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Biomedical subjects

M Mancini

Publications and source records attributed to M Mancini.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Extracoronary atherosclerosis in familial hypercholesterolemia.

Sixty-two patients (31 males, 31 females) with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) underwent a vascular examination by Doppler ultrasound. The ankle/arm systolic pressure index was determined, and serum lipoproteins were analyzed. Eight of 124 legs examined (6.5%) showed an ankle/arm pressure index less than 0.95, suggesting flow reducing stenosis. Common carotid, internal carotid, and iliac arteries were evaluated by echo Doppler examination with spectral analysis. Forty-five of the 372 arteries examined (12.1%) had detectable abnormalities at echo Doppler examination. Iliac and internal carotid artery lesions were significantly (P less than 0.01) more frequent among FH patients than in a control group (30 men, 20 women) comparable for sex and age. The mean age of the patients with heterozygous FH and detectable arterial lesions was 45.3 years and that of those without lesions 30.7 years (P less than 0.05). When 14 patients with heterozygous FH and arterial lesions were compared to another 14 without lesions and matched for age and gender, it was found that patients with lesions had on average lower concentrations of HDL-cholesterol, and that 10 of 14 cases were actual smokers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Induction of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) neutralizing antibodies in rabbits immunized with recombinant HIV--hepatitis B surface antigen particles.

Fragments of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope coding region have been fused with the hepatitis B virus envelope middle protein. In this system, HIV antigenic determinants are exposed at the surface of a highly antigenic structure, the hepatitis B surface antigen particle. Immunization of rabbits with these particles elicited antibodies directed against both parts of the hybrid protein. One of the rabbit antisera not only exhibited a neutralizing effect on the original HIV1 isolate but also on a divergent Zairian isolate. The HIV sequence in this recombinant is 84 amino acids long and contains conserved and variable domains and a region critical for interaction with the CD4 receptor. Such recombinant antigens could be primary elements in the design of a polyvalent vaccine.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Leisure time physical activity and blood pressure in schoolchildren.

The relation between blood pressure and habitual physical activity during leisure time was investigated in a random sample of 272 sixth grade schoolchildren (mean age, 11.3 years) who entered secondary school in 1983 in Marano di Napoli, a suburb of Naples, Italy. Blood pressure, pulse rate, and anthropometry were measured with standardized techniques. Physical activity was evaluated by a questionnaire outlining four levels of physical activity during leisure time. The study provided evidence that a low level of physical activity during leisure time in 11-year-old children is associated with higher systolic blood pressure independent of sex, age, and adiposity. These findings may be relevant to programs of primary prevention of arterial hypertension in early life.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1988

Calcium-rich foods and blood pressure: findings from the Italian National Research Council Study (the Nine Communities Study).

The present report analyzes the relation between different categories of consumption of varied calcium-rich foods and blood pressure in a population sample of 5,049 Italian men and women aged 20-59, examined between November 1978 and May 1979. The consumption pattern of the various foods was estimated with the use of a food frequency questionnaire. The findings are consistent with an inverse association between whole milk consumption and systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure. Daily consumption of cheese, on the other hand, is not associated with reduced blood pressure levels. The possibility of an adverse effect of the high saturated fats and sodium content on blood pressure that could counteract the beneficial effect of calcium is discussed. Daily skim milk consumption is surprisingly associated with higher systolic, but not diastolic, pressure, compared with infrequent consumption. The possibility of these findings being the result of pre-existing health problems leading to the selection of skim milk over whole milk is discussed. Daily consumption of legumes is associated with lower systolic pressure than infrequent consumption, but the differences do not reach statistical significance, probably because of limited statistical power. These associations are similar in both males and females.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Controlled trial of low calcium versus high calcium intake in mild hypertension.

A controlled trial of the effect of low versus high calcium intake on blood pressure was performed in 15 patients with mild essential hypertension (supine blood pressure after a 1-month run-in period: 145.7 +/- 2.6/97.8 +/- 0.9 mmHg, mean +/- s.e.m.). After a 1-week baseline period on a standard calcium intake (900 mg/day, obtained by giving a 500-mg calcium tablet daily, in addition to a 400-mg calcium diet), the patients were randomly entered into a double-blind crossover study of 4-week low calcium intake (400 mg calcium diet plus two placebo tablets/day) and 4-week high calcium intake (1400 mg/day: 400-mg calcium diet plus two 500-mg calcium tablets/day). Compliance with the diets appeared to be satisfactory, based on the results of food record analysis. No significant blood pressure change was observed at the end of the low-compared to the high-calcium regimen. Serum ionized calcium was slightly, but not significantly lower, while 24-h urinary calcium excretion was significantly reduced during the low-calcium diet. No difference was found in urinary sodium and potassium excretion between the two study periods. We conclude that moderate modifications of oral calcium intake are not associated with changes in blood pressure within the time span of this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Acute and chronic effects of dihydropyridines on triglycerides in humans.

Several drugs used in the treatment of hypertension have been shown to affect lipid metabolism. A few studies have examined in detail the effects of calcium antagonists on blood lipids. We investigated the effects of nifedipine and nitrendipine on blood lipids using two experimental protocols. The first study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the effects of acute oral administration of nifedipine 10 mg on blood lipids in 10 patients (9 males, 1 female; age range 26-50 years) with mild hypertriglyceridemia. Serum triglycerides were not significantly affected (from 310 +/- 120 to 280 +/- 110 mg/dl 2 h after nifedipine) but a slight decrease was observed in patients with higher baseline levels. In the second study, an intravenous fat tolerance test (ivFTT, Intralipid 10%, 1 ml/kg body weight, as a bolus) was performed before and after chronic oral administration of nitrendipine 10 mg b.i.d. in 10 mild to moderate hypertensive patients (7 males, 3 females; age range 40-60 years). After nitrendipine treatment, the fractional removal rate (K2) of the lipid emulsion was significantly increased from 3.1 +/- 0.9 to 3.8 +/- 0.9% min (p less than 0.05). The main findings of these studies suggest that the secretion of lipoprotein lipase might be stimulated by calcium antagonists. Alternatively, the vasodilation produced by these compounds may influence triglyceride removal by expanding the capillary bed where the enzyme exerts its activity. In conclusion, calcium antagonists do not seem to cause unwanted side effects on blood lipids and apparently enhance triglyceride removal.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Serum apolipoproteins, lipoproteins and fatty acids in relation to ischaemic heart disease in northern and southern European males.

Serum apolipoprotein and lipoprotein concentrations, fatty acid spectra of various lipids, dietary habits and common risk factors for ischaemic heart disease were studied in 73 and 77 randomly selected, 50-year-old healthy men in Naples and Stockholm, respectively. Mean serum cholesterol concentration was higher in Stockholm than in Naples men (6.23 vs. 5.47 mmol/l, p less than 0.001) as were low (LDL) (4.08 vs. 3.57 mmol/l, p less than 0.001) and high (HDL) (1.40 vs. 1.25 mmol/l, p less than 0.001) density lipoprotein fractions. Mean serum triglyceride concentrations did not differ. Mean apolipoprotein B and C-I concentrations were higher in Stockholm men (1,116 vs. 1,020 mg/l, p less than 0.05 and 96 vs. 79 mg/l, p less than 0.01, respectively). Stockholm men derived significantly more of their calories from fat (38 vs. 28%, p less than 0.001) and the dietary fat had significantly lower polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio (P/S-ratio 0.29 vs. 0.51, p less than 0.001), and less from carbohydrate (44 vs. 49%, p less than 0.001) than Naples men, respectively. Mean caloric intake and mean weight/height index did not differ. Stockholm men had higher blood pressures, but there were more smokers among Naples men. The higher fat intake in Stockholm men may offer an explanation of the differences seen in lipoprotein and apoprotein concentrations and compositions but other factors, such as genetic influences cannot be excluded. A greater cholesterol flux through the plasma compartment in Stockholm men may be one important factor contributing to the higher incidence of ischaemic heart disease in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Is the sympathetic nervous system altered in children with familial history of arterial hypertension?

The sympathetic nervous system has been investigated in 42 children with family history of arterial hypertension and 68 children of the same age without hypertensive relatives. Pressure responses to mental arithmetic and to isometric handgrip stress were measured in both groups, along with 24 h catecholamine excretion. Resting blood pressure and heart rate did not show any difference between groups. The increase in diastolic pressure during the mental arithmetic exercise was, however, significantly greater in children with family history of hypertension. A sharp increase in blood pressure and heart rate was observed during isometric handgrip in both groups without any significant difference. Twenty-four hour catecholamine urinary excretion was significantly higher in the group with family history of hypertension (31 +/- 15 vs. 23 +/- 13 micrograms/24 h; p less than 0.05). These results seem to indicate that an initial impairment of the sympathetic activity is already detectable in young offspring of hypertensive patients.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1988

Development of hypertension after correction of primary hyperparathyroidism.

A statistical association between hypertension and hyperparathyroidism has been repeatedly reported, but the underlying pathogenetic mechanism has not been elucidated. A 51-year-old woman was hospitalized because of increasing motor disability caused by multiple bone and muscle aches with generalized weakness. She was found to have marked hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, increased parathyroid hormone secretion, but normal renal function and blood pressure level. After the identification and removal of a single parathyroid adenoma, the calcium/phosphate metabolism normalized in a relatively short time during which, however, hypertension developed in the absence of any other endocrine or renal dysfunction. A positive, highly significant relationship was observed between the progressive rise in blood pressure and the gradual increase in serum phosphate concentration occurring after the operation, suggesting that, in the hyperparathyroid phase, an underlying trend to hypertension could have been masked by the phosphate depletion, probably through its effects on cardiac and vascular smooth muscle function.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1988

[Role of radiotherapy in the treatment of carcinoma of the thyroid gland].

A series of 92 thyroid cancer patients treated in collaboration between the Nuclear Medicine and the Oncological Radiotherapy Departments of the Turin Mauriziano Hospital is reported. The age, sex, histotype and stage of the various groups of patients subdivided by therapeutic indications were analysed. In 17 patients, treatment was carried out for pain killing purposes on particularly painful secondary bone localisations with good results symptomatologically and from the point of view of functional recovery. In 21 patients with unfavourable histology who did not take up radioiodine, external radiation treatment was carried out for palliative reasons with, in some case, a lasting effect. In the other 44 patients although generally speaking, at advanced stages of the disease and often in the presence of invasive and anaplastic secondary manifestations, total survival with the two treatments combined was about 55% (24 cases) of whom 75% (18 cases) are alive 5 years later.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

Interferon alpha-2b as therapy for Ph'-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia: a study of 82 patients treated with intermittent or daily administration.

The authors treated a total of 82 patients with Ph'-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with recombinant interferon alpha-2b (IFN alpha-2b). Sixty-five patients in chronic phase (CP), 28 of whom were untreated and 37 pretreated, and nine patients in accelerated phase (AP), were started on IFN three times a week. Patients in CP were randomized to receive 2 or 5 X 10(6) IU/m2, while patients in AP were all given the dose of 5 X 10(6) IU/m2, in addition to concomitant chemotherapy. Patients in CP who were unresponsive to the lower dose were crossed to the higher dose. Of 63 evaluable patients in CP, 43 (68%) responded, 29 (46%) achieved complete hematologic response (CHR), and 14 (22%) achieved partial hematologic response (PHR). The response rate appeared to be significantly influenced by the IFN dose in pretreated patients. Of the nine patients in AP, two attained PHR and one CHR. More recently, eight previously untreated CP cases were submitted to daily IFN administration at doses from 2 to 5 X 10(6) IU/m2. This daily schedule was also applied to patients who had obtained, with the intermittent treatment, a PHR persisting unmodified for six months (nine patients) or an unstable CHR (five patients). Seven of the eight previously untreated patients, and five of the nine PHR patients crossed to daily IFN reached CHR. In the total series of previously untreated patients, the response rate proved to be significantly influenced by the initial risk status. Cytogenetic improvement was seen in 37 of 53 responders (70%) treated for more than 3 months, the median of Ph'-positive cells declining from 100% to 65% (range 0% to 95%). Complete suppression of Ph' chromosome was observed in one case. The cytogenetic response was persistent for over 6 months in 21 patients, but the lowest value of Ph' positivity was usually unstable. At a median follow-up of 56 weeks, 23 of 36 (64%) CHR patients remain in continued disease control with IFN. A blastic transformation (BT) occurred in seven of 21 unresponsive patients and in one of the 36 CHR patients. The authors' data confirm that IFN alpha-2b, especially at daily doses, is effective in inducing clinical and cytogenetic response in a good proportion of patients with CML in the benign phase. Longer follow-ups will define the exact influence of this agent on the natural course of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Cardiovascular risk factors and age of onset of obesity in severely obese patients.

Aim of this study was to evaluate whether the age of onset of obesity might affect the prevalence of CV risk factors in severely obese patients. Five hundred forty-five (385 F aged 42.3 +/- 7.1 yrs, BMI 47.3 +/- 5.1 w/h2 and 160 M of 39.0 +/- 1.1 yrs and BMI of 41.8 +/- 5.3 w/h2) severely obese patients hospitalized in the Metabolic Unit between 1972 and 1985 were subdivided in four classes according to the age of onset of obesity. Severely obese women with maturity onset obesity (i.e. onset greater than or equal to 20 yrs) (MOO) had higher (p less than or equal to .01) serum glucose (118 vs 103 mg/dl) and triglyceride (167 vs 126 mg/dl) than those with early onset obesity (EOO) (i.e. onset less than or equal to 3 yrs) with the same age, BMI and smoking habits. Similar trend was also found in men. In males arterial blood pressure was found to be higher (p less than or equal to .01) in EOO than in MOO (SBP = 152 vs 133 mmHg and DBP = 92 vs 83 mmHg). Similar trend was found in females. In conclusion age of onset of obesity may, at least in part, affect the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in severe obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Optimization of the radiotherapy dosage in vertebral metastases].

The authors describe the radiation therapy treatment planning used in the Department of Radiotherapy of Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, to treat bone metastases from various tumors. The study population consisted of 33 patients with vertebral metastases. Treatment with a 60Co therapy unit was performed following either a conventional or a concentrated schedule. The association of a direct posterior field and a rotational technique with the same center and swing angle varying from 120 degrees and 150 degrees is described. The dose percentage given with the two techniques, the field width and the arching angle variables related to depth and volume of the target are discussed. We present some examples elaborated with a dedicated computer by calculating the integral area dose to the whole body and to the target, towards the best treatment planning for every kind of treatment proposed in two groups of six patients with vertebral and sacral metastases. The technique allows a homogeneous dose distribution to the target, thus reducing the area dose to the whole body, which means good radiotherapeutic results.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗