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Biomedical subjects

C Barbieri

Publications and source records attributed to C Barbieri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The incidence of the grasp reflex following hemispheric lesion and its relation to frontal damage.

The grasp reflex and related prehensile phenomena were investigated in two studies. In Study 1, 491 patients consecutively admitted to the neurological wards of our department were tested with a standardized procedure. Grasping was found in 8% of brain-damaged patients and occurred predominantly in patients with single (14 cases) or multiple (10 cases) hemispheric lesions, accompanied by stable neurological symptoms. The locus of the lesion was either in the frontal lobe or in the deep nuclei and subcortical white matter. Grasping never occurred when the disease was confined to the retrorolandic regions. Study 2 was designed to identify the frontal structures responsible for grasping. Forty-four patients who either showed grasping or had CT scan documentation of frontal damage were investigated. Grasping was found in 70% of patients who had involvement of the medial areas and was always associated with damage to the cingulate gyrus; the supplementary motor cortex was less consistently encroached upon. It also occurred following damage to the lateral motor and premotor areas, but only in 26% of cases. A few patients with grasping had deep lesions. The clinical analysis of the symptom showed that it usually affected both hands, even when the lesion was unilateral, and that in most patients it did not manifest itself as a forced phenomenon, but could be modified by will, although it showed up again as soon as the patient's attention was diverted. Groping was more rarely found and the so-called grasp reaction was unusual. No hemispheric asymmetry in the occurrence of this set of phenomena was apparent.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1991

Abnormal alanine aminotransferase activity reflects exposure to hepatitis C virus in haemodialysis patients.

Prospective studies have shown that the annual incidence of non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis may be high in haemodialysis patients. To assess whether hepatitis C virus (HCV), the major causative agent of post-transfusion and community-acquired NANB hepatitis, has a role in the pathogenesis of liver disease in dialysed patients, we have studied the prevalence and significance of antibodies to HCV in a cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease on chronic haemodialysis treatment. Seventy-four (30%) had circulating antibodies to HCV. Statistically significant associations with the anti-HCV carrier status were duration of haemodialysis treatment, blood transfusions, and the finding of abnormally elevated ALT on retrospective analysis. In contrast, only one of 103 dialysis staff members showed transient positivity for anti-HCV, suggesting a low risk of professional exposure to HCV. These findings suggests that HCV infection is relatively frequent in haemodialysis patients and may be responsible for a significant proportion of liver disease in this clinical setting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Orientation of attention in the visual space].

The display was composed of four boxes, horizontally aligned above the fixation point. In Experiment I, each box was cued by a digit shown at fixation. In Experiment II there were only two numeric cues, signalling the inner or the outer boxes, depending on the experimental condition. The subject was instructed to orient attention to the cued box, and to respond to the imperative stimulus as fast as possible, wherever it appeared. By using four time interval (SOAs), we tried to determine the route covered by attention movements. In Experiment I, with the shortest SOA (100 msec), it was shown that attention does not reach the cued box through a direct path. Rather it moves first on the inner boxes, thereafter focusing on the cued location. The same results were obtained in Experiment II, where the cue directed attention to the inner boxes. When the external boxes were cued, however, this trend was not observed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Orientation strategy implicit in spatial attention].

In this experiment, two rows of four boxes, one above and the other below the fixation point, were displayed on a computer monitor. A cognitive numeric cue indicated one of the four external boxes, where the attention was to be directed. Stimuli, however, could occur in any of the eight boxes. The subject was instructed to respond to the imperative stimulus as fast as possible, regardless of its location. Four time intervals between cue and stimulus presentation (SOAs) were employed in order to disclose the route along which attention is moved. With the shortest SOA (100 msec) an indication that attention movements follow the cartesian/orthogonal axes was shown.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Treatment with gammaglobulin preparation for intravenous use in children with humoral immunodeficiency: clinical and immunologic follow-up.

We have treated 23 children aged 6 to 15 years affected with agammaglobulinemia or severe hypogammaglobulinemia with IgG serum levels less than 100 mg/dL with IV gammaglobulin (Sandoglobulin), 150 to 300 mg/kg/3 wk for more than 3 years. The children suffered from severe and recurrent bacterial infections, mainly of the respiratory tract. They had been treated previously with IM gammaglobulin (0.8 ml/kg/3 wk), but their serum IgG values were never higher than 100 mg/dL. We compared the data of the follow-up after 3 years of treatment with IV gammaglobulin and the follow-up after 2 years course of IM gammaglobulin. Minor adverse reactions (chills, fever, abdominal pain) were observed only in some children during the first months of therapy. These data demonstrate that the number of infections or days with fever, in bed, or in hospital dramatically decreased during IV Ig therapy, while IgG serum levels increased to approximately normal values. IV Ig is a safe and effective treatment for patients with humoral immunodeficiency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of new test (Phadiatop) for the screening of respiratory allergic disorders in children.

The present study investigated the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of a new in vitro test, the Phadiatop, which detects the presence in serum of specific IgE to a balanced mixture of the most frequent inhalant allergens. Ninety-eight children (63 males, 35 females) 2-12 years old (median age = 6), suffering from rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis and/or asthma were studied. Our data show that Phadiatop has an 87% sensitivity, a 100% specificity, a 92% efficiency, a 100% positive predictive value, and an 86% negative predictive value. These results indicate that Phadiatop is very effective in diagnosing atopy (no false positive). However, a negative Phadiatop does not exclude the diagnosis of atopy.

Child↗
PubMed1989

Space exploration with and without the aid of vision in hemisphere-damaged patients.

Space exploration carried out under visual control and in its absence (blindfolded condition) was investigated in 20 RBD patients, 10 LBD patients and 20 normal controls with a modified version of Chedru's test (pressing the keys of a keyboard). Conventional tests for visual hemi-inattention permitted to classify RBD patients in a group with visual neglect (RBD VN+) and a group without visual neglect (RBD VN-). On the visual version of the test both RBD groups showed a preference for pressing the keys ipsilateral to the lesion side, but this tendency was more marked in the RBD VN+ group than in any other brain-damaged group. On the tactile version of the test only RBD VN+ patients showed a gradient favouring the pressing of the ipsilateral half of the keyboard. This ipsilateral preference was, however, significantly less marked than that found when the performance was assisted by vision. No relation between neglect in the blindfolded condition and tactile extinction was found. The nature of space exploration in the absence of vision is discussed and the existence of tactile neglect is questioned.

Attention↗
PubMed1989

Attentional shift towards the rightmost stimuli in patients with left visual neglect.

In a search task where four letters were displayed to the right of a central fixation point, right brain-damaged patients with visual neglect showed the fastest response when the target was at the rightmost position and progressively slower responses as it moved towards the center of the display. This finding confirms Kinsbourne's claim that in visual neglect an important role is played by the magnetic attraction that the extreme end of the right structured space exerts on the patient's attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Auditory neglect.

Auditory neglect was investigated in normal controls and in patients with a recent unilateral hemispheric lesion, by requiring them to detect the interruptions that occurred in one ear in a sound delivered through earphones either mono-aurally or binaurally. Control patients accurately detected interruptions. One left brain damaged (LBD) patient missed only once in the ipsilateral ear while seven of the 30 right brain damaged (RBD) patients missed more than one signal in the monoaural test and nine patients did the same in the binaural test. Omissions were always more marked in the left ear and in the binaural test with a significant ear by test interaction. The lesion of these patients was in the parietal lobe (five patients) and the thalamus (four patients). The relation of auditory neglect to auditory extinction was investigated and found to be equivocal, in that there were seven RBD patients who showed extinction, but not neglect and, more importantly, two patients who exhibited the opposite pattern, thus challenging the view that extinction is a minor form of neglect. Also visual and auditory neglect were not consistently correlated, the former being present in nine RBD patients without auditory neglect and the latter in two RBD patients without visual neglect. The finding that in some RBD patients with auditory neglect omissions also occurred, though with less frequency, in the right ear, points to a right hemisphere participation in the deployment of attention not only to the contralateral, but also to the ipsilateral space.

Auditory Perceptual Disorders↗
PubMed1989

Laser radiation and motility patterns of human sperm.

Human sperm were exposed in vitro to laser radiation. An increase in progressive sperm motility was associated with a faster rate of sperm ATP consumption. Computer-assisted analysis of sperm motility confirmed the positive effect of laser irradiation on velocity and linearity of sperm.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1988

The executive and ideational components of apraxia.

Fifty six left brain-damaged (LBD) patients and 38 right brain-damaged (RBD) patients were requested to perform two measures of praxis using the hand ipsilateral to the side of lesion. One task required the accurate imitation of actions made by the examiner and taxed executive abilities; the other task required the patient to pantomime the use of objects that were shown, but not handed, and it also involved an ideational component, i.e., the evocation of gestures. The cut-off point discriminating a normal from a pathological performance was set at the level of the poorest score found in 60 control patients. On both tests apraxia was found to be associated primarily with left brain-damage. However, while on the use of objects test practically only LBD patients failed, on the imitation test there was also a sizeable proportion of RBD patients who showed a mild apraxia. When the performance on the two tests was contrasted, there were as many LBD patients as RBD patients who scored remarkably lower on movement imitation than on pantomiming the use of objects, whereas the opposite dissociation was found almost exclusively in LBD patients. We infer from these data that the left hemisphere dominance for praxis is more marked at the ideational stage and that there is also a minor right hemisphere participation in the control of the executive stage of gesture.

Apraxias↗
PubMed1987

Immunological studies in patients with central nervous system tumors.

Impairment of cell-mediated immunity in patients with primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors has repeatedly been reported but data to demonstrate the underlying immunological defect are not univocal. This report concerns a series of 31 patients harboring a glioma in which we studied: peripheral blood T-lymphocyte subpopulations by monoclonal antibody analysis; cellular responsiveness to mitogens; serum immunoglobulin values. The same parameters were also evaluated in 7 cases of intracranial meningioma and in 8 patients affected by non-proliferative, non-inflammatory CNS diseases. Thirty age-matched healthy volunteers formed the control group. Neither impairment of T-cells as regard to number, responsiveness and subsets, nor abnormal Ig values were found in these groups. However two patients, harboring respectively a third ventricle low grade astrocytoma and an anterior callosal glioblastoma, presented a striking T-cells impairment. These findings might suggest a correlation between hypothalamus and immune system, as already postulated by several previous experimental and clinical studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Effects of FCE20700, a new PGE2 derivative, on gastric acid secretion and cytoprotective processes in man.

The pharmacodynamic effects of FCE20700, a new PGE2 derivative, have been investigated in 6 healthy volunteers given single intragastric (i.g.) and intraduodenal (i.d.) doses of 1 and 2 mg and placebo, according to a double-blind, within-subjects design. For 30-270 min following i.g. administration the effect of FCE20700 on peptone-stimulated gastric acid secretion (AS) was assessed by i.g. titration, and serum gastrin (G) levels were also determined. For the same period after i.d. dosing the effect of the compound on pentagastrin-stimulated AS and on mucoproteins and bicarbonate content in the gastric juice was measured. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate and possible side-effects were monitored. Following i.g. administration there was a moderate, dose-related, significant inhibition of AS; significant inhibition of G levels was observed only after the highest dose. After i.d. administration there was a very modest though dose-related and significant inhibition of AS; a brief maximal increase in mucoproteins and in bicarbonate levels was apparent after the 1 mg dose. After i.d. but not after i.g. administration of 2 mg there was a modest but significant decrease in BP. No side-effects of clinical relevance were reported. The results appear to suggest a major activity of FCE20700 on cytoprotection rather than in inhibiting gastric acid secretion. The observed change in BP may indicate that after i.d. administration there will be some systemic effects of FCE20700.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of kallikrein on the male reproductive system and its use in the treatment of idiopathic oligozoospermia with impaired motility.

A single-blind study on the effects of kallikrein in idiopathic oligozoospermia was carried out. 8 of the 16 patients admitted to the trial were treated with kallikrein 100 K.U. t.i.d., the remaining patients received vitamin E 100 mg t.i.d. Treatment lasted 120 days in both groups. Kallikrein led to an increase in sperm concentration, total sperm count and sperm penetration capacity. Patients receiving vitamin E failed to show any improvement. It is postulated that the increase in sperm concentration could be explained by the positive action of kallikrein on spermatogenesis, due to a stimulatory effect of the drug directly on the Sertoli cell function and on the circulation in the vascular system of the testis.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Primary gastric lymphoma: a review of 45 cases.

Primary gastric lymphoma accounts for about 2% of gastric neoplasms. The prognosis of patients affected with non-Hodgkin's gastric lymphoma appears better than for other lymphatic sites. In a retrospective study, the authors have analyzed 45 patients, by evaluating the histopathologic characteristics and relative prognostic factors. The main factors significantly influencing 5-yr survival are: serosal penetration (31.17% vs. 71.2%, P less than 0.05), regional lymph node involvement (53.07% vs. 68%), and clinical stage of disease (IE: 85.6%, IVE:10%, P less than 0.001). The histologic characteristics, the high or low grade of malignancy, and patient age can also be considered important prognostic factors, but not statistically significant in our series of cases. Comparison between overall survival and disease-free survival of patients in stages IE and IIE who underwent surgery alone, with those who had chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy after surgery shows a higher survival (85.6%) of the group who had combined treatments, even though this difference is not statistically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Long-lasting prolactin-lowering effect of cabergoline, a new dopamine agonist, in hyperprolactinemic patients.

The new long-acting ergoline derivative cabergoline was given orally in a single dose of 300 micrograms to 15 hyperprolactinemic patients (including 4 acromegalic patients, 2 of whom were dopamine responsive). Serum PRL and GH levels were determined before and 3, 4, and 6 h and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days after treatment. A control test with a single oral dose of 2.5 mg bromocriptine was also performed; serum PRL and GH levels were measured at the same time intervals for 2 days. Cabergoline induced a marked fall in serum PRL which began within 3 h and continued for 7 days. The maximal decrease ranged between -49.2% and -55.2% and occurred after 2-5 days. This maximal effect was only slightly less than that 6 h after bromocriptine treatment (-63.8%). After cabergoline treatment, serum GH levels did not change significantly in either nonacromegalic or acromegalic patients, whereas the two dopamine-responsive acromegalic patients had a marked GH fall after bromocriptine. A moderate blood pressure decrease, more evident in the standing position, occurred after both cabergoline and bromocriptine treatments. The only symptomatic side-effect was orthostatic hypotension after cabergoline in an elderly woman. These data indicate that cabergoline has potent and prolonged dopaminergic activity and may prove suitable for once weekly treatment of hyperprolactinemic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Lack of effect of deflazacort, a novel glucocorticoid, on basal and TRH-stimulated prolactin and thyrotropin levels in healthy subjects.

The possible relationship between cortisol inhibition induced by deflazacort, a new glucocorticoid, and impairment of prolactin (PRL) and thyrotropin (TSH) secretion in healthy volunteers has been investigated. In 8 healthy subjects deflazacort pretreatment partly inhibited cortisol secretion but did not affect basal or TRH-stimulated secretion of PRL and TSH in comparison to placebo. After dexamethasone, there was the anticipated complete suppression of cortisol secretion, no change in PRL secretion, either in basal conditions or after TRH, and significant inhibition of the TSH response to TRH. No significant change in GH, aldosterone or renin secretion was observed after deflazacort or dexamethasone.

Adult↗