PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Carrozzi

Publications and source records attributed to L Carrozzi.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of the home environment on respiratory symptoms of a general population sample in middle Italy.

The effects of home environment characteristics were evaluated in a multistage, stratified, cluster sample (N = 3,866) of the general population who lived in the district of Pisa (middle Italy). Each subject completed a standardized interviewer-administered questionnaire that contained questions about respiratory symptoms/diseases and risk factors (e.g., type of heating, fuels used for cooking and heating). Cough and asthma were significantly more frequent in men who did not smoke and who did not use natural gas for cooking and heating. Attacks of shortness of breath accompanied by wheeze, dyspnea, and cardiovascular conditions in female nonsmokers were associated with use of a stove or forced-air circulation for heating; the type of fuel used did not affect this result. Multiple logistic models, which accounted for independent effects of age, smoking status, pack-years, childhood respiratory illness, education, zone of residence, and work exposure to dusts, chemicals, or fumes, showed significantly increased odds ratios for (a) cough and phlegm in males (associated with bottled gas for cooking), (b) wheeze and shortness of breath with wheeze in females (associated with the use of a stove or forced-air circulation). These results, which confirm our previous observations in an unpolluted rural area of north Italy, indicate that characteristics of the home environment, as assessed by questionnaire, may be linked to mild adverse health effects, i.e., respiratory symptoms, in the general population. The results also identify the need to better characterize the dose-response relationship in indoor air pollution monitoring studies that include subsamples of this population.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of bulla volume on postbullectomy outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the contribution of the resected volume and the presence of associated, functionally significant emphysema to the postoperative improvement of pulmonary function after resection of giant lung bullae. DESIGN: Patients undergoing elective surgery for giant bullae who had had complete pulmonary function and radiographic studies performed were reviewed retrospectively. SETTING: All 25 patients underwent surgery at the thoracic surgery unit of the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. METHODS: Pulmonary function was assessed before and 12 months after surgery. On the chest radiograph, the location of bullae, and the signs of compression and emphysema were evaluated. The radiographic total lung capacity (TLC(x-ray)) and the volume of bullae were measured according to the ellipse method. Postoperatively, functional and radiographic changes were analyzed. The percentage change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (Delta FEV(1)%) after surgery was the main outcome measure. The influence of factors related to emphysema and bulla volume on the functional improvement postbullectomy was assessed by stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Before surgery, the TLC(x-ray) overestimated the TLC measured by nitrogen washout, with a mean difference between the two measurements of 1.095 L. A close relationship was found between the TLC(x-ray) and the plethysmographic TLC (n=6; r=0.95). After surgery, dyspnea lessened (P<0.05) and FEV(1) increased (P<0.01). Statistically, the radiographic bulla volume was the single most important factor determining the Delta FEV(1)% (r=0.80, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the preoperative size of bullae is the most important contributor to the improvement in ventilatory capacity after bullectomy, and that it is possible to predict the expected increase of postoperative FEV(1) from preoperative bulla volume.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Late whiplash syndrome: a clinical and magnetic resonance imaging study.

Cervical hyperextension injuries are common and are associated with significant morbidity. Clinically two syndromes are described: "acute" whiplash syndrome and "late" whiplash syndrome (in which the patients are still symptomatic after six months despite normal physical and radiological examination). In order to clarify the pathology of the persistent pain in late whiplash syndrome we performed a cervical spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 33 consecutive patients suffering from this condition. Twenty-six patients (78.8%) showed MRI abnormalities, the most common MRI finding (57.6%) was pre-existent spondylosis. Indeed, the group of patients with spondylosis and other MRI changes had higher clinical scores than those without MRI abnormalities as measured by a three-point grading system based upon the symptoms and signs shown. Several MRI changes, most of them already demonstrable by standard X-ray were seen among 33 patients suffering from late whiplash syndrome. Although no one of these findings appears to be specific and certainly related to the previous neck injury, they could represent a risk factor for a longer pain duration.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Epidemiology of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: environmental and occupational risk].

FACTORS. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a very important cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized and developing countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020 COPD will become the third leading cause of death all over the world. To date, several risk factors for developing COPD have been studied. They can act either singly or interacting among themselves in a synergistic way. Smoking habits and aging are the most important factor for development and exacerbation of COPD, but environmental conditions, such as air pollution and work exposure, can be relevant factors. Recommendations for the prevention of COPD, beside the promotion of smoking cessation, may be air pollution abatement and control of professional exposure. In view of historical trend of risk factors exposure, further epidemiological studies are necessary for a better knowledge of COPD natural history.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reference values for vital capacity and flow-volume curves from a general population study.

A longitudinal epidemiological respiratory study has been started in the North of Italy to investigate the natural history of obstructive airways disease and the long-term effect of SO2 exposure. The first cross-sectional study was completed in this unpolluted area before the activation of a thermoelectric power plant (500 tons of SO2 produced daily). Follow-up surveys are planned after pollution emission starts for a period of ten years. A sample (n = 3289) representative of the general population was drawn from the villages of the area according to the different risks of pollution exposure. Subjects completed questionnaires and performed lung function tests, including forced expiratory (FVC) manoeuvres. For 801 'normal' subjects, prediction equations have been derived in age/sex groups for slow vital capacity (VC) and variables from the FVC manoeuvre. Comparisons with predictions of other studies are reported. Differences among FVC predictions were found, indicating that the use of different criteria for determination of the FVC manoeuvre end-point can affect results. In 'normals' VC was higher than FVC in older subjects. The difference between VC and FVC may be hypothesized as an epidemiological indication of the ageing effect on the mechanical properties of the ventilatory system.

Adolescent↗