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Biomedical subjects

S Guerra

Publications and source records attributed to S Guerra.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: relationship with blood pressure, and physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: Using body mass index (BMI) quartiles, the present study's aims were (1) to describe and evaluate the relationship between overweight/obesity with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and physical activity; (2) to provide information on the prevalence of high blood pressure and physical activity according to BMI quartiles; and (3) to examine the relationship of risk of obesity to adverse levels of high blood pressure and physical activity. METHODS: The sample consisted of 1439 children (758 males and 681 females), 8-16 years old. Participants were classified as being at 'risk of obesity' according to age- and sex-adjusted fourth quartile of BMI values. Blood pressure was measured using the Dinamap monitor. An adapted version of the Weekly Activity Checklist was applied for the diagnosis of physical activity index (PAI). RESULTS: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly (p < 0.05) and positively related to BMI, whereas no significant associations were reported between BMI and PAI in both genders. Overall, the proportion of subjects with adverse levels of blood pressure (SBP or DBP) ranged from 21.3% in the first BMI quartile (BMI-1Q) to 30.4% in BMI-4Q (p < 0.05). The PAI ranged from 24.5% in BMI-1Q to 20.6 in BMI-4Q and no significant differences were found. Children and adolescents at 'risk of obesity' were 1.5 times as likely to have at least one risk factor (high blood pressure or low level of activity). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that higher BMI is associated with higher values of SBP and DBP. Children and adolescents in the upper quartile of BMI are 1.5 times as likely to have at least one risk factor. Furthermore our data confirmed previous findings that higher levels of BMI are associated with a unfavourable risk profile for CVD risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of zafirlukast on methacholine and ultrasonically nebulized distilled water challenge in patients with mild asthma.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness due to the release of multiple mediators, such as cysteinyl-leukotrienes (cys-LTs). OBJECTIVE: Our study was designed to investigate whether oral pretreatment with zafirlukast (a cys-LTs receptor antagonist) reduces bronchoconstriction against methacholine (MC) and ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (UNDW) challenge in patients with mild asthma. METHODS: Fourteen non-atopic patients (8 males, 20-42 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) 97% SD +/- 0.4) with mild, intermittent bronchial asthma performed a sequential weekly pulmonary function test following challenge with MC or UNDW 2 h after zafirlukast or placebo administration, according to a single-blind method. RESULTS: We found that pretreatment with zafirlukast significantly decreased bronchoconstriction MC (maximum FEV(1) drop -10.75% SD +/- 1.89, p < 0.001) and UNDW induced (maximum FEV(1) drop -12% SD +/- 0.15, p < 0.001), while pretreatment with placebo did not protect patients against FEV(1) drop following MC (maximum FEV(1) drop -33.22% SD +/- 1.42, p < 0.001) and UNDW challenge (maximum FEV(1) drop -30.02% SD +/- 0.4, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with zafirlukast significantly reduced bronchoconstriction against MC and UNDW challenge in individuals with mild intermittent asthma, indicating that cys-LTs receptor antagonists might be useful as preventive therapy in these patients population.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in DNA content of myocardial cells after cardiac explantation.

To evaluate the changes in DNA content of myocardial cells, image cytometric measurement was performed on a series of specimens obtained from 7 explanted hearts with respect to different fixation times after cardiac explantation. Prior to fixation, the tissue samples were stored at 4 degrees C or at room temperature. When the tissue samples were stored at room temperature, the integrated optical density decreased after 48 hours from cardiac explantation. Meanwhile, the coefficient of variation of integrated optical density and the sum of intermediate ploidies of myocyte nuclei increased. However, no significant changes were found when tissue samples were kept at 4 degrees C. This study indicates that no significant changes in DNA content are found within two days from cardiac explantation.

Cardiomyopathies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effectiveness of beclomethasone dipropionate aerosolized through different nebulizers to asthmatic patients.

The aim of our study was to verify if the type of nebulizer used could influence the results of aerosol therapy with beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) in mild allergic asthma. We assigned 27 asthmatics allergic to grasses to 3 groups and treated them from May to July 1998 with aerosol therapy with BDP (800 microg) b. i. d. via nebulizer + pMDI salbutamol (200 microg) if necessary. Each group used a different type of nebulizer: jet nebulizer with glass ampoule (group JG); jet nebulizer with polycarbonate ampoule (group JP); ultrasonic nebulizer (group US). During the study patients underwent periodic lung function tests and methacholine bronchial challenges, recorded twice a day self-monitoring PEF and filled out a daily diary for the presence and intensity of asthmatic symptoms. At the end of the study the provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PD20), the self-monitoring PEF and the clinical scores were all greatly improved, but without any statistically significant difference among the three groups. On the contrary, the variations during the study of basal spirometric parameters (specifically FEV1, PEF, FEF25) were significantly better in jet nebulizer groups than in group US. The results coming from the aerosol characterization that we carried out for each of the three nebulizers confirmed the clinical findings, since jet nebulizers showed greatly lower MMAD than the ultrasonic nebulizer (2.9 and 3.7 vs 5.8). Our data suggest that jet nebulizers are more appropriate than ultrasonic nebulizers for delivering BDP in aerosol therapy.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Morphological study of the myocardium in children and adults under normal conditions and in hypoxia].

At the light and electronic microscopes, 32 myocardial biopsies from 16 patients were studied. The study was carried out in 8 children under 5 years of age and in 8 adults over 20 years during open-sky surgery of the chest done to correct some congenital or acquired heart anomaly. Control biopsies were taken before the application of extracorporeal circulation and a second biopsy, after an average of 30 minutes of hypoxia, which was the time taken to perform the surgical correction of the anomaly. Following extracorporeal circulation, all cases showed mitochondrial mutuations, such as disorganization of their crests, marked distension, from edema to emptiness due to hypoxia. The lack of glycogen, the disorganization of the myofibrillae, decreased neatness of the sarcoplasm and nuclei with marginated chromation, were all preceded by mitochondrial mutations due to oxidative phosphorylation deficiency.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Risk factors associated with persistence of glucose intolerance one year after gestational diabetes.

One hundred and fourteen women, 89 with previous gestational diabetes and 25 who showed a normal glucose tolerance during pregnancy were retested by OGTT one year postpartum. Gestational diabetics were divided into two groups according to the severity of glucose intolerance. 97.6% of mild gestational diabetics and 79.2% of severe cases returned to normality postpartum. A different behaviour of these groups was shown by comparing OGTT areas before and after delivery. Body Mass Index and the degree of severity of glucose intolerance were shown to be predictive for the persistence of the abnormality postpartum. Follow-up for three to four years was continued in 8 cases of previous severe gestational diabetes. In seven of them a glucose intolerance appeared again during the follow-up after the temporary improvement one year after delivery.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) assay as a test for detection and surveillance of gestational diabetes. A reappraisal.

Total glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) levels were measured in 96 gestational diabetics and 139 normal pregnant women in order to assess their usefulness in detection and monitoring of gestational diabetes. Different, although not significant, behaviour of HbA1 values was found in gestational diabetics and controls throughout pregnancy. Significantly higher (p less than 0.005) HbA1 values were found in gestational diabetics between the 24th and the 32nd week of gestation. In spite of this finding a low sensitivity in detecting gestational diabetes was confirmed. HbA1 values and OGTT parameters did not correlate. Delivery of a large-for-date (LGA) baby was not associated with higher HbA1 levels. Overlapping HbA1 levels were found in gestational diabetics and normal pregnant women. This study confirm the low predictive value of HbA1 assay in gestational diabetes.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increasing the effectiveness of community workers through training of spouses: a family planning experiment in Guatemala.

As community-based distribution (CBD) systems for the delivery of contraceptive methods are implemented in developing countries around the world, there is growing interest in making these programs more effective. Previous research on the CBD program in Guatemala indicated the importance of the role of the spouse: those community volunteers (called "distributors") who received assistance from their spouses were more effective in selling contraceptives than those who did not. The current experiment was designed to test the effect of providing the spouses of distributors with a formal 3-day training course on family planning and contraceptives. "Effect" was operationally measured in terms of the level of contraceptive sales. To this end sales data were compared for the experimental group (33 distributors whose spouses received the training) and the control group (33 distributors whose spouses wanted to attend the training but could not because their primary occupation did not allow them to be absent) for periods of 6 months prior to and 6 months following the training. The results indicate that sales among the experimental group increased significantly, whereas no such increase was found among the controls. This suggests a strategy for increasing the effectiveness of community volunteer workers that has received relatively little attention in the literature to date.

Community Health Services↗