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Biomedical subjects

P Mecocci

Publications and source records attributed to P Mecocci.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Different antioxidant profiles in Italian centenarians: the Sardinian peculiarity.

In this study, 153 Italian centenarians from four different geographical areas, including Modena (northern Italy), Ancona (central Italy), Perugia (central Italy) and Sardinia island (AKEA Project) were enrolled. Plasma levels of vitamin C, uric acid, vitamin A and vitamin E as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Subjects were compared to a younger control population of the same areas, divided into three age groups: <or=60; 61-80 and 81-99 years. The main result of this study is that, whereas in Italian population elevated levels of plasma vitamins A and E seem to be important for longevity, this do not apply to centenarians from Sardinia, in which probably other factors play a more important role.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Association between apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele and apathy in probable Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: There have been inconclusive results to date on the association between the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated whether ApoE epsilon4 allele is associated with NPS in probable AD. METHOD: Data for 197 subjects with probable AD were analysed. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory was used to evaluate the frequency and severity of NPS. Multiple logistic regression models were used to test the association between ApoE genotype and NPS in AD. RESULTS: The ApoE epsilon3/3 genotype was present in 52.3%, epsilon3/4 in 44.1%, and epsilon4/4 in 3.6% of patients. ApoE epsilon4 carriers showed a higher frequency of apathy than non-carriers. After multiple adjustments, the ApoE epsilon4 allele was significantly associated with apathy. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a relationship between the ApoE epsilon4 allele and apathy in patients with AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Oxidative stress in brain aging, neurodegenerative and vascular diseases: an overview.

According to the free radical theory, aging can be considered as a progressive, inevitable process partially related to the accumulation of oxidative damage into biomolecules -- nucleic acids, lipids, proteins or carbohydrates -- due to an imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants in favor of the former. More recently also the pathogenesis of several diseases has been linked to a condition of oxidative stress. In this review we focus our attention on the evidence of oxidative stress in aging brain, some of the most important neurodegenerative diseases -- Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD) -- and in two common and highly disabling vascular pathologies--stroke and cardiac failure. Particular attention will be given to the current knowledge about the biomarkers of oxidative stress that can be possibly used to monitor their severity and outcome.

Aging↗
PubMed2005

Predictors of high level of burden and distress in caregivers of demented patients: results of an Italian multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Considerable suffering is experienced by carers of patients with dementia. Most existing studies do not consider the coexistence of subjective and objective aspects that cause, interacting to each other, this suffering. OBJECTIVES: In this study we: (1) define the high-risk group of caregivers on the bases of the scores obtained on the four scales evaluating burden, distress, depression and anxiety (BDDA) taken into account simultaneously and (2) evaluate risk factors related to the high level of BDDA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 419 elderly outpatients with dementia and their caregivers were enrolled. Patients were evaluated for their cognitive, neuropsychological and functional impairment and for comorbidity. Caregivers were evaluated with four scales for the assessment of burden, distress related to neuropsychological disturbances, depression and anxiety. Cluster analysis was used to identify the group with the High level of BDDA (HBDDA). RESULTS: By multiple logistic analysis, disability, specific behavioural disturbances of the patients as well as caregiver's age, type of relationship and living in the south of Italy were observed to be a major risk factor for HBDDA. CONCLUSION: The targeted use of scales specifically assessing BDDA of the caregiver and the identification of particular patient and caregiver characteristics are able to allow a precise and early definition of caregivers at high risk of burden and distress. This might be helpful in planning the correct social/clinical/rehabilitative approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Antioxidants for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment.

The isolated deficit in recent memory frequently associated with decline to Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The observed progression of MCI to AD suggests a common pathogenesis between these two clinical syndromes, and several neuroimaging, neuropsychological and biological methods are applied with the purpose of identifying subjects at risk of AD. Among these methods, the evaluation of a condition of oxidative stress is gaining increasing attention. Since oxidative stress seems to be involved in the earliest phases of AD, and MCI may be considered as a prodromal phase of dementia, it is an attractive issue to focus therapeutic interventions on the early phase of the disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2003

Plasma antioxidants are similarly depleted in mild cognitive impairment and in Alzheimer's disease.

In order to assess peripheral levels and activities of a broad spectrum of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), plasma levels of water-soluble (Vitamin C and uric acid) and of lipophilic (Vitamin A, Vitamin E and carotenoids including lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, alpha- and beta-carotene) antioxidant micronutrients as well as activities of plasma and red blood cell (RBC) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and of plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in 25 patients with MCI, 63 AD patients and 53 controls. Peripheral levels and activities of antioxidants were similarly lower in MCI and AD patients as compared to controls. As MCI may represent a prodromal stage of AD, and oxidative damage appears to occur as one of the earliest pathophysiological events in AD, an increased intake of antioxidants in patients with MCI could be helpful in lowering the risk of conversion to dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Effects of vitamin A administration on serum thyrotropin concentrations in healthy human subjects.

Retinoids play an important role in the regulation of normal growth and development. Their biological action is mediated by a nuclear receptor that belongs to the steroid/thyroid hormone receptors superfamily. Retinoic acid has been shown to inhibit the secretion and synthesis of thyrotropin (TSH); however, little is known on the effects of retinoids on TSH secretion in normal human subjects. In the present study, we evaluated serum TSH concentration following both vitamin A (vit A) and the combined vit A and triiodothyronine (T(3)) administration. Basal and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-stimulated TSH serum concentrations were measured in healthy young subjects in the following experimental conditions: (1) after 10 days of treatment with vit A orally administered as retinol at a dose of 50,000 IU/d; (2) after 10 days of oral placebo (PL) treatment; (3) after 1 hour from the administration of 40 mg T(3) at the end of 10 days of PL treatment; and (4) after 1 hour from the administration of 40 mg T(3) at the end of 10 days of vit A treatment. Serum TSH concentrations were also measured during vit A administration in healthy elderly subjects according to the following protocol: (1) after 10 days of treatment with PL; and (2) after 10 days of treatment with vit A at the same dose used for young subjects. In young subjects, basal serum TSH levels were found to be similar in the 4 different treatment conditions. In the same group of subjects, each of the 4 experimental conditions induced an increase in serum TSH, which rose from basal values of 1.80 +/- 0.31 to a peak of 11.92 +/- 1.75 microIU/mL (P <.001) during the PL treatment, from basal values of 1.81 +/- 0.22 to a peak of 10.81 +/- 1.00 microIU/mL (P <.001) during vit A treatment, from basal values of 1.72 +/- 0.28 to a peak of 9.92 +/- 1.10 microIU/mL (P <.001) during PL + T(3) treatment, and from basal values of 1.79 +/- 0.30 to a peak of 9.51 +/- 1.12 microIU/mL (P <.001) during vit A + T(3) treatment. The 2-way repeated measure analysis of variance revealed no significant differences among treatments. In old subjects, basal serum TSH levels were similar in the 2 experimental conditions and were not different from those observed in young subjects. In these subjects, serum TSH levels increased significantly in response to the TRH stimulus from basal values of 2.16 +/- 0.3 to a peak of 10.27 +/- 0.55 microIU/mL (P <.001) during PL treatment and from basal values of 2.10 +/- 0.51 to a peak of 7.82 +/- 1.4 microIU/mL (P <.001) during vit A treatment. No significant effects of treatment were found in this group of subjects on TRH-induced TSH levels; however, TSH responses were somewhat lower during vit A treatment with a difference close to statistical significance. These results suggest that TSH secretion is poorly affected by vit A administration in healthy human subjects; the data also indicate that any cooperation between T(3) and vit A is unlikely to occur in the regulation of TSH secretion.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2001

(1)H-MR spectroscopy differentiates mild cognitive impairment from normal brain aging.

This study aimed to characterize the white matter biochemical profile of healthy elderly subjects, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects, and early Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) to measure myo-inositol, creatine, N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline levels from a volume of interest located in the paratrigonal white matter bilaterally. A significantly higher myo-inositol/creatine ratio was found in MCI subjects and AD patients than in controls. The NAA/creatine ratio was reduced in AD patients in the left hemisphere compared to control subjects. The choline/creatine ratio was not significantly different among the three groups. These data suggest that MCI is different from normal brain aging, having a white matter biochemical pattern similar to AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Heart disease and vascular risk factors in the cognitively impaired elderly: implications for Alzheimer's dementia.

The term "cardiogenic dementia" was introduced a few decades ago to indicate an alteration of consciousness and cognition due to heart disease. Although this term is now disused, the relationship between cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment is currently of great interest, not only for its potential therapeutic implications. but also for the recently recognized important role that vascular factors appear to play in Alzheimer's disease. The aims of this review are therefore 1) to show data supporting the role of cardiac disease--namely congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation--and other vascular risk factors--i.e., hypertension and diabetes--in the development or worsening of cognitive impairment; 2) to highlight recent observations on the relationship between presence and severity of congestive heart failure/ myocardial infarction/atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's disease: and 3) to uncover the type of studies needed in this field in order to facilitate a more precise algorithm of dementia prevention as well as intervention in demented patients with cardiovascular disease.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Arginine vasopressin in the cytoplasm and nuclear fraction of lymphocytes from healthy donors and patients with depression or schizophrenia.

We investigated whether cytoplasmic or nuclear extracts of human peripheral blood lymphocytes contain AVP in samples from healthy controls and patients diagnosed as depressed or schizophrenic. Both the cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts contained AVP as determined by radioimmunoassay. AVP and other peptides were detected in the purified samples by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. It is the first time that AVP has been characterized in human lymphocytes of patients with depression or schizophrenia. This finding demonstrates the presence of another important component within the potential regulatory loop between immune and neuro-endocrine tissues.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Peripheral non-enzymatic antioxidant changes with human aging: a selective status report.

Oxidative stress is thought to be involved in the aging process in aerobic organisms and to play a role in the pathogenesis of several disease states. Since free radicals are extremely reactive, shortly half-lived and therefore very difficult to measure directly, oxidative stress has been mainly studied through the search of indirect biomarkers of free radical-induced damage. In aerobic organisms, oxidative damage to tissues and organs is prevented by a network of defenses which includes antioxidant and repairing enzymes as well as small molecules with scavenging ability, such as antioxidant vitamins. For these reasons, the assay of antioxidant vitamins and of small molecular free radical scavengers in biological milieus may be used, if appropriately performed, to quantify the defense status against oxidative damage and to provide an indirect estimate of free radical production in aging humans. Since several conflicting data have been reported in this area, this review is aimed to summarize the existing evidence and possible faults of the research focusing on the role of plasma concentrations of small-molecular, non-enzymatic antioxidants in the process of senescence in healthy humans.

Aging↗
PubMed2001

Age and sex influence on oxidative damage and functional status in human skeletal muscle.

A reduction in muscle mass, with consequent decrease in strength and resistance, is commonly observed with advancing age. In this study we measured markers of oxidative damage to DNA, lipids and proteins, some antioxidant enzyme activities as well Ca2+ transport in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes in muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis of young and elderly healthy subjects of both sexes in order to evaluate the presence of age- and sex-related differences. We found a significant increase in oxidation of DNA and lipids in the elderly group, more evident in males, and a reduction in catalase and glutathione transferase activities. The experiments on Ca2+ transport showed an abnormal functional response of aged muscle after exposure to caffeine, which increases the opening of Ca2+ channels, as well a reduced activity of the Ca2+ pump in elderly males. From these results we conclude that oxidative stress play an important role in muscle aging and that oxidative damage is much more evident in elderly males, suggesting a gender difference maybe related to hormonal factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

High vitamin E plasma levels and low low-density lipoprotein oxidation are associated with the absence of atherosclerosis in octogenarians.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the biological characteristics of older subjects with vascular successful aging (VASA), defined as the absence of instrumental signs and clinical symptoms of atherosclerosis in the extracoronary and coronary vessels. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A university-affiliated outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty older subjects (30 with VASA and 30 controls with moderate carotid atherosclerosis (AG group)) from a sample of 705 subjects age 75 and older consecutively screened. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical examination; ultrasonographic examination of carotid, vertebral, abdominal aortic, iliac, and femoral arteries; electrocardiogram; and laboratory evaluation (lipid profile, lipophilic antioxidants, and markers of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation). RESULTS: Compared with controls, there were more females in the VASA group (82% vs 50%, P <.01), and fewer previous smokers (20.5% vs 52.5%, P <.01). Vitamin E/total cholesterol levels both in plasma (4.81 vs 3.51 micromol/mmol, P <.001) and in isolated LDLs (2.71 vs 1.86 microg/mg LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), P <.01), were higher in the VASA group, as was the resistance of LDLs to in vitro oxidation (as indicated by a longer duration of the lag phase: 80.2 vs 65.6 minutes, P <.001). The level of fluorescent products of lipid peroxidation (FPLPs) in native LDLs was lower in the VASA group (13.5 vs 18.8 URF/mg LDL-C, P <.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only plasma vitamin E level (odds ratio (OR) = 6.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.48-24.63) and FPLPs in LDLs (OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.31-0.91) were independently associated with VASA. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that an appropriate level of vitamin E and a low level of LDL oxidation might be important for reaching advanced age without developing atherosclerosis.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Plasma vitamin C levels are decreased and correlated with brain damage in patients with intracranial hemorrhage or head trauma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Free radical hyperproduction may play an important role in brain hemorrhage and ischemia/reperfusion injury. The aims of this study were to assess whether antioxidant depletion occurs after intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and head trauma (HT) and to evaluate the relation between the diameter of the brain lesion, the degree of the neurological impairment, and any observed antioxidant changes. METHODS: We measured plasma levels of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AA), uric acid (UA), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), and ubiquinol-10 in 13 patients with ICH and 15 patients with HT on the day of the brain injury and subsequently every other day up to 1 week. Patients were compared with 40 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: ICH and HT patients had significantly lower plasma levels of AA compared with healthy subjects, in contrast to plasma levels of UA, alpha-tocopherol, and ubiquinol-10. AA levels were significantly inversely correlated with the severity of the neurological impairment as assessed by the Glasgow Coma Scale and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. AA levels were also significantly inversely correlated with the major diameter of the lesion. In addition, mean plasma AA levels were lower in jugular compared with peripheral blood samples obtained from 5 patients. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a condition of oxidative stress occurs in patients with head trauma and hemorrhagic stroke of recent onset. The consequences of early vitamin C depletion on brain injury as well as the effects of vitamin C supplementation in ICH and HT patients remain to be addressed in further studies.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Specific oxidative alterations in vastus lateralis muscle of patients with the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a poorly understood disease characterized by mental and physical fatigue, most often observed in young white females. Muscle pain at rest, exacerbated by exercise, is a common symptom. Although a specific defect in muscle metabolism has not been clearly defined, yet several studies report altered oxidative metabolism. In this study, we detected oxidative damage to DNA and lipids in muscle specimens of CFS patients as compared to age-matched controls, as well as increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and transferase, and increases in total glutathione plasma levels. From these results we hypothesize that in CFS there is oxidative stress in muscle, which results in an increase in antioxidant defenses. Furthermore, in muscle membranes, fluidity and fatty acid composition are significantly different in specimens from CFS patients as compared to controls and to patients suffering from fibromyalgia. These data support an organic origin of CFS, in which muscle suffers oxidative damage.

8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine↗
PubMed2000

Plasma antioxidants and longevity: a study on healthy centenarians.

A large body of experimental research indicates that oxidative stress contributes to the processes related to aging and to the pathogenesis of several age-related diseases. Vitamins and antioxidant enzymes have a fundamental role in defending the organism from oxidative stress. To better understand the role of antioxidants in human aging, we measured plasma levels of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), uric acid, vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), vitamin A (retinol), carotenoids, total thiol groups, and the activity of plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) as well as the activity of red blood cell (RBC) SOD in 32 healthy centenarians-17 elderly subjects aged 80-99 years, 34 elderly subjects aged 60-79 years, and 24 adults aged less than 60 years. Considering the "noncentenarians" only, we observed a consistent behavior in the antioxidant pattern, with a decrease of the nonenzymatic antioxidants and an increase of the enzymatic antioxidant activities relative to age. Remarkably, centenarians were characterized as having the highest levels of vitamins A and E, whereas the activities of both plasma and RBC SOD, which increase with age, decreased in centenarians. From these results, it is evident that healthy centenarians show a particular profile in which high levels of vitamin A and vitamin E seem to be important in guaranteeing their extreme longevity.

Aged↗