Obesity related changes in cardiac structure and function: role of blood pressure and metabolic abnormalities.

2019

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that changes in cardiac structure and ventricular function associated with obesity have to be attributable to hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic alterations. Accordingly, the aim of this was to evaluate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) prevalence and its effect on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in a cohort of obese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LV internal diameter (LVID), left ventricular mass (LVM) and LVM/height2.7(LVMI), relative wall thickness (RWT), LV ejection fraction (LVEF), E/A ratio, isovolumic relaxation time, deceleration time of E velocity by echocardiography and pulsed-wave Doppler and total circulating adiponectin (ADPN) b…

Episodes of second-degree ventriculo-atrial block during ventricular tachycardia

2017

Clinical-anamnestic and instrumental data in outpatients suffering from venous disease

1995

The authors studied 200 consecutive outpatients with symptoms due to venous disease of the lower limbs. All the patients underwent anamnestic, clinical and instrumental evaluation (c.w. Doppler velocimetry and strain-gauge plethysmography). The results of this study showed that some anamnestic and clinical data are significantly related to venous disease detected by instrumental techniques. The superficial and deep vein hypertension were, instead, correlated to oral contraceptive use.

Tolerability and efficacy of high-dose furosemide and small-volume hypertonic saline solution in refractory congestive heart failure

2000

Thirty patients aged 65-85 years, with refractory New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV congestive heart failure (CHF) were treated with an intravenous infusion of furosemide (250-2000 mg/d) and small-volume hypertonic saline solution (150 mL of 1.4-4.6% NaCl) twice a day for 6 to 12 days. A daily fluid oral intake of 1000 mL and previous cardiac therapy were maintained. Clinical signs and symptoms of CHF, such as dyspnea, edema and weakness, improved, as did severity of illness as defined by NYHA class. The infusion was well tolerated. After a 12-month follow-up, 24 patients (80%) were alive and in the NYHA class assigned on discharge from the hospital. This therapeutic combination is…

Identification of a novel mutation in the alpha-galactosidase A gene in patients with Fabry disease.

2012

Abstract Objectives Mutation analysis of the alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) gene is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of affected families. In our work, we analyze about one thousand samples per year from patients suspected of having Fabry disease (FD). Design and methods We carried out high resolution melting analysis (HRM) and DNA sequencing of all the exons of the GLA gene. We also assayed the alpha-galactosidase A activity in patients' blood. Results In some members of one family, we identified a new mutation in the GLA gene, c.614delC. This is a deletion of a single nucleotide, a cytosine, in exon 4 of the gene which causes a frameshift mutation. Conclusions Patients with the c.614delC mu…

Attivazione immunoinfiammatoria della fase acuta e diatesi trombofilica in soggetti con ictus ischemico acuto. Studio prospettico di confronto tra di…

2005

Prevenzione del reictus

2004

Plasma levels of inflammatory and thrombotic/fibrinolytic markers in acute ischemic strokes: Relationship with TOAST subtype, outcome and infarct site

2009

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate in patients with acute ischemic stroke the relationship between immuno-inflammatory variables, clinical outcome and infarct site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated plasma levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-10, E-selectin, P-selectin, sICAM-1 ,sVCAM-1 vWF, TPA and PAI-1. RESULTS: Patients with cardioembolic subtype showed significantly higher median plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1beta whereas the lacunar subtype showed significantly lower median plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta. CONCLUSIONS: A significant association was noted between the severity of neurological deficit at admission, the diagnostic subtype and so…

Small-volume hypertonic saline solution and high-dosage furosemide in the treatment of refractory congestive heart failure. A pilot study

2000

Objective: To evaluate a new therapeutic approach to hospitalised patients with refractory congestive heart failure (CHF) based on published data on the efficacy of furosemide (frusemide) intravenous infusion in refractory CHF and of small volumes of hypertonic saline solution in the low-flow state. Design and Setting: Prospective, uncontrolled study of hospital inpatients. Study Participants and Interventions: Thirty patients (20 males and 10 females) aged 65 to 85 years with refractory New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class IV CHF were given a twice-daily intravenous infusion of a small volume of hypertonic saline solution (150 ml of 1.4 to 4.6 NaCl) containing high-dosage fur…

Diabete mellito ed ictus ischemico: studio caso-controllo di confronto tra soggetti diabetici e non diabetici

2004

L'ictus ischemico

2008

Use of QT intervals for a more accurate diagnose of syncope and evaluation of syncope severity.

2014

Abstract BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the use of QT intervals, their diagnostic predictive value in patients with syncope and their relationship with syncope severity. METHODS: One hundred and forty nine patients with a diagnosis of syncope were admitted to Internal Medicine departments at the University of Palermo, Italy, between 2006 and 2012, and 140 control subjects hospitalised for other causes were enrolled. QT maximum, QT minimum, QTpeak, QT corrected, QT dispersion and Tpeak-to-Tend interval were compared between two groups. The paper medical records were used for scoring with San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR), Evaluation of Guidelines in SYncope Study (EGSYS) score and …

Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure in the Elderly

1998

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a complex clinical syndrome which constitutes the epilogue of the natural history of virtually all heart diseases and in its advanced stages, has a poor prognosis. In the elderly, heart failure exhibits particular characteristics linked to the age-related alterations of cardiovascular system, to the association with other pathologies, to the atypical clinical presentation and to the increased iatrogenic risk. Heart failure now afflicts over 1% of the general population with nearly 1 in 10 elderly subjects affected, and the frequency of CHF is progressively increasing in most industrialized societies1,2. Further, CHF remains a significant cause of death and …

Effects of Physical Exercise on Inflammatory Markers of Atherosclerosis

2011

It is well established that physically fit individuals have a reduced risk of developing CVD (cardiovascular disease) and other age-related chronic disorders. Regular exercise is an established therapeutic intervention with an enormous range of benefits. Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation may be involved in atherosclerosis, diabetes and in pathogenesis of several chronic pathological conditions; recent findings confirm that physical activity induces an increase in the systemic levels of a number of cytokines and chemokines with anti-inflammatory properties. The possibility that regular physical exercise exerts anti-inflammation activity, being the interaction between contracting muscle…

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA.

2008

Intravenous high-dose furosemide and hypertonic saline solutions for refractory heart failure and ascites.

2011

Several studies have shown the efficacy of hypertonic saline solution infusion in conditions in which regional organ blood flow is impaired. Our group has shown that treatment of patients with diuretic-resistant heart failure with high-dose furosemide plus hypertonic saline is effective and well tolerated, improving symptoms of congestion, reducing plasma levels of markers of neurohormonal and inflammatory activation, decreasing hospital readmission rates, and reducing long-term mortality. The same regimen was shown to be better than repeated paracentesis in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites, yielding better control of ascites, pleural effusions, and/or leg edema without an inc…

Antivitamin K Drugs in Stroke Prevention

2014

Among the different subtypes of ischaemic strokes, almost 20 % are of cardiac origin. Different are the causes of cardioembolic stroke, but the most common is the atrial fibrillation, a supraventricular arrhythmia. Appropriate use of antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulants after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or ischaemic stroke depends on whether the underlying cause is cardioembolic or of presumed arterial origin. Adequate antiplatelet therapy is recommended for secondary prevention after cerebral ischaemia of presumed arterial origin, whether for patients with TIA and ischaemic stroke of cardiac origin, mainly due to atrial fibrillation. Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are highly effective …

INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE.

2008

Three major cytokines, namely, tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1, and IL-6 are produced by cultured brain cells after various stimuli such as ischemia. Neurones, astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes can produce inflammatory mediators, and cytokine receptors are expressed constitutionally throughout the Central Nervous System (CNS), albeit at low levels. Cytokines are involved in virtually every facet of stroke and they have numerous pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant effects on endothelium. TNF-alpha expression after stroke stimulates expression of tissue factor and adhesion molecules for leukocytes, release of interleukin-1 (IL-1), nitric oxide, factor VIII/von Wi…

Micro-albuminuria in obese subjects: relationship among body fat distribution, blood pressure and left ventricular structure and function.

1998

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships among micro-albuminuria, blood pressure and measurements of left ventricular structure and function in centrally and peripherally obese subjects compared with members of a lean control group. METHODS: Centrally obese subjects were subdivided according to whether they had levels of micro-albuminuria higher than 30 mg/24 h (micro-albuminuric group) or lower than or equal to 30 mg/24 h (normo-albuminuric group). For all the subjects we measured heart rate, casual mean blood pressure (MBP), 24 h MBP, total cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein (a) level, fasting immunoreactive insulin level, plasma renin activity, plasma al…

Non-coding RNAs and other determinants of neuroinflammation and endothelial dysfunction: regulation of gene expression in the acute phase of ischemic…

2021

Ischemic stroke occurs under a variety of clinical conditions and has different pathogeneses, resulting in necrosis of brain parenchyma. Stroke pathogenesis is characterized by neuroinflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Some of the main processes triggered in the early stages of ischemic damage are the rapid activation of resident inflammatory cells (microglia, astrocytes and endothelial cells), inflammatory cytokines, and translocation of intercellular nuclear factors. Inflammation in stroke includes all the processes mentioned above, and it consists of either protective or detrimental effects concerning the “polarization” of these processes. This polarization comes out from the intera…

Changes in Natriuretic Peptides, Cytokines, Selectins and Adhesion Molecules Plasma Levels in Patients with Heart Failure, After Treatment with High …

2007

heart failure, after high dose of furosemide plus small volume saline solution (HSS) and after an acute saline loading

2007

TVP e neoplasie: modello predittivo delle variabili associate

2004

Regression of structural vascular changes in hypertensives after captopril treatment.

1992

In order to investigate whether hypertension-related structural vascular changes may be influenced by antihypertensive treatment, 10 patients were studied suffering from essential arterial hypertension, five males and five females, aged between 34 and 61 years (mean age: 46.9 +/- 8.13 years). All patients received a placebo for 1 week and then captopril, 75 mg b.i.d. for 3 months. After placebo and captopril treatments, the following parameters were evaluated: SBP, DBP, mean blood pressure (MBP), by the formula 1/3 (SBP + 2 x DBP) and basal and minimal vascular resistances, respectively obtained by the ratios MBP/rest flow and MBP/peak flow. Blood flows have been obtained by strain gauge pl…

Risk Factors profile and clinical outcome of ischemic stroke patients admitted in a department of Internal Medicine and classified by TOAST classific…

2006

Valore predittivo delle variabili immunoinfiammatorie nell’ictus ischemico acuto.

2006

Piede diabetico e morbilità cardiovascolare. Studio prospettico di controllo. ;

2005

Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI) is Unable to Estimate Arterial Stiffness of Hypertensive Subjects: Role of Nocturnal Dipping of Blood Pres…

2018

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI) has been proposed as an indirect and simpler method to estimate the Arterial Stiffness (AS). AASI, calculated from a set of data collected during a 24-hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), is defined as 1 minus the regression slope of diastolic on systolic blood pressure (BP) values. For a given increase in diastolic BP, the increase in systolic BP is smaller in a compliant compared to a stiff artery; the stiffer the arterial tree, the closer AASI is to 1. AASI was demonstrated to predict cardiovascular mortality, cerebrovascular events and to be associated with target organ damage. Taking into account the almost complete a…

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…

Neuroinflammatory mechanisms in ischemic stroke: Focus on cardioembolic stroke, background, and therapeutic approaches

2020

One of the most important causes of neurological morbidity and mortality in the world is ischemic stroke. It can be a result of multiple events such as embolism with a cardiac origin, occlusion of small vessels in the brain, and atherosclerosis affecting the cerebral circulation. Increasing evidence shows the intricate function played by the immune system in the pathophysiological variations that take place after cerebral ischemic injury. Following the ischemic cerebral harm, we can observe consequent neuroinflammation that causes additional damage provoking the death of the cells; on the other hand, it also plays a beneficial role in stimulating remedial action. Immune mediators are the or…

Is losartan able to improve renal haemodynamics in hypertensives? a long term study

2000

Pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of anderson–fabry disease and possible new molecular addressed therapeutic strategies

2021

Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD) is a rare disease with an incidenceof approximately 1:117,000 male births. Lysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) is the element characterizing Fabry disease due to a hereditary deficiency α-galactosidase A (GLA) enzyme. The accumulation of Gb3 causes lysosomal dysfunction that compromises cell signaling pathways. Deposition of sphingolipids occurs in the autonomic nervous system, dorsal root ganglia, kidney epithelial cells, vascular system cells, and myocardial cells, resulting in organ failure. This manuscript will review the molecular pathogenetic pathways involved in Anderson–Fabry disease and in its organ damage. Some studies reported that i…

Antiplatelet treatment in ischemic stroke treatment.

2009

Antiplatelets represent a diverse group of agents that share the ability to reduce platelet activity through a variety of mechanisms. Antithrombotic agents are effective in the secondary prevention of ischemic strokes. Most strokes are caused by a sudden blockage of an artery in the brain (called an ischaemic stroke) that is usually due to a blood clot. Immediate treatment with antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin may prevent new clots from forming and hence improve recovery after stroke. Several studies have evaluated the role of one antiplatelet agent, aspirin, in reducing stroke severity. The International Stroke Trial (IST) of 20,000 patients with acute stroke from other countries. In thi…

Blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio is associated with congestion and mortality in heart failure patients with renal dysfunction

2015

Renal dysfunction (RD) and venous congestion are related and common in heart failure (HF). Studies suggest that venous congestion may be the primary driver of RD in HF. In this study, we sought to investigate retrospectively the relationship between common measures of renal function with caval congestion and mortality among outpatients with HF and RD. We reviewed data from 103 HF outpatients (45 males, mean age 74 years, ejection fraction 41.8 ± 11.6 %) with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 25.5 (adjusted OR 2.98, p 0.015) and eGFR ≤45.8 (adjusted OR 5.38, p 0.002) identify patients at risk for caval congestion; a BUN/Cr >23.7 was the best predictor of impaired collapsibility …

Effects of clinical and laboratory variables at admission and of in-hospital treatment with cardiovascular drugs on short term prognosis of ischemic …

2011

Abstract Introduction No information exists, to our knowledge, about the possible role of cardiovascular drug administration in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and possible effects on stroke outcome. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between in-hospital treatment with cardiovascular drugs in patients with acute ischemic stroke and some outcome indicators. Methods and Results 1096 subjects enrolled in the GIFA study, who had a main discharge diagnosis of ischemic stroke represent the final sample. Drugs considered for the analysis were the following: ACE-inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), statins, calcium-channel-blockers (CCBs), antiplatelet (…

Impact of atorvastatin plus n-3 PUFA on metabolic, inflammatory and coagulative parameters in metabolic syndrome without and with type 2 diabetes mel…

2009

Evaluation of regional haemodynamic and alterations of vascular wall of the lower limbs in hypertensive subjects.

1995

Diabetic foot syndrome as a possible cardiovascular marker in diabetic patients

2015

Diabetic foot ulcerations have been extensively reported as vascular complications of diabetes mellitus associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality; in fact, some authors showed a higher prevalence of major, previous and new-onset, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular events in diabetic patients with foot ulcers than in those without these complications. This is consistent with the fact that in diabetes there is a complex interplay of several variables with inflammatory metabolic disorders and their effect on the cardiovascular system that could explain previous reports of high morbidity and mortality rates in diabetic patients with amputations. Involvement of inflammatory marke…

Inflammation as a therapeutic target in acute ischemic stroke treatment.

2009

Animal models of focal ischaemia induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) provide most evidence for cellular inflammatory responses in stroke. Permanent MCAO results in a modest neutrophil infiltration at 24 h after ischaemia, predominantly around arterial vessels at the margins of infarction, whereas MCAO with subsequent reperfusion is associated with substantial infiltration by neutrophils throughout the entire infarct. Several studies show that C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, is associated with stroke outcomes and future vascular events. Several drugs, especially hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins), have been demonstrated to reduce …

Quando la diagnosi è già fatta: anemia e lombalgia in un paziente con recente diagnosi di brucellosi acuta

2005

Profilo di rischio per neoplasia occulta in pazienti con TVP idiopatica.

2005

Prevalence of renal failure and use of antithrombotic prophylaxis among medical inpatients at increased risk of venous thromboembolic events.

2007

Abstract Background Evidence-based guidelines recommend the use of antithrombotic prophylaxis in medical patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are usually preferred to unfractionated heparin. However, when prophylactic doses of LMWH are administered, patients with renal failure (RF) are exposed to the risk of excessive accumulation, and thus to an increased risk of bleeding. We aimed to assess the prevalence of RF among medical inpatients at increased risk of VTE and the use and dosage of antithrombotic prophylaxis in these patients. Methods In a cross sectional study carried out at three different hospitals, information on all medical inpat…

A precise stroke classification for evaluation of ischemic stroke subtypes and their relation with diabetes: is TOAST the best?

2010

To The Editor: Regarding the study by Turin et al1 performed to estimate the secular time trends in incidence using a population-based stroke registry in Japan, we discuss some issues of potential interest. First, have the authors classified stroke subtypes according TOAST classification or Oxfordshire classification? No mention has been made in the text concerning the classification methodology of ischemic stroke. It is conceivable that applying the TOAST classification2 of ischemic stroke (a classification with clinical, pathophysiological, anatomic, and instrumental basis that is easily applicable and widely validated) could provide a more precise selection of patients with lacunar strok…

Mediterranean Diet in patients with acute ischemic stroke: Relationships between Mediterranean Diet score, diagnostic subtype, and stroke severity in…

2015

Abstract Background Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, as well as the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. No study has addressed the association between diagnostic subtype of stroke and its severity and adherence to a Mediterranean Diet in subjects with acute ischemic stroke. Aim To evaluate the association between Mediterranean Diet adherence, TOAST subtype, and stroke severity by means of a retrospective study. Methods The type of acute ischemic stroke was classified according to the TOAST criteria. All patients admitted to our ward with acute ischemic stroke completed a 137…

Scompenso Cardiaco da disfunzione sistolica

2005

Echo-Doppler left ventricular filling abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis without clinically evident cardiovascular disease

1996

Our investigation aimed at verifying diastolic abnormalities in rheumatoid patients, without clinically evident cardiovascular disease and other confounding complaints, by using pulsed Doppler examination of transmitral blood flow. We selected 40 patients fulfilling revised American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis having no symptoms of cardiac disease or clinical findings of other extracardiac diseases. We also studied 40 rheumatoid-matched healthy volunteers as a control group. An echocardiographic examination was carried out on each subject. Left ventricular structural and functional measurements were obtained. Interventricular, septal thick…

Diabetic and non-diabetic subjects with ischemic stroke: Differences, subtype distribution and outcome

2008

Abstract Background and aim Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of stroke, and pathophysiological changes of diabetic cerebral vessels may differ in comparison with non-diabetic ones; nonetheless, the clinical and prognostic profile of stroke in diabetic patients is not yet fully understood. On this basis, the aim of our study was to evaluate cerebrovascular risk factor prevalence in diabetic stroke patients in comparison with non-diabetics, to analyze whether diabetics have a different prevalence of stroke subtypes as classified by the TOAST classification, and determine whether diabetics and non-diabetics have a different prognosis. Methods and results We enrolled 102 diabetics and 204 n…

Insufficienza renale acuta da necrosi tubulare acuta iatrogena

2004

Overdiagnosis and overimaging: an ethical issue for radiological protection

2019

Aims and objectives: This study aimed to analyse the key factors that influence the overimaging using X-ray such as self-referral, defensive medicine and duplicate imaging studies and to emphasize the ethical problem that derives from it. Materials and methods: In this study, we focused on the more frequent sources of overdiagnosis such as the total-body CT, proposed in the form of screening in both public and private sector, the choice of the most sensitive test for each pathology such as pulmonary embolism, ultrasound investigations mostly of the thyroid and of the prostate and MR examinations, especially of the musculoskeletal system. Results: The direct follow of overdiagnosis and overi…

Relationship between anxiety level and radiological investigation. Comparison among different diagnostic imaging exams in a prospective single-center…

2016

Objective: Every patient could feel anxious when he waits in a radiological department to undergo diagnostic exams. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of the radiological exams on patient anxiety. Materials and methods: We evaluated 343 patients (mean age 54.83 years) who underwent different types of diagnostic exams in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at our Hospital from April 2013 to August 2014. We administered to patients the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory Test, which detected with high sensitivity both state anxiety and trait anxiety. A team of clinical psychologists and radiologists evaluated the scores obtained. Results: 83 out of 343 patients were excluded becaus…

Serum pentraxin 3 as a clinical biomarker of branch atheromatous disease: a marker of brain ischaemia or an atherotrombosis marker?

2020

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 …

Sodium thiosulfate not always resolves calciphylaxis: an ambiguous response

2011

Calciphylaxis is a severe “vascular ossification–calcification,” associated with a very high mortality rate that involvesarterial wall, venular wall, and nerves resulting in ischemia and necrosis of skin, subcutaneous fat, visceral organs,and skeletal muscles. Sodium thiosulfate has recently been used as a novel treatment option for calciphylaxisbecause of its dual role as an antioxidant and a chelator. Multiple case reports demonstrated that such therapy hasresulted in pain relief and healing of skin ulceration. We report a case of calciphylaxis of large severity that had anambiguous response to sodium thiosulfate treatment (improvement of symptomatology and skin lesions, improve-ment of b…

Arterial stiffness and ischemic stroke in subjects with and without metabolic syndrome.

2012

We conducted a study to evaluate arterial stiffness markers in subjects with acute ischemic stroke and metabolic syndrome and in relation to TOAST subtype of stroke. We enrolled 130 patients with acute ischemic stroke and metabolic syndrome, 127 patients with acute ischemic stroke without metabolic syndrome and 120 control subjects without acute stroke. Applanation tonometry to record pulse wave velocity (PWV). Stroke patients with metabolic syndrome, compared control subjects without stroke showed higher PWV. In subjects with ischemic stroke and metabolic syndrome, PWV was more significantly and positively correlated with body mass index, systolic blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, gl…

Violence and Abuse: Battered Child

2019

Battered child is a crucial social and medical issue, which represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children. The ‘child abuse syndrome’ is a clinical condition in young children who have received serious physical abuse, and should be considered in any child exhibiting evidence of fracture of any bone, subdural haematoma, failure to thrive, soft tissue swellings or skin bruising, in any child who dies suddenly, or where the degree and type of injury is at variance with the history given regarding the occurrence of the trauma. A clinical-radiological-forensic collaboration is crucial for its identification.

Immunoinflammatory and thrombotic/ fybrinolytic markers as a diagnostic panel of acute ischemic stroke

2008

P522 Expression of markers of early atherosclerosis in inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective cohort of a single referral centre

2019

Ketogenic diet, physical activity, and hypertension—a narrative review

2021

Several studies link cardiovascular diseases (CVD) with unhealthy lifestyles (unhealthy dietary habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, and low levels of physical activity). Therefore, the strong need for CVD prevention may be pursued through an improved control of CVD risk factors (impaired lipid and glycemic profiles, high blood pressure, and obesity), which is achievable through an overall intervention aimed to favor a healthy lifestyle. Focusing on diet, different recommendations emphasize the need to increase or avoid consumption of entire classes of food, with only partly known and only partly foreseeable consequences on the overall level of health. In recent years, the ketogenic diet (…

A particular bigeminy during atrial tachycardia, part II

2014

P1013 : Chronic intermittent hypoxia is associated with liver damage and atherosclerosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

2015

all the steatosis grades, except S2 vs S3. The diagnostic performances of CAP in quantifying each steatosis grade was: for S ≥1 AUC=0.813 (cutoff 260dB/m, Se = 64.84%, Sp =87.27%, PPV=80.8%, NPV=75%, +LR =5.09, −LR =0.40, DA=76.11%); for S ≥2 AUC=0.822 (cutoff 285dB/m, Se = 69.70%, Sp =85.12%, PPV=47.9%, NPV=93.5%, +LR =4.68, −LR =0.36, DA=82.08%); for S ≥3 AUC=0.838 (cutoff 294dB/m, Se =83.33%, Sp =82.54%, PPV=23.3%, NPV=98.7%, +LR =4.77, −LR =0.20, DA=81.59%). AUCs calculated between two steatosis grades only were: 0.772 (for S0 vs S1), 0.874 (S0 vs S2), 0.904 (S0 vs S3), 0.659 (S1 vs S2), 0.777 (S1 vs S3), and 0.665 (S2 vs S3) respectively. Conclusions: Maximal diagnostic accuracy could …

Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia due to apolipoprotein B R463W mutation causes intestinal fat accumulation and low postprandial lipemia

2008

Abstract Objective Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia (FHBL) is characterized by inherited low plasma levels of apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins. In this paper we investigated whether the already described APOB R463W missense mutation, a FHBL mutation able to impair the activity of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), may cause intestinal fat accumulation and reduced postprandial lipemia. Methods Four out of five probands harboring APOB R463W mutation were compared with six healthy controls and six patients with celiac disease (CD). An oral fat load supplemented with retinyl palmitate (RP) was administered and a gastro-duodenal endoscopy with biopsy was performed. Re…

Beyond left ventricular ejection fraction there is a right heart that pumps.

2017

Clinical Trial: High-dose furosemide plus small-volume hypertonic saline solutions vs. repeated paracentesis as treatment of refractory ascites.

2009

Summary Background  In patients with cirrhosis, ascites is defined as refractory when it cannot be mobilized or recurs early in standard diuretic therapy. Aim  To compare the safety and efficacy of intravenous high-dose furosemide + hypertonic saline solutions (HSS) with repeated paracentesis in patients with cirrhosis and refractory ascites. Patients and methods  Eighty-four subjects (59/25 M/F) with cirrhosis, mostly of viral aetiology, admitted for refractory ascites, were randomly assigned to receive furosemide (250–1000 mg/bid i.v.) plus HSS (150 mL H2O with NaCl 1.4–4.6% or 239–187 mEq/L) (60 patients, Group A) or to repeated paracentesis and a standard diuretic schedule (24 patients,…

Predictors of outcome in acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndromes: The GIFA Study

2006

A second-degree atrioventricular block with double escape rhythm secondary to paroxysmal vagal hypertonia.

2017

Platelet Aggregation, Coagulation and Fibrinolysis at Rest and after Bicycle Ergometer Test in CHD

1980

Several observers have suggested that a dysfunction of dynamic balance between platelet aggregation, coagulation and fibrinolysis may be a factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This dysfunction, presumably, is correlated with the atherosclerotic vascular lesions, that could reduce the parietal synthesis of heparan-sulphase, prostacyclin and plas minogen activator.

Predictors of outcome in acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndromes: The GIFA study

2006

Abstract Background Today it may be more useful to use the term acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome (AICS) to define a spectrum of disease ranging from TIA to stroke and that share a similar underlying pathophysiology: cerebral ischemia . The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic importance of some demographic, laboratory and clinical variables on the outcome in hospitalized patients with a discharge diagnosis suggestive of acute ischemic cerebral syndrome (AICS). Methods 17,377 Subjects were enrolled in the GIFA study, a multicenter survey of hospitalized older patients. 1878 Subjects with a main discharge diagnosis suggestive of acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome (AICS)…

Biomarkers in Anderson–Fabry Disease

2020

Fabry disease is a rare lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of α-galactosidase A, resulting in multisystemic involvement. Lyso-Gb3 (globotriaosylsphingosine), the deacylated form of Gb3, is currently measured in plasma as a biomarker of classic Fabry disease. Intensive research of biomarkers has been conducted over the years, in order to detect novel markers that may potentially be used in clinical practice as a screening tool, in the context of the diagnostic process and as an indicator of response to treatment. An interesting field of application of such biomarkers is the management of female heterozygotes who present difficulty in predictable clinical progression. This revi…

Errors in imaging patients in the emergency setting

2016

Emergency and trauma care produces a "perfect storm" for radiological errors: uncooperative patients, inadequate histories, time-critical decisions, concurrent tasks and often junior personnel working after hours in busy emergency departments. The main cause of diagnostic errors in the emergency department is the failure to correctly interpret radiographs, and the majority of diagnoses missed on radiographs are fractures. Missed diagnoses potentially have important consequences for patients, clinicians and radiologists. Radiologists play a pivotal role in the diagnostic assessment of polytrauma patients and of patients with non-traumatic craniothoracoabdominal emergencies, and key elements …

Lipoproteins in atherosclerosis process

2019

Background:Dyslipidaemias is a recognized risk factor for atherosclerosis, however, new evidence brought to light by trials investigating therapies to enhance HDLcholesterol have suggested an increased atherosclerotic risk when HDL-C is high.Results:Several studies highlight the central role in atherosclerotic disease of dysfunctional lipoproteins; oxidised LDL-cholesterol is an important feature, according to “oxidation hypothesis”, of atherosclerotic lesion, however, there is today a growing interest for dysfunctional HDL-cholesterol. The target of our paper is to review the functions of modified and dysfunctional lipoproteins in atherogenesis.Conclusion:Taking into account the central ro…

Agenesis of the renal segment of inferior vena cava associated with venous stasis.

2010

Congenital anomalies of the inferior vena cava is an extremely rare vascular anomaly with controversial pathogenesis. Anomalies of the inferior vena cava (IVC) are present in 0.3% to 0.5% of otherwise healthy individual and in 0.6% to 2% of patients with other cardiovascular defects. The phenomenon of absence of the IVC has been described in a variety of ways such as absence, agenesis, anomalous, and interruption of a particular segment ([infra] hepatic, pre-renal, renal, or infrarenal) of the IVC. We describe a 42-year-old man with chronic venous insufficiency, without DVT, caused by congenital absence of renal segment of the IVC

Cardiovascular risk profile and morbidity in subjects affected by type 2 diabetes with and without diabetic foot. ;

2006

Genetics and Gene Therapy of Anderson-Fabry Disease.

2018

Fabry's disease is a genetic disorder of X-linked inheritance caused by mutations in the alpha galactosidase A gene resulting in deficiency of this lysosomal enzyme. The progressive accumulation of glycosphingolipids, caused by the inadequate enzymatic activity, is responsible of organ dysfunction and thus of clinical manifestations. In the presence of a high clinical suspicion, a careful physical examination and specific laboratory tests are required, finally diagnosis of Fabry's disease is confirmed by the demonstration of absence or reduced alpha-galactosidase A enzyme activity in hemizygous men and gene typing in heterozygous females; in fact the performance of enzymatic activity assay …

Stroke subtypes and their possible implication in stroke prevention drug strategies

2014

Thrombotic strokes can affect large or small arteries in the brain. Drugs to prevent atherosclerosis complication such as thrombotic strokes, should be drugs able to prevent the accumulation of intravascular fat, reduce vascular proliferation, decrease blood pressure levels with the resulting shear stress, reduce platelet aggregation, and possibly partially or totally reverse carotid plaques. Any of the commonly used antihypertensive drugs lower the incidence of stroke, with larger reductions in BP resulting in larger reductions in risk. Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing the activity of the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) may have beneficial effects beyond the…

La claudicatio intermittens

2007

Molecular Mechanisms of Inflammasome in Ischemic Stroke Pathogenesis.

2022

Ischemic stroke (also called cerebral ischemia) is one of the leading causes of death and severe disability worldwide. NLR inflammasomes play a crucial role in sensing cell damage in response to a harmful stimuli and modulating the inflammatory response, promoting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-18 and IL-1β following ischemic injury. Therefore, a neuroprotective effect is achieved by inhibiting the expression, assembly, and secretion of inflammasomes, thus limiting the extent of brain detriment and neurological sequelae. This review aims to illustrate the molecular characteristics, expression levels, and assembly of NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like…

Inter-familial and intra-familial phenotypic variability in three Sicilian families with Anderson-Fabry disease.

2017

// Antonino Tuttolomondo 1 , Irene Simonetta 1 , Giovanni Duro 2 , Rosaria Pecoraro 1 , Salvatore Miceli 1 , Paolo Colomba 2 , Carmela Zizzo 2 , Antonia Nucera 3, 4 , Mario Daidone 1 , Tiziana Di Chiara 1 , Rosario Scaglione 1 , Vittoriano Della Corte 1 , Francesca Corpora 1 , Danai Vogiatzis 1 and Antonio Pinto 1 1 U.O.C di Medicina Interna con Stroke Care, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica (Di.Bi.M.I.S), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy 2 CNR-IBIM: Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology “A. Monroy” Palermo, Palermo, Italy 3 Stroke Unit, Neurology, Saint Andrea Hospital, La Spezia, Italy 4 Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Western Univer…

Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Atrial Tachycardia: Classification, P-Wave Morphology, and Differential Diagnosis with Other Supraventricular Tachy…

2014

Atrial tachycardia is defined as a regular atrial activation from atrial areas with centrifugal spread, caused by enhanced automaticity, triggered activity or microreentry. New ECG classification differentiates between focal and macroreentrant atrial tachycardia. Macroreentrant atrial tachycardias include typical atrial flutter and other well characterized macroreentrant circuits in right and left atrium. Typical atrial flutter has been described as counterclockwise reentry within right atrial and it presents a characteristic ECG “sawtooth” pattern on the inferior leads. The foci responsible for focal atrial tachycardia do not occur randomly throughout the atria but tend to cluster at chara…

Insulin resistance and glomerular hemodynamics in essential hypertension

2002

Insulin resistance and glomerular hemodynamics in essential hypertension. Background Arterial hypertension is an important cause of end-stage renal failure. Insulin has been shown to modify glomerular hemodynamics in hypertensive subjects. The aim of this work, therefore, was to observe the relationships between renal hemodynamics and insulin resistance in arterial hypertension. Methods Sixty-two non-diabetic hypertensive patients and 25 healthy normal subjects were studied. Renal plasma flow and the glomerular filtration fraction were determined by renoscintigraphy and the insulin sensitivity by an oral glucose test. Results Renal plasma flow in hypertensive subjects was lower than expecte…

β-amyloid wall deposit of temporal artery in subjects with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.

2018

// Antonino Tuttolomondo 1 , Rosario Maugeri 4 , Elisabetta Orlando 2 , Giulio Giannone 2 , Francesco Ciccia 3 , Aroldo Rizzo 5 , Domenico Di Raimondo 1 , Francesca Graziano 4 , Rosaria Pecoraro 1 , Carlo Maida 1 , Irene Simonetta 1 , Anna Cirrincione 1 , Francesca Portelli 2 , Francesca Corpora 1 , Domenico Gerardo Iacopino 4 and Antonio Pinto 1 1 Internal Medicine and Stroke Care Ward, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy 2 Human Pathology Section, Human Pathology Section, Department of Health Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy 3 Rheumathology Ward, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica, Univers…

Oxidative stress biomarkers in Fabry disease: is there a room for them?

2020

Abstract Background Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, caused by deficient activity of the alpha-galactosidase A enzyme leading to progressive and multisystemic accumulation of globotriaosylceramide. Recent data point toward oxidative stress signalling which could play an important role in both pathophysiology and disease progression. Methods We have examined oxidative stress biomarkers [Advanced Oxidation Protein Products (AOPP), Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP), thiolic groups] in blood samples from 60 patients and 77 healthy controls. Results AOPP levels were higher in patients than in controls (p < 0.00001) and patients presented decreased levels of…

Preventive and Therapeutic Role of Muscle Contraction Against Chronic Diseases.

2016

Background: Due to the continuing increase of the elderly population in the western countries, the prevalence of the main chronic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders, arterial hypertension, vascular damage due to atherosclerotic process, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic kidney disease, immune-mediated diseases) is increasing. There is incontrovertible evidence that regular physical activity contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases and is associated with a reduced risk of premature death. Methods: In this review the most prevalent chronic pathologic conditions are discussed…

Early high-dosage atorvastatin treatment improved serum immune-inflammatory markers and functional outcome in acute ischemic strokes classified as la…

2016

Statins have beneficial effects on cerebral circulation and brain parenchyma during ischemic stroke and reperfusion. The primary hypothesis of this randomized parallel trial was that treatment with 80 mg/day of atorvastatin administered early at admission after acute atherosclerotic ischemic stroke could reduce serum levels of markers of immune-inflammatory activation of the acute phase and that this immune-inflammatory modulation could have a possible effect on prognosis of ischemic stroke evaluated by some outcome indicators. We enrolled 42 patients with acute ischemic stroke classified as large arteries atherosclerosis stroke (LAAS) randomly assigned in a randomized parallel trial to the…

Editorial from guest editors current Euratom legislation (DE 59/2013): new patient management in radiation protection.

2019

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Inhibition of thromboxane biosynthesis by triflusal in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

2004

Abstract Triflusal is an antiplatelet drug related to aspirin, with different pharmacological properties and a lower haemorrhagic risk. We aimed at comparing their effects on platelet and endothelial activation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In a randomized, double-blind, parallel group study, we compared the effects of three daily regimens (300, 600, and 900mg) of triflusal, and aspirin (100mg/day) on urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane (TX)B 2 , index of in vivo platelet activation, ex vivo platelet function using the analyzer PFA-100, plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF), P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and serum nitrite a…

Cell immunity in Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

2015

Numerous researches have detected immune cellular elements in coronary lesions of atherosclerotic origin in human and animal models, and these cells are suspected of contributing to plaque instability. Patients affected by acute coronary syndrome present high levels of pro-inflammatory molecules, as shown in numerous studies. This finding implies similarity between CAD and well-known immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Due to incongruent findings, this “infection hypothesis” cannot be rejected, thus further research is needed to better understand the relationship between pathogen-induced chronic inflammatory response, with its pathogenic mechanisms, and the atherosclerotic process. Sever…

Neurological complications of Anderson-Fabry disease

2012

Characteristic clinical manifestations of AFD such as acroparesthesias, angiokeratoma, corneal opacity, hypo/ and anhidrosis, gastrointestinal symptoms, renal and cardiac dysfunctions can occur in male and female patients, although heterozygous females with AFD usually seems to be less severely affected. The most prominent CNS manifestations consist of cerebrovascular events such as transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) and (recurrent) strokes . For the most part, CNS complications in AFD have been attributed to cerebral vasculopathy, including anatomical abnormalities. The natural history of Fabry patients includes transitory cerebral ischaemia and strokes, even in very young persons of both …

Successful salvage therapy of intravenous cyclophosphamide for refractory polymyositis in an elderly patient: a case report.

2006

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis may affect children and adults and are now widely recognized as major causes of disability which, thanks to the introduction of immunosuppressive drugs, is often treatable, at least to some extent. Few data exist regarding polymyositis in elderly patients. We describe a case of refractory life-threatening polymyositis in an elderly patient, successfully treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide

C-reactive protein and efficacy of antiplatelet therapy in (intracranial) atherosclerosis

2018

C-reactive protein (CRP) and other inflammatory biomarkers can indicate both the severity and extent of atherosclerosis, reflecting the inflammatory nature of the disease process.1 Atherogenesis begins with an inflammatory response to vascular injury with cells and mediators initiating the healing response and later inducing growth of atherosclerotic plaques. Inflammation then increases plaque instability, promoting rupture, fissuring, or erosion—the pathogenetic milieu of thrombosis in atherothrombotic ischemic strokes.

Platelet Activity and Blood Lipid Changes in Diabetes Mellitus

1984

An altered platelet function can often be found in diabetes mellitus (2, 3, 4, 10, 13, 16, 17, 23, 24). Several studies have pointed towards an increased sensitivity of platelets to ADP induced aggregation (3, 6, 23) in diabetic patients; this phenomenon can also be found in diabetics without apparent vasculopathy and in subjects with altered glucose tolerance (3, 23).

Inflammation and Aortic Stiffness: An Individual Participant Data Meta‐Analysis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

2017

Background The recent finding that aortic pulse wave velocity ( aPWV ) is increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease may explain why the cardiovascular risk is increased despite the low prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We aimed to test whether inflammation is associated with aortic stiffening in this setting after adjustment for major confounders and to perform subgroup analyses. Methods and Results A systematic literature search for aPWV in inflammatory bowel disease was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases (last accessed May 7, 2017). Inclusion criterion was peer‐reviewed publications on clinical studies reporting o…

Metabolic and Vascular Effect of the Mediterranean Diet

2019

Several studies indicated how dietary patterns that were obtained from nutritional cluster analysis can predict disease risk or mortality. Low-grade chronic inflammation represents a background pathogenetic mechanism linking metabolic risk factors to increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases. A Mediterranean diet (MeDi) style has been reported as associated with a lower degree of inflammation biomarkers and with a protective role on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. There is heterogeneity in defining the MedDiet, and it can, owing to its complexity, be considered as an exposome with thousands of nutrients and phytochemicals. Recently, it has been reported a novel positive ass…

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Associated with Liver Damage and Atherosclerosis in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

2015

Background/Aims We assessed whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and nocturnal hypoxemia are associated with severity of liver fibrosis and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and low prevalence of morbid obesity. Secondary aim was to explore the association of OSA and hypoxemia with NASH and severity of liver pathological changes. Methods Consecutive patients (n = 126) with chronically elevated ALT and NAFLD underwent STOP-BANG questionnaire to estimate OSA risk and ultrasonographic carotid assessment. In patients accepting to perform cardiorespiratory polygraphy (PG, n = 50), OSA was defined as an apnea/hypopnea index ≥5. A carotid atherosclerotic plaque was defi…

Cytokines, Selectins and Adhesion Molecules Plasma Levels in Acute Ischaemic Stroke: Relationship with Stroke Subtype, Ischaemic Lesion Site and Clin…

2007

Carotid atherosclerosis in renal transplant recipients: Relationships with cardiovascular risk factors and plasma lipoproteins

1999

BACKGROUND: Renal transplant recipients have an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, but less data exist about cerebrovascular atherosclerosis. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of carotid lesions as evaluated by B-mode ultrasonography in a group of renal transplant recipients, and we evaluated univariate and multivariate relationships between common risk factors and plasma lipoproteins and carotid lesions. METHODS: Fifty-seven renal transplant recipients and 113 age- and gender-matched controls underwent a complete clinical visit for the evaluation of risk factors present. In all subjects, a blood sample was collected for lipoprotein determination, and an ultrasound high-…

OC.03.2 THE PRESENCE OF WHITE MATTER LESIONS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HISTOLOGICAL SEVERITY OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE

2016

Assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without diabetic foot: correlations with endothelial dy…

2021

Abstract Background Some studies have suggested that patients with diabetes and foot complications have worse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk profiles, higher degrees of endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness and a higher inflammatory background than patients with diabetes without diabetic foot complications. Patients with diabetes mellitus have an alteration in the sympathovagal balance as assessed by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, which is also related to the presence of endothelial dysfunction. Other studies suggest a possible role of inflammation coexisting with the alteration in the sympathovagal balance in favor of the atherosclerotic process in a mixe…

Exercise performance in hypertensives: felodipine vs cilazapril cross-over study

1999

Relationship between circulating E-selectin, DD genotype of angiotensin-converting-enzyme, and cardiovascular damage in central obese subjects

2003

Fifty-six young central obese patients were investigated to evaluate relationships between soluble E-selectin (sE-S), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism, left ventricular function and structure, and carotid morphology by determination of sE-S and ACE genotypes. Our results indicated that central obese subjects with concomitant higher levels of sE-S and ACE DD genotype may be characterized by early cardiovascular alterations and then considered a particular subset of subjects at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Autonomic dysfunction in a group of lower extremities arterial disease outpatients.

2021

Background: The understanding of the specific role of sympathetic neural control and dysregulation in lower extremities arterial disease (LEAD) is still very limited. Aim of our study was to investigate the autonomic profile in LEAD patients and to evaluate if the eventual autonomic alterations were more severe in patients with advanced disease. Methods: We enrolled all consecutive outpatients with LEAD referred to our Departments between July 2012 and September 2014. They were compared to a group of matched outpatients without LEAD. All patients underwent Holter ECG monitoring. Time-domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was evaluated. Results: Compared to controls, patients with …

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…

L'ictus emorragico

2008

Novel alpha-galactosidase A mutation in a female with recurrent strokes.

2012

Abstract Anderson–Fabry disease (AFD) is an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism resulting from the deficient activity of the lysosomal exoglycohydrolase, a-galactosidase A. The complete genomic and cDNA sequences of the human alpha-galactosidase A gene have been determined and to date, several disease-causing alpha-galactosidase A mutations have been identified, including missense mutations, small deletions/insertions, splice mutations, and large gene rearrangements We report a case of a 56-year-old woman with recurrent cryptogenic strokes. Ophthalmological examination revealed whorled opacities of the cornea (cornea verticillata) and dilated tortuous conjunctival vessels.…

Superficial venous thrombosis: role of inherited deficiency of natural anticoagulants in extension to deep veins

2009

AIM: Superficial venous thrombosis (SVT) has been considered for a long time a limited clinical condition of low importance, but this approach has changed in recent years, when several studies demonstrated that extension to deep veins occurs in 7.3 to 44% of patients, with high prevalence of pulmonary embolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of inherited deficiency of natural coagulation inhibitors in patients suffering from SVT in both normal and varicose veins, and to understand their role in extension to deep veins. METHODS: The study included 83 patients with SVT, without clinically obvious risk factors. Ultrasound examination was performed, and deficiencies of Pro…

Cerebrovascular risk factors and clinical classification of strokes

2005

Cerebrovascular risk represents a progressive and evolving concept owing to the particular distribution of risk factors in patients with ischemic stroke and in light of the newest stroke subtype classifications that account for pathophysiological, instrumental, and clinical criteria. Age represents the strongest nonmodifiable risk factor associated with ischemic stroke, while hypertension constitutes the most important modifiable cerebrovascular risk factor, confirmed by a host of epidemiological data and by more recent intervention trials of primary (HOT, Syst-Eur, LIFE) and secondary (PROGRESS) prevention of stroke in hypertensive patients. To be sure, a curious relationship exists betwee…

IgG4 Related Syndrome: Another Multiorgan Disease in the Interest Field of Internal Medicine.

2016

BACKGROUND: IgG4-related disease is a rare, clinical and pathologic disease entity of unknown etiology. Its main features are increased serum concentrations of IgG4 > 1,35 g/l, lymphocyte and IgG4+plasma-cell infiltration within tissues, fibrosis or sclerosis. The classical presentation of IgG4-RSD is pancreatitis which is combined with the involvement of biliary ducts in 74 percent of patients. Extrapancreatic manifestations include: abdominal or mediastinal lymphadenopathy; the involvement of salivary glands and lacrimal glands, kidneys, lung, retroperitoneum. Since IgG4-related disease is a multiorgan lymphoproliferative syndrome, it requires a careful differential diagnosis from othe…

Can radium 223 be a conservative non-surgical management of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw?

2019

AbstractOsteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a rare and severe necrotic bone disease reflecting a compromise in the body's osseous healing mechanisms and unique to the craniofacial region. Radium 223 dichloride (Ra223) is the only targeted alpha therapy able to extend survival in patients with bone metastases from prostate cancer. Mechanism of action and data currently available focused mainly on osteoblastic metastases from prostate cancer. In 2018, a Caucasian 54-year-old woman presented to our institution for a breast cancer with bone metastases. Since the patient refused any treatment and taking into account the bone disease, our multidisciplinary team evaluated a supplementary strategy wi…

PREVALENCE OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF NOCTURNAL BLOOD PRESSURE PROFILE OF ASTHMA PATIENTS ACCORDING TO THERAPY AND SEVERITY OF T…

2020

Background: several studies report an increased risk for asthmatic subjects to develop arterial hypertension and the relationship between these two diseases, frequently co-existing, still has some unclear aspects. Methods: The BADA (blood pressure levels, clinical features and markers of subclinical cardiovascular damage of asthma patients) study is aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the cardiovascular comorbidities of asthma and their impact on the clinical outcome. The main exclusion criteria were the presence of other respiratory diseases, current smoking, any contraindication to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Results: The overall percentage of asthmatics having also hyper…

Predictors of outcome in acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndromes:

2005

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory and thrombotic/fibrinolytic genes in patients with acute ischemic stroke…

2011

Abstract Background The genetic basis of complex diseases like ischemic stroke probably consists of several predisposing risk factors, such as genes involved in inflammation and thrombotic pathways. On this basis the aim of our study was to evaluate the role of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) of some pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory and coagulation/fibrinolytic genes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods The study population consisted of 144 consecutive Caucasian adult patients who were hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Palermo between November 2006 and January 2008, and who met inclusion criteria. The cases were patients admitted with …

Italian cancer figures, report 2014: Prevalence and cure of cancer in Italy

2015

This Report intends to estimate the total number of people still alive in 2010 after cancer diagnosis in Italy, regardless of the time since diagnosis, and to project these estimates to 2015. This study is also aimed to estimate the number of already cured cancer patients, whose mortality rates have become undistinguishable from that of the general population of the same age and sex.The study took advantage of the information from the AIRTUM database, which included 29 Cancer Registries (covering 21 million people, 35% of the Italian population). A total of 1,624,533 cancer cases diagnosed between 1976 and 2009 contributed to the study. For each registry, the observed prevalence was calcula…

Epicardial Fat, Cardiac Geometry and Cardiac Function in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Association with the Severity of Liver Disea…

2015

Background & Aims Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, including coronary artery disease and cardiac dysfunction. In addition, recent evidence highlighted the possible role of epicardial fat as a new cardiometabolic risk factor. We tested the correlation between epicardial fat, alterations in cardiac geometry and function, and severity of liver damage, in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. Methods The anthropometric, biochemical and metabolic features were recorded in 147 consecutive biopsy-proven NAFLD cases (Kleiner score). Epicardial fat thickness was measured by echocardiography. Results Epicardial fat was higher in patients w…

Corrigendum to “Arterial stiffness indexes in acute ischemic stroke: Relationship with stroke subtype” [Atherosclerosis 211 (2010) 187–194]

2016

Metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects of a home-based programme of aerobic physical exercise

2013

Summary Aims Regular exercise demonstrated the ability to provide enormous benefits to many diseases, atherosclerotic-based, degenerative and neoplastic, but also to grant anti-inflammatory actions, assessed by various authors in different populations. Despite of these clear benefits, many patients are unable to attain long-term results through chronic physical activity for different causes. On this basis, the aim of our study was to assess the metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects of a home-based programme of fast walking in patients affected by metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and methods We enrolled 176 subjects with MS as stated by ATP III criteria. Patients were invited to walk for…

Peripheral Frequency of CD4+ CD28- Cells in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Relationship With Stroke Subtype and Severity Markers.

2015

CD4+ CD28− T cells also called CD28 null cells have been reported as increased in the clinical setting of acute coronary syndrome. Only 2 studies previously analyzed peripheral frequency of CD28 null cells in subjects with acute ischemic stroke but, to our knowledge, peripheral frequency of CD28 null cells in each TOAST subtype of ischemic stroke has never been evaluated. We hypothesized that CD4+ cells and, in particular, the CD28 null cell subset could show a different degree of peripheral percentage in subjects with acute ischemic stroke in relation to clinical subtype and severity of ischemic stroke. The aim of our study was to analyze peripheral frequency of CD28 null cells in subjects…

Descrizione del quarto caso di aceruloplasminemia familiare diagnosticato in Italia.

2006

41 SERUM FETUIN A/ALPHA2HS-GLYCOPROTEIN AND CD40 L IN TOAST STROKE SUBTYPES: CORRELATION WITH LABORATORY, CLINICAL VARIABLES AND PROGNOSIS

2008

Arterial stiffness, endothelial and cognitive function in subjects with type 2 diabetes in accordance with absence or presence of diabetic foot syndr…

2017

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of cardiovascular disease so endothelial and arterial stiffness indexes are good indicators of vascular health. We aimed to assess whether the presence of diabetic foot is associated with arterial stiffness and endothelial function impairment. METHODS: We studied 50 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) compared to 50 diabetic subjects without diabetic foot, and 53 patients without diabetes mellitus, by means of the mini mental state examination (MMSE) administered to evaluate cognitive performance. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (Aix) were also evaluated by Applanation…

A family with various symptomatology suggestive of Anderson-Fabry disease and a genetic polymorphism of alpha galactosidase A gene.

2014

Background: Anderson/Fabry disease expresses a wide range of clinical variability in patients that it is possible to explain referring to a genetic variability with numerous mutations described in the literature (more than 600). Methods: We report some clinical cases of some members of a Sicilian family to express phenotypical variability of this disease in subjects with the same genetic mutation. Results: The first case was a 59-year-old female. Brain MRI revealed right frontal periventricular white matter of likely vascular-degenerative origin. The proband's alpha galactosidase A activity was 3.7. nmol/mL/h. Molecular genetics revealed a polymorphism: - 10 C. >. T; IVS 2-76_80del5; IVS…

Relationship between Diabetes and Ischemic Stroke: Analysis of Diabetes- Related Risk Factors for Stroke and of Specific Patterns of Stroke Associate…

2015

Diabetes and ischemic stroke are common diseases that frequently occurring together. Among patients with diabetes mellitus several factors contribute in varying degrees to the overall cerebrovascular risk including hyperglycemia, vascular risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidemia and also genetic, demographic, and lifestyle factors and several studies have shown that people with diabetes have approximately twice the risk of ischemic stroke compared with those without diabetes. The association between ischemic stroke and diabetes is bidirectional and it is not limited to acute ischemic stroke since diabetes may contribute to a more insidious brain damage represented by lacunar infar…

Effects of ACE-Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers on Inflammation

2011

The role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and in hypertensive disease above all, is complex. Several studies confirm that activation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), through increase in the production of angiotensin II (Ang II), is closely related to local vascular inflammation. Over the BP lowering effects of anti-hypertensive treatments, several ancillary effects for every class may be found, distinguishing the various drugs from one another. Given the pro-inflammatory effects of Ang II and aldosterone, agents that interfere with the components of RAAS, such as ACE inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (spirono…

Fetuin-A and CD40L plasma levels in acute ischemic stroke: differences in relation to TOAST subtype and correlation with clinical and laboratory vari…

2009

Abstract Introduction Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. CD40 L is a well recognized atherosclerotic inflammatory marker, whereas recent evidence suggests a pro-inflammatory role of Fetuin-A. To analyze the role of an inflammatory marker such as CD40 L and of a candidate pro-inflammatory marker such as Fetuin-A in acute stroke we evaluated their serum levels in subjects with acute ischemic stroke and their possible association with other laboratory and clinical variables. Materials and methods We enrolled 107 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Internal Medicine Department…

Ischemic stroke subtypes and the implications for stroke management

2014

Internal Medicine & Cardioangiology Ward, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna & Specialistica, University of Palermo, Italy *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +39 091 6552197; bruno.tuttolomondo@unipa.it

Endothelial function, adipokine serum levels and white matter hyperintesities in subjects with diabetic foot syndrome.

2019

Abstract Context No study has analyzed the prevalence of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in subjects with diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) and their relationship to adipokine serum levels and indexes of endothelial and cognitive performance. Objective To evaluate omentin and vaspin serum levels and the prevalence of WMHs in subjects with DFS and to analyze their relationship with other endothelial, arterial stiffness, and cognitive functions. Design Case-control study enrolling 40 subjects with DFS, 40 diabetic subjects without foot complications, 40 controls with foot lesions without diabetes, and 40 patients without diabetes mellitus. Main Outcome Measures Pulse wave velocity (PWV), augm…

The cumulative amount of serum-free light chain is a strong prognosticator in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

2011

AbstractIdentification of patients at risk of early disease progression is the mainstay of tailored management in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although application of established biomarkers is limited by intrinsic detection/readout complexities, abnormality of κ and λ serum-free light chain ratio [sFLC (κ/λ)] was proposed as a straightforward prognosticator in CLL. By analyzing 449 therapy-naive patients, we show that an abnormal sFLC(κ/λ), along with CD38, ZAP-70, IGHV mutations, cytogenetics and stage, independently predicts treatment-free survival (TFS) but becomes prognostically irrelevant if the cumulative amount of clonal and nonclonal FLCs [sFLC(κ + λ)], a variable associated …

Inflammation and Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

2019

Background Inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD ) is characterized by a low prevalence of traditional risk factors, an increased aortic pulse‐wave velocity ( aPWV ), and an excess of cardiovascular events. We have previously hypothesized that the cardiovascular risk excess reported in these patients could be explained by chronic inflammation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that chronic inflammation is responsible for the increased aPWV previously reported in IBD patients and that anti‐TNFa (anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐alpha) therapy reduce aPWV in these patients. Methods and Results This was a multicenter longitudinal study. We enrolled 334 patients: 82 patients with ulcerative colitis, 85 pati…

Citokines, Selectins and adhesion molecules plasma levels in acute ischemic stroke: relationship with stroke, subtype, ischemic lesion site and clini…

2008

Crucial role for Nox2 and sleep deprivation in aircraft noise-induced vascular and cerebral oxidative stress, inflammation, and gene regulation

2018

Abstract Aims Aircraft noise causes endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Transportation noise increases the incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Herein, we investigated effects of phagocyte-type NADPH oxidase (Nox2) knockout and different noise protocols (around-the-clock, sleep/awake phase noise) on vascular and cerebral complications in mice. Methods and results C57BL/6j and Nox2 −/− (gp91phox −/−) mice were exposed to aircraft noise (maximum sound level of 85 dB(A), average sound pressure level of 72 dB(A)) around-the-clock or during sleep/awake phases for 1, 2, and 4 days. Adverse effec…

Relationship between HRV measurements and demographic and clinical variables in a population of patients with atrial fibrillation.

2015

Little is known about the role of HRV in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Aim of our study was to assess the relationship between HRV measurements and demographic and clinical variables in a population of 274 AF patients. We selected all consecutive patients with persistent/permanent AF among whom had performed a Holter ECG in our Department from April 2010 to April 2015. Time-domain analysis of HRV was evaluated. Demographic and clinical variables were collected for each patient. At multivariable logistic regression, a higher pNN50 was associated with ACE inhibitors/ARBs (p = 0.016) and a lower pNN50 with obesity (p = 0.037) and higher heart rate (HR) (p < 0.0005). A higher RMSSD w…

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…

Immune-inflammatory markers and arterial stiffness indexes in subjects with acute ischemic stroke.

2010

Abstract No study has yet evaluated the relationship between arterial stiffness indexes and immuno-inflammatory pathway in patients with an acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event. The aim of our study was to evaluate in patients with acute ischemic stroke the relationship between immune-inflammatory markers and arterial stiffness indexes. Methods 107 subjects with acute ischemic stroke and 107 controls without stroke. We evaluated plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1…

Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia is associated with Liver Damage and Atherosclerosis in Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

2015

Antiplatelets in stroke prevention

2014

Stroke is the second cause of death worldwide and one of the leading cause of disability. Due to the high rate of recurrence, in high risk-patients (eg patients affected by atherosclerotic vascular disease), long-term antiplatelet therapy reduces the risk of vascular events such as non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, or vascular death. The percentage of reduction of the events can be estimated in approximately 25%. These data justify the directions that are given to us by the current guidelines for prevention of secondary stroke, which recommend the broad use of antiplatelet therapy both for the secondary prevention of stroke in patients with a history of non-cardioembolic st…

A re-entry tachycardia triggered by the spontaneous interruption of an atrial tachycardia.

2015

The common atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia is the most common form of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. It starts frequently with a supraventricular ectopic beat that, on finding the fast pathway in refractory period, travels in the slow pathway as to appear as a prolongation of the PR interval on the ECG. In this study, we show a singular case of a common atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia triggered by the spontaneous interruption of an atrial tachycardia.

Residual vein thrombosis for assessing duration of anticoagulation after unprovoked deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs: the extended DACUS study.

2011

Abstract The safest duration of anticoagulation after idiopathic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is unknown. We conducted a prospective study to assess the optimal duration of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy considering the risk of recurrence of thrombosis according to residual vein thrombosis (RVT). Patients with a first unprovoked DVT were evaluated for the presence of RVT after 3 months of VKA administration; those without RVT suspended VKA, while those with RVT continued oral anticoagulation for up to 2 years. Recurrent thrombosis and/or bleeding events were recorded during treatment (RVT group) and 1 year after VKA withdrawal (both groups). Among 409 patients evaluated for unprovoked DVT…

Vascular health in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis: assessment of endothelial function indices and serum biomarkers of vascular damage

2023

Background The cardiovascular risk (CVD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is 1.5–2 times higher than that in individuals of the same age and sex. Aims To analyse the degree of endothelial dysfunction, the atherogenic immunoinflammatory serum background and the relationships among some vascular indices, cardiovascular comorbidities, and cognitive performance in subjects with RA. Patients and methods All consecutive patients with a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis admitted to the Rheumatology Ward of “Policlinico Paolo Giaccone” Hospital of Palermo were enrolled from July 2019 to September 2020. We evaluated our patients’ cognitive functions by administering the Mini-Mental State Exam…

Variazione dei livelli sierici di peptidi natriuretici e citochine dopo terapia con alte dosi di furosemide e soluzioni saline ipertoniche (SSI) e do…

2006

Molecular Biology of Atherosclerotic Ischemic Strokes

2020

Among the causes of global death and disability, ischemic stroke (also known as cerebral ischemia) plays a pivotal role, by determining the highest number of worldwide mortality, behind cardiomyopathies, affecting 30 million people. The etiopathogenetic burden of a cerebrovascular accident could be brain ischemia (~80%) or intracranial hemorrhage (~20%). The most common site when ischemia occurs is the one is perfused by middle cerebral arteries. Worse prognosis and disablement consequent to brain damage occur in elderly patients or affected by neurological impairment, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Since, in the coming years, estimates predict an exponential increase of people w…

Association Between Low Education and Higher Global Cardiovascular Risk

2014

This study was designed to evaluate the impact of educational status on global cardiovascular risk in a southern Italian urban population. The study population consisted of 488 consecutive outpatients aged 18 years and older. Educational status was categorized according to the number of years of formal education as follows: (1) low education group (10 years) and (2) medium-high education group (10-15 years). In both groups, cardiometabolic comorbidities (obesity, visceral obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, microalbuminuria, left ventricular hypertrophy) and global cardiovascular risk, according to international guidelines, were analyzed. Left ventricular mass index and eje…

2861Role of glycemic state for the relationship between abdominal obesity and markers of inflammation and hemostasis in the population

2017

Successful “Salvage” Therapy of Intravenous Cyclophosphamide for Refractory Polymyositis in an Elderly Patient: Case Report

2006

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis may affect children and adults and are now widely recognized as major causes of disability which, thanks to the introduction of immunosuppressive drugs, is often treatable, at least to some extent. Few data exist regarding polymyositis in elderly patients. We describe a case of refractory life-threatening polymyositis in an elderly patient, successfully treated with intravenous cyclophosphamide.

Terapia antiaggregante ed arteriopatia obliterante cronica degli arti inferiori

2004

Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Cardiac Chambers in Asthmatic Patients: The BADA (Blood Pressure Levels, Clinical Features and Markers of Subclin…

2022

The &ldquo;Blood pressure levels, clinical features and markers of subclinical cardiovascular Damage of Asthma patients&rdquo; (BADA) study is aimed at defining the cardiovascular risk profile and the markers of subclinical and clinical vascular and cardiac damage in asthmatic patients. Very few studies have assessed asthmatic patients without concomitant heart disease through a transthoracic echocardiogram. The goal of the present study is to investigate the prevalence of morphology and/or function changes in the cardiac chambers of a sample of 86 patients with chronic asthma, referred to the dedicated outpatient unit of the Division of Respiratory Diseases of the AOUP &ldquo;P. Giaccone&r…

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…

Association between diabetes and stroke subtype on survival and functional outcome 3 months after stroke: data from the European BIOMED Stroke Projec…

2004

Ischemic stroke in patients with diabetic foot

2007

Arterial stiffness indexes in acute ischemic stroke: Relationship with stroke subtype

2010

INTRODUCTION: No study has evaluated both arterial stiffness indexes (PWV and Aix) in patients with an acute cerebrovascular event. The aim of our study was to evaluate arterial stiffness indexes in subjects with acute ischemic stroke and to evaluate the relationship between these indexes and other clinical and laboratory variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled all consecutive patients with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Internal Medicine Department at the University of Palermo between November 2006 and January 2009, and hospitalized control patients without a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke. The type of acute ischemic stroke was classified according to the TO…

ADIPONECTIN, RESISTIN AND IL-6 PLASMA LEVELS IN SUBJECTS WITH DIABETIC FOOT AND POSSIBLE CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL VARIABLES AND CARDIOVASCULAR CO-MO…

2010

Abstract Introduction It is very suggestive that diabetic foot is characterized by a pronounced inflammatory reaction and the pathogenic significance of this inflammation has received little attention. On this basis the aim of our study was to evaluate plasma levels of adiponectin, resistin and IL-6 in subjects with diabetic foot in comparison with subjects without foot complications. Materials and methods We recruited 34 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and foot ulceration hospitalized for every condition related to diabetic disease, but not for new vascular events (group A). As controls we recruited 37 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without foot ulceration (group B) hospital…

New frontiers in anticoagulation: non vitamin-K oral anticoagulants in stroke prevention

2016

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Non vitamin-K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are direct and specific inhibitors of the coagulation factors IIa (dabigatran) and Xa (apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban) which share many pharmacokinetic properties. However, indications are lacking regarding the use of NOACs during thrombolysis, surgery and bleeding events.Areas covered: In this paper, the authors retrospectively analyzed the relevant literature on the NOACs using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases.Expert commentary: Although warfarin is effective in cardioembolic stroke prevention, easier handling and more favorable risk-benefit profile often render NOACs a more preferable therapy choice for neurologists.…

Circulating adiponectin: a cardiometabolic marker associated with global cardiovascular risk

2015

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the relationship among circulating adiponectin (ADPN), left ventricular mass (LVM) and cardiometabolic comorbidities in subjects at higher global cardiovascular risk (score of “ Cuore Project “) METHODS. 115 consecutive subjects were grouped according to normal or low ADPN levels. Left ventricular internal diameter (LVID/h), total LV mass (LVM), LVM index (LVMI), relative wall thickness (RWT), LV ejection fraction by echocardiography and diastolic parameters, by pulsed-wave Doppler were calculated. RESULTS Low-ADPN subjects were characterized by a significant higher prevalence of some cardiometabolic comorbidities (obesity, visceral obesity, dia…

Spontaneous chronic subdural hematomas in young adults with a deficiency in coagulation factor XIII. Report of three cases

2005

✓ Chronic subdural hematomas (SDHs) generally occur in elderly patients. Its pathogenesis is usually related to head trauma with tearing and rupture of the bridging veins, although in some cases a history of trauma is not recognizable. There are many reports regarding the association between spontaneous chronic SDHs and an alteration in coagulative parameters. A coagulative disorder should be suspected when an unexplained hemorrhage occurs, especially in a young patient. The authors report on three young men with a deficiency in coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) who underwent surgery for chronic SDHs. The role of FXIII in the pathogenesis of chronic SDH is emphasized. In patients with unexpla…

42 PROGNOSIS OF ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE RELATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DRUGS TREATMENT DURING HOSPITAL STAY

2008

Inflammation and Inflammatory Cell Recruitment in Acute Cerebrovascular Diseases

2015

Inflammation seems to play a major role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke as well as in other forms of brain damage. Ischemic brain injury induces a strong inflammatory response that begins in the microcirculation and involves several cell types and molecules, leading to neuronal death. The immune system is actively involved in the pathogenesis of acute brain damage through a set of events that include leukocyte and monocyte infiltration into the brain, activation of resident cells, including microglia, astrocytes and endothelial cells, and the elevated production of several inflammatory molecules, such as cytokines, that together play a complex role in the pathophysiology of ischemic …

Accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in adult patients: review of the literature

2013

Background Ultrasound is a widely used technique in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis; nevertheless, its utilization still remains controversial. Methods The accuracy of the Ultrasound technique in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the adult patient, as shown in the literature, was searched for. Results The gold standard for the diagnosis of appendicitis still remains pathologic confirmation after appendectomy. In the published literature, graded-compression Ultrasound has shown an extremely variable diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis (sensitivity range from 44% to 100%; specificity range from 47% to 99% ). This is due to many reasons, including lack of operat…

When sepsis affects the heart: A case report and literature review

2015

A 59-year-old nursing home patient with Down syndrome was brought to the internal medicine department of our hospital due to fever, cough without expectorate, and dyspnea. A thoracic computed tomography revealed the presence of bilateral basal parenchymal opacities. Her condition deteriorated after admission and troponin reached a peak serum concentration of 16.9 ng/mL. The patient was in cardiogenic shock. In addition to fluid resuscitation, vaso-active amine infusion was administered to achieve hemodynamic stabilization. The differential diagnosis investigated possible pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, and myocarditis. Furthermore, a second transthoracic echocardiogram suggested …

Education and hypertension: impact on global cardiovascular risk

2017

Background: Improving cardiovascular risk prediction continues to be a major challenge and effective prevention of cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, several studies have recently reported on the role of cardiovascular risk education. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of education on global cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients.Subjects and methods: The study population consisted of 223 consecutive hypertensive outpatients. Their educational status was categorized according to the number of years of formal education as follows: (1) low education (less than 10 years) and (2) medium-high education (10-15 years).Results: In both groups, cardiometabolic comorbidities, glob…

Plasma derived protein C in severe sepsis: report of two cases

2008

Severe sepsis is defined as sepsis-associated organ dysfunction, (arterial hypoxemia, acute oliguria, coagulation abnormalities, thrombocytopenia, hyperbilirubinemia), hypoperfusion (hyperlactatemia) and arterial hypotension (mean arterial pressure \70 mmHg, or a systolic blood pressure decrease[40 mmHg) [3, 4]. Septic shock [3, 4] is defined as acute circulatory failure induced by sepsis with hypotension despite adequate fluid resuscitation. A dysfunction of the protein C (PC) pathway is always present in severe sepsis and contributes to the development of coagulopathy and necrosis [12, 13]. This decrease is caused by consumption of protein C during systemic activation of blood coagulation…

Immuno-inflammatory predictors of stroke at follow-up in patients with chronic non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

2009

Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. CD40 L is a well recognized atherosclerotic inflammatory marker, whereas recent evidence suggests a pro-inflammatory role of Fetuin-A. To analyze the role of an inflammatory marker such as CD40 L and of a candidate pro-inflammatory marker such as Fetuin-A in acute stroke we evaluated their serum levels in subjects with acute ischemic stroke and their possible association with other laboratory and clinical variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 107 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Internal Medicine Department at the University of…

Key lncRNAs involved in ischemic strokes

2022

NA

Carotid atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic patients: Relationship with cardiovascular events

2001

Background and Aim: Extracranial cerebrovascular atherosclerosis is a common feature of hypercholesterolemia and carotid lesions are good predictors of cardiovascular events in the general population. Factors associated with the carotid damage of hypercholesterolemic patients and their relationships with the occurrence of clinical events are investigated in this study. Methods and Results: One hundred and seventeen cardiovascular event-free hypercholesterolemic subjects underwent a complete clinical examination to look for additional risk factors. A blood sample was collected for lipoprotein determination and an ultrasound high resolution B-mode imaging examination of the common carotid art…

Right ventricular diameter predicts all-cause mortality in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

2019

Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) is helpful to differentiate heart failure (HF) phenotype in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to identify simple echocardiographic predictors of post-discharge all-cause mortality in hospitalized HF patients. Patients with acute HF (75 ± 9.8 years), classified in preserved (≥ 50%) and reduced (&lt; 50%) EF (HFpEF and HFrEF, respectively), were enrolled. The mean follow-up period was of 25.4 months. Patients definitively analyzed were 135. At multivariate Cox model, right ventricular diameter (RVd), inferior vena cava diameter (IVCd) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) resulted to be significantly associated with all-cause mortality in HFpEF (HR 2.…

Protective and causative killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) and metalloproteinase genetic patterns associated with Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephal…

2020

Abstract Background The cerebral innate immune system has a critical role in control processes of viral replication in the brain after primary infactivo and immunologic disregulation and inflammation has been reported as a primary determinant of pathogenesis and prognosis of subsequent HSV-1 related encephalitis (HSE). Interaction linking LTR3-activated DCs is also represented by the killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) + pathways on NK cells. Only a few studies analyzed the role of of MMP-9 activity regulating genetic polymorphism on clinical outcome of viral infections. Susceptibility to symptomatic encephalitis depends on SNC viral invasion and BBB disruption. We hypothesize that certain KIR ge…

Approccio terapeutico alla claudicatio intermittens e all'ischemia critica.

2007

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 …

Early carotid atherosclerosis and cardiac diastolic abnormalities in hypertensive subjects

2004

Despite the fact that it is known that hypertension may be associated to early atherosclerosis manifestations, few data are to date available on the relationship between early carotid abnormalities and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. To address this issue, 142 hypertensive patients (64 females and 78 males) younger than 55 years, at the first diagnosis of mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (WHO/ISH criteria), were selected from a database consisting of 3541 subjects referred to ultrasound cardiovascular laboratory in the last 5 years. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was detected by high-resolution vascular ultrasound and left ventricular structure and function by the use o…

Sulodexide versus calcium heparin in the medium-term treatment of deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs.

1997

Thirty adult patients with distal, monolateral deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs were randomly treated for sixty days either with subcutaneous Ca-Heparin or with Sulodexide, administered IM for ten days and orally for fifty days. The thrombus accretion above the knee, the venous pressures of the affected leg, the clinical sympto matology, and some laboratory coagulative tests were monitored throughout the admin istration period. Local tolerability of the two treatments was also evaluated.The two applied treatments evidenced a net antithrombotic activity, preventing thrombus accretion above the knee, improving with the same efficacy the venous pressures in the affected legs, and simila…

The supraventricular tachycardias: Proposal of a diagnostic algorithm for the narrow complex tachycardias

2013

AbstractThe narrow complex tachycardias (NCTs) are defined by the presence in a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) of a QRS complex duration less than 120ms and a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute; those are typically of supraventricular origin, although rarely narrow complex ventricular tachycardias have been reported in the literature.As some studies document, to diagnose correctly the NCTs is an arduous exercise because sometimes those have similar presentation on the ECG. In this paper, we have reviewed the physiopathological, clinical, and ECG findings of all known supraventricular tachycardias and, in order to reduce the possible diagnostic errors on the ECG, we have proposed …

Immuno-inflammatory activation in acute cardio-embolic strokes in comparison with other subtypes of ischaemic stroke

2009

Few studies have examined the relationship between inflammatory biomarker blood levels, cardioembolic stroke subtype and neurological deficit. So the aim of our study is to evaluate plasma levels of immuno-inflammatory variables in patients with cardio-embolic acute ischaemic stroke compared to other diagnostic subtypes and to evaluate the relationship between immuno-inflammatory variables, acute neurological deficit and brain infarct volume. One hundred twenty patients with acute ischaemic stroke and 123 controls without a diagnosis of acute ischaemic stroke were evaluated. The type of acute ischaemic stroke was classified according to the TOAST classification. We evaluated plasma levels o…

HLA and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIRs) genotyping in patients with acute ischemic stroke

2019

Abstract Introduction In humans, a major component of natural killer (NK) and T cell target recognition depends on the surveillance of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules by killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs). Aims To implement the knowledge about the immunological genetic background of acute ischemic stroke susceptibility in relation to the frequency of the KIR genes and HLA alleles. Methods Subjects with acute ischemic stroke and subjects without stroke were genotyped for the presence of KIR genes and of the three major KIR ligand groups, HLA-C1, HLA-C2, and HLA-Bw4, both HLA-B and HLA-A loci. Results Between November 2013 and February 2016, consecutive patients with …

Inflammation in Ischemic Stroke Subtypes

2011

Determining the cause of stroke does influence choices for management. categorization of subtypes of ischemic stroke has had considerable study, but definitions are hard to formulate and their application for diagnosis in an individual patient is often problematic. Cerebral ischemia initiates a complex cascade of events at genomic, molecular, and cellular levels, and inflammation is important in this cascade. In 1993 for For the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST), Adams et al] conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, blinded study of the low-molecular-weight heparinoid given to patients within 24 hours after stroke and developed a system for diagnosis of subtype of isch…

L’ischemia critica

2007

Valutazione mediante monitoraggio ambulatoriale della pressione arteriosa (ABPM) dell’effetto di un programma di attività fisica centrata sul “fast w…

2006

Hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with cognitive impairment

2008

Cognitive impairment is common in elderly people and represents clinical feature of neurodegenerative diseases. Not all of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) finally develop dementia and it is interesting to investigate the role of possible markers for early diagnosis. Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated to several pathologies including cognitive impairment; aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between cognitive performance assessment and homocysteine plasma levels. Total 74 patients and 75 healthy controls were enrolled and MCI were defined by a MMSE score lower than 26 after adjustment for years of schooling. Homocysteine plasma levels were determined. Homocysteine l…

Decreasing incidence of lacunar vs other types of cerebral infarction in a Japanese population

2007

Bed-side inferior vena cava diameter and mean arterial pressure predict long-term mortality in hospitalized patients with heart failure: 36 months of…

2015

In discharged patients with heart failure (HF), diverse conditions can intervene to worsen outcome. We would investigate whether such factors present on hospital admission can affect long-term mortality in subjects hospitalized for acute HF.One hundred twenty-three consecutive patients hospitalized for acute HF (mean age 74.8 years; 57% female) were recruited and followed for 36 months after hospitalization.At multivariate Cox model, only inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and mean arterial pressure (MAP) registered bed-side on admission, resulted, after correction for all confounders factors, the sole factors significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in long-term (H…

Cytokines, adhesion molecules and Selectins plasma levels and laboratory parameters in patients with different subtypes of ischemic stroke.

2006

New insights about the putative role of myokines in the context of cardiac rehabilitation and secondary cardiovascular prevention.

2017

Exercise training prevents the onset and the development of many chronic diseases, acting as an effective tool both for primary and for secondary prevention. Various mechanisms that may be the effectors of these beneficial effects have been proposed during the past decades: some of these are well recognized, others less. Muscular myokines, released during and after muscular contraction, have been proposed as key mediators of the systemic effects of the exercise. Nevertheless the availability of an impressive amount of evidence regarding the systemic effects of muscle-derived factors, few studies have examined key issues: (I) if skeletal muscle cells themselves are the main source of cytokin…

The Presence of White Matter Lesions Is Associated With the Fibrosis Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

2016

Abstract We tested whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or its histological severity are associated with vascular white matter lesions (WML) in patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and in non-NAFLD controls. Data were recorded in 79 consecutive biopsy-proven NAFLD, and in 82 controls with normal ALT and no history of chronic liver diseases, without ultrasonographic evidence of steatosis and liver stiffness value  45 years (OR 3.09, 95% CI: 1.06–9.06, P = 0.03; and OR 11.1, 95% CI: 1.14–108.7, P = 0.03), and F2–F4 fibrosis (OR 3.36, 95% CI: 1.29–8.73, P = 0.01; and OR 5.34, 95% CI: 1.40–20.3, P = 0.01) were independently associated with WML (mostly of mild grade) by multivariate…

Immune-inflammatory markers and arterial stiffness indexes in subjects with acute ischemic stroke with and without metabolic syndrome.

2014

Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations between arterial stiffness indexes and immune-inflammatory markers in subjects with acute ischemic stroke with and without metabolic syndrome. Materials/Methods: We enrolled 130 patients with acute ischemic stroke and metabolic syndrome, 127 patients with acute ischemic stroke without metabolic syndrome and 120 control subjects without acute stroke. Applanation tonometry was used to record the augmentation index (Aix) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). We also evaluated plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10), E-selec…

Studies of selective TNF inhibitors in the treatment of brain injury from stroke and trauma: a review of the evidence to date

2014

Antonino Tuttolomondo, Rosaria Pecoraro, Antonio Pinto Biomedical Department of Internal and Specialistic Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Abstract: The brain is very actively involved in immune-inflammatory processes, and the response to several trigger factors such as trauma, hemorrhage, or ischemia causes the release of active inflammatory substances such as cytokines, which are the basis of second-level damage. During brain ischemia and after brain trauma, the intrinsic inflammatory mechanisms of the brain, as well as those of the blood, are mediated by leukocytes that communicate with each other through cytokines. A neuroinflammatory cascade has been reported to be activ…

Central obesity and hypertensionThe role of plasma endothelin

1996

Hypertension and central obesity are two conditions closely linked, but the mechanisms responsible for obesity-associated hypertension are still unclear. In the last few years, several studies addressed the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the development and maintenance of hypertension. This study was designed to evaluate plasma ET-1 in normotensive and hypertensive central obese subjects compared with a lean healthy group. Our final goal was to analyze the relationship between plasma ET-1, blood pressure, and left ventricular structure and function in central obese subjects (both normotensives and hypertensives). ET-levels have been assessed by the radioimmunoassay method in 20 lean normote…

Immunoinflammatory activation of the acute phase as a possibile marker of acute ischemic stroke. is .

2006

Effects of Antihypertensive Treatment on Peripheral Flow of the Lower Limbs

1984

The clinical pattern determined in subjects that undergo a high and prolonged pressure regime is defined as “hypertensive disease”.

P5361The diabetic continuum and its relation with cardiovascular disease: results from the population-based Gutenberg health study

2017

Relationship between left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic function and extracardiac atherosclerosis in newly diagnosed hypertensives

2001

A particular bigeminy during atrial tachycardia.

2014

The ECG shows clearly visible P waves only in lead V1 (Fig. 1). Regular PP intervals and an isoelectric baseline are present between the P waves, so the diagnosis is atrial tachycardia [1]. During the ECG recording, lead V1 shows 12 P waves but some of these are not visible because they are concealed by the QRS complex (Fig. 2). In lead V1, the beats following the long RR intervals are conducted by the first and the seventh P wave and the premature QRS complexes are conducted by the third and the ninth P wave because the fourth and the tenth P wave are too close to the following QRS complex to conduct the impulse. Consequently, the atrial tachycardia presents an alternating 2:1 and 4:1 cond…

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…

The "Neurocentric" Approach to Essential Hypertension: How Reliable is the Paradigm of Hyperkinetic Hypertension? A Focus on the Sympathetic Nervous …

2017

BACKGROUND: Clinic resting heart rate (RHR), is one of the cardiovascular parameters more easily measurable. In the general population RHR has been associated with total and cardiovascular mortality and higher rate of vascular events. OBJECTIVE: The case of essential hypertension is in some ways peculiar: in the past decades has often been attributed to hypertensive subjects higher values of RHR than healthy controls as a result of the effects of the different factors leading to the development of essential hypertension itself, first of all the presence of an increased tone of the sympathetic nervous system Methods: Several excellent articles debated the issue of autonomic dysfunction in es…

Changes in natriuretic peptide and cytokine plasma levels in patients with heart failure, after treatment with high dose of furosemide plus hypertoni…

2011

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Neurohormonal activation and inflammation characterizes heart failure, relates to outcome, and is a therapeutic target. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-dose furosemide plus small-volume hypertonic saline solutions (HSS) on natriuretic peptides and immuno-inflammatory marker levels and to analyze, after treatment, the response to acute saline loading. METHODS AND RESULTS: 120 patients with heart failure treated with high-dose furosemide+HSS (Furosemide/HSS group) were matched with: 30 subjects with heart failure treated with high-dose furosemide (furosemide group), 30 controls with asymptomatic left-ventricular dysfunction (ALVD) (asymptomatic g…

Effects of clinical and laboratory variables and of pretreatment with cardiovascular drugs in acute ischaemic stroke: A retrospective chart review fr…

2009

Background: Few studies have examined the role of cardiovascular drugs on acute ischaemic stroke prognosis. Aims: To evaluate the relationship between a favourable outcome in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and specific demographic, clinical and laboratory variables and cardiovascular drug pretreatment. Methods: The 1096 patients enrolled in the GIFA study (who had a main discharge diagnosis of ischaemic stroke) represent the final patient sample used in this analysis. Drugs considered in the analysis included angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, statins, calcium channel blockers, anti-platelet drugs, vitamin K antagonists and heparins. The …

Reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and cognitive performance indexes are associated with histologic markers of liver disease in subjects with non-alcohol…

2017

BACKGROUND: No study evaluated vascular health markers in subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through a combined analysis of reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) and arterial stiffness indexes. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aimed to assess whether NAFLD and its histological severity are associated with impairment of arterial stiffness and RH-PAT indexes in a mixed cohort of patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Kleiner classification was used to grade NAFLD grade. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (Aix) were used as markers of arterial stiffness, whereas endothelial function was assessed using reactive hyperemia index (R…

Cardiac Remodeling According to the Nocturnal Fall of Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Subjects: The Whole Assessment of Cardiac Abnormalities in Non-D…

2021

Objective: Several epidemiological studies suggest that the preservation of the physiological circadian rhythm of blood pressure or its disruption affects the extent of the organ damage developed by the patient. If we classify the circadian rhythm of blood pressure into four nocturnal profiles, significant differences emerge in terms of organ damage burden and prognosis: reverse dippers have the worst prognosis while dippers and mild dippers fall into an intermediate risk range. The risk profile of extreme dippers is still debated, and the available data are very conflicting and inconclusive. Starting from this gap of knowledge, we aimed to evaluate, retrospectively, in a cohort of hyperten…

Diabetic foot syndrome: Immune-inflammatory features as possible cardiovascular markers in diabetes

2015

Diabetic foot ulcerations have been extensively reported as vascular complications of diabetes mellitus associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Diabetic foot syndrome (DFS), as defined by the World Health Organization, is an "ulceration of the foot (distally from the ankle and including the ankle) associated with neuropathy and different grades of ischemia and infection". Pathogenic events able to cause diabetic foot ulcers are multifactorial. Among the commonest causes of this pathogenic pathway it's possible to consider peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, abnormal foot pressures, abnormal joint mobility, trauma, peripheral artery disease. Several studies reported how …

Effect of Atrial Capture Beats on the Subsequent Cycle During Slow Common Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia

2013

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS.

2008

Central obesity and hypertension: the role of plasma endothelin. Am J Hypertens

1996

Hypertension and central obesity are two conditions closely linked, but the mechanisms responsible for obesity-associated hypertension are still unclear. In the last few years, several studies addressed the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the development and maintenance of hypertension. This study was designed to evaluate plasma ET-1 in normotensive and hypertensive central obese subjects compared with a lean healthy group. Our final goal was to analyze the relationship between plasma ET-1, blood pressure, and left ventricular structure and function in central obese subjects (both normotensives and hypertensives). ET-levels have been assessed by the radioimmunoassay method in 20 lean normote…

Management of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Patients with Acute Stroke

2017

BACKGROUND: Stroke represent one of the most devastating of all neurological diseases, affecting about 15 million people per year and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and currently the leading cause of adult disability in developed countries. Blood pressure and heart rate may undergo several modifications in patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in fact raised blood pressure levels may lead to cerebral edema, hematoma expansion or hemorrhagic transformation and in contrast low blood pressure can lead to increased cerebral infarction or perihematomal ischemia. In addition, ECG abnormalities and cardiac arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation, are re…

Dexcription of the fourth case of Aceruloplasminemia found in Italy.

2008

Stroke patterns, etiology, and prognosis in patients with diabetes mellitus.

2005

Prospective study of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and risk of stroke subtypes: the Nurses' Health Study: response to Janghorbani et al

2007

Evaluation of regional haemodynamics and alterations of vascular wall of the lower limbs in hypertensive subjects

1995

This study was designed to analyse the relationship between arterial hypertension and changes in arterial blood flow and vascular wall damage of the lower limbs in hypertensive patients with various degrees of hypertension. Six hundred and fifty-four hypertensive patients (421 males and 233 females) aged 35 to 70 years and 88 healthy subjects (63 males and 25 females) aged 39 to 60 years were studied. Strain-gauge plethysmography of the lower limbs was used to calculate arterial calf blood flow (RF), arterial calf blood flow after post-ischaemic hyperaemia (PF), basal and minimal vascular resistances (BVR and MVR), time to reach peak flow (tPF), time until 50% reduction of peak flow (tT1/2)…

QT Indexes in Cirrhotic Patients: Relationship with Clinical Variables and Potential Diagnostic Predictive Value.

2015

Background and Aims A wide spectrum of cardiovascular changes characterizes cirrhosis, ranging from subclinical alterations to hyperkinetic syndrome. We looked for ECG markers of ventricular repolarization in a population of patients with cirrhosis in comparison to patients without cirrhosis and we investigated the relationship between these and other clinical and laboratory variables. Methods In 149 patients with cirrhosis and 152 controls, we measured QT maximum interval (QTmax), QT corrected interval (QTc), QT minimum interval (QTmin), QT dispersion (QTdisp), QT peak and T peak-to-end (TpTe). Results In subjects with cirrhosis, in comparison with controls, we observed a higher mean QTmax…

The presence of white matter lesions is not associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease but with its histological severity

2015

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…

Recurrent venous thromboembolism complicated by heparin-induced thrombocytopenia as a first manifestation of an occult cancer: a case report.

2008

Heparin-Induced Trombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious and potentially fatal complication of patients on heparins. Its management is difficult and it can be more complicated in patients with cancer because of the hemorrhagic risk carried out by direct inhibitor of thrombin, the currently approved drug for HIT. At present, it is not clear whether cancer patients also have an increased risk of HIT. We describe the case of a patient with occult cancer at the moment of the index venous thrombosis, who developed Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and concomitant HIT with thrombotic complications (recurrent contralateral venous thrombosis). The management of HIT was efficaciously based on the combined use o…

Heart rate variability in sick sinus syndrome: does it have a diagnostic role?

2019

BACKGROUND: Hypothesis of our study was that the irregular rhythm of sick sinus syndrome (SSS) was characterized by an augmented HRV. Objective was to assess whether SSS patients had a typical HRV profile. METHODS: We screened all 1947 consecutive Holter ECGs performed in our Units of Vascular Medicine and Internal Medicine and Cardioangiology at the University of Palermo (Italy) from April 2010 to September 2014. Among these, we selected 30 patients with ECG criteria of SSS. They were compared to 30 patients without SSS matched for age, sex and comorbidities. RESULTS: The SSS group had a lower mean heart rate (HR) (P=0.003), and a longer mean NN max-min longer (P&lt;0.0005) compared to con…

Neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of muscle contraction

2016

Background: Physical activity has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease but the same effect seems to be produced in neurological diseases. Objective: In this review, we focused on the interplay between physical activity and some neurological conditions (Stroke, dementia, epilepsy, headache, Parkinson’ s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, depression and anxiety) with the aim of describing the potential role of physical activity in the prevention of such diseases and the physiological mechanisms involved in these processes. Results: Despite a growing body of evidence which reveals that physical activity is able to reduce the…

HLA and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIRs) genotyping in patients with acute viral encephalitis

2018

// Antonino Tuttolomondo 1 , Claudia Colomba 2 , Danilo Di Bona 6 , Alessandra Casuccio 4 , Domenico Di Raimondo 1 , Giuseppe Clemente 1 , Valentina Arnao 5 , Rosaria Pecoraro 1 , Paolo Ragonese 5 , Anna Aiello 3 , Giulia Accardi 3 , Rosario Maugeri 5 , Carlo Maida 1 , Irene Simonetta 1 , Vittoriano Della Corte 1 , Domenico Gerardo Iacopino 5 , Calogero Caruso 3 , Antonio Cascio 2 and Antonio Pinto 1 on behalf of KIRIIND (KIR Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases) Collaborative Group 1 U.O.C di Medicina Interna con Stroke Care, Dipartimento Biomedico di Medicina Interna e Specialistica (Di.Bi.M.I.S), Universita degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy 2 U.O.C di Malattie Infettive, Dipartiment…

Developing drug strategies for the neuroprotective treatment of acute ischemic stroke

2015

Developing new treatment strategies for acute ischemic stroke in the last twenty years has offered some important successes, but also several failures. Most trials of neuroprotective therapies have been uniformly negative to date. Recent research has reported how excitatory amino acids act as the major excitatory neurotransmitters in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, other therapeutic targets such as free radical scavenger strategies and the anti-inflammatory neuroprotective strategy have been evaluated with conflicting data in animal models and human subjects with acute ischemic stroke. Whereas promising combinations of neuroprotection and neurorecovery, such as citicoline,…

Association between diabetes and stroke subtype on survival and functional outcome 3 months after stroke: data from the European BIOMED Stroke Projec…

2004

To the Editor: Regarding the study by Megherbi et al1 performed to evaluate stroke features, prognosis, and functional outcome in patients with diabetes compared with patients without diabetes, we would like to discuss some issues of potential interest: First, the authors analyzed diabetic patients classified in accordance with WHO diagnostic criteria for diabetes used in 1993 (fasting plasma glucose >140 mg/dL), so it is probably an underestimation of the number of diabetic subjects in the 4537 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke enrolled. Perhaps if they could have classified diabetic patients in accordance with American Diabetes Association (1997)2 criteria (fasting plasma glucose …

Immunoinflammatory activation of the acute phase as a possibile marker of acute ischemic stroke.

2006

MicroRNA and receptor mediated signaling pathways as potential therapeutic targets in heart failure.

2016

Cardiac remodelling is a complex pathogenetic pathway involving genome expression, molecular, cellular, and interstitial changes that cause changes in size, shape and function of the heart after cardiac injury. Areas covered: We will review recent advances in understanding the role of several receptor-mediated signaling pathways and micro-RNAs, in addition to their potential as candidate target pathways in the pathogenesis of heart failure. The myocyte is the main target cell involved in the remodelling process via ischemia, cell necrosis and apoptosis (by means of various receptor pathways), and other mechanisms mediated by micro-RNAs. We will analyze the role of some receptor mediated sig…

MR imaging of perianal fistulas in Crohn's disease: Sensitivity and specificity of STIR sequences

2015

Introduction Although some studies proved the role of STIR sequences in the evaluation of perianal fistulas in Crohn's Disease (CD), contrast medium is still injected in many institutions since there is not a validated reference MR protocol. Our purpose was to evaluate the role of the STIR sequence in the detection and characterization of perianal fistulae comparing it to the post-contrast T1 sequence and correlating it with rectal examination under anesthesia. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed all clinical records of 31 CD patients, suspected of having perianal fistulas, who had been submitted to an MR study before and after contrast medium injection and surgical exploratio…

Endothelial Dysfunction and Inflammation in Ischemic Stroke Pathogenesis

2020

: Stroke is a heterogeneous disease, and within the broad category of brain ischemia and its subtypes vary dramatically in its etiology. : The endothelium can regulate the vascular homeostasis by modulating processes of vascular dilation and constriction by producing and secreting cytokines and chemical mediators, and inflammation represents one of the most important factors that contribute to alteration in vessel structure and function by dysregulation of this fine balance. : Endothelial dysfunction means a basic determinant of the vascular damage, which can be identified in all different clinical subtypes of stroke, and, recently, it has been recognized as an interesting determinant of c…

Long-term evaluation of quinapril in mild to moderate hypertension: assessment of renal haemodynamics and function.

1995

Anderson-Fabry Disease: A Multiorgan Disease

2013

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A . FD causes glycolipids, such as globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), to accumulate in the vascular endothelium of several organs (fig.2), including the skin, kidneys, nervous system, and heart, thereby triggering inflammation and fibrosis . These processes generally result in organ dysfunction, which is usually the first clinical evidence of FD. Patients with classic FD have various symptoms, eg, acroparesthesias, hypohidrosis, angiokeratomas, corneal opacities, cerebrovascular lesions, cardiac disorders, andrenal dysfunction.However, evolving knowledge about the natural course o…

Epigenomics in acute cerebrovascular diseases.

2020

Does sympathetic overactivation feature all hypertensives? Differences of sympathovagal balance according to night/day blood pressure ratio in patien…

2015

When evaluating the 'night/day BP ratio', both hypertensives and normotensives can be arbitrarily classified into four groups: extreme dippers (ratio ⩽0.8), dippers (0.8<ratio ⩽0.9), mild dippers (0.9<ratio⩽1.0) and reverse dippers (ratio ⩾1.0). Reverse and mild dipper hypertensives have poorer prognoses compared with the physiological dipper profile, but the prognostic relevance of the extreme dipper profile remains uncertain. The evaluation of heart rate variability (HRV), obtained by 24-h Holter ECG monitoring, is the most frequently used noninvasive form of assessment of the activity of the autonomic nervous system. Reverse and mild dipper hypertensives have reduced HRV, indicating an o…

Aceruloplasminemia: a case report

2008

Hereditary aceruloplasminemia is a rare autosomal recessive disease, firstly identified by Miyajima et al. in Japan in 1987 [1]. The disease is caused by the absence of an a2glycoprotein, the ceruloplasmin (Cp), a copper-containing ferroxidase, mainly synthesized in hepatocytes and widely expressed, including the central nervous system, which catalyses the oxidation of ferrous to ferric iron, a change required for release of iron to plasma transferrin [2]. It is hypothesized that in reticuloendothelial (RE) cells and hepatocytes Cp cooperates to export iron with the iron exporter protein ferroportin 1 (FPN1) [3]. As a consequence, Cp deficiency results in iron deposition in the liver, pancr…

Atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease.

2011

In many ways, atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder and this issue is confirmed by recent investigations of that have focused on inflammation, providing new insight into mechanisms of disease. Several recent studies have addressed the role of chemokines in leukocyte accumulation in atherosclerosis, extending our knowledge and understanding of the complex and cell type-specific functions of chemokines in atherosclerosis. Activated T-lymphocytes within the atherosclerotic vessel wall express the CD40 ligand surface molecule, known to play a major role in several immunological pathways. In addition to activated T-lymphocytes, functional CD40 and CD40L are coexpressed by human vasc…

Pathogenetic Mechanisms of Hypertension-Brain-Induced Complications: Focus on Molecular Mediators.

2021

There is growing evidence that hypertension is the most important vascular risk factor for the development and progression of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The brain is an early target of hypertension-induced organ damage and may manifest as stroke, subclinical cerebrovascular abnormalities and cognitive decline. The pathophysiological mechanisms of these harmful effects remain to be completely clarified. Hypertension is well known to alter the structure and function of cerebral blood vessels not only through its haemodynamics effects but also for its relationships with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation. In the last several years, new possible mechani…

Una presentazione clinica atipica di appendicite acuta in un giovane con malposizione intestinale

2004

NS5A gene analysis by next generation sequencing in HCV nosocomial transmission clusters of HCV genotype 1b infected patients

2019

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the intra-host variability through next-generation-sequencing (NGS) of the NS5A-gene in nosocomial transmission-clusters observed in two Italian hospitals among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-genotype-1b infected patients. Methods: HCV-sequencing was performed by Sanger-sequencing (NS3 + NS5A + NS5B) and by NGS (NS5A, MiSeq-Illumina) in 15 HCV-1b infected patients [five acute with onco-hematologic-disease and 10 (4/6 acute/chronic) with &beta

Treatment of Anderson-Fabry Disease

2020

Fabry disease is an X-linked disorder of glycosphingolipid metabolism that results in progressive accumulation of neutral glycosphingolipids, predominantly globotriaosylsphingosine (Gb3) in lysosomes, as well as other cellular compartments of several tissues, causing multi-organ manifestations (acroparesthesias, hypohidrosis, angiokeratomas, signs and symptoms of cardiac, renal, cerebrovascular involvement). Pathogenic mutations lead to a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A (GLA). In the presence of high clinical suspicion, a careful physical examination and specific laboratory tests are required. Finally, the diagnosis of Fabry’s disease is confirmed by the demonstrat…

Cardiovascular risk profile and morbidity in subjects affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without diabetic foot

2007

Diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization of diabetic patients and one of the most economically demanding complications of diabetes. People with diabetes have been shown to have higher mortality than people without diabetes. On this basis, the aim of our study was to evaluate the possible role of diabetic foot as a cardiovascular risk marker in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We enrolled 102 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic foot and 123 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without limb lesions to compare the prevalence of main cardiovascular risk factors, subclinical cardiovascular disease, previous cardiovascular mo…