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Biomedical subjects

A Pasquarella

Publications and source records attributed to A Pasquarella.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Blood pressure and anthropometry in parents and children of a southern Italian village.

In an investigation on hypertension risk factors, the entire school population was examined in Trecchina, a southern Italian village. The reported findings refer to those children examined together with at least one parent, for a total of 134 mother-child pairs and 128 father-child pairs. For these groups of children, fathers and mothers, systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, weight (W), height (H) and triceps skinfold (TS) were detected and body mass index (BMI) was calculated in order to evaluate the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) values and if overweight. Of 19.3% children, 26.9% fathers and 15.8% mothers showed high BP values; 28.9% of children, 14.0% of fathers and 19.3% of mothers were overweight. In children, the analysis of correlations, after adjustment for height, showed a significant association between BP and W, BMI and TS. Using multiple regression analysis, with BP as the dependent variable, SBP was significantly associated with BMI and age in mother and fathers. For DBP the only variable entered in the model was BMI for mothers and fathers. When controlling for the children's age, H, W and BMI of children were significantly related to H, W and BMI of mothers and fathers. These results confirm that overweight and a parental history of obesity are predictive and possibly causal factors for essential hypertension.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Family history of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors in children.

A sample of 861 Roman children, aged 7 to 14 years, was investigated in order to evaluate the association between some cardiovascular risk factors such as high systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure levels, body mass index (BMI), arm fat area (AFA) and a history of diabetes, stroke, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, hypertension and overweight in their parents. The sample investigated was subdivided into three subgroups, based on whether the children had just one parent, both parents or no parent with a positive history. For all the variables considered, the highest values were found in the group of children with a positive history for both parents and the lowest ones in children with a negative history for both parents. The analysis of significance, based on the mean values for the three groups, revealed statistically significant differences for SBP, DBP, BMI and AFA between the group of children with a positive history for both parents and that of children with a negative history for both parents. Significant differences also emerged for DBP, BMI and AFA between the mean values of children positive for one parent and those negative for both parents and for BMI and AFA between the means of children positive for one parent and those positive for both parents. The odds ratio of high systolic and/or diastolic BP, BMI and AFA levels was consistently higher in children with one or two parents with a positive history compared to children with both parents with a negative history, and even higher considering only children with both parents with a positive history vs children with both parents with a negative history.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1991

[Hygienic-medical evaluation of the environmental presence of asbestos].

The importance of environmental pollution by asbestos fibers is stressed, regardless of the more specific pollution in workshops and factories. Indeed, due to the presence of asbestos in a great variety of products, air, water, food, and indoor pollution has become more and more widespread and is reaching fairly high concentrations so as to constitute a serious risk to general health, especially by its carcinogenic effect. The highly technical problem of prevention is also broached. This may lead to specific and even global decontamination provided legislation is drastic, controls are severe and continuous and the public is thoroughly informed.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1991

[Indoor pollution].

The authors discuss problems associated with indoor atmospheric pollution including a large number of pollutants coming partly from outdoors and produced partly by internal sources. Passive tobacco smoke, radon decay products, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, asbestos fibers, microorganisms and allergens are the most important contaminants. Health risks associated with indoor air pollution require an overall strategy to control sources, dilute indoor contaminants and promulgate specific regulations.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1990

[The problem of radon pollution in closed environments].

Radon is the most serious cause of human irradiation and can accumulate indoors in large quantities. The authors examine some aspects of human exposition to natural radioactivity, survey the Italian and international literature on indoor radon concentrations, and finally, set out some guidelines for prevention and control of radon pollution.

Air Pollution, Radioactive↗
PubMed1990

[An evaluation of body adiposity in Roman schoolchildren].

The purpose of this study is to assess the body fat content of 871 Roman children, aged 7-14 years, by a simple method based on measurement of body density from skinfold thickness. Weight, height, triceps, biceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfold were measured for every child and calculated body mass index and percentage of body fat. Girls tended to have more fat than boys and an increase of values with age; boys presented an increase of fat until 11 years, than a decrease more considerable at 14 years. Body fat percentage has a higher correlation with age than BMI and therefore is added to other body mass indices, based on weight and height, for a careful assessment of body composition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Skinfold thickness in a group of Roman schoolchildren].

Triceps, biceps, subscapular and supra-iliac skinfold measurements were taken on 871 children, aged 7-14, in three Roman schools. Girls have larger skinfolds than boys; the values at every site increase with age. Boys present an increase in skinfold measurements until 11 years, then a decrease, more marked at 14 years. Skinfold measurements are a method to assess the amount of fat in the body. Age reference curves, prepared from many Authors, in various parts of the world, show differences between different populations. Skinfold reference data for Italian population therefore are necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Pollution of confined air in non-industrial environments].

Indoor atmospheric pollution includes a lot of pollutants coming partly from outdoors and produced partly by internal sources. Concerns about potential public health problems are based on evidence that urban residents typically spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors and concentrations of some contaminants are higher indoors than outdoors. Adverse effects of indoor air pollution are obviously dependent on the type of pollutant; among the more important indoor contaminants are passive tobacco smoke, radon decay products, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, asbestos fibers, microorganisms and allergens. Efforts to assess health risks associated with indoor air pollution are limited by insufficient information about the number of people exposed, the pattern and severity of exposures and the health consequences of exposures. An overall strategy should be developed to control sources, dilute indoor contaminants and promulgate specific regulations.

Air Pollutants↗