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L Altieri

Publications and source records attributed to L Altieri.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Changes with age in the Golgi apparatus of rabbit spinal ganglion neurons.

We studied the Golgi apparatus in spinal ganglion neurons of rabbits aged 12, 42 and 79 months. We found no structural changes, no indications of fragmentation, no indications of peripheral displacement affecting this organelle with advancing age. The volume of the perikaryon increased significantly with age, whereas the total volume of the Golgi apparatus remained essentially constant. Hence the mean percentage of perikaryal volume occupied by the Golgi apparatus decreased with age. This decrease was only in very minor part a consequence of lipofuscin accumulation, so that the ratio between the total volume of the Golgi apparatus and the functionally active volume of cytoplasm decreased with age. This decrease could be related to the reduced neuronal metabolism that occurs during ageing. It is possible that the delivery to the axon of newly synthesized proteins destined for fast transport is one of the Golgi apparatus roles that decrease with age. Finally, we found that the age-related quantitative changes in the Golgi apparatus did not differ between large light and small dark neurons.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

Decrease in the nucleo-cytoplasmic volume ratio of rabbit spinal ganglion neurons with age.

Nuclear and perikaryal volumes, as well as the mean percentage of perikaryal volume occupied by lipofuscin, were estimated in spinal ganglion neurons of 12, 42 and 79 month-old rabbits. The volume ratio between nucleus and perikaryal cytoplasm (N/C volume ratio) decreased progressively and significantly with increasing age. This was not a consequence of the perikaryal enlargement due to the age-related lipofuscin accumulation since the same result was obtained when the volume occupied by lipofuscin was subtracted from the perikaryal volume. The decrease in the N/C volume ratio may depend on an age-related loss of DNA, a cytoplasmic influence on nuclear size, or other unknown causes.

Aging↗
PubMed1999

Amount and distribution of lipofuscin in nerve and satellite cells from spinal ganglia of young adult and aged rabbits.

The quantitative aspects of the age-related accumulation of lipofuscin were studied in the rabbit spinal ganglia by stereological methods using the electron microscope. Both neurons and their associated satellite cells were examined. In neurons, the shape and structure of lipofuscin bodies differed in young adults (12-months-old) compared to aged rabbits (79-months-old), whereas substantial changes were not observed in satellite cells. Both in nerve and satellite cells, lipofuscin bodies were scattered singly in young adults, but were often clustered in old animals. Lipofuscin occupied an average of 0.36% of neuronal perikaryal volume in the young adults and 2.55% in the aged rabbits; these percentages are much lower than those observed in the same neurons of other species. In the satellite cells, the corresponding values were 0.29% and 2.02%. In the young adults, the mean size of lipofuscin bodies was significantly greater in neurons than in satellite cells; the size of these bodies increased with age by about 2.7 times in neurons and by about 1.7 times in satellite cells. Consequently, in the old rabbits the mean size of lipofuscin bodies was about 2.2 times greater in neurons than in satellite cells. It has been suggested that lipofuscin bodies are transferred from the neuronal perikaryon to the surrounding satellite cells and then removed via the capillaries. However, the present findings suggest that lipofuscin located in satellite cells represents pigment formed by these cells rather than being transferred from neuronal perikaryon. It would appear that the age-related accumulation of lipofuscin in the rabbit spinal ganglia has little effect on neuronal metabolism.

Aging↗
PubMed1995

Double-blind comparison of paroxetine and nortriptyline on the postural stability of late-life depressed patients.

This article describes a 6-week study evaluating body sway during double-blind therapy with nortriptyline versus paroxetine in geriatric patients. Body sway was measured with patients' eyes open, then closed, using a stable force platform at 4 timepoints: before starting antidepressant medication, and after 1, 2, and 6 weeks of treatment. Measures such as the length (L) of path of the center of pressure (COP) and the area included within the COP path were selected for quantitative assessment of stability. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) model with planned comparisons was used to examine the pair-wise difference at baseline and Weeks 1, 2, and 6 of treatment. No significant difference was found in body sway parameters over the 6 weeks of study for patients treated with either nortriptyline or paroxetine.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clomipramine in the elderly: tolerance and plasma levels.

Five elderly, treatment-resistant, depressed, female patients were closely monitored in a research setting during treatment with clomipramine. Plasma clomipramine levels were determined to establish a steady state. Elderly patients (67 to 80 years old) reached a therapeutic steady state at doses lower than that reported for midlife patients. Overall, clomipramine was well tolerated in this group. Depression, measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, decreased 42%, and the frequency of somatic complaints, measured by the Rating Scale for Side Effects, declined by 57%. Clomipramine is specifically indicated for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and may be an alternative for elderly depressed patients, provided that lower doses and plasma clomipramine monitoring are used.

Age Factors↗