Hip fractures in Italy: 2000-2005 extension study.

SUMMARY: A total of 507,671 people > or =65 experienced hip fractures between 2000 and 2005. In 2005, 94,471 people > or =65 were hospitalized due to hip fractures, corresponding to a 28.5% increase over 6 years. Most fractures occurred in patients > or =75 (82.9%; n = 420,890; +16% across 6 years), particularly in women (78.2%; n = 396,967). INTRODUCTION: We aimed to analyze incidence and costs of hip fractures in Italy over the last 6 years. METHODS: We analyzed the national hospitalization and DRG databases concerning fractures occurred in people > or =65 between 2000 and 2005. RESULTS: A total of 507,671 people > or =65 experienced hip fractures across 6 years, resulting in about 120,000 deaths. In year 2005 94,471 people aged > or =65 were hospitalized due to hip fractures, corresponding to a 28.5% increase over 6 years. The majority of hip fractures occurred in patients > or =75 (82.9%; n = 420,890; +16% across 6 years) and particularly in women (78.2%; n = 396,967). Among women, 84.2% of fractures (n = 334,223; +28.0% over 6 years) were experienced by patients > or =75, which is known to be the age group with the highest prevalence of osteoporosis, accounting for 68.6% of the overall observed increase in the total number of fractures. Hip fractures in men > or =75 increased by 33.1% (up to 16,540). Hospitalization costs increased across the six examined years (+36.1%) reaching 467 million euros in 2005, while rehabilitation costs rose up to 531 million in the same year. CONCLUSIONS: Hip fractures of the elderly are increasing and represent a major health problem in industrialized countries such as Italy.

Rheological characterization of an artificial synovial fluid.

Rheological measurements on two classes of artificial synovial fluids have been carried out in the attempt to get a suitable but cheap lubricant for wear tests of prosthetic materials. Fluids of both classes are solutions of hyaluronic acid (HA) that, for one class, is dissolved into a simple Ringer solution whereas, for the other class, into a mixture of human serum and Ringer solution. Similar rheological properties have been observed for both classes of fluids. Experimental results have been interpreted by two classical models that are commonly used in the literature to describe the rheological behavior of colloidal systems and of polymer solutions with high entanglement density, respectively. The quality of correlations shows that, at high HA concentrations, entangled structures are largely present and cannot be neglected.

Bilirubin removal from albumin-containing solution by adsorption on polymer resin.

Adsorption equilibrium of bilirubin onto polymeric resins is studied. Solutions containing albumin are used in order to simulate the behavior of systems for removal of albumin-bound substances from blood, serum or dialysis fluids. The effect of albumin pre-loading on the resin is also analysed. Results are explained by a chemically based model that accounts for binding reaction between albumin and bilirubin in the liquid phase. Thermodynamic equilibria and physical models are essential tools for designing adsorption columns aimed at detoxification treatments.

Net proton charge of beta- and kappa-casein in concentrated aqueous electrolyte solutions.

Titration experiments have been carried out in order to measure the net proton charge of beta- and kappa-casein in NaCl solutions at 0.1 M and 1 M salt concentrations, at 4 degrees C, in the pH range between 5.5 and 10.5. Experimental data are compared with model values calculated through pK(a)'s of titrable groups neglecting the electrostatic perturbation term (deltapK(a)) in order to evaluate the magnitude of the error caused by this approximation and to delimit its effectiveness. At both ionic strengths, the agreement is good for kappa-casein in the pH range [5.5, 9.5], while errors of up to 2 charges are observed for beta-casein in the same range. These deviations are likely to be caused by strong electrostatic effects induced by the high density of negative charges of beta-casein 1-21 peptide. In order to account for these electrostatic effects, the net proton charge on this peptide is evaluated through a model based on the counterion condensation theory developed for the titration of polyelectrolytes with different types of ionizable groups.

Physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties of commercial membranes for GTR.

Barrier membranes for guided tissue regeneration (GTR) to treat bone defects have to satisfy criteria of biocompatibility, cell-occlusiveness, spacemaking, tissue integration, and clinical manageability. In this study, the morphological and mechanical properties of two commercial biodegradable membranes (Resolut LT and Biofix) as a function of the incubation time have been compared. Moreover, their permeability to both fluids and epithelial cells as well as the bacteria adhesion have been evaluated. The membranes are asymmetric and composed of a dense polymeric layer coupled with nonwoven (Resolut LT) or woven (Biofix) fibers. Both of the membranes, when incubated in complete culture medium, completely lose the structural and mechanical properties within 30 days. Moreover the results of solute permeability show that Resolut LT and Biofix membranes cannot be considered selective membranes to the solute crossing. On the contrary, they act as a barrier to the passage of the gingivial cells and to S. mutans bacteria.

Awareness of breast cancer genetics and interest in predictive genetic testing: a survey of a southern Italian population.

BACKGROUND: Before starting a molecular screening program for breast cancer risk and in order to develop ad hoc educational strategies, a population survey in Apulia, Italy, was performed to gather information on women's awareness of breast cancer genetics and their attitude toward genetic testing for breast cancer risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 677 healthy women with or without a family history of breast cancer, who attended the outpatient clinics of Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro i Tumori in Bari, Italy, for preventive visits, were asked to complete a 20-item questionnaire on socio-demographics, risk perception, psychological characteristics and interest in genetic testing for breast cancer predisposing genes. RESULTS: Most women (77%) reported knowing something about the genetics of breast cancer; only 7% of the women were not interested at all in genetic testing. These figures were not significantly different for women with or without a family history of breast cancer. The two most frequently cited reasons for being interested in genetic testing, accounting for more than 50% of collected responses, were 'to learn about your children's risk' and 'to help advance research'. On multiple logistic regression analysis, only older age [odds ratio (OR) 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-2.9] was associated with women's knowledge of genetic testing. Moreover, marital status (OR 4.0; 95% CI 1.1-14.6) and thinking of cancer (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.0-4.7) independently predicted the interest in having genetic testing. CONCLUSIONS: Southern Italian women seem highly interested in genetic testing for breast cancer risk. However, their expectations mainly regard their concerns about their children or their altruistic need to help research rather than the idea of a direct clinical benefit. The great interest of the women in genetic testing probably reflects their inappropriate knowledge of the information that genetic testing can provide for breast cancer risk analysis.