Analysis of neurosurgery resident research activity in the United States.

Objective: Evaluation of the demographic and academic characteristics of current neurosurgery residents may provide prospective students with insight into factors that affect research output. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the research output among neurosurgery residents.

Methods: US neurosurgery residency programs were abstracted from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons website.

Hypertension-related hypoalgesia, autonomic function and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity.

Objective: The mechanisms involved in the relationship between pain perception and hypertension are poorly understood. This study has sought to investigate whether the spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and the autonomic nervous system balance are related to hypertension-associated hypoalgesia.

Methods: In the morning, 73 untreated male subjects (45 hypertensives, 28 normotensives) were submitted to a simultaneous recording of electrocardiographic and blood pressure signals in resting condition.

Autonomic function and baroreflex sensitivity during angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition or angiotensin II AT-1 receptor blockade in essential hypertensive patients.

Objective: The influence of ACE-inhibition and angiotensin II ATI receptor blockade on the autonomic function and baroreflex sensitivity was investigated in hypertension.

Methods And Results: Heart rate variability was assessed in a resting condition by power spectrum analysis to evaluate the low frequency (LF) power, high frequency (HF) power and LF/HF ratio in 19 hypertensive patients and 23 normotensive controls. Moreover, the coherence between the tachogram and the systogram was evaluated, and the baroreflex gain (alphaLF-index), describing the transfer function of variability in the systolic pressure signal to variability in the RR interval, was obtained.

Relationship between dental pain perception and 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure: a study on 181 subjects.

Objective: To investigate dental pain perception in a large group of essential hypertensive subjects.

Methods: A total of 130 hypertensive patients together with 51 normotensive subjects were submitted to tooth-electrical stimulation to determine the dental pain threshold (occurrence of pulp sensation) and tolerance (time when the subject asked for the test to be stopped). Blood pressure was measured at rest, before pain perception evaluation, and during a 24 h period by ambulatory monitoring.

Autonomic function and baroreflex sensitivity during a normal ovulatory cycle in humans.

Objective And Design: Possible variations occurring in the autonomic function during a normal ovulatory cycle have been poorly investigated and it is not known whether the baroreflex sensitivity may change according to the different phases of the cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate heart rate variability (power spectrum analysis), and baroreceptor sensitivity (alpha-low frequency coefficient) in 13 young women with regular menses during the two phases of the cycle (phase I: 5 +/- 1 days and phase II: 23 +/- 3 days from bleeding).

Results: The low frequency/high frequency ratio was significantly higher in the second phase of the cycle (phase I: 2.

Relationship between a genetic predisposition to hypertension, blood pressure levels and pain sensitivity.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether the degree of blood pressure elevation and/or a genetic predisposition to hypertension have a major role in determining a reduced pain perception in hypertensives. The reasons underlying the relationship between blood pressure elevation and pain perception mechanisms are not completely understood.

Methods: One hundred and four untreated hypertensive patients (65 subjects with and 39 without a positive parental history of hypertension) together with a control group of 42 subjects (20 normotensive offspring of normotensive parents, and 22 normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents) were submitted to standard blood pressure evaluation, 24-h blood pressure monitoring and dental pain perception evaluation.

Asthma-like symptoms, atopy, and bronchial responsiveness in furniture workers.

Objectives: To study the role of individual and occupational risk factors for asthma in furniture workers.

Methods: 296 workers were examined (258 men, 38 women) with a questionnaire of respiratory symptoms and diseases, baseline spirometry, bronchial provocative test with methacholine, and skin prick tests. Non-specific bronchial hyperreactivity was defined as when a provocative dose with a fall of 20% in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (PD20FEV1) was < 0.

Treatment with enalapril modifies the pain perception pattern in hypertensive patients.

The cardiovascular system shares numerous anatomic and functional pathways with the antinociceptive network. The aim of this study was to investigate whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment could affect hypertension-related hypalgesia. Twenty-five untreated hypertensive patients, together with a control group of 14 normotensive subjects, underwent dental pain perception evaluation by means of a pulpar test (graded increase of test current applied to healthy teeth).

Colchicine in the treatment of mixed cryoglobulinemia.

Objective: The best treatment for cryoglobulinemic syndrome (CS) is still an unsolved problem. Recently colchicine has been successfully used to treat vasculitides and other immune-mediated diseases. Therefore, we undertook to treat 17 CS patients with colchicine (1 mg/day for 6-48 months), 8 of them with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) and 9 with CS secondary to liver disease.

Hepatitis C antibody and cryoglobulins in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective: To assess: (1) the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcoholism as risk factors for hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis, and (2) the presence of cryoglobulins in HCV + patients with and without HCC.

Patients: 82 cirrhotic patients, 41 with and 41 without HCC, who were admitted consecutively to our General Medicine Division from January 1992 to June 1994, were studied.

Results: The prevalence of HBV markers, anti-HCV and alcoholism in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC was 39%, 63.

Chest radiography and high resolution computed tomography in the evaluation of workers exposed to silica dust: relation with functional findings.

Objectives: To compare the usefulness of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) with chest radiography (CR) in the diagnosis and assessment of severity of silicosis.

Methods: 27 workers exposed to silica underwent CR, HRCT, and pulmonary function tests. Two experienced readers independently evaluated CR by International Labour Office classification, and grouped the results into four categories.

Peak expiratory flow monitoring in diagnosis and management of occupational asthma.

The role of peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring in the diagnosis of occupational asthma has recently been assessed by several studies, which agree that this procedure should always be used to confirm the relationship between symptoms and occupational exposure. Some specific issues should be satisfied: a minimum number of four PEF measurements in a day; several weeks of monitoring in and out of work; and the presence of specific patterns of PEF changes. The sensitivity and specificity of PEF monitoring to detect occupational asthma, in comparison with the specific challenge test in the laboratory (the "gold standard") have been shown to be fairly high, although many authors believe that PEF monitoring cannot substitute for the specific challenge test.

[A cross-sectional epidemiological study of symptoms and respiratory physiology in a sample of workers in shoe manufacture].

The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and functional abnormalities has been evaluated in a sample of 350 workers (186 males and 164 females, mean age: 35.1 and 36.6 years respectively) employed in 24 factories of the shoes industry in the area of Pisa, exposed to airway irritants (solvent vapours, leather dusts and fumes).