LIPID PARAMETERS AND LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS IN ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Glycaemic variability (measured by 48h contiinous glucose monitoring) in subjects with metabolic syndrome, with ot without diabetes, is indipendently associated wiith IL-6 blood concentrations

Correlation between Low Folate Levels and Hyperhomocysteinemia, but not with Vitamin B12 in Hypertensive Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is considered to be among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In recent years, several investigators have reported that high plasma levels of total homocysteine (t-hcy) has a key role in the development of hypertension, and the deficiency of B complex vitamins could increase the risk of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma homocysteine, folate and vitamin B12 in hypertensive patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 116 patients with hypertension and 81 healthy subjects, total plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels were measured. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Homocys…

A 12-month prospective, observational study evaluating the impact of disease-modifying treatment on emotional burden in recently-diagnosed multiple sclerosis patients: The POSIDONIA study.

Abstract Introduction Depression and anxiety are common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and are frequently present at the time of MS diagnosis. Methods POSIDONIA was a 12-month, observational, prospective study conducted in Italy to evaluate the impact of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) on emotional burden in patients with recently-diagnosed MS. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), specifically HADS anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) subscale scores, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) were used to measure patient-reported outcomes. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), HDRS-17, was used as a measure…

AORTIC STIFFNESS IS INCREASED IN NORMOTENSIVE PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

INTRODUCTION: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a 4- to 10-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular (CV) events compared with the general population. The enhanced CV risk conferred by SLE may in part be mediated through preclinical CV damage. Large artery stiffness is usually assessed by measuring aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), a marker of early vascular aging (EVA) and an independent predictor of adverse CV prognosis. Several studies examined aortic stiffness in SLE with inconsistent results. AIM: To evaluate aPWV and the prevalence of EVA in a group of normotensive patients with SLE and to compare these values with those obtained in age- and gender- matched…

Quality of life, depression and fatigue in mildly disabled patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis receiving subcutaneous interferon beta-1a: 3-year results from the COGIMUS (COGnitive Impairment in MUltiple Sclerosis) study

Background: The precise relationships among quality of life, depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) are complex and poorly understood. Objective: To assess the effects of subcutaneous interferon beta-1a on quality of life, depression and fatigue over 3 years in the COGIMUS study, and to examine the relationship between these outcomes and baseline cognitive status. Methods: COGIMUS was an observational 3-year trial assessing cognitive function in 459 patients with relapsing–remitting MS treated with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a. Results: In total, 331 patients completed the study (168 received interferon beta-1a, 44 µg subcutaneously three times weekly, a…

Relationship of fetuin-A with glomerular filtration rate and endothelial dysfunction in moderate-severe chronic kidney disease

Background: In end-stage renal disease, fetuin-A has been demonstrated to be reduced and inversely related to cardiovascular mortality. This study had 2 distinct aims. The first was to verify if circulating concentration of fetuin-A may depend on renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation of fetuin-A with the biomarker of endothelial dysfunction endothelin-1 (ET-1), and with the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Methods: In 108 subjects with stage 3-5 CKD, plasma levels of fetuin-A, ET-1 and IL-6 were assayed. Patients were studied first as a whole group and then were divided according to stages of CKD and fetuin-A tertil…

Correlation between solubile adhesion molecules, TNF α malnutrition and inflammation in renal patients

Oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiovascular disease in chronic renal failure

Traditional risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as additional nontraditional risk factors, can damage the kidney directly and by promoting intrarenal atherogenesis. Evidence indicates that increased oxidative stress and inflammation may mediate most of the effects of risk factors on the kidney. Clinical studies have demonstrated a relationship between oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers, and a few studies indicate an inverse correlation of oxidative stress biomarkers with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Further, surrogate indexes of atherosclerosis such as intima-media thickness and aortic pulse wave veloci…

Changes in magnetic resonance imaging disease measures over 3 years in mildly disabled patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis receiving interferon β-1a in the COGnitive Impairment in MUltiple Sclerosis (COGIMUS) study.

Abstract Background Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has improved the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). In clinical trials, MRI has been found to detect treatment effects with greater sensitivity than clinical measures; however, clinical and MRI outcomes tend to correlate poorly. Methods In this observational study, patients (n = 550; 18-50 years; relapsing-remitting MS [Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤4.0]) receiving interferon (IFN) β-1a therapy (44 or 22 µg subcutaneously [sc] three times weekly [tiw]) underwent standardized MRI, neuropsychological and quality-of-life (QoL) assessments over 3 years. In this post hoc analysis, MRI outcomes and corre…

PARA-PERIRENAL DISTRIBUTION OF BODY FAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE REGARDLESS OF OTHER INDICES OF ADIPOSITY IN HYPERTENSIVE SUBJECTS Selected Abstracts from XXXV National Congress of the Italian Society of Hypertension (SIIA), Rome, 27-29 September 2018

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a well-known risk factor for the development and progression of chronic kidney disease. Recently, para-perirenal ultrasonographic fat thickness (PUFT) has shown to correlate with both total and visceral fat better than body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and other indices of obesity. Moreover, a local paracrine and mechanical action of the PUFT on kidney has been described in recent studies. AIM: To assess the relationship between glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and PUFT in comparison to other anthropometric and ultrasonographic indices of adiposity. METHODS: Two hundred ninety-six hypertensive patients were enrolled. PUFT, cutis-rectis thickness and re…

Effects of immunomodulatory treatment with subcutaneous interferon beta-1a on cognitive decline in mildly disabled patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of subcutaneous (sc) interferon beta-1a (IFNβ-1a) on cognition in mildly disabled patients with relapsing—remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Patients aged 18—50 years with RRMS (McDonald criteria; Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤4.0) were assigned IFNβ therapy at the physician’s discretion and underwent standardized magnetic resonance imaging, neurological examination and neuropsychological testing at the baseline and regular intervals for up to three years. This analysis included 459 patients who received sc IFNβ-1a (44 mcg: n = 236; 22 mcg: n = 223; three-year follow up was available for 318 patients). The hazard ratio for c…

I fondali marini della penisola di Capo San Vito (Sicilia Nord-Occidentale)

Metabolic syndrome in subjects with essential hypertension: Relationships with subclinical cardiovascular and renal damage

It has long been recognized that arterial hypertension is often a part of a larger constellation of anthropometric and metabolic abnormalities that includes abdominal (or visceral) obesity, a characteristic dyslipidemia (low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high triglycerides), glucose intolerance, insulin-resistance and hyperuricemia. These traits occur simultaneously to a greater degree than would be expected by chance alone, supporting the existence of a discrete disorder that, over the years, has been defined by a variety of terms, including plurimetabolic syndrome, the deadly quartet, dysmetabolic syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, cardiometabolic syndrome and more recently…

[OP.5C.05] SERUM URIC ACID IS INCREASED IN NORMOTENSIVE OBESE CHILDREN WITH A PARENTAL HYSTORY OF HYPERTENSION

Objective: Increased uric acid levels are closely associated with new-onset hypertension in children, and pilot studies showed that pharmacological lowering of uric acid may reduce blood pressure (BP) in obese pediatric patients. Nevertheless, controversy remains concerning a direct causative role of serum uric acid (SUA) in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension (EH). Our study was aimed to determine if normotensive obese children and adolescent offspring of adults with EH show SUA levels different than those of pediatric subjects in whom there is non family history of EH. Design and method: Fifty-nine obese normotensive children and adolescents, attending for metabolic assessment the …