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Machine learning techniques are a driving force for research in various fields, from credit card fraud detection to stock analysis. Recently, a growing interest in increasing human involvement has emerged, with the primary goal of improving the interpretability of machine learning models. Among different techniques, Partial Dependence Plots (PDP) represent one of the main model-agnostic approaches for interpreting how the features influence the prediction of a machine learning model. However, its limitations (i.e., visual interpretation, aggregation of heterogeneous effects, inaccuracy, and computability) could complicate or misdirect the analysis. Moreover, the resulting combinatorial space can be challenging to explore both computationally and cognitively when analyzing the effects of more features at the same time. This article proposes a conceptual framework that enables effective analysis workflows, mitigating state-of-the-art limitations. The proposed framework allows for exploring and refining computed partial dependences, observing incrementally accurate results, and steering the computation of new partial dependences on user-selected subspaces of the combinatorial and intractable space. With this approach, the user can save both computational and cognitive costs, in contrast with the standard monolithic approach that computes all the possible combinations of features on all their domains in batch. The framework is the result of a careful design process involving experts' knowledge during its validation and informed the development of a prototype, W4SP 1 , that demonstrates its applicability traversing its different paths. A case study shows the advantages of the proposed approach.

The objective of this study was to encompass current knowledge about pathophysiological mechanisms of those specific hand postures or deformities caused by central nervous system disorders. In the era of high-resolution neuroimaging and molecular biology, clinicians are progressively losing confidence with neurological examination. Careful hand observation is of key importance in order to differentiate neurological from non-neurological conditions, central from peripheral aetiologies, and organic from functional disorders. Localizing the potential anatomical site is essential to properly conduct subsequent exams. We provided a practical guide for clinicians to recognize hand patterns caused by central nervous system disorders, avoiding mimicking conditions, thus optimizing and prompting the diagnostic pathway., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

RadViz contributes to multidimensional analysis by using 2D points for encoding data elements and interpreting them along the original data dimensions. For these characteristics it is used in different application domains, like clustering, anomaly detection, and software visualization. However, it is likely that using the dimension arrangement that comes with the data will produce a plot that leads users to make inaccurate conclusions about points values and data distribution. This article attacks this problem without altering the original RadViz design: It defines, for both a single point and a set of points, the metric of effectiveness error, and uses it to define the objective function of a dimension arrangement strategy, arguing that minimizing it increases the overall RadViz visual quality. This article investigated the intuition that reducing the effectiveness error is beneficial for other well-known RadViz problems, like points clumping toward the center, many-to-one plotting of non-proportional points, and cluster separation. It presents an algorithm that reduces to zero the effectiveness error for a single point and a heuristic that approximates the dimension arrangement minimizing the effectiveness error for an arbitrary set of points. A set of experiments based on 21 real datasets has been performed, with the goals of analyzing the advantages of reducing the effectiveness error, comparing the proposed dimension arrangement strategy with other related proposals, and investigating the heuristic accuracy. The Effectiveness Error metric, the algorithm, and the heuristic presented in this article have been made available in a d3.js plugin at https://aware-diag-sapienza.github.io/d3-radviz.

We describe 3 cases of solitary sclerosis (SS), a rare condition characterized by a single inflammatory demyelinating lesion in the white matter of the brain or spinal cord. All patients had progressive limb motor impairment (patient 1, 66-year-old female: left spastic hemiparesis; patient 2, 39-year-old male: right spastic hemiparesis; patient 3, 42-year-old female: proximally predominant left upper limb weakness with amyotrophy and fasciculations). In all patients, MRI disclosed a single small T2-hyperintense demyelinating lesion: in the right anterior paramedian upper medulla, in the median-left paramedian anterior lower medulla, and in the left paramedian anterior cervical spinal cord at C4 level, respectively. In patients 1 and 2, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) demonstrated altered motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and increased central motor conduction time (CMCT) in the affected limbs; in patient 3, needle EMG revealed chronic neurogenic changes in C5-C7 muscles of left upper limb. Patients 1 and 2 had normal brain 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET). CSF analysis demonstrated IgG oligoclonal bands in all patients. In patients 2 and 3, levels of neurofilament light chain (NFL) in CSF and serum, respectively, were within normal limits. The three cases were consistent with the diagnosis of SS. Notably, while the first two cases mimicked Mills' syndrome (the hemiparetic variant of primary lateral sclerosis, PLS), the third one was rather reminiscent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This suggests including SS in the differential diagnosis not only of PLS, but also of ALS. We also report the first quantification of NFL levels in SS., (© 2022. Fondazione Società Italiana di Neurologia.)

The effectiveness of statins in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) diseases has been widely proven. However, the onset of adverse events associated with their use prevents to achieve the therapeutic targets recommended by the guidelines (GL) for the management of dyslipidemia. In the event of statin intolerance, the GL recommend to use bile acid sequestrants, fibrates, and ezetimibe in monotherapy, but their benefits in improving lipid pattern are quite modest. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness and safety of a nutraceutical compound (NC) associated with ezetimibe (EZE) on the lipid profile in statin-intolerant patients with moderate-to-high CV risk. Ninety-six statin-intolerant hypertensive and hypercholesterolemic subjects treated pharmacologically with EZE 10 mg daily were randomized in open label ( n  = 48) to take for 3 months a NC containing Monacolin-K (MK), Berberine Hydrochloride (BC), t-Resveratrol (RES), Quercetin (QUER), and Chromium (CH) in the form of a gastro-resistant tablet that improves enteric bioaccessibility and bioavailability of these substances. The control group ( n  = 48) took only EZE in monotherapy at the same dosage; both groups followed a standardized lipid-lowering diet. The total serum cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were compared at the follow-up in both groups using Student's t -test. TC and LDL levels reduced in both groups, but were lower in the group treated with EZE + NC (-25.9% vs. -15%, P  < .05 and -38.7% vs. -21.0%, P  < .05, respectively). No changes were observed in either group regarding a decrease in TG (-9.4% vs. -11.7%, NS) and an increase in HDLC (+4.2% vs. +1.1%, NS). The AST, ALT, and CPK levels increased in the group treated with the EZE + NC compared to the control group, but were still within the acceptable range. There was no difference concerning the lipid-lowering treatment between gender, and no patient withdrew from the study. In the short term, the EZE + NC combination therapy is well tolerated and effective in improving TC and LDLC levels in statin-intolerant patients with moderate-to-high CV risk.

Due to the advent of novel technologies and digital opportunities allowing to simplify user lives, healthcare is increasingly evolving towards digitalization. This represent a great opportunity on one side but it also exposes healthcare organizations to multiple threats (both digital and not) that may lead an attacker to compromise the security of medial processes and potentially patients' safety. Today technical cybersecurity countermeasures are used to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data and information systems - especially in the healthcare domain. This paper will report on the current state of the art about cyber security in the Healthcare domain with particular emphasis on current threats and methodologies to analyze and manage them. In addition, it will introduce a multi-layer attack model providing a new perspective for attack and threat identification and analysis.

Hypertension and obesity in the young population are major risk factors for renal and cardiovascular events, which could arise in adulthood. A candidate-gene approach was applied in a cohort observational study, in which we collected data from 2638 high school adolescent students. Participants underwent anthropometric and blood pressure (BP) measurements, as well as saliva and urine sample collection for genomic DNA extraction and renal function evaluation, respectively. We tested whether candidate genes previously implicated in salt-sensitive hypertension in adults impact BP also among adolescents. Since inflammatory mechanisms may be involved in pathophysiology of hypertension and in endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis through reactive oxygen species, the baseline urinary excretion of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in a subgroup of adolescents stratified according to ADD1 (alpha adducin) rs4961 genotypes was assessed. Regression analysis of BP values with genetic polymorphisms, highlighted an association with a missense variant of LSS (lanosterol synthase, rs2254524), a gene coding for an enzyme involved in endogenous ouabain synthesis. Higher diastolic and systolic BP were associated with LSS A allele ( P =0.011 and P =0.023, respectively). BP resulted associated with 5 more SNPs. The KL (klotho) rs9536314 missense variant was associated with 24 hour urinary Na + excretion ( P =0.0083). Urinary protein tests showed a greater excretion of IL1β (interleukin 1β) and interleukin 10 ( P <0.0001) in carriers of the ADD1 rs4961 T allele. In conclusion, 3 missense gene variants already implicated in adult hypertension impact BP or Na + excretion among adolescents, and, together with activated pro-inflammatory pathways, might predispose to early cardiovascular damage.

Background: Most antihypertensive drugs used in monotherapy or in combination therapy reduce the left ventricular mass index (LVMI). However, little is known about the effects on LVMI of a triple fixed-dose combination (TFC) therapy, containing in a single pill an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), a diuretic and a calcium channel blocker (CCB)., Methods: In this prospective open-label study, 92 patients with essential hypertension were randomized to treatment with a TFC of perindopril/indapamide/amlodipine at different doses or a triple free combination therapy (FCT) including ACEI/diuretic/CCB. Office blood pressure (BP) measurement, 24 h-ambulatory BP monitoring and echocardiography were performed at baseline and during a 14-month follow-up. The BP variability (BPV) over 24 h was calculated as ± standard deviation of the daytime systolic BP. Differences between office and monitored BP and LVMI were evaluated by ANOVA for repeated measures., Results: A significant BP-lowering effect was observed for both treatments. At follow-up, BPV was reduced in both the treatment groups vs. the baseline (14.0±1.5 vs. 17.0±1.8 and 16.2±2.1 vs. 17.6±2.3, respectively), but it was lower in the TFC vs. the FCT group (14.0±1.5 vs. 16.1±2.2, P < 0.05). LVMI was lower in both the treatment groups, but the change was greater for TFC vs. FCT (-8.3±4.9% vs. -2.0 ±2.1%, P < 0.0001). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) regression was greater in the TFC vs. the FCT group (43.5% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Independently of BP values achieved, the antihypertensive TFC therapy was more effective than FCT in LVMI reduction and LVH regression, possibly related to drugs' intrinsic properties and to BPV modulation., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Introducion: Treatment strategies for patients with pre-hypertension and low-moderate cardiovascular (CV) risk may include nutraceutical compounds (NCs)., Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of a new-generation of NC in lowering BP values and improving metabolic profile, in a group of hyper-cholesterolemic subjects with pre-hypertension., Methods: 131 subjects with pre-hypertension (systolic BP 130-139 mmHg and/or diastolic BP 85-89 mmHg) without organ damage and history of CV diseases were enrolled. 66 subjects were treated with a once-daily oral formulation of a NC (red yeast rice, Berberine, Coenzyme Q10, folic acid and chrome) added to diet for 3 months, while 65 patients followed a diet only. Differences in serum total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC and HDLC), triglycerides (TG), glycemia, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated., Results: At the end of treatment, significant reductions of TC, LDLC, TG glucose levels were observed in both treatment groups, while HDLC values increased in the active treatment group only. A greater reduction of TC, LDLC and glycemia was observed in the treatment group. TG levels were not different within the two groups. BP and BMI levels remained unchanged, as well AST, ALT; CPK slightly increased in both groups, but it remained in the normal range., Conclusions: In patients with pre-hypertension, NC supplementation was safe, well tolerated and effective in improving lipid pattern and glucose levels and in preventing the progression to overt hypertension.

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a world-wide epidemic disease with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Treatment strategies of MetS include pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions and in this respect a relevant role has been shown for nutraceutical compounds (NCs). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of NCs incorporated with diet and lifestyle management versus diet alone, in lowering blood pressure (BP) values and improving lipid and glucose profile, in a group of hypertensives and hyper-cholesterolemic patients with MetS., Methods: 104 subjects with MetS (mean age 57.4 ± 8.8 years, 51% males) without history of cardio-vascular (CV) diseases were enrolled in the study. 52 subjects were treated with a once-daily oral formulation of a NCs containing red yeast rice and coenzyme Q10 added to their diet for 2 months and were compared with the 52 patients following a diet program. Differences in BP, serum total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC and HDLC), triglycerides (TG) and glucose values were compared by analysis of variance., Results: A significant reduction of BP, TC, TG, LDLC and glucose levels was observed in both treatment groups. However, a greater reduction of systolic BP (-5.2 vs. -3.0 mmHg), diastolic BP (-4.9 vs. 2.9 mmHg), total cholesterol (-17.2%), LDLC (-21.8%), TG (-16.0%) and serum glucose (-3.4%) was observed in the treatment group relative to the control (p < 0.001 for all); HDLC remained unchanged (p = N.S.). Gender difference was not found in either group (p = N.S.)., Conclusions: In patients with MetS, NC supplementation was safe, well tolerated and effective in improving clinic BP, lipid and glucose profile., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Vulnerabilities represent one of the main weaknesses of IT systems and the availability of consolidated official data, like CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), allows for using them to compute the paths an attacker is likely to follow. However, even if patches are available, business constraints or lack of resources create obstacles to their straightforward application. As a consequence, the security manager of a network needs to deal with a large number of vulnerabilities, making decisions on how to cope with them. This paper presents VULNUS (VULNerabilities visUal aSsessment), a visual analytics solution for dynamically inspecting the vulnerabilities spread on networks, allowing for a quick understanding of the network status and visually classifying nodes according to their vulnerabilities. Moreover, VULNUS computes the approximated optimal sequence of patches able to eliminate all the attack paths and allows for exploring sub-optimal patching strategies, simulating the effect of removing one or more vulnerabilities. VULNUS has been evaluated by domain experts using a lab-test experiment, investigating the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed solution.

Background - The clinical hypocholesterolemic effect of nutraceutical compounds (NCs) containing red yeast rice extracts providing a daily dose of 2.5-10 mg of monacolin K is now well established. For this reason, NCs may be a viable alternative to the statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol levels. However, in order to avoid some possible statin-like side effects, most NCs available on the market contain low doses of monacolin K, which could reduce their efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a NC containing high doses of monacolin K (10 mg) in improving the lipid profile and glucose metabolism when added to the diet versus the diet alone in a group of hypertensive and hyper-cholesterolemic subjects at low cardiovascular risk. Methods - Thirty subjects with grade-1 essential hypertension (mean age 51.5 ± 7.8 years, 62.9% males) were enrolled in the treatment group (NC group). These subjects followed a programmed diet and took one tablet a day of a NC containing red yeast rice, policosanols, resveratrol and chromium picolinate for 1 month and were compared with an equivalent group of subjects that followed only a diet program. Differences in serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density- and high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC and HDLC), triglycerides (TG) and blood glucose between groups were compared by analysis of variance. Results - In both groups, a significant reduction of TC, TG and LDLC was observed. In the treatment group from the baseline to the follow-up the reduction of TC (230.93 ± 28.0 vs. 188.63 ± 18.1, p < 0.001) and LDLC (153.10 ± 22.5 vs. 116.54 ± 17.7, p < 0.001) was significantly greater compared to the control group (differences between treatments = 9.19% and 12.29%, respectively); in addition a significant higher reduction in blood glucose (89.1 ± 7.6 vs. 83.7 ± 4.6, p < 0.001) was also observed (differences between treatments = 4.28%). HDLC levels remained unchanged in both groups. Conclusions - In summary, the NC containing high doses of monacolin K appeared to be safe, well tolerated and effective at improving lipid and glucose patterns.

Introduction: Blood pressure (BP) control is the main clinical goal in the management of hypertensive patients; however, BP in most of these patients remains uncontrolled, despite the widespread availability of antihypertensive drugs as free-combination therapy. This study compared the efficacy of a fixed-dose triple combination (FDTC) of antihypertensive drugs with that of a free combination of three antihypertensives in patients with uncontrolled hypertension., Methods: Ninety-two patients (mean age 60.8 ± 12.1, 58.0% male) with uncontrolled essential hypertension (office systolic BP ≥ 140 or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) previously treated with a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor plus hydrochlorothiazide were switched to once-daily FDTC therapy with perindopril/indapamide/amlodipine (5-10/1.25-2.5/5-10 mg). Patients were age- and sex-matched with a control group of hypertensive patients receiving free-combination therapy with three drugs including a RAAS inhibitor, a diuretic, and a calcium channel blocker. Office BP and 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) were evaluated at baseline and after 1 and 4 months., Results: Significant reductions in ambulatory 24-h, daytime, and nighttime systolic BP, and pulse pressure (PP) were found in the FDTC group relative to reductions seen with free-combination therapy, after the first month only of follow-up. Target BP values (mean 24-h ambulatory systolic/diastolic BP < 130/80 mmHg) were reached by more recipients of FDTC than free-combination therapy (64.8% vs. 46.9%, p < 0.05) at month 4 of follow-up, despite reductions in 24-h ABPM values from baseline being similar in both groups at this time point., Conclusion: FDTC of perindopril/indapamide/amlodipine was effective at reducing SBP and PP in previously treated patients with uncontrolled hypertension, and well tolerated, providing support for clinicians in choosing a fixed-dose triple combination over the free-combination of a RAAS inhibitor, a diuretic, and a calcium antagonist.

Objective: In clinical practice, patient characteristics predicting resistant hypertension (RH) include higher blood pressure levels, left ventricular hypertrophy, older age, obesity, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. On the contrary little is known about the role of serum uric acid (SUA) as a risk factor for RH in subjects from general population., Material and Methods: 580 elderly subjects aged ≥65 years were enrolled in the Risk Of Vascular complications Impact of Genetics in Old people (ROVIGO) study. RH was defined as the failure to maintain blood pressure values below 140mmHg (systolic) and 90mmHg (diastolic) despite therapeutic interventions that include appropriate lifestyle measures plus adherence to treatment with full doses of at least three antihypertensive drugs, including a diuretic. RH was confirmed using 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement. Hyperuricemic was defined as the subjects having SUA ≥6.8mg/dl or taking uricosuric drugs. Gender-specific odds ratio (OR) for RH was calculated by logistic regression analysis., Results: The prevalence of RH was 5.7% in the cohort and was higher in women (8.3%) than in men (3.0%, p<0.05). Independent of chronic kidney disease (OR 3.89, 95% confidence interval 1.49-10.1), hyperuricemia predicted resistant hypertension in women (odds ratio 3.11, 95% confidence intervals 1.06-9.1, p=0.03) but not in men., Conclusions: In elderly women from the general population, an SUA value of ≥6.8mg/dl triples the risk of RH. SUA assessment should be recommended to better define the pattern of risk associated with RH., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Although the role of homocysteine (HCys) in secondary cardiovascular prevention has been scaled down, hyper-homocysteinemia remains a risk factor for cerebrovascular events. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of nutraceuticals in lowering HCys serum levels versus a conventional vitamin supplementation in hypertensive subjects at low cardiovascular risk. One-hundred and four patients (mean age 62.8±14.5 years, 63.5% males), 52 for each treatment group, were enrolled. The study recruited patients with stage 1 essential hypertension and hyper-homocysteinemia (HCys ≥15 μmol/L), without a history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. They were sequentially randomized to receive a combined nutraceutical containing 400 μg folate-6-5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 3 mg vitamin B6, 5 μg vitamin B12, 2.4 mg vitamin B2, 12.5 mg zinc and 250 mg betaine (Normocis 400® ) once daily for two months, or supplementation with highly dosed folic acid (5 mg/day) (control group). Differences in serum HCys values were compared by ANOVA for repeated measures. A significant HCys reduction in comparison to baseline was found in both groups at the end of the study treatment, from 21.5±8.7 to 10.0±1.7 μmol/L for Normocis 400® subjects (p less than 0.0001), and from 22.6±6.2 to 14.3±2.8 μmol/L for controls (p less than 0.0001). HCys reduction was significantly higher among patients treated with Normocis 400® (p less than 0.035). The ideal HCys level (i.e. less than 10 μmol/L) was reached in 55.8% of cases in theNormocis 400® group, and it was significantly higher than in controls. No side effects were observed in either treatment group. Randomized clinical trials are ongoing to test the effect of folate, B6, and B12 supplementation in primary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. In the meantime, especially when the ideal HCys level is far from being reached, Normocis 400® appears to be safe, well tolerated and effective in reducing HCys levels.

Prognostic stratification of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a challenge in clinical practice. Simplified PESI (sPESI) score is a practical validated score aimed to stratify 30-day mortality risk in acute PE. Whether prognostic value of sPESI score differs according to sex has not been previously investigated. Therefore the aim of our study was to provide information about it. Data records of 452 patients, 180 males (39.8 %) and 272 females (60.2 %) discharged for acute PE from Internal Medicine wards of Tuscany (Italy) were analysed. sPESI was retrospectively calculated. Variables enclosed in sPESI score, all cause in-hospital mortality and overall bleedings were compared between sexes. Moreover, predictive ability of sPESI score as prognosticator of all cause in-hospital mortality was tested and compared between sexes. sPESI score 0 (low risk) was found in 17.7 % of males and 13.6 % of females (p = 0.2323). We didn't find significant difference in sPESI scoring distribution. Age ≥80 years (51.4 vs. 33.8 %, p = 0.0003) and heart rate ≥110 bpm (23.5 vs. 14.4 %, p = 0.0219) were found significantly more prevalent in females, whereas active cancer (23.8 vs. 39.4 %, p = 0.0004) and cardio-respiratory diseases (19.8 vs. 27.7 %, p = 0.0416) were in males. All cause in-hospital mortality was 0 % in both genders for sPESI score 0, whereas it was 5.4 % in females and 13.6 % in males with sPESI score 1-2 (p = 0.0208) and 22 % in females and 19.3 % in males with sPESI score ≥3 (p = 0.7776). Overall bleedings were significantly more frequent in females compared with males (4.77 vs. 0.55 %, p = 0.0189). In females overall bleedings ranged from 2.7 % in sPESI score 0 to 6 % in sPESI score ≥3. Predictive ability of sPESI score as prognosticator of all cause in-hospital mortality was higher in females compared to males (AUC 0.72 vs. 0.67, respectively). In real life different co-morbidity burdens in females compared to males. Females seems to be at lower risk of all cause in-hospital mortality for sPESI score ≤2 but at higher risk of bleeding, irrespective from sPESI scoring. Predictive ability of sPESI score seems better in females.

Introduction: Primary cardiovascular (CV) prevention may be achieved by lifestyle/nutrition changes, although a relevant role is now emerging for specific, functional foods and nutraceutical compounds (NCs). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of NCs in lowering blood pressure (BP) and improving lipid profile, when added to diet and lifestyle management versus diet alone in a group of patients with hypertension (HT) and hypercholesterolemia (HCh) with low CV risk., Methods: Sixty-six patients with HT and HCh with grade 1 essential HT (mean age 56.0 ± 4.6 years) without history of CV diseases or organ damage were analyzed. These subjects were started on one tablet of an NC-containing red yeast rice, policosanol, berberine, folic acid and coenzyme Q10 once daily for 6 months and were age and gender matched with subjects following a diet program. Differences in clinic BP, 24-h ambulatory BP (24 h-ABPM), serum total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C) and triglyceride values were compared by analysis of variance., Results: In the treatment group, a significant reduction of systolic 24 h-ABPM (141.6 ± 6.4 vs. 136.2 ± 4.8 mmHg; p < 0.05) and pulse pressure 24 h-ABPM (52.6 ± 7.2 vs. 47.3 ± 5.4 mmHg; p < 0.05) was found at the end of follow-up. A reduction of total cholesterol (-19.2%), LDL-C (-17.4%) and triglycerides (-16.3%) was observed (p < 0.001 for all); HDL-C remained unchanged. No difference was found in the control group., Conclusions: The tested NCs was found to be safe, well tolerated and effective in reducing mean 24-h systolic and 24-h pulse pressure and in improving lipid pattern.