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Biomedical subjects

G Rosati

Publications and source records attributed to G Rosati.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The frequency of multiple sclerosis in Italy: a descriptive study in Ferrara.

Results of intensive prevalence surveys on multiple sclerosis carried out in different small regions of Italy have suggested that this country falls into the high-frequency zone for the disease. To verify this hypothesis by studying a large population, we conducted intensive incidence and prevalence survey in the province of Ferrara, northern Italy (mean population, 386,000). Based on 128 patients, the mean incidence per year for the period 1965 through 1979 was 2.2 cases per 100,000. On October 24, 1981, the prevalence rate was 46.1 cases per 100,000. The results support the view that northern Italy is a high-risk area for multiple sclerosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The immediate and short-term effects of corticosteroids on cholinergic hyperreactivity and pulmonary function in subjects with well-controlled asthma.

We investigated the immediate effect of corticosteroids on pulmonary function (FEV1 and forced expiratory flow measured between 25% and 75% of vital capacity) and methacholine airway reactivity during a period of 8 hours after an intravenous bolus of 6-methyl-prednisolone (1 mg/kg) or saline placebo administered in a double-blind, crossover schedule in 12 patients with well-controlled asthma. The short-term effect of corticosteroids was also studied with bronchial reactivity to methacholine and pulmonary function measured before and at the end of 8 days of 6-methyl-prednisolone therapy (32 mg once a day, orally) in a group of six treated subjects as well as in a control group. There were no immediate or short-term effects from 6-methyl-prednisolone on bronchial response to inhaled methacholine. After 8 days of corticosteroid administration, forced expiratory flow measured between 25% and 75% of vital capacity significantly increased in the treated group (p less than 0.025). We concluded that "primary hyperreactivity" appears to be insensitive to an intravenous bolus or 8 days of treatment with oral corticosteroids and that the improvement in respiratory function is slight and slowly evolving in subjects with well-controlled asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Alexia without agraphia: a study of a case of verbal alexia without accompanying colour-naming defect.

A 47-year-old man developed a persistent form of alexia without agraphia as the result of a haemorrhagic intracerebral lesion in the left inferior temporo-occipital region, due to the rupture of an arteriovenous malformation. Surgical evacuation of the haematoma and excision of the malformation did not produce any modification of the reading deficit, which remained unchanged during a 4-year follow-up. The reading deficit was restricted to words and the patient was able to read only letter-by-letter, so that the whole words were reconstructed from the auditory names of the letters. So far, the disconnection explanation is the standard explanation of alexia without agraphia and the present case of verbal alexia may be regarded as being within this overall category. However, this explanation meets with unanswered questions that suggest more flexible interpretations. Neurolinguistic studies have questioned the unique character of alexia without agraphia as a clinical entity and, in contrast to the disconnection hypothesis, support the notion that the different varieties of alexia that are traditionally described represent distinctive syndromes, each with its own clinical features and pathophysiological basis. In this context, the reading properties in this case seem fully compatible with a deficit of the visual word-form system postulated by Warrington and Shallice, that is, the relatively early stage of the reading process through which a word-form or equivalent unit is attained. This system might be lateralized to the left hemisphere, as suggested by the fact that this case, like other cases of verbal alexia, had sustained damage to the left hemisphere and did not show any differential preservation of the reading of concrete words.

Brain↗
PubMed1984

Posterior interosseous nerve palsy. Report of three unusual cases.

Three unusual cases of posterior interosseous nerve palsy involving an entrapment mechanism are described. The findings in these three cases seem to support the view that PIN entrapment usually results from interaction of exogenous factors (occupation, pregnancy, compression during sleep, etc.) with anatomical anomalies at the level of the supinator brevis muscle.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Pure "aphasic" agraphia due to damage of the left superior parietal lobule.

A case of pure agraphia, due to an ischaemic lesion of the left superior parietal lobule, is reported. The neuropsychological analysis of writing performances suggests an aphasic nature of this patient's pure agraphia. The authors discuss the role played by diffuse and/or localized brain lesions in writing function, emphasizing that the left superior parietal lobule in man may be crucial for the sensorimotor linguistic integration needed for writing.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Static vestibulospinal influences in relation to different body tilts in man.

In this study, H-reflex testing was used to identify possible static vestibular influences on soleus alpha motoneuron excitability in man in relation to different body tilts. Ten normal adult volunteers and one labyrinthine-defective patient were tested in an experimental situation designed to minimize all afferent inputs except the vestibular ones. Each subject was fixed to a rigid platform inclinable from the horizontal (0 degree) to the vertical (90 degrees) position and vice versa. On each subject, 10 consecutive H reflexes were recorded for each of the following positions: 0 degree, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, 90 degrees and 90 degrees, 75 degrees, 60 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, 15 degrees, 0 degree. In all normal subjects, we observed a significant increase in amplitude of the H reflex as the body was tilted from horizontal to vertical, and a significant decrease when the body was returned to the original position. These progressive changes in spinal motoneuron excitability were linearly related to the tilt angles. By contrast, no significant change in H-reflex amplitude was observed in the labyrinthine-defective patient. These results would seem to indicate that the vestibular system exerts some influences on antigravity muscles in static tilts and that these influences are behaviorally adequate to provide for the postural stability.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A descriptive study of epilepsy in the district of Copparo, Italy, 1964-1978.

Worldwide investigation of the epidemiology of epilepsy has suggested wide variations in the frequency of convulsive disorders. However, descriptive studies in general populations cannot be completely comparable because of a remarkable methodological dishomogeneity in definition of epilepsy, classification of seizures, and ascertainment, collection, and selection of the cases. The position with regard to the Mediterranean people was still little known, and the few studies presently available from Italy offer underestimates of epilepsy frequency owing to incompleteness in case-collection practices and lack of information about the incidence of the disease. Therefore, to verify the true frequency of epilepsy in our country, we performed a community-based epidemiologic study of convulsive disorders in the district of Copparo (population 45,153) in northern Italy. Based on 278 accepted cases with "active" epilepsy, the prevalence per 1,000 population on December 31, 1978, was 6.2 (6.4 if standardized to the Italian population). The average annual incidence for the period 1964 through 1978 was 33.1 per 100,000 (38.3 if standardized). These results, similar to those found in other Western countries, support the view that the frequency of epilepsy in Italy as a whole is higher than that indicated by the Italian studies previously published, and suggest that epilepsy is evenly distributed in Europe and the United States. Antecedents which could be considered potential causes of epilepsy were found in 39.6%, and in 39.1% of the prevalence and incidence cases, respectively; for both prevalence and incidence groups, perinatal brain injuries were the most frequent event. This high proportion of epileptic cases with underlying causes emphasizes the urgency of planning precautionary measures in Italy to improve prenatal and perinatal medical care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

The frequency of multiple sclerosis in Mediterranean Europe. An incidence and prevalence study in Barbagia, Sardinia, insular Italy.

Recent investigations on multiple sclerosis (MS) distribution in Italy, based on relatively small population groups, contradict the current thesis, derived from studies undertaken in populations exceeding 300,000, of a lower spreading of the disease in Mediterranean Europe. Intensive surveys on small populations strengthen the suggestion that Italy is a high-risk area, although MS studies based on prevalence rather than incidence could also be biased by geographic variables making prevalence unsuitable for comparing MS prevalence rates found in different years and/or zones. We report a further epidemiologic study in Barbagia, Sardinia, insular Italy, undertaken both to establish the MS incidence in the last 20 years, and to estimate a new prevalence rate. Based on 31 probable incident cases, the mean incidence per year for the years 1961-1980 was 2.9 per 100,000 (3.2 if age- and sex-standardized to the Italian population). On October 24, 1981, the prevalence per 100,000 was 65.3 (77.9 if standardized to the Italian population). These results confirm that in Barbagia, MS occurs more frequently than expected in a Mediterranean area, and give further support to the idea that MS frequency in Italy is similar to that established for most central and northern European countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Clinical and audiological findings in a case of auditory agnosia.

A case is reported of severe agnosia for verbal and non-verbal sounds without associated aphasic disorder. A CT scan revealed bilateral, temporal lobe lesions from two ischaemic accidents that had occurred 9 months apart. The search for subtle deficits in the patient showed normal sensitivity to changes in the intensity and frequency of simple sounds; in contrast, his ability to discriminate sound duration and musical note sequences was severely impaired. The simultaneous recording of the whole auditory-evoked response pattern revealed no abnormality in the early components, which reflect the activation of the auditory nuclei and pathways of the brain stem. However, the middle and late components were delayed and slowed. These results and others in the literature suggest that the neocortex in man, as in other mammals, plays an essential role in the temporal aspects of hearing. Also, the two main ingredients commonly recognized in auditory agnosia, i.e. word deafness and the inability to interpret non-verbal sounds, are caused by the disruption of elementary, bilaterally represented cortical functions which start the processing of every kind of auditory information.

Agnosia↗
PubMed1982

Uremic neuropathy: correlations between electroneurographic parameters and serum levels of parathyroid hormone and aluminum.

An electrophysiological investigation on 29 dialysis patients was performed with the aim of verifying whether serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and aluminum (Al) levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of uremic neuropathy. All patients except 1 showed electrophysiological abnormalities. Both PTH and Al levels were found to be significantly correlated with the time on dialysis. On the contrary, the values of each single electroneurographic parameter did not show any correlation with the duration of dialysis, PTH levels and Al levels. The authors conclude that PTH and Al does not seem to play a role in the etiology of uremic neuropathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Italy: a medium- or high-risk area for multiple sclerosis? An epidemiologic study in Barbagia, Sardinia, southern Italy.

Italy is currently regarded as a medium-frequency area for MS. In recent years, however, this opinion has been questioned by many. Current public health organization in Italy is inadequate for epidemiologic search, ad accurate estimates of MS frequency are possible only as a result of intensive surveys of small population groups. To date, seven studies of this sort are available, which are comparable in suggesting that Italy also falls into the high-risk zone for MS. This paper reports the results of a similar survey in Barbagia, Sardinia, Southern Italy. Based on 21 probable MS cases, the prevalence per 100,000 on December 31, 1975, was 407, (48.5 of age-and sex-standardized to the Italian population). This result gives further support to the possibility that Italy is a high-risk area for MS.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1981

[Tactile recognition and cognitive tasks. Preliminary results].

In a basic experiment, a tactual recognition task was given to 28 normal blindfolded subjects. The subject were asked to explore the stimuli with the left or the right hand, and to choose out of 4 cavities the target form. Two cognitive concurrent tasks varied in terms of their verbal (left hemisphere) and non-verbal (right hemisphere) attributes were then given to other two groups of subjects (both of 24 Ss) performing the basic task. A consistent right hemisphere advantage was obtained in experiment I. For the non-verbal condition left hand performance was disrupted as well as for the concurrent verbal task condition. These findings were interpreted in terms of brain lateralisation of cognitive functions. For the "verbal" condition the results suggests that in case of a different task difficulties the normal mode of operation of the hemispheres is one of cooperative interaction, affecting, in this case, the hemisphere doing the processing.

Female↗