Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Panico.
Gender differences in coronary heart disease frequency is dramatic during the reproductive age of the woman. The main biological difference during this age depends on the endogenous sexual hormone pattern. This paper discusses the possible role of these hormones in determining the coronary risk and the coronary heart disease.
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is less common in females compared to males and geographical differences are observed in both sexes; furthermore time trend mortality in women follows the same pattern as in men suggesting that the environmental factors have similar influence in both sexes. Nutrition is an environmental factor which plays an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of CHD. The Italian Nine Communities Study on Atherosclerosis Risk Factors analyzes the relationships between consumption of food rich in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and a number of CHD risk factors in a sample of Italian women aged 20-59 years. The dietary habits of the participants were ascertained by a food frequency questionnaire. Intake of atherogenic food was evaluated for each participants systolic blood pressure, serum glucose, serum cholesterol increased with increasing consumption of atherogenic food (i.e. butter). Conversely, consumption of olive oil and vegetable oil was inversely associated with serum cholesterol, serum glucose and systolic blood pressure. Furthermore, calcium rich food consumption was associated with lower blood pressure. These findings were independent from any possible confounding effect of age, adiposity, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking. Data from the Intersalt Study in Italy (400 women aged 20-59 years) have clearly shown lower blood pressure levels in participants with lower intake of sodium and alcohol and higher intake of potassium. Some clinical and experimental observations suggest a possible difference in response to dietary factors in women compared to men due to the intermediate effects of the sex hormone pattern.
A new generation of studies is emerging from the recent technical development in the epidemiology of chronic diseases. Prospective investigations on large number of individuals using a biological specimen bank as a support have been designed recently in the major European and North-American research center in epidemiology. The efficiency of this design may guarantee sound information on a number of etiological questions regarding modifiable environmental factors (such as nutrition) and tumours and cardiovascular diseases. Studies on women appear the most efficient use of this design in cardiovascular epidemiology, especially for coronary heart disease. The design, the objectives and the rationale of a study on the etiology of cardiovascular disease in Italian women are described in the present paper. The Progetto ATENA and the women-dedicated section of the Progetto Controllo Comunitario Integrato nel Distretto Sanitario di Sezze are the two components of the investigation.
Epidemiological investigations on nutrition and chronic diseases require high reliability, accuracy, low cost and feasibility of the system through which dietary information is collected. Food frequency questionnaire are commonly used in large epidemiological investigations. However, repeated 24 hour recall should be considered to integrate this information. Multiple 24 h recalls in random samples of large cohorts appear to be convenient choice to improve data accuracy. This procedure also allow calibration of dietary information in case of pooling of data from different cohorts. Multiple 24 h recalls can be easily carried out through telephone interviews instead of multiple face-to-face. This reliable procedure, tested in a study reported in this paper, may improve compliance.
The relationship between psychological coping strategies and BP was analysed in a group of 158 southern Italian men and women aged 20-59, randomly selected from an epidemiological study on coronary heart disease risk factors. Coping strategies were evaluated by use of a self-administered questionnaire (Jalowiec Coping Scale) listing 40 frequently used strategies. Factor analysis revealed the reported use of 5 different coping strategies. Males, on average, reported seeking less external support than females. In both sexes, increased years of education were associated with increased use of solution-oriented coping strategies and decreased use of resignation and sympathy seeking. After adjustment for age, alcohol use, body mass index, education and smoking, increased use of resignation was associated with lowered BP in both sexes. Emotional coping was inversely related to BP in males, but not in females. The search for external support was associated with a higher BP only in males. These data provide some evidence to suggest that psychological coping modalities are related to blood pressure.
Since 1974 an anti-smoking campaign consisting of a one-day educational intervention has been carried out in primary schools in Milan by the Italian League against Cancer (Milan Division). All but two of the 165 schools were randomized to evaluate the intervention effect. A total of 8549 children aged 9-10 were allocated to the intervention group and 8897 to the control group. Four years later a self-administered questionnaire was distributed in order to investigate the children's smoking habits. The proportion of smokers was 8.05% and 8.72% (p = 0.23) respectively for the intervention and control groups. It was concluded that sporadic educational intervention carried out during primary school years has little or no impact in preventing cigarette smoking in teenagers.
The association between serum selenium concentration and a number of coronary heart disease risk factors is studied in 364 males from southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. Selenium correlates positively and significantly with serum cholesterol (r = 0.120; P = 0.022), and this positive association persists after adjustment for age and body mass index. Selenium levels in heavy smokers are lower than both light smokers and current non-smokers, but these differences do not reach statistical significance. Selenium is not significantly associated with any of the other CHD risk factors (e.g., triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, age, and body mass index). It is hypothesized that the association between selenium and serum cholesterol reported in this and previous studies could be due to dietary interrelationships between selenium intake and foods that affect serum cholesterol concentrations.
Intra-individual variability for serum and urinary hormones has been inadequately considered in previous studies. Therefore, in the planning phase of a prospective study of Hormones and Diet in the Etiology of Breast Cancer (ORDET study), androgen levels have been examined at two different times in 56 women (26 in premenopause and 30 in postmenopause). Hormonal measurements in serum showed a good level of agreement for both premenopause (pre) and postmenopause (post): androstenedione pre r = 0.70 (p less than 0.0001), post r = 0.77 (p less than 0.0001); testosterone pre r = 0.73 (p less than 0.0001), post log values r = 0.74 (p less than 0.0001). Dihydrotestosterone showed a good level for premenopause only: log values pre r = 0.82 (p less than 0.0001), post r = 0.41 (p less than 0.05). Agreement levels in urine were inferior to those of serum: testosterone pre r = 0.53 (p less than 0.05), post r = 0.41 (p less than 0.05); androstanediol log values r = 0.46 (p less than 0.001), post log values r = 0.57 (p less than 0.05). Correlation between the two measurements improves considering age, parity, time of blood collection and, for urine, the interval of sample collections.
We investigated the prevalence and correlates of angina pectoris in 6573 men and women aged 20-59 participating in the Italian National Multicenter Study on Risk Factors for Arteriosclerosis. In both sexes, the prevalence of angina pectoris, as assessed by the Rose questionnaire, increased sharply with age (from 0.8% to 5.1% for men and from 1.7% to 6.9% for women). In all age groups, there was a higher prevalence of angina pectoris for women than for men. In men, a strong positive association was found between angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (both by self-report and electrocardiographic documentation) and self-reported dyspnea. In women, myocardial infarction (self-reported), electrocardiographic-documented myocardial ischemia, intermittent claudication, and dyspnea were all associated with angina pectoris. In both sexes, angina pectoris was positively associated with body mass index. Males with diabetes had two times the prevalence of angina pectoris as males without diabetes; in females, diabetes was only weakly associated with angina pectoris. None of other major ischemic heart disease risk factors (blood pressure, serum lipids, or smoking) was associated with angina pectoris.
We have examined the effects of synthetic dsRNA (poly rI:rC) treatment or of immunization with irradiated allogeneic cells on the expression in vivo of several interferon (IFN)-inducible genes. For this purpose, DBA/2 mice were injected i.p. once with poly rI:rC, or once and then again 3 weeks later, with irradiated C3H/He spleen cells and the effect of these treatments on the levels of the following mRNAs was determined: 202, 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5A synthetase), class I and class II major histocompatibility antigens, and beta-actin. After poly rl:rC treatment, the levels of the 202 and 2-5A synthetase mRNAs in the spleen and in the bone marrow peaked between 12 and 24 h and decreased thereafter. The class I mRNA levels started to increase at 12 h, peaked at 24 h, and declined thereafter. No increase in class II mRNA expression was observed after poly rl:rC injection, whereas beta-actin levels remained unchanged. Pretreatment of DBA/2 mice with sheep anti-murine IFN-alpha/beta antibodies before poly rI:rC injection strongly diminished the induction of 202 mRNA, indicating that IFN-alpha/beta mediated this induction. When irradiated C3H/He spleen cells were injected into DBA/2 mice, the class I and class II mRNAs in the spleen, but not in the bone marrow, started to increase at 12 h, peaked between 48 and 96 h, and decreased thereafter. No increase in the levels of 202 and 2-5A synthetase mRNAs was detected, whereas beta-actin levels remained unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We analyzed the effects of synthetic dsRNA (poly rI:rC) treatment on the expression in vivo of two interferon (IFN)-inducible genes. DBA/2 mice were injected i.p. with poly rI:rC and its effect on the levels of the following mRNAs was determined; 202, 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5A synthetase) and beta-actin. After poly rI:rC treatment the levels of the 202 and 2-5A synthetase mRNAs in the spleen and in bone marrow peaked between 12 and 24 h and decreased thereafter, whereas beta-actin levels remained unchained unchanged. Pretreatment of DBA/2 mice with sheep anti-murine IFN-alpha/beta antibodies before rI:rC injection strongly diminished the induction of 202 mRNA indicating that IFN-alpha/beta mediated this induction.
In INTERSALT, an international cooperative study on electrolytes and blood pressure, significant associations were found, in the pooled data for 52 centres, between systolic BP and sodium (Na) excretion, body mass index (BMI), high alcohol intake and low potassium (K) excretion. We have assessed the status of the four Italian centres (Mirano, Gubbio, Bassiano, Naples) on these variables. The four centres examined a total of 794 men and women aged 20-59 years. Combined values were similar to overall INTERSALT levels for daily Na excretion (170 mmol) and BMI (25 kg/m2). The Italian centres had slightly higher potassium excretions (57 vs. 55 mmol/day), a higher prevalence of drinkers and a greater average alcohol consumption. Participants were divided into those below or above median levels of Na, K, BMI, and by alcohol intake (below or above 300 ml/week). Both systolic BP and diastolic BP were found to be lower in the more favourable stratum, for each variable. When all four factors were combined, those below median Na excretion and BMI, above median K, and with alcohol intake less than 300 ml/week had age-adjusted systolic BP 7.5 mmHg lower than those with less favourable levels of all four variables. The difference in adjusted diastolic BP was 4.3 mmHg. The data indicate the potential for lower population average BP with improved lifestyles.
The cross-sectional association between consumption of various fats (eg, butter, olive oil, and vegetable oil) and risk factors for coronary heart disease was analyzed in a sample of 4903 Italian men and women 20 to 59 years of age. The intake of fats was ascertained by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Increased consumption of butter was associated with significantly higher blood pressure and serum cholesterol and glucose levels for men; in women only the association with glucose reached statistical significance. In both sexes consumption of olive oil and vegetable oil was inversely associated with serum cholesterol and glucose levels and systolic blood pressure. These findings were adjusted for confounding effects of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. These cross-sectional findings from a large population sample suggest that consumption of butter may detrimentally affect coronary risk factors, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may be associated with a lower coronary risk profile.
Analogues of bifonazole bearing two imidazole rings and other related azoles have been synthesized and tested as antifungal agents against Candida albicans and Candida spp.. Only a slight part of the antifungal power of the parent drug is retained by some derivatives as evinced by the comparison of new compounds with bifonazole, miconazole, and ketoconazole.
In this paper we present a study of the diurnal variation of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in women, carried out as part of the design of a prospective study on the hormonal and nutritional etiology of breast cancer. Blood samples were obtained 5 times on the same day, in the morning and early afternoon, from 23 women aged between 25 and 63 yr. Twelve were sampled within the first days following daylight-saving time (SUMTI) introduction. In postmenopause, T mean values decreased from 08:00 h to 15:00 h and the effect of blood drawing time was statistically significant (p less than 0.01), with no significant effects of SUMTI. For E2 mean values, no significant effect was found for either blood drawing time or SUMTI. In premenopause, T mean values decreased from morning to afternoon (p less than 0.01), while no effect of SUMTI was found. A significant decrease was observed for E2 during the day (p less than 0.01), with no significant influence of SUMTI. These results indicate that diurnal variation of T and E2 are such, that one must not neglect the possible effects of timing procedures on hormonal measurements, when hormonal hypotheses are tested in comparative studies on cancer etiology.
The relationship between consumption of foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol and a number of coronary heart disease risk factors (blood pressure, serum glucose, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides) was analyzed in a large sample (4,917) of Italian men and women, ages 20-59 years. The dietary habits of the participants were ascertained with a food frequency questionnaire. Intake of atherogenic foods (foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats) was evaluated for each participant. In both sexes, systolic blood pressure, serum glucose, and serum cholesterol increased with higher consumption of atherogenic foods. These findings were independent of any possible confounding effect of age, adiposity, alcohol intake, and cigarette smoking. The present article confirms previous findings that consumption of foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis.
The activity of a new antifungal agent, an imidazolylmethylaniline derivative (XX H), synthesized by the authors, has been studied in vitro and in vivo. Antimicrobial data, in comparison with miconazole, ketoconazole and bifonazole, show antimicotic activity. The results are discussed on the basis of structure-activity relationships.
Several 1-arylmethyl-4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic acid derivatives have been synthetized and tested as antifungal and antibacterial agents. Reaction between tosylmethylisocyanide (TosMIC) and beta-arylacrylic esters under basic conditions furnished 4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylic esters, which were then benzylated at 1 position. Alkaline hydrolysis of ethyl 1-arylmethyl-4-aryl-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates afforded the title compounds. All tested derivatives were found to be inactive as antifungal agents. Some of them showed appreciable antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus spp.