Several studies have stressed the involvement of inflammation in the pathophysiology of acute brain ischemia, but the role of immunoinflammatory activation in diabetic stroke patients has not yet been fully evaluated. The aim of our study was to evaluate immunoinflammatory activation of acute phase of stroke in relation to time of symptoms onset, diabetic state and diagnostic subtype. We enrolled 60 patients (32 diabetics; 28 non- diabetics) with acute ischemic stroke and 123 subjects without acute ischemic stroke, and measured levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha IL-6, IL-10, E-selectin, P-selectin, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, VWF, 24-72 h and 7-10 days after stroke onset; TPA, PAI-1 plasma levels at 24-72h. Our stroke patients exhibited significantly higher plasma levels of cytokines, selectins, adhesion molecules and PAI-1, and diabetic stroke patients exhibited higher plasma levels of PAI-1 in comparison with non-diabetic ones. Lacunar strokes in comparison with those non-lacunar exhibited significantly lower levels of TNF-alpha and IL1-beta P-selectin and ICAM-1. Moreover, diabetic patients with lacunar strokes exhibited a minor grade of immunoinflammatory activation of the acute phase at 24-72h and 7-10 days after stroke onset. The minor grade of immunoinflammatory activation of patients with lacunar strokes, particularly diabetic ones, could be related to the minor extension of the infarct size, owing to the typical microvascular disease of diabetic subjects which could also explain the reported better outcome of this subtype of ischemic stroke.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interactions of tryptophan and serotonin with biomembrane models: binding to reversed micellar systems of ionic and non ionic surfactants.

The interactions of Tryptophan (TRP) and Serotonin (5-HT), with water-containing sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT), didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and tetraethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E4) reversed micelles have been investigated by UV absorption spectroscopy. Our results suggest that independently of the nature of the surfactant and the amount of the water encapsulated into the micellar core, TRP and 5-HT are solubilized in the micellar phase, preferring to be located in a shallow region constituted by the hydrated surfactant head groups. This is due to the amphiphilic nature of TRP and 5-HT and the biological implications are discussed.

Membranes, Artificial↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of risk factors in patients with peripheral arterial disease. A clinical and epidemiological evaluation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and other risk factors in patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in two clinical samples (1.: 102 patients with PAD 69 M, 33 F, studied in our angiology laboratory, matched for sex and age with 102 healthy volunteers; 2.: 184 hospitalized patients, 80 M, 104 F, mean age 57.2 +/- 10.8, with PAD) and in two epidemiological cohorts (1.: Trabia Study, 835 subjects; 2.: Casteldaccia Study, 723 subjects). All patients were subjected to a full clinical and laboratory examination, including the determination of the ankle/arm pressure ratio (Winsor index, positive for PAD when lower than 0.95). In the first clinical study we observed a significantly (p < 0.01) greater prevalence of arterial hypertension (51.9 vs 9.8%), hypercholesterolemia (48.2 vs 21.6%), hypertriglyceridemia (53.7 vs 26.1%), smoking habit (64.3 vs 44.2%), and hyperglycemia (26 vs 7,9%) in PAD patients than in controls. In the second clinical study considering separately the patients under and over 65 years, all risk factors resulted to be more prevalent in younger people than in the aged, except for diabetes and hypertension. In our epidemiological experience, the prevalence of PAD increases with aging, above all in males. In the Trabia Study the risk factors, more associated with PAD, were hypercholesterolemia, smoking and obesity (41.18%) in males and hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (33.3%) and obesity (25%) in females. In the Casteldaccia Study the most important risk factors were smoking (64.28%), hypercholesterolemia (42.86%) and hypertriglyceridemia (35.71%) in males, and obesity (60%), hypercholesterolemia (30%) and diabetes (20%) in females. Cholesterol levels and smoking were significantly higher in PAD patients than in the general population, whereas hypertriglyceridemia and glycemia were not. Arterial hypertension was significantly associated with PAD in the Trabia but not in the Casteldaccia Study. Obesity was significantly associated to PAD in females in both studies. In the Casteldaccia Study, lower HDL-cholesterol levels were observed in PAD patients, above all in males, whereas significantly greater Apo-B values and lower Apo-A1 levels (in males) were shown. The different levels of associated risk factors and their prevalence in PAD patients confirm the multifactorial pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The exact role of each risk factor in the genesis of PAD is difficult to be evaluated due to the complex biological and statistical interrelationships among different risk factors. However, the management of associated risk factors may favourably influence the risk profile in each patient suffering from PAD.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and of associated risk factors for atherosclerosis in a randomized population sample of western Sicily. Casteldaccia study.

Within the Targeted Programme of the Italian National Research Council "Preventive and Rehabilitative Medicine" subproject: Risk Factors, organized in nine centers on a national scale, the Operative Unit of Palermo carried out a transverse epidemiological study on a randomized population sample of western Sicily: Casteldaccia, 1984. 1.200 subjects subdivided by age in four decades (20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59 years) and by sex (600 males and 600 females) were enlisted; the participation was 60.25% (No. 723; M = 364; F = 359). Following standardized procedures main cardiovascular risk factors were measured: glycaemia (GOD-PAP), triglycerides (enzymatic), total cholesterol (CHOD-PAP), HDL-cholesterol (MgCl2 dextran sulphate), apolipoproteins A1 and B (R.I.D.), B.M.I. (kg/m2), smoking habits and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (according to WHO manual on Cardiovascular Survey Methods). A questionnaire was used to record the familiar anamnesis, medical history of subjects, term of possible hyperglycaemia, current therapy (use of insulin, oral hypoglycaemic agent, dietetic treatment). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 8.16% (59/723): 4.67% (17/364) in males and 11.69% (42/359) in females. The most frequent risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus were; overweight (81%), hypercholesterolemia (49%), hypertriglyceridemia (45%), hypertension (37%) and cigarette smoking (15%).

Adult↗