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Biomedical subjects

L Bergamini

Publications and source records attributed to L Bergamini.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Cerebral lesions in patients with ovarian cancer].

The Authors report the appearance of Central Nervous System lesions in three patients previously treated for ovarian carcinoma. In one case (Stage 1) the histological sample found a glioblastoma, in the others (Stage 3) the lesion was the metastases after systemic diffusion of the primary carcinoma. CNS metastases are rare and more frequently occur in advanced ovarian carcinoma. In patients at Stage 1, CNS isolated lesions may be primary tumors.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Stretch reflex of quadriceps femoris in normal man: methodological considerations and normative data.

Short- and long-latency responses to stretching have been evoked in various muscles in the healthy subject. The quadriceps femoris, however, has never been investigated in this connection, despite its functional importance. We studied its stretch reflex in 17 healthy subjects with a torque motor to determine its morphological features in relation to the level of background EMG activity, the stretching velocity and duration and the instructions given to the subject. Two bursts of EMG activity were constantly evoked when the muscle was voluntarily activated. Response magnitude was proportional to the background activity and displacement velocity. Short stretching evoked only one EMG burst. These findings are similar to those from other muscles. Intra-individual variability was evaluated repeating the experiment in the same session without changing position of the electrodes, and then after two months. The long-latency response showed a good intra-individual reproducibility.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Dermoid cyst associated with planocellular carcinoma].

The case of an ovarian mature cystic teratoma with an associated squamous cell carcinoma is described. The patient, in advanced stage, died a few months after surgery, during the treatment by chemo and radiotherapy.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1991

Intrathymic lymphoid cell differentiation in myasthenia gravis: an immunophenotypic study.

Thymocytes express multiple different surface antigens according to their stage of maturation. We studied lymphocyte surface differentiation antigens using direct immunofluorescence technique in the thymus of 20 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 10 controls undergoing cardiac surgery. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated monoclonal antibodies were used to stain thymic cell surface antigens. We found a decrease in the percent expression of CD1, CD5, and CD7 surface antigens and a significant increase of CD20+ cells in myasthenic thymus compared with the controls. The changes in the percent expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8 antigens were not significant. These data suggest both the decrease in the immunophenotypes corresponding to cortical thymocytes (probably reflecting the cortical atrophy of the MG thymus) and the increase of mature B Cells (CD20+), which may participate in an active immune response.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Actuarial analysis of the occurrence of remissions following thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in 400 patients.

The role of thymectomy in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) was analysed in 400 patients affected with generalised MG operated on between 1974-83, and prospectively followed up for five years after surgery. The occurrence of stable remission (SR) (that is, complete clinical drug-free remission that remains stable for all the subsequent follow up) was the endpoint of survival analyses and the distribution of SR time (SRT, that is, the interval from thymectomy to the occurrence of SR) was assessed by actuarial and Cox multivariate analyses. SRT distribution after surgery showed a slow progressive increase of cumulative SR rate that could both be ascribed to a delayed effect of thymectomy as well as reflect the natural history of MG, itself characterised by an increasing probability of spontaneous remission with time. SRT distribution was similar after stratification for all variables studied except when patients without thymoma were stratified for the need for immunosuppressive treatment in addition to thymectomy. Patients without thymoma who did not require additional immunosuppressive therapy (n = 130) had the highest SR rate occurring in the two years after thymectomy, and differed from patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs who showed the highest SR rate five years after surgery. Actuarial analysis has therefore identified a subgroup of patients where SR, occurring in the first years after surgery, is more likely to be ascribed to thymectomy than merely reflect the natural course of the disease.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1991

Familial Alzheimer's disease. Evidences for clinical and genetic heterogeneity.

We report the genealogical, clinical and molecular genetic findings of a new family with autosomal dominant early-onset Alzheimer's disease (FAD) discovered in Torino (Italy). Up to now, the pedigree comprises 1500 members, distributed in 8 generations. 22 patients affected with Alzheimer's disease have been identified. The clinical course of the disease was fairly uniform in all the patients. An high incidence of myoclonic jerks and epileptic seizures was found. Molecular genetic studies showed the presence of positive but nonsignificant lod scores between chromosome 21 anonymous DNA markers and the disease. The data obtained from the Torino family were computed together with those of additional 47 pedigrees, with both early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. A predisposing locus for the disease was found on the pericentromeric region of chromosome 21 only in early-onset FAD pedigrees.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Increased thymocyte differentiation in myasthenia gravis: a dual-color immunofluorescence phenotypic analysis.

Thymocytes express multiple, different surface antigens according to their stage of maturation. Surface differentiation antigens have been studied with the technique of simultaneous dual-color, direct immunofluorescence in the thymuses of 20 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 10 control subjects with cardiac diseases. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated and phycoerythrin-conjugated monoclonal antibodies were used to stain thymic cell suspensions. A significant decrease in the percentage of immature and common thymocyte phenotypes (CD1+,3+ and CD4+,8+) and a significant increase in the percentage of mature thymocyte phenotypes (CD1-,3+; CD4+,8-; and CD4-,8+) and of B cells (CD20+) were found in MG thymuses compared with controls. These data, indicating an increased availability of mature, fully immunocompetent T and B cells, indirectly suggest the occurrence of an active immune response in MG thymus.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Diazepam binding inhibitor-like immunoreactivity (DBI-LI) in human CSF. Correlations with neurological disorders.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the anxiogenic neuropeptide diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) were determined by radioimmunoassay in 281 patients who underwent evaluation for neurological problems. Serial dilution curves and reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography showed that the immunoreactive material in CSF behaved just as authentic DBI extracted from human brain. Furthermore in the assay there was no evidence of interference from CSF samples deprived of DBI by immunoaffinity. In 82 patients with no evidence of major lesions in the central nervous system, who acted as controls, the CSF DBI content was shown to be age- and sex-related. No correlation was observed with the CSF protein concentration. In patients with different types of dementia, the levels of CSF DBI were significantly increased in a group with normal pressure hydrocephalus. No significant differences were found between Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, or dementia with Parkinson's disease and controls. In non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease the levels of DBI were increased in a subgroup with depressive disturbances whereas no differences was observed in the non-depressed cases. The content of DBI was markedly reduced in 5 cases with olivopontocerebellar atrophy and in 4 with spinocerebellar ataxia. In all the other disorders studied the levels of DBI were similar to or slightly lower (multiple sclerosis) than those of the controls. The origin of DBI in cerebrospinal fluid is uncertain; a number of various possibilities are discussed concerning the proposed role of DBI as modulator of brain GABAergic transmission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

High-dose intravenous methylprednisolone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: clinical-immunologic correlations.

We conducted a double-blind trial of high-dose parenteral 6-methylprednisolone (MP) and placebo on 23 patients with acute MS. After the double-blind trial, the patients were given corticosteroids in gradually decreasing doses. The frequency of improvement was significantly higher and the bout duration significantly lower in the MP group than in the placebo group. The first signs of improvement (3 to 6 days after starting MP) were associated with a marked decrease in the rate of CNS IgG synthesis, but IgG CSF oligoclonal bands did not change. CNS IgG production slowly returned toward baseline despite progressive clinical improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Familial progressive external ophthalmoplegia with multisystem abnormalities: "new" features raising nosological problems.

A 32-year-old female presented with progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) and multisystem abnormalities, strikingly associated with myotonia and muscle hypertrophy. These two features were not found in her brother, who had a complex neuromuscular disorder complicating chronic PEO. In both subjects muscle biopsy revealed "ragged-red" fibres and myofibres containing glycogen granules, which were never bound by membranes. A severe demyelinating neuropathy was revealed by electrophysiological and morphological studies. Cranial CT scan showed extensive demyelination of the cerebral white matter. Genetic studies demonstrated that this familial syndrome is transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Hypokalemic myopathy caused by fluoroprednisolone in a nasal spray. Observations 2 cases].

Reference is made to the picture observed in two patients with flaccid tetraparesis, severe hypopotassaemia, and myoglobinuric muscle necrosis (hypokalaemic myopathy). Recent onset of hypertension was a feature of both cases. Initially, however, no reason could be assigned for this, nor for the massive loss of potassium. Numerous investigations in the first case (and relatively quick verification in the second) incriminated a steroid, 9-alpha-fluoroprednisolone acetate, in a nasal spray. This has often been reported as the cause of an iatrogenic syndrome due to excess of mineral corticoids, with hypertension, hypokalaemia and alkalosis, suppression of plasma renin activity, and reduction of blood and urinary aldosterone, all of which were observed in these two patients. Withdrawal of the drug and treatment with potassium chloride led to relatively rapid normalisation of the serum electrolytes. Recovery of muscle strength took place after about 20 days, almost at the same time as the normalisation of muscle enzymes. Hypertension, on the other hand, regressed slowly. The nexus between chronic use of the spray and the occurrence of hypokalaemic muscle necrosis is examined in detail. Stress is laid on the importance of specific investigation of the prior use of intranasal steroids in the differentiation of muscle disturbances due to potassium depletion.

Administration, Intranasal↗