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Biomedical subjects

F Vecchi

Publications and source records attributed to F Vecchi.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma renin activity in essential hypertension (a critical approach to its significance).

A study of the frequency distribution of plasma renin activity (PRA) in 123 patients with essential hypertension (EH) produced no evidence of a distinct subpopulation with low renin levels, whether the samples were taken from supine or upright patients. Applying an arbitrary classification criterion, however, low PRA levels were found in 30.1% of patients. There were no significant differences in mean blood pressure, 24-h sodium excretion, and age when groups with low, normal or high PRA levels were compared. The incidence of PRA hyporesponsiveness was similar in the three groups of patients, but increased with age. In the female there was apreponderance of low PRA levels. It is concluded that EH with low PRA levels is not a separate diagnostic entity and, when PRA is low in a hypertensive subject, the possible effects of age, blood pressure, and sex ought to be taken into account before other causes of low PRA are postulated.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Height and secular trend in conscripts born in the Central Apennines (Italy), 1865-1972.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the research was to evaluate the effects of prolonged isolation on the secular trend of height in an internal zone of the central Apennines (Abruzzo, Province of L'Aquila). METHODS: Personal data for 1006 military conscripts in five sample years from 1865 to 1972 were used. The mean, standard deviation, median, skewness and kurtosis were calculated. Normal distribution of the data was assessed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (Monte Carlo method). Differences between the means were tested by ANOVA and the Tukey test. RESULTS: Mean height increased from 161.3 +/- 5.97 cm in 1865 to 172.6 +/- 6.28 cm in 1972. The increases were slight, but constant, in the first 80 years: between 0.44 and 0.86 cm/decade, but greater thereafter: 2.37 cm/decade between 1945 and 1972. Regarding the frequency distribution, skewness showed negative values only in 1865 (-0.37 +/- 0.21). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test did not show significance for any period. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that the mean heights in south-central Italy, including Abruzzo, were lower than those of the more economically advanced regions of northern Italy in each period. The difference has decreased greatly in the last few generations, but the secular trend is continuing in these communities. This seems to be due to prolonged isolation which has retarded economic development and favoured endogamy and genetic drift. However, it has also prevented the negative effects of wars, since there was no reduction of the secular trend in those periods.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Age of onset of pubertal characteristics in boys aged 6-14 years of the Province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo, Italy).

BACKGROUND: Previous results on growth patterns of children from central-southern Italy (Abruzzo region) showed an increasing tendency to obesity and suggested that the secular trend was still in progress in this region. However, data on pubertal development was lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to provide population data on pubertal development in a sample of 535 boys aged 6-14 years as a contribution to the ongoing debate on earlier onset of pubertal traits and on the slowing down of the secular trend. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was used. Data for genital and pubic hair development (GD and PHD) were analysed by probit analysis. RESULTS: The boys start developing sexual characteristics at age 9: 13.3% had entered stage 2 of GD and 8.9% showed PHD. At 13 years of age, 5% and 7.4% were still in stage 1 of GD and PHD, respectively, whereas almost one-third had attained stage 5 for both sexual characteristics. The median age for attainment of stage 2 was 11.2 years for GD, 11.5 years for PHD and 11 years for one or both of them. CONCLUSIONS: These results are in line with those for several European and industrialized countries and do not show a significantly earlier onset of sexual maturation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

CA-549 serum levels in breast cancer monitoring.

CA-549 serum levels were assessed in 288 patients, 156 with early breast cancer (after surgery) and 132 with advanced breast cancer. CA-549 was abnormal (> 12 U/ml) in 25/156 patients (16%) without clinical signs of disease after surgery (median 9 U/ml), in 49/60 patients (82%) with disease in progression (P) (median 50 U/ml), in 19/27 patients (70%) with stationary disease (NC) (median 14 U/ml), in 25/33 patients (76%) with partial remission (PR) (median 18 U/ml) and in 4/12 patients (33%) with complete remission (CR) (median 9 U/ml). CA-549 serum levels correlated mainly with the extent of disease and secondarily with the prevalent metastatic site, higher values being observed in patients with visceral involvement (median 32.5 U/ml). CA-549 serum levels were also assessed in 51 patients at the start of treatment and at the time of objective evaluation: the results underline the concordance of CA-549 behavior with the clinical outcome in 71% of the cases. We conclude that CA-549 is a useful marker for monitoring breast cancer patients during the advanced stages of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A new sterile generator of Tc 99m. Quality control].

Production has started on a new Tc 99m sterile generator in Italy. We give the results of a series of quality controls in order to have a first evaluation of the product. The elution profile and the volume, activity, pH, aluminium concentration, 99 Mo content and radiochemical purity of the eluate were examined. Radiochemical purity tests were also carried out with some of the more widely used "in vivo" radiopharmaceuticals. The results are in line with the Official Pharmacopeia and good technical standards.

Italy↗