Porosity, bulk density and CaCO3 content of travertines. A new dataset from Rapolano, Canino and Tivoli travertines (Italy).

The dataset presented in this article is used in the Quaternary Science Review research article "Evaluating the geogenic CO2 flux from geothermal areas by analysing Quaternary travertine masses. New data from western Central Italy and review of previous CO2 flux data" [1]. The present data article reports the physical properties and new compositional data of 86 travertine samples from Rapolano, Canino and Tivoli travertine deposits (Italy). The dataset include the following parameters: mass, volume, porosity, bulk density, CaCO3 content and insoluble fraction. The dataset is integrated with the photographic documentation of the sampling areas, the location and the stratigraphic position of each sample.

Weight cycling and cardiovascular risk factors in obesity.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between weight cycling and some cardiovascular risk factors in a wide sample of obese subjects. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with retrospective evaluation of weight and dieting history. SUBJECTS: In all, 459 obese subjects, 340 women and 119 men (age: 19-65 y; BMI: 30-69 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: Body composition and fat distribution (by bioelectrical impedance analysis and anthropometry), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, total and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and insulin resistance by HOMAir, various weight cycling indices. RESULTS: A positive correlation between weight cycling indices, BMI and percent body fat was found in both genders. Also, the maximum absolute amount of weight regained following a single diet episode was significantly associated to insulin and HOMAir in both genders. However, these correlations disappeared when the data were controlled for age and BMI. CONCLUSION: In obese subjects of both genders weight cycling, and in particular weight regain, does not appear to be associated with adverse effects on body composition, fat distribution or cardiovascular risk factors in an independent manner, but rather in relation to fat accumulation over years.

Contribution of weight cycling to serum leptin in human obesity.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate to what extent serum leptin concentrations in obese humans are influenced by a history of weight cycling. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study on serum leptin concentrations and body composition in a cohort of obese subjects in whom a retrospective recall of weight and diet history was made. SUBJECTS: One hundred and twenty-eight obese patients (89 females and 39 males), aged 18-61 y, body mass index (BMI) 31.2-63.4 kg/m(2). MEASUREMENTS: Serum leptin; various fatness and fat distribution parameters (by anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis); history of overweight at puberty; number, magnitude and timing of previous diet episodes and of consequent weight regain by interview. RESULTS: By univariate analysis, serum leptin concentrations were significantly correlated with weight, waist-hip ratio, percentage body fat, maximal percentage weight loss in a single diet episode, cumulative percentage weight loss in all diet episodes, cumulative weight regained in all diet episodes, but not with the number of diet episodes. All correlations related to anthropometric and body composition parameters were stronger for men, compared to women, although the male subgroup was smaller. On the contrary, there was a strong positive correlation between weight cycling parameters and serum leptin in women but not in men. Leptin concentrations were significantly higher in patients who were overweight at puberty than in those who were not overweight at puberty. After correction for percentage body fat, presence of overweight at puberty did not correlate any longer with leptin concentrations in either gender. In women, cumulative percentage weight loss in all diet episodes contributed an additional 5% to the variance of serum leptin in the overall model. CONCLUSION: The positive correlation between weight cycling and leptin concentration in obesity is mainly accounted for the higher percentage body fat in obese weight cyclers, although in women weight cycling per se independently contributes to the variance of serum leptin.

Localized ridge augmentation using titanium micromesh.

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) has been used recently for the regeneration of bone in conjunction with the placement of dental implants, for augmentation of resorbed alveolar crests, and to treat localized ridge deformities. Twenty-two patients with alveolar crest defects or peri-implant dehiscences participated in this study. Titanium implants were inserted, and the defects were covered with a titanium micromesh, above which was positioned an e-PTFE membrane. After healing, the 2 membranes were removed and a small specimen of the underlying tissues was retrieved with a small trephine. The postoperative healing was mostly uneventful, and only a few dehiscences with membrane exposure were observed. The space under the membranes was, in all patients, filled by a tissue with the macroscopic features of newly formed bone. No residual bone defects were observed and an increase of the alveolar width or height was observed. No untoward effects on bone regeneration were observed in the cases with membrane exposure. Histology showed that the underlying regenerated tissues were composed, in all cases, by newly formed bone. In conclusion, our results show that very satisfactory results concerning GBR techniques can be obtained even without the use of grafts under barrier membranes.

HCV and diabetes mellitus: evidence for a negative association.

OBJECTIVE: Uncontrolled, retrospective clinical studies have recently claimed that HCV infection could trigger the onset of diabetes mellitus (DM). We sought to verify the association between DM and liver diseases of different etiology, stage, and severity in a prospective study including gender- and age-matched controls. METHODS: Two hundred forty-seven patients with liver cirrhosis (184 men, 116 with an associated hepatocellular carcinoma, 34% in Child-Pugh's class A) were evaluated (group 1). One hundred fifty-seven (63.5) of them were HCV positive, 38 (15.5%) HBV positive, 49 (19.8%) alcohol abusers, and three (1.2%) cryptogenic. Two control groups were also included. The first control group consisted of 138 patients with chronic hepatitis due to HCV infection (73.9%), HBV infection (15.9%), or alcohol abuse (10.2%) (group 2). The second control group included 494 patients with an acute osteoarticular trauma, age- and gender-matched with patients in group 1 (group 3). RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus was present in 32.3%, 3.6%, and 9.7% of patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. When compared with controls (group 3), DM was significantly less frequent in group 2 (p < 0.004) and significantly more frequent in group 1 (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of DM was not different among patients with HCV, HBV infection, or alcohol abuse. In group 3, the prevalence of DM appeared to increase steadily with age. On the contrary, in patients with liver cirrhosis (group 1) DM was detected in about 20-30% of cases in all decades of age. In group 2, diabetics were found only in the 7th and 8th decades of life. At multivariate analysis cirrhosis and age were the only two factors independently associated with DM; odds ratios were 12.5 (95% confidence interval [C.I.], 6.74-20.4) for cirrhosis, and 1.47 for age (95% C.I. 0.39-2.55). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings disprove HCV infection as a trigger factor for DM, which should not be listed among the various extrahepatic manifestations of this viral infection.

Meta-analysis of somatostatin, octreotide and gabexate mesilate in the therapy of acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Autodigestion of the pancreas, secondary to the activation of digestive enzymes, is the pathogenetic mechanism of acute pancreatitis (AP). AIM: Clinical trials in which somatostatin (SS), octreotide (OCT) and gabexate mesilate (FOY) were used to treat patients with AP, were submitted to a meta-analytical evaluation. Five end-points were evaluated: early and overall mortality, patients with complications, complication rate, and patients who needed surgery. RESULTS: In mild AP, no agent proved of value. In severe AP, both SS and OCT were beneficial in improving the overall mortality: the odds ratios (OR) were, respectively, 0.36 (95% CI: 0.20-0.64, P = 0.001) and 0.57 (95% CI: 0.35-0.88, P = 0.006). FOY had no effect on either early or overall mortality, but was effective in improving complication rate (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.56-0.88, P = 0.02), number of patients with complications (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41-0.91, P = 0.01), and number of cases submitted to surgery (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.39-0.92, P = 0.01). SS and OCT had no effect on these latter outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Antisecretory agents, such as SS and OCT, are able to reduce mortality without affecting complications, whereas antiproteases, such as FOY, have no effect on mortality but do reduce complications. A trial exploring the efficacy of combining antisecretory agents with antiproteases would be of great benefit in patients with severe AP.

HCV genotypes in patients with liver disease of different stages and severity.

UNLABELLED: AIMS/MATERIAL: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping was performed in 213 anti-HCV-positive patients with chronic liver disease ranging from minimal histological changes to hepatocellular carcinoma. One hundred and twenty-two patients had non-cirrhotic chronic active or persistent hepatitis (including 29 who were asymptomatic with persistently normal ALT levels) (chronic liver disease group). The other 91 had hepatocellular carcinoma and, in all but three cases, cirrhosis (hepatocellular carcinoma group). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HCV variants was: 54.9% type 1b, 37.8% type 2, 2.5% type 1a, 2.0% type 3a, 2.0% type 4a. The genotype distribution showed no relation to the stage (chronic liver disease vs. hepatocellular carcinoma) or severity (chronic active vs. chronic persistent hepatitis) of the liver disease, or to the duration of the disease (<10 years vs. >10 years). Within the hepatocellular carcinoma group, the duration of type-1b disease was similar to that of type-2 infections. Ages at the time of infection and genotype were both independently associated with progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but multivariate analysis revealed that the effect of age was much stronger than that of genotype 1b. CONCLUSIONS: The predominance of HCV type 1b in this study reflects the higher frequency of this variant in our area. Our findings indicate that infections caused by each HCV genotype are capable of progressing to hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Craniometaphyseal dysplasia. Description of a clinical case]. / Displasia craniometafisaria. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

The case of a 1 year and five month-old male infant with craniometaphyseal dysplasia is reported. Several clinical examinations showed weight and height greater than 97%.