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Biomedical subjects

F Jossa

Publications and source records attributed to F Jossa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Long term relations between earthquake experiences and coronary heart disease risk factors.

The authors analyzed the relations between a variety of earthquake-related experiences incurred in 1983-1984 (financial loss, evacuation, indices of disruption of social networks) and coronary heart disease risk factors (heart rate, blood pressure, total serum cholesterol) assessed in 1987 among 693 Italian male factory workers. Multivariate analyses (adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, and educational level) revealed no long term relations between the quake-related experiences and blood pressure or cholesterol level. However, higher resting heart rates were observed for individuals who reported financial loss, increased distance from family/friends, or decreased visiting as a result of relocation after the quakes. Findings were unchanged after further adjustment for self-reported psychological distress (assessed using the global symptom index of the Symptom Checklist). These findings, while limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data, suggest that a number of psychosocial consequences of relocation due to a natural disaster are unrelated in the long term to coronary heart disease risk factors, except for small but significant differences in heart rate among individuals who have experienced financial loss and/or social network disruptions.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[In Process Citation]

Traduzione integrata del documento redatto dall'International Task Force for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease in collaborazione con l'International Atherosclerosis Society dal titolo "Coronary heart disease: reducing the risk. The scientific background for primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease. A worldwide view" pubblicato in extenso in Nutrition Metabolism Cardiovascular Diseases (1998; 8: 205-71, Assmann G, Carmena R, Cullen P, Fruchart JC, Lewis B, Mancini M, Olsson A, Paoletti R, Pometta D, Tikkanen M) ed in forma ridotta su Circulation (1999; 100: 1930-8, Assmann G, Carmena R, Cullen P, Fruchart JC, Jossa F, Lewis B, Mancini M, Paoletti R, for the International Task Force for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease: reducing the risk. A worldwide view) e su Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (1999; 19: 1819-24, Assmann G, Cullen P, Jossa F, Lewis B, Mancini M, for the International Task Force for the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary heart disease: reducing the risk. The scientific background to primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease).

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Social network disturbances and psychological distress following earthquake evacuation.

The relationship between social network disturbances following earthquake evacuation and self-reported psychological distress (reduced version of the SCL-90-R) 3 to 4 years later was studied among 817 Italian male factory workers. Increased distress was reported by permanently relocated men, while those who were evacuated, but returned to their original homes, reported distress levels comparable to their nonevacuated co-workers. Additionally, among evacuated men, only those whose relocation placed them at an increased distance from family and/or friends reported distress levels higher than the nonevacuated. Change in visiting frequency with family and/or friends following evacuation was not related to distress. Although these data are correlational and cross-sectional, they are consistent with the hypothesis that disaster related distress is, in part, a function of resulting social network disruption.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sodium lithium countertransport and blood pressure. Longitudinal findings.

A significant and positive association between red blood cell sodium lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) and blood pressure has been found in numerous studies. However, the majority of the studies presented to date are cross-sectional in nature and limited information exists on the longitudinal association between Na-Li CT and blood pressure. The present study analyzes the longitudinal association between Na-Li CT and blood pressure in 124 men participants in the Olivetti Heart Study and normotensives at the baseline examination. The Na-Li CT measured at the 12 year follow-up examination was analyzed in regard to the blood pressure changes over time during the 12 year follow-up. Na-Li CT (measured at follow-up examination) was positively related to changes over time in systolic pressure (r = 0.16) and diastolic pressure (r = 0.07) and changes in body mass index (r = 0.18). When blood pressure changes over time were analyzed by tertiles of Na-Li CT, the highest tertile group exhibited on the average significantly higher increases in systolic blood pressure compared with participants of the lowest tertile of the Na-Li CT distribution. This difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for the changes in weight observed during the 12 years follow-up. These findings indicate that the Na-Li CT distribution is related to blood pressure changes over time. However, the usefulness of Na-Li CT as a predictor of incidence of hypertension remains to be established.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[The Mediterranean diet in the prevention of arteriosclerosis].

It is well-known that mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) is much lower in Italy and the Mediterranean countries than in Northern Europe and United States. Diet is one of the major environmental factors playing an important etiological role in different CHD incidence rates in these areas. The Seven Countries Study demonstrated that the average consumption of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol was directly related to CHD death rates, these being higher in Northern Europe and United States and lower in the Mediterranean countries and the Far East. Olive oil, particularly rich in oleic acid, could play a beneficial role in CHD prevention, as reported in the Italian Nine Communities Study carried out in the early 80s. Another multicenter study, the Intersalt Study, has clearly shown lower blood pressure in participants with lower intake of both sodium and alcohol and higher intake of potassium. Recent findings have also shown that two helping of fish per week and antioxidant vitamins, particularly vitamin E and beta carotene, are related to lower CHD incidence rate in the Mediterranean area compared to other countries. In conclusion, based on the reported findings, the Mediterranean diet represents an useful and effective mean for the prevention of CHD.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1994

Serum uric acid and hypertension: the Olivetti heart study.

The association between serum uric acid and hypertension was evaluated in a sample of male workers in southern Italy enrolled in the Olivetti Heart Study, an ongoing longitudinal epidemiological investigation on risk factors for coronary heart disease carried out at the Olivetti factory in the suburban area of Naples. Participants were screened at baseline (1975) and at five year (1980) and 12 year (1987) follow-up examinations. The present report focuses on 619 male workers for whom information on coronary heart disease risk factors was available both at baseline and 12 year follow-up examination. At baseline, after excluding hypertensive participants (systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP), > or = 90 mmHg and/or on antihypertensive therapy; n = 72), serum uric acid was positively and significantly related to age, SBP, DBP, body mass index (BMI), serum total cholesterol (CHOL) and serum triglycerides (TG) in 547 normotensive participants. At 12 year follow-up examination, hypertension was defined by SBP > or = 140 mmHg and/or DBP > or = 90 mmHg and/or being on antihypertensive therapy. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed an independent positive association between serum uric acid levels and development of hypertension (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.07-1.39; p = 0.011) after adjustment for age, BMI, CHOL and TG. Furthermore, according to more severe degrees of hypertension (SBP > or = 160 mmHg and/or DBP > or = 95 mmHg and/or being on antihypertensive therapy), the relative risk to develop hypertension was still significant (RR = 1.19; CI = 1.01-1.38; p = 0.051).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Perimenstrual symptom prevalence rates: an Italian-American comparison.

The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of perimenstrual symptoms among a randomly selected group of Italian women by using a standardized menstrual symptom instrument and to compare them with those from a census-based sample of free-living American women in the study by Woods et al. (Am J Public Health 1982;72:1257-64). Italian menstrual symptom prevalence rates were obtained as part of a 1984 national health screening project using the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire translated into Italian. A total of 306 of the 426 randomly invited women between ages 20 and 49 years participated (71.8% participation rate). After determination of ineligible participants (those who were postmenopausal, posthysterectomy, and pregnant), a total of 239 subjects were interviewed. Italian women reported the highest prevalence of symptoms during the menstrual phase and the lowest prevalence during the remainder of the cycle. The cross-cultural comparison indicates that, overall, Italian women reported higher prevalence of symptoms across the three phases of the cycle than did the American women, even though this difference was the smallest during the premenstrual phase. Prevalence rates of a number of classic premenstrual symptoms (e.g., breast tenderness) and affective symptoms (e.g., tension and avoid social activities) were found to be similar for the Italian and American samples. This study, while it identifies a sociocultural component to symptom reporting, indicates the presence of premenstrual distress symptoms in diverse cultural settings, even in women who are generally unaware of premenstrual syndrome. These findings lend support to the validity of the premenstrual phase distress experience and suggest the existence of the premenstrual syndrome across diverse cultures.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Baldness and coronary heart disease risk factors.

The present report focuses on the association between baldness pattern and coronary heart disease risk factors in 872 male factory workers from southern Italy participating in an epidemiological study. Participants were divided according to presence or absence of baldness and baldness pattern. Participants with fronto-occipital baldness (male-type baldness) (n = 280) characterized by hair loss centered over the vertex with an m-shaped frontal-temporal recession had, on the average, higher serum cholesterol and blood pressure compared to participants with no baldness (n = 321) and/or participants with just frontal baldness (n = 273). For serum cholesterol, a significant interaction was detected between age and fronto-occipital baldness (i.e. the association between fronto-occipital baldness and elevated levels of serum cholesterol became weaker with age). No interaction was detectable between age and fronto-occipital baldness for blood pressure. The results of this cross-sectional study indicate that male-type pattern of baldness is associated with elevated CHD risk profile, and that this relation between age and serum cholesterol differs in younger compared to older men.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol and blood pressure. The effects of age. Findings from the Italian Nine Communities Study. The Research Group ATS-RF2 of the Italian National Research Council.

This report analyzes the role age in the association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in a large sample (n = 6165) of Italian men and women, aged 20 to 59 years, who participated in a multicenter study on risk factors for arteriosclerosis. Age-stratified analysis indicated that both men and women aged 50 to 59 years showed the strongest positive association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure. While in men the association between systolic blood pressure and alcohol consumption increased linearly with age, in women the association between systolic blood pressure and alcohol increased sharply in the oldest (50 to 59 year) age group.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Coffee and serum lipids: findings from the Olivetti Heart Study.

The relationship between coffee consumption and blood lipids was analyzed in a sample of 900 male workers of southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. In the univariate analysis, coffee drinkers (n = 856) had higher values for body mass index (P < or = 0.05) and number of cigarettes smoked per day (P < or = 0.001) and lower levels of serum high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (P < or = 0.05), compared to noncoffee drinkers (n = 44). In addition, coffee consumption (cups/d) was positively related to serum triglyceride levels (r = 0.105, P < or = 0.01) and cigarette smoking (r = 0.491, P < or = 0.01), and was inversely related to age (r = -0.122, P < or = 0.01). After multivariate adjustment, coffee consumption remained significantly related to age, cigarette smoking, and body mass index (data not shown). After stratification for smoking status, a significant positive linear trend between coffee consumption and serum total cholesterol was observed only in smokers. No significant trend was observed for serum triglycerides and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol with coffee intake according to smoking status. This finding suggests that the relationship between coffee consumption and serum total cholesterol may change with the smoking status.

Cholesterol, HDL↗
PubMed1992

Earthquake and coronary heart disease risk factors: a longitudinal study.

The longitudinal association between a number of coronary heart disease risk factors and the experience of a natural disaster (earthquake) was analyzed in a group of workers participating in a longitudinal epidemiologic investigation. The 5-year follow-up examination was interrupted by a major earthquake, and examinations were resumed 2 weeks after the quake. Participants screened after the quake had, on average, higher heart rates, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides than participants examined before the quake; these differences were independent from the coronary heart disease risk factor values measured 5 years previously during the baseline examination. The data collected during the 12-year examination indicated that the observed short-term increase in serum lipids and heart rate was not present long-term (7 years after the quake). These longitudinal data indicate that exposure to a natural disaster can be associated with short-term increases in heart rate, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides but that there is no apparent long-term effect on these coronary heart disease risk factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Sodium-lithium countertransport and body fat distribution.

The relationship between erythrocyte sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) and body fat distribution is analyzed in a sample (n = 101) of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study of coronary heart disease risk factors. Na-Li CT is significantly and positively associated with both subscapular skinfold and waist to hip ratio, but not with triceps skinfold. The univariate correlation between Na-Li CT and blood pressure is diminished when adjusted for body mass index and waist to hip ratio. These findings support the existence of an association between Na-Li CT and central body fat distribution and suggest that the metabolic abnormalities associated with centrally distributed body fat could explain, at least in part, the association between Na-Li CT and blood pressure. The maximal velocity of the sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) in erythrocytes has been reported to be directly associated with blood pressure and hypertension in numerous reports from both clinical and epidemiological studies. In most of these studies, indices of weight and/or adiposity (body mass index, in particular) have been shown to be among the most important correlates of Na-Li CT. Adiposity is an important determinant of blood pressure, and there is evidence suggesting that the patterning of the fat cells in the body is linked to a number of metabolic disturbances that could lead to hypertension and an increase in other CHD risk factors. The present report analyses the relationship between Na-Li CT and body fat distribution in a sample of normotensive and untreated hypertensive men participating in an epidemiological study.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1992

[Diet and cardiovascular risk among women in Italy].

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is less common in females compared to males and geographical differences are observed in both sexes; furthermore time trend mortality in women follows the same pattern as in men suggesting that the environmental factors have similar influence in both sexes. Nutrition is an environmental factor which plays an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of CHD. The Italian Nine Communities Study on Atherosclerosis Risk Factors analyzes the relationships between consumption of food rich in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and a number of CHD risk factors in a sample of Italian women aged 20-59 years. The dietary habits of the participants were ascertained by a food frequency questionnaire. Intake of atherogenic food was evaluated for each participants systolic blood pressure, serum glucose, serum cholesterol increased with increasing consumption of atherogenic food (i.e. butter). Conversely, consumption of olive oil and vegetable oil was inversely associated with serum cholesterol, serum glucose and systolic blood pressure. Furthermore, calcium rich food consumption was associated with lower blood pressure. These findings were independent from any possible confounding effect of age, adiposity, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking. Data from the Intersalt Study in Italy (400 women aged 20-59 years) have clearly shown lower blood pressure levels in participants with lower intake of sodium and alcohol and higher intake of potassium. Some clinical and experimental observations suggest a possible difference in response to dietary factors in women compared to men due to the intermediate effects of the sex hormone pattern.

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

Serum selenium and coronary heart disease risk factors in southern Italian men.

The association between serum selenium concentration and a number of coronary heart disease risk factors is studied in 364 males from southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. Selenium correlates positively and significantly with serum cholesterol (r = 0.120; P = 0.022), and this positive association persists after adjustment for age and body mass index. Selenium levels in heavy smokers are lower than both light smokers and current non-smokers, but these differences do not reach statistical significance. Selenium is not significantly associated with any of the other CHD risk factors (e.g., triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, age, and body mass index). It is hypothesized that the association between selenium and serum cholesterol reported in this and previous studies could be due to dietary interrelationships between selenium intake and foods that affect serum cholesterol concentrations.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in a sample of healthy workers.

METHODS: Correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are analyzed in a sample of 797 male workers in southern Italy participating in the Olivetti Heart Study. At the univariate level high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations are positively related to alcohol consumption (r = 0.127; P less than or equal to 0.001) and sport activity (r = 0.074; P less than or equal to 0.05) and inversely related to body mass index (r = -0.160; P less than or equal to 0.001), serum triglycerides (r = -0.349; P less than or equal to 0.001), cigarette smoking (r = -0.227; P less than or equal to 0.001), and coffee consumption (r = -0.153; P less than or equal to 0.001). RESULTS: In the group as a whole, body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and serum triglycerides remain significantly related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the multivariate model, while the association with coffee intake and sport activity loses statistical significance. A significant negative interaction is reported between physical activity and cigarette smoking, and a positive significant linear trend between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and sport activity is observed only in nonsmokers. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that body mass index, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, serum triglycerides, and sport activity are important correlates of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol but that the positive significant association between sport activity and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is absent in smokers.

Adult↗