PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Favaro

Publications and source records attributed to A Favaro.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Dissociative experiences and eating disorders in a female college sample.

The present study evaluates the relationship between abuse experiences, dissociation and eating disorders (ED) in an Italian female college sample. In particular, the study aims at comparing the dissociative effects of abuse experiences in ED and normal subjects. Dissociative experiences were assessed by Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q), which appeared to be an internally consistent and valid instrument. The presence of ED in 491 female college students was assessed by a two-stage epidemiological procedure. The factor structure of the DIS-Q in our sample allowed us to identify specific features that could differentiate ED subjects from normals. Experiences of losing control appeared to characterize ED subjects and they were more serious in ED individuals who reported sexual or physical abuse. Normal subjects who reported a serious trauma had more frequently amnesia, identity alterations, derealization and depersonalization experiences when compared to nonabused subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Purging behaviors, suicide attempts, and psychiatric symptoms in 398 eating disordered subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The present work investigates differences in psychiatric symptoms and self-injurious behaviors among different forms of purging behavior in eating disorders (ED). METHOD: The sample was composed of 398 subjects consecutively referred to an outpatient ED unit. RESULTS: Both in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), psychiatric symptoms were significantly more serious in purging compared to nonpurging groups, while no significant difference emerged among divergent forms of purging behaviors. The presence of multiple methods to control weight appeared to be a predictor of impulsive behaviors, as subjects who used both vomiting and laxatives reported significantly higher frequency of self-injurious behaviors. In BN, the self-injury was often a suicide attempt. DISCUSSION: The impact of purging behavior on the prognosis of AN and BN should be further studied since our research has shown a trend towards more frequent self-damaging behaviors in subjects who resort to multiple forms of purging behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Effect of lactate on hepatic insulin clearance in perfused rat liver.

The aim of our study was to investigate whether sodium lactate has any effect on hepatic insulin dynamics in perfused rat liver. Rat livers were perfused in situ with saline or increasing concentrations of sodium lactate, and hepatic insulin extraction was calculated from the difference in insulin concentration between the portal and the suprahepatic vein. Our results show that hepatic insulin extraction at the three lactate concentrations added was higher than in the control experiments (lactate 1 mmol/l: 263 +/- 51 vs. 765 +/- 114, P < 0.005; lactate 5 mmol/l: 341 +/- 80 vs. 906 +/- 109; P < 0.005; lactate 15 mmol/l: 438 +/- 21 vs. 981 +/- 66 microIU.g-1.30 min-1, P < 0.005). No significant differences were observed in net glucose balance across the liver during perfusion with lactate. Moreover perfused liver displayed a net lactate production during infusion with saline or lactate added at the lower concentrations (1 and 5 mM), whereas at the highest (15 mM), a net lactate uptake by the liver was observed (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that, in perfused rat liver, lactate may increase hepatic insulin clearance. Thus energy fuels such as lactate and nonesterified fatty acid have opposite effects on hepatic insulin clearance and may therefore contribute to the regulation of posthepatic insulin delivery.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Subclassifications in eating disorders and obesity: a comparative study of an Italian sample.

The purpose of this study is to examine differences between eating disorder subgroups, including obese patients, in a large Italian sample seen at a specialist clinic. All patients (n=263) who consecutively contacted the University Eating Disorder Outpatient Clinic of Padua were divided into subgroups according to the literature. Different subgroups were compared according to clinical features, SCL-90, EAT and TFEQ scores. The study confirms the importance of purging, which is associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms than bingeing; a direct correlation between severity of psychiatric symptoms and duration of eating disorder was found. Among obese patients the bingers are distinguished from the nonbingers by a higher degree of eating and psychological distress and a greater number of dieting attempts.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence of eating disorders in Italy: a survey on a sample of 16-year-old female students.

BACKGROUND: To date, the number of epidemiological studies on eating disorders (ED) in Italy and in other Mediterranean countries is still limited. This study evaluated the eating attitudes and the prevalence of eating disorders in a sample of 359 16-year-old Italian schoolgirls. METHODS: The study followed a two-stage procedure consisting in a first screening stage followed by clinical interviews. A third stage consisting in a case register study and a 1-year followup confirmed the importance of evaluating subjects who chose not to participate in the survey. RESULTS: Prevalence rates found in our sample are consistent with those of other prevalence studies conducted on adolescent girls: 0% for anorexia nervosa, 0.5% for bulimia nervosa and 3.7% for ED not otherwise specified. Also some important features associated with the presence of an ED appeared to be present in Italian female students, as in Anglo-Saxon populations: the tendency towards denial that led to an overrepresentation of ED among nonrespondents, and the ascertainment that just a small proportion of people seeks help for ED. The Italian sample reported higher scores on eating attitudes test compared to Anglo-Saxon samples. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of different rates of ED was found in our Italian sample in comparison with non-Mediterranean samples. The importance of using a two-stage design and a third control stage in prevalence studies is emphasized by our findings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Effects of parents' psychological characteristics and eating behaviour on childhood obesity and dietary compliance.

Few studies to date have considered the extent to which children's weight gain and loss during a dietary treatment may be influenced by parents' psychological factors. This study proposes to evaluate the relationship between parents' psychological characteristics, their eating behaviour and the degree of obesity among their children, before and after 1 yr of treatment. Forty-nine couples with children suffering from obesity were studied. Our data suggest that the mothers' characteristics are more important than those of the fathers' in cases of both children's obesity and weight-loss. The study found that mothers with a more serious psychiatric symptomatology and a more disturbed personality were associated with more severe obesity in children. Children who lost less weight were younger and had an obese mother with a neurotic tendency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Measurement of immunoreactive gastrin in tissue.

A method for measurement of gastrin in human antral mucosa or in extragastric tissue has been developed and validated. Tissue gastrin was extracted by boiling followed by homogenization at neutral pH. Extractable gastrin immunoreactivity was measured by radioimmunoassay using an antiserum with equal affinity towards G-17 I, G-17 II, G-34 I and G-34 II molecular forms. Almost all extractable gastrin immunoreactivity was recovered after a single extraction and no significant interference by other peptides and/or substances present in tissue was found. The mean gastrin concentration in antral mucosa of healthy subjects was similar to that observed in duodenal ulcer patients, while patients with type A chronic atrophic gastritis or with antral gastrin cell hyperplasia had mean values significantly higher. Gastrin concentration in all specimens from gastrinoma or its metastases was above the upper limit of the range of control tissue. Measurement of tissue gastrin seems to be a valuable tool in the diagnosis of antral gastrin cell hyperplasia and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Different types of self-injurious behavior in bulimia nervosa.

In a previous study, we demonstrated the validity of the distinction, in bulimia nervosa (BN), between compulsive self-injurious behavior (SIB), such as hair pulling and onycophagia, and impulsive SIB, such as skin cutting and burning. The aim of the present study is to investigate the clinical and psychological correlates of these two categories of SIB in BN. The sample consisted of 175 consecutive patients with BN, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. Subjects were assessed by means of a semistructured interview and self-reported questionnaires (Eating Disorders Inventory [EDI] and Hopkins Symptom Checklist [SCL-90]). In our sample, impulsive SIB appeared to be associated with suicide attempts, a history of sexual abuse, and depression. On the other hand, compulsive SIB seemed to be related to a lack of awareness towards emotions and body sensations, greater obsessionality, and a shorter duration of illness.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Construction and validation of a new screnning questionnaires for eating disorders: the inventory for the screening of eating disorders/(ISED)].

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to construct and validate a new screening questionnaire for the identification of cases at risk for eating disorders. SETTING AND SAMPLE: We assessed 218 female adolescent students recruited in a vocational school in Mestre (VE) and 88 patients consecutively referred to the Eating Disorders Unit of the University of Padova. PROCEDURE AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All subjects completed the new questionnaire, the Inventory for the Screening of Eating Disorders (ISED), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). Sixty-two percent of female students and all the patients underwent a structured diagnostic interview (SCID for DSM-IV) for the diagnosis of eating disorders. The reliability, validity and screening ability of the questionnaire have been assessed. RESULTS: The reliability of the ISED, measured by Cronbach's alpha, is good (alpha = 0.87), as is the convergent validity (correlations with EAT). In order to improve the screening ability, the questionnaire has been further divided in two subscales: one for the identification of cases at risk for anorexia nervosa (ISED-AN) and the other for cases at risk for bulimia nervosa (ISED-BN). The screening ability of the two subscales is greater than that of EAT, although the difference is not statistically significant. The ISED cutoff points have greater positive predictive values than those of EAT in the screening of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. CONCLUSIONS: The ISED appears to be a valid and reliable questionnaire among female adolescents. Its use might improve the identification of cases at risk for eating disorders and in particular those at risk for anorexia nervosa. Other studies are needed to confirm the validity and performance of the questionnaire among samples of different ages and socio-economic status.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tryptophan levels, excessive exercise, and nutritional status in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: It has been hypothesized that reduced dietary availability of tryptophan may be the cause of impaired serotonin activity in underweight anorexics. The study reported here evaluated the relationship between tryptophan availability in the blood and nutritional status in anorexia nervosa. METHODS: The total amount of tryptophan and the ratio between tryptophan and other large neutral amino acids (TRP/LNAA) were assessed in a sample of 16 starving anorexic patients. Body weight and composition and energy intake were evaluated in all patients. All subjects also completed self-reported questionnaires such as the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). RESULTS: The TRP/LNAA ratio seems to be higher in patients with a more severe catabolic status. It is, in fact, significantly inversely correlated with body mass index, body fat, muscle mass, daily energy intake, and daily tryptophan intake. The TRP/LNAA ratio also correlates with growth hormone and the EDI drive for thinness. Patients who exercise excessively had significantly higher TRP/LNAA ratios. CONCLUSIONS: In starving anorexic patients, the TRP/LNAA ratio does not seem to be determined by the content of tryptophan in the diet, but it correlates with measures of catabolism. The relationship of the TRP/LNAA ratio to excessive exercise and starvation indicates the importance of further investigations exploring the role of tryptophan availability in maintaining anorexia nervosa.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Full and partial syndromes in eating disorders: A 1-year prospective study of risk factors among female students.

The present study is an investigation into the risk factors and natural history of full and partial syndrome eating disorders in a sample of 394 16-year-old female students. We used a two-stage procedure (screening and clinical interviews) and the same procedure was repeated after a 1-year follow-up. A stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that drive for thinness and tendency towards somatization are associated with an increased risk of later developing an eating disorder. Use of hypocaloric diets and a desire to be thinner characterized those asymptomatic subjects who were later to develop a partial syndrome. Perfectionism appeared to be a maintenance factor for subjects who presented a full or partial eating disorder at baseline.

Adolescent↗