Sex differences in food choices, adherence to dietary recommendations and plasma lipid profile in type 2 diabetes - The TOSCA.IT study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetic women have a more adverse plasma lipid profile than men. Sex differences in dietary habits may play a role, but are little investigated. The study evaluates the quality of diet, adherence to the nutritional recommendations of the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group and their relation with plasma lipid in men and women with diabetes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 2573 people, aged 50-75, enrolled in the TOSCA.IT study (clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00700856). Plasma lipids were measured centrally. Diet was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Women had a more adverse plasma lipid profile than men. Women consumed significantly more legumes, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk, vegetable oils, and added sugar, whereas men consumed more starchy foods, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. This stands for a higher proportion (%) of energy intake from saturated fat and added sugar (12.0 ± 2.4 vs 11.5 ± 2.5 and 3.4 ± 3.2 vs 2.3 ± 3.2, P < 0.04), and a higher intake of fiber (11.2 ± 2.8 vs 10.4 ± 2.6 g/1000 Kcal/day) in women. Adherence to the recommendations for saturated fat and fiber consumption was associated with significantly lower LDL-cholesterol regardless of sex. Adherence to the recommendations for added sugars was associated with significantly lower triglycerides and higher HDL-cholesterol in men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Men and women with diabetes show significant differences in adherence to nutritional recommendations, but sex differences in plasma lipid profile are unlikely to be explained by nutritional factors. Adherence to the nutritional recommendations is associated with a better plasma lipid profile regardless of sex, thus reinforcing the importance of substituting saturated for unsaturated fat sources, increasing fiber and reducing added sugar intake.

The speed of sound correlates with implant insertion torque in rabbit bone: an in vitro experiment.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the correlation of quantitative ultrasound with bone quality as evaluable from implant final insertion torque. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Implants were planned at diaphyses (group 1) and epiphyses (group 2) of 16 rabbit femurs where amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SOS) was measured. The insertion torque from 7-mm-long implants placed at planned sites was recorded. The correlation between cutting torque and Ad-SOS was evaluated using Spearman's coefficient. RESULTS: Statistics were based on data from 15 diaphyses and 13 epiphyses. The mean insertion torque was 8.8 N cm while the mean Ad-SOS was 1710.9 m/s. A negative correlation resulted between insertion torque and Ad-SOS. CONCLUSIONS: In the rabbit bone model investigated, quantitative ultrasound correlates inversely with implant insertion torque. Although this correlation remains to be verified in humans because rabbit femur does not convincingly represents different human bone qualities, it seems that ultrasound could convey potentially useful, pre-surgical, site-specific, non-invasive information on bone mechanical characteristics therefore deserving further research efforts.

Dynamic brace is a good option to treat first anterior shoulder dislocation in season.

PURPOSE: We evaluate the ability of in-season competitive athletes to return to competition after an anterior shoulder instability treated conservatively with a new dynamic brace combined with a specific rehabilitation program. METHODS: Twenty soccer players affected by traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation have been enrolled in the "Footballer In Season Fast Rehab" project during 2 consecutive football seasons. We excluded patients affected by rotator cuff tears and the bony defect over 25%. All the players have been treated the day after the first dislocation with a new dynamic brace used until the end of the second month after the first glenohumeral dislocation combined with a specific rehab protocol. Athletes were evaluated for the time necessary to completely resume sport activities, to complete the season, and for the recurrence of dislocation. RESULTS: All the athletes enrolled in this study were able to come back on the ground in approximately 40 days after the dislocation except 2 of them. Only two athletes claimed a slight discomfort at the return to play. One athlete had a traumatic relapse of the instability, 50 days after the dislocation. Another athlete claimed to have had a subluxation during a training session 45 days after the dislocation. 90% of the athletes were able to end the season without any shoulder discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic brace combined to the rehabilitation protocol represents the solution that allows a quick start of resumption of training while maintaining a stable pain-free shoulder. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4.

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty with glenoid bone grafting for anterior glenoid rim fracture associated with glenohumeral dislocation and proximal humerus fracture.

BACKGROUND: Large fractures of the anterior glenoid rim can result in persisting instability and osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint When this fracture is associated with a glenohumeral dislocation and proximal humerus fracture could be a concern. The goal of this paper was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes and complications of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and glenoid bone graft in cases with a significant anterior glenoid fracture associated with a proximal humerus fracture. HYPOTHESIS: RSA and step bone graft harvested from proximal humeral head could be a viable option in the treatment of this complex injury. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients underwent RSA and glenoid bone graft in a single stage procedure were evaluated at an average 32 months postoperatively. There were 18 women and 8 men with a mean age of 68.5 years (range 63-75 years). Reverse shoulder arthroplasty with a contoured glenoid bone graft placed underneath the baseplate using humeral head autograft was utilized in all cases. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with range of motion, Constant score and self-reported subjective outcome rated as excellent, good, fair or poor. Radiographic evaluation was performed to evaluate for baseplate displacement or loosening, bone graft union, resorption or collapse. RESULTS: At final follow-up, average active elevation was 135° (range 110°-145°), abduction 122° (range 60°-160°), and external rotation 30° (range 0 to 45°). The mean Constant score was 68.2 (range 54-83). The clinical results were rated as excellent by 15 patients, good by 9, and fair by 2. Radiographic evaluation showed the disc of cancellous bone graft healed without any signs of graft resorption or migration in all 26 cases. No reoperation was performed on any patient in this series. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: RSA with glenoid bone grafting produces satisfactory short-term outcomes with acceptable complication rates for treatment of patients greater than 60 years old with proximal humerus fractures associated with an anterior glenoid rim fracture. Further studies are necessary to determine the extended viability of this procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Inhibition of the bovine-heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase by cationic dyes and amphipathic peptides.

The bovine heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase is inhibited by a number of amphiphilic cations. The order of effectiveness of non-peptidyl inhibitors examined as assessed by the concentration estimated to produce 50% inhibition (I0.5) of the enzyme at pH 8.0 is: dequalinium (8 microM), rhodamine 6G (10 microM), malachite green (14 microM), rosaniline (15 microM) greater than acridine orange (180 microM) greater than rhodamine 123 (270 microM) greater than rhodamine B (475 microM), coriphosphine (480 microM) greater than safranin O (1140 microM) greater than pyronin Y (1650 microM) greater than Nile blue A (greater than 2000 microM). The ATPase activity was also inhibited by the following cationic, amphiphilic peptides: the bee venom peptide, melittin; a synthetic peptide corresponding to the presence of yeast cytochrome oxidase subunit IV (WT), and amphiphilic, synthetic peptides which have been shown (Roise, D., Franziska, T., Horvath, S.J., Tomich, J.M., Richards, J.H., Allison, D.S. and Schatz, G. (1988) EMBO J. 7, 649-653) to function in mitochondrial import when attached to dihydrofolate reductase (delta 11.12, Syn-A2, and Syn-C). The order of effectiveness of the peptide inhibitors as assessed by I0.5 values is: Syn-A2 (40 nM), Syn-C (54 nM) greater than melittin (5 microM) greater than WT (16 microM) greater than delta 11,12 (29 microM). Rhodamines B and 123, dequalinium, melittin, and Syn-A2 showed noncompetitive inhibition, whereas each of the other inhibitors examined (rhodamine 6G, rosaniline, malachite green, coriphosphine, acridine orange, and-Syn-C) showed mixed inhibition. Replots of slopes and intercepts from Lineweaver-Burk plots obtained for dequalinium were hyperbolic indicating partial inhibition. With the exception of Syn-C, for which the slope replot was hyperbolic and the intercept replot was parabolic, steady-state kinetic analyses indicated that inhibition by the other inhibitors was complete. The inhibition constants obtained by steady-state kinetic analyses were in agreement with the I0.5 values estimated for each inhibitor examined. Rhodamine 6G, rosaniline, dequalinium, melittin, Syn-A2, and Syn-C were observed to protect F1 against inactivation by the aziridinium of quinacrine mustard in accord with their experimentally determined I0.5 values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Arterial blood gas analysis and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient in diagnosis and prognosis of elderly patients with suspected pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Arterial blood gas analysis (BGA) remains a first-step diagnostic approach in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). The aim of this study was to evaluate BGA parameters in elderly patients with suspected pulmonary embolism for diagnosis and 14-day prognosis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort observational study of 6 years (1994-1999) in a 60-bed acute geriatric ward of University Hospital in Siena, Italy. Room air arterial oxygen partial pressure (pO2), arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2), pH, arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (SO2), and alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient [D(A-a)O2] were performed on hospital admission of 75 patients with confirmed PE (CPE) and were compared with data from 43 patients with unconfirmed PE (UCPE). The same parameters of 54 CPE surviving patients were compared with 21 CPE nonsurviving patients. RESULTS: Significantly lower PO2 and SO2, and higher DA-aO2 were found in CPE patients. Respiratory alkalosis was found in one third of the patients in both groups (no significant difference). In the CPE group, there was a significantly lower SO2 in nonsurviving patients, without significant differences for the other parameters. Metabolic acidosis was significantly more frequent in nonsurviving patients. CONCLUSION: More severe hypoxemia, oxyhemoglobin hyposaturation, and higher D(A-a)O2 are associated with the diagnosis of PE in elderly patients. Respiratory alkalosis is less frequent than in younger patients, and metabolic disorders are negative prognostic indicators.

Chromosomal organization and nucleotide sequence of the fus-gene encoding elongation factor 2 (EF-2) of the hyperthermophilic archaeum Pyrococcus woesei.

A Pyrococcus woesei EcoRI DNA fragment (3400 bp) harbouring the gene fus for elongation factor 2 (EF-2) was cloned and almost completely sequenced. Unlike Methanococcus vannielii (which displays the 'str operon'-like fus and tuf gene context, 5'-rps12-rps7-fus-tuf-3'), and similar to Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and Desulfurococcus mobilis, the Pyrococcus fus gene (732 codons) is unlinked to the rps and tuf genes, and is immediately followed (57 bp intergenic spacing) by an ORF of 106 codons. Both ORFs are preceded by potential archaeal promoters located 52 bp (for fus) and 37 bp (for ORF106) upstream of the putative start codons. The Pyrococcus EF-2(G) equivalent factor is somewhat closer to the eukaryal than to the bacterial homolog, and also shares with the former the C-terminal sequence required for ADP ribosylation of EF-2 by Diphtheria toxin.

Preparative purification of the subunits of chloroplast and Rhodospirillum rubrum coupling factors by flat-bed electrofocusing in granulated gels.

A rapid method for the preparative purification of the subunits of oligomeric proteins like chloroplast and Rhodospirillum rubrum coupling factors is presented. It involves the dissociation of the protein in urea and the separation of its subunits by isoelectric focusing in flat-beds of Sepharose CL-4B or Sephadex G-75 superfine, in the presence of urea and in an overnight run. Using this procedure in the pH range 5-7, we have purified to homogeneity the alpha, beta and delta subunits of chloroplast coupling factor, as well as the alpha and beta subunits of Rhodospirillum rubrum coupling factor. The full separation of the gamma and epsilon subunits of chloroplast coupling factor, which focused at the same pH, was achieved by gel filtration high-performance liquid chromatography.

A fast and sensitive micromethod for the manual sequencing of peptides using O-phthalaldehyde as derivatizing reagent.

A general procedure for the manual sequencing of peptides using the fluorogenic reagent O-phthalaldehyde (OPA) is described. The method can be applied in two different ways. One of them involves back hydrolysis of the anilinothiazolinones resulting from the Edman degradation of the peptide and subsequent detection of the free amino acids as OPA derivatives. The other is a subtractive analysis in which the amino acid composition of the remaining peptide is determined after each degradation cycle. The direct procedure can be coupled to the subtractive one in order to assure the accuracy of the sequence analysis. The method is fast and simple, and allows determination of 10 pmol of amino acid per cycle using standard reagents and instrumentation. Sensitivity can be greatly enhanced provided that ultrapure chemicals are employed. Small peptides (8-10 residues) were sequenced from 200 pmol sample, using a high-performance liquid chromatography assembly coupled to a fluorescence detector.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the lumbar North American Spine Society questionnaire for Italian-speaking patients with lumbar spinal disease.

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-cultural adaptation and cross-sectional study of a sample of lumbar spine patients, with a subsample followed prospectively for retest reliability. OBJECTIVES: To assess the Italian version instrument reliability and validity. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The orthopaedic outcome measurements have been usually focused on objective parameters as radiograph measures or other technical aspects. However, these parameters are weakly related with outcomes that are more relevant to patients as functional status and symptoms. In the last ten years, the patient-oriented measures have become an important aspect of spinal clinical outcome evaluation. The most common instruments to assess patient perspective are self-administered questionnaires that must be validated by a widely accepted process to evaluate reliability and validity, which are fundamental for every instrumental measure. METHODS: The North American Spine Society (NASS) questionnaire was culturally adapted for Italian-speaking people following the Guillemin criteria. The Italian version was tested on 74 consecutive patients who were referred to the authors' department and suffered from low back pain with leg irradiation. The results were compared with other validated patient-oriented measures. Forty-eight-hour retests were performed on a subsample of 45 patients. RESULTS: The questionnaire was favorably accepted by patients. The lumbar spine pain and disability and neurogenic symptoms subscales showed a high correlation with other patient-oriented measures, as hypothesized, and it also showed good values on test-retest. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire should be considered for patient health status monitoring and for clinical trials.

Patient outcomes after Harrington instrumentation for idiopathic scoliosis: a 15- to 28-year evaluation.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed, using the Short Form-36 Health Survey and the Roland and Morris Disability Questionnaire, to investigate patient outcomes after fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using Harrington rod instrumentation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate health-related quality of life and low back pain in a long-term follow-up study of surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The commonly accepted surgical treatment for idiopathic evolutive scoliosis is vertebral fusion. It has been suggested that this procedure may cause low back pain and a poor quality of life over the long term. Outcome measures after surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis have focused mainly on objective parameters such as radiographic measures. However, this information has proved to be correlated only weakly with outcomes that are more relevant to patients, such as functional status and symptoms. Until recently, only a few long-term outcome studies have used standardized and validated patient-oriented tools to evaluate surgically treated patients with scoliosis. METHODS: In this study, 70 patients treated with a standard Harrington technique were recontacted and evaluated by means of self-administered questionnaires (Short Form-36 Health Survey and Roland and Morris Disability, clinical examination, and radiographic analysis. Preoperative and follow-up radiographic findings were registered. Relations between radiographic and patient-oriented data were evaluated. RESULTS: A comparison between the current sample and the Italian age-matched normative data for the Short Form-36 Health Survey showed them to have a similar pattern. Findings showed the patient-oriented outcome to be correlated inversely with the extension of vertebral fusion and the preoperative Cobb angle. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up evaluation of Harrington rod fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis showed no important impairment of health-related quality of life, as measured by patient-oriented evaluation.

Cholinergic nerves in the mesentery.

The cholinergic innervation of extravascular portions of rat mesentery was studied in normal as well as 6-hydroxydopamine (7 OHDA) sympathectomized animals. We observed the presence of a cholinergic innervation unaltered by 6 OHDA treatment in extra-vascular portions of mesentery. Cholinergic nerve fibers coming from paravascular nerves forms loop]-like structures that innervate the mesentery proper. Also the islands of adipocytes of mesentery seem to be provided with a cholinergic innervation. The findings are discussed.

Italian version of the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation.

An Italian version of the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire has been devised and its reliability and validity have been assessed in a cross-sectional study of 108 consecutive patients with upper extremity pathologies. A sub-sample of 30 patients was used to assess re-test reliability. The principal DASH scale showed a high correlation with other patient-oriented measures and demonstrated good reproducibility, consistency and validity, which were similar to those for other languages' versions of DASH. These findings suggest that the evaluation capacities of the Italian DASH are equivalent to those of other language versions of the DASH.

Biomechanics of the spine.

Instability is one of the pathologic conditions of the spine for which surgical treatment is increasingly indicated, even if to-date the definition of instability is controversial. Some aspects of the biomechanics of the spine with particular reference to the viscoelastic characteristics of its elements and the involved loads, are reported. The elasticity of the spine is analyzed with an in-depth consideration of the concept of stability and instability from the biomechanical, clinical and radiographic viewpoint.

[Suppurative cyst or purulent collection in the diaphragm? A difficult, almost impossible diagnosis. Description of a clinical case]. / Cisti suppurata o raccolta purulenta del diaframma? Una diagnosi difficile, quasi impossibile. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

The Authors report a case of diaphragmatic cyst. They remark the difficulty of clinical diagnosis and briefly discuss the hypothesis on its origin.

[Liposuction treatment for lipodystrophy of the pelvis and the legs]. / Trattamento con liposuzione delle lipodistrofie del bacino e degli arti inferiori.

In a series of 20 lipolysis procedures, there have been no serious major and few minor complications. Selection of patients is important and the best results can be acquired in the patients under 35 years of age. The postoperative circulation and diuresis control are very important particularly during the first 24 hours.

Position of shoulder arthroplasty and clinical outcome in proximal humerus fractures.

Four-part proximal humeral fractures are frequently treated with shoulder replacement. Outcome of this procedure has not been standardized, and there are controversy data on range of motion (ROM) and active function of the shoulder. The aim of this study is to compare shoulder prosthesis position (SPP) in terms of version of humeral head and height of stem with clinical subjective and objective outcome. Fifty patients were treated with shoulder hemiarthroplasty for four-part proximal humeral fracture or fracture-dislocation of the humeral head. Radiological examination and CT-scan were performed preoperatively and at follow-up. Clinical outcome evaluation included active and passive ROM, and subjective perspective collected through SF-36, OSQ, ASES, and DASH. No significant correlation between stem height and clinical outcome were found. The prosthesis version correlates with all subjective questionnaires. The ROM was not correlated with stem height and prosthesis version. SPP involves clinical outcome, with great relevance of implant version.

Italian version of ASES questionnaire for shoulder assessment: cross-cultural adaptation and validation.

The patient-oriented measures, represented by self-administered questionnaire, have become an important aspect of clinical outcome assessment. To be used with different language groups and in different countries, questionnaires must be translated and adapted to new cultural characteristics and then validated by a widely accepted process to evaluate reliability and validity, fundamental characteristic for each measure. The aim of the study is to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the Italian version instrument reliability and validity. The study design is a cross-cultural adaptation and cross-sectional study of a sample of patients affected by shoulder disorder with a subsample followed prospectively for retest reliability. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form was culturally adapted for Italian-speaking people, following the simplified Guillemin criteria. Reliability and validity were assessed in a cross-sectional study of 50 consecutive patients affected by shoulder disorder. A sub-sample of 20 patients was followed prospectively for retest reliability. The results were compared with other validated patient-oriented measures. The ASES scales showed a high correlation with other patient-oriented measures, as hypothesized, and it also showed good values with regard to reproducibility, consistency and validity, to the original versions published in English. These findings suggest that the evaluation capacities of the Italian version of ASES are equivalent to those of English language version.