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Biomedical subjects

A Muratorio

Publications and source records attributed to A Muratorio.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Effects of selenium and vitamin E on muscular strength and blood parameters in Steinert disease.

Six patients with Steinert disease were treated with selenium and vitamin E, for a 24 month period, including a first phase of 12 months, 6 months wash-out interval and a second treatment phase of 6 months. Mean segmental strength values showed significant improvement during the first 12 months of therapy, while marked reductions of serum enzymes CPK, SGOT, SGPT and gamma-GT were observed in some patients. The results support the hypothesis that selenium may play a role in the development of muscle damage in Steinert disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of naloxone on body temperature in postmenopausal women with Parkinson's disease.

The role exerted by the endogenous opioid system on thermoregulation has been studied in six postmenopausal women affected by Parkinson's disease and in 6 age-matched, normal postmenopausal women, as controls. The women randomly received an infusion of the opioid antagonist naloxone (1.6 mg/h for 4 h) or of saline on two consecutive days. Body temperature, as evaluated by rectal temperature, was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in Parkinsonian than in normal women, and it did not vary during saline infusion, in either groups. Naloxone infusion significantly reduced (p less than 0.01) body temperature in normal postmenopausal women, but it was unable to modify body temperature in women affected by Parkinson's disease. The low basal body temperature values and the inability of naloxone to exert a hypothermic effect in women suffering from Parkinson's disease seem to constitute further evidence for an impaired regulation of body temperature and impaired activity of the endogenous opioid system in this pathology.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Platelet monoamine oxidase B activity in parkinsonian patients.

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) plays a pivotal role in N-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced Parkinsonism. An increased MAO B activity in platelets of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is reported in this study. The possibility that high MAO B activity may represent a trait of vulnerability for PD by enhancing the neurotoxic effects of environmental compounds is discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Type 1 fiber abnormalities in skeletal muscle of patients with hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy: evidence of subclinical myogenic myopathy.

Abnormalities of skeletal muscle have been described in patients with dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Eleven patients with dilated and eight with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy without overt symptomatic skeletal myopathy underwent extensive neuromuscular studies. Quantitative electromyography showed abnormal reduction of motor unit potential duration, indicative of myogenic myopathy, in four patients (36%) with dilated and in three (37%) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Values were 21% to 40% (mean 28%) lower than those in age-matched normal control subjects. The presence of normal nerve conduction velocities and of normal motor unit fiber density in all patients indicated lack of neurogenic abnormalities. Skeletal muscle biopsy was performed in five patients with dilated and in four with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In all nine patients light and electron microscopy showed central hyporeactive cores, selective atrophy and mitochondrial abnormalities of type 1 fibers but not of type 2 fibers. The degree of impairment of left ventricular function in patients with electromyographic abnormalities was similar to that of those without (percent fractional shortening at two-dimensional echocardiography 21 +/- 9 versus 25 +/- 10, ejection fraction at angiography 39 +/- 13% versus 42 +/- 13% and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure 21 +/- 6 versus 21 +/- 8 mm Hg) as well as symptom duration (9 +/- 4 versus 12 +/- 8 months). Thus, subclinical electromyographic alterations indicative of myogenic myopathy are frequent in patients with dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and are unrelated to the degree of impairment of left ventricular function. The concomitant histologic alterations, characterized by selective type 1 atrophy, are similar to those observed in congenital and idiopathic myopathies, but different from those described in secondary heart failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Flunarizine increases PRL secretion in normal and in migraineous women.

Flunarizine (FLU) treatment has proved effective for migraine but there have been reports--though controversial--of depression and/or extrapyramidal signs and symptoms in cases of chronic therapy. It has been suggested that FLU may interfere with the activity of central dopaminergic systems. In this study, prolactin (PRL) secretion was chosen as a parameter for functional exploration of central dopaminergic systems in normal and migraineous women before and after FLU treatment. Five healthy women were given FLU (20 mg) and placebo per os, each for one day. A significance increase of serum PRL levels was found after FLU administration, but not after placebo. Ten women with common migraine underwent TRH stimulation test (200 micrograms i.v.) before and after a 30-day FLU therapy (10 mg per os). Basal PRL levels were not modified by the treatment, but TRH stimulated PRL values were significantly enhanced after a 30-day FLU therapy. These results seem to confirm the hypothesis that FLU interferes with central dopaminergic activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Oral thyrotropin-releasing hormone treatment in inherited ataxias.

We studied the effectiveness of orally administered thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) (40 mg/day) for 10 days against placebo in 11 patients with hereditary ataxias (HA). All patients completed the trial and none reported any noticeable side effects. A clinical rating scale for inherited ataxias and the Northwestern University Disability Scale for clinical disability showed no significant variation over the duration of the study. Manual dexterity, studied with the peg board test, showed a significant improvement after TRH compared with basal values, which persisted after washout. Eye movement alterations, as revealed by electroculography were reduced after TRH and washout when compared with placebo and basal scores. Hormonal monitoring showed only a transitory effect on the hypothalamus-hypophysis-thyroid axis. These results demonstrate that orally administered TRH has a mild but significant effect only on some cerebellar symptoms in HA.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1984

Dream recall in patients with focal cerebral lesions.

Rare case reports have indicated that brain lesions may cause a loss of dream recall. We investigated reports of dream recallers with acute unilateral brain lesions who did not have clinical agnosia and examined 53 patients with such focal lesions clinically and radiologically. Patients with posterior lesions showed a frequent loss of dream recall while those with anterior lesions rarely did so. The cessation of dream recall was associated with defective performance in tests for visuoperceptive functions. We concluded that patients with acute posterior hemispheric lesions frequently lose their ability to recall dreams.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1980

Spontaneous nocturnal plasma prolactin and growth hormone secretion in patients with Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea.

Plasma prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) levels were measured in 8 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and in 6 patients with Huntington's chorea (HC) during the night. The sleep was evaluated with all-night poligraphic recordings. Plasma PRL levels were significantly lower in parkinsonian patients than in age-matched controls. Plasma GH values did not differ between the two groups. In HC patients no statistically significant differences were found in the PRL and GH secretory patterns when compared to the age-matched control subjects. These data indicate that changes of nocturnal PRL and GH profile in PD and HC patients in respect to age-matched healthy subjects, may be present, but a straight forward differentiation among groups is not possible because of the wide individual variations.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of twenty-four-hour secretory patterns of growth hormone and insulin in patients with myotonic dystrophy.

Twenty-four-hour secretory patterns of GH and insulin were evaluated in seven patients with myotonic dystrophy. We found an impairment of sleep-related GH secretion and an increase of nocturnal serum insulin levels. There was no correlation between hormonal behavior and severity of disease. It is possible that the observed hormonal dysfunction is related to a multisystem disorder in myotonic dystrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Blink reflexes in posterior fossa lesions.

Blink reflexes obtained by electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve and electromyographic recording of the orbicularis oculi muscle proved useful as a preliminary method in diagnosis of lesions of the brainstem and the fifth and seventh cranial nerves, and in differentiating intrinsic lesions of the brainstem from extrinsic ones. It was noted that R1 and R2 reflexes were different in the two types of lesions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Circadian rhythm in gonadotropin secretion in children with constitutional stature delay.

Plasma levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones were measured for 24 hours in six subjects affected by constitutional stature delay associated with sexual maturation delay. The children in pubertal stage exhibited fluctuating plasma concentrations of these hormones which significantly increased during sleep, as in healthy pubertal subjects. Thus in this type of delayed puberty, the synchronization of augmented gonadotropin secretion with sleep develops later in chronologic age but it is strongly related to bone age.

Adolescent↗