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Biomedical subjects

G Finardi

Publications and source records attributed to G Finardi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Improved left ventricular function after short-term treatment with fructose-1,6-diphosphate: echocardiographic study in chronic ischemic heart disease and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

The effect of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) on left ventricular function was assessed in seven patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and eight patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. In a crossover study design each patient received 10 gm of FDP or saline placebo intravenously for three days. An M-mode echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular (LV) function was made before and after each treatment period. After FDP treatment, LV end-diastolic and systolic dimensions showed a 6% reduction (P less than 0.01), while peak lengthening rate of LV dimension in diastole and peak shortening rate of LV dimension in systole increased 17% and 10%, respectively (P less than 0.05). There was evidence that FDP was more effective in the patients with ischemic heart disease than in the patients with cardiomyopathy.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Echocardiographic features of hypertensive-diabetic heart muscle disease.

Computerized M-mode echocardiography was used to evaluate left ventricular anatomy and function in 20 patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus, without signs of overt heart disease. A similar study was performed in 20 patients with hypertension of similar severity and duration and in 20 normal subjects. Mean posterior wall thickness and mean septal thickness were increased in hypertensive patients compared to normal (p less than 0.001), but diabetic patients had thicker septa with respect to nondiabetics (p less than 0.05). All hypertensive-diabetic patients had reduced peak lengthening rate and/or peak velocity of posterior wall thinning. Six of them also had reduced peak Vcf and/or peak velocity of posterior wall thickening. Only 9 of the 20 patients with hypertension alone had abnormal diastolic function; 4 out of these 9 also had abnormal systolic function. We conclude that diabetes causes more severe impairment of left ventricular function in patients with a similar degree of hypertension. The more consistent abnormalities are reduced rate of dimension increase during filling and slower wall thinning, suggesting impaired left ventricular relaxation and distensibility.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol in hypertensive patients treated with enalapril.

The effects of enalapril on plasma lipoproteins were evaluated in an open study of 12 normolipidemic outpatients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension (World Health Organization stages I and II). After a two-week washout period, during which placebo was given, the patients received 20 to 40 mg/day of enalapril for 16 weeks. Treatment with enalapril was associated with significant increases in levels of HDL cholesterol (mean, 23%; P less than 0.001) and apoprotein A (mean, 11%; P less than 0.01), largely because of the increase in the subfraction HDL2 (mean, 43%; P less than 0.001), although the subfraction HDL3 also rose (mean, 14%; P less than 0.005). Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels did not change, whereas triglycerides decreased significantly (mean, 26%; P less than 0.001). Apoprotein B was unchanged. Unlike diuretics and most beta-blockers, enalapril favorably affects plasma lipoprotein levels, thus improving the overall cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Effect of indenolol treatment on beta-adrenergic receptors of polymorphonucleates in essential hypertension.

Indenolol is a new antihypertensive agent, whose beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist properties combined with beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist properties have been shown by experimental studies in animals. Our previous work reported that in vivo beta-adrenoceptor blocking drugs markedly increase the beta-adrenoceptor (BAR) number, without increasing BAR affinity. The aim of this study was to evaluate BAR density and affinity before and after indenolol therapy in membranes of polymorphonucleates (PMN) of patients with essential hypertension. Polymorphonuclear binding parameters were studied in 12 hypertensives (WHO stages I and II) after 14 days of placebo and after 21 days of indenolol therapy (120 mg once daily orally). Indenolol did not increase BAR number but significantly decreased (P less than 0.01) BAR affinity. On the basis of these data it is concluded that indenolol does not induce the same changes in PMN's BAR as previously observed with oxprenolol, propranolol and labetalol. This phenomenon may account for the absence of rebound effect after withdrawal of indenolol in hypertensives.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1986

Heart rate-respiration relationship: computerized method for early assessment of cardiac autonomic damage in diabetic patients.

This study compares the sensitivity of electrocardiographic R-R methods, used alone and with respiration, for diagnosis of cardiac disautonomy in diabetic patients. In 12 diabetic subjects with laboratory signs of neuropathy (45 +/- 10.4 years) (group A), 24 diabetic subjects without neuropathy (45 +/- 11.9 years) (group B) and 16 normal subjects (43 +/- 12.6 years) (group C), electrocardiogram and respiration were on-line digitized during spontaneous breathing and hyperpnea at 3-18 breaths/minute. Heart rate, R-R standard deviation (SD), R-R range (RG) and cross-correlation function (CC) were computed. Reproducibility was tested in 10 normal volunteers (age 22-28 years, mean 25.2). During spontaneous breathing, heart rate was 87.5 +/- 11.8 beats/min in group A, 77.3 +/- 10.8 in group B, and 71.6 +/- 14.9 in group C (p less than 0.05); RG was 102 +/- 51 msec in group A, 166 +/- 78 in group B and 272 +/- 168 in group C (p less than 0.005); SD was 18.2 +/- 10.1 msec in group A, 29.3 +/- 13.7 in group B and 49.2 +/- 26.5 in group C (p less than 0.001); CC was 2.38 +/- 0.66 units in group A, 3.00 +/- 0.72 in group B and 3.85 +/- 0.59 in group C (p less than 0.0001). During hyperpnea the difference between A and B increased for SD, RG (p less than 0.01) and CC (p less than 0.001). CC better discriminates between normals and diabetics without neuropathy during normal breathing; hyperpnea enhances the relationship heart rate-respiration in normal and, at a lesser degree, in diabetic subjects, thus slightly improving the method. The CC method had better reproducibility and lower intersubject variability than traditional methods of R-R variability.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Automatic on-line measurement of systolic time intervals using a personal computer.

A personal computer-based system for automatically evaluating external systolic time intervals (STI) suitable for practical clinical use is presented. In 56 consecutive unselected subjects, ranging in age from 16 to 77 years (mean = 51 years), the STI recorded with standard technique were computed manually and automatically. Manual and automatic techniques correlated closely in all indices studied (Q-Q interval: r = 0.995; electromechanical systole: r = 0.975; pre-ejection period (PEP): r = 0.985; left ventricular ejection time (LVET): r = 0.973, PEP/LVET: r = 0.981, p less than 0.001). These results demonstrate that automatic evaluation of STI can be effectively made with good reliability using inexpensive hardware.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Computerized echocardiographic study of left ventricular function and cardiodynamic investigation with a new antihypertensive agent (indenolol).

Indenolol hydrochloride is a recently introduced antihypertensive substance. Although it has beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity, its action is due to total peripheral resistance reduction. We investigated the effects of indenolol therapy on left ventricular performance in 15 patients with essential hypertension. Assessments were made using systolic time intervals and computerized echocardiography. The echocardiographic and mechanocardiographic tracings were recorded three times: at the beginning of the trial, after seven days of placebo, and after three weeks of indenolol treatment. The indenolol therapy significantly decreased (P less than 0.001) systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate in all patients, both in supine and standing positions. After three weeks of treatment, systolic time intervals and echocardiographic determinants of left ventricular function were substantially unchanged in comparison with the basal and placebo evaluations. We conclude that indenolol exerted a marked effect on chronotropism but no demonstrable negative effect on inotropism in patients with essential hypertension. No clinical signs of heart failure were recorded. Side effects were absent, and patient compliance was good in all cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[Central alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in the rat: effect of sodium in vitro].

Characteristics of the (3H) Rauwolscine binding were studied in homogenates of rat cerebral cortex, particularly in presence of NaCl. We had shown that (3H) Rauwolscine specifically bind the alpha 2-adrenoceptors. The Scatchard plot analysis had demonstrated 2 sites: a high affinity site (B 41,06 +/- 5,21 KD = 1,31 +/- 0,16) and a low affinity site (B = 203,41 +/- 13,37 KD = 11,62 +/- 0,55 nM). Incubation of cerebral cortex homogenates with NaCl 150 mM induced an increase (53,97 p less than 0.001) of the high affinity site density. These results indicate that (3H) Rauwolscine is a useful alpha 2-adrenoceptor ligand to study in animal models various central nervous system abnormalities or diseases induced by ion disorders.

Animals↗