Body acceptance and culture: a study in northern and southern Italy

Fear of fatness and body dissatisfaction have been considered as influenced by cultural differences both in eating disordered and in normal young girls. The culture of the industrialized world and the rural cultures are the two ideal poles of this theoretical scheme. Culture may act both via the beauty standards suggested by media, and by cultural cognitive styles of interpretation of bodily sensations and emotions related to eating and food. The great intracultural differences existing between northern and southern Italy seems to be a good field of research. The hypothesis assumed that fear of fatness, body dissatisfaction and acceptance of mass media body ideals were lower in southern Italian female teenagers than in northern, while feelings of uncertainty in the identification of emotional states and sensations of hunger and satiety were higher. Two populations of female students drawn from two high schools in northern and southern Italy were compared on the results of DT (Drive to Thinness), BD (Body Dissatisfaction) and IA (Interoceptive Awareness) from the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) and I (Internalization) from the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ). Whilst the IA and I scores suggested real cultural differences, no significant differences were found for the scales DT and BD. The result could be due to the non‐clinical nature of the samples, to the limitations of the sampling process and to the self‐report structure of the instruments. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Impact of attenuation correction and gated acquisition in SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging: results of the multicentre SPAG (SPECT Attenuation Correction vs Gated) study

Purpose

In clinical myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), attenuation artefacts may cause a loss of specificity in the identification of diseased vessels that can be corrected by means of gated SPECT (GSPECT) acquisition or CT attenuation correction (AC). The purpose of this multicentre study was to assess the impact of GSPECT and AC on the diagnostic performance of myocardial scintigraphy, according to patient??s sex, body mass index (BMI) and site of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods

We studied a group of 104 patients who underwent coronary angiography within 1?month before or after the SPECT study. Patients with a BMI?>?27 were considered ??overweight??. Attenuation-corrected and standard GSPECT early images were randomly interpreted by three readers blinded to the clinical data.

Results

In the whole group, GSPECT and AC showed a diagnostic accuracy of 86.5% (sensitivity 82%, specificity 93%) and 77% (sensitivity 75.4%, specificity 81.4%), respectively (p?p <0.05).

Conclusion

AC improved specificity in the evaluation of right CAD in overweight men. In the other evaluable subgroups specificity was not significantly affected while sensitivity was frequently reduced.     

Plasma MMP and TIMP evaluation in patients with deep venous thrombosis: could they have a predictive role in the development of post‐thrombotic syndrome?

Post‐thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is a condition that can develop in about half of the patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of lower limbs. In the present study, we evaluated the expression of inflammatory biomarkers in the early phases of DVT and their correlation with the onset of PTS. Patients were enrolled after the first episode of DVT and were followed up for 1, 4, 8, 12 and 18 months. At each visit, blood sample was collected to evaluate plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐1,‐2,‐3,‐7,‐8 and ‐9 MMP inhibitors, TIMP‐1,‐2, neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cytokines TNF‐α and IL‐6. Analysis included 201 patients [86 males (42·79%) and 115 females (57·21%); average age 56 ± 7 years]. Of the 201 patients, 47 (23·38%; 21 males, 26 females) developed PTS during the follow‐up period. The control group was made up of 60 individuals without DVT (22 males and 38 females). High plasma levels of MMPs, NGAL and cytokines were recorded during the acute phase after DVT. Moreover, patients with PTS showed higher levels of MMP‐1 and MMP‐8 with respect to patients without PTS. There is a close relationship between DVT, the individual risk of PTS and specific biomarkers such as MMPs and other related molecules, which may help guide prevention and therapy based on the patient's individual risk profile, and has to be studied in future.     

Increased arterial stiffness in inflammatory bowel diseases is dependent upon inflammation and reduced by immunomodulatory drugs

Background

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are associated with an increased cardiovascular risk that is not fully explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors but may be due to inflammation and mediated by an increased arterial stiffness. Aims: Study 1, to investigate the relationship between inflammation and arterial stiffening; Study 2, to look whether aortic stiffening is reduced by immunomodulatory therapy in IBD.

Methods

Study 1 (Cross-sectional study): pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured in 74 IBD subjects (40 ulcerative colitis and 34 Crohn's disease) and 80 matched controls. Study 2 (Longitudinal study): the effect of therapy on PWV was measured at baseline and 3.4 ± 0.5 years later in 14 IBD subjects treated only with salicylates, 11 subjects treated with steroids and azathioprine, 7 subjects treated with anti TNF-alpha and 30 matched controls.

Results

Study 1: All parameters were comparable between subjects with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Compared to controls, subjects with ulcerative colitis and those with Crohn's disease have both higher carotid-femoral PWV (7.0 ± 1.1, 7.8 ± 1.7 and 8.0 ± 1.6 m/s, respectively; P < 0.001) and carotid-radial PWV (7.2 ± 0.9, 8.8 ± 1.4 and 8.8 ± 1.3 m/s, respectively; P < 0.001). In fully adjusted models carotid-femoral PWV was positively associated with disease duration whereas carotid-radial PWV was associated with C-reactive protein and history of relapse. Study 2: in fully adjusted model carotid-femoral PWV increased significantly at follow-up in IBD subjects treated with salicylates but not in those treated with steroids and azathioprine or anti TNF-alpha.

Conclusion

Increased arterial stiffness in IBD is dependent upon inflammation and reduced by immunomodulatory drugs.     

Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease: From Pathogenesis to Therapeutic Target

Atherosclerosis represents the most common pathological substrate of coronary heart disease (CHD), and the characterization of the disease as a chronic low-grade inflammatory condition is now largely accepted. A number of mediators of inflammation have been widely studied, both as surrogate biomarkers and as causal agents, in the pathophysiological network of atherogenesis and plaque vulnerability. The epidemiological observation that biomarkers of inflammation are associated with clinical cardiovascular risk supports the theory that targeted anti-inflammatory treatment appears to be a promising strategy in reducing residual cardiovascular risk on the background of traditional medical therapy. A large number of randomized controlled trials have shown that drugs commonly used in cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as statins, may be effective in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events through an anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, several anti-inflammatory drugs are being tested for their potential to reduce residual cardiovascular risk on the background of validated medical therapy for atherosclerotic disease. In this paper, we review relevant evidence with regard to the relationship between inflammation and CVD, from pathogenesis to therapeutic strategies.     

Effects of Class C and Class F Fly Ash on Mechanical and Microstructural Behavior of Clay Soil—A Comparative Study

A large amount of coal fly ash produced in thermal power plants is disposed of in landfills which causes many environmental problems. The utilization of fly ash can be encouraged in geotechnical engineering projects. In this paper, the effects of class C and class F fly ash on the mechanical and microstructural behavior and stabilization of clay soil were evaluated through a program of laboratory experiments. The experiments included compaction, unconfined compressive strength, consolidated-undrained triaxial, one-dimensional consolidation tests, and scanning electron microscopy analysis on samples of fly ash-stabilized clay soil after 1, 7, and 28 days of curing. The tests were conducted on mixtures of clay with class C or class F fly ash, ranging from 0% to 30% of the soil. Experimental results showed that the strength parameters and permeability of the stabilized soil improved while the compression and swelling indices decreased by the addition of fly ash and by the increase of curing days. The results obtained from the mechanical tests agreed with the results from the SEM analysis. Based on the results, the soil could be successfully stabilized by using class C fly ash. The improvements in strength, swelling, and permeability parameters of the stabilized soil were higher with the class C fly ash compared with class F fly ash.     

The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoate attenuates endothelial cyclooxygenase-2 induction through both NADP(H) oxidase and PKC epsilon inhibition

A high intake of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoate [docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] has been associated with systemic antiinflammatory effects and cardiovascular protection. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is responsible for the overproduction of prostaglandins (PG) at inflammatory sites, and its expression is increased in atheroma. We studied the effects of DHA on COX-2 expression and activity in human saphenous vein endothelial cells challenged with proinflammatory stimuli. A>or=24-h exposure to DHA reduced COX-2 expression and activity induced by IL-1, without affecting COX-1 expression. DHA effect depended on the NF-kappaB-binding site in the COX-2 promoter. EMSAs confirmed that DHA attenuated NF-kappaB activation. Because MAPK, PKC, and NAD(P)H oxidase all participate in IL-1-mediated COX-2 expression, we also tested whether these enzymes were involved in DHA effects. Western blots showed that DHA blocked nuclear p65 NF-kappaB subunit translocation by decreasing cytokine-stimulated reactive oxygen species and ERK1/2 activation by effects on both NAD(P)H oxidase and PKCepsilon activities. Finally, to address the question whether DHA itself or DHA-derived products were responsible for these effects, we inhibited the most important enzymes involved in polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism, showing that 15-lipoxygenase-1 products mediate part of DHA effects. These studies provide a mechanistic basis for antiinflammatory and possibly plaque-stabilizing effects of DHA.