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Objective: The objective of this paper is to provide descriptive information on anthropometric status, pathological conditions, cognitive impairment and lifestyle in apparently healthy elderly Italian people. Design, setting and subjects: In order to recruit the volunteers for the ZENITH study, 359 Italian participants (167 men and 192 women), aged between 70 and 85 years, free living in Rome, were selected. Volunteers underwent a full clinical examination, anthropometric measurements (height, weight), a lifestyle questionnaire and mental health assessment (cognitive impairment and depression). Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was high (57% and 22% in men; 43% and 27% in women). Obesity was associated with low socio-economic profile in about 40% of participants. Although the sample was selected by family doctors and was apparently healthy, after medical screening the presence of several pathologies, particularly diabetes in 21% of participants was observed. There was a low prevalence of cognitive impairment in 4% of men and 7% of women and possible depression in 9% of men and 19% of women. The lifestyle questionnaire showed that most of their time was spent in light activities such as reading, watching TV or playing cards and significant differences between sex and BMI categories were observed (P=0.000). Conclusion: The results confirm the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of modern populations and demonstrate the need for sensitive and individualised strategies to design appropriate health promotion and disease prevention programs for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The BioEnterics® Intragastric Balloon (BIB®) System in association with restricted diet has been used for the short-term treatment of morbid obesity. Aim of this study was to evaluate the real, short term, efficacy of the BIB for weight reduction in morbidly obese patients by using a prospective, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled, crossover study.Methods:Patients were recruited from January 2003 to December 2003. After selection, they were randomly allocated into two groups: BIB followed by sham procedure after 3 months (Group A), and sham procedure followed by BIB after 3 months (Group B). All endoscopic procedures were performed under unconscious intravenous sedation. The BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon (Inamed Health; Santa Barbara, CA, USA) was filled by using saline (500 ml) and methylene blue (10 ml). Patients were discharged with omeprazole therapy and diet (1000 kcal). Patients were followed up weekly by a physician blinded to randomisation. In both groups mortality, complications, BMI, BMI reduction and %EWL were considered. Data were expressed as mean±s.d., except as otherwise indicated. Statistical analysis was performed by means of Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test or χ2 with Yates correction; P<0.05 was considered significant.Results:A total of 32 patients were selected and entered the study (8M/24F; mean age: 36.2±5.6 years, range 25–50 years; mean BMI 43.7±1.5 kg/m2, range 40–45 kg/m2; mean %EW: 43.1±13.1, range: 35–65). All patients completed the study. Mortality was absent. Complications related to endoscopy, balloon placement and removal were absent. Mean time of BIB positioning was 15±2 min, range 10–20 min. After the first 3 months of the study, in Group A patients the mean BMI significantly (P<0.001) lowered from 43.5±1.1 to 38.0±2.6 kg/m2, while in Group B patients the decrease was not significant (from 43.6±1.8 to 43.1±2.8 kg/m2). The mean %EWL was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (34.0±4.8 vs 2.1±1%; P<0.001). After crossover, at the end of the following 3 months, the BMI lowered from 38.0±2.6 to 37.1±3.4 kg/m2 and from 43.1±2.8 to 38.8±3.1 kg/m2 in Groups A and B, respectively.Conclusions:The results of this study show that treatment of obese patients with BioEnterics Intragastric Balloon is a safe and effective procedure. In association with appropriate diet it is significantly effective in weight reduction when compared to sham procedure plus diet. The BIB® procedure can play a role in weight reduction in morbidly obese patients or in the preoperative treatment of bariatric patients.International Journal of Obesity (2006) 30, 129–133. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803094; published online 27 September 2005 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To ascertain whether women with eating disorders have a higher frequency of separation anxiety symptoms in childhood, and a higher prevalence of insecure styles of adult attachment, compared with healthy women. Methods. The Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) were administered to 78 women with eating disorders and 64 healthy women. Results. Compared with control women, women with eating disorders reported more severe symptoms of separation anxiety during childhood, and scored higher on the ASQ scales, reflecting insecure styles of adult attachment. Early separation anxiety and insecure attachment were not correlated with age of onset or illness duration. The diagnostic subgroup was not associated with a specific style of insecure attachment: compared with control women, both anorexic and bulimic women scored higher on the ASQ scales reflecting anxious attachment, but not on the scales reflecting avoidant attachment. Conclusions. The results confirm the link between eating disorders and insecure attachment that has been found in previous studies, and extend it to childhood symptoms of separation anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]