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V Krogh

Publications and source records attributed to V Krogh.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Red blood cell sodium and potassium concentration and blood pressure. The Gubbio Population Study.

The relations of red blood cell sodium (RBC Na) and potassium (RBC K) concentrations to blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension were assessed for 1805 men and women, aged 25 to 74 years, who participated in the baseline examination of the Gubbio Population Study in north central Italy. In men, in univariate analyses, RBC Na concentration was not significantly related to systolic or diastolic blood pressure, while RBC K concentration was significantly and inversely related to blood pressure. In women RBC Na values correlated significantly and directly with systolic and diastolic pressure, but RBC K concentration was not significantly related to blood pressure. Results of the multivariate analyses indicated in men a significant independent and inverse relationship of RBC K concentration with hypertension and blood pressure, and in women a significant positive association of RBC Na concentration with hypertension. RBC Na did not relate independently to either systolic or diastolic blood pressure in men or women. Age-specific analyses suggested that the relationships between RBC K level and blood pressure in men and the relationship between RBC Na level and hypertension in women were stronger in older (age 55 to 74 years) compared to younger participants (25 to 54 years). These findings indicate that the associations of RBC Na and K concentrations and hypertension may be sex and age specific. The nature of these gender- and age-specific associations remains to be clarified. Prospective data are also needed for further clarification of the relation of intracellular Na metabolism to the etiology of hypertension.

Adult↗

[A computer program to calculate expected cases in a dynamic cohort].

ECIDC (Expected Cases in Dynamic Cohorts) is a new interactive computerized programme in English for personal computers, created specifically to calculate expected cases in prospective cohort studies. Programmes available up to now have calculated the denominators of measurements of frequency, expressed in person-years, using the recruitment date and exit date of each individual in the cohort. ECIDC, instead, calculates directly the number of expected cases, recognizing only the date of recruitment. The programme considers the aging of the cohort, estimates the effect due to competitive mortality and eliminates the expected deaths. Then, it calculates the expected cases by applying incidence or specific mortality from the reference population. ECIDC considers the period effects of both competitive mortality and expected incidence. When observed reference data is lacking, it compiles estimates of age-specific incidence and/or mortality trends. ECIDC can be used in power calculation for the cohort study. It also can be applied to simulation studies of incidence and mortality trends. The present paper tries out various simulations and shows the potential of the computerized programme.

Adolescent↗

Serum uric acid and hypertension: the Olivetti heart study.

The association between serum uric acid and hypertension was evaluated in a sample of male workers in southern Italy enrolled in the Olivetti Heart Study, an ongoing longitudinal epidemiological investigation on risk factors for coronary heart disease carried out at the Olivetti factory in the suburban area of Naples. Participants were screened at baseline (1975) and at five year (1980) and 12 year (1987) follow-up examinations. The present report focuses on 619 male workers for whom information on coronary heart disease risk factors was available both at baseline and 12 year follow-up examination. At baseline, after excluding hypertensive participants (systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP), > or = 90 mmHg and/or on antihypertensive therapy; n = 72), serum uric acid was positively and significantly related to age, SBP, DBP, body mass index (BMI), serum total cholesterol (CHOL) and serum triglycerides (TG) in 547 normotensive participants. At 12 year follow-up examination, hypertension was defined by SBP > or = 140 mmHg and/or DBP > or = 90 mmHg and/or being on antihypertensive therapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed an independent positive association between serum uric acid levels and development of hypertension (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.07-1.39; p = 0.011) after adjustment for age, BMI, CHOL and TG. Furthermore, according to more severe degrees of hypertension (SBP > or = 160 mmHg and/or DBP > or = 95 mmHg and/or being on antihypertensive therapy), the relative risk to develop hypertension was still significant (RR = 1.19; CI = 1.01-1.38; p = 0.051).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Perimenstrual symptom prevalence rates: an Italian-American comparison.

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms among a randomly selected group of Italian women by using a standardized menstrual symptom instrument and to compare them with those from a census-based sample of free-living American women in the study by Woods et al. (Am J Public Health 1982;72:1257-64). Italian menstrual symptom prevalence rates were obtained as part of a 1984 national health screening project using the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire translated into Italian. A total of 306 of the 426 randomly invited women between ages 20 and 49 years participated (71.8% participation rate). After determination of ineligible participants (those who were postmenopausal, posthysterectomy, and pregnant), a total of 239 subjects were interviewed. Italian women reported the highest prevalence of symptoms during the menstrual phase and the lowest prevalence during the remainder of the cycle. The cross-cultural comparison indicates that, overall, Italian women reported higher prevalence of symptoms across the three phases of the cycle than did the American women, even though this difference was the smallest during the premenstrual phase. Prevalence rates of a number of classic premenstrual symptoms (e.g., breast tenderness) and affective symptoms (e.g., tension and avoid social activities) were found to be similar for the Italian and American samples. This study, while it identifies a sociocultural component to symptom reporting, indicates the presence of premenstrual distress symptoms in diverse cultural settings, even in women who are generally unaware of premenstrual syndrome. These findings lend support to the validity of the premenstrual phase distress experience and suggest the existence of the premenstrual syndrome across diverse cultures.

Adult↗

Baldness and coronary heart disease risk factors.

The present report focuses on the association between baldness pattern and coronary heart disease risk factors in 872 male factory workers from southern Italy participating in an epidemiological study. Participants were divided according to presence or absence of baldness and baldness pattern. Participants with fronto-occipital baldness (male-type baldness) (n = 280) characterized by hair loss centered over the vertex with an m-shaped frontal-temporal recession had, on the average, higher serum cholesterol and blood pressure compared to participants with no baldness (n = 321) and/or participants with just frontal baldness (n = 273). For serum cholesterol, a significant interaction was detected between age and fronto-occipital baldness (i.e. the association between fronto-occipital baldness and elevated levels of serum cholesterol became weaker with age). No interaction was detectable between age and fronto-occipital baldness for blood pressure. The results of this cross-sectional study indicate that male-type pattern of baldness is associated with elevated CHD risk profile, and that this relation between age and serum cholesterol differs in younger compared to older men.

Adult↗

Alcohol and blood pressure. The effects of age. Findings from the Italian Nine Communities Study. The Research Group ATS-RF2 of the Italian National Research Council.

This report analyzes the role age in the association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in a large sample (n = 6165) of Italian men and women, aged 20 to 59 years, who participated in a multicenter study on risk factors for arteriosclerosis. Age-stratified analysis indicated that both men and women aged 50 to 59 years showed the strongest positive association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure. While in men the association between systolic blood pressure and alcohol consumption increased linearly with age, in women the association between systolic blood pressure and alcohol increased sharply in the oldest (50 to 59 year) age group.

Adult↗

Coffee and serum lipids: findings from the Olivetti Heart Study.

The relationship between coffee consumption and blood lipids was analyzed in a sample of 900 male workers of southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. In the univariate analysis, coffee drinkers (n = 856) had higher values for body mass index (P < or = 0.05) and number of cigarettes smoked per day (P < or = 0.001) and lower levels of serum high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (P < or = 0.05), compared to noncoffee drinkers (n = 44). In addition, coffee consumption (cups/d) was positively related to serum triglyceride levels (r = 0.105, P < or = 0.01) and cigarette smoking (r = 0.491, P < or = 0.01), and was inversely related to age (r = -0.122, P < or = 0.01). After multivariate adjustment, coffee consumption remained significantly related to age, cigarette smoking, and body mass index (data not shown). After stratification for smoking status, a significant positive linear trend between coffee consumption and serum total cholesterol was observed only in smokers. No significant trend was observed for serum triglycerides and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol with coffee intake according to smoking status. This finding suggests that the relationship between coffee consumption and serum total cholesterol may change with the smoking status.

Cholesterol, HDL↗

Food sources of nutrients in the diet of elderly Italians: I. Macronutrients and lipids.

The major sources of macronutrients in the Italian diet were assessed. Elderly Italians, aged > or = 60 recorded their weighed intake for a 7-day period. A total of 945 subjects from 14 centres throughout Italy participated during the period 1983-1987. These data were used to quantify the contribution of individual foods to the total intake of and variability in intake of kilocalories, protein, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat, oleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid, and cholesterol. The foods ranked one to five for Italy were compared to the top five foods contributing to these nutrients in the diet of the elderly in the US based on the NHANES II Survey (1976-1980). These data provide information for the design of an Italian data-based quantitative food frequency questionnaire. They are also of interest in their description of an industrialized, well-nourished population with a dietary pattern markedly different from the US--lower in saturated fat, higher in complex carbohydrate and higher in alcohol.

Aged↗

Food sources of nutrients of the diet of elderly Italians: II. Micronutrients.

The foods which contribute most to the intake of selected vitamins and minerals were evaluated for the elderly in Italy and compared to food sources of nutrients in the US. A sample of 945 Italians, aged > or = 60, from 14 centres throughout Italy, each completed weighed 7-day food records during the period 1983-1987. These data were used to quantify the contribution of individual foods to the total intake of and variability in intake of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. In addition, those foods contributing most to micronutrient intake for the Italians were compared to those foods contributing most for the elderly in the US as recorded by the NHANES II Survey (1976-1980). Overall, there was a preponderance of vegetable rather than animal sources, and of less processed food sources in Italy. In Italy, wine was an important source of several nutrients, including iron and riboflavin. These data are useful for characterizing diet in a well-nourished population with marked differences in diet from the US. They may also form the basis for a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for epidemiological studies in Italy.

Aged↗

Earthquake and coronary heart disease risk factors: a longitudinal study.

The longitudinal association between a number of coronary heart disease risk factors and the experience of a natural disaster (earthquake) was analyzed in a group of workers participating in a longitudinal epidemiologic investigation. The 5-year follow-up examination was interrupted by a major earthquake, and examinations were resumed 2 weeks after the quake. Participants screened after the quake had, on average, higher heart rates, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides than participants examined before the quake; these differences were independent from the coronary heart disease risk factor values measured 5 years previously during the baseline examination. The data collected during the 12-year examination indicated that the observed short-term increase in serum lipids and heart rate was not present long-term (7 years after the quake). These longitudinal data indicate that exposure to a natural disaster can be associated with short-term increases in heart rate, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides but that there is no apparent long-term effect on these coronary heart disease risk factors.

Adult↗

Sodium-lithium countertransport and body fat distribution.

The relationship between erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) and body fat distribution is analyzed in a sample (n = 101) of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study of coronary heart disease risk factors. Na-Li CT is significantly and positively associated with both subscapular skinfold and waist to hip ratio, but not with triceps skinfold. The univariate correlation between Na-Li CT and blood pressure is diminished when adjusted for body mass index and waist to hip ratio. These findings support the existence of an association between Na-Li CT and central body fat distribution and suggest that the metabolic abnormalities associated with centrally distributed body fat could explain, at least in part, the association between Na-Li CT and blood pressure. The maximal velocity of the sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) in erythrocytes has been reported to be directly associated with blood pressure and hypertension in numerous reports from both clinical and epidemiological studies. In most of these studies, indices of weight and/or adiposity (body mass index, in particular) have been shown to be among the most important correlates of Na-Li CT. Adiposity is an important determinant of blood pressure, and there is evidence suggesting that the patterning of the fat cells in the body is linked to a number of metabolic disturbances that could lead to hypertension and an increase in other CHD risk factors. The present report analyses the relationship between Na-Li CT and body fat distribution in a sample of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study.

Adipose Tissue↗

Coping and blood pressure.

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.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Serum selenium and coronary heart disease risk factors in southern Italian men.

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.

Adult↗

Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in a sample of healthy workers.

METHODS: Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are analyzed in a sample of 797 male workers in southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. At the univariate level high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations are positively related to alcohol consumption (r = 0.127; P less than or equal to 0.001) and sport activity (r = 0.074; P less than or equal to 0.05) and inversely related to body mass index (r = -0.160; P less than or equal to 0.001), serum triglycerides (r = -0.349; P less than or equal to 0.001), cigarette smoking (r = -0.227; P less than or equal to 0.001), and coffee consumption (r = -0.153; P less than or equal to 0.001). RESULTS: In the group as a whole, body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and serum triglycerides remain significantly related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the multivariate model, while the association with coffee intake and sport activity loses statistical significance. A significant negative interaction is reported between physical activity and cigarette smoking, and a positive significant linear trend between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sport activity is observed only in nonsmokers. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, serum triglycerides, and sport activity are important correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol but that the positive significant association between sport activity and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is absent in smokers.

Adult↗

Age related changes in Ca2+ channels in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. The binding of the Ca2+ channel antagonist [3H]PN200 110 to 1,4-dihydropyridine binding sites in cardiac, brain and vascular smooth muscle preparations from WKY and SHR was studied as a function of age and blood pressure. 2. Binding site density in the heart from prehypertensive SHR (6 weeks) was significantly lower than that of WKY. 3. Between 6 and 12 weeks binding site density in SHR increased and between 12 and 24 weeks there was no difference between WKY and SHR. No changes in affinity occurred. 4. In brain a significant fall in binding site density occurred between 6 and 12 weeks and there was (with limited data) an increase in binding site density in tail artery membranes. 5. A good correlation (r = 0.82) exists between blood pressure and cardiac binding site density between 6 and 12 weeks of age in SHR.

Aging↗

Prevalence and correlates of angina pectoris in the Italian nine communities study. Research Group ATS-RF2 of the Italian National Research Council.

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.

Adult↗