Relationship of fibrinogen with cardiovascular risk factors in healthy men from Maracaibo, Venezuela

The purpose of this paper was to determine the relationship between fibrinogen concentration and cardiovascular ischaemic risk factors in a group of apparently healthy men from Maracaibo, Venezuela. Two hundred and forty six individuals, ages 31 to 65 years were evaluated by means of clinical and laboratory examination. In each person plasma fibrinogen concentration was measured by coagulometry, serum glucose and lipids by enzymatic methods and insulin by radioimmunoanalysis. 31.7% of subjects had fibrinogen values in the highest tertil of the whole group (> or = 311 mg/dL), they also showed significantly higher values of total cholesterol (p < 0.03) and LDL-C (p < 0.01). In addition, the individuals in this tertil showed a significant and positive correlation between the values of triglycerides with insulin (p < 0.02) and with HOMA-IR (p < 0.01). On the other hand, correlation analysis also showed a positive significant association between the fibrinogen levels and total cholesterol (p < 0.02), dependent of individuals with family history of ischaemic cardiovascular disease (total cholesterol: p < 0.02 and LDL-C: p < 0.003). In consideration of the high concentrations of fibrinogen found in 31.7% of apparently healthy men and their significant positive correlation with total cholesterol and LDL-C, on the group of men with a family history of ischaemic cardiovascular disease, it would be advisable to include the determination of fibrinogen in the cardiovascular evaluation of these particular subjects.     

Cost of renal transplantation in Maracaibo, Venezuela

The purpose of this study is to determine the cost of renal transplantation, for the institutions of the State and the patient, in Maracaibo, during the first year after the surgical procedure, and to relate it with clinical results (patient and graft survival) and social rehabilitation (employment or active performance). Real and estimated costs for surgery, in-hospital period, complementary tests, drugs utilized and other related expenses were added, allowing to establish a total cost for the first year from a minimum of 113,695,30 Bolivares to a maximum of 165,635,30 Bs. (medical fees excluded). The participation of the Venezuelan State in those costs varies, depending basically on the patient being under the Instituto Venezolano de los Seguros Sociales. Patient and graft survival in the renal transplantation program in Maracaibo is excellent and comparable to other countries. Employment among renal transplant patients is similar to the general population.     

Intestinal parasites in school children at a public institution in Maracaibo municipality, Venezuela

To determine the prevalence and epidemiological parameters of intestinal parasites in schoolchildren, a faecal analysis was performed in 349 individuals of both sexes, between 5 and 16 years of age. The methodology used included, a fresh test, formol-ether technique and faecal egg counts by the Kato-Katz method. Eighty three per cent of the children presented enteroparasites, with a high prevalence of polyparasitism (71.6%). There was not significative difference between parasitoses, sex and age. However, it was observed an increase of helminthiasis and protozooses in children between 7 and 10 years of age. The principal enteroparasites founded were: Trichuris trichiura (41.8%), Ascaris lumbricoides (35.2%), Blastocystis hominis (48.1%) and Endolimax nana (22.9%). When the intensity of infestation was studied by the faecal egg counts, it was observed that the highest percentage of children with T. trichiura had light infestations (84.3%), while 45.9% of the children with A. lumbricoides had severe infestations. The Abundance, Mean Intensity and Aggregation Coefficient (k) values show an over-dispersed spatial disposition of both helminths, where only few children harbour heavy burdens and eliminate a large quantity of eggs. This aggregation was higher for T. trichiura (k = 0.298) than for A. lumbricoides (k = 1.138).     

Oropharyngeal bacteria in asthmatic patients in the city of Maracaibo,Venezuela

Bronchial asthma is an intercurrent disease that affects a major portion of the population. Neither its etiopathogenesis nor its complications have been fully established. The purpose of this study was to determine the composition of oropharyngeal bacterial flora in asthmatic patients and compare it with oropharyngeal bacterial flora in a group of healthy patients in order to establish its relationship with the pathogenesis of asthma and its complications. A sample consisting of 116 pharyngeal swabs was analysed from march 1995 to december 1996. 58 of the total amount of pharyngeal swabs corresponded to asthmatic patients (during asthmatic crisis), while the other 58 corresponded to healthy subjects. Common bacteriological culture techniques were carried out in order to obtain the bacteriological diagnosis. The results showed that isolation of transitory flora bacteria in asthmatic patients was 75.8%, which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the control group (27.5%). Streptococcus pyogenes was the most frequent isolated bacteria in the group of asthmatic patients (17.2%), while Escherichia coli was the most frequent bacteria in the control group. No significant difference was found regarding sex and the presence of transitory flora bacteria. It was also found that enterobacteria and non fermenting negative gram bacillus increased with age in both groups; a higher incidence was observed in the group of 40-year-old subjects. These finding confirm the existence of a relationship between the asthmatic condition and the percentage of transitory bacterial flora carriers. The explanation to this phenomenon might be the frequent use of antibiotics and the possible contamination of the micro-nebulization equipment used for the treating the asthma crisis. This data must be considered when applying empiric therapy in asthmatic patients complicated with pneumonia. The possibility that certain infectious agents, including bacteria, could play a role in asthma pathogenesis is one of the questions that should be answered in future studies on this topic.     

Seroepidemiologic study of hepatitis A virus among children of Maracaibo, Venezuela

With the purpose of determining the incidence of Hepatitis A virus infection, we determined the presence of antibodies against this virus (anti-VHA) with the ELISA technique in 209 children from Maracaibo city of different socioeconomic levels, ages ranging from 6 months to 12 years. At the same time, we investigated the incidence of a recent infection through IgM antibodies for Hepatitis A (anti-VHA IgM) using the same ELISA technique. We found a global positive incidence of 46.4% for all ages. Individual ages studied showed 31% seropositivity in children less than one year old and a higher seropositivity in children between 9 and 11 years old (50-76.4%). There were noticeable differences in seropositivity in relation to social economic condition observing a higher percentage in children of low social economic level. A recent infection was demonstrated after the second year of life (60%) and a variable percentage through all pediatric ages studied. There was no recent infection detected in children under one year of age which suggests that antibodies anti-VHA obtained transplacentally can last at least for the first year of life as it does with other virus.     

Prevalence of obesity and hyperinsulinemia: its association with serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in healthy individuals from Maracaibo,Venezuela

The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence of obesity and hyperinsulinemia and their association with lipid profile alterations on apparently healthy individuals from Maracaibo, Venezuela. We evaluated 306 men and 41 women, ages ranging from 33 to 65 years. All subjects underwent cardiovascular evaluation and laboratory examination after 10-12 h fasting, for glycaemia, total cholesterol, TG, VLDL-C, LDL-C and HDL-C as well as insulin. Seventy-four percent of men and 56.1% of women showed obesity (BMI > 25 Kg/m2). Men showed high concentrations of TG (48.3%), total cholesterol (40.2%), VLDL-C (48.3%) and LDL-C (33.9%) and low HDL-C levels (48%). The most frequent alteration on the lipid profile in women was high total cholesterol (46%) and LDL-C (51.2%). Men had significantly higher insulin concentrations than women (p < 0.005). After they were classified as obese or non obese, the obese subjects (men and women) showed higher prevalence of lipid profile alterations and insulin concentrations than non obese. The insulin concentration in obese men correlated with BMI, TG, VLDL-C and HDL and, in women with BMI, TG and VLDL-C. In conclusion, a high percentage of men and women in this study showed obesity and this obesity, specially in men, was strongly associated with lipid profile alterations and high insulin concentrations both well known cardiovascular risk factors.     

Nutritional and metabolic factors as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in an adult population in the city of Maracibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela

To analyze the nutritional and metabolic risk factors for Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) present in a group of people in the city of Maracaibo a study was performed with 209 volunteers (145 women and 64 men) between 20 and 89 years of age who underwent: a) Anthropometric Evaluation: Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and Physical Examination: Systolic (SBP) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP); b) Dietetic Evaluation (24 hours recall), and c) Biochemical Evaluation: Glycemia (GLYC), Triglycerides (TG), Total Cholesterol (CHOL), HDL-C, LDL-C and VLDL-C, applying enzymatic methods. It was also investigated, their Age, Family History of Metabolic Alterations (FHMA), physical activity, smoking habits and alcohol consumption. More than 50% of the individuals showed a BMI > 25; 64% of women showed a WHR value > 0.8; 34 and 28% of men and women respectively had a high fat ingestion (HFI); 36% of men had hypertriglyceridemia and high levels of VLDL-C; 41% of women and 30% of men showed decreased HDL-C. A high frequency of FHMA was found in 85% of women and 78% of men followed by sedentary life in 64% of men and 79% of women. The age significantly (p < 0.05) affected the values for WHR, SBP, DBP, GLYC, CHOL, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C and VLDL-C. The dietetic evaluation showed a diet that was low in calories, high in protein, normal in fat and low in carbohydrates. It is concluded that the population elected for this study might be considered under a high risk for CVD, since both nutritional and metabolic factors, as well as the other risk factors analyzed, were present in a high percentage of the individuals studied.     

Behavior of loci D1S1656 and D12S391 in a sample from Maracaibo,Venezuela

Two recently reported short tandem repeat polymorphisms characterized by PCR, D1S1656 and D12S391, were investigated in a sample from Maracaibo, an admixed population of Venezuela, in order to evaluate their application in forensic and population genetics studies. The unbiased heterozygosities were 0.9011 and 0.8444 for locus D1S1656 and D12S391, respectively. The joint discrimination power and joint probability of exclusion were 0.99972 and 0.93287. When allele frequencies of locus D1S1656 from Maracaibo were compared with eight other populations, our group clustered with the European or European‐derived samples, mainly from Spain. In the comparison of locus D12S391 with 16 populations, Maracaibo clustered with 3 Asian samples. The high heterozygosity and discrimination power make these two loci important candidates to be considered for STR packages for forensic and population genetic purposes. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:68–71, 2003. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Prevalence and risk factors of oral HPV infection among a healthy Iranian population; Kurdistan,West of Iran

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has implicated in the development of some of the oral/oropharyngeal cancers. However, controversy still exists regarding the prevalence of oral HPV (OHPV) and its risk factors. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and variables of OHPV infection in a healthy Iranian population. This study evaluated 300 oral rinse samples. Following the oral and dental examination of participants and filling out a self-administered questionnaire; samples collected by swishing and gargling 0.09% saline. The viral DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction and HPV genotyping then performed. Prevalence of OHPV DNA/OHPV+ infection and OHPV genotypes was 12% and 1% (two cases of HPV6 and one case of HPV53), respectively. Comparison of variables between OHPV+ and OHPV− groups revealed that only income (P = .045), number of cigarettes smoked per day (P = .002), and number of teeth in the mouth (P = .005) were significantly different between the two groups. In conclusion, prevalence of OHPV+ infection and its genotypes were very low in our healthy Iranian population, and its association was not significant with the majority of suggested risk factors. Further studies with a larger sample size are recommended to determine OHPV infection risk factors.     

Eating behavior disorders. Prevalence and clinical features in adolescents in the city of Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela

The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and clinical characterization related to eating disorders in adolescents from both sexes. In order to do so, the diagnostic criteria and psychological symptoms described by the DSM-IV were used. The sample for this study was constituted by 1,363 adolescents, taken from a population of 23,831 students, who were randomly selected. The sample was stratified taking into account whether they came from a public or a private school and the school levels (middle and high school). The A.B.A checklist was administered to the subjects. This checklist was designed to identify the symptoms that characterize each of the disorders that are the main focus of this study, using DSM-IV criteria. Results from this study show a prevalence of 0% for anorexia nervosa, 1.58% for bulimia nervosa, and .66% for binge eating disorder. Clinical characterization and psychological symptoms related to these disorders show distinguishing features that give distinctive traits to the subjects of this study.     

Male infertility risk factors in a French military population

We investigated infertility risk factors by conducting a population-based case-control study in the military population of the French town of Brest. Sixty couples who had sought medical advice for infertility of more than 12 months duration (cases) were compared with 165 couples who had had a child (controls). All the men in these couples had been employed by the military. The infertility risk factors studied were male and female medical factors, occupational and environmental exposures. We obtained age-adjusted odds ratios of 7.4 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4--39.5] for testis surgery, and 13.0 for varicocele (95% CI: 1.4--120.3) in men. In logistic regression, the age-adjusted odds ratio for men who had worked in a nuclear submarine was found to be 2.0 (95% CI: 1.0--3.7), and that for heat exposure was 4.5 (95% CI: 1.9--10.6). One limitation of this study is the lack of exposure measurements, especially for potential exposure to nuclear radiation (type of reactor used in nuclear-powered submarines, inability to obtain personal dosimeters worn by military personnel working in nuclear submarines). In conclusion, this study suggests that in this military population, having worked as a submariner in a nuclear-powered submarine, and having worked in very hot conditions, should be considered as risk factors for infertility.     

Menopause and modifiable coronary heart disease risk factors: A population based study

Objectives

The aim of our study was to determine the effect of the menopause on various coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and on the global risk of CHD in a population based sample of women, making the difference between menopause and age related effects.

Study design

The Third French MONICA cross-sectional survey on cardiovascular risk included 1730 randomly selected women, aged 35–64 years, representative from the general population.

Main outcome measures

Women were defined as post-menopausal (postM; n = 696), peri-menopausal (periM; n = 183) or pre-menopausal (preM; n = 659) based on the date of last menses. Socio-demographic, clinical and biological data were collected. Analyses of variance were used to compare means.

Results

PostM women had significantly higher age-adjusted levels of total cholesterol (6.0 mmol/L in postM vs. 5.7 mmol/L in preM, p < 0.05) and LDL cholesterol (3.9 mmol/L vs. 3.6 mmol/L, p < 0.05). There was no difference in HDL cholesterol or triglyceride levels, glycemia or blood pressure. Further adjustment on body mass index and hormonal treatments did not modify the results. No risk factor was significantly different between periM and postM. However, the Framingham 10-year risk of CHD was higher in postM, as compared with periM (5.1% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.05). In postM women, lipids and the Framingham risk were not associated with elapsed time since menopause.

Conclusions

The CHD risk increases during the sixth decade could be explained not only by estrogen deprivation but also by an effect on lipid profile, which is likely to occur in the peri-menopause period.     

Hemostatic factors and risk of cardiovascular disease in women. An overview.

This report presents an overview of epidemiologic and clinical studies on the relationship between plasma levels of hemostatic factors and risk of cardiovascular disease in women. In addition, research on an association between hemostatic factor levels and gender, as well as estrogen status, is briefly reviewed. Only the Framingham Heart Study has published prospective results showing elevated fibrinogen levels to be associated with excess risk of coronary heart disease among women. However, taken together, the evidence to date from epidemiologic and clinical studies suggests potentially important hemostatic effects of aging, gender, and sex hormone levels on risk of cardiovascular disease in women.     

Risk factors for coronary heart disease in a black population.

A matched case control study using population-based controls was done over a 2-year period in an urban, public hospital setting. The object of the study was to determine if the established risk factors for coronary heart disease--hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, cigarette smoking, low socioeconomic status (as reflected by occupational class and educational level), marital status, and obesity were associated with coronary heart disease in a black population. The established risk factors were found to be significant in this patient population, as was obesity. Being divorced or separated was a risk factor for women but not for men.     

Life events, risk factors, and coronary disease.

Are high levels of stress from life events correlated with increased levels of smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol? The authors used a life events questionnaire to determine the level of presumptive stress in a sample of 575 middle-aged men who were initially selected for inclusion in the larger, collaborative Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). Significant differences in stress levels were found only between smokers and nonsmokers. Therefore, the authors suggest that smoking behavior be included as a variable in studies of the relationship between psychological stress and illness.     

Basal insulin levels in a Zulia State population in Venezuela

This study examines the basal insulin levels in a population from Zulia state (Venezuela). A total of 1703 subjects (1175 women and 528 men) from five different sanitary regions (Maracaibo, La Guajira, Perijá, Sur del Lago de Maracaibo, y Costa Oriental del Lago de Maracaibo) were studied. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, and blood pressure were determined. A blood sample was taken after a 12-h overnight fast to determine serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL-C using enzymatic methods and insulin by radioimmunoassay. According to ATP III criteria two groups were established: a group without metabolic abnormalities (138 subjects) and a group with some metabolic abnormalities 84.8% of subjects of the non metabolic alteration groups and 80.4% of the group with some metabolic alteration were of mixed race. Non metabolic altered lean subjects (BMI <25 Kg/m2) had the lowest (p < 0.0001) basal insulin levels compared to the ones with overweight from the same group and the obese with metabolic abnormalities. This study proposes to consider a cutoff basal insulin levels of 13 microU/mL for women and 11 microU/mL for men, over 20 years of age, in the Zulia state region of Venezuela.     

Somatotype and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy adults

Relationships between cardiovascular risk factors and Heath-Carter anthropometric somatotype components were considered in 642 healthy adults free from overt disease: 68 males and 177 females, 30–39 years, and 233 males and 224 females, 40–49 years of age. Risk factors included systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP), fasting glycemia (GLYC), triglycerides (TG), plasma cholesterol (CHOL), the high density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction (HDL-C), and the HDL-C/CHOL ratio. Correlations between risk factors and each somatotype component were calculated after controlling for the effects of the other two somatotype components. Correlations were generally low and at best moderate, with significant correlations ranging from −0.23 to +0.23 in males and −0.20 to +0.30 in females. The relationships were stronger in the older group, 40–49 years, but the pattern of correlations was different in men and women. Endomorphy tended to be positively related to risk factors in older females, whereas ectomorphy tended to be negatively related to risk factors in older males. Comparison of somatotypes of individuals at the extremes of the distributions for each risk factor (upper and lower tertiles) were generally consistent with the direction of the correlations. For each cardiovascular risk, those with a poorer profile tended to be more endomorphic and mesomorphic and less ectomorphic than those with a better profile, who were more ectomorphic and less endomorphic and mesomorphic. The association was more apparent in males than in females and more so in those 40–49 years of age than in the younger age group. Although the correlations suggest that body type is weakly associated with common cardiovascular risk factors in healthy men and women, somatotype associations are more apparent at the extremes of the distributions of specific risk factors. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:11–19 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The knowledge of osteoporosis risk factors in a Greek female population

OBJECTIVES: The social and economic burden of osteoporosis is important since it concerns a continuously aging population, while the disease is silent until the emergence of fractures. Aim of the study was to assess female population knowledge about osteoporosis risk factors and to identify the risk factors of the studied population. METHODS: A sample of 99 (aged: 61.59+/-9.61 years) women under treatment for osteoporosis or osteopenia answered the questionnaire provided by their pharmacists and were included in the study's analysis. Various parameters on osteoporosis awareness and risk factor knowledge of the population sample studied were analyzed. RESULTS: It was revealed that 96% of the participants knew osteoporosis definition and sources of this knowledge were one or more of the following: doctors (86.3%), mass media (20%) and friends or relatives (13.7%). It was found that the older age was associated with less knowledge (OR=0.93, CI: 0.88-0.97, p=0.004), and higher education with increased knowledge (OR=1.68, CI: 1.10-2.55, p=0.014) about osteoporosis. 56.4% of the participants were aware of at least one osteoporosis risk factor. In multivariate analysis, it was revealed that the participants who referred increased milk products consumption in childhood (OR=3.72, CI: 1.34-10.36, p=0.012) and current performance of physical activity (OR=13.06, CI: 3.22-53.05, p<0.001) were more likely to be informed about osteoporosis risk factors; age >61 years was associated with decreased knowledge of risk factors (OR=0.27, CI: 0.09-0.82, p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: This study implies that a higher degree of participant's health education may result in the avoidance of osteoporosis risk factors. Increasing knowledge of osteoporosis should be a priority for future intervention programs in order to promote specific behavioural strategies for osteoporosis prevention.     

Homocysteine,lipoprotein (a): risk factors for coronary heart disease

Our data suggest that the hyperhomocysteinemia and/or increased plasma level of lipoprotein Lp(a) are risk factors for coronary heart disease. We investigated 178 patients who underwent complete cardiac examination comprising coronary angiography and biological analysis (CT, HDL-c, LDL-c, TG, and apoAI, apoB, homocysteine and Lp(a)). Patients presenting a significant stenosis of the coronary artery ( 50% of the vascular lumen) were considered as cases (113 patients). Those without stenosis or with non-significant stenosis (< 50% of the vascular lumen) were used as controls (65 subjects). Homocysteinemia was significantly higher in cases than in control subjects (8.26 mol/L (2.34 versus 17.85 (2.34, p < 0.001). A strong association between coronary heart disease and homocystein has been found (Eta(2) = 0.76). The OR were 0.16 when homocystein level was lower than 15 mol/L, and 27.78 when homocysteine level was upper than or equal to 15 mol/L. The RR was 5.16 (95% IC = 3.66-6.66, p < 0.001). Even though there was a significant correlation between tabagic impregnation and homocysteinemia (Spermann's rho = 0.37, p < 0.05), there was no interactive effect between these two factors and coronary disease (Wald khi2 = 0.086, p > 0.05). Therefore, no association was found between homocyteinemia and other coronary heart disease risk factors. The Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in cases than in controls subjects (188 (84 mg/L in control subjects versus 590 (199 in cases, p < 0.001). A stronger relationship was noted between coronary heart disease and Lp(a) (Eta (2) = 0.66). The OR were 0.09 when lipoprotein (a) levels were lower than 350 mg/L, and 5,88 when Lp(a) levels were higher than or equal to 350 mg/L. The estimate RR was 6.47 (95% IC = 4.39-8.55, p < 0.001). The level of Lp(a) was positively correlated with the severity of coronary heart disease (Spermann's rho = 0.95, p < 0.001). A weak correlation between Lp(a) and LDL-c was observed (Spermann's rho = 0.12, p = 0.048). But the multivariate analysis didn't show interactive effect between these two factors and coronary disease (khi2 de Wald = 0.264, p > 0.05). No association was noted between Lp(a) and the others risk factors. Moreover, a positive correlation between the levels of homocysteine and those of Lp(a) was found (Spermann's rho = 0.54, p < 0.001). In contrast their effect on coronary heart disease seems to be independant (Wald khi2 = 2.957, p > 0.05). Thus, these two parameters appear as independant risk factors for coronary heart disease.