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D De Aloysio

Publications and source records attributed to D De Aloysio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Pelvic ultrasound and color Doppler findings in different isosexual precocities.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of ultrasound and color Doppler analyses in improving the differential diagnosis of pubertal precocities. METHODS: Sixty-nine girls with premature (<8 years old) breast development and/or pubic hair growth underwent: auxological (height, weight, body mass index, skeletal maturation), hormonal (basal, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-test, adrenocorticotropic hormone test), and sonographic (uterine and ovarian volume and endometrial echo) including color Doppler (uterine arteries) evaluations. RESULTS: The uterine size was greater in girls with a pubertal response to the GnRH test (Group II, n = 16; 7.48 +/- 4.18 mL) than in those with a prepubertal response to the GnRH test (Group I, n = 17; 3.02 +/- 1.36 mL; P = 0.006), an isolated pubarche (Group III; n = 20; 2.58 +/- 1.32 mL; P < 0.001) or an isolated thelarche (Group IV, n = 16; 1.82 +/- 1.07 mL; P < 0.001). Endometrial echo was observed in 87.5%, 29.4% and 5% of girls, respectively, in Groups II, I and III. The Doppler analysis of the uterine arteries showed the lowest impedance to be in patients with a pubertal response to the GnRH test (Group II). CONCLUSIONS: Sonographic and color Doppler parameters may improve the diagnosis of GnRH-dependent precocious puberty and may be useful to determine which girls need treatment.

Child↗
PubMed2002

Assessment of the QoL in Italian menopausal women: comparison between HRT users and non-users.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe QoL in a large sample of women attending menopause centres and compare untreated postmenopausal women and matched HRT users by employing the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) and two generic instruments, the SF-36 and the EQ-5D. METHODS: Overall, 2906 women were recruited by 64 menopause centres throughout Italy, of whom 2160 filled in the questionnaire (1093 on HRT and 1067 not on HRT; response rate: 74%). RESULTS: HRT users tended to be younger, healthier and with shorter menopause duration as opposed to non users, while no major socio-economic differences were present. At multivariate analysis, the presence of chronic diseases, low socio-economic status and living in Southern Italy represented the most important predictors of poor QoL. Furthermore, HRT users showed a lower probability of reporting problems in usual activities and pain/discomfort (EQ-5D), role limitations due to emotional problems (SF-36) and anxiety/fears (WHQ). HRT users also showed highly significant better outcomes in those areas that are more directly attributable to hormonal changes of mid age, namely vasomotor symptoms and sexual problems. CONCLUSIONS: Although QoL is mainly influenced by socio-economic and cultural factors, HRT has the potential for improving not only symptoms, but also more general aspects of physical and psychological well-being of symptomatic postmenopausal women.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy↗
PubMed2002

Validation of Italian version of the Women's Health Questionnaire: assessment of quality of life of women from the general population and those attending menopause centers.

OBJECTIVES: The Women's Health Questionnaire has been developed and validated in Anglo-Saxon and Swedish populations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Italian version of the questionnaire to determine whether cross-cultural differences exist in the perception of quality of life, and to use it to compare the quality of life in women attending menopause centers with that of women in the general population. METHODS: An Italian version of the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) was produced, using the forward-backward translation method to ensure conceptual equivalence, and approved by the originator. Women were recruited by random selection from the general population and from menopause centers, those taking hormone replacement therapy being ineligible. The questionnaire was completed anonymously at home and mailed to the co-ordinating center. Psychometric evaluation included tests of item convergent and discriminant validity, internal-consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity and the discriminative properties of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The completeness of the data was good, with missing-value rates consistently low for most items. Item-scale correlations, used to evaluate internal consistency, were also good and the scaling success rate, used to measure item discriminant validity, was high for all scales. Scale scores were reliable for seven out of nine scales and test-retest reliability was excellent. There were few significant differences between the two populations of women in most of the WHQ areas. A comparison of Italian data with published data on English women showed great similarity. CONCLUSION: The Italian version of the WHO is valid and reproducible. The subjective perception of the menopause and its related problems is similar in geographically and culturally different populations.

Affect↗
PubMed2000

Efficacy on climacteric symptoms and safety of low dose estradiol transdermal matrix patches. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Two estradiol (E2) transdermal patches releasing 25 micrograms/day E2 (D-25) or 37.5 micrograms/day E2 (D-37.5) were compared to a placebo patch on 156 patients in natural or surgical menopause suffering from at least 5 hot flushes per day, randomly and blindly assigned to three parallel groups of 52 patients each, to be treated continuously for 12 weeks, without progestin opposition. "Responders" (patients with less than 3 hot flushes per day at the end of treatment), were 82% and 90% under D-25 or D-37.5, respectively, both significantly (p < 0.001) more than under placebo (44%). Comparable efficacy was observed on severity of hot flushes, Kupperman Index and on the self-rated efficacy. Systemic adverse events occurred in 10%, 10% and 8% of patients, respectively, under D-25, D-37.5 or placebo. Occasional mild and transient itching and/or erythema on the site of application was reported by few patients and did never require discontinuation of application. In conclusion D-25 and D-37.5 were significantly more effective than placebo in relieving climacteric symptoms and were systemically and locally as well tolerated as placebo. D-25 (Demestril 25) releasing 25 micrograms/day E2 can therefore be recommended for low-dosed estrogen replacement therapy.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2000

Phalangeal osteosonogrammetry study: age-related changes, diagnostic sensitivity, and discrimination power. The Phalangeal Osteosonogrammetry Study Group.

Phalangeal osteosonogrammetry was introduced as a method for bone tissue investigation in 1992. It is based on the measure of the velocity of ultrasound (amplitude-dependent speed of sound [AD-SoS]) and on the interpretation of the characteristics of the ultrasound signal. In this study we have collected a database of 10,115 subjects to evaluate the performance of AD-SoS and to develop a parameter that is able to quantify the signal characteristics: ultrasound bone profile index (UBPI). The database only includes females of which 4.5% had documented vertebral osteoporotic fractures, 16% lumbar spine dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and 6% hip DXA. The analysis of the ultrasound signal has shown that with aging the UBPI, first wave amplitude (FWA), and signal dynamics (SDy) follow a trend that is different from the one observed for AD-SoS; that is, there is no increase during childhood. In the whole population, the risk of fracture per SD decrease for AD-SOS was odds ratio (OR) 1.71 (CI, 1.58-1.84). The AD-SoS in fractured subjects was significantly lower than in a group of age-matched nonfractured subjects (p < 0.0001). In a small cohort of hip-fractured patients UBPI proved to be lower than in a control age-matched group (p < 0.0001). When the World Health Organization (WHO) working group criteria were applied to this population to identify the T score value for osteoporosis, for AD-SoS we found a T score of -3.2 and for UBPI we found a T score of -3.14. Sixty-six percent of vertebral fractures were below the AD-SoS -3.2 T score and 62% were below UBPI -3.14. We observed the highest incidence of fractures (63.6%) among subjects with AD-SoS who had both DXA T score values below the threshold. We conclude from this study that ultrasound investigation at the hand phalanges is a valid methodology for osteoporosis assessment. It has been possible to quantify signal changes by means of UBPI, a parameter that will improve the possibility of investigating bone structure.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Plasma lipoproteins in soy-treated postmenopausal women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Postmenopausal modification of the lipid profile plays a major role in the risk of ischemic heart disease. Lifestyle counseling and estrogen replacement therapy have all been proposed as first-line measures, but there is no agreement on the best way to treat climacteric dyslipidemia. Soybean-based diet seems particularly attractive in this context, given its cholesterol lowering potential, its hypothetical anticancerous effects and possible modification of climacteric symptoms. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the effect of 60 g isolated soy protein (ISP) daily on the lipid profile of 104 postmenopausal women (53.3 +/- 3.3 years) in a double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled (caseinate) trial, as part of a broader assessment of the effect of ISP on climacteric symptomatology. Serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apo A-I, apo B and lipoprotein (a) were determined before and after a 12-week diet modification. Seventy-seven women completed the trial. Both soy and placebo determined a significant reduction in total cholesterol (-0.42 +/- 0.79 and -0.40 +/- 0.57 mmol/L) and LDL-cholesterol (-0.35 +/- 0.72 and -0.31 +/- 0.54 mmol/L), but only soy had a significant lowering effect on apo B and the LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (-6% and -8% from baseline respectively); lipoprotein (a) plasma levels were not significantly changed by either treatment. Forty-four women were dyslipidemic at baseline; those with increased LDL concentrations showed a somewhat greater improvement in their lipoprotein profile (LDL-cholesterol and apo B reduction) with soy rather than placebo. No further information emerged when the subjects were divided into three apo E phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that diet supplementation with 60 g ISP is slightly better than caseinate in favorably modifying the lipoprotein metabolism of postmenopausal women; this effect is more evident in hypercholesterolemic subjects.

Caseins↗
PubMed1999

Dietary soy supplementation and phytoestrogen levels.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between levels of phytoestrogens in blood and urine and symptom control in postmenopausal women whose diets were supplemented with soy containing high levels of phytoestrogen. METHODS: Phytoestrogen levels in blood and urine were correlated with the number of hot flushes and vaginal maturation indices in 104 postmenopausal women whose diets were supplemented with 60 g of soy powder daily for 3 months in a double-masked, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. The effect of soy supplementation on menopausal symptoms in this study population was reported previously. RESULTS: Serum levels of genistin, daidzin, and equol were significantly higher in women after soy diet supplementation (+756%, +593%, +1008%, and 57% respectively). The concentration of enterolactone in the soy group was increased by 57% compared with baseline, but the difference with placebo was not statistically significant. The increase in phytoestrogen levels in the soy group in blood or urine did not correlate with fewer hot flushes. Vaginal maturation indices did not change in the soy group. CONCLUSION: Phytoestrogen levels increased in women who consumed soy supplement, but that does not fully explain climacteric symptom reduction. It is possible that other types of yet unknown phytoestrogens or components in soy other than phytoestrogen influence hot flushes.

Climacteric↗
PubMed1998

The effect of dietary soy supplementation on hot flushes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of daily dietary supplementation of soy protein isolate powder on hot flushes in postmenopausal women. METHODS: We carried out a double-blind, parallel, multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled trial of 104 postmenopausal women. Fifty-one patients (age range 48-61 years) took 60 g of products containing 40 g of isolated soy protein [corrected] daily and 53 patients (age range 45-62 years) took 60 g of placebo (casein) daily. The study lasted 12 weeks. Using analysis of covariance, we analyzed changes from baseline in mean number of moderate to severe hot flushes (including night sweats) during treatment. RESULTS: Soy was significantly superior to placebo (P < .01 in reducing the mean number of hot flushes per 24 hours after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. In particular, women taking soy had a 26% reduction in the mean number of hot flushes by week 3 and a 33% reduction by week 4 (P < .001 by the Wilcoxon exact test). By the end of the 12th week, patients taking soy had a 45% reduction in their daily hot flushes versus a 30% reduction obtained with the placebo (P < .01). The overall rates of adverse effects were similar for soy and casein-placebo. Twenty-five patients dropped out of the study: 11 in the soy group and 14 in the placebo group. Gastrointestinal side effects were the most common cause of premature withdrawal from the study (seven patients in each group). CONCLUSION: Soy protein isolate added daily to the diet substantially reduced the frequency of hot flushes in climacteric women.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1996

Effects of cyclic therapy with intranasal carbocalcitonin in healthy spontaneous postmenopausal women.

Carbocalcitonin spray administered for 12 months at a daily dosage of 80 U MRC according to five schedules has been tested on 150 normal spontaneous postmenopausal women for its influence on bone mineral density (BMD), bone metabolism and osteoarticular pain. BMD was monitored before and at the end of treatment in comparison with BMD of untreated control women. Metabolic markers (serum alkaline phosphatase, serum osteocalcin and urinary hydroxyproline) were also evaluated before and during treatment (at the 9th or 10th month of treatment). Osteoarticular pain was assessed by an analogic visual scale. Intranasal carbocalcitonin, administered according to cyclic schedules at a high frequency dosage, was able to maintain bone mass only in the earlier postmenopausal women. BMD percent increase after 12 months of treatment was 1.10 and 1.31 in women with low (< 0.870 mg/cm2) and high baseline BMD (> or = 0.870 mg/cm2), respectively. In advanced menopause the maintaining effect of carbocalcitonin on BMD seemed evident only if the baseline bone mass was lower than the BMD of the age matched control group. At least six months of treatment/year is necessary for effective therapy. Both systemic and local tolerance were optimal. No significant side-effects were detected.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1994

Intramuscular interferon-beta treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II associated with human papillomavirus infection.

A placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of intramuscular injection of interferon-beta has been performed on 37 patients suffering from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II (CIN II) associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the cervix: twenty-two patients were treated with interferon-beta (2 x 10(6) I.U. daily) for ten days; fifteen received placebo (2 ml of saline solution daily) for ten days. Prior to therapy, and at day 70, 190, 370, 550, 730 after the beginning of treatment, patients were examined by colposcopy and punch biopsies of the cervix. Results showed a progressive amelioration in the interferon-beta treated patients, which was statistically significant at any control station (70, 190, 370, 550, 730 days) as compared to placebo treatment. Percentages of lesions that regressed, persisted or progressed were 36.4%, 54.5%, 9.1% respectively in the Interferon-beta group, and 0%, 67.7% and 33.3% respectively in the placebo group. Interferon-beta administered intramuscularly has shown to be an efficacious treatment of CIN II (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II) associated with HPV infection, without evident side effects; it can be used in patients requiring medical treatment with at least one-year monitoring by cervical biopsies or as an adjuvant surgical treatment (which remains the principal treatment) in the management of patients suffering from CIN II associated with HPV infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Pharmacokinetics of ciclopirox olamine after vaginal application to rabbits and patients.

The authors reported the plasma levels and pharmacokinetic parameters of ciclopirox olamine in rabbits after i.v. and intravaginal administrations and in female patients after vaginal administration. Plasma levels of total and free ciclopirox were determined by a HPLC method. In rabbit ciclopirox showed a half-life of 2.22 h and an intravaginal bioavailability of about 2%. In female patients ciclopirox showed low intravaginal absorption; this value might explain the good local and systemic tolerability and also the penetration of drug in deep tissue.

Administration, Intravaginal↗
PubMed1993

[Studying the therapeutic effectiveness of iron acetyl transferrin in sideropenic hypochromic anemia in females].

The Authors evaluated the effects and tolerability of iron acetyl transferrin in fifty women affected by anemia for want of iron. The patients were given oral iron treatment (80 mg/die) for 30 days; commonest haematologic parameters were examined (RBC, HTC, MCV, MCH, serum iron, ferritin, transferrin) before and after treatment. The results show that iron acetyl transferrin has an excellent therapeutic effect and a good tolerability.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Activity and tolerability of tetridamine vaginal lavage in rats and women.

Tetridamine (2-methyl-3-methylamino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindazole) is a well known analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug. Here the activity and the tolerability of a new 0.134% tetridamine formulation in rats and women, are reported. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic tests were performed in Sprague-Dawley rats with carrageenin oedema; topical application of 0.134% tetridamine solution showed a marked reduction of paw swelling (-54.4%) and pain sensibility (-81.0%). A 28 days vaginal tolerability study performed on Sprague-Dawley rats with tetridamine lavage (0.2 ml/rat/day) showed, in comparison with control group, no changes in haematology, coagulation, clinical biochemistry and in histological examinations of uterus and vagina. Clinical studies (4 open and 1 double-blind) were performed on 93 women suffering from vulvovaginitis and cervicitis by treatment of 0.134% tetridamine vaginal lavage, two times daily, for 7 days. Tetridamine lavage reduced or eliminated all inflammation symptoms like burning, leucorrhea, etc. and resulted very well tolerated. From these pharmacotoxicological and clinical results we can conclude that tetridamine vaginal lavage is a new formulation with high activity and good tolerability.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Italian multicenter study for the verification of the efficacy and tolerability of short-term substitution hormone therapy using conjugated estrogens and progestagens administered orally in the postmenopausal a period].

Three hundred and sixty-three postmenopausal women received 6 months of cyclic hormone replacement therapy with conjugated estrogens in differing doses (0.625 mg and 1.25 mg) associated in a sequential pattern lasting 12 days with progestagens (medroxyprogesterone acetate or medrogestone) in 16 italian health centres. The results of the multicentre study confirm the efficacy of this conjugated estrogen-progestogen regimen in resolving climacteric syndrome, offering cardiovascular protection and vaginal trophic effect and preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis, as well as confirming its tolerability in relation to blood pressure, body weight, breast, endometrium, blood coagulation and hepato-renal function.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

Use of Org OD 14 for the treatment of climacteric complaints.

The effects of treating climacteric complaints in post-menopausal women were studied in an open trial in which Org OD 14, a placebo and no treatment were compared. In addition to the symptomatic effects, clinical and laboratory parameters were also studied. One hundred and twenty-four women who had undergone a natural or surgical menopause completed 4 mth of randomized treatment; 35 received Org OD 14 (2.5 mg/day, per os), 46 a placebo, and 43 no treatment. The mean ages and time in years since menopause were comparable for each group. The parameters were assessed before treatment and after 4 mth. The results in the group treated with Org OD 14 were compared statistically with those for the other two groups using the chi 2 test, Student's t test or analysis of variance. A beneficial effect on clinical parameters was seen following Org OD 14 treatment. The results as regards hot flushes and sweating were significantly better statistically than those in the other groups. Org OD 14 was found to have no effect on the endometrium, breasts, body weight or blood pressure, while vaginal atrophy was slightly improved. Serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and phosphate were slightly reduced by Org OD 14. Liver function tests, clotting factors and the other routine laboratory parameters were not affected by Org OD 14 treatment. It was concluded that Org OD 14 is an effective and safe compound for the treatment of climacteric syndrome.

Calcium↗
PubMed1982

Female sexual activity as a function of climacteric conditions and age.

By establishing a statistical profile of the average sexual behaviour of women during the climacteric period, an attempt was made to determine what influence the climacteric had on female sexual activity. With the advancement of age, the sexual activity of women tends to decline. The menopause itself tends to further reduce the retrogression of the sexual activity in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The clinical use of arginine aspartate in male infertility.

130 male subjects (61 with asthenospermia, 69 with oligoasthenospermia) classified according to spermiologic patterns have been treated with different therapeutic outlines (gonadotrophins, antibiotica, arginine aspartate high levels, their associations); 89 subjects have been undergone with arginine aspartate, 41 without arginine aspartate. The results have been critically examined in order to different therapeutic outlines, to spermiogram, to diagnosis, to use of arginine aspartate in different spermiologic alterations, to use of arginine aspartate with respect to control groups, to arginine aspartate levels.

Adult↗