Search results for " Medicina Interna"
showing 10 items of 1302 documents
Role of TLR4 Receptor Polymorphisms in Boutonneuse Fever
2005
The genetics of the interaction between host and microbes plays an essential role in the survival of the individual and attainment of longevity. The activation of toll-like receptor (TLR)4 plays a key role in natural and clonotypic immune responses. We evaluated whether TLR4 genotype is a component of genetic background protective versus rickettsiosis and whether this background influences longevity. We genotyped for +896A/G TLR4 polymorphism 78 patients affected by Boutonneuse fever, 78 age-matched controls and 78 advanced age individuals from Sicily. The +869G allele, that attenuates receptor signalling, was significantly overrepresented in patients in comparison with age-matched control…
HDL subfractions distribution in renal transplant recipients: Lack of evidence of a reduction of HDL2 particles
1996
Since the high rate of cardiovascular disease in renal transplant recipients, alterations of lipoprotein profile in such patients were extensively evaluated, but the HDL subclass profile was not completely clarified. Renal transplant recipients usually show normal to high plasma levels of HDL cholesterol, even if some investigations suggested a persistence of low HDL2 levels: this was not useful in terms of cardiovascular protection. We designed this study in order to evaluate HDL subfractions distribution in renal transplant recipients. We studied 55 renal transplant recipients, treated with prednisone, azathioprine and/or cyclosporine, and 34 healthy normolipidemics as controls. In all su…
Distribution of liver disease in a cohort of immigrants in Sicily: analysis of day-hospital admissions in a migration medicine unit.
2014
The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of liver disease and its aetiology in a cohort of immigrants. We retrospectively examined the hospital discharge charts of all the immigrant patients presenting at our day hospital from July 2009 to June 2013, and after evaluating the anamnestic, clinical and laboratory data on these charts we identified subjects with liver disease and its various aetiologies. The total sample population consisted of 1218 patients, of whom 112 (9.2%) had a diagnosis of liver disease. More than two-thirds of the latter (67.8%) came from Africa, while 15.2% were from Asia and 17.0% from Eastern Europe. In most patients the disease was related to HBV (4…
Prevalence of obesity and ischaemic heart disease in hypertensive subjects
1997
In the present study the prevalence of obesity and its association with ischemic heart disease, recognized according to clinical criteria (chest pain or previous infarction) and/or instrumental data, were described in 8,847 normotensive subjects and in 867 hypertensive subjects, hospitalized during a ten years period (1983-1992), through a cross-sectional study. In view of this all the subjects were considered as lean or obese according to their body mass index (BMI) and to sex specific cut-off values reported in the Italian Consensus Conference on Obesity. In particular, according to BMI values, the subjects were grouped as lean, overweight, moderate and severe obese subjects. Our results …
Relationship between specific serum IGE to Ascaris lumbricoides and onset of respiratory symptoms in Bangladesh immigrants
2006
The role of helminths in asthma and/or rhinitis and in allergic sensitization is still unclear. We assessed the relationship between Ascaris-specific IgE, respiratory symptoms and allergic sensitization in Bangladesh immigrants. 246 individuals were examined from 1996 to 2001. Serum total IgE, Ascaris IgE, specific IgE to inhalant allergens, skin prick tests (SPT) and parasitological evaluation of the stool were performed. Total serum IgE were significantly higher in Ascaris-IgE positive (> 0.35 kU/L) individuals (806.5 [409.0–1436.0] kU/L vs. 207.0 [127.0–332.5] kU/L; P < 0.0001) and in subjects with respiratory symptoms (413.0 [239.0–1096.0] kU/L vs. 259.5 [147.0–387.0] kU/L), ( P …
World Hypertension Day 2021 in Italy: Results of a Nationwide Survey
2022
Introduction: Hypertension is the biggest contributor to the global burden of cardiovascular diseases and related death, but the rates of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control remain largely perfectible. Methods: During the XVII World Hypertension Day (May 17th, 2021), a nationwide cross-sectional opportunistic study endorsed by the Italian Society of Hypertension was conducted on volunteer adults ≥ 18 years to raise awareness of high blood pressure (BP). A questionnaire on major demographic/clinical features (sex, age, employment, education, BP status awareness, hypertension family/personal history, antihypertensive medications use) and BP measurement habits (≥1 BP measurement in …
Ezetimibe/Simvastatin 10/20 mg versus Rosuvastatin 10 mg in high-risk hypercholesterolemic patients stratified by prior statin treatment potency
2010
Abstract Objective This post-hoc analysis compared the lipid-altering efficacy of Ezetimibe/Simvastatin 10/20 mg (EZ/Simva) versus Rosuvastatin 10 mg (Rosuva) in patients stratified by statin potency/dose prior to randomization. Methods Patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) despite prior statin treatment (n = 618) were randomized 1:1 to EZ/Simva 10/20 mg or Rosuva 10 mg for 6 weeks. Percent change from baseline in lipids and attainment of lipid targets were assessed within each subgroup (low potency n = 369, high potency n = 249). Consistency of the treatment effect across subgroups was evaluated by testing for treatment-by-subgroup interaction. No multiplicity …
Analysis of the correlations between oxidative stress, gelatinases and their tissue inhibitors in the human subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syn…
2015
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is commonly associated with endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders. On the basis of this observation, our aim was to examine the oxidative status and the matrix metalloproteases (MMP) profile in a group of subjects with OSAS. We enrolled 48 subjects with OSAS defined after a 1-night cardiorespiratory sleep study, who were subsequently subdivided in two subgroups according to the severity of OSAS (low grade = L-OSAS; high grade= H-OSAS). We measured the parameters of oxidative stress, such as lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, total antioxidant status (TAS), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), and the plasma concentration…
Autosomal Recessive Hypercholesterolemia Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes
2017
BACKGROUND Autosomal recessive hypercholesterolemia (ARH) is a rare lipid disorder characterized by premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). There are sparse data for clinical management and cardiovascular outcomes in ARH. OBJECTIVES Evaluation of changes in lipid management, achievement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals and cardiovascular outcomes in ARH. METHODS Published ARH cases were identified by electronic search. All corresponding authors and physicians known to treat these patients were asked to provide follow-up information, using a standardized protocol. RESULTS We collected data for 52 patients (28 females, 24 males; 31.1 +/- 17.1 years of age…
Deep venous thrombosis: Behaviour of the polymorphonuclear leukocyte integrin pattern at baseline and after in vitro activation
2005
In a group of 18 subjects with acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT), evidenced by clinical examination and echo-color-Doppler, we examined the phenotypical expression of the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) beta2-integrins (CD11a, CD11b, CD11c, CD18), obtained by using a flow cytofluorimeter. The evaluation was performed before and after in vitro activation (prolonged for 5 and 15 minutes) with 4-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). In DVT subjects, at baseline, the phenotypical expression of CD11b was decreased and that of CD11c was increased when compared with normal controls; no difference was found in CD11a and CD18 expression. In norm…