Outcomes of Culturally Tailored Dietary Intervention in the North African and Bangladeshi Diabetic Patients in Italy.

Immigrants show higher adjusted diabetes prevalence than Italians, especially among South-East Asians followed by North and Sub-Saharan Africans. Diabetes progression is influenced by food behaviors, and diet control is a critical aspect in disease management. Food habits have many cultural and symbolic implications. Guidelines recommend that every patient should receive appropriate self-management education according to cultural and socioeconomic characteristics. This study aims to test whether a customized diet and transcultural mediator's support can improve immigrants' food habits. A pre-post quali-quantitative study was conducted among 20-79-year-old Bangladeshi and North African diabetic immigrants. The INMP transcultural mediator, an expert in the social and health care field, actively participates in clinical activity by decoding linguistic and cultural needs expressed by the foreigner patient. Five culturally tailored dietary profiles were designed according to international diabetes guidelines and adjusted to traditional food habits. Data were collected with two different semi-structured questionnaires. Changes in food consumption were assessed through McNemar's test, while paired Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to analyze pre and post intervention. Fifty-five patients were enrolled. At follow-up, cereals, meat, and potatoes intake significantly improved, and the number of adequate dietary habits for each patient increased significantly. Transcultural mediator support was 90% positively evaluated. Adherence to dietary control is favorably influenced by a transcultural intervention, which is based on clinical and socio-cultural criteria, in compliance with patient's lifestyles.

Iron deficiency anaemia prevalence in a population of immigrated women in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Martial deficiency and sideropenic anaemia are the most diffused deficiency pathologies in the world. WHO recommends preventive screening of the new immigrant population. No epidemiological data exist on its prevalence among migrant population in Italy. METHODS: A transversal study was conducted at San Gallicano Hospital in Rome through laboratory screening on 821 migrant women and interviews on a sub-sample of 550 women (including socio-demographic, anamnestic and nutritional information). RESULTS: The complete sub-sample (laboratory results and questionnaire) shows a 20.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.8-24.3] prevalence of anaemia and a 22.7% (95% CI 18.9-26.6) prevalence of sideropenia. Sideropenic anaemia was found in 11.5% (95% CI 8.5-14.4) of cases. Results are similar in the rest of the sample. There is significant association between anaemia and the clinical conditions of haemorrhoids [odds ratio (OR) 3.8; P < 0.000], hypermenorrhoea (OR 3.3; P < 0.000) and metrorrhagia (OR 5.9; P < 0.000). Africans were found to be at highest risk of anaemia (OR 5.5; P < 0.000). Feeding habits have a milder effect. Unemployed and low educated people are more likely to be affected by non-iron deficiency anaemia. CONCLUSION: The observed prevalence of sideropenia and sideropenic anaemia is much greater than what the scientific literature reports for Western populations. Pathologies inducing bleeding and the country of origin (i.e. genetic factors, pre-existing conditions) appear to be associated with anaemia. Nutritional factors are less important because of an adequate nutritional income. Prevention programmes should then aim at screening larger samples for improving the access of migrants to health-care services.

Study on a possible effect of four longevity candidate genes (ACE, PON1, PPAR-gamma, and APOE) on human fertility.

The present study investigated for a possible effect on fertility of four longevity candidate genes (ACE, PON1, PPAR-gamma, APOE) in order to determine whether they have a pleiotropic action at different life ages. The study population was 151 healthy unrelated subjects. Only PPAR-gamma and APOE showed an effect on fertility. The PPAR-gamma Pro/Ala genotype, which had showed an association with longevity only in men, was found associated only in men with having produced more children (6.1+/-3.3) than the Pro/Pro genotype (3.3+/-1.9; P=0.001). APOE*2 allele, which has been consistently associated with longevity, was confirmed to be associated with the lowest fertility (P=0.03). The logistic regression analysis indicated that APOE and PPAR-gamma polymorphisms may be considered independent determinants of reproductive efficiency. These data suggest that the APOE*2 allele follows the model of antagonist pleiotropy, while the PPAR-gamma Pro/Ala genotype seems to exert beneficial effects both early in life and in advanced age in a gender-specific way.