Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Bertani

Publications and source records attributed to A Bertani.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

A comparison of citalopram and paroxetine in the treatment of panic disorder: a randomized, single-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Serotonin Selective Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are the drugs of choice for treating panic disorder (PD). In vitro studies have shown different pharmacodynamic profiles for SSRIs, but their clinical relevance is still unknown. Paroxetine, the SSRI with the strongest serotonergic effect, also shows significant cholinergic and noradrenergic activities. In this class of drugs, citalopram is the most selective for serotonin. We compared these two drugs and their effectiveness and tolerability in a sample of patients with PD in a two-month treatment course. METHOD: Fifty-eight patients with PD were randomly assigned to either the paroxetine or the citalopram treatment group in a single-blind, randomized design. Each patient was assessed at days 0, 7 and 60 by the Panic Associated Symptoms Scale (PASS), the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and the Fear Questionnaire (FQ). Primary outcome measures were the percentage of patients free of panic attacks, anticipatory anxiety and phobic avoidance in the last week of the trial and the percentage of good responders, as defined by a reduction of at least 50% from baseline of both PASS and SDS global scores at day 60. RESULTS: At day 60, 86% of patients receiving citalopram and 84% of those receiving paroxetine responded well to treatment. No significant differences between the two drugs were found. Both were well tolerated, although sexual side effects and weight gain were frequent. Anticipatory anxiety decreased significantly after the first week of treatment, and no initial worsening in the panic attacks was observed. CONCLUSION: Paroxetine and citalopram show similar anti-panic properties and a good tolerability profile. Our results support evidence that the serotonergic system plays a significant role in the anti-panic properties of these two SSRIs.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Free amino acids in walnut kernels and young seedlings.

We investigated the composition of free amino acids in walnut (Juglans regia L.) seeds (embryo and cotyledons). We also examined xylem transport of free amino acids in young seedlings grown in the absence of external nutrients. A relatively high concentration of free alanine was found in seed tissue, whereas a relatively high concentration of citrulline was detected in young seedlings. Citrulline was the main free amino acid transported in the xylem to stem and leaves. The negligible presence of citrulline, a non-protein amino acid, in the kernel and its presence in high concentrations in all of the tissues of young seedlings, including cotyledons, embryonic axis, taproot and stem, suggest that citrulline is synthesized during walnut germination. We conclude that citrulline plays an important role in nitrogen translocation during walnut germination.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2001

The 35% CO2 hyperreactivity and clinical symptomatology in patients with panic disorder after 1 week of treatment with citalopram: an open study.

The effect of a short treatment (7 days) with citalopram on the reactivity to inhalations of 35% CO2 and 65% oxygen and on clinical symptomatology was investigated in 15 patients with panic disorder who had a positive response to 35% CO2 inhalation. An open study design was applied. On day 0, before starting drug treatment, and after 1 week of treatment, each patient underwent the 35% CO2 challenge, and clinical symptomatology was evaluated with psychometric scales. The results showed a significant reduction of CO2 reactivity and of scores on the anticipatory anxiety subscale of Panic Associated Symptoms Scale. These results confirm that the serotonergic system plays an important role in the modulation of CO2 hyperreactivity and suggest an early anxiolytic effect of citalopram in patients who have panic disorder and are hyperreactive to CO2.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

rhVEGF and experimental rat skin flaps: systemic or local administration and morphological characteristics.

Skin flap survival is a significant problem in skin surgery; in particular, inadequate arterial or venous blood supply results in necrosis of the distalmost portion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) of modifying the morphological features of skin flaps. Bilateral epigastric skin flaps were raised in 16 Wistar male rats. The epigastric artery and vein of the left flaps were clamped and then injected with rhVEGF (8 rats) or saline (8 rats). The right flaps were not clamped and received rhVEGF or saline systemically. The rats were euthanized on the seventh day and flap skin samples collected. Tissue fragments were subject to immunohistochemical (rhVEGF, VEGFr, VIII factor, CD34 antibodies), ultrastructural and morphostructural investigations. The results showed that rhVEGF improved the condition of flaps and that systemic administration was effective in promoting the development of an adequate vascular network.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Infection due to Absidia corymbifera in a patient with a massive crush trauma of the foot.

We report the case of a patient with a massive crushing trauma of the right foot who developed a local infection due to Absidia corymbifera. Systemic and local antifungal therapy with ketoconazole associated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) yielded a rapid clinical and microbiological resolution. Controlled clinical studies are warranted to further elucidate the potential utility of HBO/antifungal combination therapy.

Absidia↗
PubMed1999

Flat foot functional evaluation using pattern recognition of ground reaction data.

OBJECTIVE: Main purpose of this study was to apply quantitative gait analysis and statistical pattern recognition as clinical decision-making aids in flat foot diagnosis and post-surgery monitoring. DESIGN: Statistical pattern recognition techniques were applied to discriminate between normal and flat foot populations through ground reaction force measurements; ground reaction forces time course was assumed as a sensible index of the foot function. BACKGROUND: Gait analysis is becoming recognized as an important clinical tool in orthopaedics, in pre-surgery planning, post-surgery monitoring and in a posteriori evaluation of different treatment techniques. Statistical pattern recognition techniques have been utilized with success in this field to identify the most significant variables of selected motor functions in different pathologies, and to design classification rules and quantitative evaluation scores. METHODS: Ground reaction forces were recorded during free speed barefoot walks on 28 healthy subjects, and 28 symptomatic flexible flat foot children selected for surgical intervention. A new feature selection algorithm, based on heuristic optimization, was applied to select the most discriminant ground reaction forces time samples. A two-stage pattern recognition system, composed by three linear feature extractors, one for each ground reaction force component, and a linear classifier, was designed to classify the feet of each subject using the selected features. The output of the classifier was used to define a functional score. RESULTS: The classifier assigned the ground reaction force patterns performed by each subject into the right class with an estimated error of 15%, corresponding to an assignment error for each subject's foot of 9%. The most discriminant ground reaction forces time samples selected are in full agreement with the pathophysiology of the symptomatic flexible flat foot. The obtained score was utilized to monitor the 1 and 2 years post-operative functional recovery of two differently treated subgroups of 32 flexible flat foot subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Statistical pattern recognition techniques are promising tools for clinical gait analysis; the obtained score provides important functional information that could be used as a further aid in the clinical evaluation of flat foot and different surgical treatment techniques. RELEVANCE: Symptomatic flexible flat foot surgical decision making is frequently difficult because of the lack of objective criteria to assess functional abnormalities of the foot/ankle complex. Gait analysis and statistical pattern recognition can give us parameters with which to characterize "functional" flat foot. Moreover, we can objectively follow up the recovery of the foot/ankle complex function after surgical treatment.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1998

Growth hormone response to growth hormone-releasing hormone stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Two groups of 30 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were given a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) stimulation test to determine: (1) whether the downstream function of the somatotropic axis (growth hormone = GH, somatomedin-C = SMD-C) was impaired; (2) what might be the central alteration responsible for such impairment; and (3) whether alterations might be linked to the etiopathogenesis of the disease. Basal values of GH and SMD-C were the same in patients and control subjects, but GH responses to GHRH stimulation were significantly lower in patients than in control subjects. The absence of a pathology of basal GH and SMD-C concentrations indicates that the blunted GH responses to GHRH stimulation are not due to a negative feedback mechanism and suggests that a central neurotransmitter-neuropeptide pathology might be involved in the phenomenon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Design and development of an electro-optic measurement system for 3-D topographic surveys: application to skin nevoid lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The authors designed and developed a system for the measurement of skin lesions geometrical proprieties. The measured characteristics can be of extreme importance in order to provide elements for the early diagnosis of melanoma. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Actually, medical experience and prevention are the only instruments for melanoma diagnosis. Some studies have been conducted with thermocameras and with ecography and photoacoustics spectrography. METHODS: A scanning laser-based measurement system for non-contact shape measurement has been designed and tested. The system measurement characteristics have been studied to assure an accurate reconstruction of skin lesion surface characteristics. The laser sensor is fixed on a motorized system that scans the lesion surface. All the controls on the scanning system and on the recording of data have been automated and are software-controlled. RESULTS: Full success in the measurement and reconstruction of the skin lesions characteristics has been reached. An accuracy of 0.03 mm has been obtained with the system. Measurements of the height and perimeter of many suspected lesions have been performed. CONCLUSIONS: The research reported in this work has demonstrated the applicability and usefulness of the proposed method by means of an in-vitro prototype-version measurement system. The possibility of surveying the shape of skin lesions by means of a non-contact electro-optic measurement plays an important role in the objective evaluation of in vivo pigmented suspected nevoid lesions (melanoma). Next steps include the study of a possible correlation between topographic elements and histological tests and the possibility of controlling suspected lesions employing this technique both in the diagnostic and the follow-up phases.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Carcinoma of the male breast: an underestimated killer.

Male breast carcinoma represents only 1 percent of all breast cancers. Despite the rarity of this neoplasia, the malignancy is often very aggressive, mostly because of delayed diagnosis. Consequently, large excisions are usually needed, and subsequent reconstruction is performed by means of fasciocutaneous or myocutaneous local or distant flaps, depending on the stage of the neoplasia. The signs, symptoms, prognosis, and reconstructive methods of such an unusual form of breast cancer are discussed in this article.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

CO2-induced panic attacks: a twin study.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the role of genetic factors in 35% CO2-induced panic attacks. METHOD: Ninety twins recruited from the general population were challenged with one-vital-capacity inhalations of 35% CO2-65% O2. Probandwise concordance rates were calculated and rates compared for monozygotic and for dizygotic twins. RESULTS: A significantly higher concordance was found for 35% CO2-induced panic attacks among monozygotic than dizygotic twins (55.6% versus 12.5%). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a relevant role of genetic factors in 35% CO2-induced panic attacks.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Epidemiologic investigation on the prevalence of goiter and urinary excretion of iodine in the school population of the province of Reggio Emilia].

The prevalence of goiter was evaluated in a sample from the schoolchildren population of Reggio Emilia district. 1020 children underwent physical examination of thyroid gland and thyroid ultrasonography for determination of thyroid volume. Urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was measured in 837/1020 (82.1%). Iodine content was measured in water samples collected from 65 wells and 12 springs all around the district. The prevalence of goiter according to thyroid gland palpation was 26.2%. Thyroid volume was 4.74 +/- 1.87 ml, and the median UIE value 85 micrograms/l. According to the UIE classes as defined by WHO, 57.8% of all subjects showed a UIE less than 100 micrograms/l. In 57 out of 65 wells and in all the 12 springs examined, iodine was completely absent. In the remaining 8 wells, only iodine traces were found. Based on the results of physical examination of the thyroid gland, Reggio Emilia district should be regarded as an endemic goiter area. Nevertheless, thyroid volume measurement by ultrasound indicates that goiter prevalence may be markedly overestimated by palpation. The high prevalence of subjects featuring an increased thyroid volume, the low median UIE value and the poor iodine content in the local reservoirs of drinkable water suggest the opportunity for iodine prophylaxis in the Reggio Emilia district.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Plasma interleukin-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor concentrations in obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Plasma interleukin-1 beta (Il-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations were measured twice, at a 48-hour interval, in 27 drug-free obsessive-compulsive patients (12 women and 15 men) and in 27 sex-age-matched healthy controls. Il-1 beta and TNF-alpha concentrations were significantly lower in patients than in controls, whereas there were no differences in either group between men and women, between the samples of the two days, or, in the patients, between those who had and those who had not been previously treated with psychopharmacologic drugs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Dopamine function in obsessive-compulsive disorder: growth hormone response to apomorphine stimulation.

Indirect observations suggest that the dopaminergic system may be involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The dopaminergic function of 15 patients with OCD and 15 age/sex-matched controls was evaluated by measuring the growth hormone (GH) responses to stimulation with the dopaminergic agonist apomorphine (APO), which increases growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), GH, and somatomedine C (SMD-C) secretions. Therefore, we measured basal plasma GH and SMD-C concentrations and GH responses to GHRH stimulation to exclude that a downstream pathology of the somatotropic axis could obscure the significance of the results of the APO test. The response of prolactin (PRL) to APO inhibition were also measured. Basal plasma levels of GH, SMD-C, and PRL, GH responses to GHRH stimulation, and PRL responses to APO inhibition did not differ in the two groups of subjects. GH responses to APO stimulation were blunted in obsessive-compulsive (OC) patients. The emetic response to the same stimulation was stronger in patients than in controls. These responses suggest that in our OC patients there is a dysregulation of the dopaminergic system, which is possibly expressed in different ways in the various areas of the central nervous system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Asthma and panic attacks.

Panic disorder (PD) and asthma share many common characteristics and have been found in epidemiological studies to be significantly comorbid. To investigate possible reasons for this overlapping, the authors evaluated 51 patients with asthma, assessing the prevalence of PD and sporadic panic attacks, the temporal relationship between these two disorders, and the familial risk for PD in the families of asthmatics. The results showed significantly higher prevalences of PD, sporadic panic attacks, and social phobia in asthmatics than those reported for the general population. In 9 (90%) of the asthmatics with PD, asthma appeared first. Finally, the morbidity risk for PD in families of asthmatics with PD (13.5%) was significantly higher than in families of asthmatics without evidence of panic (2%). Our results suggest that the high prevalence of PD in asthmatics might be related to a facilitating effect of asthma on the development of PD in subjects with familial predisposition to PD.

Adult↗