Medicina
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease characterised by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function, which is associated with poor long-term survival. The pathogenesis of IPF is incompletely understood. An accumulating body of evidence, obtained over the past three decades, suggests that occupational and environmental exposures may play a role in the development of IPF. This narrative literature review aims to summarise current understanding and the areas of ongoing research into the role of occupational and environmental exposures in the pathogenesis of IPF.
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Parietaria pollen is the most important cause of pollen allergies in the Mediterranean area, as Parietaria is widespread in this region. Many issues are associated with Parietaria allergy, including the duration of the pollen season (many doctors in fact believe that it lasts throughout the year), pollen load (which seems to be increasing over time), the impact of age (on IgE production and symptom severity), inflammatory changes (after pollen exposure), and the choice of allergen immunotherapy (AIT). ⋯ This review considers these topics and will hopefully help the allergist in clinical practice. Parietaria allergy is an intriguing challenge for the allergist in clinical practice, but it may be adequately managed by knowing the peculiarities of respective territories and the clinical characteristics of each patient.
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Background and objectives: Some publications indicate the possibility of the influence of meal nutritional value on results of bioelectrical impedance, and of the relation between the long-term carbohydrate intake and body composition. The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the influence of long-term intake of carbohydrates on body composition results assessed using the bioelectrical impedance of Caucasian young women with normal body mass, who were in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. Materials and Methods: Body composition was assessed in 100 women (18⁻30 years), according to strict rules, to minimize the influence of disturbing factors and by using two types of bioelectrical impedance device of the same operator to eliminate the influence of measurement (BIA 101/SC and BIA 101/ASE by Akern Srl, Firenze, Italy with the Bodygram 1.31 software and its equations by Akern Srl, Firenze, Italy). ⋯ Results: Analysis conducted using Bland⁻Altman method, analysis of correlation, analysis of quartile distribution, and weighted κ statistic revealed a positively validated reproducibility, but extracellular water associations were the weakest. Depending on the device, participants characterized by higher carbohydrate intake had significantly higher intracellular water content (p = 0.0448), or close to significantly higher (p = 0.0851) than those characterized by lower carbohydrate intake, whose extracellular water content was close to significantly lower (p = 0.0638) or did not differ. Conclusions: The long-term, moderately reduced, carbohydrate intake may cause the shift of intracellular water to the extracellular space and, as a result, influence the body composition results.
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Background: Perceived risk and worries of developing cancer are important constructs for cancer prevention. Many studies have investigated the relationship between health behaviors and subjective risk perception. However, factors correlated with lung cancer risk perception and worries in individuals more susceptible to lung cancer have rarely been investigated. ⋯ However, the effects of social determinants (income and insurance status) and age were observed in low but not high risk group. Conclusions: Determinants of cancer perceived risk and worries vary in individuals depending on the level of lung cancer risk. These differences should be considered in clinical practice and policy makings with the goal of improving participation rates in lung cancer screening programs.
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Association between Cluster of Lifestyle Behaviors and HOMA-IR among Adolescents: ABCD Growth Study.
Objective: To analyze the association of potential risk factors to health with body fatness and insulin resistance. Baseline measures of the ongoing longitudinal Analysis of Behaviors of Children During (ABCD) Growth Study. Materials and Methods: The sample was composed of 280 adolescents of both sexes (198 boys and 82 girls) aged from 10 to 18 years. ⋯ Poor sleep quality was related to a greater HOMA-IR index (Wald: 6.013; p = 0.014). Adolescents with ≥3 risk factors presented a higher risk of high HOMA-IR (OR = 4.89 (95%CI: 1.61 to 14.84)) than their counterparts with no risk factors. Conclusion: Lifestyle risk factors seem relevant to affect obesity and insulin resistance, while the aggregation of these risk factors affects insulin resistance, independent of adiposity.