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Biomedical subjects

F Maggioni

Publications and source records attributed to F Maggioni.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Gadobenate dimeglumine 0.5 M solution for injection (MultiHance) as contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging of the liver: mechanistic studies in animals.

Mechanistic studies regarding the action of gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg; MultiHance) in animals are presented, and the relevance of the results to protocols for MR imaging of the liver are discussed. Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg maintains all the characteristics of an extracellular contrast agent, but owing to a weak affinity for serum albumin, provides in these applications stronger signal intensities than contrast agents without such affinity at the same dose. This property can be taken advantage of for dynamic liver imaging. A unique property of Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg is that the contrast effective ion, Gd-BOPTA2-, enters hepatocytes selectively and reversibly through the sinusoidal plasma membrane using transport mechanisms other than the organic anion transport polypeptide. In a rate-limiting step, the ion is excreted by the multispecific organic anion transporter into the bile. The increase in liver distribution space of Gd-BOPTA2-, as compared to that of purely extracellular contrast agents, is identified as the principal mechanism of normal parenchymal signal enhancement. Microviscosity effects inside hepatocytes add to the relaxation effectiveness of Gd-BOPTA2-, while its presence in the bile and an affinity for intracellular macromolecules play subordinate roles only. Gd-BOPTA2- persists in hepatocytes beyond the times characteristic of dynamic imaging, providing delayed-phase contrast between normal hepatocytes and tumor cells. As a result, the conspicuity of small focal lesions and thus their detection is improved. Additionally, Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg allows sites of abscesses and systemically damaged tissue to be distinguished from healthy liver. Taken together these mechanistically-supported properties qualify the product as a versatile general MR contrast agent with added merits in liver imaging.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Headaches in Domestic Medicine by William Buchan.

In this paper, we consider the chapter on headaches contained in William Buchan's Domestic Medicine, a book that enjoyed great success during the second half of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries, and belongs to the series of public education treatises that began with the publication of Avis au Peuple sur la Sante by Simon Andrè Tissot. In line with the ideals of the Enlightenment, Buchan's aim was to satisfy the needs of people who had no opportunity of consulting a physician by providing them with information about the symptoms and treatment of the most common diseases. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the book is the space dedicated to preventive medicine. In the chapter on headaches, as well as dealing extensively with their etiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and treatment within the conceptual context of humoral medicine, the author also proposed a number of preventive measures that can still be considered fully acceptable today.

Headache↗
PubMed1997

Morphological and functional study of a case of superficial siderosis of the central nervous system.

We here describe a case of superficial siderosis (SS) of the central nervous system (CNS), occurring in a patient with a previous lesion of the brachial plexus. Of the only 96 cases that have been described in the literature so far, there are now five with a positive history of a lesion due to the evulsion of the roots of the brachial plexus. This is the first time that, in addition to CT and MRI morphological investigations, an SS patient has also been studied metabolically by means of PET in an attempt to find new clues that may help to clarify the pathogenesis of the disease.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗
PubMed1997

Trends and developments in MRI contrast agent research.

The currently prevailing trends in industrial contrast agent research for MRI are discussed. Specific mention is made of contrast agents for liver imaging using both static and delayed procedures, of the potential for blood pool agents and the form such agents may take, and of the ultimate challenge for contrast agent R&D: tissue-targeting in a wider sense to both normal and pathologic tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Headache during pregnancy.

A questionnaire was submitted to 430 women 3 days after delivery, asking mainly about features of headache before and during pregnancy, and their possible modification or recurrence; moreover, delivery modalities and the condition of the newborn were evaluated. One-hundred-and-twenty-six (29.3%) were found to be primary headache sufferers (IHS criteria, 1988), 81 of whom had migraine without aura (MO), 12 migraine with aura (MA), and 33 tension-type headache (TH). In all three groups, about 80% showed complete remission or a higher than 50% decrease in the number of attacks. The improvement was more evident after the end of the first trimester; this trend was common to the three primary headaches considered. In our series of primary headaches, there was only one case (MO) which began during pregnancy. In a subgroup of pluripara, headache maintained the improvement presented in the first pregnancy also during the following gravidic periods in about 50% of cases, whereas in the remaining 50% a worsening in parallel with successive pregnancies was found. Primary headaches "per se" do not seem to increase the pregnancy or delivery risks, nor the vitality of the newborn. During pregnancy, drug use was very much reduced and was restricted to a limited number of compounds.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Gadolinium chelates with weak binding to serum proteins. A new class of high-efficiency, general purpose contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors assess the effect of weak protein binding on the efficacy of gadolinium chelates as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Chelates with no (gadopentetate dimeglumine), weak (gadobenate dimeglumine), and strong (B-21326/7) protein binding were compared by in vitro MRI at 2T (spin echo [SE]: repetition time [TR]/echo time [TE] 350/8 mseconds) on solutions in 0.5 mM bovine serum albumin and in rat whole blood, and by in vivo MRI at 2T on rat models of brain tumors (SE TR/TE 350/10 mseconds) and of focal blood-brain barrier disruption (SE TR/TE 400/15 mseconds) after injection of MPP+. Relaxation rate enhancement in the blood of normal rabbits was measured in vivo after administration of contrast agents using IR-Snapshot FLASH. RESULTS: Signal intensity enhancement measured in vitro for whole rat blood 0.1 mM in gadobenate was 142% relative to the same concentration of gadopentetate. Peak signal intensity enhancement in brain tumors was 87% +/- 8% and 64% +/- 5% after 0.1 mmol/kg intravenous administration of gadobenate and gadopentetate, respectively; in MPP+ lesions, the peak signal intensity enhancement was 22% +/- 9%, 32% +/- 7%, and 64% +/- 14% after 0.2 mmol/kg intravenous of gadopentetate, gadobenate, and B-21326/7, respectively. In rabbits, the relaxation enhancement of blood 5 minutes after B-21326/7 and gadobenate administration was 323% and 182%, respectively, relative to the same dose (0.1 mmol/kg intravenous) of gadopentetate. CONCLUSIONS: Weak protein binding can substantially increase the efficacy of gadolinium chelates as general purpose contrast agents for MRI.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Headache as an occupational illness in the treatise "De morbis artificum diatriba" of Bernardino Ramazzini.

The treatise "De morbis artificum diatriba" (Modena, 1700) is considered to be the first text to specifically deal with occupational illnesses. It was also the last for over 150 years. Written by Bernardino Ramazzini (Carpi, 1633-Padua, 1714), a professor at the University of Padua from 1700 to 1714, the book highlights the importance given at the time to headache as an occupational symptom. Among the 69 professions described, accounting for the majority of the occupations of the period, 12 were found to lead to headache as an important symptom caused by work. Ramazzini appears to have paid more attention to this than we do today. Ramazzini's work opens up a wide view on social conditions in the 18th century, as his sensitivity for occupational hazards was exceptional. His remarks on headache are typical of his way of collecting first-hand experience of working conditions, and they underline the importance of occupational hazards in the assessment of headache, today just as in 1710.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1995

Synaptosomal glutamate uptake in a model of experimental cerebral ischemia.

In the present investigation we studied the synaptosomal uptake of glutamate in brain omogenate of Mongolian gerbils submitted to bilateral common carotid occlusion, with and without subsequent return of blood flow. The results show that glutamate uptake after ischemia is reduced by about 35%. The damage appears to be persistent, since return of blood flow restores uptake only slightly. The membrane alterations occurring in ischemia could explain the persistence of glutamate transporter impairment. Besides the blockade of NMDA receptors, the stimulation and/or the protection of the uptake systems for glutamate could be of help in preventing neuronal ischemic damage.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A study of symptomatic drug use in migraine without aura.

We assessed the attack drugs taken by 200 migraine without aura patients (International Headache Society criteria, 1988) between 1989 and 1991. A detailed pharmacological history regarding the acute attack therapy adopted up until our initial visit was gathered, including the type of drug used, dosage, administration route, the time of starting therapy, treatment efficacy, and the frequency and types of undesirable effects, all of which were subsequently compared with the guidelines (1993) of the Italian Society for the Study of Headache (SISC). The most commonly used are non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We observed a similar high frequency in the use of combinations, particularly prophyphenazone and barbituric acid. The pirazolones, such as noramidopyrine and prophyphenazone, are also widely used as single agents, even though they are not considered by the guidelines. Our study underlines the fact that current drug use differs in several respects from the guidelines.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Clusterlike headache. A case of sphenoidal aspergilloma.

Clusterlike headaches secondary to structural disease have been described. Nevertheless, most of the reports antedate the International Headache Society classification and, indeed, only a few appear to fit its criteria for a diagnosis of cluster headache. We report here a case of sphenoidal sinus aspergilloma that fully complies with the criteria for cluster headache. This kind of lesion has never been described previously as a cause of a clusterlike headache.

Aspergillosis↗
PubMed1994

A case of type I Arnold-Chiari malformation of anomalous onset.

A case of type I Arnold-Chiari malformation, with onset of diplopia, without associated medullar alteration, is presented. The symptomatology remained unique and had transitory presentation for many years with negative ophthalmic examinations. Attention is drawn to the great variability of the syndrome's presenting symptoms confirming the importance of MR in the diagnostic course and of evoked potentials of the brain stem to follow progress of the illness.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1994

Superficial hemosiderosis of the central nervous system. A case report.

A case of idiopathic superficial hemosiderosis (SH) of the central nervous system and a review of the literature are presented. The patient suffered from progressive cerebellar ataxia, hearing loss, anosmia, spastic paraparesis, but no mental deterioration. The diagnosis was made with brain and spinal MRI, that showed in T2 weighted images superficial hypointensity of spinal cord, medulla oblungata, pons, mesencephalon, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres, images that are considered pathognomonic of SH. Repeated spinal fluid examinations were negative, suggesting that evidence of overt subarachnoidal bleeding is not essential in the diagnosis. In patients with SH of unknown etiology no valid therapy is yet available.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Mesoglycan in treatment of patients with cerebral ischemia: effects on hemorheologic and hematochemical parameters.

The present study evaluates the hematochemical and hemorheologic effects of mesoglycan, a preparation of natural glycosaminoglycans, administered by the intramuscular route to patients with a recent episode of cerebral ischemia. A total of twenty patients (13 males and 7 females), between the ages of 45 and 75, under observation for a cerebral ischemic episode occurring at least 2 months prior to enrollment, were treated with intramuscular mesoglycan (30 mg, twice daily), for 15 days. Blood samples were taken prior to and at the end of treatment to measure the investigated parameters. Following mesoglycan treatment we observed a statistically significant decrease in fibrinogen plasma concentration, total cholesterol and triglycerides, while HDL cholesterol was found to increase. In addition, erythrocytes filterability improved at the end of treatment. No changes were observed in coagulation parameters such as prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, or antithrombin III. The results of the present study demonstrate that a 15-days treatment of intramuscular mesoglycan in patients recovering from a cerebral ischemic episode produces significant changes in fibrinogen and lipid plasma levels with no apparent anticoagulant effect.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg: experimental disease imaging.

The novel tissue-specific contrast agent, Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg, was tested in MR imaging of experimental focal liver disease and of acute myocardial ischemia in rats. Directly implanted liver tumors and blood-borne metastases were used as models for focal liver disease and occlusion of the lower anterior descending coronary artery as model for acute ischemia. The studies with implanted tumors, at a dose level of 250 mumol/kg, showed a very high (370%) and persistent (greater than 2 h) increase in the tumor-liver contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), owing to selective enhancement of normal liver parenchyma signal intensity. While all blood-borne metastases showed a similar late CNR enhancement, some of them experienced early contrast loss due to transient signal intensity enhancement. In myocardial imaging, Gd-BOPTA/Dimeg produced a signal intensity enhancement in normal myocardium and an injured area-normal area CNR enhancement which were both much stronger and more persistent than those produced by Gd-DTPA/Dimeg.

Acetates↗
PubMed1989

Paraneoplastic syndrome in the course of Hodgkin disease. Case report.

A woman with Hodgkin disease presented a neoplastic syndrome of unusual magnitude affecting both the CNS and PNS. The severity of the clinical pattern contrasted strongly with the paucity of neuropathological findings. The report is followed by a brief discussion of the etiological and clinical problems of paraneoplastic syndromes affecting the nervous system.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Intracranial sarcoma with reactive glioma: a clinicopathological case report.

The clinicopathologic picture of a case of so-called 'sarcoglioma' is reported. This tumor is characterized by a core of sarcomatous tissue, surrounded by an area of gradual transition from reactive to neoplastic glial cells; it occurs in children or in young adults and is very rare in comparison with the secondary sarcoma deriving from the vascular component of a glioblastoma (so-called 'gliosarcoma'). The clinical and laboratory features and the pathology of this case are discussed in detail.

Adult↗