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E Celentano

Publications and source records attributed to E Celentano.

54 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Nutritional research in studies of large numbers of people: the need for integrating accuracy and simplicity].

Epidemiological investigations on nutrition and chronic diseases require high reliability, accuracy, low cost and feasibility of the system through which dietary information is collected. Food frequency questionnaire are commonly used in large epidemiological investigations. However, repeated 24 hour recall should be considered to integrate this information. Multiple 24 h recalls in random samples of large cohorts appear to be convenient choice to improve data accuracy. This procedure also allow calibration of dietary information in case of pooling of data from different cohorts. Multiple 24 h recalls can be easily carried out through telephone interviews instead of multiple face-to-face. This reliable procedure, tested in a study reported in this paper, may improve compliance.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Coping and blood pressure.

The relationship between psychological coping strategies and BP was analysed in a group of 158 southern Italian men and women aged 20-59, randomly selected from an epidemiological study on coronary heart disease risk factors. Coping strategies were evaluated by use of a self-administered questionnaire (Jalowiec Coping Scale) listing 40 frequently used strategies. Factor analysis revealed the reported use of 5 different coping strategies. Males, on average, reported seeking less external support than females. In both sexes, increased years of education were associated with increased use of solution-oriented coping strategies and decreased use of resignation and sympathy seeking. After adjustment for age, alcohol use, body mass index, education and smoking, increased use of resignation was associated with lowered BP in both sexes. Emotional coping was inversely related to BP in males, but not in females. The search for external support was associated with a higher BP only in males. These data provide some evidence to suggest that psychological coping modalities are related to blood pressure.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1991

Increasing the dietary potassium intake reduces the need for antihypertensive medication.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an increase in dietary potassium intake from natural foods reduces the need for antihypertensive medication in patients with essential hypertension. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial with 1-year follow-up. SETTING: Hypertension outpatient clinic of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-four patients with well-controlled hypertension, 47 of whom completed 1 year of follow-up. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups and were given dietary advice aimed at selectively increasing potassium intake (group 1) or at keeping their customary diet unchanged (group 2). During a 1-year follow-up period, drug therapy was reduced in stepwise fashion, according to a fixed protocol, provided that blood pressure remained below 160/95 mm Hg. MAIN RESULTS: Potassium intake was checked monthly by referring to 3-day food records and by measuring 24-hour urinary potassium excretion. Potassium intake increased in group 1 but did not change in group 2 (P less than 0.001). No change was observed in either urinary sodium excretion or in body weight. After 1 year, the average drug consumption (number of pills per day) relative to that at baseline was 24% in group 1 (95% Cl, 15% to 32%) and 60% in group 2 (Cl, 44% to 76%) (P less than 0.001). By the end of the study, blood pressure could be controlled using less than 50% of the initial therapy in 81% of the patients in group 1 (Cl, 66% to 96%) compared with 29% of the patients in group 2 (Cl, 10% to 48%) (P = 0.001). Patients in group 1 ended the study with a lower number of reported symptoms compared with patients in the control group (P less than 0.001). CONCLUSION: Increasing the dietary potassium intake from natural foods is a feasible and effective measure to reduce antihypertensive drug treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

INTERSALT in Italy: findings and community health implications.

In INTERSALT, an international cooperative study on electrolytes and blood pressure, significant associations were found, in the pooled data for 52 centres, between systolic BP and sodium (Na) excretion, body mass index (BMI), high alcohol intake and low potassium (K) excretion. We have assessed the status of the four Italian centres (Mirano, Gubbio, Bassiano, Naples) on these variables. The four centres examined a total of 794 men and women aged 20-59 years. Combined values were similar to overall INTERSALT levels for daily Na excretion (170 mmol) and BMI (25 kg/m2). The Italian centres had slightly higher potassium excretions (57 vs. 55 mmol/day), a higher prevalence of drinkers and a greater average alcohol consumption. Participants were divided into those below or above median levels of Na, K, BMI, and by alcohol intake (below or above 300 ml/week). Both systolic BP and diastolic BP were found to be lower in the more favourable stratum, for each variable. When all four factors were combined, those below median Na excretion and BMI, above median K, and with alcohol intake less than 300 ml/week had age-adjusted systolic BP 7.5 mmHg lower than those with less favourable levels of all four variables. The difference in adjusted diastolic BP was 4.3 mmHg. The data indicate the potential for lower population average BP with improved lifestyles.

Alcohol Drinking↗
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↗
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

Blood pressure during a combination of ketanserin and hydrochlorothiazide.

The antihypertensive effectiveness of a combination of ketanserin 20 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg has been evaluated in 20 patients with arterial hypertension of mild to moderate degree in the age group over 50 years (age range 50-78 years). After a wash-out period of at least two weeks, patients were given a single oral dose of ketanserin 20 mg or thiazide 25 mg in a randomized order at two-day intervals and blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac workload (systolic blood pressure x heart rate) were measured during the following 24 h by an automatic recorder. Thereafter patients were given the combination of the two drugs for six weeks and 24 h blood pressure was assessed after the first dose and at the end of the treatment. A significant fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was rapidly induced by ketanserin from 2 to 8 h after dosing; thiazide on the other hand did not induce any change in these parameters (169 +/- 15/95 +/- 6 mmHg (22.5 +/- 2.0/12.7 +/- 0.8 kPa) at baseline versus 153 +/- 17/89 +/- 7 mmHg (20.4 +/- 2.3/11.9 +/- 0.9 kPa) at 2 h and 157 +/- 19/87 +/- 8 mmHg (20.9 +/- 2.5/11.6 +/- 1.1 kPa) at 8 h on ketanserin; 166 +/- 15/93 +/- 6 mmHg (22.1 +/- 2.0/12.4 +/- 0.8 kPa) at baseline versus 160 +/- 12/89 +/- 6 mmHg (21.3 +/- 1.6/11.9 +/- 0.8 kPa) at 2 h and 157 +/- 15/89 +/- 5 mmHg (20.9 +/- 2.0/11.9 +/- 0.7 kPa) at 8 h on thiazide).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
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

Recovery of erection after pelvic urologic surgery: our experience.

The incidence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients undergoing pelvic urologic surgery, the efficacy and tolerability of vardenafil-based rehabilitative treatment as first option in these patients, the role of spontaneous erection (SE) as a possible positive predictive factor to erection recovery after such treatment, and the role of second-line therapies in those nonresponders are evaluated. All the patients undergoing pelvic urologic surgery at our Institution between November 2002 and December 2003 were considered. Preoperative erectile function (EF) was evaluated by using the abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF5) questionnaire. Study population was divided into separate groups considering grade of preoperative EF, nerve sparing (NS) surgery and type of procedure (radical prostatectomy, radical cystectomy (RC) or nerve and seminal sparing cystectomy). In total, 86 patients were evaluated. After 6 months, an increase in mean IIEF5 score of 12.9 points was found in those who had undergone a bilateral NSRP after vardenafil therapy, of 8.0 points in those who had undergone unilateral NSRP, of 11.3 in those who had undergone NSRC and of 11.5 in nerve and seminal sparing cistectomies. A better vardenafil response was found in patients with SE+(P<0.001). Among those vardenafil notresponders, 13 were treated by using intracavernous injections, one by vacuum device and three with penile prosthesis implant. In conclusion, in our experience, vardenafil showed to be well tolerated and effective for recovery of EF in patients undergoing pelvic urologic surgery. This drug was particularly effective for those with a normal preoperative EF undergoing an NS procedure. Of course, it should be recognized that the absence of a control group in the study represents an important limitation. However, based on the data from the literature, there is a strong belief that such an approach will lead to an earlier recovery of EF than without rehabilitative treatment.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Short- and long-term association between uric acid and a natural disaster.

OBJECTIVE: This paper analyzes the longitudinal relationship between serum uric acid level and a natural disaster. METHODS: The sample consists of factory workers who were participating in a longitudinal epidemiological study of coronary heart disease risk factors. Participants were seen in 1975 (baseline), 1980 (5 year follow-up), and 1987 (12 year follow-up). The 5 year (1980) follow-up examination was interrupted by a major earthquake and resumed 2 weeks after the quake. At this examination, participants seen after the quake had, on the average, significantly lower serum uric acid than those seen before the earthquake. In 1987 (7 years after the quake), participants were questioned whether or not (in their own perception) they were still suffering from damages due to the 1980 earthquake. RESULTS: At the examination in 1987, participants who reported suffering from damage due to the 1980 quake showed on the average significantly increased serum uric acid compared with participants who reported not suffering from damages due to the 1980 quake. The analyses of the data of 578 individuals who participated in all three examinations confirmed these findings and showed that they were independent from levels of uric acid measured prior to the disaster. CONCLUSIONS: The reason for this apparent different association with uric acid and acute and long-term exposure to the quake remains to be clarified but these findings are consistent with the existence of diverse patterns of physiologic response to different stressors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Apoptosis and cytologic differentiation in hepatocellular carcinoma on fine needle aspiration samples.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate possible alterations of the mechanisms leading to apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by studying bcl-2 expression on fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples using immunocytochemistry. STUDY DESIGN: The study was performed on a series of 84 hepatocarcinomas aspirated under ultrasound guidance. A Papanicolaou-stained smear for each case was destained and restained for bcl-2 by using the immunoperoxidase technique. bcl-2 Expression was then correlated with cytologic grading and the size of the tumor. RESULTS: In 16 cases (19%), bcl-2 immunostaining gave a specific cytoplasmic signal. Fourteen of these positive cases were well differentiated, and two were pleomorphic tumors. Six positive cases were smaller than 5 cm, 3 were larger than 5 cm, and 7 were diffuse. CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of hepatocellular carcinomas produce and accumulate bcl-2 protein in cell cytoplasm. bcl-2 Expression can be detected on destained cytologic smears. bcl-2 Expression seems to correlate with the cytologic degree of differentiation but not with the size of the tumor.

Apoptosis↗
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

Drainage in thyroid surgery: a prospective randomised clinical study.

Drainage in thyroid surgery is still an area of controversy. We analysed the results of a prospective randomised trial conducted in our institution in order to assess the utility of drainage after thyroid surgery. Sixty patients were entered into the study, thirty of whom were drained after surgery and thirty who received no drainage. The two groups were well matched with regard to most characteristics. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of early or late postoperative complications. We therefore conclude that, in our experience, drainage after uncomplicated thyroid surgery is of no benefit.

Adult↗