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Biomedical subjects

F Marciano

Publications and source records attributed to F Marciano.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Ruptured giant aneurysm of an occluded middle cerebral artery in a severe-grade patient: case report.

A 27-year-old woman presented with a ruptured giant aneurysm of the right middle cerebral artery, occlusion of the artery distal to the aneurysm, and an intraparenchymal hematoma. Before emergent surgery, her condition deteriorated to a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 4 and a Hunt and Hess grade of V. Electroencephalographic response on the right, initially absent, was present toward the end of the surgery. Postoperative angiography demonstrated good filling of the previously occluded distal middle cerebral artery. The simultaneous occurrence of hemorrhage from a giant intracranial aneurysm and occlusion of the parent artery is extremely rare, and this is the first case we found in the literature in which the patient survived. The treatment strategy and outcome are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Effects of coronary angioplasty on heart rate variability explored in the domain of time and frequency in patients with one-vessel coronary disease].

BACKGROUND: Heart period variability is frequently reduced in patients with coronary artery disease. Although the mechanism for this reduction is still unclear, it seems to reflect alterations in cardiac autonomic control. In this study we have evaluated the relation between reversible segmental left ventricular dysfunction and time and frequency domain measures of heart period variability in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Echocardiographic segmental left ventricular wall motion and time and frequency domain measures of heart period variability were evaluated in 32 patients with one-vessel coronary artery disease before and 16-24 days after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). At baseline examination 12 patients (Group A) had normal and 20 (Group B) abnormal regional wall motion. Prevalence of previous myocardial infarction was higher and mean angiographic ejection fraction lower in Group B than in Group A. At baseline, time domain measures were comparable between the 2 groups, while low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) power were lower in Group B than in Group A. After PTCA, in Group A regional wall motion and time and frequency domain measures of heart period variability were unchanged. In Group B summed segment score improved from 17.1 +/- 3.6 to 12.8 +/- 2.0 (p < 0.01) and a significant increase occurred in standard deviation of the average normal RR (NN) intervals for all 5-minute segments of a 24-hour recording (SDNN index), in root mean square successive difference (r-MSSD) and in the percentage of differences between adjacent NN intervals > 50 msec (pNN50). In this group also LF and HF power (logarithmic units) increased from 6.14 +/- 0.23 to 6.35 +/- 0.34 (p < 0.01) and from 5.43 +/- 0.32 to 5.68 +/- 0.52 (p < 0.01) respectively. There was no correlation between measures of heart period variability, summed segment score, and left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that segmental left ventricular dysfunction is involved in determining sympathovagal imbalance in patients with one-vessel coronary artery disease; the reversal of left ventricular dysfunction by successful PTCA improves heart period variability. These findings support the hypothesis that alterations in cardiac geometry may influence the discharge of afferent sympathetic mechanoreceptors, thus contributing to the derangement in autonomic control of heart rate.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Adrenal medulla grafts enhance recovery of striatal dopaminergic fibers.

The drug, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), depletes striatal dopamine levels in primates and certain rodents, including mice, and produces parkinsonian-like symptoms in humans and nonhuman primates. To investigate the consequences of grafting adrenal medullary tissue into the brain of a rodent model of Parkinson's disease, a piece of adult mouse adrenal medulla was grafted unilaterally into mouse striatum 1 week after MPTP treatment. This MPTP treatment resulted in the virtual disappearance of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers and severely depleted striatal dopamine levels. At 2, 4, and 6 weeks after grafting, dense tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers were observed in the grafted striatum, while only sparse fibers were seen in the contralateral striatum. In all cases, tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive fibers appeared to be from the host rather than from the grafts, which survived poorly. These observations suggest that, in mice, adrenal medullary grafts exert a neurotrophic action in the host brain to enhance recovery of dopaminergic neurons. This effect may be relevant to the symptomatic recovery in Parkinson's disease patients who have received adrenal medullary grafts.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine↗
PubMed1985

Relationship between CSF noradrenaline levels, C-EEG indicators of activation and psychosis ratings in drug-free schizophrenic patients.

A significant increase of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) noradrenaline (NA) levels, probably reflecting a rise of central noradrenergic activity, has been observed in a sample of acute schizophrenic patients as compared with a population of subjects without personal or family history of major psychoses. CSF NA levels have been found to be significantly correlated with computerized EEG (C-EEG) indicators of arousal (negative correlation with alpha relative activity and positive correlation with alpha barycentric frequency and beta relative activity in frontal and central leads). No significant relationship has emerged between CSF NA concentration and psychosis ratings on CPRS as well as platelet MAO activity. These findings seems to confirm the link between central noradrenergic hyperactivity and the condition of enhanced arousal of the schizophrenic patient, although the role of this condition in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (primary phenomenon or non-specific consequence of the stress related to the illness?) remains to be elucidated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Computerized EEG in schizophrenics.

20 psychiatric patients without pharmacologic therapy and an homogeneous control group of 19 healthy subjects have been submitted to an electroencephalographic (EEG) investigation. Computerized spectral analyses of the main EEG frequency bands have been performed. The spectra have been determined by some geometrical descriptors: the relative activity, the barycentric frequency and the barycentric radius; also classic descriptors have been used as complementary ones. In the EEG profile significant differences between patients and healthy subjects have been found. Some differences have also been observed among subgroups of schizophrenic patients. The geometrical descriptors applied in the EEG analysis are suggested as a useful method in the description of the basic characteristics of the main EEG frequency bands.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Alpha increase in puerperium.

Significant increases of both alpha peak amplitude and power were found in the EEG after delivery as compared to those observed at the 32nd week of pregnancy. Controls failed to display the same gain in the alpha rhythm. The frequency was unaffected. Beside these quantitative changes no particular EEG pattern occurred. Neither the methodology nor habituation were considered responsible for these increases, which are also independent of the prolactin levels, because they were observable after blockage by bromocryptine, a drug which also fails to modify the EEG. Significant reduction of anxiety, tension and irritability was scored in the Hamiltonian test for depression. It is likely that both aspects depend on a common humoral process. The role of the progesterone drop is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Applications of statistical equivalence to newborn EEG recordings.

Epochs were selected from sleep EEGs of newborns during both quiet and REM phases. A first order parameter analysis was done in order to test the homogeneity (run test and one way variance analysis) of the data within the epochs, follwed by a study of spectral equivalence between epochs. Comparisons were made between average spectra in the frequency range 0.5--4 c/sec; and between their band-by-band components, to test the feasibility of automatic classification of sleep stages by means of frequency analysis. On the basis of the statistical parameters we used, spectral analysis appears to be of limited value for the purpose of automatic classification of newborn EEG records; due to a lack of complete homogeneity of the spectra within each sleep state, it is not possible to identify a characteristic spectrum for active sleep and quiet sleep.

Electroencephalography↗