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Riccardo Polosa,1–3,* Jaymin Bhagwanji Morjaria,4,5,* Umberto Prosperini,6 Cristina Russo,7 Alfio Pennisi,8 Rosario Puleo,1–3 Massimo Caruso,1,2 Pasquale Caponnetto1,2 1Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; 2Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco Addiction (CPCT), Teaching Hospital “Policlinico – V. Emanuele”, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; 3Institute of Internal and Emergency Medicine, Teaching Hospital “Policlinico – V. emanuele”, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; 4Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital Foundation Trust, Harefield Hospital, Harefield, UK; 5Imperial College, Harefield, UK; 6Hospital “San Vincenzo”, Taormina, Italy; 7Emergency Department, Hospital “Arnas Garibaldi”, Catania, Italy; 8Department of Respiratory Medicine, Private clinics “Musumeci-Gecas”, Catania, Italy *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Health effects of electronic cigarette (EC) use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are largely unexplored.Aim: We present findings from a long-term prospective assessment of respiratory parameters in a cohort of COPD patients who ceased or substantially reduced conventional cigarette use with ECs.Methods: We prospectively re-evaluated COPD exacerbations, spirometric indices, subjective assessments (using the COPD Assessment Tool [CAT] scores), physical activity (measured by the 6-minute walk distance [6MWD]), and conventional cigarette use in EC users with COPD who were retrospectively assessed previously. Baseline measurements prior to switching to EC use were compared to follow-up visits at 12, 24, and 36 months. Age- and sex-matched regularly smoking COPD patients who were not using ECs were included as reference (control) group.Results: Complete data were available from 44 patients. Compared to baseline in the EC-user group, there was a marked decline in the use of conventional cigarettes. Although there was no change in lung function, significant improvements in COPD exacerbation rates, CAT scores, and 6MWD were observed consistently in the EC user group over the 3-year period (p

Background and Aims: Oxidative stress leading to endothelial dysfunction is a candidate driver of obesity-related hypertension. We aimed to assess whether the total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC) was associated with blood pressure in children/adolescents with obesity., Methods and Results: One hundred and fifty-two children/adolescents with obesity (79 boys; age 11.9+/-2.5 years) underwent blood drawing for the assessment of TAC, lipids and HOMA-IR. Blood pressure was measured and classified according to the latest American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines. Serum TAC was measured by a commercial kit (Sigma-Aldrich). The average TAC was 1.11+/-0.4 mMol/Trolox equivalents. Systolic blood pressure was predicted by TAC (B = -5.8, p = 0.003), z-BMI (B = 2.39, p = 0.008), height [cm] (B = 0.38, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (B = 0.56, p < 0.001). Diastolic blood pressure was predicted by age [years] (B = 0.58, p = 0.001), log-HOMA-IR (B = 3.0, p = 0.002), and systolic blood pressure (B = 0.26, p < 0.001), but not by TAC. The pulse pressure was predicted only by TAC (B = - 6.6, p = 0.002), and height [cm] (B = 0.42, p < 0.001). Overall "elevated blood pressure + hypertension" or hypertension alone were not associated with TAC. However, systolic "elevated blood pressure + hypertension" was associated with TAC (OR = 0.4 [0.1-0.9], p = 0.037), and z-BMI (OR = 2.1 [1.3-3.6], p = 0.004)., Conclusion: The systemic anti-oxidant capacity is inversely associated with systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure in children and adolescents with obesity., (Copyright © 2019 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Safety-net populations are underrepresented in research and quality improvement (QI) studies despite the fact that safety-net providers are uniquely positioned to engage in translational research. This study aimed to understand the current level of interest in, experience with, predicted career satisfaction associated with, and barriers experienced in conducting research and QI among primary care providers (PCPs) at 18 safety-net practices in the Boston, Massachusetts area., Methods: The Harvard Catalyst Safety-net Infrastructure Initiative partnered with staff at a large academic public hospital system, including 15 primary care sites, to develop and administer an online survey. This survey was then adapted and administered at three other academically affiliated community health centers., Results: Of the 260 providers surveyed, 136 (52%) responded. Nearly 80% reported interest in conducting either QI projects or clinical research and 95% of them believed it would enhance their career satisfaction. However, 63% did not report prior experience or training in research or QI and 93% reported at least one barrier to engagement., Conclusion: While supporting safety-net PCPs' engagement in research and/or QI may improve career satisfaction there are numerous barriers that must be addressed to achieve this goal., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The Authors study the lipidemic effects of a "middle-term" treatment with heparin calcium in vasculopathic subjects undergoing the drug for antithrombotic purposes. The series consists of 35 subjects (21 m, 14 f, mean age 57 +/- 8) suffering from peripheral arteriopathy (24 cases) and instable angina (11 cases) of arteriosclerotic nature, and free from endocrinometabolic and hepatorenal diseases; all the subjects were normolipemic, except for 4 cases having hyperlipoproteinemia of type II B. After a week of standard diet and drug wash-out, each patient underwent antithrombotic treatment with calcium heparin (10.000 Units subcutaneously) for three weeks during the hospitalization; for each sample, the plasma levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL-3-cholesterol (HDL-3-C) and HDL-2-cholesterol (HDL-2-C) were determined enzymatically (kits Boerhinger Mannheim). The Authors observe a significant (P less than 0.05) increase of TC and LDL-C after one and after two weeks of treatment with a return to the baseline after three weeks; levels of TG, HDL-C, HDL-3-C, HDL-2-C and the HDL-C/TC and HDL-2-C/HDL-C ratios showed an ascending profile until the third week without significant changes, compared to the baseline values. Subdividing the series arbitrarily into into two groups (A and B) respectively having rather low ("normolipemic") and high ("hyperlipemic") values of TC and TG respectively below (group A) and above (group B) 230 mg/dl (TC) and 165 mg/dl (TG).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)