PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Venezia

Publications and source records attributed to A Venezia.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Plasma leptin measurements in epidemiological investigation: comparison of two commonly used assays and estimate of regression dilution bias.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: As leptin is the object of intensive clinical research, we compared the radio-immunological assay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercially available for measuring its plasma concentration in humans (Study 1), and sought to determine the power of a single plasma leptin measurement to characterise adequately a subject within a population on the basis of its intra- and inter-individual variations (Study 2). METHODS AND RESULTS: Study 1--Plasma leptin concentrations were determined by means of RIA and ELISA in a sample of 80 males. The measurements obtained using the two methods were closely correlated (r = 0.942), but the bias of the means was 21.1 +/- 73.5% (M +/- SD, p < 0.001) and indicated that the two assays were not in agreement with each other. As expected, there were strong statistical associations between plasma leptin and a number of anthropometric indices, but the slopes of the regression of leptin concentration was significantly steeper when measured by ELISA. Study 2--ELISA was used to measure plasma leptin concentrations in three different samples obtained from 12 males and 12 females at two-week intervals. The inter-individual variation in plasma leptin was much greater than its intra-individual variation (the ratio of intra-to inter-individual variance = 0.05 and 0.04 in males and females, respectively), thus suggesting that a single fasting measurement is sufficient to characterise an individual's plasma leptin level within a population. CONCLUSIONS: ELISA is at least as effective as RIA in measuring plasma leptin, and is fully suitable for epidemiological investigations. A single measurement made in the morning and under fasting conditions is sufficient to characterise an individual within a population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of de-alcoholated red wine and its phenolic fractions on platelet aggregation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Platelet aggregation is involved in atherosclerosis and pharmacological inhibition of platelet activity may reduce the risk of coronary thrombosis and myocardial infarction. Red wine polyphenols may reduce platelet aggregability. This study evaluates the effect of de-alcoholated red wine (DRW) and its phenolic fractions on rat platelet aggregation and cyclic AMP (c-AMP) content. METHODS AND RESULTS: DRW was fractionated into four classes of phenolic compounds: phenolic acids (fraction 1), procyanidins, catechins and monomeric anthocyanidins (fraction 2), flavonols and resveratrol (fraction 3) and polymeric anthocyanidins (fraction 4). The effect of each fraction on ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation and c-AMP content was compared with that of DRW and pure phenolic compounds (quercetin, catechin, resveratrol, caffeic acid). DRW completely inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Fraction 2 also showed a significant anti-aggregating activity, whereas the effects of fractions 3 and 4 and the pure phenolics were not significant. A significant increase in platelet c-AMP content was observed after the addition of DRW and fraction 2. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that DRW and its catechin-anthocyanidin fraction exert a significant effect on platelet aggregation in vitro, perhaps by enhancing platelet c-AMP levels.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The BRAVO project: screening for childhood obesity in a primary school setting.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, raising a number of public health concerns. First, childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity; second, the low long term success rate and the high social cost of the treatment of obesity suggest that attention should be paid to the prevention of obesity early in childhood. The objective of the present study was to evaluate dietary habits and anthropometric factors in a sample of schoolchildren aged 6-12 years living in Southern Italy in the framework of an ongoing prospective study aimed at childhood obesity prevention. METHODS AND RESULTS: The BRAVO Project is carried out in co-operation with the school staff and is a part of an educational program on nutrition for the schoolchildren and their families. During the first phase of the study, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was evaluated in 363 children adopting the criteria for definition of childhood obesity recently proposed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The main result of this study was that in our cohort an exceedingly high risk of becoming overweight in adult age was observed for any one-year age class. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study confirmed the trend toward an increasing prevalence of childhood obesity observed in other Western countries. Moreover, out data--though preliminary--suggest that the large scale involvement of primary school in screening programs could represent an effective preventive strategy against the increased risk of childhood obesity.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1999

High monounsaturated fatty acids intake protects against age-related cognitive decline.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between dietary macronutrient intakes and age-related changes in cognitive functions. METHODS: We investigated these associations in the prevalence survey (1992 through 1993) of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA). The population-based sample of 5,632 subjects of the ILSA, age 65 to 84 years, was identified from the electoral rolls of eight Italian municipalities. In this study, standardized test batteries assessing global cognitive functions (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]), selective attention (Digit Cancellation Test [DCT]), and episodic memory (Babcock Story Recall Test), and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire evaluating macronutrient energy intakes, were performed on 278 nondemented elderly subjects from the randomized cohort of Casamassima, Bari (n = 704). RESULTS: There was an inverse relationship between monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) energy intake and cognitive decline (MMSE < 24). The effect of education on the odds of having a MMSE score <24 decreased exponentially with the increase of MUFA intakes (over 2,400 kJ; odds ratio, 0.69). Moreover, a significant inverse association was observed between MUFA intakes and DCT score (odds ratio, 0.99). No association was found between nutritional variables and episodic memory. CONCLUSIONS: In an elderly population of Southern Italy with a typical Mediterranean diet, high MUFA intakes appeared to be protective against age-related cognitive decline. Prospective clinical trials are needed to evaluate the impact of specific dietary macronutrient intakes on the age-related changes of cognitive functions.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1994

Age-associated changes of neutrophil responsiveness in a human healthy elderly population.

Conflicting results have been reported on polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell responsiveness during senescence. Consequently, neutrophil absolute numbers and PMN-mediated chemotaxis, phagocytosis, killing and superoxide anion (O2-) generation in healthy aged volunteers divided into different groups according to increasing age criteria, were investigated and evaluated. Data provide evidence that absolute amounts of PMN cells declined in a significant manner in donors over 85 years old only when compared with young subjects. On the contrary, regardless of age, the aged individuals exhibited a significant impairment of PMN chemotactic, phagocytic and killing functional capacities. Finally, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylanaline (FMLP)-triggered O2- release was reduced in all elderly groups, while depression of O2- production was seen in subjects between the age of 86 and 104 years using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) as agonist. These findings indicate that an imbalance in the PMN cell immune reactivity occurs throughout the senescence process.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Technical artifacts in biopsy of the oral cavity. I. Clinical and histopathologic aspects].

In the present work the problems of artifacts introduced in human oral biopsy specimens are discussed. The circumstances that can result in artifacts include: errors by the surgeon or assistant in handling the tissue at the time of biopsy, an improper fixation and faulty tissue processing. Different types of artifacts are described and illustrated and clinical and technical suggestions are given to prevent alterations of normal morphologic and cytologic features that can compromise an accurate diagnosis.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1989

[Ultrastructural aspects of the submandibular gland].

The structure of normal human submandibular glands has been studied with the electron microscope. Secretory cells are arranged around a central lumen, and are surrounded by numerous myoepithelial cells, showing tapering process. Intercalated and striated ducts follow secretory units. Striated ducts' cells are characterized by extensive infoldings of the basal plasma membrane, among which numerous mitochondria are aligned. Furthermore, the Authors examine the submandibular gland's innervation.

Humans↗