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Biomedical subjects

T Salvatore

Publications and source records attributed to T Salvatore.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Competitor analysis in health care marketing.

Health care providers increasingly are relying upon marketing as a means of overcoming growing competition. Competition-oriented marketing necessitates a comprehensive analysis of the competitive setting, a task which the health care marketing literature has generally given little attention. Herein the concept, perspective and tools of competitor analysis are borrowed from strategic planning and adapted for use in health care marketing.

Economic Competition↗

Is the common presence of glucose intolerance in old age a reliable index for the subsequent occurrence of fasting hyperglycemia?

The aim of the present study was to verify the validity of diagnostic criteria developed by the NDDG for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in old age. One hundred and fifty-one ambulatory old (range: 66-77 years) subjects (group A) underwent OGTT showing the following results: 33% normal, 12% non-diagnostic, 23% impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 32% diabetic-type tolerance (DT). In addition, 84 subjects (group B) selected from 1978 to 1982 (42 aged 51-60 years, 30 aged 61-70, and 12 aged 71-80) with abnormalities of glucose tolerance during OGTT (IGT or DT) were asked to control their fasting plasma glucose every month during 1984. In group B a significant correlation between DT and subsequent development of fasting hyperglycemia was observed only in the subjects of the 6th and 7th decades of age. On the contrary, no subjects aged 71-80 years developed fasting hyperglycemia. The authors suggest that a high prevalence of abnormalities in glucose tolerance according to NDDG exists in old age which cannot be considered evidence of a true diabetes mellitus being unpredictive of a progression towards fasting hyperglycemia.

Aged↗

Pathophysiological study of the non-insulin-dependent phase of type I diabetes mellitus.

The usual practice of considering type I diabetes synonymous with insulin-dependent diabetes has been criticized. Since type I diabetes can have a non-insulin-dependent phase (pre-type I diabetes and/or honeymoon) the differentiation of two main types of diabetes according to insulin-dependency is not absolute. We studied the insulin, C-peptide and glucagon responses to various tests (OGTT, IVGTT, glibenclamide test, mixed meal tolerance test and ITT) performed during the non-insulin-dependent phase of 3 young patients (range 8-18 years) who developed ketosis 12-24 months after the discovery of fasting hyperglycemia, and in 6 patients (age 15-23 years) who presented a remission phase 4-6 months after the sudden clinical onset of type I diabetes. An insignificant insulin and C-peptide increase following i.v. glucose was observed in all patients, whereas the B-cell response to both oral glucose and other secretagogues was preserved, although at a subnormal level. In the three hyperglycemic and preketoacidotic patients the basal levels of glucagon were low and no significant increase after secretagogues was seen. Sensitivity to exogenous insulin in all patients was good. Thus, B-cell response in our patients was reminiscent of the differential responsiveness to various stimulants in the early stage of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. These results suggest that type I and type II diabetes can be characterized by the same functional B-cell defect during a period of their natural history.

Adolescent↗

A telehealth primer for managers.

Managers must know as much as possible about telehealth and its use in home care. This article gives an overview of the technology and how it is changing home care practice and management.

Home Care Services↗

Restoration of sensitivity to sulfonylurea after strict glycaemic control with insulin in non-obese type 2 diabetic subjects.

Ten non-obese type 2 diabetic patients with secondary failure to sulfonylureas received an intensive insulin therapy (four doses schedule) for 90 days. The glycaemic control was poor at entry (HbA1c = 11.7 +/- 1.2%) and ameliorated significantly after insulin (HbA1c = 7.1 +/- 0.7%, p less than 0.01). The reintroduction of the sulfonylurea after insulin withdrawal resulted in a persistent satisfactory long-term control (300 days) in all, but two diabetics responded no more after about 3 and 4 months of clinical remission (good control on sulfonylurea). Both basal and stimulated (iv glucagon and mixed meal) beta-cell secretory activity increased significantly at 3 months and declined thereafter without falling below baseline values. Three months of strict metabolic control seem to restore the sensitivity to sulfonylurea by enhancing beta-cell secretory activity in non-obese type 2 diabetic patients.

Blood Glucose↗

Sensorimotor evaluation of ano-rectal complex in diabetes mellitus.

To evaluate the status of ano-rectal complex in diabetic patients, 20 patients with no fecal incontinence and/or local ano-rectal disorders and 18 normal subjects underwent to: 1) ano-rectal manometry; 2) defecography; and 3) rectal sensation tests. In all subjects, the five classic cardiovascular reflexes tests were performed to detect autonomic neuropathy. No significant difference between diabetic patients and controls was found in length, maximum resting pressure and strength of phasic external anal sphincter or anal canal at ano-rectal manometry; similarly, no significant difference between diabetic and normal subjects was found by the same technique in threshold and amplitude of ano-rectal inhibitory reflex. Ano-rectal angle of diabetic patients was not significantly different from normals both at resting and during straining at defecographic study. By rectal sensation testing, it was possible to demonstrate a significant difference between diabetic and normal subjects in perception of rectal distension (87.5 +/- 27.5 vs 39.2 +/- 6.5 ml, p less than 0.05; mean +/- SEM) and of stimulus of defecation (147.0 +/- 56.3 vs 52.9 +/- 18.5 ml, p less than 0.001) but not in perception of maximum tolerable volume (343.5 +/- 69.9 vs 322.0 +/- 48.5 ml, p = NS). No relationship was found between these results and the score of autonomic neuropathy and/or duration of diabetic disease. These data suggest that an early involvement of only sensory parasympathetic fibers of ano-rectal complex occurs in diabetic patients without gastrointestinal symptoms.

Adolescent↗

Beta-endorphin and islet hormone release in type-2 diabetes mellitus the effects of normoglycemia, enkephalin, naloxone and somatostatin.

The present study was aimed at characterizing the effects of beta-endorphin on plasma glucose, insulin and glucagon plasma levels in subjects with type-2 diabetes mellitus. Infusion of 0.5 mg/h human beta-endorphin produced significant and simultaneous increments in both insulin and glucagon concentrations and decreased plasma glucose levels (-18 +/- 4 mg/dl, 60 min level, p less than 0.01). When the same diabetics were rendered euglycemic by an insulin infusion (1 mU/kg/min), beta-endorphin did not produce the expected decrease in plasma glucose concentrations nor raise plasma insulin levels; only the response of glucagon was preserved. Normal subjects were rendered hyperglycemic by an intravenous glucose infusion to match the plasma glucose levels of diabetic subjects. In this condition, beta-endorphin produced a significant increase of insulin concentrations, whereas glucagon remained suppressed. The intravenous administration of the long-acting met-enkephalin analogue DAMME (0.25 mg) blunted the hormonal responses to the subsequent beta-endorphin infusion in diabetic patients, although the inhibition was short-lived (30-40 min). Naloxone (5 mg), an opiate antagonist, did not produce any significant change in the insulin and glucagon responses to beta-endorphin, while somatostatin (0.25 mg/h) completely abolished the hormonal responses to the opioid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Glucose↗