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Biomedical subjects

M Mancini

Publications and source records attributed to M Mancini.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Very low density lipoprotein. Qualitative abnormalities in patients with premature coronary heart disease and in patients with insulin dependent diabetes.

VLDL composition has been investigated in two groups of patients: one with Premature Coronary Heart Disease (PCHD) and another one with Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Both groups showed abnormal VLDL composition. PCHD patients had VLDL significantly enriched in free cholesterol and triglycerides in comparison with a group of controls matched with patients for sex, age, BMI, serum cholesterol and TG. This VLDL composition indicates a prevalence of big particles, which can be found at the beginning of the lipolytic cascade. On the other hand VLDL of diabetic patients were enriched in cholesterol, especially esterified cholesterol, and apo B in comparison with the respective control group suggesting an increase of smaller VLDL, considered more atherogenic. In conclusion these two studies demonstrate that VLDL compositional abnormalities can be found in two different groups of patients even in the absence of hyperlipidemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Identification of erythro-beta-hydroxyasparagine in the EGF-like domain of human C1r.

Previous studies [(1987) Biochem. J. 241, 711-720] have shown that position 150 of human C1r is occupied by a modified amino acid that, after acid hydrolysis, yields erythro-beta-hydroxyaspartic acid. In view of further investigations on the nature of this residue, peptide CN1a T8/T9 TL8 (positions 147-155) was isolated from C1r A chain by CNBr cleavage followed by enzymatic cleavages by trypsin and thermolysin. Amino acid analysis, sequential Edman degradation and FAB-MS of this peptide indicate that the residue at position 150 is an erythro-beta-hydroxyasparagine resulting from post-translational hydroxylation of asparagine.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1987

Mechanism of isoproterenol-induced angina pectoris in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and normal coronary arteries.

In 14 patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and angiographically normal coronary arteries, 8 with angina (group B) and 6 without (group A), the effects of intravenous isoproterenol, 2 to 4 micrograms/min, followed by intravenous propranolol, 0.2 mg/kg, were studied. An intraventricular systolic gradient less than 50 mm Hg, high-quality echocardiograms and cineangiograms and high-fidelity pressure tracings were selection criteria. Hemodynamic and metabolic variables were assessed during basal conditions, after 5 minutes of isoproterenol infusion or at angina and ST-segment depression, and 5 and 10 minutes after intravenous propranolol infusion. Isoproterenol increased the intraventricular systolic gradient more significantly in group B than in group A (102.4 +/- 8.3 vs 52.2 +/- 8.2, p less than 0.0001). Group B also had higher left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (32.5 +/- 3.9 vs 20.2 +/- 5.7), lower mean arterial pressure (69.7 +/- 3.5 vs 84.7 +/- 4.8) and a smaller increase in coronary sinus flow (176.1 +/- 9.2 vs 261.5 +/- 33.9, all p less than 0.0001), concomitant with lactate release and ST-segment depression. Propranolol promptly reversed hemodynamic and metabolic changes caused by isoproterenol, except for a further coronary sinus flow increase (from 176.1 +/- 9.2 to 219 +/- 14.2 ml/min, p less than 0.001), and heart rate decrease below basal values (57.8 +/- 7.5 vs 79.9 +/- 9.8 beats/min, p less than 0.001) in group B.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1987

Secondary acute non lymphoid leukemia in patients treated for non Hodgkin's lymphoma: no risk of therapy-related ANLL after PROVECIP schedule.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the frequency, characteristics and actuarial risk of secondary acute non lymphoid leukemia (s-ANLL) in 141 patients treated for non Hodgkin's lymphoma with different modalities. One hundred and twenty-four patients received chemotherapy according to PROVECIP protocol. Of these, 15 also received as induction treatment a local nodal irradiation and 33 an extended field radiotherapy. Seventeen out of 141 were treated by total body irradiation. Of these, 15 relapsed and received salvage chemotherapy. Sixteen of the 124 patients treated with PROVECIP also underwent different chemotherapeutic programs as salvage treatment. Of the entire population studied, 2 patients developed an s-ANLL, 45 and 63 months after diagnosis of NHL. The type of treatment significantly affected the occurrence of s-ANLL, since both leukemias occurred in patients treated with total body irradiation, given alone or followed by chemotherapy. The actuarial risk at 8 years was 5.24% in the whole group, whereas it greatly increased in the group of patients treated with total body irradiation (24%). Conversely, no risk was found in the group treated with PROVECIP, alone, with additional chemotherapy, or with associated local or extended field radiotherapy.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1987

Controlled trial of long term oral potassium supplements in patients with mild hypertension.

A 15 week randomised double blind placebo controlled trial of oral potassium supplements (48 mmol daily) was conducted in 37 patients who had mildly increased blood pressure and a normal dietary intake of sodium. After a two month run in and a one week baseline period the patients were randomly assigned to receive either potassium supplements (n = 18) or placebo (n = 19). By the third week of treatment blood pressure in the actively treated group had decreased significantly compared with that in the placebo group, though the decrease reached its maximum after 15 weeks. Urinary potassium excretion increased significantly in the group who received potassium supplements, but no significant changes were found in plasma sodium and potassium concentrations or in urinary sodium excretion. In a subgroup of 13 patients who underwent a further nine weeks of treatment with oral potassium supplements at half of the previous dose (24 mmol daily) their blood pressure, at the end of this second study period, was still significantly lower compared with their baseline value but not with that of the placebo group. These results show that moderate oral potassium supplements are associated with a long term reduction in blood pressure in patients who have mild hypertension.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

Metabolic effects of long-term therapy with muzolimine and chlorthalidone in hypertension.

Previous short-term studies of muzolimine (a diuretic with frusemide-like activity) had shown that it did not induce a significant change in the serum potassium concentration. In the present study sodium and potassium handling and other metabolic variables have been compared during 16 weeks of therapy with muzolimine and chlorthalidone, a thiazide-like diuretic. During muzolimine treatment, plasma and red cell potassium concentrations remained unchanged, while a significant fall in potassium occurred with chlorthalidone. Neither drug affected the activity of sodium-potassium cotransport or sodium-lithium countertransport in red cells in vitro. Muzolimine and chlorthalidone had similar effects on arterial pressure and on the other metabolic variables tested.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Adrenergic system and carbohydrate metabolism. Effects of beta-receptor blockade on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity in normoglycaemic patients.

The effects of 3 weeks of treatment with the beta-receptor blocking agent propranolol and a placebo on glucose tolerance, insulin secretion and peripheral insulin sensitivity have been evaluated in 7 normoglycaemic hypertensive patients by an oral glucose tolerance test and the insulin clamp technique. Significant changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were observed at the end of propranolol treatment, but there were no associated changes in glucose tolerance, insulin secretion or peripheral insulin sensitivity. No difference was observed in glucagon, growth hormone and free fatty acids between propranolol and placebo treatment. The results support the view that the hypothetical pancreatic glucoreceptor, at least in non-acute studies, is not affected by beta blockade. In addition, there was no effect on tissue sensitivity to insulin.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1987

Physical activity and its relationship to blood pressure in school children.

The present report analyzes the relationship between physical activity and blood pressure in 1341 school children aged 7-14 years (girls = 598, boys = 743) participating in a screening for cardiovascular risk factors that took place in the suburban area of Naples. During the baseline examination, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, height, weight, and resting pulse rate (PR) were measured. The Harvard-Modified Step Test was also performed in order to score both a crude recovery index (RI) and an index corrected for the initial resting pulse rate (RI-PR) used as measures of the level of habitual physical activity. Significant differences have been found between the quartiles of distribution of both the crude recovery index and the corrected index in girls and boys with regard to systolic blood pressure but not diastolic. In both sexes, better responders to the Harvard-Modified Step Test showed on the average lower systolic blood pressure than poorer responders. In boys, the inverse association between systolic blood pressure and the recovery index was independent of the effect of age, body mass index, height, and resting pulse rate, while in girls the same association did not reach statistical significance. Our results support the hypothesis that systolic blood pressure is independently related to the level of habitual physical activity in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The use of diet to lower plasma cholesterol levels.

The basic principle of a lipid lowering diet is restriction of saturated fat intake. This can be achieved by reducing the consumption of dairy products and fats of animal origin. To keep energy intake constant (in normal weight individuals) complex carbohydrate or unsaturated fat is substituted for saturated fat. Diets with various proportions of complex carbohydrate, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids have been proposed. In theory, the latter should be the best substitute for saturated fatty acids in a lipid lowering diet. Polyunsaturated fat has cholesterol lowering activity that is additive to the effect obtained by reducing the amount of dietary saturated fat. In practice, either polyunsaturated fatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids or complex carbohydrate exert very similar effects on plasma cholesterol levels when substituted for saturated fatty acids in a lipid lowering diet. Their effects on plasma triglyceride are, however, dissimilar. Increased consumption of polyunsaturated fat leads to pronounced reduction in plasma triglyceride concentrations. Conversely, a high carbohydrate diet has a hypertriglyceridemic effect that is more pronounced in individuals with diabetes or preexisting hypertriglyceridemia. Dietary cholesterol should also be reduced in order to lower plasma cholesterol levels. However, the hypocholesterolemic effect of this measure has a large interindividual variation which is further influenced by the fat composition of the diet. Dietary fibre has received attention in more recent years for its ability to reduce plasma cholesterol levels. Fibre rich foods are not equally effective in this respect, the most active being legumes, fruit and vegetables. When high carbohydrate-high fibre diets are consumed, the hypertriglyceridaemic effect of carbohydrate is counteracted by dietary fibre.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cholesterol↗
PubMed1987

Alcohol consumption, drinking pattern and blood pressure: analysis of data from the Italian National Research Council Study.

The present analyses addressed the relationship between alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and hypertension in 6699 Italian men and women participating in a national project on arteriosclerosis risk factors. The results of the analyses are consistent with an association between heavy alcohol consumption and systolic blood pressure in both males and females. Higher diastolic blood pressure was associated with heavy alcohol consumption in men but not in women. Drinkers of wine both with and without meals have a higher prevalence of hypertension than abstainers in both sexes. We conclude that heavy alcohol consumption is associated with higher blood pressure values, and that the pattern of drinking could be an important determinant in the association between alcohol and hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Adipose tissue fatty acids and blood pressure in middle-aged men from southern Italy.

Adipose tissue (AT) biopsies were performed in a random population sample of 74 clinically healthy middle-aged men (40-49 years) from southern Italy. The percentage of saturated fatty acids (FA) in AT was directly correlated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure (p less than 0.01). This relationship was independent of smoking habit and body weight. AT of men in the upper DBP quintile (range 90-102 mmHg) was significantly richer in palmitic acid (p less than 0.01) compared to that of men in the lowest DBP quintile. Dietary history demonstrated that the overall intake of saturated fat (% energy) was similar in the two extreme DBP quintiles. There was a relatively higher consumption of fish by those in the lowest DBP quintile (p less than 0.05). The amount of monounsaturated fat consumed (% energy) was also higher (p less than 0.05) in men with low blood pressure. Men in the upper quintile of DBP consumed more eggs (p less than 0.05).

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1987

Protein balance during very-low-calorie diets for the treatment of severe obesity.

Very-low-calorie diets (less than 500 kcal/day; VLCD) are widely used for the treatment of severe obesity. We report the effects of such diets, consisting of proteins only or proteins and carbohydrates (CH), on nitrogen balance and protein nutritional status of morbidly obese patients. Cumulative nitrogen loss, serum albumin, transferrin, prealbumin (PA) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) concentrations, and plasma amino acid profile were determined in two groups of obese patients: 5 subjects (3 women, 2 men: BMI 55.3 +/- 2.2 kg/m2) subjected for 4 weeks to a protein VLCD (40 g protein + 2 g fat) and 7 others (4 women, 3 men: BMI 45.6 +/- 2.8 kg/m2) received for the same length of time a protein + CH VLCD (34 g protein + 26 g CH). Nitrogen balance was determined weekly whilst plasma and serum variables were measured on days 0, 3, 5, 10, 20 and 28 of treatment. Nitrogen balance did not significantly differ between the two groups of patients throughout the treatment. Serum PA and RBP concentrations decreased from day 5 and day 10, respectively, in both groups. Plasma amino acids showed a similar pattern in the protein and protein + CH groups. Alanine gradually decreased below baseline values; after a peak value on day 5, branched-chain amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine) returned to baseline values in both groups. In conclusion, in severely obese patients subjected to VLCD, nitrogen balance, labile protein concentrations and plasma amino acid profile are not significantly affected by adding CH to proteins.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Study of the cardiovascular effects of clenbuterol in exercise-induced asthma.

The protective effect of clenbuterol on exercise-induced asthma was studied in 14 patients with aspecific bronchial hyperreactivity. The selectivity of clenbuterol for beta 2-receptors was also studied. Patients were selected according to spirometric criteria: reduced dynamic indexes of respiratory function after exercise and, particularly, forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) decreased by at least 20% compared with initial values. A polycardiographic study was simultaneously carried out for the evaluation of systolic time intervals and polycardiographic indexes (Weissler index, Blumberger index and QT/QS2 index). After the preliminary measurements (C1), oral clenbuterol was started (0.02 mg X 2/day) and measurements were repeated after 30 (CII) and 60 days (CIII) of therapy. During treatment, physical exercise did not significantly influence the indexes of respiratory function (FEV1 decreased by 4.7 +/- 5.8 and 9.8 +/- 10.5% in CII and CIII with respect to initial values). Similarly systolic time intervals and polycardiographic indexes did not change significantly with respect to the initial values. A small increase in heart rate at rest was observed in CII (+ 7%, p less than 0.05): however, no significant changes were recorded in CIII compared with the initial values. Clenbuterol thus seems to offer an effective protection against exercise-induced asthma without the negative effects on the cardiovascular system which may arise from activation of beta 1-adrenergic receptors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Left ventricular mass and blood pressure during ergometric exercise in primary hypertension.

The pathophysiology of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients is still an intriguing point. The lack of a close relationship between LVH and systolic or diastolic blood pressure at rest, previously observed by other investigators, was confirmed in our group of 45 patients with uncomplicated primary hypertension. The strength of correlation between echocardiographic left ventricular mass (LVMe) and blood pressure, expressed as incremental area (IA = total area under the curve--basal area), however, increased during bicycle exercise testing (r = 0.33, p less than 0.05 for diastolic blood pressure; r = 0.39, p less than 0.01 for systolic blood pressure; r = 0.41, p less than 0.01 for mean arterial pressure). Other echocardiographic parameters of myocardial mass such as LVM index (LVMI) and septal thickness (ST) were also significantly correlated with blood pressure during exercise. These results suggest either that blood pressure during exercise is a better index of the cardiac workload than resting blood pressure or that the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy involves an enhanced reactivity to adrenergic drive, particularly stimulated during ergometric exercise. Increased blood pressure alone, however, only partly accounts (about 20%) for the increase in myocardial mass in hypertensive patients; other factors, therefore, need to be further investigated for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of left ventricular hypertrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Noninvasive assessment of hemodynamic changes during therapy with nitrendipine in arterial hypertension.

Changes in hemodynamic variables regulating systolic function were examined by M-mode echocardiography in 14 patients with long-duration primary uncomplicated hypertension treated with nitrendipine once daily (20 mg). At the end of treatment (8th week) blood pressure and peripheral resistance were greatly reduced (p less than 0.0001), while the indices of cardiac function (ejection fraction and cardiac index) showed significant increases (p less than 0.01). The variations in ejection fraction were analyzed by multiple linear regression and were mainly influenced by the decrease in end-systolic stress (contribution: 60%). At baseline, despite no radiographic or clinical signs of heart failure, 6 of the studied patients showed impaired systolic function, likely due to the strength of other variables (age, risk factors); in those patients, systolic function was clearly enhanced at the end of treatment, while no change was found in patients with initial normal pump function. Changes in cardiac output were due to a significant increase in heart rate in patients with normal pump function and to improved stroke volume in the others. Left ventricular mass index was slightly reduced (p less than 0.005), primarily because of the reduction in end-diastolic volume (p less than 0.01). When analyzed by the 2 subgroups (with or without impaired systolic function), the left ventricular mass index appeared to be significantly reduced only in those patients with normal basal pump function. This difference was most likely due to the different effects of treatment on end-diastolic volume.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Antihypertensive efficacy of the combination of ketanserin + thiazide in hypertensives older than 50 years.

The antihypertensive effect of the combination of ketanserin, a new antiserotonergic agent, and thiazide has been evaluated in 35 patients with arterial hypertension of mild to moderate degree in the greater than 50-year-old age group. Twenty patients were given ketanserin (20 mg) + hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg) (treatment A) while the others were given ketanserin (40 mg) + hydrochlorothiazide (12.5 mg) (treatment B) once daily, for a period of 6 weeks. Twenty-four-hour blood pressure, measured by an automatic recorder, was significantly reduced by both combinations. In particular, treatment A reduced blood pressure from 169 +/- 15/95 +/- 6 mm Hg before treatment to 146 +/- 11/83 +/- 8, 149 +/- 13/82 +/- 10, 143 +/- 12/81 +/- 9, and 151 +/- 14/84 +/- 7 mm Hg at 2, 6, 8, and 24 h, respectively, after the last dose of drug. With treatment B, blood pressure was reduced from 167 +/- 11/97 +/- 7 mm Hg before treatment to 152 +/- 12/89 +/- 8, 151 +/- 15/85 +/- 8, 150 +/- 16/86 +/- 8, and 158 +/- 13/91 +/- 7 mm Hg at 2, 6, 8, and 24 h, respectively. Heart rate was not affected by both treatments despite the fact that ketanserin has been proved to induce a marked vasodilation. Cardiac workload (systolic blood pressure X heart rate) was slightly reduced by the treatments. Treatment A only induced transient dizziness after the first dose of drug; treatment B, on the other hand, induced drowsiness and more marked dizziness, which in one case was also observed after repeated doses of the drug.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗