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Biomedical subjects

M Ceroni

Publications and source records attributed to M Ceroni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Effect of nitric oxide on lymphocytes from sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients: toxic or protective role?

Markers of oxidative and nitrosative stress have been found in spinal cord, cortex, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal disorder characterised by progressive motor neuron degeneration. In this study, we investigated the effect of the NO-releasing agent, diethylamine NONOate (NONO), on lymphocytes from patients affected by the sporadic form of ALS (SALS) and controls by flow cytometry. In the same experimental conditions we investigated the expression of the antioxidant proteins, Bcl-2 and SOD1. Incubation with NONO induced cell damage in control lymphocytes but did not further damage the already affected untreated SALS lymphocytes. The incubation with NONO induced a time-dependent decrease of Bcl-2 and SOD1 in control lymphocytes. Surprisingly, in SALS lymphocytes the NONO treatment increased the expression of these proteins, which in basal conditions was depressed compared to control lymphocytes.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗
PubMed2005

Postinfectious inflammatory disorders: subgroups based on prospective follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) refers to a monophasic acute multifocal inflammatory CNS disease. However, both relapsing and site-restricted variants, possibly associated with peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement, are also observed, and a systematic classification is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To describe a cohort of postinfectious ADEM patients, to propose a classification based on clinical and instrumental features, and to identify subgroups of patients with different prognostic factors. METHODS: Inpatients of a Neurologic and Infectious Disease Clinic affected by postinfectious CNS syndrome consecutively admitted over 5 years were studied. RESULTS: Of 75 patients enrolled, 60 fulfilled criteria for ADEM after follow-up lasting from 24 months to 7 years. Based on lesion distribution, patients were classified as encephalitis (20%), myelitis (23.3%), encephalomyelitis (13.3%), encephalomyeloradiculoneuritis (26.7%), and myeloradiculoneuritis (16.7%). Thirty patients (50%) had a favorable outcome. Fifteen patients (25%) showed a relapsing course. Poor outcome was related with older age at onset, female gender, elevated CSF proteins, and spinal cord and PNS involvement. All but two patients received high-dose steroids as first-line treatment, with a positive response in 39 (67%). Ten of 19 nonresponders (53%) benefited from high-dose IV immunoglobulin; 9 of 10 had PNS involvement. The data were not controlled. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of "atypical variants" was found in this series, with site-restricted damage or additional peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement. Prognosis and response to steroids were generally good, except for some patient subgroups. In patients with PNS involvement and steroid failure, a favorable effect of IV immunoglobulin was observed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in adult patients with steroid-resistant monophasic or recurrent acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

Randomized Controlled Trials have not let established the best pharmacological management of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM). High dose steroids are usually employed with good results, but in a few cases the clinical outcome is poor. In other patients, particularly those affected by the site restricted ADEM variants (myelitis), the disease shows a recurrent course resembling that of Multiple Sclerosis. We present here five patients, 3 of them affected by classic disseminated encephalomyelitis and 2 by a post infectious myelitis, which showed a good response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) after steroid treatment failure. In our report high dose steroids administration was substantially uneffective in all but one case, who showed a good response only during the first episode. On the contrary IVIg injection (0,4 gr/kg/day) produced a marked functional improvement in all patients starting within the first five days of drug administration and reaching a maximum within three weeks. One patient experienced a good effect nothwithstanding a steady dysability. In all cases, clinical evidence was supported by MRI controls showing improving posttreatment changes.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

SOD1 activity and protective factors in familial ALS patients with L84F SOD1 mutation.

METHOD: The activity and amount of SOD1 in erythrocyte lysates and the plasma amino acid content were evaluated in four familial ALS patients bearing the L84F SOD1 mutation (fALS), in an asymptomatic family member with the mutation (L84F(5)), in sporadic ALS patients (sALS) and controls. Three of the fALS patients and the L84F(5) subject were tested once a year for three consecutive years. RESULTS: At the first evaluation SOD1 activity was similar in controls, sALS and fALS; the amount of SOD1 protein was lower (P < 0.01) in fALS. In the subsequent 2 years, 34% and 52% decrease of SOD1 activity was recorded in fALS patients. The plasma amino acid pattern did not differ between controls and sALS, whereas fALS patients displayed high levels of plasma aspartate and glutamate. Aspartate was in the normal range but glutamate was still elevated in the subsequent evaluations. The L84F(5) subject had remarkably low levels of aspartate, glutamate and branched-chain amino acids. CONCLUSIONS: The method of measuring mutant SOD1 amount is indirect but the results are indicative of a reduction of mutant SOD1 taking place during fast-worsening phases of the disease. Since the disease onset of fALS patients is 42.8 +/- 11.3 years and the L84F(5) family member is asymptomatic at the age of 66, low levels of excitotoxic and branched-chain amino acids in plasma may constitute a protective factor against disease development.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed2001

New approach to the chemistry of polysulfides using diphosphanylmethanide complexes of manganese(I).

The study of the nucleophilic degradation of S8 by the methanide complex [Mn(CO)4[(PPh2)2CH]] (2) has led to the preparation of a unique class of polysulfide derivatives of formula [(CO)4Mn[(PPh2)2C-Sn-C(PPh2)2]-Mn(CO)4]. The structures of 3 (n = 6), 4 (n = 2), and 7 (n = 1) have been determined by X-ray crystallography, whereas those polysulfides with the sulfur chains S7, S5, S4, and S3 have been detected by spectroscopic methods. The polysulfides with n > 2 lose sulfur spontaneously, a process that can be accelerated by treatment with PPh3 or Na/Hg. Complexes 3, 4, and 7 were protonated at the two methanide carbon atoms to give the cationic dinuclear derivatives [(CO)4Mn[(PPh2)2C(H)-Sn-C(H)-(PPh2)2]Mn(CO)4]2+ (8, n=6; 9, n=2; 10, n = 1). The 1H NMR spectrum of 9 suggests the existence of intramolecular C-H...S interactions, in agreement with the X-ray structural determination of this complex. By treatment of 4 and 7 with one equivalent of HBF4 it is possible to selectively protonate just one methanide carbon atom, which allows the isolation of the mixed cationic derivatives R(CO)4Mn[(PPh2)2C(H)-Sn-C(PPh2)2]Mn(CO)4]+ (11, n = 2; 6, n = 1). Additionally, heterometallic complexes containing a bridging disulfide unit, of general formula [(CO)4Mn[(PPh2)2C(AuPPh3)S-SC-(AuPPh3)(PPh2)2]Mn(CO)4]2+ (12) and [(CO)4Mn[(PPh2)2C(H)S-SC(AuPPh3)-(PPh2)2]Mn(CO)4]+ (13), were prepared by reaction of 4 and 11, respectively, with [AuCl(PPh3)] in the presence of TlPF6.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed2001

Dejerine's syndrome or Spiller's syndrome?

We report the difference existing between two clinical syndromes: Spiller's syndrome is caused by a complete involvement of the medial hemimedulla, while Déjérine's syndrome is determined by lesions restricted to the anterior portion of the medial hemimedulla and is characterized by hypoglossal nerve palsy and contralateral hemiparesis.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Migraine with aura and white matter abnormalities: Notch3 mutation.

The authors report on an Italian family with eight affected members who show autosomal dominant migraine with prolonged visual, sensory, motor, and aphasic aura. These symptoms are associated with white matter abnormalities on brain MRI. All living affected members carry a Notch3 mutation (Arg153Cys) previously reported in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). White matter abnormalities occur in a variable percentage of the general migraine population; CADASIL should be suspected in migraineurs with prolonged atypical aura and white matter abnormalities.

Brain↗
PubMed2000

Oral self-mutilation in a patient with rhombencephalosynapsys.

Rhombencephalosynapsis (RS) is a rare cerebellar malformation. Its essential features are the absence of the incisura cerebelli posterior, fusion of the cerebellar hemispheres, the absence of the velum medullare anterius and nuclei fastigii, and fusion of the dentate nuclei, which are shifted towards the mid-line. Clinically, affected patients present with signs of cerebellar and motor disturbances. The present report describes a new patient affected by RS. The subject first presented at the age of 22 years because of a psychiatric symptomatology which was characterized by obsessive oral self-mutilation associated with an intellectual disability. Objective evaluation documented dysmorphic features, while neurological examination showed only a slight truncal ataxia. The subject's IQ was 74 on the Wechsler Scale (verbal IQ = 79, performance IQ = 74). Psychiatric evaluation with DSM-IV criteria documented an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder associated with emotional instability and oral self-mutilation. The typical picture of rhombencephalosynapsis was evident on magnetic resonance imaging. Both chromosomal analysis and routine biochemical investigations were normal. The relationship between oral self-injurious behaviour and cerebellar malformations is discussed with particular regard to the behavioural aspects of cerebellar congenital pathology in affective disorders and in autism.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Clustering of ALS patients in central Italy due to the occurrence of the L84F SOD1 gene mutation.

OBJECTIVE: To study three new apparently unrelated Italian families with ALS and several sporadic ALS patients living in the same rural area. BACKGROUND: One Italian family with ALS carrying a superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutation (G41S) and no regional ALS clustering has been reported in Italy. METHODS: Genetic analysis was performed by automated and manual sequencing of the SOD1 gene in 13 family members and in 6 of 10 unrelated patients with sporadic cases of ALS living in the same area. The authors also determined SOD1 activity in erythrocytes and lymphocytes. RESULTS: The three families included a total of 28 affected members distributed over six generations. Despite a wide variability in age at onset and disease duration, the clinical pattern is uniform, with onset in the lower limbs, ascending progression, and predominant lower motor neuron involvement in all subjects. Generational anticipation is evident in the last two generations. All familial ALS patients and one of the six sporadic patients carry the same L84F missense point mutation in exon 4 of the SOD1 gene. SOD1 enzyme activity and SOD1 protein levels were not decreased significantly in the L84F patients. CONCLUSION: The ALS patients carrying the L84F mutation derive from a common ancestor. This mutation is responsible for ALS clustering in the area. The L84F mutation does not modify SOD1-specific activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Heterogeneous distribution of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients with SOD-1 gene mutations: preliminary data on an Italian survey.

We report the absence of superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) gene mutations in 30 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) including individuals with a confirmed family history of ALS (familial ALS/FALS), ALS with an unclear family history (UFALS) and sporadic ALS (SALS). Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequence analysis of the 5 SOD-1 gene exons were undertaken to improve the accuracy of the mutation detection. Our preliminary data appear to diverge from the results of studies by other groups using different populations. We discuss the possible reasons for this disparity and the apparent heterogeneous distribution of ALS with SOD-1 gene mutations among different ethnic groups.

Adult↗