1,721,067 research outputs found
The history and science of chocolate
No full textThis article gives an account of the origins, evolution and properties of chocolate. Chocolate is processed from the pod or cabosside of the cacao plant, grown in the tropical belt. The origins of chocolate are traced back to the Maya people who were probably the first to cultivate the cacao plant. The early chocolate drink, considered a "drink of the Gods" was mixed with cinnamon and pepper, tasting bitter and strong, and was most appreciated for its invigorating and stimulating effects than for its taste. Imported from the Americas, the softened version soon spread in Europe. From the 1800s to the 20th Century, it evolved from a drink to its current pleasurable varieties (such as fondant, Gianduja, milky and white chocolate), gaining much momentum in industry and also made great impact as a romantic item and art form. Important components in chocolate are flavonoids (antioxidants), cocoa butter, caffeine, theobromine and phenylethylamine, whereas the presence of psychoactive substances account for its pleasurable effects. Caffeine, theophylline and theobromine constitutes the methylxanthines, known to enhance the action of cAMP, which plays an important role in the transmission of intracellular signals. Chocolate is noted to have anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects, and improves the bioavailability of nitric oxide, which action improves the pressure, platelet function and fluidity of blood
Il laboratorio 'ok' protegge il paziente e fa risparmiare
No full textAll'Assemblea dell'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità (Oms), tenutasi recentemente a Ginevra, tutte le nazioni hanno preso in considerazione il ruolo dei vaccini e dell'accesso alle cure come paradigma per rimodulare le risorse finanziarie. Una consapevolezza molto importante in sé, ma sfortunatamente nessuno ha evidenziato il ruolo fondamentale del laboratorio e in particolare della diagnosi precoce, nella diminuzione della spesa del Servizio sanitario nazionale (Ssn). Il governo italiano negli ultimi anni ha avviato una revisione della spesa globale, in base alla quale è stato necessario riqualificare anche la spesa per la salute sociale, facendo tagli ai costi e al personale, purtroppo spesso a partire dal laboratorio. Il mondo medico e i pazienti richiedono però che la qualità della protezione della salute del paziente non venga cambiata. Per tutelare la salute del paziente consentendo allo stesso tempo un risparmio sulla spesa sanitaria, il laboratorio ha un ruolo essenziale. Anche se può sembrare impossibile, le esigenze di risparmio del Ssn passano attraverso il miglioramento della qualità nei laboratori. Qualità significa fare ciò di cui si ha bisogno quando è necessario; in breve: appropriatezza
Essential hypertension: role of Na+/K+ ATP-A and relationship with the cyclic nucleotides system.
No full text
Na+/K+ ATPase and cell growth: EGF modulates enzymatic activity in cultured fibroblasts
No full textThe behaviour of Na+/K+ ATPase during cell growth has been studied. Enzymatic activity, which is slightly affected during normal growth, is strongly reduced if the cells are incubated with epidermal growth factor (EGF). Evidence indicates that there is a double mechanism of action of the hormone
Na+/K+ ATPase and cell growth: effect of epidermal growth factor on the enzymatic activity in chick embryo epidermis during the embryonal development.
No full text1. The behaviour of ATPase activity during embryonic development of chick embryo epidermis has been studied in the absence or presence of a single inoculation of EGF at the fifth day from fertilization (0-day). 2. EGF strongly decreases ATPase activity by affecting Na+/K+ ATPase. This effect occurs only if begun at 0-day. 3. This effect is due to the EGF induced decrease of -SH groups that are active part of Na+/K+ ATPase
Na+/K+ ATPase and cell growth--III: Enzymatic activity in cultured and EGF stimulated HeLa cells
No full textTESPI (Thrombolysis in Elderly Stroke Patients in Italy): a randomized controlled trial of alteplase (rt-PA) versus standard treatment in acute ischaemic stroke in patients aged more than 80 years where thrombolysis is initiated within three hours after stroke onset
No full textRationale Intravenous (i.v.) thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) (alteplase) within three hours from symptom onset is the only approved treatment of pharmacological revascularization in acute ischaemic stroke. However, the current license limits the use of rt-PA to patients aged <= 80 years due to the lack of evidence of safety and efficacy of this treatment in the elderly from randomized clinical trials. This article describes the design of the Thrombolysis in Elderly Stroke Patients in Italy (TESPI) trial planned to fill the lack of controlled data on i.v. thrombolysis in this age category of stroke patients. Aims To collect efficacy and safety data on i.v. alteplase (rt-PA) in patients aged more than 80 years, to demonstrate that the treatment of these patients within three hours of symptoms onset of an acute ischaemic stroke with i.v. rt-PA, compared to patients receiving standard treatment (according to the national guidelines), will result in an improved clinical outcome with a favourable benefit/risk ratio. Design TESPI is a prospective, multicenter, national, open-label, controlled (non-treated group as control), randomized, parallel group trial with blinded evaluation of outcome in patients older than 80 years treated with i.v. rt-PA within three hours after ischaemic stroke onset. The randomization procedure assigns patients to the treatment group with IV alteplase (0.9 mg/kg of body weight) or to standard treatment group with a 1 : 1 basis. A three-month follow-up, when applicable, is performed by a blind assessor. Six hundred patients will be enrolled (300 patients per arm) The study period has been planned to be of three years. Study Outcomes The primary efficacy end-point is the disability at day 90, dichotomized as a favourable outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) or unfavourable outcome (modified Rankin Scale 3-6). The main primary safety end-point is symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage defined as any hemorrhage at the 22-36 h post-treatment scan combined with neurological deterioration leading to an increase of one or more points at the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The TESPI trial, with the protocol number FARM65KNKY, is registered in the European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials database with the number 2007-006177-88 and in the Stroke Trials Registry of the Washington University Internet Stroke Center
Gender Medicine: A Novel Interpretation of Equal Opportunities?
No full textto allow women to achieve the same opportunities as males. More and
more doors have been opened to women, so that the most “masculine”
activities, such as army or security have allowed the participation of
women. In particular, in Italy at this moment, medical students are about
70% female. Despite the concept of "equal opportunity," medicine has
recently discovered that males are different from females, in terms of
pathophysiology and, consequently, different therapies are needed.
Methods: Health spending has interesting differences when we compare
the male population to the female. The total pharmaceutical expenditure is
substantially the same but, if we sub-divide them into categories, we find
important differences between the two genders. Lifestyles determine the
increase in spending. Changing lifestyles and increasing sport leads to
health savings.
Results: The different distribution of sports for men and women can be
interpreted as a cause of the major spending of women vs. men. In Italy,
there has been a rapid increase in general and practitioners of sports
recognized by the Olympic Committee.
Conclusions: This gap is subsequently declined, but has not yet been
filled. The survey on sport, carried out by ISTAT in December 2000 as
part of the research on leisure, indicates a rate of sportsmanship 37.8%
for men and only 22.6% for women
Na+/K+ ATPase and cell growth IV: A metabolic marker of human brain tumors?
No full textThe activity of total, Mg++ dependent and Na+/K+ ATPase as well as the content of cAMP and cGMP in homogenates of human brain tumors have been investigated. Results are compared to values obtained from normal cortices. Na+/K+ ATPase and cAMP are decreased with a close relationship with the degree of malignancy, while Mg++ dependent activity is lower than in normal cortex but with no differences between the various tumors, and cGMP is unaffected. We conclude with a discussion on the metabolism of brain tumors and the suggestion of Na+/K+ ATPase activity as a marker of the malignancy of neoplastic growth
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