Search results for "Case-Control Studies"
showing 10 items of 1567 documents
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<0.0005) compared to con…
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Associated With Increased Cardiovascular Mortality: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
2015
There have been many studies of the effects of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on cardiovascular risk, but these have produced ambiguous results. We performed a meta-analysis of these studies to systematically assess the risk of HCV infection on cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related morbidity and mortality.We searched PubMed Central, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library, as well as reference lists of articles, for studies published through July 2015 that compared the occurrence of CVD between HCV-infected and HCV-uninfected subjects, or assessed the prevalence of HCV infection among subjects with CVDs. In total, 22 studies were analyzed. Data on the patient populations and outcomes were e…
Altered ionized magnesium levels in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.
2011
Abstract. Magnesium deficiency is present in several chronic, age-related diseases, including cardiovascular, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. The aim of the present study was to study magnesium homeostasis in patients with mild to moderate AD. One hundred and one elderly (≥65 years) patients were consecutively recruited (mean age: 73.4±0.8 years; M/F: 42/59). In all patients, a comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed including cognitive and functional status. Admission criteria for the AD group (diagnosed according to the DSM-IV and the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) included: mild to moderate cognitive impairment (MM…
The predictive role of C-reactive protein in patients with hypertension and subclinical atherosclerosis.
2009
Recent guidelines published by the joint European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology have suggested the inclusion of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the standard assessment of cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients, but little data is available on the role of CRP in patients with carotid lesions. We studied in 472 subjects, 236 with and 236 without hypertension, gender- and age-matched, with and without early stages of atherosclerosis (e.g. those with asymptomatic intima-media thickness >0.9 mm), the influence of all the other traditional cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. older age, male gender, obesity, diabetes, smoking habit, family history of coronary artery diseas…
The old and new tests for celiac disease: which is the best test combination to diagnose celiac disease in pediatric patients?
2011
BACKGROUND In the diagnosis of celiac disease (CD), serum assays for anti-endomysium (EMA) and anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibodies have excellent diagnostic accuracy. However, these assays are less sensitive in young pediatric patients. Recently, a new ELISA test using deamidated gliadin peptides (DGP) as antigen has proved to be very sensitive and specific even in pediatric patients. In addition, anti-actin IgA antibodies (AAA) is another test that can be used in CD patients because antibody concentrations correlate with the degree of villous atrophy. This study evaluated the clinical accuracy of anti-tTG, EMA, AGA, anti-DGP and AAA and the effectiveness of these in different combi…
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…
Working Memory Function in Children with Single Side Deafness Using a Bone-Anchored Hearing Implant: A Case-Control Study
2018
The importance of a good hearing function to preserve memory and cognitive abilities has been shown in the adult population, but studies on the pediatric population are currently lacking. This study aims at evaluating the effects of a bone-anchored hearing implant (BAHI) on speech perception, speech processing, and memory abilities in children with single side deafness (SSD). We enrolled <i>n</i> = 25 children with SSD and assessed them prior to BAHI implantation, and at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups after BAHI implantation using tests of perception in silence and perception in phonemic confusion, dictation in silence and noise, and working memory and short-term memory function…
Smoking differently modifies suicide risk of affective disorders, substance use disorders, and social factors
2008
Abstract Background Although an association between smoking and suicide has repeatedly been shown, information about a modifying influence of smoking on other risk factors for suicide is lacking. Methods Axis I and Axis II disorders, sociodemographic factors, and tobacco use were assessed by a semi-structured interview including the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I (SCID-I) and Personality Disorders (SCID-II) in 163 suicides (mean age 49.6 +/− 19.3 years; 64.4% men;) by psychological autopsy method and by personal interview in 396 living population-based control persons (mean age 51.6 +/− 17.0 years; 55.8% men). Results Smoking status (current smokers, lifetime non-smokers, a…
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…
Deficit of interleukin 7 in septic patients.
2014
We recently demonstrated an overall decrease of all αβ and specially γδ T cell subsets in patients with sepsis compared with healthy subjects. IL-7 is a crucial factor for development of γδ T cells and survival in sepsis but its association with sepsis severity, evolution of organ failure and death still has not been investigated. Sera from 78 patients who met criteria for sepsis were analyzed vs control group. Septic patients showed the lowest levels of IL-7. Patients with severe sepsis reached levels of IL-7 higher than those observed in the groups of uncomplicated sepsis and septic shock. The frequency of γδ T cells at admission was lower in septic patients vs control group. At the time …