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Biomedical subjects

R Montanini

Publications and source records attributed to R Montanini.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Perineal motor potentials to magnetic stimulation, pudendal evoked potentials and perineal reflex in women.

Motor potentials to transcranial and lumbar magnetic stimulation were recorded from the perineum in 14 healthy women. The response to transcranial stimulation presented an onset at 20.2 +/- 1.3 ms and a negative peak at 25.1 +/- 1.9 ms. Lumbar responses presented an onset at 5.1 +/- 0.8 ms, and the motor central conduction time measured 14.4 +/- 1.5 ms. Perineal reflex, cortical and lumbar pudendal evoked potentials were recorded after electrical stimulation of the labia minora. These tests are of possible clinical use in the evaluation of sphincter disturbances as they investigate the afferent and efferent pathways concerning pudendal nerve function.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Study of central and peripheral motor conduction in normal subjects.

Motor potentials to transcranial and cervical magnetic stimulation and F-wave were recorded in 37 arms of 25 normal subjects. Clockwise and anticlockwise cervical stimulation were performed over C5, C7 and T2 spinous processes. A significant correlation was found between height and measurements of central and peripheral motor conduction. Peripheral motor conduction measured by F-wave derived techniques (Kimura formula) was 0.5 msec higher as compared with responses to cervical magnetic stimulation. The site and current flow direction of cervical magnetic stimulation influenced the amplitude of responses but not their latency: responses were larger in the right arm when the centre of the coil was placed over the C5 spinous process and clockwise stimuli were used. The same results were obtained in the left arm when the coil was reversed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Motor potentials of bulbocavernosus muscle after transcranial and lumbar magnetic stimulation: comparative study with bulbocavernosus reflex and pudendal evoked potentials.

Motor potentials of the bulbocavernosus muscle were recorded in 17 healthy subjects after transcranial and lumbar magnetic stimulation. The latencies (SD) were respectively: 22.9 (1.8) and 5.9 (0.4) ms. The central conduction time was 17.0 (2.5) ms. The bulbocavernosus reflex presented an onset at 34.5 (3.3) ms and a negative peak at 43.1 (3.9) ms. The cortical pudendal evoked potential was W shaped: the first peak had a latency of 35.4 (2.8) ms. The concurrent recording of motor potentials, bulbocavernosus reflex, pudendal evoked potentials gives a measure of peripheral and central, afferent and efferent neurological pathways related to pudendal nerve function.

Brain↗
PubMed1990

Epilepsy in multiple sclerosis.

In a series of 2,353 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, 40 subjects presented seizures, with an overall prevalence of 1.70%. The prevalence was 2.33% (34/1,459) in definite MS cases, 0.58 in probable cases (3/518), 0.79 in possible cases (3/376). Twenty-six patients were females, 14 were males. In 13 cases, epilepsy had begun before MS onset; in 4 patients, the two diseases started contemporarily; in 23 patients, epilepsy followed MS onset. No relationship was found between frequency of seizures and course of MS nor between frequency of seizures and MS severity. In 12 patients, magnetic resonance imaging was performed: plaques adjacent to the cerebral cortex were found in 3 cases. The electroencephalogram showed paroxysmal discharges in 11 patients (focal in 2, diffuse in 9). Slow theta and/or delta activity was found in 15 patients (focal in 7, diffuse in 6, both focal and diffuse in 2). The EEG was normal in 14 patients. Possible etiological factors other than MS were recognized in 4 patients only: cranial trauma in 3, meningitis in 1. Our study on a large MS population confirms that MS is associated to a risk for epilepsy higher than that of the general population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Two familial cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Italy.

Two familial Italian cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are reported. Clinical picture and life history are presented and compared: 1) with the findings in familial cases reported in other countries, 2) with the findings (age at onset, disease duration) in sporadic Italian cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Clinical activity and tolerability of trazodone, mianserin, and amitriptyline in elderly subjects with major depression: a controlled multicenter trial.

The aim of this multicenter study was to compare trazodone (TRA) with two reference drugs, amitriptyline (AMI) and mianserin (MIA), under double-blind conditions, in an elderly population, to ascertain age-related patterns for efficacy and tolerability. One hundred six elderly depressed inpatients, ranging in age from 60 to 83 years, diagnosed as having major depression according to DSM-III, were treated with 75 mg AMI (37 patients), 60 mg MIA (33 patients) or 150 mg TRA (36 patients) p.o.t.i.d. for 5 weeks. There were no differences in the clinical outcome among the three groups of patients at the end of the trial, with a significant amelioration (p less than 0.01) for the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS-D) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). TRA showed a lower overall prevalence of side effects than AMI or MIA, particularly for anticholinergic (p = 0.03 vs. AMI) and cardiovascular (p = 0.05 vs. MIA) effects. For these data GDS seems to be most reliable in detecting changes in elderly depressive symptomatology; moreover a comparable therapeutic response (among the three drugs) but a better tolerance for atypical antidepressants, particularly TRA, make advisable the use of the latter drug in the elderly population.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Multimodality evoked potentials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Visual, brainstem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials to medial nerve stimulation were recorded in 27 patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. VEP N75, P100, N140, N75-P100 latencies and P100 amplitude, BAEP I-III, III-V and I-V interpeak-latencies were within normal limits in all ALS patients. Somatosensory evoked potentials were abnormally delayed in 8 patients: in 3 arms because of a delayed N9-N13 latency, in 9 arms because of a delayed N13-N19 latency.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Trazodone in late life depressive states: a double-blind multicenter study versus amitriptyline and mianserin.

Seventy five elderly depressed in-patients, ages ranging from 60 to 83 years, diagnosed as Major Depression according to DSM III were treated, under double-blind conditions, with 75 mg Amitriptyline (AMI) (26 patients), 60 mg Mianserin (MIA) (24 patients) or 150 mg Trazodone (TRZ) (25 patients) p.o. for 5 weeks. There were no differences in the clinical outcome between the three groups of patients at the end of the trial, with a significant amelioration (P less than 0.01) at the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Geriatric Depression Scale. TRZ showed a significantly lower incidence of side effects compared to MIA and AMI. Atypical antidepressants, including TRZ, seem more suitable for treating elderly depression than the first generation antidepressants on the basis of risk/benefit ratio considerations.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Lymphocytoplasmapheresis in multiple sclerosis: one-year results in 6 patients.

6 patients with definite MS underwent lymphocytoplasmapheresis for one year. Clinical data, evoked potential recordings and peripheral blood lymphocyte helper/suppressor ratio were assessed before and after the treatment and were compared with those of a control group of 10 multiple sclerosis patients. Lymphocytoplasmapheresis did not significantly modify clinical and laboratory findings compared with the control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of evoked potentials and lymphocyte subsets as possible markers of multiple sclerosis: one year follow up of 30 patients.

Evoked potentials and T-lymphocyte helper/suppressor ratio (H/S) were evaluated serially together with neurological status in 30 definite multiple sclerosis patients to evaluate their possible role in monitoring disease progression. Evoked potentials in many cases reflected the clinical status of the pathways tested, but some exceptions were observed, probably due to subclinical relapses or physical factors. In some instances the occurrence of subclinical relapses was suggested by increased H/S ratios. Serial H/S values increased in parallel with clinical and subclinical relapses, and seemed to show specific patterns in relation to the type of clinical course (relapsing, stable, chronic progressive). Our results suggest that evoked potentials and H/S ratio serial analysis can contribute to a better assessment of the progress of multiple sclerosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Lymphocytoplasmapheresis in multiple sclerosis: preliminary laboratory findings.

Short-term treatment with lymphocytoplasmapheresis was evaluated in 6 multiple sclerosis patients with special reference to the electrophysiological and immunological findings. Visual, somatosensory, brainstem auditory evoked potentials, flicker fusion test, helper/suppressor blood lymphocyte ratio, serum immunocomplexes and immunoglobulins and Kurtzke scores were evaluated in each patient before and after treatment. No statistically significant results were obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Comparative study of visual evoked potentials in spinocerebellar ataxias and multiple sclerosis.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were delayed in 11 out of 18 patients with Friedreich's ataxia, in 1 out of 8 patients with Strumpell's hereditary spastic ataxia, in 2 out of 5 cases with cerebellar atrophy and in 42 out of 50 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Responses were normal in 5 cases with Pierre Marie's disease. Amplitude and temporal dispersion were statistically analyzed in the above-mentioned groups of patients with respect to controls. An abnormal temporal dispersion, also considered as interpeak N1P2, was frequently found in MS but only occasionally in spinocerebellar ataxias. Amplitude was statistically reduced in Friedreich's ataxia group, where an inverse relationship between latency and amplitude was found. No relation was found between VEP delay and duration of the disease, in any group considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Clinical, immunologic and electrophysiologic correlations in evaluating multiple sclerosis in relation to its development].

49 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were evaluated on several lines of investigation: clinical examination with disability rating scale, disease activity staging, multimodal evoked potentials and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. 24 patients were monthly re-examined and T-cell subsets were analysed in the peripheral blood. Evoked potentials were re-evaluated every 3 months in 24 patients. All paramethers were correlated in transversally and longitudinally during a 3 to 18 months follow-up. The results are discussed in the view of a methodological approach to a laboratory evaluation of disease evolution in its natural course and during therapeutic trials.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Levodopa treatment of a case of torsion spasm with athetosis].

The result about Levodopa treatment in torsion dystonia and athetosis are quite contradictory. We report an interesting case, significant for the results that we obtained in a long treatment period. A girl was suffering from age of 8 years of torsion dystonia associated with athetosis. We made our first clinical examination when 12 years old: she was not able to stand-up and to walking, neither was she able to be sitting in a chair without arms. In two months of treatment with Levodopa 3.000 mg. by day, the symptoms completely disappeared. During the first two years of treatment, at every effort to decrease the therapy we observed an important increase of symptoms. Successively it was possible to decrease the therapy and now, after 8 years of treatment, with a minimal dose, the girl doesn't show any symptoms, so that she can manage a normal relative life. Probably these good results depend on the fact that was a sporadic recessive form of torsion dystonia case.

Athetosis↗
PubMed1979

[Action of trazodone on the secretion of pituitary hormones. Behavior of prolactin and somatotropin].

The effect of i.v. trazpdone on PRL and GH was studied in normal subjects and in patients with hypophyseal adenoma coupled with amenorrhoea and galactorrhoea or acromegaly. PRL levels were reduced, whereas the behaviour of GH was paradoxical. These results suggest that the dopaminergic and serotoninergic systems take part in regulating the secretion of these two hormones. An interesting comparison was made with their behaviour following the administration of bromoergocryptine in the adenoma series.

Acromegaly↗