Changes in total serum cholesterol for cardiovascular disease in a Mediterranean area, 1989-1999.

This work is about the comparison between two studies performed in southern Italy: 'Montecorvino Rovella Project' (PMR, 1988-1989) and 'VIP Project' (Prevention in the Irno Valley, 1998-1999) to evaluate the trend of cholesterolaemia in an area of the Campania region. These two areas which are near the city of Salerno have similar social and economic conditions and are where the Mediterranean diet originated. In both studies, people between 25 and 74 years were enlisted at random from the electoral rolls and subjected to blood tests. Total serum cholesterol was determined by an enzymatic method in the VIP as in the PMR. In the last 10 years, data show a reduction of mean cholesterolaemia of 5.5 mg/dl for men and of 3.5 mg/dl for women. In 1999, serum cholesterol for men and women is respectively 199.3 and 199.4 mg/100 ml. Ten years ago, the values were respectively 204.8 and 202.9 mg/100 ml. Prevalence of age-adjusted cholesterolaemia > or = 240 mg/100 ml decreased from 20.8 to 13.6% for men and from 19.8 to 18.6% for women. The Mediterranean diet protected the population of southern Italy from ischemic heart disease from 1950 to 1960. After this period, the population changed its eating habits, and one of the consequences was an increasing level of cholesterol. During the past decades, a return to the Mediterranean diet and the use of drugs have been responsible for lowering cholesterol.

[Distribution and correlation of uric acid with classic cardiovascular risk factors in an adult population in Campania. VIP project data]. / Distribuzione e correlazione dell'acido urico con i classici fattori di rischio cardiovascolare in una popolazione adulta della Campania. I data del progetto VIP.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to correlate uric acid levels with the classic cardiovascular risk factors in an adult population in Campania. METHODS: The following parameters were assessed in the study population (600 men and 600 women) aged between 25-74 years old, subdivided into 5 age groups (25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74): ECG, arterial pressure and body mass index (obtained by dividing weight in kg by height in metres squared). A blood sample was also taken to evaluate uric and other biochemical variables including: total cholesterol, HDL, L DI, glycemia, triglycerides, red and white blood cells, C3, fibrinogen, platelets and insulin serum levels. RESULTS: The results confirmed the positive correlation between uric acid and red and white blood cells in males, and between uric and the following variables in females: cholesterol, C3, LDL, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, white blood cells, BMI and fibrinogen. When the correlation was performed in the entire population, uric acid correlated with triglycerides and red and white blood cells. Multivariate analysis for the entire population showed a strong correlation between uric acid, triglycerides and white blood cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the data reported in the literature and highlights the correlation between uric and the classic cardiovascular risk factors. This association is more evident in females.

Identification of novel RP2 mutations in a subset of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa families and prediction of new domains.

X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa (XLRP) shows a huge genetic heterogeneity with almost five distinct loci on the X chromosome. So far, only two XLRP genes have been identified, RPGR (or RP3) and RP2, being mutated in approximately 70% and 10% of the XLRP patients. Clinically there is no clearly significative difference between RP3 and RP2 phenotypes. In the attempt to assess the degree of involvement of the RP2 gene, we performed a complete mutation analysis in a cohort of patients and we identified five novel mutations in five different XLRP families. These mutations include three missense mutations, a splice site mutation, and a single base insertion, which, because of frameshift, anticipates a stop codon. Four mutations fall in RP2 exon 2 and one in exon 3. Evidence that such mutations are different from the 21 RP2 mutations described thus far suggests that a high mutation rate occurs at the RP2 locus, and that most mutations arise independently, without a founder effect. Our mutation analysis confirms the percentage of RP2 mutations detected so far in populations of different ethnic origin. In addition to novel mutations, we report here that a deeper sequence analysis of the RP2 product predicts, in addition to cofactor C homology domain, further putative functional domains, and that some novel mutations identify RP2 amino acid residues which are evolutionary conserved, hence possibly crucial to the RP2 function.

[The VIP Project: prevalence of risk factors for ischemic cardiopathy in an area of Campania]. / Il Progetto VIP: prevalenza dei fattori di rischio della cardiopatia ischemica in un'area della Campania.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the VIP Project was to verify the distribution of coronary risk factors and the treatment of high risk subjects among the population in an area of Irno Valley in South Italy. METHODS: In this study, people aged 25-74 years were randomly enrolled from the electoral register and were then visited and subjected to blood venous drawing. The project consisted of three phases: identification and classification of high risk subjects; treatment; follow-up (after 5 and 10 years). In this paper all data gathered during the first control (1998-1999) are reported. Data refer to 1200 subjects (600 men and 600 women). RESULTS: The prevalences of risk factors were the following: hypercholesterolemia (serum cholesterol > or = 240 mg/dl): men 13.6%, women 18.6%; hypertriglyceridemia (serum triglycerides > or = 170 mg/dl): men 33.6%, women 17.9%; hyperglycemia (blood glucose > or = 126 mg/dl): men 11.2%, women 10.4%. The mean levels of systolic blood pressure were: men 132.6 mmHg and women 132.15 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure: men 83.97 mmHg and women 82.86 mmHg. Male subjects with hypertension (> 159/94 mmHg) were 29.1% while female subjects were 28.9%. The prevalence of smokers was 43% for men and 21.7% for women. CONCLUSIONS: Data show some important aspects (especially when they are compared with Montecorvino Rovella Project, an epidemiologic research on cardiovascular risk factors also carried out in the Province of Salerno in 1988-1989): there is a reduction of cholesterolemia and of prevalence of hypercholesterolemia; smokers are decreasing but there is an increase in female smokers; doctors treat men more efficaciously than women; in the female population, aged 45 to 54 years, there is an increase, in unacceptable proportions, in cardiovascular risk factors.