Biomedical subjects

P Perfumo

Publications and source records attributed to P Perfumo.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Vigabatrin in complex partial seizures: a long-term study.

The efficacy and safety of oral vigabatrin (VGB) as add-on therapy in the long-term treatment of poorly controlled epilepsy were evaluated in 19 patients with complex partial seizures, either with or without secondary generalization. The study was run with a single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, and included 2 months of placebo and 13-15 months of treatment with VGB, at doses ranging from 1 to 4 g/day. Of the 14 patients who completed the trial, 2 were seizure free, in 5 seizure frequency dropped by more than 75% and in another 5 by more than 50% with respect to baseline. The decrease in seizure frequency in the group as a whole was significant at all observation points of the trial. Three patients were not entered into the long-term phase due to lack of improvement (an increase in seizure frequency was observed in one of them), and 2 were excluded later because improvement disappeared leading to unauthorized changes in comedication. Side effects were mild and never caused discontinuation of treatment. In conclusion, VGB showed a remarkable efficacy and safety in the long-term treatment of complex partial seizures.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Does the hypoosmotic swelling test predict human sperm viability?

Human sperm viability is essential for successful fertilization. Eosin Y is the usually accepted method for sperm viability assessment, though the hypoosmotic swelling test has been proposed for the selection of viable spermatozoa in procedures such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The present study was designed to determine the value of hypoosmotic swelling test in the prediction of sperm viability. For this purpose, hypoosmotic swelling and eosin Y were performed in parallel and in combination, on both fresh and freeze-thawed semen. Rates for eosin Y were significantly higher than for the hypoosmotic swelling test in fresh semen, with a weak, though significant correlation between the two tests (r = 0.47, p < 0.05). When both tests were performed in succession (hypoosmotic swelling test followed by eosin Y), 14.6% of swollen sperm incorporated the dye. Following exposure to hypoosmotic conditions, sperm viability decreased by 35%. When sperm were killed by freezing, hypoosmotic swelling test rates were higher than eosin Y. Results indicate that these two tests cannot be used interchangeably, since 15% of the swollen sperm apparently died, suggesting that plasma membrane integrity is lost before the capacity to maintain osmotic equilibrium.

Freezing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Triphasic waves in dementia syndromes].

Seventy-one EEGs (0.49%) of 53 patients, out of 14,458 recordings, contained triphasic waves: twenty-nine were patients with metabolic encephalopathies and 24 were demented patients (16 of these had a presumptive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and the other eight of mult-infarct dementia). Demented subjects with metabolic disorders are included in the metabolic encephalopathies group. In all of the cases of Alzheimer's disease, triphasic waves were atypical: in 14 they occurred singly or in short bursts, in 10 they had occipital predominance and in 2 they were bilateral but asymmetrical. In 5 cases, triphasic waves were associated with myoclonus and in 2 of them they occurred in long runs with a pseudo-periodic pattern. In these cases the distinction from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was based on neuropathologic findings.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Arterial hypertension caused by carbamazepine].

A 20-year-old epileptic patient developed hypertension during CBZ treatment, without any demonstrable etiological factor. After CBZ discontinuation, a gradual normalization of blood pressure values was observed. The authors discuss the possible role of ADH in the production of this unfrequent side effect.

Adult↗