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Biomedical subjects

G Gori

Publications and source records attributed to G Gori.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Extradural motor cortex stimulation as a method to treat advanced Parkinson's disease: new perspectives in geriatric medicine.

Motor fluctuations not controlled by pharmacological therapy are often encountered in long-term Parkinson's disease (PD). Neurosurgery treatment represented by deep brain stimulation (DBS) was considered a valid alternative to pharmacological treatment. Unfortunately this method is most effective in patients under age of 70. Recently it has been suggested that extradural motor cortex stimulation (EMCS) could be a valid cost-effective alternative to DBS to control motor symptoms in patients affected by Parkinson's disease. The relevant non-invasive surgical technique makes this treatment particularly indicated in geriatric patients. Brain atrophy, cognitive impairment, psychiatric symptoms are not an absolute contraindication to the treatment. We submitted to EMCS an outpatient afferent to our geriatric department, a woman 68 yrs old. The patient showed an improvement of 35% as measured by the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scale after the surgery. If our findings will be confirmed in larger series, a new dimension will be added to the treatment of PD.

Aged↗

Frequency and determinants of lymphadenectomy in endometrial carcinoma: a population-based study from northern Italy.

BACKGROUND: The diffusion of pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for the surgical pathological staging of endometrial carcinoma into clinical practice has been evaluated only with questionnaire surveys of gynecological oncologists. No population-based information is available. METHODS: In this study of operable endometrial carcinoma cases registered by the population-based Romagna Cancer Registry (northern Italy) between 1987 and 1994, the association of demographic (age, time period, place of birth, place of residence, place of treatment, and marital status) and pathological factors (histological type, tumor grade, myoinvasion, and extension of disease to cervix, serosa, adnexa, and vagina) with the probability of lymphadenectomy was evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 300 potentially eligible cases, sufficient information was obtained for 276 (92%; median age, 63 years; range, 33-87 years). No case of para-aortic lymphadenectomy was observed. Pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 86 (31%) cases. The probability of pelvic lymphadenectomy was related to tumor grade (positive association), place of treatment, and marital status. All other variables, including myoinvasion and extension of disease to the cervix and beyond the uterus, had no effect whatsoever. CONCLUSIONS: The most likely interpretations of results include poor acceptance of current surgical pathological staging criteria and insufficient use of standard diagnostic techniques for preoperative and intraoperative assessment of myoinvasion and extrauterine spread.

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell↗

Determination of urinary 2,5-hexanedione in the general Italian population.

OBJECTIVE: Determination of the urinary levels of 2.5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) was performed in subjects belonging to the Italian general population to define the reference value for this metabolite. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 123 healthy Italian subjects who had not been occupationally exposed to n-hexane or methyl-n-butyl ketone (60 men and 63 women; 53 living in urban areas and 70 living in rural areas; 36 smokers and 87 nonsmokers; 65 aged above 35 years and 58 aged below 35 years). The determinations were performed by a gas chromatography method using a flame ionization detector (FID). A quality-control step was realized by analysis of 78 of these samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The distribution of 2,5-HD concentration was log-normal and the corresponding centiles at the 95% confidence interval were as follows: the 50th centile, 0.270 mg/l for men and 0.191 mg/l for women; the 75th centile, 0.352 and 0.330 mg/l, respectively, for men and women; and the 95th centile, 0.762 and 0.582 mg/l, respectively, for men and women. The reference value, calculated as the upper unilateral 95% tolerance interval at 95% of confidence, was 0.795 mg/l for men and 0.627 for women.

Adult↗

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of urinary 2,5-hexanedione as mono-2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone using ultraviolet detection.

The good correlation between exposure to n-hexane and 2,5-hexanedione urinary excretion confers on this diketone an important toxicological meaning. this paper proposes a reversed-phase HPLC method which includes, after acid hydrolysis, a derivatization step of 2,5-hexanedione with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine at 70 degrees C for 20 min. The reaction conditions, such as temperature, reagent concentration and time, are optimized so as to allow the condensation of a single carbonyl group. A linear response was obtained in the 0.19-20.0 mg/l range with a detection limit of 0.03 mg/l, corresponding to a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. A phosphate buffer (pH 3.3)-acetonitrile mixture (50:50) as the eluent and UV detection at 334 nm were used.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors↗

Automatic and voluntary orienting of attention in patients with visual neglect: horizontal and vertical dimensions.

The present study was aimed at testing internally and externally-controlled mechanisms of covert orienting in patients with visuo-spatial neglect. Internally-controlled orienting was tested by presenting central informative cues. Externally-controlled orienting was tested by presenting peripheral non-informative cues. We also tested for the presence of vertical neglect in patients with horizontal neglect, and tried to assess whether altitudinal neglect is an attentional deficit. Finally we examined whether altitudinal neglect manifests itself only in the visual field contralateral to the lesion or, as has been shown for horizontal neglect, whether it is also present in the ipsilesional visual field. The results showed that patients with neglect have a deficit of externally-controlled covert orienting in the visual field opposite to that of the lesion. Further, the impairment appeared to be more pronounced in the lower than in the upper visual field and to be mainly evident in the visual field contralateral to the lesion. The deficit could, however, be partially compensated for by the use of internally-controlled covert orienting. These findings seems to support the dual-mechanisms hypothesis which maintains that automatic and voluntary orienting are subserved by separate mechanisms possibly located in different parts of the brain.

Aged↗

One- and two-dimensional NMR characterization of oxidized and reduced cytochrome c' from Rhodocyclus gelatinosus.

1D and 2D NMR spectra of both the reduced and oxidized forms of cytochrome c' from Rhodocyclus gelatinosus have been recorded. The analysis of the pH dependence of the 1H NMR spectrum of the ferric form has been performed, and two main ionizing groups have been identified. By comparison of the pH dependence of the available spectra of cytochromes c', an ambiguity remaining from previous studies on related cytochromes c' has been solved. By means of 2D spectra, an assignment of all the paramagnetically shifted signals is proposed both for the ferrous and for the ferric forms.

Bacteria↗

Aniracetam (Ro 13-5057) in the treatment of senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT): results of a placebo controlled multicentre clinical study.

One hundred and nine elderly patients suffering from mild to moderate cognitive impairment fulfilling NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable dementia of the Alzheimer type were treated for 6 months with a new nootropic drug, aniracetam (Ro 13-5057) in a double-blind randomized study versus placebo. The two treatment groups were comparable at baseline for demographic and behaviourial parameters and symptomatology. Patients underwent clinical, behaviourial and psychometric evaluation every other month. The aniracetam group differed significantly from the placebo group by the end of the study and also showed a statistically significant improvement versus baseline in the psychobehavioural parameters, while in the placebo group a steady deterioration was observed. Tolerability to aniracetam was excellent.

Aged↗

[Magnesium and potassium aspartate during the third pregnancy trimester].

Following a critical review of published reports on the use of magnesium during the third quarter of pregnancy, the paper examines the value of blood magnesium tests during pregnancy as well as the validity of administrating kalium aspartate and magnesium aspartate to treat the risk of premature birth.

Adult↗