1,721,531 research outputs found
The 4G/5G polymorphism of PAI-1 promoter gene as a risk factor for myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis approach
No full textBackground. The 4G allele of the 4G/5G polymorphism in the promoter region of the PAI-1 gene has been recently reported to predict the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in a small group of young men. Subsequent studies have produced conflicting results. To further evaluate the association of the 4G/5G polymorphism with the risk of MI, we carried out a meta-analysis of all published studies. Methods and Results. Eight retrospective case-control studies on MI patients and a prospective study were considered. In total, 1521 MI cases and 2120 control subjects were analyzed. The overall distribution of genotypes was: 20.4% 5G/5G, 47.1 % 5G/4G and 32.5% 4G/4G in cases and 28.9% 5G/5G, 47.9% 5G/4G and 23.2% 4G/4G in controls. Across all studies, the mean odds ratio for MI was 1.30 (Clgj: 1.08 to 1.57; P=0.005) for 4G/4G versus 5G/5G genotypes and 1.21 (CI95: 1.03 to 1.42; P=0.02) for 5G/4G+4G/4G versus 5G/5G genotypes. The odds ratio appeared to be increased in high risk populations (i.e. with coronary artery stenosis or non-insulin-dependent diabetes) (OR 4G/4G vs 5G/5G: 2.18; CI95: 1.34 to 3.56). Conclusions. This meta-analysis supports an association of the 4G allele with MI risk. The sample size and the design of the studies included in the overview and the light association found with the risk of MI, all call for other prospective, adequately powered studies, conducted separately in low and high risk subjects
Polymorphism of the interleukin 1-b gene affect the risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke at young age and the response of mononuclear cells to stimulation in vitro
No full textObjectives—To investigate the role of interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene polymorphisms as a link between inflammation,coagulation, and risk of ischemic vascular disease at young age.Methods and Results—A total of 406 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) at young age, frequency-matched for age,sex, and recruitment center, with 419 healthy population-based controls and 134 patients with ischemic stroke at youngage, matched by age and sex, with 134 healthy population-based controls, were studied. Subjects carrying the TTgenotype of the 511C/T IL-1 polymorphism showed a decreased risk of MI (odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% CI, 0.20to 0.64) and stroke (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.81) after adjustment for conventional risk factors. In both studies, theT allele showed a codominant effect (P0.0020 in MI; P0.021 in stroke). Mononuclear cells from volunteers carryingthe T allele showed a decreased release of IL-1 and a decreased expression of tissue factor after stimulation withlipopolysaccharide compared with CC homozygotes. The presence of a monoclonal antibody against IL-1 during cellstimulation resulted in a marked reduction of tissue factor activity expression.Conclusions—-511C/T IL-1 gene polymorphism affects the risk of MI and ischemic stroke at young age and the responseof mononuclear cells to inflammatory stimulation
TheMediterranean Diet and reduced cardiovascular disease: The Mediterranean diet (MD) may reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality, but who actually benefits from its benefits?
No full textEdible mushrooms and beta‐glucans: Impact on human health
No full textMushroom cell walls are rich in β‐glucans, long or short‐chain polymers of glucose subu-nits with β‐1,3 and β‐1,6 linkages, that are responsible for the linear and branching structures, re-spectively. β‐glucans from cereals, at variance, have no 1,6 linkages nor branching structures. Both immunomodulatory and anti‐inflammatory effects of mushrooms have been described using purified β‐glucans or fungi extracts on cellular and experimental models; their potential clinical use has been tested in different conditions, such as recurrent infections of the respiratory tract or complica-tions of major surgery. Another promising application of β‐glucans is on cancer, as adjuvant of con-ventional chemotherapy. β‐glucans may protect the cardiovascular system, ameliorating glucose, lipid metabolism, and blood pressure: these activities, observed for oat and barley β‐glucans, require confirmation in human studies with mushroom β‐glucans. On the other hand, mushrooms may also protect the cardiovascular system via a number of other components, such as bioactive phenolic compounds, vitamins, and mineral elements. The growing knowledge on the mechanism(s) and health benefits of mushrooms is encouraging the development of a potential clinical use of β‐glu-cans, and also to further document their role in preserving health and prevent disease in the context of healthy lifestyles
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Epidemiology of breast cancer, a paradigm of the “common soil” hypothesis
No full textBreast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 20–50 years, with some geographical difference. The yearly incidence of the disease is increasing while the related mortality is steadily decreasing. Breast cancer is associated not only with specific hormones or factors related with reproduction, but mostly to more general environmental factors, linked to socioeconomic conditions and lifestyles (smoking, stress, physical exercise and particularly dietary habits). The latter, indeed, are risk factors or conditions common to hormone-dependent tumors and other chronic degenerative disorders, such as ischemic cardio cerebro-vascular and neuro-degenerative disease. Breast cancer can indeed be considered as a paradigm of the so-called “common soil” concept, according to which the above mentioned conditions, although having different clinical manifestations, share some pathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors and intermediate predisposing phenotypes (see Type2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome or obesity). In an epidemiological perspective, evidence has been accumulated on the common response of breast cancer and cardiovascular disorders to healthy lifestyles and in particular to the beneficial effects of a close adhesion to the Mediterranean dietary model. The latter would mainly be effective thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, thus controlling the subclinical condition of low-grade inflammation, a common risk factor of all the “common soil” disorders. Results from the prospective cohort of the Moli-sani Study (nearly 25,000 adults from the general population of the Southern Italy region of Molise) are highly suggestive in this context. In a public health perspective, the “common soil” hypothesis may thus promote the application of preventive strategies, particularly targeting lifestyles, for a broad spectrum of widely prevalent disorders, ranging from breast cancer to myocardial infarction or cognitive impairment conditions
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Too many individuals are unaware of their blood lipid levels, but might still get health benefit from the Mediterranean diet through lipid-independent mechanisms
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