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Biomedical subjects

E Gatti

Publications and source records attributed to E Gatti.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Ambulatory treatment of obesity with modified fasting (Modifast)].

52 obese subjects, 17 to 65 years old, 42.5 +/- 23.37 percent mean body weight excess, were treated with a very low-calorie diet (1020 KJ = 240 Kcal/day), containing whole egg protein (g 33), disaccharides (g 25.5), vitamins and minerals (Modifast). The diet was well tolerated by all subjects, without important side effects, and the following significant mean weight losses were registered: -kg 3.4 +/- 1.1 after 1 week (52 subjects); -kg 5.4 +/- 1.4 after 2 weeks (38 subjects); -kg 8.7 +/- 1.4 after 4 weeks (20 subjects); -kg 11.8 +/- 1.6 after 6 weeks (7 subjects); -kg 17.3 +/- 0.8 after 10 weeks (2 subjects); -kg 20.4 after 13 weeks of treatment (1 subjects). A significant reduction of plasma glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides were detected at the end of the dietary treatment, in contrast plasma uric acid concentration rose significantly but within the normal limits. Modified fasting with protein-carbohydrate supplementation (Modifast) may be successfully and safely prescribed also to obese out-patients, provided a careful patient selection, a weekly clinical and biochemical examination and a daily potassium supplementation (20-30 mMol) are performed.

Adolescent↗

Effects of Guar-enriched pasta in the treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

The effect of an alimentary pasta with a 20% (w/w) content of Guar gum was tested in normal volunteers, diabetic and hyperlipidemic patients in different out- and in-patient protocols. Acute experiments (A, B) were carried out in healthy volunteers and in diabetics, by evaluating plasma glucose, triglyceride and insulin changes after a single meal. Plasma glucose and triglyceride rises were almost completely prevented by the pasta in normal volunteers; plasma insulin levels were modified to a lesser extent. In diabetics, the rise of plasma glucose after the meal was significantly delayed. The pasta was also administered for more prolonged periods of time to diabetic and hyperlipidemic patients (experiments C-E). In the first instance, a significant improvement both in the plasma glucose levels, as well as in the daily glucose profile and glycosuria was observed. In hyperlipidemics, a reduction of triglyceride levels was particularly evident; however, in mixed types of hyperlipidemias, a significant hypocholesterolemic effect was also demonstrated. Guar gum pasta may provide a simple dietary addition for the management of common metabolic disorders.

Adult↗

An automatic procedure for pre-processing ECG/VCG signals.

An automatic procedure for the pre-processing of ECG/VCG signals has been implemented on a HP2100 computer in order to test the significance of a few algorithms for the reduction of low-frequency and high-frequency noises superimposed on the tracings, i.e. baseline-drift evaluation and correction, low-pass and high-pass analogue and digital filterings. It is shown that such operations diminish the influence of noise and improve the phase of feature extraction in the processing program for a better measurement of wave amplitudes, durations and intervals. Such aspects are considered fundamental due to the increasing applications of 24-h Holter type recording, microprocessor-based modules both in the cardiological field and in patient monitoring systems, besides taking into account the new design concept of electrocardiographic equipments which, in the future, will become more and more a sort of data acquisition modules.

Computers↗

Fecal cholesterol excretion studies in type II hypercholesterolemic patients treated with the soybean protein diet.

The fecal steroid elimination profile was studied in 7 type II hyperlipoproteinemic patients given a low-lipid diet with textured soybean proteins, in order to define the mechanism of the hypocholesterolemic activity of this new dietary regimen. Four of the patients followed a 3- + 3-week cross-over protocol, comparing the soybean diet with a reference low-lipid diet with animal proteins. In these, fecal neutral steroids and bile acids were analyzed by chromatography during the two dietary periods. In spite of the clear hypocholesterolemic effect, no significant differences in steroid output were noted between the two dietary periods. In the 3 remaining patients, a chromatographic + isotopic method (by injecting 14C-labelled cholesterol i.v. 4-6 weeks prior to the dietary study) was employed. Again, no marked changes were noted in the fecal neutral steroid and bile acid outputs and the slope of the decay curve of the plasma cholesterol-specific activity was not changed by the experimental diet, in spite of the remarkable decrease in plasma cholesterol. The reported results do not provide a definitive contribution to the mode of action of the soybean protein diet. They suggest, however, that it is not an effect mediated by undigestible dietary components. The possibility of a cholesterol redistribution from plasma to tissue pools should be considered.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

In vivo recording of blood velocity profiles and studies in vitro of profile alterations induced by known stenoses.

Recordings of blood velocity profiles and their behavior in the time domain in some peripheral human vessels (carotid arteries and limb vessels) are reported. Measurements have been obtained with a pulsed ultrasonic instrument based on the analysis of the cross-correlation function of blood-diffused echoes. The alterations of blood velocity profiles and of the velocity in the time domain, induced by known stenosis, have been studied in vitro as a function of the distance between stenosis and measuring point, and the position of the sample volume along the diameter. These studies may be useful for a better comprehension of blood velocity measurements made with ultrasound equipment for clinical noninvasive diagnostic purposes.

Journal Article↗

[Depopulation of rural districts and mental health: the Sassim study (author's transl)].

The present investigation is a study of mental diseases in Sassim, a little rural district near Pavia (Italy), in which there has been an intensive process of depopulation during the last 20 years. In this communication the A.A. discuss the first phase of the study: they have investigated the demographic development of population from 1960 to 1977 and prevalence as well as incidence rates of mental diseases. Depopulation hasn't been only quantitative, but has altered the structure of population and has presented a quite different decrease velocity during the examined period; the trends of psychiatric morbidity seem to be associated with the distinctive feature of depopulation.

Adolescent↗

Clinical experience with the soybean protein diet in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

The efficacy of the total substitution of animal proteins with a textured soybean protein in hypercholesterolemic individuals was assayed in 42 in-patients and 18 out-patients. The in-patients studied followed one of three different crossover protocols: in protocol A, the soybean diet was compared with a standard low lipid diet; protocol B compared two soybean diets, one with added cholesterol, one without; and protocol C compared a soybean diet containing a high P/S fatty acid ratio to one with a low P/S ratio. In all three protocols, the soybean regimen provided valid and reproducible hypocholesterolemic effects that were not modified by the addition of cholesterol. P/S variations appeared, however, to modify the final effect: soybean definitely had a decreased effectiveness with a low P/S (0.1) regimen. The overall plasma cholesterol changes in the 42 in-patients after 3 weeks on the different soybean diet protocols was -20%. Patients with type IIA and IIB hypercholesterolemia provided almost equivalent results, whereas patients with mixed phenotypes (IIB-III) appeared somewhat more sensitive to the dietary effect. Cholesterol decreased mostly in the low density lipoprotein fraction, but some very low density lipoprotein changes were also noted upon variation of the P/S ratio. The out-patients studied provided less satisfactory results. possibly due to the difficulty of adequately complying with the diet. These studies indicate that treatment with the soybean diet is an effective regimen for inducing a significant cholesterol reduction in type II patients refractory to standard low lipid regimens.

Adult↗

Soybean-protein diet in the treatment of type-II hyperlipoproteinaemia.

A soybean textured protein induced a 14% decrease of plasma-cholesterol levels after two weeks and 21% after three when substituted for animal proteins in a group of 20 patients with type-II hyperlipoproteinaemia. Comparison of soybean diet with a standard low-lipid diet in the same patients, according to a cross-over protocol, indicated that this hypocholesterolaemic effect was not due to differences in the lipid composition of the two diets. The hypothesis that a soy protein has a hypocholesterolaemic action per se is supported by the results of a subsequent experiment in 8 type-II patients in whom the addition of cholesterol (500 mg/day) to soy protein did not modify the hypocholesterolaemic response.

Adult↗

Pharmacological studies on tiadenol in type IV patients. Evidence for a mechanism of action different from other lipid-lowering drugs.

Tiadenol [bis(hydroxyethylthio) 1-10 decane], a new absorbable hypolipidemic agent differing in chemical structure from clofibrate and related compounds, was tested in hypertriglyceridemic patients, both responsive and nonresponsive to dietary treatment. Tiadenol administration was remarkably effective in inhibiting fructose induced hypertriglyceridemia in diet responsive type IV patients; it was ineffective in patients with stable, diet refractory, hypertriglyceridemia. The significant reduction of plasma triglycerides (-42%) in sensitive patients, was not accompanied in this study, by the activation of plasma lipoprotein and hepatic lipases. In a second, longer term investigation of stable type IV patients, tiadenol administration resulted in significant triglyceride decreases in the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) (-45%), as well as in the low and high density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL) (both -25%). The cholesterol content of LDL and HDL was not modified. In VLDL a significant reduction of apoprotein E was observed (from 15.2 +/- 4.9 to 11.9 +/- 5.9% of VLDL proteins). The reported observations are consistent with a difference in the mode of action of tiadenol from that of other lipid lowering agents, particularly of the clofibrate type.

Apoproteins↗