0000000000293840
AUTHOR
Valerio Vassallo
showing 10 related works from this author
Inflammatory activation and endothelial dysfunction markers in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation: A cross-sectional study
2020
In recent years a growing body of evidence supported the role of inflammation in the initiation, maintenance and outcome of atrial fibrillation (AF). Nevertheless, despite a large amount of information, whether AF or the underlying structural heart disease (SHD) is the cause of the inflammatory process is still under debate. We, therefore, sought to determine if the inflammatory process reflect an underlying disease or the arrhythmia 'per se'. We evaluated plasma levels of soluble Interleukin 2 Receptor Alpha (sIL-2Rα), TNF-α and IL-18 in 100 consecutive patients with permanent AF, (43 with a SHD and 57 without a SHD) compared to 121 age and sex-matched controls which had normal sinus rhyth…
Endothelial function and arterial stiffness indexes in subjects with acute ischemic stroke: Relationship with TOAST subtype.
2017
Abstract Background and aims Only one study has examined endothelial function in subjects with acute ischemic stroke and no study has yet assessed arterial stiffness and reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) in ischemic stroke and its clinical subtypes. Our study aimed to evaluate arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction indexes in patients with acute ischemic stroke and the relationship between endothelial dysfunction indexes and arterial stiffness markers and stroke subtypes according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) Classification. Methods We enrolled 98 patients with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke and 105 hospitalized patients witho…
Arterial stiffness in symptomatic smokers with normal lung function
2017
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction index are validated surrogate cardiovascular markers and are increased in subjects with COPD. We tested whether increased arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction occur in symptomatic smokers with no evidence of bronchial obstruction. Clinical and lung functional assessments were conducted in smoker subjects with chronic respiratory symptoms and in COPD patients. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), aortic augmentation index (AIx) and reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) were measured to estimate the cardiovascular risk. 48 smokers (male n=37, female …
Endothelial function and pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction
2018
Background: The crucial role of endothelium is due to the ability of endothelial cells to receive and concurrently respond to humoral and hemodynamic stimuli. The mechanisms that mediate these reactions are: the production of endothelium-derived factors and metabolizing enzymes; the expression of binding proteins and adhesive molecules; and the consequential shape changes. In fact, a wide range of anti-atherosclerotic action substances is produced by the endothelial cells with the objective of maintaining the balance between vasoconstriction and vasodilation, and inhibit or stimulate the proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells, thrombogenesis and fibrinolysis. Smoke, age, hyperch…
Relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, intracerebral hemorrhage, and its location
2018
INTRODUCTION: Although some authors evaluated the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MeDi) and both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke alone is not yet examined. AIMS: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the relationship between adherence to MeDi and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and different locations of ICH (ganglionic/internal capsule, brainstem/cerebellum, or lobar). METHODS: We analyzed charts and collected data of all consecutive patients with ICH admitted to our Internal Medicine Ward from 2005 to 2014. A scale indicating the degree of adherence to the traditional MeDi Score was constructed. RESULTS: When compared with 100 subjects…
Inflammation, Endothelial Dysfunction and Arterial Stiffness as Therapeutic Targets in Cardiovascular Medicine
2016
In the last decades, many factors thought to be associated with the atherosclerotic process and cardiovascular events have been studied, and some of these have been shown to correlate with clinical outcome, such as arterial stiffness, endothelial dysfunction and immunoinflammatory markers. Arterial stiffness is an important surrogate marker that describes the capability of an artery to expand and contract in response to pressure changes. It can be assessed with different techniques, such as the evaluation of PWV and AIx. It is related to central systolic pressure and it is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertensive patients, type 2 diabetes, end-stage…
Immune-inflammatory and metabolic effects of high dose furosemide plus hypertonic saline solution (HSS) treatment in cirrhotic subjects with refracto…
2016
Introduction Patients with chronic liver diseases are usually thin as a result of hypermetabolism and malnutrition expressed by reduced levels of leptin and impairment of other adyponectins such as visfatin. Aims We evaluated the metabolic and inflammatory effects of intravenous high-dose furosemide plus hypertonic saline solutions (HSS) compared with repeated paracentesis and a standard oral diuretic schedule, in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites. Methods 59 consecutive cirrhotic patients with refractory ascites unresponsive to outpatient treatment. Enrolled subjects were randomized to treatment with intravenous infusion of furosemide (125-250mg⁄bid) plus small volumes of HSS …
Effects of intravenous furosemide plus small-volume hypertonic saline solutions on markers of heart failure.
2021
Aims: We sought to compare the effects of furosemide + hypertonic saline solution (HSS) treatment in patients with acute decompensated heart failure in comparison with furosemide alone and the response in a compensated state after an acute saline load with regard to serum levels of heart failure biomarkers. Methods and results: We enrolled 141 patients with acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction admitted to our Internal Medicine ward from March 2017 to November 2019. A total of 73 patients were randomized to treatment with i.v. high-dose furosemide plus HSS, whereas 68 patients were randomized to i.v. high-dose furosemide alone. Patients treated with furosemide plu…
A case of infective colitis due to Yersinia enterocolitica complicated by microliver abscesses mimicking multiple liver occult metastases: a case rep…
2021
Abstract Background We report an unusual case of infective colitis by Yersinia enterocolitica complicated by microliver abscesses mimicking multiple liver metastases in a 79 yr old female without any risk factors for bacteriaemia by this pathogen. Case presentation The patient was admitted to the Internal Medicine with Stroke Care ward of University Policlinico “P. Giaccone” in Palermo because of the appearance of diarrhoea. After the antimicrobial treatment for infective colitis, the clinicians observed a persistently increased white blood cells (WBC) count and multiple hepatic lesions; after having excluded any neoplastic disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), blood cultures positi…
Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Congestive Heart Failure: Relationship With Clinical Severity and Ischemic Pathogenesis
2020
Abstract Objectives To our knowledge, no study has addressed the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet style and severity of heart failure. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet assessed using the calculation of Mediterranean diet score and congestive heart failure (CHF), its severity, and pathogenesis. Methods We analyzed charts and collected data of all consecutive patients with a diagnosis of CHF at admission to our Internal Medicine Ward from 2008 to 2014. Results We analyzed 209 patients with CHF and 200 controls. Patients with CHF showed a significantly lower mean MeDi score than controls. At r…