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Biomedical subjects

E Ballarin

Publications and source records attributed to E Ballarin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

The Conconi test: methodology after 12 years of application.

The protocol for the determination of the speed/heart rate relationship during incremental exercise previously described (so-called Conconi test) has been refined and in part modified during 12 years of application. The new protocol calls for time-based increments in exercise intensity that are uniform up to submaximal speeds and progressively greater in the final phase. As in the original article (18), the speed/heart rate relationship is linear at low to moderate speed and curvilinear from submaximal to maximal speeds. A method is presented for the mathematical definition of this relationship, with the calculation of the straight-line equation of the linear phase and the identification of the point of transition from the linear to the curvilinear phase (deflection point or heart rate break-point). Analysis of 300 tests selected at random from those in our data base (more than 5,000 tests) has enabled us to show that the speed at which the deflection point occurs is significantly lower (p < 0.001) than that at which the acceleration of the final phase begins. This fact demonstrates that the break-point is not brought on by the final acceleration called for in the test protocol. Analysis of the speed/heart rate relationship allows for the determination of the following additional functional indices: 1) maximal heart rate (in 21 athletes the maximal heart rate attained in the test and that attained while racing were equal); 2) range of heart beats defining the linear part of the speed/heart rate relationship; 3) range of heart beats from the deflection point to maximal heart rate; and 4) maximal aerobic exercise intensity, obtained through extrapolation of the straight-line equation to maximal heart rate. Data are provided on the conditions of the test subject that modify his speed/heart rate relationship, such as incomplete recovery from previous efforts, inadequate warm-up, or inadequate test procedure with too rapid increments in exercise intensity. Finally, criteria for test acceptability are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Reproducibility of the Conconi test: test repeatability and observer variations.

The repeatability of the the speed/heart rate (S/HR) relationship obtained with the incremental test developed by Conconi et al. (5) was examined by having 75 subjects perform the same running test twice in the course of a few days. From the data obtained, comparisons were made of four variables: 1) speed of deflection, 2) heart rate of deflection, 3) slope, and 4) intercept on the y-axis of the linear portion of the S/HR relationship. Straight-line equations, correlation coefficients (r), and technical errors of measurement (TEM) were obtained by comparing data from the two successive tests. Data analysis suggests that in two successive tests there are some variations in the linear portion of the S/HR relationship. However, the straight lines obtained from the two tests converge at the same deflection point. The problem of assigning a single value to the point of deflection, when determined by means of visual analysis of the S/HR graph, was also examined. For this part of the study, speed and heart rate data previously obtained for 65 subjects were used. The selected tests had been carried out during the course of various studies. The 65 sets of test data were plotted on graph paper and given to six observers for independent evaluation of speed and heart rate of deflection. These observers had different levels of experience in interpreting Conconi test results. The speed and heart rate of deflection values assigned by each observer were compared to the values obtained through mathematical analysis of the tests by computer. Straight-line equations, correlation coefficients (r), and technical errors of measurement (TEM) obtained by comparing visually determined data to those determined through mathematical analysis were calculated for each observer. Only for observers with little experience were some differences found between the observer-assigned and computer-determined results; these differences occurred for both speed and heart rate of deflection. We conclude that visual analysis provides information that is very similar to that obtained through computer analysis. The accuracy of the visually obtained information varies according to the observer's experience.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Hematological indices of erythropoietin administration in athletes.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), commercially available since 1988, is thought to be used by athletes in aerobic sports for the purpose of increasing oxygen transport and aerobic power. In an attempt to identify EPO administration, we have studied the peripheral blood of 20 subjects practising sports at an amateur level. Automated cytometry was performed on the blood samples before and during 45 days of EPO treatment. The same hematological indices were determined for a control population that consisted of 240 elite athletes from various sports. As expected following EPO treatment, RBC, [Hb] and Hct increased significantly (increments of 8%, 6.3% and 11%, respectively). A significant increase in reticulocyte count was also observed. In addition, automated erythrocyte analysis showed a significant increase in cells with a volume > 120 fl and hemoglobin content (HC) < 28 pg (hypochromic macrocytes, or MacroHypo): 0.06 +/- 0.09% before EPO, 0.48 +/- 0.63% after EPO. The EPO-treated subjects differed from the control population having higher values for Hct, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Macro and MacroHypo. To investigate the possibility of using such variations in blood parameters to identify EPO treatment, individual values for Hct, MCV, Macro and MacroHypo for treated subjects and controls were plotted. Using the percentages of MacroHypo, a cut-off value surpassed in approximately 50% of the treated subjects and in none of the controls was established.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Follow-up of endoscopic gastritis after healing with sucralfate or an H2-receptor antagonist.

48 patients in whom previous endoscopic signs of chronic gastritis had been abolished by treatment with either 1 g sucralfate three times daily or 40 mg famotidine at night were followed up for 3 months without further therapy. Cumulative endoscopic relapse rates at 3 months were 21.7% in the sucralfate group and 57.1% in the famotidine group (p = 0.017). All patients with endoscopic recurrence of gastritis also reported recurrence of dyspeptic symptoms of various degrees. Most patients with endoscopic relapse had persisting histologic gastritis, but up to 67% of subjects with histologic gastritis at the time of initial endoscopic healing did not have subsequent endoscopic or clinical recurrence. It is concluded that gastritis, especially if histologically active, tends to recur quickly after endoscopic healing and that early relapses are significantly more frequent after treatment with an H2 blocker than after sucralfate.

Famotidine↗
PubMed1989

Adaptation of the "Conconi test" to children and adolescents.

A field test for the determination of anaerobic threshold (AT) based on the relationship between work intensity and heart rate was previously developed in adult runners (4) and then applied in various sports activities (3, 5, 9). In the current study the same relationship between running speed (S) and heart rate (HR) was determined in 274 healthy children and adolescents (169 males and 105 females). All tests were performed either outdoors on a 400-m track (n = 159, 110 males and 49 females) or indoors in a gymnasium (n = 115, 59 males and 56 females). The subjects increased their work intensity progressively from low to submaximal speeds. HR was determined by a heart rate monitor (Sport Tester TM PE 3000, Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland). In every subject examined, the linearity of the S-HR relationship was lost at a speed, called deflection speed (Sd), above which the increase in S exceeded the increase in HR. HR at Sd was defined as HRd. The respective test-retest correlation coefficients for Sd, HRd, and slope of the linear part of the graph were 0.990, 0.824, and 0.953 when determined outdoors and 0.996, 0.840, and 0.932 when determined indoors. The outdoor-indoor correlation coefficients were 0.934, 0.855, and 0.282, respectively, for Sd, HRd, and slope. The results suggest that application of this test to children and adolescents in running may prove useful in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of the development of aerobic power during growth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

A field test for determining the speed obtained through anaerobic glycolysis in runners.

A field test for the evaluation of the speed generated by the anaerobic lactacid mechanism has been developed in runners. The test consists of 1200 m of continuous running: in the first 1000 m the speed corresponding to the anaerobic threshold is progressively reached; in the last 200 m an all-out sprint is performed. The speed at the anaerobic threshold is subtracted from the speed reached in the final 200-m all-out sprint. In 39 runners examined (marathon runners, n = 13; 5000-10000-m runners, n = 10; 400-800-m runners, n = 7; sprinters, n = 9), the additional speed generated above the anaerobic threshold was correlated with the venous blood lactate concentration reached 5 min after the all-out effort (r = 0.93). The anaerobic speeds measured by the test were in keeping with the characteristics of the runners under study, i.e., anaerobic speeds were highest for the sprinters, intermediate for the middle-distance runners, and lowest for the marathon runners. Since the speed generated above the anaerobic threshold by the aerobic fuel breakdown can be subtracted, the contribution of creatine phosphate is minimal, and the speed exceeding the anaerobic threshold is highly correlated with lactate accumulation, the present test should measure the speed generated by anaerobic glycolysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Deranged gastric mucus secretion in erosive prepyloric changes.

Gastric mucus secretion was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed in 44 patients with endoscopic diagnosis of erosive prepyloric changes (EPC) grade 2 or 3. A matched group of patients with normal endoscopic appearance was used as a control group. The total amount of mucus glycoproteins in fasting gastric juice was similar in EPC patients and in healthy controls. However, the viscous and protective properties of mucus, as assessed by the ratio of neutral to total mucoproteins ('mucoprotective index') was significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced in patients with macroscopic erosions (grade 3 EPC). Alterations of the gastric mucous coating may account for the passive intraluminal outflow of HCO3 previously reported in subjects with grade 3 EPC. Whether the impairment of the 'mucus-bicarbonate' barrier is a cause or a consequence of prepyloric erosions remains to be determined.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Rioprostil in the treatment of duodenal erosions.

Thirty outpatients with erosions of the duodenal bulb unrelated to peptic ulcer were randomly allocated to an 8-week treatment regimen with either rioprostil, 200 micrograms b.d., or with sucralfate, 1 g t.i.d. At endoscopic control complete disappearance of duodenal erosions was found in 57.2% of rioprostil-treated patients and in 64.3% of patients treated with sucralfate. The difference was not statistically significant. The two drugs were shown to be significantly and equally effective in inducing relief of dyspeptic symptoms. No intestinal side effects were observed during treatment with rioprostil.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Serum pepsinogen I elevation in cigarette smokers.

We measured serum pepsinogen I (sPG-I) in 269 patients undergoing upper GI endoscopy and then classified by endoscopic diagnosis, gastric mucosal histology, and smoking habit. Both ulcer-free and duodenal ulcer smokers had significantly higher sPG-I levels than their non-smoking controls. In contrast, sPG-I values were not different in smokers and non-smokers with gastric ulcer. In ulcer-free smokers the overall increase in sPG-I simply reflected the high prevalence of patients with superficial gastritis and elevated sPG-I levels. Conversely, in duodenal ulcer smokers the increase in sPG-I, which was related to the number of cigarettes smoked daily, was not an epiphenomenon of concomitant gastritis. The smoking-induced increase in sPG-I in duodenal ulcer is proposed to reflect an augmented pepsin secretory capacity, which can be of aetiologic significance in the association between cigarette smoking and duodenal ulcer.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Luminal bicarbonate outflow in chronic antral erosions is suppressed by pirenzepine.

The effects of pirenzepine and ranitidine on luminal HCO3- outflow occurring in subjects with chronic antral erosions have been investigated in a double-blind study. Thirty outpatients with chronic erosions of the gastric antrum were randomly treated for 4 weeks with either pirenzepine 50 mg b.i.d. or ranitidine 150 mg b.i.d. Endoscopic appearance and intragastric bicarbonate content were assessed before and after treatment. At endoscopic follow-up pirenzepine was found to be significantly more effective than ranitidine in promoting disappearance of antral erosions. In the ranitidine group the abnormally high intraluminal HCO3 content was reduced only in healed subjects, while no changes were observed in patients with persisting erosions. In contrast pirenzepine induced normalization of intragastric bicarbonate both in healed and in unhealed patients. The results suggest that pirenzepine suppresses luminal HCO3 leakage by functionally strengthening mucosal defences even before anatomical repair is obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Unmodified performance in runners following anabolic steroid administration.

The effect of a low-dose treatment (10 mg/day) of stanozolol on the anaerobic threshold (AT) and on maximal velocity (Vmax) was studied in ten well-trained runners in a 6-week trial experiment. The serum levels of testosterone (T), interstitial cell-stimulating hormone (ICSH), and of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined before, during, and after the steroid administration. No improvements of AT and Vmax were found. No improvement of the competition running times was observed during the experimental period. The ICSH and FSH serum concentrations did not change significantly, while a marked decrease of the T serum concentration was observed. It is concluded that a low-dose treatment of stanozolol, sufficient to depress the testicular function, does not improve athletic performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Noninvasive determination of the anaerobic threshold in swimming.

The relationship between swimming velocity (V) and heart rate (HR) was determined in 60 swimmers. The athletes were asked to increase their work intensity progressively, from low to submaximal velocities; HRs were determined by a telemetric cardiofrequency meter. In all the athletes examined and for each style employed, the linearity of the V3-HR relationship was maintained up to a submaximal velocity (deflection velocity, Vd), beyond which the increase in work intensity exceeded the increase in HR. The test-retest correlation for Vd determined in nine pent-athletes was 0.99. Vd and anaerobic threshold (AT), determined through lactate measurements, were correlated in six swimmers (r = 0.84). Vd and average swimming velocities in a modern pentathlon swimming race (300 m free-style) were also correlated (n = 9, r = 0.91), thus suggesting that AT is critical in determining the speed in middle-distance swimming events.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Luminal leakage of HCO3 in chronic antral erosions.

Gastric bicarbonate content has been determined, under basal conditions, in ten patients with chronic antral erosions, and in ten healthy controls. The former group showed a significantly higher (p less than 0.01) than normal luminal concentration of HCO3. After medical treatment gastric bicarbonate content returned to normal in patients showing endoscopic healing, but not in subjects with persisting erosions. It is suggested that in chronic antral erosions, extensive disruption of mucosal integrity leads to passive leakage of bicarbonate into the gastric lumen.

Bicarbonates↗
PubMed1985

Pirenzepine in erosive duodenitis. A controlled clinical trial versus ranitidine.

Fifty-five outpatients with chronic duodenal erosions and no previous ulcer history were treated, in a double-blind fashion, with either pirenzepine (50 mg twice daily) or ranitidine (150 mg twice daily) for 6 weeks. The drugs were equally effective in inducing symptomatic relief. At endoscopic control, 70.4% of subjects in the pirenzepine group and 39.3% of ranitidine-treated patients showed complete healing (p less than 0.05). The results suggest that acid secretion is not an important factor in the pathogenesis of erosive duodenitis and that other mechanisms (such as impaired mucosal blood flow) must be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Assessment of the 'mucus-bicarbonate' barrier in the stomach of patients with chronic gastric disorders.

The composition of gastric mucus and the amount of gastric bicarbonate secretion have been investigated in 26 subjects including healthy controls, duodenal ulcer patients and subjects with chronic gastric disorders (benign gastric ulcer or chronic superficial gastritis). Qualitative changes in gastric mucus (expressed as a reduction in the values of 'mucoprotective index') were found in the gastric ulcer group, but not in patients with chronic superficial gastritis. Basal bicarbonate secretion was significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) in subjects with gastric ulcer and chronic gastritis, compared with healthy controls. Mucus secretion and bicarbonate production proved to be normal in duodenal ulcer patients. Our results support the concept that impairment of the 'mucus-bicarbonate' barrier is an important pathogenetic factor in gastric ulcer and chronic gastritis.

Adult↗