Biomedical subjects

Giuseppe Nappi

Publications and source records attributed to Giuseppe Nappi.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Reproductive life milestones in women with Parkinson's disease.

Reproductive life milestones were studied in 150 unselected women with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and in 300 postmenopausal healthy women (PM). Duration of reproductive life was found to be similar in the two groups. The women with PD reported significantly more premenstrual symptoms, fewer deliveries and abortions, and less use of contraception. Time and mode of menopause onset were similar in PD and PM, but the PD women reported significantly more hot flushes, less insomnia, depression, urinary incontinence and dyspareunia, and less recourse to hormone replacement therapy than the PM women. Women diagnosed with PD before the menopause reported more premenstrual symptoms and contraceptive use compared with those with postmenopausal PD onset, as well as a premenstrual worsening of PD symptoms in more than 50% of cases. Our data indicate poor adaptation of neuronal pathways to the hormonal fluctuations of reproductive life in women with PD, supporting the existence of a qualitative relationship between PD and reproductive events.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease: efficacy in a non-selected population.

This paper presents preliminary results on the efficacy of acetyl-cholinesterase inhibitors (ChE-I) administered in a population of patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD), recruited in the context of an Italian Department of Health supported project (Progetto Cronos). The patients were followed up for a maximum of 21 months. Around 45% of the subjects responded well to the treatment (i.e., stable or improved Mini Mental State) at the end of the 9th month. Thereafter, a global cognitive and functional decline was reported, more marked in basic daily activities. No factors (age, sex, disease duration, family history for AD, cognitive impairment at baseline) emerged as predictors of outcome.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A questionnaire on sleep and mental disorders in Parkinson's disease (QSMDPD): development and application of a new screening tool.

Psychiatric, cognitive and sleep disorders are the most frequent and disabling non-motor complications of Parkinson's disease (PD). To improve the description of sleep and mental disorders in PD patients, we set out to develop a simple and reliable data collection tool (questionnaire) for the screening of large samples of PD patients. The first draft of the questionnaire was administered to a consecutive series of 120 PD patients from the outpatient department of our unit, who were instructed to fill it in with the help of their caregivers. Subsequent drafts of the questionnaire were evaluated together with the patients and their caregivers, until a final, satisfactory version was obtained. This final version was named the Questionnaire on Sleep and Mental Disorders in PD (QSMDPD). This questionnaire--we used the Italian version, named Questionario sui Disturbi del Sonno e Mentali nella Malattia di Parkinson, ODSMMP--consists of 119 questions with multiple-choice answers. The QSMDPD was mailed or handed to 400 PD patients followed at our unit's outpatient department. Three hundred and twenty (80%) were returned to us. A review of these completed questionnaires, conducted by a neurologist together with the patients, showed 90% of them (289) to be complete and to provide reliable data. This high compliance suggests that the QSMDPD is a promising tool for collecting data on sleep and mental disorders in large samples of PD patients. A short version will be administered as a follow-up tool.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Migraine with and without aura: electrophysiological and functional neuroimaging evidence.

The neuropathological processes believed to underlie migraine with and without aura are still widely debated in the literature. In order to arrive at a more detailed and comprehensive picture of the altered processes present in migraineurs, electrophysiological data obtained through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) were combined with haemodynamic data obtained through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Ten subjects affected by migraine (with or without aura) underwent TMS and EEG investigation prior to a visual stimulation task, studied in fMRI. Our preliminary results showed a reduced cortical silent period especially in subjects affected by migraine with aura. The fMRI BOLD response was found to be weaker in occipital areas proportionally to the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. The data obtained from our study seem to support the theory of cortical spreading depression recently observed in human subjects. Moreover, the electrophysiological data were also correlated to migraine attack frequency, thus pointing to elevated cortical excitability between attacks. Better understanding of the neuropathological processes that trigger migraine attacks will help in the selection of more adequate prophylactic therapies. The results of this preliminary study need to be confirmed in a a large sample of subjects.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ictal and interictal hypoactivation of the occipital cortex in migraine with aura. A neuroimaging and electrophysiological study.

In recent studies, several authors have highlighted and studied an altered blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in subjects affected by migraine with aura, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the migraine attack or during the period between two attacks. Using fMRI, we assessed a 27-year-old man affected by migraine with aura at two different times: during the migraine attack, and a fortnight later, in order to look for differences in regional cerebral blood flow after visual stimulation. In addition, during the attack-free period we carried out a series of electrophysiological examinations. Our results demonstrate different activation patterns of the occipital cortex during the asymptomatic period and during the migraine attack. Furthermore, the electrophysiological data obtained demonstrated altered activity due to the patient's disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Secondary cervical dystonia in iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism associated with extensive brain calcifications.

Cervical dystonia (CD) is usually idiopathic, without a known aetiology. Hypoparathyroidism, both primary and secondary, can be associated with brain calcifications and various clinical neurological features. Anecdotal evidence suggests that patients affected by hypoparathyroidism show a rapid-onset oral dyskinesia after use of neuroleptic drugs. We report the case of a 60-year-old woman with CD, iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism and extensive brain calcifications. On the basis of the clinical features and the localization of the brain calcifications we suppose that they may have played a role in the development of this CD. This case may prove to be, after a review of literature, the first report of CD secondary to iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism in a patient with extensive brain calcifications.

Brain Diseases↗