. Arterial stiffness evaluated as pulse wave velocity, is an early marker of vascular damage and an independent predictor for cardiovascular events. We investigated if the insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia chronic hepatitis C virus infection-related could influence arterial stiffness. METHODS. We enrolled 260 outpatients matched for age, body mass index, gender, ethnicity: 52 with never-treated uncomplicated chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV(+)), 104 never-treated hypertensives (HT) and 104 healthy subjects (NT). Pulse wave velocity was evaluated by a validated system employing high-fidelity applanation tonometry. We also measured: fasting plasma glucose and insu…

research product

"Delirium Day": a nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods This is a point prevalence study (called “Delirium Day”) including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium wa…

research product

Sympathovagal balance and 1-h postload plasma glucose in normoglucose tolerant hypertensive patients.

AIMS: Normoglucose tolerant (NGT) subjects with a 1-h postload plasma glucose (PLPG) value ≥155 mg/dL have an increased risk of type-2 diabetes and subclinical organ damage. Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects cardiac autonomic balance, frequently impaired in course of diabetes. At this time, no data support the association between 1-h PLPG and HRV; thus, we investigated the possible association between 1-h PLPG and HRV. METHODS: We enrolled 92 never-treated hypertensive subjects (56 women, 36 men), aged 55 ± 9.8 years. During OGTT, the patients underwent electrocardiographic recordings to evaluate HRV in the time domain (SDNN). Insulin sensitivity was assessed by Matsuda index. RESULTS: …

research product