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Biomedical subjects

A Salmaggi

Publications and source records attributed to A Salmaggi.

123 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Prognostic value of cerebrospinal fluid electrophoresis in optic neuritis and suspected multiple sclerosis.

The prognostic significance of cerebrospinal fluid electrophoresis and IgG-index has been investigated in 44 patients, of whom 10 had optic neuritis and 34 suspected, possible or probable multiple sclerosis. The predictive value of CSF oligoclonal banding for future disease dissemination is very high in the suspected multiple sclerosis subgroup, where after a follow-up of 4.4 years, 7 out of 7 band-positive patients displayed further disease activity. The absence of CSF oligoclonal bands seems to carry a relatively benign short-term (follow-up 3.4 years) prognosis in suspected MS cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis: intrathecal immunological response.

The intrathecal immune response is reported in a patient with cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. CSF IgM and IgG levels were significantly related to the favourable clinical evolution. IgM response was specifically directed against the pathological agent, while IgG were mostly non-specific. The data are discussed and compared with the other chronic infections of the central nervous system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

CFS oligoclonal bands in MS and other neurological diseases detected by agarose isoelectric focusing and electrophoresis.

Agarose gel isoelectric focusing (IEF) and electrophoresis (EF) were compared for detection of CSF oligoclonal bands in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. The CSF IgG/albumin ratio, the IgG-Index and the IgG synthesis per day in the CNS were also considered. IEF was highly sensitive, revealing oligoclonal bands in 100% of CSF from 40 clinically definite MS, while EF had a sensitivity of 70%. In 90 patients with other neurological diseases, IEF revealed oligoclonal bands in 25.5%, EF in 11.1%. The IgG-index was the most sensitive of the quantitative parameters.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effectiveness of early chemotherapy treatment in anaplastic astrocytoma patients.

There are limited data in the literature concerning chemotherapy trials for the treatment of anaplastic astrocytomas. Forty-one anaplastic astrocytoma patients, operated on during the period 1988 to 1993 at the Neurological institute of Milan, received 4-5 cycles of chemotherapy (BCNU + cisplatin), subsequently radiotherapy (median dose 56.5 Gy), and finally a second-line chemotherapy protocol at recurrence (procarbazine, vincristine, lomustine). The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the planned protocol, considering the time to tumor progression and the survival time. The group of anaplastic astrocytoma patients was compared with a homogeneous group of 39 anaplastic astrocytoma patients treated only with radiotherapy after surgery. The median time to tumor progression of patients on the protocol was 24.5 months. The median survival time for anaplastic astrocytoma patients treated with our scheduled protocol or only with radiotherapy was 38.8 and 21 months, respectively. However, our data need to be confirmed by large randomized clinical studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antineuronal antibodies in patients with neuroblastoma: relationships with clinical features.

We evaluated the frequency of serum antineuronal antibodies in a cohort of 39 neuroblastoma patients and related their presence to clinical features. Twelve patients displayed antineuronal antibodies at immunocytochemistry. Only one of these 12 patients suffered from a clinically overt paraneoplastic syndrome. No significant differences emerged between autoantibody-positive and autoantibody-negative patients in terms of progression-free and overall survival, although when only patients evolving to disease progression were considered, the time interval between diagnosis and progression was slightly longer in autoantibody-positive patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Short and medium-term influence of physical activity on immune parameters.

Physical stress induces different changes in immune parameters depending on effort schedule and/or customary physical training. The mechanisms whereby they take place and the occurrence of possible tolerance after repeated effort have not been conclusively elucidated. We studied short and medium-term exercise-induced changes in immune parameters after a standard physical effort (24' of cycle ergometer up to the 80% of maximal heart rate, daily for 5 days) in a group of healthy untrained controls. White Blood Cells, lymphocyte subsets, plasmatic catecholamine and cortisol levels, IgG and IL2receptor (IL2R) levels were determined. Most of the observed changes were strictly acute effort-related and disappeared within 3 hours (except for shifts in CD4+ CD45RA+ and CD4+ CD45RA- lymphocytes): they were concomitant to a transient sympathetic activation proved by heart rate (HR) and Norepinephrine (NE) increase. The medium-term effects of repeated daily effort included only a questionable rise in CD19+ and CD3+ CD4- CD8- cells. As far as possible tolerance mechanisms are concerned, we did not detect any change in either the direction or the entity of effort-induced changes in our controls after repeated effort. Study of strictly standardized exercise protocols is mandatory before clinical applications of physical activity in the approach to the treatment of disimmune diseases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lycopersicon esculentum lectin: an effective and versatile endothelial marker of normal and tumoral blood vessels in the central nervous system.

The binding of Lycopersicon esculentum lectin (LEA) to the vascular endothelium was studied in the central nervous system of rat, mouse and guinea pig at different developmental ages, and in a gliosarcoma model. Our observations showed that LEA consistently stained the entire vascular tree in the spinal cord and in the brain of all animal species at all developmental ages investigated. In the tumor model, the staining of the vascular network was very reproducible, enabled an easy identification of vascular profiles and displayed a higher efficiency when compared to two other commonly used vascular marker (EHS laminin and PECAM-1). Moreover, our results showed that LEA staining was comparable in both vibratome and paraffin sections and could be easily combined with other markers in double labeling experiments. These observations indicate that LEA staining may represent an effective and versatile endothelial marker for the study of the vasculature of the central nervous system in different animal species and experimental conditions.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spinal cord involvement and systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical and magnetic resonance findings in 5 patients.

We report the clinical, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and laboratory findings in 5 patients with clinical spinal cord involvement with an acute or subacute course; in two of the patients the myelitic episode preceded, in one it was concomitant to, and in two it followed the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The marked clinical and MRI heterogeneity detected in our patients suggests that various factors may be implied in the pathogenesis of spinal cord involvement in SLE. The possibility of a future evolution to SLE should be kept in mind in women presenting spinal cord involvement with no other explanation, and should be assessed by means of extensive and repeated clinical and laboratory evaluations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tremor as an early manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been described by many authors as a multisystem disorder involving variable and protean clinical manifestations and with an unpredictable course. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman suffering from SLE in whom tremor appeared ten years before a clinical picture suggestive of SLE and which remained the only clinical neurological sign even during overt disease. Tremor and other SLE manifestations disappeared with corticosteroid therapy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗