Biomedical subjects

R Nistico

Publications and source records attributed to R Nistico.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Central cardiovascular responses induced by interleukin 1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha infused into nucleus tractus solitarii, nucleus parabrachialis medialis and third cerebral ventricle of normotensive rats.

The effect of IL-1 beta and TNF alpha infused into nucleus tractus solitari (NTS), nucleus parabrachialis medialis (NPBmed) and third cerebral ventricle of normotensive rats on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) was investigated. Microinfusion of IL-1 beta and TNF alpha into the third cerebral ventricle and NPBmed of normotensive rats produced a dose-dependent hypotensive and bradycardic response. A similar cardiovascular response was produced by infusion of IL1 beta into NTS but not by TNF alpha. When rats were pre-treated with Escherichia coli lipopolisaccharide (LPS), an enhancement of cardiovascular response elicited by IL-1 beta and TNF alpha was found. Thus, IL-1 beta and TNF alpha produce cardiovascular responses when infused into specific areas of the CNS. This effect is potentiated by LPS and this may explain the alteration in cardiovascular regulation which can be observed in diseases in which an excess of circulating endotoxins and cytokines may occur.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Exploitation of the HIV-1 coat glycoprotein, gp120, in neurodegenerative studies in vivo.

Neuronal loss has often been described at post-mortem in the brain neocortex of patients suffering from AIDS. Neuroinvasive strains of HIV infect macrophages, microglial cells and multinucleated giant cells, but not neurones. Processing of the virus by cells of the myelomonocytic lineage yields viral products that, in conjunction with potentially neurotoxic molecules generated by the host, might initiate a complex network of events which lead neurones to death. In particular, the HIV-1 coat glycoprotein, gp120, has been proposed as a likely aetiologic agent of the described neuronal loss because it causes death of neurones in culture. More recently, it has been shown that brain neocortical cell death is caused in rat by intracerebroventricular injection of a recombinant gp120 coat protein, and that this occurs via apoptosis. The latter observation broadens our knowledge in the pathophysiology of the reported neuronal cell loss and opens a new lane of experimental research for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to limit damage to the brain of patients suffering from HIV-associated dementia.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

No evidence of linkage between schizophrenia and D2 dopamine receptor gene locus in Italian pedigrees.

Our purpose was to test the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2), the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene and the monoamino oxydase A (MAO-A) gene for linkage to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. We have analyzed seven Italian families with schizophrenia and four families with bipolar disorders for a total of 68 individuals; 32 individuals were affected. Diagnoses were made using the structured clinical interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Lifetime version (SADS-L). The results of our study provide no evidence of linkage between alleles at D2 dopamine receptor loci and schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. The markers TH gene and MAO-A gene give slightly positive or negative results suggesting the utility of further analysis on more informative families.

Bipolar Disorder↗

PubMed1990

Visuospatial impairment in depression: a controlled ECT study.

In order to study the effect of bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on visuospatial function in depression, a comparison was made between the performance of 20 ECT-treated patients and 20 healthy controls on a battery of neuropsychological tests including the Complex Figure Test (CFT) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The CFT but not the MMSE performances of depressives vs controls were impaired in pre-ECT testing. While ECT does not affect visuospatial performance, cognitive deficits are unveiled by MMSE. Possible meanings of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Cerebral atrophy and neuropsychological correlates in schizophrenia.

Twenty-three patients with DSM III chronic schizophrenia, were given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and had CT brain scans performed in order to measure the size of the 3rd and 4th ventricles and ventricular brain ratio (VBR). CT-scans showed an evident enlargement of the 3rd ventricle and a VBR overall significantly above that found in normal sample. No significant correlation between ventricular size and cognitive impairment was found. Possible meanings of these findings will be discussed in this paper.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A computerized tomographic study in patients with depressive disorder: a comparison with schizophrenic patients and controls.

Using computed tomography, Ventricular Brain Ratio (VBR) was assessed in a sample of 42 depressive patients, 36 schizophrenic patients and 37 controls. The values of affective patients laid between, but did not differ significantly from those of schizophrenic patients on the one hand and controls on the other. The schizophrenic patients showed VBR increase when compared to controls. Possible implications of VBR measurement, in patients with affective illness are discussed.

Adult↗