PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A P Rocchini

Publications and source records attributed to A P Rocchini.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Taussig-Bing anomaly: arterial switch versus Kawashima intraventricular repair.

BACKGROUND: Current corrective surgical approaches for the Taussig-Bing heart include arterial switch with ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure and intraventricular repair as described by Kawashima. METHODS: Between 1983 and 1994, 20 children underwent intracardiac repair of Taussig-Bing anomaly. Mean age at operation was 17 months (range, 1 week to 9 years). Prior palliation included pulmonary artery band (15) with coarctation repair (8) and atrial septectomy (1). Arterial switch with VSD closure was performed in 16 patients, 10 with anteroposterior great arteries. Kawashima repair was performed in 4 patients, all with side-by-side great arteries. RESULTS: After arterial switch, there was one operative death (6.2%) due to myocardial ischemia and three late deaths (18.7%) due to pulmonary hypertension, gastrointestinal bleeding, and acute lymphocytic leukemia. In the Kawashima repair group there have been no deaths. After arterial switch, 9 patients underwent 11 reoperations for residual coarctation (3), residual pulmonary artery stenosis (2), aortic valve replacement, aortic valvuloplasty, unrecognized VSD, mitral valvuloplasty, mediastinitis, and pacemaker insertion. After Kawashima repair, 1 patient underwent reoperation for baffle stenosis and 1 for an unrecognized VSD. CONCLUSIONS: For children with Taussig-Bing anomaly, the Kawashima intraventricular repair (for side-by-side great arteries) preserves the native aortic valve and avoids coronary dissection. The arterial switch operation with VSD closure can be applied without ventriculotomy to all great artery relationships and allows neonatal repair with or without concomitant coarctation repair. Both techniques yield excellent early and intermediate-term results despite the high rates of prerepair palliation and postrepair reoperation for both groups.

Aortic Coarctation↗
PubMed1996

Metabolic and hemodynamic effects of a graded intracoronary insulin infusion in normal and fat anesthetized dogs: a preliminary study.

This study evaluated both cardiac hemodynamic and metabolic effects of a graded intracoronary artery infusion of insulin in four normal and five obese anesthetized dogs. Dogs were anesthetized with isoflurane, a catheter was advanced under fluoroscopic guidance into the coronary sinus and great cardiac vein, and a 20-MHz 3F coronary Doppler catheter was advanced into either the mid left anterior descending or circumflex coronary artery. A graded intracoronary insulin infusion was administered (starting at 0.3 mU/min and doubling every 40 minutes until a maximum dose of 2.4 mU/min was achieved). Coronary glucose extraction, coronary blood flow velocity, and coronary artery size were measured at each infusion rate. An intracoronary artery infusion of insulin stimulated myocardial glucose uptake in normal dogs. However, in high-fat-fed dogs, weight gain was associated with a reduction in the ability of insulin to promote glucose uptake by cardiac muscle and a rightward shift in the dose-response curve. In normal dogs, an intracoronary insulin infusion resulted in an increase in coronary blood flow and coronary vasodilation (with insulin coronary vascular resistance index decreases to 0.72 +/- 0.06, P<.01), whereas with weight gain the vasodilator response to insulin was lost. The loss of coronary artery vasodilation to local hyperinsulinemia in fat-fed dogs is consistent with other reports in obese or hypertensive humans that document an impairment in the action of insulin to increase skeletal muscle blood flow.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Relationship between insulin resistance and abnormal lipid profile in obese adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the lipid abnormalities observed in obese adolescents are associated with insulin resistance. METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between lipid levels and insulin resistance in 82 obese adolescents. Insulin resistance was assessed by fasting insulin level and sum of the insulin values after an oral glucose tolerance test in all 82, and were compared with data from 40 nonobese adolescents. Whole-body glucose uptake during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia (M value) was performed in 19 of the obese adolescents and compared with that of 24 nonobese young adults. RESULTS: The obese adolescents had significantly elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (3.09 +/- 0.73 mmol/L; 119 +/- 28.2 mg/dl) and triglycerides (1.22 +/- 0.62 mmol/L; 108 +/- 54.6 mg/dl) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (0.94 +/- 0.24 mmol/L; 36 +/- 9.1 mg/dl) when compared with values in the nonobese subjects. M values were significantly depressed in the obese compared with the nonobese subjects. Adiposity significantly correlated with low HDL-C and elevated triglyceride values. From the variables representing insulin resistance, the strongest correlation with the abnormal lipid profile was found for the M value. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the M value was the only step entered into the relationship for triglycerides and LDL-C, and both M value and fasting insulin were entered for HDL-C. CONCLUSION: In obese adolescents the degree of insulin resistance explains a significant portion of the variance in the levels of triglycerides, LDL-C, and HDL-C.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Insulin resistance, obesity and hypertension.

Although controversy exists as to the role that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia play in the pathogenesis of hypertension, data are presented that strongly suggest that selective insulin resistance and hypertension are directly related. This paper summarizes how insulin resistance may be linked to obesity hypertension and describes some of the other cardiovascular implications that insulin resistance may have in the hypertensive obese individual.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Fetal and pediatric origins of adult cardiovascular disease.

Adult-onset cardiovascular disease has its origin in childhood. During the past year there have been a number of articles that have dealt with the effects of fetal nutrition on the development of cardiovascular disease in adult life, identification of the child at high risk for the development of essential hypertension, the effects of passive smoking as a risk factor for coronary artery disease, and strategies for diagnosis and treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia. Two of the most important observations over the past year are that there appears to be a significant relationship between fetal and early childhood nutrition and the risk of developing many of the cardiovascular diseases seen in adult individuals and that environmental tobacco smoking, including smoke at work, results in an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The relationship of sodium sensitivity to insulin resistance.

Substantial epidemiologic evidence has indirectly implicated sodium intake in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The concept of sodium-sensitivity as a cause of essential hypertension has been addressed by many investigators, yet the pathogenesis of this salt-sensitivity remains unclear. Although not well appreciated, most studies have shown that regardless of sodium intake or the presence or absence of hypertension, sodium-sensitive subjects tend to weigh more than sodium-resistant subjects. Insulin-resistance has been postulated to be responsible for enhanced sodium retention in obese individuals; therefore, insulin-resistance may be critical to the pathogenesis of sodium-sensitivity in individuals with essential hypertension. This article summarizes the data relating insulin and or insulin-resistance to sodium sensitivity in obesity, diabetes, and in non-obese subjects with essential hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Adolescent obesity and hypertension.

Although controversy exists as to the role that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia play in the pathogenesis of hypertension there are ample data from both obese and nonobese subjects strongly suggesting that selective insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and essential hypertension are directly related. It is therefore mandatory that the evaluation of both lipid profile and insulin sensitivity needs to be made in all patients with essential hypertension. In addition it appears that childhood obesity is the single marker of the child at risk for the development of cardiovascular disease later in life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Hypertension in individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Hypertension is known to place the individual with IDDM at high risk for the development of both renal and cardiovascular disease. Recent data suggest that aggressive antihypertensive therapy (angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitors, prazosin, and calcium channel blockers) have significantly improved overall prognosis and long-term survival for individuals with IDDM. Because in individuals with IDDM the development of both hypertension and renal disease has its roots in childhood, it is important that early and effective antihypertensive treatment begin there.

Child↗
PubMed1993

Cardiovascular causes of systemic hypertension.

Although cardiovascular disease is an uncommon cause of hypertension, the number one cardiovascular cause of hypertension, coarctation of the aorta, is easy to diagnose and treat. It is therefore mandatory that every individual who is evaluated for hypertension should have blood pressures measured in the arms and legs. The other, more uncommon cardiovascular causes of hypertension (Table 1), also can usually be diagnosed from a thorough history and physical examination.

Aortic Coarctation↗
PubMed1993

Comparison of risks and short- and long-term results of balloon dilatation versus surgical treatment for pulmonary and aortic valve stenosis and restenosis and coarctation and recoarctation of the aorta.

Balloon valvuloplasty and angioplasty have become accepted alternatives to surgery for valvar stenosis and coarctation of the aorta. Balloon dilation avoids a potentially painful operation, the long postoperative recovery, and at the same time offers substantial cost savings. However, such advantages are meaningless if the safety of the interventional procedure does not match or surpass the results of conventional surgery. This review summarizes a number of studies that compare the natural history of surgical therapy with that of balloon pulmonary and aortic valvuloplasty and balloon coarctation angioplasty. It appears that, regardless of age, balloon valvuloplasty is preferable to surgical valvotomy. For both aortic stenosis and coarctation of the aorta, balloon valvuloplasty and surgical valvotomy produce comparable relief of the hemodynamic obstruction. However, because the length of follow-up after the balloon angioplasties has been short, the actual risk of developing severe aortic regurgitation (postaortic valvuloplasty) and aortic aneurysms (postcoarctation angioplasty) has not been trivial, a large prospective follow-up of both of these interventional procedures will be mandatory before either can be judged superior to surgical therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Reduced short-term thermic effects of a meal in obese adolescent girls.

Post-meal energy expenditure (TEM) was compared for 14 healthy obese (body fat = 45.3%, body mass index, BMI = 35.9 kg m-2) and 9 healthy nonobese (body fat = 20.7%, BMI = 17.8 kg m-2) adolescent girls. The test meal for both groups was a standard 3348.8-kJ, 0.473-1 chocolate milkshake of 15% protein (casein), 40% fat (polyunsaturated/saturated ratio = 0.05; 75 mg cholesterol) and 45% carbohydrate (lactose and sucrose). Glucose, insulin and resting energy expenditure (RMR) were measured at rest prior to meal consumption and 20, 40, 60, 90, and 120 min after the meal. Cumulative net TEM was calculated as the integrated area under the TEM curve with RMR as baseline. Reliability was assessed by retesting 4 subjects, and a placebo effect was tested by administering a flavored energy-free drink. Results indicated high reliability and no placebo effect. The meal resulted in a greater rise in insulin and glucose for the obese compared to the nonobese subjects (P < or = 0.05), and a significant TEM for both groups (P < or = 0.05). The cumulative TEM (W kg-1) was 61.9% greater for the nonobese (P < 0.01) when expressed relative to body mass, and 33.2% greater for the nonobese (P < or = 0.01) when expressed relative to the fat-free body mass. Expressed relative to the meal, the TEM was 25.5% less for the obese (P < 0.01). The data support an energy conservation hypothesis for obese female adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Use of balloon-expandable stents to treat experimental peripheral pulmonary artery and superior vena caval stenosis: preliminary experience.

Current therapy of congenital or acquired stenoses of the peripheral pulmonary arteries and superior vena cava are frequently ineffective. This report describes our initial experience with the use of a balloon-expandable stainless steel stent to treat experimentally created branch pulmonary artery and superior vena cava stenosis. Fifteen adult mongrel dogs had surgically created stenoses of either a branch pulmonary artery and/or superior vena cava. A balloon-expandable stainless steel (0.076 mm), 3 cm long, intravascular stent was used in all animals. Stents were successfully placed in 13 of 15 dogs (nine with branch pulmonary stenosis and four with superior vena caval stenosis) with hemodynamic and angiographic relief of the stenoses in all. In three animals, successful stent placement was not accomplished because the distal right pulmonary artery was found to be totally obstructed in two and in one dog with combined vena cava and pulmonary stenosis the distal right pulmonary artery was so severely stenotic that the stenosis could not be crossed. Repeat catheterization performed 6 months following stent placement documented persistent gradient relief and angiographic evidence of unobstructed flow through the stent without thrombus formation and with patent side branch vessels. Our preliminary results suggests that balloon-expandable stents are a potential therapy for the treatment of branch pulmonary artery and superior vena cava stenoses.

Angiography↗
PubMed1992

Surgical repair is safe and effective after unsuccessful balloon angioplasty of native coarctation of the aorta.

Since 1985 balloon angioplasty, followed by surgical repair if angioplasty is unsuccessful, has been used as a treatment strategy for eligible children with discrete native coarctation of the aorta. Although balloon angioplasty has been successful in most patients, this strategy is appropriate only if surgery is safe and effective in children in whom angioplasty does not succeed. To address this issue, the surgical procedure and clinical outcome in 11 children who underwent surgery after unsuccessful balloon angioplasty (defined as a residual systolic gradient greater than 20 mm Hg in 10 and a saccular aneurysm in 1) were evaluated. Data for subjects were compared with data for a control group of seven children who had surgical repair of a discrete coarctation without prior angioplasty during the same time period. In the study group, balloon angioplasty was performed at 4.3 +/- 1.2 years of age, resulting in a balloon/isthmus ratio of 0.98 +/- 0.05 and decreasing mean peak systolic gradient from 54 +/- 3 to 27 +/- 2 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). Follow-up angiography (n = 7) or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (n = 4) documented a discrete residual stenosis in 10 patients and a small saccular aneurysm in 1. Collateral circulation decreased in three patients. The subsequent surgical procedure and its outcome were similar in the study and control groups. Chylothorax was the only complication, occurring in one child from each group. No paraplegia or mortality occurred. Pathologic examination revealed irregular intimal surfaces with small flaps of intima in 5 of 10 resected specimens from the study group and in 2 of 6 from the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMed1992

Forearm resistance vessel abnormalities and insulin resistance in obese adolescents.

To determine if structural changes in forearm resistance vessels are associated with insulin resistance, we evaluated the relation between minimum forearm vascular resistance and insulin resistance in 95 obese adolescents before and after weight loss. Insulin resistance was assessed by fasting insulin levels and sum of insulin values after an oral glucose tolerance test in all 95 subjects and whole body glucose uptake during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia in 35 of 95 subjects. Structural changes in forearm vessels were assessed by measurement of minimum forearm vascular resistance during 10 minutes of ischemic exercise. As compared with our normal values, obese adolescents had a significantly (p less than 0.01) decreased maximal forearm blood flow (41.6 +/- 1.4 versus 67.1 +/- 2.4 ml/min/100 ml) and increased minimum forearm vascular resistance (2.9 +/- 0.4 versus 1.6 +/- 0.7 mm Hg/ml/min/100 ml). There was a significant relation (p less than 0.01) between minimum forearm vascular resistance and fasting insulin, sum of insulins, and whole body glucose uptake. After a 20-week weight-loss program, minimum forearm vascular resistance decreased (3.0 +/- 0.3 versus 2.0 +/- 0.2, p less than 0.01), maximal forearm blood flow increased (41 +/- 2.3 versus 57.4 +/- 3.9, p less than 0.01), and forearm volume remained unchanged. We also observed a significant (p less than 0.01) relation between the decrease in minimum forearm vascular resistance and the decrease in fasting insulin (r = 0.29), decrease in sum of insulins (r = 0.42), and increase in whole body glucose uptake (r = 0.63).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Pediatric cardiology research in 1990: a review of abstracts submitted to the Society for Pediatric Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

We assessed pediatric cardiology research by reviewing pediatric cardiology abstracts submitted in 1990 to the Society of Pediatric Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association national meetings. Included were accepted and rejected studies. Abstracts were reviewed for disease being studied, methodology used to answer the research question, study design, and acceptance/rejection. Abstracts were analyzed from 123 institutions, 81 American and 42 foreign. Out of 423 abstracts, 307 (72.6%) were clinical and the remainder were basic science investigations. Slightly more than half of the clinical submissions were related to congenital heart disease. Coronary artery disease and inflammatory diseases accounted for 12% of clinical submissions. Echocardiography, clinical outcome measures, and electrophysiology were the most common research methodologies. Almost 80% of basic science research was performed in normal tissues; animal physiology, fetal physiology, and cellular/biochemical studies were the most common methodologies. With regard to study design, half of the clinical studies were retrospective and only 6% were either prospective epidemiologic or prospective controlled intervention trials. For basic sciences, 38% of abstracts were descriptions of phenomena and 62% were hypothesis testing, with developmental hypotheses being most common. Acceptance rates favored higher quality study design. However, areas of greatest interest to cardiologists, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, and electrophysiology, had poorer quality study design than did other areas. We have shown broad interest in pediatric cardiology research. However, clinical studies frequently were retrospective or had uncontrolled study designs. Basic science research was performed at a small number of institutions and emphasized either description of phenomena or developmental biology of normal tissues.

Abstracting and Indexing↗