Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

About: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart is a education organization based out in Milan, Lombardia, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 13592 authors who have published 31048 publications receiving 853961 citations.

Discerning the ancestry of European Americans in genetic association studies

Abstract: European Americans are often treated as a homogeneous group, but in fact form a structured population due to historical immigration of diverse source populations. Discerning the ancestry of European Americans genotyped in association studies is important in order to prevent false-positive or false-negative associations due to population stratification and to identify genetic variants whose contribution to disease risk differs across European ancestries. Here, we investigate empirical patterns of population structure in European Americans, analyzing 4,198 samples from four genome-wide association studies to show that components roughly corresponding to northwest European, southeast European, and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are the main sources of European American population structure. Building on this insight, we constructed a panel of 300 validated markers that are highly informative for distinguishing these ancestries. We demonstrate that this panel of markers can be used to correct for stratification in association studies that do not generate dense genotype data.

Characterization of the lactic acid bacteria in artisanal dairy products

Abstract: The European Union is thanked for partly financing this project under ECLAIR contract CT-91-0064.

The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus micro- and macrovascular complications: avenues for a mechanistic-based therapeutic approach.

Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of micro- and macrovascular diabetic complications. The increased oxidative stress in subjects with type 2 diabetes is a consequence of several abnormalities, including hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and dyslipidemia, each of which contributes to mitochondrial superoxide overproduction in endothelial cells of large and small vessels as well as the myocardium. The unifying pathophysiological mechanism that underlies diabetic complications could be explained by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via: (1) the polyol pathway flux, (2) increased formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), (3) increased expression of the receptor for AGEs, (4) activation of protein kinase C isoforms, and (5) overactivity of the hexosamine pathway. Furthermore, the effects of oxidative stress in individuals with type 2 diabetes are compounded by the inactivation of two critical anti-atherosclerotic enzymes: endothelial nitric oxide synthase and prostacyclin synthase. Of interest, the results of clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes in whom intensive management of all the components of the metabolic syndrome (hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and essential hypertension) was attempted (with agents that exert a beneficial effect on serum glucose, serum lipid concentrations, and blood pressure, respectively) showed a decrease in adverse cardiovascular end points. The purpose of this review is (1) to examine the mechanisms that link oxidative stress to micro- and macrovascular complications in subjects with type 2 diabetes and (2) to consider the therapeutic opportunities that are presented by currently used therapeutic agents which possess antioxidant properties as well as new potential antioxidant substances.

Angiography alone versus angiography plus optical coherence tomography to guide decision-making during percutaneous coronary intervention: The Centro per la Lotta contro l'Infarto-Optimisation of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (CLI-OPCI) study

Abstract: Aims Angiographic guidance for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has substantial limitations. The superior spatial resolution of optical coherence tomography (OCT) could translate into meaningful clinical benefits. We aimed to compare angiographic guidance alone versus angiographic plus OCT guidance for PCI. Methods and results Patients undergoing PCI with angiographic plus OCT guidance (OCT group) were compared with matched patients undergoing PCI with angiographic only guidance (Angio group) within 30 days. The primary endpoint was the one-year rate of cardiac death or myocardial infarction (MI). A total of 670 patients were included, 335 in the OCT group and 335 in the Angio group. OCT disclosed adverse features requiring further interventions in 34.7%. Unadjusted analyses showed that the OCT group had a significantly lower one-year risk of cardiac death (1.2% vs. 4.5%, p=0.010), cardiac death or MI (6.6% vs. 13.0%, p=0.006), and the composite of cardiac death, MI, or repeat revascularisation (9.6% vs. 14.8%, p=0.044). Angiographic plus OCT guidance was associated with a significantly lower risk of cardiac death or MI even at extensive multivariable analysis adjusting for baseline and procedural differences between the groups (OR=0.49 [0.25-0.96], p=0.037) and at propensity-score adjusted analyses. Conclusions This observational study, the first ever formally to appraise OCT guidance for PCI decision-making, suggests that the use of OCT can improve clinical outcomes of patients undergoing PCI.