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Institution

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

EducationMilan, Lombardia, Italy
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 & Health care. The organization has 13592 authors who have published 31048 publications receiving 853961 citations.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that aging in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired mitochondrial function and altered biogenesis pathways and that this may contribute to muscle atrophy and the decline in muscle performance observed in the elderly population.
Abstract: Summary Age-related loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia) leads to a decline in physical function and frailty in the elderly. Among the many proposed underlying causes of sarcopenia, mitochondrial dysfunction is inherent in a variety of aged tissues. The intent of this study was to examine the effect of aging on key groups of regulatory proteins involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and how this relates to physical performance in two groups of sedentary elderly participants, classified as high- and low-functioning based on the Short Physical Performance Battery test. Muscle mass was decreased by 38% and 30% in low-functioning elderly (LFE) participants when compared to young and high-functioning elderly participants, respectively, and positively correlated to physical performance. Mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized muscle fibers was reduced (41%) in the LFE group when compared to the young, and this was associated with a 30% decline in cytochrome c oxidase activity. Levels of key metabolic regulators, SIRT3 and PGC-1a, were significantly reduced (50%) in both groups of elderly participants when compared to young. Similarly, the fusion protein OPA1 was lower in muscle from elderly subjects; however, no changes were detected in Mfn2, Drp1 or Fis1 among the groups. In contrast, protein import machinery components Tom22 and cHsp70 were increased in the LFE group when compared to the young. This study suggests that aging in skeletal muscle is associated with impaired mitochondrial function and altered biogenesis pathways and that this may contribute to muscle atrophy and the decline in muscle performance observed in the elderly population.

279 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Iterative reconstruction significantly reduces image noise without loss of diagnostic information and holds the potential for substantial radiation dose reduction from cCTA.
Abstract: To compare image noise, image quality and diagnostic accuracy of coronary CT angiography (cCTA) using a novel iterative reconstruction algorithm versus traditional filtered back projection (FBP) and to estimate the potential for radiation dose savings. Sixty five consecutive patients (48 men; 59.3 ± 7.7 years) prospectively underwent cCTA and coronary catheter angiography (CCA). Full radiation dose data, using all projections, were reconstructed with FBP. To simulate image acquisition at half the radiation dose, 50% of the projections were discarded from the raw data. The resulting half-dose data were reconstructed with sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE). Full-dose FBP and half-dose iterative reconstructions were compared with regard to image noise and image quality, and their respective accuracy for stenosis detection was compared against CCA. Compared with full-dose FBP, half-dose iterative reconstructions showed significantly (p = 0.001 – p = 0.025) lower image noise and slightly higher image quality. Iterative reconstruction improved the accuracy of stenosis detection compared with FBP (per-patient: accuracy 96.9% vs. 93.8%, sensitivity 100% vs. 100%, specificity 94.6% vs. 89.2%, NPV 100% vs. 100%, PPV 93.3% vs. 87.5%). Iterative reconstruction significantly reduces image noise without loss of diagnostic information and holds the potential for substantial radiation dose reduction from cCTA.

277 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that transcranial stimulation over the lateral part of the motor cortex of one hemisphere can suppress the excitability of the contralateral motor cortex.
Abstract: Electromyographic (EMG) responses evoked in hand muscles by a magnetic test stimulus over the motor cortex can be suppressed if a conditioning stimulus is applied to the opposite hemisphere 6-30 ms earlier. In order to define the mechanism and the site of action of this inhibitory phenomenon, we recorded descending volleys produced by the test stimulus through high cervical, epidural electrodes implanted for pain relief in three conscious subjects. These could be compared with simultaneously recorded EMG responses in hand muscles. When the test stimulus was given on its own it evoked three waves of activity (I-waves) in the spinal cord, and a small EMG response in the hand. A prior conditioning stimulus to the other hemisphere suppressed the size of both the descending spinal cord volleys and the EMG responses evoked by the test stimulus when the interstimulus interval was greater than 6 ms. In the spinal recordings, the effect was most marked for the last I-wave (I3), whereas the second I2-wave was only slightly inhibited, and the first I-wave (I1) was not inhibited at all. We conclude that transcranial stimulation over the lateral part of the motor cortex of one hemisphere can suppress the excitability of the contralateral motor cortex.

277 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jul 2003-Thorax
TL;DR: There is a selective increase in exhaled LTB4 and PGE2 in patients with COPD which may be relatively resistant to inhaled corticosteroid therapy.
Abstract: Background: The role of eicosanoids, including leukotrienes (LTs) and prostaglandins (PGs), in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether eicosanoids are measurable in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), a non-invasive method of collecting airway secretions, in patients with stable mild to moderate COPD, and to show possible differences in their concentrations compared with control subjects. Methods: LTB4, LTE4, PGE2, PGD2-methoxime, PGF2α, and thromboxane B2 (TxB2) were measured in EBC in 15 healthy ex-smokers, 20 steroid naive patients with COPD who were ex-smokers, and in 25 patients with COPD who were ex-smokers and who were treated with inhaled corticosteroids. The study was of cross sectional design and all subjects were matched for age and smoking habit. Results: LTB4 and PGE2 concentrations were increased in steroid naive (LTB4: median 100.6 (range 73.5–145.0) pg/ml, p<0.001; PGE2: 98.0 (range 57.0–128.4) pg/ml, p<0.001) and steroid treated patients with COPD (LTB4: 99.0 (range 57.9–170.5) pg/ml, p<0.001; PGE2: 93.6 (range 52.8–157.0) pg/ml, p<0.001) compared with control subjects (LTB4: 38.1 (range 31.2–53.6) pg/ml; PGE2: 44.3 (range 30.2–52.1) pg/ml). Both groups of patients had similar concentrations of exhaled LTB4 (p=0.43) and PGE2 (p=0.59). When measurable, LTE4 and PGD2-methoxime concentrations were similar in COPD patients and controls, whereas PGF2α concentrations were increased in the former. TxB2-LI was undetectable in any of the subjects. Conclusions: There is a selective increase in exhaled LTB4 and PGE2 in patients with COPD which may be relatively resistant to inhaled corticosteroid therapy.

277 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Excessive polypharmacy was directly associated not only with presence of chronic diseases but also with depression, and specific symptoms, age, functional, and cognitive status among nursing home residents in Europe.
Abstract: Background: This study assesses prevalence and patients characteristics related to polypharmacy in a sample of nursing home residents. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on 4,023 nursing home residents participating to the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERm care (SHELTER) project, a study collecting information on residents admitted to 57 nursing home in 8 countries. Data were collected using the interRAI instrument for long-term care facilities. Polypharmacy status was categorized in 3 groups: non-polypharmacy (0-4 drugs), polypharmacy (5-9 drugs) and excessive polypharmacy (≥ 10 drugs). Results: Polypharmacy was observed in 2,000 (49.7%) residents and excessive polypharmacy in 979 (24.3%) residents. As compared with non-polypharmacy, excessive polypharmacy was directly associated not only with presence of chronic diseases but also with depression (odds ratio [OR] 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.38-2.37), pain (OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.80-2.97), dyspnoea (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.61-3.27), and gastrointestinal symptoms (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.35-2.21). An inverse association with excessive polypharmacy was shown for age (OR for 10 years increment 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.96), activities of daily living disability (OR for assistance required vs independent 0.90; 95% CI 0.64-1.26; OR for dependent vs independent 0.59; 95% CI 0.40-0.86), and cognitive impairment (OR for mild or moderate vs intact 0.64; 95% CI 0.47-0.88; OR for severe vs intact 0.39; 95% CI 0.26-0.57). Conclusions: Polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy are common among nursing home residents in Europe. Determinants of polypharmacy status include not only comorbidity but also specific symptoms, age, functional, and cognitive status.

277 citations


Authors

Showing all 13795 results

NameH-indexPapersCitations
Peter J. Barnes1941530166618
Cornelia M. van Duijn1831030146009
Dennis R. Burton16468390959
Paolo Boffetta148145593876
Massimo Antonelli130127279319
David B. Audretsch12667172456
Piero Anversa11541260220
Marco Pahor11247646549
David L. Paterson11173968485
Alfonso Caramazza10845139280
Anthony A. Amato10591157881
Stefano Pileri10063543369
Giovanni Gasbarrini9889436395
Giampaolo Merlini9668440324
Silvio Donato9686041166
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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Institution in previous years
YearPapers
2023106
2022276
20213,228
20202,935
20192,170
20181,907