Erectile dysfunction and angiographic extent of coronary artery disease in type II diabetic patients

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Socio-educational profile for second-year Psychology students, La Plata National University

La asignatura Estadística Aplicada a la Psicología se ubica en el segundo año del plan de estudios vigente para las carreras del Profesorado y de la Licenciatura en Psicología de la facultad homónima de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Sus contenidos disciplinares brindan a los estudiantes los conocimientos necesarios para la aplicación de técnicas científicas al servicio de la investigación y de la producción de saberes fundados, mediante la utilización de metodología cuantitativa, a los fines de la descripción o de la inferencia estadísticas. Las técnicas de investigación cuantitativas son inherentes al avance del conocimiento científico; constituyen una herramienta esencial en la generación, divulgación y socialización de dichos conocimientos específicos. El uso adecuado de estas técnicas habilita al investigador al trabajo interdisciplinario, o al usuario de dichas producciones el acceso a saberes obtenidos con metodología estadística para la lectura de textos de divulgación científica. En vista de lo anteriormente expuesto, los docentes de la cátedra buscaron mejorar las estrategias pedagógicas del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de los conceptos fundamentales de la estadística aplicada a la psicología. Enseñar a investigar investigando, aprender las técnicas estadísticas aplicándolas fue el modo de hacerlo. Los procedimientos estadísticos se utilizan en el marco de un proceso de producción de conocimientos. Una vez definido el tema de interés, las unidades que serán analizadas, las variables a estudiar y los instrumentos a aplicar, las técnicas estadísticas sirven para recolectar los datos y organizarlos en una base, para su análisis y posterior discusión sobre la interpretación de los resultados alcanzados. La tarea de describir el perfil socioeducativo de los alumnos que cursan la materia resultó ser la actividad que fusionó la teoría con la práctica, al tiempo que incluyó en un mismo espacio académico los contenidos disciplinares, los docentes y los alumnos.Applied Statistics' course is found in the second year of the current curriculum for the Psychology degrees in the School of Psychology, La Plata National University. Its disciplinary contents give students the skills needed to apply scientific techniques in order to produce well-founded knowledge in the context of research, using quantitative methods for statistic description or inference. These techniques are inherent to the advance of scientific knowledge; they are an essential part in the process of building, disseminating and socializing specific knowledge. The correct use of these techniques allows the researcher to work with other disciplines and enables the user of their production to access the ability needed to read scientific papers through statistical methods. For what we have said above, the teachers of this course sought to improve the pedagogical strategies in the teaching-learning process of fundamental concepts in Applied Statistics. Teaching how to research through research, and learning the statistical techniques through their use was the way applied to do it. Statistical procedures are used in the context of a process of knowledge production. Once the topic of interest has been defined, as well as the units to analyze, the variables to study and the instruments to apply, statistical techniques are employed to collect data and organize it in a database for its later analysis, interpretation and discussion of the results achieved. The task of describing the socio-educational profile of this course's students turned out to join together both theory and practice, whilst including disciplinary contents, teachers and students in the same space.Facultad de Psicologí

Physicians’ misperceived cardiovascular risk and therapeutic inertia as determinants of low LDL-cholesterol targets achievement in diabetes

Background: Greater efforts are needed to overcome the worldwide reported low achievement of LDL-c targets. This survey aimed to dissect whether and how the physician-based evaluation of patients with diabetes is associated with the achievement of LDL-c targets. Methods: This cross-sectional self-reported survey interviewed physicians working in 67 outpatient services in Italy, collecting records on 2844 patients with diabetes. Each physician reported a median of 47 records (IQR 42–49) and, for each of them, the physician specified its perceived cardiovascular risk, LDL-c targets, and the suggested refinement in lipid-lowering-treatment (LLT). These physician-based evaluations were then compared to recommendations from EAS/EASD guidelines. Results: Collected records were mostly from patients with type 2 diabetes (94%), at very-high (72%) or high-cardiovascular risk (27%). Physician-based assessments of cardiovascular risk and of LDL-c targets, as compared to guidelines recommendation, were misclassified in 34.7% of the records. The misperceived assessment was significantly higher among females and those on primary prevention and was associated with 67% lower odds of achieving guidelines-recommended LDL-c targets (OR 0.33, p < 0.0001). Peripheral artery disease, target organ damage and LLT-initiated by primary-care-physicians were all factors associated with therapeutic-inertia (i.e., lower than expected probability of receiving high-intensity LLT). Physician-suggested LLT refinement was inadequate in 24% of overall records and increased to 38% among subjects on primary prevention and with misclassified cardiovascular risk. Conclusions: This survey highlights the need to improve the physicians’ misperceived cardiovascular risk and therapeutic inertia in patients with diabetes to successfully implement guidelines recommendations into everyday clinical practice

Slavjanskaja versija grečeskogo teksta evangelija: Evangelie Ivana Aleksandra i pravka perevoda svjaščennogo pisanija

Il contributo analizza alcuni brani del Vangelo di Ivan Aleksandăr (1356) utilizzando in modo sperimentale una metodologia recentemente elaborata presso l'Institut für Neutestamentliche Forschungen di Münster per la selezione dei testimoni per l'editio critica maior del Nuovo Testamento greco. Il vangelo di Ivan Aleksandăr, pur nel generale arcaismo del suo testo, mostra evidenti tracce di avvicinamento al 'testo bizantino', allora diffuso in ambito greco. Questo Vangelo si rivela perciò un precursore dell'attività di revisione testuale della successiva età eutimiana (fine del XIV secolo

Restenosis after intracoronary stent placement: can apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism play a role?

The relationship between lipoprotein(a) and restenosis after intracoronary stent implantation has been analysed by two specific studies, but the role of apoliprotein(a) polymorphism was not considered. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate whether lipoprotein(a) levels and apolipoprotein(a) phenotypes are predictors of restenosis after elective stent implantation in patients with de novo lesions of coronary arteries. METHODS: We recruited 182 patients with a new lesion successfully treated with elective placement of one or two Palmaz-Schatz stents. Follow-up angiography was scheduled at 6 months or earlier if clinically indicated. Nine patients were lost to the follow up. Among 173 patients enrolled, restenosis was present in 52 (30.0%) and absent in 121 (70.0%). RESULTS: Lipoprotein(a) levels were higher in the restenosis than in the nonrestenosis group (29.5+/-17.2 versus 27.4+/-20.2 mg/dl), even if the difference did not attain statistical significance (P=0.067). The restenosis group had a percentage of subjects with at least one apolipoprotein(a) isoform of low molecular weight significantly greater than the nonrestenosis group (82.7 versus 66.9%; P=0.035). A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that multiple stenting (RR: 4.01; CI 95%: 1.65-13.91; P=0.004), presence of diabetes (RR: 3.96; CI 95%: 1.67-9.37; P=0.002) and presence of multivessel disease (RR: 2.71; CI 95%: 1.19-6.16; P=0.017) were predictors of restenosis after stent placement. Lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism did not enter the model as predictive variables. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that multiple stenting, diabetes and multivessel disease are powerful predictors of restenosis after intracoronary stent implantation. On the contrary, lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism do not appear to be reliable markers of restenosis in patients with stent implantation

Lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism and coronary atherosclerosis severity in type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract: Background: Few and conflicting data are available in the literature on the association between Lp(a) levels and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in diabetic patients. In addition, no studies took into account the role of apo(a) polymorphism. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the association of the degree of coronary atherosclerosis with Lp(a) levels and apo(a) polymorphism in a large group of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: The study population consisted of 227 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients undergoing a routine coronary angiography to evaluate chest pain or suspected CAD. The patients were subdivided into four subgroups according to the number of coronary arteries diseased: normal arteries (n = 26), mono-vessel disease (n = 67), bi-vessel disease (n = 54) and multi-vessel disease (n = 80). Results: Lp(a) levels (normal arteries: 14.6 +/- 19.6 mg/dl; mono-vessel disease: 19.0 +/- 16.4 mg/dl; bi-vessel disease: 19.3 +/- 15.1 mg/dl; multi-vessel disease: 26.5 +/- 16.8 mg/dl; p < 0.001) and the percentages of patients with at least one isoform of low molecular weight (normal arteries: 23.1%; mono-vessel disease: 38.8%; bi-vessel disease: 75.9%; multi-vessel disease: 81.2%; p < 0.001) were significantly correlated with increasing number of coronary vessels diseased. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that both Lp(a) levels (OR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.02-4.11) and apo(a) polymorphism (OR: 3.43; 95% CI: 1.67-7.05) were independent predictors of CAD severity. Conclusions: Our data suggest that Lp(a) levels and apo(a) polymorphism may be reliable predictors of CAD severity in type 2 diabetic patients