Thoracic kyphosis and ventilatory dysfunction in unselected older persons: an epidemiological study in Dicomano, Italy.

Objectives: To assess whether kyphosis is associated with ventilatory dysfunction in older community dwellers.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The unselected population of Dicomano, Italy aged>or=65 years.

Sex-related differences in the length of disability prior to death in older persons.

Background And Aims: It is acknowledged that, in spite of their generally worse health, women live longer than men. However, whether women also enjoy longer disability-free lives is still unclear. Using data from a representative, Italian cohort followed for 6 years, this study aimed at estimating differences between men and women in the age of disability onset and in total survival.

Anti-oxidized LDL antibodies and wine consumption: a population-based epidemiological study in Dicomano, Italy.

Purpose: In previous studies, higher levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) have been reported to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, the anti-oxidative properties of red wine have been invoked to explain the paradox of low cardiovascular mortality, in spite of high-fat intake, in the French population. However, the distribution of ox-LDL-antibodies (ox-LDL-Ab) in the unselected population and its relationship with red wine consumption are unknown.