[Prevalence of obesity, overweight and hypertension in children and adolescents from Abruzzo, Italy]. / Prevalenza di obesità, sovrapeso e ipertensione nei bambini e adolescenti della provincia di Pescara.

The present survey was aimed at determining the prevalence of overweight, obesity, hypertension, their correlation and the association with gender, age and provenience, in the pediatric population of Pescara province, Italy. During the academic year 2001-2002, the body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure of 15.612 scholars aged 6-14 years (mean age 9.9), coming from all province schools, have been measured. Two scales have been used to define obesity and overweight status (one developed by the National Center for Health Statistics--NCHS--the other by Cacciari et al.); while hypertension has been attributed using National Institute of Health curves. Several multiple logistic regression models have been fitted to analyze data. According to NCHS standards, the prevalence of childhood and adolescence overweight and obesity was, respectively, 40.6% and 19.5%. Using curves by Cacciari, the prevalence were 33.3% and 7.7%. Hypertensive subjects were 11.1%. With both scales, the prevalence of weight problems widely decreased after 12 years of age, and either obesity or overweight were significantly related with male sex, hypertension and rural area residence. A strong independent association was found between living inside the city and hypertension. Although the differences in the dimension of the problem "overweight" according to the used scale, and a potential overestimation of hypertension must be taken into account, the overall data suggest an urgent need, especially for primary school children, of preventive interventions aimed at reducing both overweight and blood pressure.

Modulation of pain and hyperalgesia from the urinary tract by algogenic conditions of the reproductive organs in women.

This study investigated the impact of algogenic conditions of the reproductive organs upon urinary pain perception in women. A 5-year survey was conducted among 69 fertile women with calculosis of one upper urinary tract via an ad-hoc questionnaire. At both retrospective (3 years) and prospective (2 years) investigation, dysmenorrheic women (D) reported more colics than non-dysmenorrheic women (ND) (P<0.001) and women with previous dysmenorrhea treated with estroprogestins (DH)(P<0.05). Pain thresholds (electrical stimulation) of the oblique musculature ipsilateral to the stone (L1, site of referred hyperalgesia from upper urinary tract) were lower in D than in ND (P<0.01) and DH (P<0.05). Calculosis women with asymptomatic endometriosis / ovarian cysts also reported more colics (6-month prospective study) and greater threshold lowering (P<0.05) than women with calculosis alone. The results show enhancement of urinary pain / hyperalgesia by both manifest and latent algogenic conditions of the female reproductive organs. This enhancement could derive from neuronal sensitization in spinal segments of common projection of the two visceral districts (T10-L1).

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.

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.

Pre-emptive analgesia in rats with artificial ureteric calculosis. Effects on visceral pain behavior in the post-operative period.

'Pre-emptive' analgesia is a controversial issue in both the clinical and experimental literature on pain. This paper investigates the effect of chronic (4 days) administration of morphine or ketoprofen initiated pre- or post-operatively on behavioral indicators of visceral pain and referred hyperalgesia in an animal model of artificial ureteric calculosis. In the morphine experiment, female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated i.p. with saline or morphine sulphate (2.5 or 5 mg/kg/day) starting either 45 min before or 45 min after surgery (pentobarbital anesthesia) for stone implantation in the left ureter, until the 4th day after intervention. Behavioral crises of ureteric pain were recorded (video-tape) in all rats over 4 days post-operatively. Number, duration and complexity of crises of stone-rats were significantly and dose-dependently reduced by administration of morphine with respect to saline in an identical manner for the pre- and post-operative treatment. In the ketoprofen experiment, rats were given saline or ketoprofen (15 mg/kg/day, in 3 i.p. injections per day) starting either pre- or post-operatively with the same paradigm as for the morphine study. Vocalization thresholds to electrical stimulation of the left oblique musculature were measured daily for 3 days pre- and 4 days post-operatively. Muscle hyperalgesia (post-operative decrease in threshold with respect to pre-stone implantation) was significantly reduced in extent and duration in ketoprofen with respect to saline-injected animals but no difference was found between the pre- and post-operative treatment. It is concluded that pre-emptive administration of morphine or ketoprofen has no advantage in reducing behavioral indicators of visceral pain and referred hyperalgesia in this animal model.

Modifications of Ca2+ transport induced by glutathione in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes of frog skeletal muscle.

The Ca2+ transport across the membrane of vesicles purified from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of frog skeletal muscle is modified by raising the concentration of the reduced form of glutathione (GSH). Passive release of Ca2+ is inhibited through the direct action of GSH on ryanodine receptors while active uptake is increased by a dose-dependent stimulation of Ca2+ pumps (Ca2+ -ATPase). These effects are physiological since the concentrations of GSH utilised (0.01-10.0 mM) are compatible with the in vivo concentration of this antioxidant. They are independent of the external Ca2+ concentration and are specific for the reduced form of glutathione, since the disulphide form (GSSG) or other GSH-derivatives do not induce these effects.

Referred Muscle Pain: Clinical and Pathophysiologic Aspects.

Referred pain, that is, pain perceived in an area other than that in which the noxious stimulation takes place, is very frequent in the clinical setting. There are various forms of referred muscle pain from viscera and from somatic structures. Examples of the latter are referred pain from one muscle to another muscle (as in myofascial pain syndromes) and referred pain from joints (as in osteoarthritis of the knee). Whatever the origin of the symptom, a condition of secondary hyperalgesia very often takes place in the referred zones, together with trophic tissue changes. Referred muscle pain from viscera without hyperalgesia is explained on the basis of the convergence of visceral and somatic afferent fibers on the same central neurons. Referred muscle pain from viscera with hyperalgesia is not completely understood; it is hypothesized that it is due to both central (sensitization process) and peripheral (intervention of reflex arcs) mechanisms. Referred muscle pain from other muscles or from joints is not easily explained by the mechanism of "central convergence" in its original form, because in dorsal horn neurons there is little convergence from deep tissues. It has been proposed that convergent connections from deep tissues to dorsal horn neurons are not present from the beginning but are opened by nociceptive input from skeletal muscle, and referral to myotomes outside the lesion is due to a spread of central sensitization to adjacent spinal segments.

Pain threshold variations in somatic wall tissues as a function of menstrual cycle, segmental site and tissue depth in non-dysmenorrheic women, dysmenorrheic women and men.

Pain symptoms of many disorders are reported to vary with menstrual stage. This study investigated how pain thresholds to electrical stimulation of the skin, subcutis and muscle tissue varied with menstrual stage in normal women and compared these variations with those in women with dysmenorrhea and in healthy men at matched intervals. Thresholds of the three tissues were measured four times during the course of one menstrual cycle at four sites. Two of the sites were on the abdomen within the uterine viscerotome (abdomen-rectus abdominis, left and right) and two were outside it on the limbs (leg-quadriceps, arm-deltoid). Calculated from the beginning of menstruation (day 0), the menstrual phases studied were menstrual (days 2-6), periovulatory (days 12-16), luteal (days 17-22) and premenstrual (days 25-28). Spontaneous pain associated with menstruation was measured from diary estimates on a VAS scale. Whereas the highest thresholds always occurred in the luteal phase regardless of segmental site or stimulus depth, the lowest thresholds occurred in the periovulatory stage for skin, whereas those for muscle/subcutis occurred perimenstrually. Dysmenorrhea accentuated the impact of menstrual phase. For non-dysmenorrheic women menstrual trends were significant only in abdominal muscle and subcutis, but for dysmenorrheic women the trends were also significant in abdominal skin and in limb muscle and subcutis. Dysmenorrhea also lowered thresholds mainly in muscle and sometimes in subcutis, but never in skin, with the greatest hyperalgesic effects in left abdominis muscle. Abdominal sites were more vulnerable to menstrual influences than limb sites. Muscle thresholds, but not skin or subcutis thresholds, were significantly lower in abdomen than in limbs, particularly in dysmenorrheic women. The amount of abdominal muscle hyperalgesia correlated significantly with the amount of spontaneous menstrual pain. Only minor sex differences were observed for pain thresholds of the arm and leg, but there was a unanimous refusal by men, but not by women, to be tested at abdominal sites. These results indicate that menstrual phase, dysmenorrhea status, segmental site, tissue depth and sex all have unique interacting effects on pain thresholds, thus adding more items to the lengthy and still-growing list of biological factors that enter into an individual's judgment of whether or not a stimulus is painful.

Ipriflavone prevents radial bone loss in postmenopausal women with low bone mass over 2 years.

Two hundred and fifty-five postmenopausal women with distal forearm bone mineral density (BMD) 1 SD below the mean value for normal age-matched postmenopausal subjects were randomly allocated to a 2-year treatment with oral ipriflavone (200 mg t.i.d) or a matched placebo, according to a double-masked, parallel group design. All patients also received a 1 g/day calcium supplement. Distal radius BMD and bone metabolism markers were measured at baseline, and every 6 months. Blood haematology and chemistry and physical parameters were monitored at the same time. One hundred and ninety-six patients completed 2 years of treatment. BMD changes from baseline were analysed according to valid completers (VC) and intention to treat (ITT) analyses. In both cases radial BMD was maintained in patients treated with ipriflavone while in decrease in those receiving the placebo, the between-treatment difference being significant at year 1 and year 2. Urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine levels were decreased in the ipriflavone-treated group and increased in the placebo group, with a significant between-treatment difference. Adverse reactions, mainly gastrointestinal, occurred to a similar extent in the two treatment groups.

Central neuronal changes in recurrent visceral pain.

Repeated colics from urinary calculosis produce referred muscle hyperalgesia whose extent is proportional to the number of colics. The pathophysiology of this hyperalgesia was investigated in electrophysiological studies (spinal cord recordings) on an animal model of artificial ureteral calculosis. Stone-implanted rats show both visceral pain episodes and muscle hyperalgesia of the ipsilateral lumbar musculature; the extent of hyperalgesia is a function of the number of episodes. In the dorsal horn of stone-rats compared to controls the following were found: a) significantly higher percentages of neurons driven by stimulation of the hyperalgesic muscle, of spontaneously active cells with muscle input and of neurons with muscle input with a low mechanical threshold of activation, and b) a significantly higher frequency of background activity of spontaneously active cells with muscle input. These findings were proportional in extent to the number of visceral episodes presented by the rats before recordings; in cases of an extremely high number (> 50), several neurons also displayed abnormal activity, i.e. permanent short rhythmic bursts. These changes reflect a state of central sensitization and are probably due to the abnormal inflow from the affected ureter which facilitates the central effect of muscular input, thus accounting for the referred hyperalgesia. The degree of sensitization appears to be a function of the repetition of the visceral afferent barrage.

Effect of chronic treatment with ipriflavone in postmenopausal women with low bone mass.

We present the results of two multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-year studies to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ipriflavone in postmenopausal women (PMW) with low bone mass. 453 PMW (aged 50-65 years) with a vertebral (VMD) or radial (RMD) mineral density value 1 SD lower compared with age-matched controls, were randomly selected to receive oral ipriflavone (200 mg T.I.D. at meals) or matching placebo, plus 1 g oral calcium daily. Vertebral (study A, by dual X-ray absorptiometry-DXA) and radial (study B, by dual photon absorptiometry-DPA) bone density, serum bone Gla-protein (BGP), and urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine (HOP/Cr) were measured every 6 months. In both studies, the Valid Completers (VC) analysis showed a maintenance of bone mass in ipriflavone-treated women, whereas in the placebo group, bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly decreased. The final outcome was a bone-sparing effect of 1.6% in study A, and of 3.5% in study B after 2 years. The Intention to Treat (ITT) analysis confirmed the decrease in the placebo group, with no changes in ipriflavone-treated women. A significant (P < 0.05) between-treatment difference was found in both studies. Biochemical markers of bone turnover decreased in patients treated with ipriflavone, thus suggesting a reduction of bone turnover rate. Twenty-six women treated with ipriflavone and 28 receiving the placebo dropped out because of side effects, mainly gastrointestinal. The compliance to the oral long-term treatment was good. The results of these studies show that ipriflavone is able to prevent both axial and peripheral bone loss in PMW with low bone mass, and is well tolerated.

Changes in visceral pain reactivity as a function of estrous cycle in female rats with artificial ureteral calculosis.

This study examined estrous differences in the characteristics of behavioral crises of visceral pain in female rats video-taped throughout a 4-day period after implantation of an artificial stone in one ureter. All animals continued to have a regular cycle after ureteral surgery. In the recording period, the percentage of time spent in crises was significantly higher during metestrus/diestrus (M/D) than during proestrus/estrus (P/E) (P < 0.001, chi2-test). Mean duration and complexity of crises were slightly higher in M/D than in P/E, but the difference was not significant. The results in this animal model show an enhancement of ureteral pain sensitivity in M/D, a finding in line with the clinical observation, in fertile women with urinary calculosis, of a greater incidence of colics in the perimenstrual period (equivalent to M/D in rats).

Inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate administered through a new spacer device: a controlled clinical study.

This 4-week, randomized, parallel-group study compared the efficacy and safety of a metered-dose inhaler equipped with a new spacer device (Jet spacer) with those of a standard actuator in the administration of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (0.5 mg twice daily) in 66 adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were responsive to beta 2-agonists. Lung function values, symptom scores, and daily consumption of a beta 2-agonist determined efficacy. At baseline and after treatment, levels of morning serum and 24-hour urinary cortisol were measured in half of the patients (one center). Ease of use of the two devices was expressed by patients at the final visit. Lung function values and clinical symptoms improved in both groups (P < .01 at the final visit); the Jet group reported a better outcome (P < .05 between groups) than the standard-actuator group for predicted normal values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and bronchial noises. Salbutamol consumption decreased in both groups. One patient in the Jet group and 5 patients in the standard-actuator group reported adverse reactions. No significant between-group differences were found in plasma and urinary cortisol levels. The Jet device was judged easier to use (P < .05 between groups) than the standard actuator. In conclusion, the jet device was more effective than a standard actuator in reducing local adverse reactions to inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate in adults with COPD, with a better efficacy profile.

Lipoprotein profile, diet and body composition in athletes practicing mixed an anaerobic activities.

OBJECTIVE: To compare lipoprotein profile, body composition and diet in a sample of athletes practicing mixed and anaerobic sports activities, and in a group of sedentary controls. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Cross selectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty professional soccer players (mixed trained), twenty body builders (anaerobic trained) and twenty sedentary subjects, all males and matched for age were studied. RESULTS: No significant differences in total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, LDL-C, apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E levels were found when the three groups were compared. Bioelectrical impendance analysis disclosed significantly lower body fat percentages in both groups of athletes, and increased fat free mass only in body builders. Daily calorie intake was higher, and alcohol intake was lower in the athletes, compared with controls. Body builders had lower carbohydrate, and higher protein and cholesterol intakes, while soccer players had a lower polyunsaturated to saturated fat ratio. None of the apolipoproteins examined was correlated with any body composition of diet parameters. No correlations between lipid parameters and anthropometric or dietary variables were found by multivariate analysis when the subjects were considered as a whole. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that in healthy lean normolipemic males, the lipoprotein profile is not modified by mixed or anaerobic sport activities and the respective modifications in body composition and diet.

Effects of prolonged L-carnitine administration on delayed muscle pain and CK release after eccentric effort.

Eccentric muscle effort is known to induce delayed muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle damage which are not responsive to medical treatment with the most common analgesic agents. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation on pain (VAS scale), tenderness (pain thresholds) and CK release induced by a 20-min eccentric effort of the quadriceps muscle. A single-blind study was carried out on 6 untrained subjects (mean age: 26 +/- 3.8 yrs; mean height: 173 +/- 4.6 cm; mean body weight, 68.3 +/- 4.5 kg) over 7 weeks during which each subject: a) was given 3 g/day of placebo for 3 weeks and, after a week's interval, 3 g/day of L-carnitine for 3 weeks: b) performed 2 step tests on the first day of the 3rd and 7th week inverting the order of the exercising limb. In a separate set of experiments carried out 8 months later, the possible effects of training on pain parameters and CK levels were also investigated in the same subjects who performed 2 step tests at a 4-weeks' interval, without medication. L-carnitine significantly reduced pain, tenderness and CK release after the effort with respect to placebo. In contrast, no significant difference was found in the parameters measured between the two tests performed without medication. It is concluded that L-carnitine has a protective effect against pain and damage from eccentric effort. This effect is mainly attributed to the vasodilatation property of the compound, which both improves energetic metabolism of the hypoxic/damaged muscle and enhances wash-out of algogenic metabolites.

Sensory characterization of somatic parietal tissues in humans with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) mainly complain of symptoms in the musculoskeletal domain (myalgias, fatigue). In 21 CFS patients the deep (muscle) versus superficial (skin, subcutis) sensitivity to pain was explored by measuring pain thresholds to electrical stimulation unilaterally in the deltoid, trapezius and quadriceps and overlying skin and subcutis in comparison with normal subjects. Thresholds in patients were normal in skin and subcutis but significantly lower than normal (hyperalgesia) in muscles (P < 0.001) in all sites. The selective muscle hypersensitivity corresponded also to fiber abnormalities at muscle biopsy (quadriceps) performed in nine patients which were absent in normal subjects (four cases): morphostructural alterations of the sarchomere, fatty degeneration and fibrous regeneration, inversion of the cytochrome oxidase/succinate dehydrogenase ratio, pleio/polymorphism and monstruosity of mitochondria, reduction of some mitochondrial enzymatic activities and increments of common deletion of 4977 bp of mitochondrial DNA 150-3000 times the normal values. By showing both sensory (diffuse hyperalgesia) and anatomical (degenerative picture) changes at muscle level, the results suggest a role played by peripberal mechanisms in the genesis of CFS symptoms. They would exclude the heightened perception of physiological signals from all districts hypothesized by some authors, especially as the hyperalgesia is absent in skin/subcutis.

Myofascial pain syndrome of the peroneus longus: biomechanical approach.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the role played by anatomical (lower limb length discrepancy) and biomechanical (alterations in the dynamics of movement) factors in the pathophysiology of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) of the peroneus longus. DESIGN: Patients affected with MPS of the peroneus longus of one side were submitted to either correction of their lower limb discrepancy by heel lift (6 patients) or normalization of altered biomechanical parameters during movement, as measured via ground-foot reaction analysis (g-f) by dynamic insoles (6 patients) for 60 days. At days 7, 15, 30, and 60, the effect of treatment was verified on painful symptoms [VAS scale, presence of the active trigger point (TrP) in the muscle] and on g-f parameters [peaks of vertical force (F1 and F3 of Fz) and of lateral shear force (Fx)]. RESULTS: Treatment with heel lift produced a moderate, significant reduction of the spontaneous pain and of the abnormal Fx peak in the affected leg after 7 to 14 days with no further improvement afterward. Treatment with dynamic insoles caused a marked, significant reduction of the pain at 7 days, with complete resolution of the painful symptoms at 30 days and concomitant disappearance of the active TrP in the muscle. It also produced a significant and progressive reduction of the abnormal Fx peak in the affected leg starting at the 7th day and continuing until the 60th day. CONCLUSION: Both anatomical and biomechanical alterations of the dynamics of movement play a role in the painful symptoms of MPS of the peroneus longus, but the biomechanical factor is by far the more prominent.

Changes in activity of spinal cells with muscular input in rats with referred muscular hyperalgesia from ureteral calculosis.

In rats with hyperalgesia of the obliquus externus muscle (OE) from artificial calculosis of the ipsilateral upper ureter, changes in cell activity were studied in the ipsilateral spinal cord (T11-T12) versus control animals. In cases of hyperalgesia of high degree, in the dorsal horn (0-900 microns) the following were found: significantly higher percentages of cells driven by OE stimulation (P < 0.03) and of spontaneously active cells with OE input (P < 0.02); significantly higher frequency of background discharge of cells with OE input (P < 0.002); among cells driven by OE stimulation, significantly higher percentages of neurons with exclusively deep input (P < 0.0006) and of neurons with low mechanical threshold of activation (P < 0.03). In the intermediate region of the cord (900-1600 microns), a significantly higher percentage was found of spontaneously active cells with OE input (P < 0.009) while in the ventral horn (1600-2300 microns) no changes were detected. The results indicate that referred muscle hyperalgesia of high degree is accompanied by a state of central sensitization probably triggered by the abnormal afferent input from the visceral focus.

Effects of spasmolytic and/or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs on muscle hyperalgesia of ureteral origin in rats.

Rats with artificial calculosis of one ureter develop hyperalgesia in the ipsilateral oblique musculature as evidenced by decreased vocalization threshold to electrical muscle stimulation lasting over a week. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect on this hyperalgesia of spasmolytic anticholinergic and/or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, common therapies for colic pain in humans. Rats implanted with a unilateral ureteral stone were treated for 10 days with: (1) saline; (2) hyoscine-N-butylbromide (15 mg/kg/day i.p.); (3) ketoprofen (15 mg/kg/day); or (4) hyoscine-N-butylbromide + ketoprofen (15 + 15 mg/kg/day). Oblique muscle vocalization thresholds were measured daily for 3 days before and 10 days after operation. Ipsilateral thresholds decreased significantly after stone implantation on: (1) seven days (max. 32%) for saline; (2) one day (max. 20%) for hyoscine-N-butylbromide; (3) one day (max. 18%) for ketoprofen, but did not change significantly for hyoscine-N-butylbromide + ketoprofen. These results indicate a protective effect against muscle hyperalgesia of ureteral origin by spasmolytic and antiinflammatory drugs, maximal when the two treatments are combined.