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Biomedical subjects

G Bruno

Publications and source records attributed to G Bruno.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Relation of EEG alpha background to parietal lobe function in Alzheimer's disease as measured by positron emission tomography and psychometry.

Fourteen patients with Alzheimer's disease were evaluated by psychometric testing, fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), and EEG. They were divided into two groups according to the EEG findings. Group A (seven patients) had normal alpha backgrounds and group B (seven patients) had decreased alpha backgrounds. Group A had significantly higher WAIS Performance IQ scores (p = 0.005) than group B. Group A also had higher Weschler Memory Scale scores (p = 0.047) and parietal glucose metabolic rates (p = 0.038) than group B, but these differences are not statistically significant given the multiple comparisons made between the two groups. Relative intactness of parietal lobe function, as measured by psychometric testing and PET, appears to correlate with preservation of EEG alpha background. The EEG may be useful in assessing regional cortical involvement or the clinical stage in Alzheimer's disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

[Diagnostic value of 5'nucleotidase in primary and secondary neoplasms of the liver].

64 patients with various malignant neoplasms (6 primary and 18 secondary liver cancers, 40 tumors without evidence of hepatic involvement) entered a comparative study measuring serum levels of 5'nucleotidase, AFP, TPA, CEA, CA 19-9. In primary liver cancer, 5'nucleotidase true positive rate was 100% (vs 67% of AFP, TPA, CA 19-9 and 33% of CEA); in secondary liver tumors it was 67% (vs 11% of AFP, 44% of CEA, 55% of CA 19-9 100% of TPA). Diagnostic sensitivity was 75% and specificity 90.5%.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1987

Ganzfeld electroretinographic findings in parkinsonism: untreated patients and the effect of levodopa intravenous infusion.

Two groups of patients with primary Parkinsonism were studied with the ganzfeld electroretinogram (ERG): seven patients who had never received dopamimetic agents, and six patients given an infusion of levodopa following a period of medication withdrawal. Patients in the first category had a subtle increase in the latency of their short-wavelength sensitive cone response recorded from the retina ipsilateral to their more symptomatic side. Most patients in the second category demonstrate an improvement in their ERG when the responses recorded following levodopa infusion were compared with baseline responses obtained during the period of medication withdrawal. These results suggest that one role of retinal dopamine may be maintenance of normal retinal responsiveness to flash stimuli.

Electroretinography↗
PubMed1986

Muscarinic agonist therapy of Alzheimer's disease. A clinical trial of RS-86.

Cholinergic projections to the cerebral cortex from certain basal forebrain nuclei degenerate in Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, attempts to alleviate this disorder through the administration of drugs that increase the availability of acetylcholine to postsynaptic receptor sites have generally yielded disappointing results. In an attempt to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of cholinomimetics that act independently of the presynaptic cholinergic terminals, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the muscarinic agonist RS-86 (2-ethyl-8 methyl-2,8 diazospiro [4.5]-decane-1,3-dione hydrobromide) was undertaken. Eight patients with Alzheimer's disease with mild to moderately advanced dementia received RS-86 orally at maximum individually tolerated dose levels for eight days. Although some verbal and visuospatial tests showed slight alterations, no consistent overall change in cognitive performance could be discerned. These results lend further support to the view that short-term administration of cholinomimetic monotherapies may fail in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

GABA-agonist therapy for Alzheimer's disease.

Evidence suggesting a reduction of cerebral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons in Alzheimer's disease has been reported. To evaluate the possible contribution of GABA system dysfunction to the intellectual decline associated with this disorder, a controlled therapeutic trial of a potent and specific GABA agonist, THIP [4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo(5,4,-c)pyridin-3-ol], was undertaken. Six Alzheimer patients with mild to moderately severe dementia and low spinal-fluid GABA levels received THIP at maximum individually tolerated dosage. No significant change in cognitive function could be discerned, despite attainment of dose levels that produced centrally mediated adverse effects similar to those of other GABA agonists. The results support the views that pharmacologic attempts to stimulate central GABA-mediated synaptic function may not confer therapeutic benefit to patients with Alzheimer's disease and that a GABA system deficit may not serve as a critical determinant of the dementia that characterizes this disorder.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1986

Buspirone, Parkinson's disease, and the locus ceruleus.

Buspirone is a novel anxiolytic whose pharmacological profile differs from that of the benzodiazepines and includes dopaminergic agonist effects. Because of these properties, buspirone's usefulness in the management of idiopathic Parkinson's disease was evaluated in a controlled study of 16 outpatients with stage I-IV disease. At doses of 10 to 60 mg/day, no significant group or individual effects could be discerned on standardized disability, dyskinesia, anxiety, or depression scales. At high dose levels (100 mg/day) however, there was a significant worsening of disability ratings and a decrease in dyskinesia scores; anxiety ratings were also significantly increased. The results indicate that buspirone is well tolerated by parkinsonian patients at conventional antianxiety doses of 10 to 40 mg. Clinical effects of high dose treatment, on the other hand, resemble those associated with a reduction in central dopamine mediated synaptic function. Since buspirone reportedly produces dose-dependent stimulation of norepinephrine containing neurons in the locus ceruleus and behavioral symptoms of such activation were observed, these clinical observations support the concept that central noradrenergic stimulation can adversely affect parkinsonian symptoms.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1986

Erythema gyratum perstans: association with a familial neurologic disease.

Two members of the same family with erythema gyratum perstans and hypertrophic neuritis are reported. The dermatosis could be an expression of localization of neuritis to nerva vasorum with abnormal neurovascular response of cutaneous small vessels to normal stimuli with active erythema followed by cyanosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

A multicenter trial of immunotherapy with alginate--conjugated grass pollen extract.

Conjuvac, a new generation of allergen extracts, has been developed to meet the need for improved characterization, purification, and standardization. Conjuvac consists of a dialyzed, standardized aqueous allergen extract chemically conjugated to a sodium alginate carrier and lyophilized in single-dose vials, thus ensuring stability until reconstituted with sterile water just before each injection. A preliminary study of Conjuvac 2 Grass by Pegelow (1984) involving a small number of patients showed this extract to have potential advantages. Accordingly, a study involving more patients was undertaken: two different maintenance dose levels of Conjuvac 2 Grass were investigated and compared to a pyridine-extracted, alum-precipitated two-grass extract called Allpyral, which in previous double-blind trials has been shown to be effective. The trial, which included 125 patients with hay fever and which extended over 2 years, involved ten allergists from seven European countries. Overall, the Conjuvac high-dose regimen proved slightly superior to Allpyral without any increased incidence of side effects, and all treatments stimulated marked increases in specific IgG levels without raising IgE levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Caerulein treatment of Parkinson's disease.

In view of evidence linking cholecystokinin-containing neurons with both dopamine system function and Parkinson's disease pathophysiology, the therapeutic effects of the cholecystokinin analog, caerulein, were evaluated in 10 parkinsonian patients stabilized on L-Dopa therapy. Despite substantially elevated plasma caerulein levels immediately following intramuscular injection of this peptide, no consistent change in neurologic status could be discerned. These negative results may be due to the relatively small amounts of caerulein entering the CNS at dose levels that do not induce gastrointestinal toxicity.

Adult↗