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Biomedical subjects

A Strano

Publications and source records attributed to A Strano.

156 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Partial regression of vascular structural alterations in hypertensive patients treated with alpha-beta-blocker, labetalol.

We studied the structural and functional characteristics of the vascular bed at calf level in 46 middle aged hypertensive patients (20 males and 26 females) treated with different beta-blockers. After one week of placebo, the patients were divided into three groups: group 1 was treated with labetalol, an alpha-beta-blocker (200 mg t.t.d.); group 2 was treated with acebutolol, a cardioselective beta-blocker with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) (200 mg t.t.d.); group 2 was treated with acebutolol, a cardioselective beta-blocker with intrinsic sympathomimetic activity (ISA) (200 mg t.t.d.); group 3 was treated with metoprolol, a cardioselective beta-blocker without ISA (100 mg t.t.d.). Before and after placebo, and after three months of active drug treatment, we measured blood pressure, and rest and peak flow at the calf level by strain gauge plethysmography. Basal and minimal vascular resistances were calculated as the ratio between mean blood pressure and rest or peak flow, respectively. A significant decrease in blood pressure was observed in each group. However, basal and minimal vascular resistances decreased only in the labetalol-treated group. These observations indicate that antihypertensive agents that have similar effects on blood pressure, may have different effects on minimal vascular resistance. Therefore, maximum vasodilation of arterioles improves, suggesting that long term treatment with labetalol, but not with other beta-blockers is able to induce a partial regression of vascular structural alterations in hypertensive patients.

Acebutolol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of risk factors in patients with peripheral arterial disease. A clinical and epidemiological evaluation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and other risk factors in patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in two clinical samples (1.: 102 patients with PAD 69 M, 33 F, studied in our angiology laboratory, matched for sex and age with 102 healthy volunteers; 2.: 184 hospitalized patients, 80 M, 104 F, mean age 57.2 +/- 10.8, with PAD) and in two epidemiological cohorts (1.: Trabia Study, 835 subjects; 2.: Casteldaccia Study, 723 subjects). All patients were subjected to a full clinical and laboratory examination, including the determination of the ankle/arm pressure ratio (Winsor index, positive for PAD when lower than 0.95). In the first clinical study we observed a significantly (p < 0.01) greater prevalence of arterial hypertension (51.9 vs 9.8%), hypercholesterolemia (48.2 vs 21.6%), hypertriglyceridemia (53.7 vs 26.1%), smoking habit (64.3 vs 44.2%), and hyperglycemia (26 vs 7,9%) in PAD patients than in controls. In the second clinical study considering separately the patients under and over 65 years, all risk factors resulted to be more prevalent in younger people than in the aged, except for diabetes and hypertension. In our epidemiological experience, the prevalence of PAD increases with aging, above all in males. In the Trabia Study the risk factors, more associated with PAD, were hypercholesterolemia, smoking and obesity (41.18%) in males and hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (33.3%) and obesity (25%) in females. In the Casteldaccia Study the most important risk factors were smoking (64.28%), hypercholesterolemia (42.86%) and hypertriglyceridemia (35.71%) in males, and obesity (60%), hypercholesterolemia (30%) and diabetes (20%) in females. Cholesterol levels and smoking were significantly higher in PAD patients than in the general population, whereas hypertriglyceridemia and glycemia were not. Arterial hypertension was significantly associated with PAD in the Trabia but not in the Casteldaccia Study. Obesity was significantly associated to PAD in females in both studies. In the Casteldaccia Study, lower HDL-cholesterol levels were observed in PAD patients, above all in males, whereas significantly greater Apo-B values and lower Apo-A1 levels (in males) were shown. The different levels of associated risk factors and their prevalence in PAD patients confirm the multifactorial pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The exact role of each risk factor in the genesis of PAD is difficult to be evaluated due to the complex biological and statistical interrelationships among different risk factors. However, the management of associated risk factors may favourably influence the risk profile in each patient suffering from PAD.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between serum cholesterol and thromboxane B2 levels and atherosclerotic lesions in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of diet induced hypercholesterolemia and associated atherosclerosis in rabbits on serum thromboxane B2 levels. We have determined thromboxane B2 in serum of hypercholesterolemic rabbits with atherosclerosis and in normocholesterolemic rabbits without atherosclerosis. Our data show only a mildly higher serum thromboxane levels in hypercholesterolemic rabbits and extensive atherosclerosis than in controls without atherosclerosis. In conclusion, these results show that diet induced hypercholesterolemia was not associated with thromboxane B2 generation, in spite of a diffuse experimental atheromatosis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Progression of induced aortic atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet.

In this study we have evaluated the progression of atheromatosis in aortic arch, thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet. The aortic atheromatosis decreased progressively from the aortic arch to the abdominal aorta after 6 months of high cholesterol diet. It is possible that a different segmental resistance to hypercholesterolemic damage may be involved in the cranio caudal progression of atheromatosis in rabbits.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and of associated risk factors for atherosclerosis in a randomized population sample of western Sicily. Casteldaccia study.

Within the Targeted Programme of the Italian National Research Council "Preventive and Rehabilitative Medicine" subproject: Risk Factors, organized in nine centers on a national scale, the Operative Unit of Palermo carried out a transverse epidemiological study on a randomized population sample of western Sicily: Casteldaccia, 1984. 1.200 subjects subdivided by age in four decades (20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59 years) and by sex (600 males and 600 females) were enlisted; the participation was 60.25% (No. 723; M = 364; F = 359). Following standardized procedures main cardiovascular risk factors were measured: glycaemia (GOD-PAP), triglycerides (enzymatic), total cholesterol (CHOD-PAP), HDL-cholesterol (MgCl2 dextran sulphate), apolipoproteins A1 and B (R.I.D.), B.M.I. (kg/m2), smoking habits and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (according to WHO manual on Cardiovascular Survey Methods). A questionnaire was used to record the familiar anamnesis, medical history of subjects, term of possible hyperglycaemia, current therapy (use of insulin, oral hypoglycaemic agent, dietetic treatment). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 8.16% (59/723): 4.67% (17/364) in males and 11.69% (42/359) in females. The most frequent risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus were; overweight (81%), hypercholesterolemia (49%), hypertriglyceridemia (45%), hypertension (37%) and cigarette smoking (15%).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of chronic administration of selective betablockers on peripheral circulation of the lower limbs in patients with essential hypertension.

This paper summarizes the results of two studies carried out to evaluate the effects of the cardioselective betablockers atenolol, acebutolol and metoprolol on peripheral circulation of the lower limbs. The 1st study was a double dummy double blind cross over placebo controlled trial carried out for 13 weeks to evaluate the effects of acebutolol (600 mg/die) and metoprolol (300 mg/die), two cardioselective betablockers, on peripheral haemodynamics in patients suffering from mild to moderate hypertension. The 2nd study was a placebo controlled trial on the effects of atenolol (100 mg/day) on haemodynamics at the calf carried out for 8 weeks in patients suffering from essential to severe moderate hypertension, part of which aged over 65 years and affected by arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower limbs, stage I and II according to Fontaine's classification. Calf blood flow in basal condition (R.F.) and after ischemic stimulus (P.F.) was evaluated by strain gauge plethysmography; basal (B.V.R.) and minimal (M.V.R.) vascular resistances at the calf by the ratio between M.B.P./R.F. and M.B.P./P.F. respectively, Windsor's index (W.I.) by ultrasound. Neither the patients with hypertension only nor the elderly hypertensive suffering from arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower limbs showed changes in R.F. and P.F., in B.V.R. and M.V.R. and in W.I. after chronic treatment with cardioselective beta-blockers. Many patients--about 17% of all patients, and 40% of arteriopathics--in the two trials had cold hands and feet. These studies suggest that chronic administration of selective beta-blockers does not exert unfavourable effects on muscular blood flow at the calf in patients with hypertension with or without arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower limbs at I and II stage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes induced by gemfibrozil on lipidic, coagulative and fibrinolytic pattern in patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia.

A short term open study (90 days) was carried out with Gemfibrozil in patients (n = 10) suffering from type IV hyperlipoproteinemia. For the whole observation period (120 days) the patients followed a standard diet. Every 30 days the following parameters were checked: total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, HDL-C and its fractions (HDL2-C and HDL3-C), apolipoprotein A1 and B, glucose, fibrinogen, plasminogen, euglobulin lysis time, antithrombin III, alpha-2-antiplasmin and PTT. The administration of the drug caused a reduction of serum triglycerides by 39.5%, an increase of HDL-C by 16.2% together with a significant increase of cholesterol bound to HDL2 (+27.6%). A significant increase was also noticed for the mean levels of apolipoprotein A1 (+19.8%), confirming thus the antidislipidemic effect of the drug. Significant reductions were also found in the mean levels of fibrinogen and alpha-2-antiplasmin together with a return to normality of mean values of antithrombin III and of the euglobulin lysis time. The effect on the lipid, haemocoagulative and fibrinolytic parameters shows that the administration of Gemfibrozil causes favourable changes both on the hyperlipoproteinemic pattern and on the thrombophilic state present in these patients.

Apolipoproteins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of verapamil on platelet aggregation and serum thromboxane synthesis in vitro and in vivo.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of verapamil on platelet aggregation and serum thromboxane formation. We also studied the in vivo effects of verapamil retard on platelet aggregation and serum thromboxane formation. The incubation of verapamil with PRP produced a dose-dependent decrease of in vitro platelet aggregation for all the agents used. Potentiation by verapamil of antiaggregating activity of prostacyclin was also demonstrated; in fact when verapamil and prostacyclin were added simultaneously a synergistic inhibition of platelet aggregation by ADP was observed. In whole blood verapamil partially inhibited thromboxane production only at a higher concentration. In vivo verapamil significantly decreased platelet aggregation induced by ADP and epinephrine while no changes were observed after arachidonic acid. No significant changes occurred in serum TXB2 levels. The observations suggest a potential role for verapamil in antithrombotic therapy as an antiplatelet agent.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗