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Biomedical subjects

A Muratorio

Publications and source records attributed to A Muratorio.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Unbalanced progesterone and estradiol secretion in catamenial epilepsy.

Ten women with a documented history of catamenial epilepsy underwent a hormonal study to evaluate hypophyseal-gonadal function. Baseline values of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin were similar in catamenial seizure patients and in control groups throughout a complete menstrual cycle. Stimulated secretions of the same hypophyseal hormones in catamenial seizure patients overlapped those of the controls. The luteal secretion ratio of progesterone to estradiol was significantly reduced in catamenial seizure patients versus normal controls. In a subgroup of catamenial seizure patients on antiepileptic therapy, luteal progesterone levels were remarkably decreased compared to normal and epileptic controls. These results indicate that catamenial epilepsy is characterized by an imbalance in ovarian steroid secretion and emphasize the need for an endocrinological assessment in these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Apomorphine test in de novo Parkinson's disease.

We administered apomorphine, a powerful dopaminergic agonist, subcutaneously to 25 untreated patients with parkinsonian features and evaluated motor response with the aim of discriminating idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) from multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy. The response to apomorphine was strongly predictive of responsiveness to subsequent levodopa follow-up and of the final diagnosis, made on the basis of both clinical and instrumental evaluation. Our data confirm that the apomorphine test is helpful in the differential diagnosis of IPD.

Apomorphine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Category-specific semantic disorders in Alzheimer's disease.

A striking dissociation between the inability to identify living things plus food, along with a preserved ability to identify inanimate objects has been observed in patients who are recovering from herpes simplex encephalitis. In order to find out if a similar dissociation is also present in Alzheimer's disease (where the suspected initial site of parenchymal atrophy involves the same areas affected by herpes simplex virus), we carried out five experimental linguistic tasks to compare Alzheimer's patients' performance therein with that of vascular dementia patients and controls. Our results indicate a constant parallel between the category-specific semantic impairment of Alzheimer's patients and that described in patients recovering from herpes simplex encephalitis. The dissociation of living things+food vs inanimate objects in Alzheimer's disease appears to be of diagnostic value: it is not present in vascular dementia.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Poly-hormonal evaluationof pulsatile adenohypophysis incretory activity during sleep in normal, experimental and pathologic conditions.

Secretory patterns of some anterior pituitary hormones were recorded during sleep, and related to EEG-phases. The same observations were carried out in conditions in which the normal sleep course was intentionall (i.e., repeated arousals, administration of tryptophan) or pathologically (i.e. chronic schizophrenia) modified. Plasma gonadotropins (lh, fsh), growth hormone and ACTH were assayed. In basal conditions, the well-known peak of HGH, which corresponds to the delta phase of sleep, was confirmed. This peak is strictly linked to the number and duration of stage 4 sleep, and follows it in its experimental and/or pathological disturbances. The secretion of ACTH, on the other hand, seems to be completely independent from the morphology of sleep. The secretion of this hormone is typically phasic; along with this phasic secretion, a background secretion is detectable, which increases steadily during the sleep span, with maximal values in the early morning hours. Gonadotropin secretion is pulsatile, episodic and completely independent from the sleep phases, in basal as well as in experimental and pathologic conditions.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Dexamethasone therapy in Huntington chorea: preliminary results].

Neuroleptic drugs represent the current therapy for Huntington's chorea (HC). However neuroleptics can improve involuntary movements, but not functional performance and disease progression. Several clinical and experimental data suggest the existence of functional relationship between corticosteroids and extrapyramidal system. We administered dexamethasone to six choreics, all female. Dexamethasone was given i.m. at dose of 4 mg/die for 20 days and 8 mg/die for 20 days more. Dexamethasone at both the doses used, determined significant improvement (p less than 0.05) of dyskinesia, evaluated by AIMS, and manual dexterity, evaluated by Tapping test. Although at present it is not clear which mechanism are responsible for this of dexamethasone favourable effect, it might open new perspectives in HC therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mechanisms of muscular fatigue].

According to Merton (1954), Bigland-Ritchie (1978), Edwards (1981) and De Luca (1984), two groups of mechanisms, central and peripheral, may be distinguished in physiopathology of fatigue process. Central mechanisms are related to subjective phenomena, like fatigue sensation or motivation, and to objective aspects as spatial and temporal motoneurones recruitment.

Electroencephalography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Familial occurrence of hypothyroidism and cerebellar ataxia.

Several cases of association between cerebellar ataxia and hypothyroidism have been reported, in which cerebellar symptoms regressed after euthyroid state was obtained, suggesting an etiologic relationship between hypothyroidism and ataxia. We present a further case of hypothyroidism and ataxia, with a peculiar positive family history for both thyroid and cerebellar disorders. Long-term replacement therapy with L-thyroxine determined the regression of hypothyroidism; however, no improvement in cerebellar symptoms was observed. The lack of response of the neurologic symptoms to L-thyroxine treatment suggests the absence of an etiological relationship between thyroid disease and cerebellar disease in this case.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[P300 and Parkinson disease. The role of cognitive changes].

Cognitive disturbances are frequently encountered in advancing Parkinson's disease (PD). Typically there are visuo-spatial disorders, memory impairment and bradyphrenia, defined as 'subcortical dementia' to distinguish it from the dementia that occurs in Alzheimer's disease, where the most prominent dysfunctions are agnosia, apraxia and aphasia. An electrophysiological test to study cognitive processing is the P300 (or P3) of the Event Related Potentials; in particular the latency of the P3 seems to correlate with cognitive decline. Thirty patients affected with idiopathic PD were investigated using a classic auditory "oddball" paradigm (rare tone--"target"--3000 Hz, frequent tone--"non target"--1000 Hz; the patients were instructed to recognize and keep a mental count of the number of rare tones). Electrophysiological findings were compared with those obtained in twenty normal subjects, age and sex matched with the patient's group. The parameters of P300 were correlated with patient's age, duration of the disease, motor and cognitive impairment levels and L-Dopa therapy. The P300 was loss in 16.6% (5 p.) and delayed in 33.3% (10 p.). Significative correlations were found only with age and cognitive impairment scores, but not with other variables analyzed. These results suggest that P300 could be a useful test to identify demented patients among those with PD, despite different motor disabilities.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in muscular excitability and contractility caused by fatigue in Steinert's disease].

To study effects of fatigue on muscle excitability and contractility in myotonic dystrophy (MyD), we evaluated, by ulnar nerve supramaximal stimulation, both single shock and 40 Hz tetanus, M wave and force parameters from adductor pollicis. In 8 MyD patients and in 6 controls amplitude of M wave, electromechanical delay, single twitch and tetanus tension, contraction and half-relaxation times were recorded in basal condition and at different times after 75 sec. of maximal voluntary contraction. Reduction of force related to fatigue was per cent lesser in MyD compared to controls. Electro-mechanical delay, basally longer in MyD, showed after fatigue 15% increment compared to 47% in controls. Half-relaxation time increased in both groups, but in MyD recovery was faster. Peculiar alterations of excitation-contraction coupling and contractility occurring in MyD can explain the observed modifications of fatigue phenomena in this disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparative study of pain perception and polysynaptic blink reflex responses in man.

Stimulation of the first trigeminal branch using a 10 ms train of 5 pulses of 0.1 ms duration is performed on 17 healthy subjects (19-65 years of age) in order to assess the relationship between polysynaptic components of the blink reflex and perceptive and pain thresholds (ths). The mean value of tactile ths (Pth) is 2.22 +/- 0.86 mA; while R2, R3 and pain threshold values are 1.25 +/- 0.34, 3.52 +/- 1.94 and 4.78 +/- 2.77 times the Pth respectively. The pain ths average is 1.47 +/- 0.92 with regard to the R3 threshold. The R2 ths are very close to those of tactile perception, while those of R3 appear significantly related to the pain ths.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Relation between neurologic damage and collateral circulation detected by Doppler CW in occlusive pathology of the internal carotid].

76 patients affected by acute ischemic encephalopathy due to i.c.a. occlusion have been examined through a Doppler nosography, in order to evaluate the influence of the type of collateral circle on the neurologic damage. Collateral circles between the external and internal carotid arteries were established through the ophthalmic artery in 80% of cases (A) and through the Willis circle in 70% of cases (B). Those two types of compensation do not seem to have prognostic value with regard to disability; on the contrary a remarkable difference was observed in the type of pathology (A = Stroke 40%, RIA 60%; B = 77%, RIA 23%).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinico-electromyographic correlations in spasmophilia in the adult].

In a group of spasmophilic subjects, symptoms imputable to the syndrome were compared with EMG signs of ischemic neuromuscular hyperexcitability, to evaluate their significance by logistic statistical analysis. Subjects with a duration of postischemic EMG spontaneous activity greater than the mean of normal values + 2.5 DS were considered positive for a spasmophilic syndrome. The following symptoms were selected as positive by the analysis: palpitations, nail and hairs abnormalities, headache, lipothymia; thermoregulation disorders and tremors were negatively related to the syndrome, while sleep disorders and asthenia emerged as positive in the logistic analysis but not significantly so.

Adult↗