Is alexithymia related to colon cancer? A survey of patients undergoing a screening colonoscopy examination.

The current study examined whether alexithymia is involved in colon cancer as has been found in breast and uterine cancer research. The TAS-20 was administered before examination to patients who underwent colon cancer screening. Histological data were obtained from the biopsies. Gender, age, education, smoking and drinking habits, and personal and family histories of neoplastic colonic disease were controlled for in the analysis. Both adenoma and adenocarcinoma patients had higher TAS-20 scores than negative cases, and both high and intermediate levels of alexithymia were implicated. Difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking were the most prominent facets related to the disease process.

[Food habits and cardiovascular risk factors in 2 population samples of western Sicily]. / Abitudini alimentari e fattori di rischio cardiovascolari in due campioni di popolazioni della Sicilia occidentale.

Two population samples in western Sicily, one rural and one urban, were studied to evaluate the influence of dietary habits on cardiovascular risk factors. One hundred and fifty-five rural subjects (73 males, 82 females) and 155 age- and sex-matched urban subjects (71 males, 84 females) were enrolled. All subjects related their personal and familial history, physical activity levels, and had a complete physical and instrumental examination. Blood was collected after an overnight fast, without stasis. The following parameters were measured: blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A1 and B100, fibrinogen, factors VII and VIII, tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, and plasminogen. Dietary habits were recorded on two occasions by means of a week diary (7-day food record). The rural sample followed the so-called "Mediterranean diet", while the urban sample followed a diet with significantly higher cholesterol and fat (in particular saturated fatty acids) intake and a significantly lower fiber intake. Both males and females in the rural population had significantly lower total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B100 levels than those in the urban sample, although rural males had significantly higher HDL-cholesterol levels. Both males and females in the rural sample had significantly lower factor VII and plasminogen activator inhibitor levels, although rural males had lower tissue plasminogen activator and fibrinogen levels than their urban counterparts. The positive effects of the "Mediterranean diet" on lipid, coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters which play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis indicate that this dietary pattern should be adopted by the entire population.

Cardiovascular risk factors and dietary habits in secondary school children in southern Italy.

Interest in research on atherosclerosis involving children has been the consequence of confluent evidence that atherogenic process begins in early life and grows silently until the occurrence of clinical events in middle-age or later. We carried out a cross-study in the Mediterranean area on a random sample of a secondary school of Casteldaccia (a farming and fishing village located on the Northern coast of Sicily, East of Palermo), consisting of 186 teen-agers (103 males and 83 females) aged between 10 and 13 years (average age: 11.3 +/- 0.2 years). We determined: total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, apolipoproteins A1 and B, glycaemia, body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Dietary habits were recorded on two occasions by a weekly diary (of the 7 days food record type) with the collaboration of dieticians. The prevalence of plasma cholesterol levels between 170-200 mg% and exceeding 200 mg% was 24.2% and 12.4% respectively, of overweight (BMI > 25) was 9.7% and of hypertension (SBP > 125 and/or DBP > 85 mmHg) was 8.6%. In comparison with Mediterranean diet according to Euratom study (1969), the following are the most impressive findings: an increase of cholesterol (+54%) and fat intake (+2% of total calories), a reduction of fibre intake (-32%) and an increase of 2S-P difference (+27%) and of total fats/fibre ratio (+53%).

Prevalence of risk factors in patients with peripheral arterial disease. A clinical and epidemiological evaluation.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of arterial hypertension and other risk factors in patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in two clinical samples (1.: 102 patients with PAD 69 M, 33 F, studied in our angiology laboratory, matched for sex and age with 102 healthy volunteers; 2.: 184 hospitalized patients, 80 M, 104 F, mean age 57.2 +/- 10.8, with PAD) and in two epidemiological cohorts (1.: Trabia Study, 835 subjects; 2.: Casteldaccia Study, 723 subjects). All patients were subjected to a full clinical and laboratory examination, including the determination of the ankle/arm pressure ratio (Winsor index, positive for PAD when lower than 0.95). In the first clinical study we observed a significantly (p < 0.01) greater prevalence of arterial hypertension (51.9 vs 9.8%), hypercholesterolemia (48.2 vs 21.6%), hypertriglyceridemia (53.7 vs 26.1%), smoking habit (64.3 vs 44.2%), and hyperglycemia (26 vs 7,9%) in PAD patients than in controls. In the second clinical study considering separately the patients under and over 65 years, all risk factors resulted to be more prevalent in younger people than in the aged, except for diabetes and hypertension. In our epidemiological experience, the prevalence of PAD increases with aging, above all in males. In the Trabia Study the risk factors, more associated with PAD, were hypercholesterolemia, smoking and obesity (41.18%) in males and hypertension and hypercholesterolemia (33.3%) and obesity (25%) in females. In the Casteldaccia Study the most important risk factors were smoking (64.28%), hypercholesterolemia (42.86%) and hypertriglyceridemia (35.71%) in males, and obesity (60%), hypercholesterolemia (30%) and diabetes (20%) in females. Cholesterol levels and smoking were significantly higher in PAD patients than in the general population, whereas hypertriglyceridemia and glycemia were not. Arterial hypertension was significantly associated with PAD in the Trabia but not in the Casteldaccia Study. Obesity was significantly associated to PAD in females in both studies. In the Casteldaccia Study, lower HDL-cholesterol levels were observed in PAD patients, above all in males, whereas significantly greater Apo-B values and lower Apo-A1 levels (in males) were shown. The different levels of associated risk factors and their prevalence in PAD patients confirm the multifactorial pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The exact role of each risk factor in the genesis of PAD is difficult to be evaluated due to the complex biological and statistical interrelationships among different risk factors. However, the management of associated risk factors may favourably influence the risk profile in each patient suffering from PAD.

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and of associated risk factors for atherosclerosis in a randomized population sample of western Sicily. Casteldaccia study.

Within the Targeted Programme of the Italian National Research Council "Preventive and Rehabilitative Medicine" subproject: Risk Factors, organized in nine centers on a national scale, the Operative Unit of Palermo carried out a transverse epidemiological study on a randomized population sample of western Sicily: Casteldaccia, 1984. 1.200 subjects subdivided by age in four decades (20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59 years) and by sex (600 males and 600 females) were enlisted; the participation was 60.25% (No. 723; M = 364; F = 359). Following standardized procedures main cardiovascular risk factors were measured: glycaemia (GOD-PAP), triglycerides (enzymatic), total cholesterol (CHOD-PAP), HDL-cholesterol (MgCl2 dextran sulphate), apolipoproteins A1 and B (R.I.D.), B.M.I. (kg/m2), smoking habits and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (according to WHO manual on Cardiovascular Survey Methods). A questionnaire was used to record the familiar anamnesis, medical history of subjects, term of possible hyperglycaemia, current therapy (use of insulin, oral hypoglycaemic agent, dietetic treatment). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 8.16% (59/723): 4.67% (17/364) in males and 11.69% (42/359) in females. The most frequent risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus were; overweight (81%), hypercholesterolemia (49%), hypertriglyceridemia (45%), hypertension (37%) and cigarette smoking (15%).

Changes induced by gemfibrozil on lipidic, coagulative and fibrinolytic pattern in patients with type IV hyperlipoproteinemia.

A short term open study (90 days) was carried out with Gemfibrozil in patients (n = 10) suffering from type IV hyperlipoproteinemia. For the whole observation period (120 days) the patients followed a standard diet. Every 30 days the following parameters were checked: total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, HDL-C and its fractions (HDL2-C and HDL3-C), apolipoprotein A1 and B, glucose, fibrinogen, plasminogen, euglobulin lysis time, antithrombin III, alpha-2-antiplasmin and PTT. The administration of the drug caused a reduction of serum triglycerides by 39.5%, an increase of HDL-C by 16.2% together with a significant increase of cholesterol bound to HDL2 (+27.6%). A significant increase was also noticed for the mean levels of apolipoprotein A1 (+19.8%), confirming thus the antidislipidemic effect of the drug. Significant reductions were also found in the mean levels of fibrinogen and alpha-2-antiplasmin together with a return to normality of mean values of antithrombin III and of the euglobulin lysis time. The effect on the lipid, haemocoagulative and fibrinolytic parameters shows that the administration of Gemfibrozil causes favourable changes both on the hyperlipoproteinemic pattern and on the thrombophilic state present in these patients.