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Biomedical subjects

V Krogh

Publications and source records attributed to V Krogh.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Consumption of olive oil, butter, and vegetable oils and coronary heart disease risk factors. The Research Group ATS-RF2 of the Italian National Research Council.

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.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Diet and coronary heart disease risk factors in a population with varied intake. The Research Group ATS-RF2 of The Italian National Research Council.

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.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Blood pressure and intracellular ion transport in childhood.

The available data on the association between the cellular handling of sodium and high BP indicate that alteration of these parameters could be linked to the level of high BP. Limited data are available with regard to the association between BP and these aspects of the intracellular ion metabolism in childhood. The study of intracellular ion metabolism in children could help clarify the pathogenesis and etiology of essential hypertension by providing an opportunity to study this relationship before the effects of possible determinants of adult BP (ie, age, body weight, diet, physical activity) affect ion transport and modify its effect on BP. Specifically, familial predisposition to hypertension, growth and maturation, and the various components of body size need to be studied further to determine their role in the relationship between Na-Li CT and RBC Na and BP. Better understanding of this complex association could help elucidate the pathophysiology of essential hypertension.

Biological Transport↗
PubMed1989

Postpartum immunization with rubella virus vaccine and antibody response in breast-feeding infants.

Women who were susceptible to rubella, whether they had elected to breast-feed or formula-feed their infants, received immunization with subcutaneously administered rubella antibody 27/3 live, attenuated rubella virus vaccine in the postpartum period. The breast-fed or formula-fed infants of these mothers who had been immunized subsequently received active immunization with the rubella antibody 27/3 vaccine at 15 to 18 months of age. A second group of naturally immune women who were seropositive for rubella did not receive immunization after childbirth. However, infants of naturally immune mothers who did not receive immunization received immunization with the rubella vaccine and served as controls. Seroconversion for rubella antibody developed in over 94% of susceptible women who were seronegative for rubella after postpartum immunization. The infants of these mothers had no rubella antibody activity in the cord blood; however, 13% of such infants exhibited rubella antibody in serum at 6 months of age. On the other hand, 44% of breast-fed infants of naturally immune mothers (controls) demonstrated rubella antibody activity at 6 months of age. Subsequent immunization with rubella vaccine in breast-fed infants whose mothers had received postpartum immunization resulted in a serum antibody response that was similar to the response observed in the formula-fed infants or the infants of naturally immune mothers who had not received immunization. These data suggest that early neonatal exposure to the rubella virus in breast milk does not enhance or suppress subsequent responses to current programs of rubella vaccination in early childhood.

Antibodies, Viral↗
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

Red blood cell Na content, Na, Li-countertransport, family history of hypertension and blood pressure in school children.

This study focuses on the relationship between some aspects of intra-erythrocytic sodium metabolism (intra-erythrocytic Na content, Na,Li-countertransport), blood pressure, and family history of hypertension, in a group of 84 randomly selected school children (45 males, 39 females). Na,Li-countertransport was significantly related to both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) only in boys at the univariate level, but both of these associations lost statistical significance after the possible confounding role of weight and height were taken into consideration. In both sexes, participants with a family history of hypertension had similar values of both intra-erythrocytic Na content and Na,Li-countertransport to participants with no family history. We conclude that family history of hypertension does not seem to play an important role in the determination of either intra-erythrocytic Na content or Na,Li-countertransport at this age. Although the positive association between Na,Li-countertransport and blood pressure observed in adult males is already present in childhood, this probably is still, at least in part, dependent upon body size.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1988

Polymorphism at the 5' end flanking region of the insulin gene is associated with reduced insulin secretion in healthy individuals.

Sixty-four unrelated healthy subjects were studied for the detection of a DNA polymorphism at the 5' end of the insulin gene. No significant difference between the groups was found in blood glucose values at fasting and after an oral glucose load. A significant association was found between fasting (P less than 0.05) and after load plasma C-peptide levels (P less than 0.01) and the presence of a 1.6 Kb insertion at the 5' end of the insulin gene. A gene dose-dependent effect was noted, class 3/3 individuals having the lowest after-load C-peptide concentration and class 1/3 an intermediate level (F for the linear trend: P = 0.007). This might suggest that insulin gene polymorphism affects insulin secretion in healthy individuals. In order to confirm this, a subgroup of six class 3/3 and eight class 1/1 individuals subsequently underwent a hyperglycaemic clamp. The tissue sensitivity to insulin was similar in the two groups but glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was markedly impaired in homozygotes for the class 3 allele. In this group, insulin secretion was, on average, only one-third of that in class 1/1 individuals (P less than 0.02). Similarly impaired in class 3/3 persons was the glucose + arginine-stimulated insulin secretion (P less than 0.05). We conclude that the polymorphism at the 5' end of the insulin gene is associated with variations in insulin secretion in healthy humans.

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↗
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

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↗
PubMed1985

[Tracking of blood cholesterol and arterial pressure in adolescence].

Early identification of atherosclerosis precursors and assessment of secular trends are key factors in organizing primary prevention programs. Tracking phenomenon for serum cholesterol and blood pressure has been evaluated at two years' interval in a group of students of both sexes, aged 11-15 years, in the municipality of Mugnano, near Naples. Serum cholesterol has been followed in 77 students and blood pressure--systolic and diastolic--in 160. Forty-three % serum cholesterol levels, 44% of systolic blood pressure measurements, and 25% of diastolic blood pressure values, that were in the upper quintile at the first visit, were found in the upper quintile again at the second visit. Our results point out that: there is a chance to identify "high" values, that may persist over time, especially for serum cholesterol and systolic blood pressure; great caution must be exercised in taking isolated measurements of serum cholesterol, systolic and particularly diastolic blood pressure at a young age as indicators in implementing prevention programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social network and blood pressure: a population study.

The relationship between social network and blood pressure was assessed in a cross-sectional, random sample of 1409 white adults aged 20 to 70 years studied in Buffalo in 1961. Higher total social network scores were associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both males and females. Considering the components of social network separately, increased size of household and greater participation in clubs were associated with lower systolic blood pressure for males, with the trend in the same direction for women, though not reaching statistical significance. Among females, the only social network component showing significant linear trend was the number of siblings, with increased number of siblings being associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Religious service attendance and marital status were not associated with blood pressure in this population.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Short-term effect of natural disasters on coronary heart disease risk factors.

In this analysis of the data from a longitudinal study on coronary heart disease risk factors, it was found that participants screened a few weeks after a major disaster (earthquake) had a higher heart rate, serum cholesterol levels, and serum triglyceride levels than matched participants that were screened shortly before the catastrophic event. The two groups of participants did not differ with regard to their characteristics at the baseline examination carried out 5 years previously. The lack of difference in blood pressure between exposed and nonexposed participants could be explained by the lag-time between the earthquake and the blood pressure measurements. We conclude that the acute stress associated with major disasters can influence risk factors for coronary heart disease. Permanent elevation of these risk factors due to the disruption of the social environment of the individuals affected by major disasters might be responsible for the apparent long-term adverse effects on cardiovascular mortality discussed previously in the literature.

Body Weight↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Breast cancer prevalence measured by the Lombardy Cancer Registry.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most important malignant neoplasm affecting women in Western countries. An increasing number of women undergo regular medical checkups, especially during the first years following the diagnosis. Therefore, from the health planning point of view, it is essential to have prevalence measures to furnish estimates for the demands that the health care system could possibly undergo. METHODS: By means of PREVAL, a computerized program, breast cancer prevalence has been measured in the Varese province using incidence and follow-up data from the Lombardy Cancer Registry (LCR). RESULTS: During the 1986-1988 period, breast cancer prevalence for patients alive within 10 years from diagnosis was about 625 per 100,000 resident women. Of these, 54% were over 60 years and 9% were under 45 years of age. Patients alive within 2 years from diagnosis were about 200 per 100,000 residents; considering the 1978-1980 period, patients alive within 2 years from diagnosis were just 140 per 100,000 residents. This dramatic increase in breast cancer prevalence is present also for long-term survivors (i.e. patients alive at 10-13 years from the diagnosis). Extrapolating breast cancer prevalence measured in the Varese province to the whole Lombardy region, the expected number of prevalent cases alive within 10 years of the diagnosis, presently living in Lombardy, would be 27,500. LCR's breast cancer prevalence figures were compatible with available data provided by the Finnish Cancer Registry. CONCLUSION: Owing to aging of the population, the improvement in survival and the increasing incidence, the number of prevalent cases will increase. This phenomenon has and will have great importance for the health planning.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer prevalence in Italian cancer registry areas: the ITAPREVAL study. ITAPREVAL Working Group.

AIM: To present data on cancer prevalence for the areas covered by Italian cancer registries, by using a standardized set of data collection and elaboration criteria, and a single method of data analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data on over 250,000 patients with cancer, diagnosed between 1978 and 1992, from 11 Italian cancer registries covering about 12% of the Italian population were collected, validated and analyzed according to the unified protocol of the ITAPREVAL project. The method implemented in the PREVAL computer program was used to provide prevalence estimates for the period covered by cancer registration. The total prevalence for each registry and for the pool of all registries was then estimated by correcting for incomplete observations due to the period in which the registration was not yet activated. All prevalence estimates were for 1992. RESULTS: Prevalence figures are presented by cancer site, age, sex, years from diagnosis and registry area. For all malignancies combined, total prevalence ranged from 1,350 per 100,000 inhabitants in Ragusa to 3,650 per 100,000 inhabitants in Romagna, the ratio between these two extremes being 2.7. For the pool of the areas covered by registration cancer prevalence was 3,100 per 100,000 females and 2,250 per 100,000 males. About a third of the total female cases and about half the male cases were diagnosed in the previous five years. Among those aged over 75 years, total prevalence was higher for males than for females: 11,300 versus 8,900 per 100,000 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large-scale estimate of the burden of cancer in Italy. It is also one of the first studies in the world which was aimed to study cancer prevalence in detail. These data are necessary for predicting health service needs and help in the evaluation of differences in health service demand by sex, age and Italian regions.

Age Distribution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin as a biomarker in breast cancer.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation at different storage temperatures on urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) concentration. Overnight urine from 28 postmenopausal women participating in the ORDET cohort study was filtered and separated into 6 mL aliquots. Urine samples were stored at -80 degrees C and at -30 degrees C for an average of 14 years. Urinary aMT6s concentration was assessed using a competitive immunoassay. Mean aMT6s values of samples stored at -30 degrees C were systematically lower than those of samples stored at -80 degrees C (10.7 ng/mL versus 15.8 ng/mL, p<0.001). Bland Altman plots showed disagreement between determinations at different storage temperatures at the highest levels of the metabolite concentration. The degree of agreement evaluated in terms of intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.68 (95% CI 0.41-0.84, p<0.0001). Pearson's correlation coefficient between aMT6s values of the two differently stored samples was 0.93 (p<0.001), while the Kendal tau coefficient for rank distribution was 0.73 (p<0.001). Our data suggest that storage temperatures might affect degradation of aMT6s during storage. However, individual characterization by melatonin levels does not seem to be affected by cryopreservation conditions.

Adult↗