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Biomedical subjects

M Rosselli

Publications and source records attributed to M Rosselli.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

A comparative analysis of functional status among Spanish- and English-speaking patients with dementia.

The assessment of functional capacity is regarded as an important part of a comprehensive diagnostic work-up for dementia. However, there is a paucity of data regarding comparative functional performance among different ethnic/cultural groups. In this study, we compared Spanish- and English-speaking dementia patients and normal controls on a comprehensive functional assessment battery administered within the clinical setting. Despite equivalent levels of cognitive impairment, Spanish-speaking dementia patients evidenced more difficulties on certain functional tasks relative to their English-speaking counterparts. On the other hand, Spanish- and English-speaking controls did not differ with regards to their functional performance. Results suggest that the extent of deterioration in specific functional subskills may be related to the degree to which they have been overlearned and practiced. Further, they indicate the potential utility of direct functional assessment in both Spanish- and English-speaking populations.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Developmental regulation of Sertoli cell aromatase activity and plasminogen activator production by hormones, retinoids and the testicular paracrine factor, PModS.

Testicular peritubular cells produce a paracrine factor termed PModS that has dramatic effects on Sertoli cell function in vitro. The current study was designed to examine the actions of PModS and hormones on Sertoli cell aromatase activity and plasminogen activator production at various stages of pubertal development. Sertoli cells were isolated from 10-, 20-, and 35-day-old rats (ages correspond to prepubertal, midpubertal, and late-pubertal stages of development). Aromatase activity was found to be high and hormone-responsive in prepubertal Sertoli cells and to decline and be nonresponsive to hormones in late-pubertal Sertoli cells. FSH was the only hormone found to influence aromatase activity and estrogen production. PModS alone was not found to affect aromatase activity at any of the developmental stages examined. Interestingly, PModS was found to suppress the ability of FSH to stimulate aromatase activity and estrogen production in midpubertal Sertoli cells. Results imply that PModS may promote Sertoli cell differentiation to a more adult stage of development that is less responsive to FSH in stimulating aromatase activity. In contrast to aromatase activity, plasminogen activator production was found to increase during pubertal development. Production of Sertoli cell tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPa) was stimulated by FSH at each of the developmental stages examined, whereas production of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPa) was influenced by FSH only in prepubertal Sertoli cells. Insulin also stimulated uPa and tPa production by prepubertal Sertoli cells, and retinol significantly suppressed uPa production and the ability of FSH to stimulate tPa production by midpubertal Sertoli cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Cell-cell interactions and the regulation of testis function.

Regulatory interactions have been shown to occur between all the testicular cell types considered. The paracrine factors mediating these interactions generally influence either cellular growth or differentiation. The regulation of cellular growth is essential in the developing testis and is required for the maintenance of spermatogenesis in the adult testis. The rapid rate of germinal cell proliferation and the continuous but slowed growth of the peritubular cells and Leydig cells requires the presence of specific growth factors in the adult. Therefore, cell-cell interactions have evolved that involve growth factors such as IGF, TGF-alpha, TGF-beta and NGF. Other growth factors such as FGF or less characterized components like the seminiferous growth factor (SGF) also may be involved in the paracrine regulation of testis cell growth. An alternate cellular parameter to cell growth to consider is the regulation of cellular function and differentiation. A number of endocrine agents and locally produced paracrine factors have been shown to control and maintain testis cell function and differentiation. Cell-cell interactions mediated by factors such as androgens, POMC peptides, and PModS are all primarily directed at the regulation of cellular differentiation. Therefore, the agents which mediate cell-cell interactions in the testis can generally be categorized into factors that regulate cell growth or those which influence cellular differentiation. The specific cell-cell interactions identified will likely be the first of a large number of cellular interactions yet to be investigated. Although a number of potentially important cell-cell interactions have been identified, future research will require the elucidation of the in vivo physiological significance of these interactions. The existence of different cell types and potential cell-cell interactions in a tissue implies that the actions of an endocrine agent on a tissue will not simply involve a single hormone and single cell. The endocrine regulation of testis function will have effects on cell-cell interactions and be affected by local cell-cell interactions. The ability of LH to influence Leydig cell androgen production promotes a cascade of interactions mediated through several cell types to maintain the process of spermatogenesis. FSH actions on Sertoli cells also promote cell-cell interactions that influence germinal cell development, peritubular myoid cell differentiation and Leydig cell function. Therefore, elucidation of the endocrine regulation of testis function requires an understanding of the local cell-cell interactions in the testis.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Actions of the testicular paracrine factor (P-Mod-S) on Sertoli cell transferrin secretion throughout pubertal development.

Peritubular cells that surround the seminiferous tubules have been shown to produce a paracrine factor, termed P-Mod-S, that has dramatic effects on Sertoli cell function in vitro and is postulated to be important in the control of testicular function. The current study was designed to determine whether P-Mod-S has the ability to regulate Sertoli cell function during pubertal development. Sertoli cells were isolated from 10-, 20-, and 35-day-old rats which correspond to the prepubertal, mid-pubertal, and late pubertal stages of development. Histochemical analysis of cultured cells isolated from each age group was performed to establish the purity of the cell populations used. Testicular transferrin production by Sertoli cells was used as a marker of cellular differentiation. Basal production of transferrin by the cultured cells was found to increase during the pubertal period. P-Mod-S stimulated transferrin production by Sertoli cells isolated from 10-, 20-, and 35-day-old rats. FSH appears to enhance the ability of Sertoli cells to respond to P-Mod-S with cells obtained from 10-day-old rats. Sertoli cells from 35-day-old rats were nonresponsive to regulatory agents such as FSH. P-Mod-S alone, however, significantly stimulated transferrin production by Sertoli cells from this more adult stage of development. P-Mod-S was the only individual regulatory agent tested that could stimulate transferrin production by Sertoli cells from 35-day-old rats. Results indicate that P-Mod-S has the ability to regulate Sertoli cell function throughout pubertal development. Observations suggest that P-Mod-S and FSH may act together in the prepubertal testis to promote Sertoli cell differentiation and that P-Mod-S may act in the adult testis to maintain optimal Sertoli cell function and differentiation.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Neuropsychological deficits in chronic cocaine abusers.

A basic neuropsychological assessment battery was given to thirty-seven chronic freebase cocaine ("crack") abusers. The following tests were used: Wechsler Memory Scale (Wechsler, 1945), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (Osterrieth, 1944) (copy and immediate reproduction), Verbal Fluency (semantic and phonologic), Boston Naming Test (Goodglass, Kaplan, & Weintrab, 1983), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (Heaton, 1981) and Digit-symbol from the WISC (Wechsler, 1974). In general, performance was lower than expected according to their age and educational level. Subjects showed significant impairment in short-term verbal memory and attention subtests. Neuropsychological test scores were correlated with lifetime amount of cocaine used, suggesting a direct relationship between cocaine abuse and cognitive impairment. A pattern of cognitive decline is proposed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Neuropsychological assessment in illiterates. II. Language and praxic abilities.

A basic neuropsychological examination of language and praxic abilities was administered to extreme educational groups (100 illiterates and 100 professionals). Subjects were matched according to sex and age (16-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55, and 56-65). The following tasks were included: language comprehension, phonological discrimination, naming (objects, figures, and body parts), repetition of words, verbal fluency, calculation, buccofacial and ideomotor praxis, finger alternating movements, meaningless movements, cancellation task, coordinated movements with both hands, and motor impersistence tasks. All the differences between the two educational groups were statistically significant. Two of the eight language tests (phonological discrimination and naming figures) and three of the seven praxic tests (buccofacial praxis, coordinated movements, and cancellation task) showed differences between age groups with a better performance in the younger groups. Calculation tasks and ideomotor praxis showed differences between sexes with a better performance in males. Influence of educational factors in performing routine neuropsychological tests is analyzed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Normative data on the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination in a Spanish-speaking population.

Normative data of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (Goodglass & Kaplan, 1972) in a Spanish-speaking population is presented. This test was given to 180 neurologically normal adults grouped according to three variables: sex, age, and educational level. The statistically significant differences found are presented. Few differences appeared between sexes, but there were marked differences among the different age groups and in particular among educational levels. A correction to the scoring is proposed for each of the subtests according the patient's educational level.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Is there a cognitive marker in major depression?

The purpose of this study was to compare adolescents' response pattern on specific visual tasks during acute and recovered states of depression. Twenty-three inpatient adolescents with unipolar depression were tested before and four weeks after treatment. Twenty control subjects matched in age, sex, handedness, and intelligence were tested at similar intervals. Measures included four visual spatial tasks: the Gestalt Street Completion Test, the Judgment of Line Orientation, the Hooper Visual Organization Test and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure. Overall, the results indicated that depressed adolescents performed significantly more poorly than controls in all four measures during both pre-and posttest conditions. They demonstrated greatest difficulty in measures of Gestalt Closure and Judgment of Line Orientation. However, the Gestalt Closure task was the only one to be correlated to severity of depression. These findings are discussed in the light of previous research suggesting a right hemisphere dysfunction and the existence of a cognitive marker in affective disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effects of cultural background and education on handedness.

A 5-item handedness questionnaire was given to 317 subjects in four different groups: (1) 51 Tucano (Amazonian jungle) adolescents (36 male, 15 female); (2) 66 Spanish-speaking adolescents (43 male, 23 female) with similar age and educational background to the Tucano group; (3) 100 urban subjects (50 male, 50 female) with a low educational level; and (4) 100 urban subjects (50 male, 50 female) with a high level of education. Hand preference scores were not affected by sex or educational level. The incidence of left-handedness was lower in the Tucano group than in the other groups, despite the fact that the Tucano culture is a highly permissive one. The two rural groups showed less extreme hand preferences than the urban groups, and the Tucano in particular were less likely to indicate extreme hand preferences on any of the items. These results indicate significant effects of culture and environment on declared hand preference, and may be pertinent to recent discussions of cerebral organization in illiterates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Calculation deficits in patients with right and left hemisphere damage.

Calculation abilities were studied in 41 left and 21 right hemisphere damaged patients. Their results were compared with a normal group matched by age, sex and educational level. Left hemisphere patients were grouped according to the type of accompanying aphasia. All patient groups presented at least a certain degree of acalculia. However, maximum difficulties were found in retrorolandic left hemisphere patients. Right hemisphere patients, especially retrorolandic patients, also presented impairments in calculation abilities, resulting mainly from spatial defects. Different types of errors were analyzed. Observed errors may be similar, but due to highly different neuropsychological dysfunctioning. Primary and secondary observed defects may be attributed to a diverse array of underlying deficits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Neuropsychological assessment in illiterates: visuospatial and memory abilities.

A basic neuropsychological battery of visuospatial and memory abilities was administered to extreme educational groups (illiterates and professionals). Subjects were matched according to sex and age. The following visuospatial tasks were included: figure copy (cube, house, and Rey-Osterrieth complex figure), telling time, recognition of superimposed figures, recognition of a map, and drawing of the plan of the room. The following memory tasks were used: basic information, digit retention (forward and backward), memory curve, delayed verbal recall, sentence repetition, logical memory, delayed logical memory, immediate recall of the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure, immediate reproduction of a cube, visuospatial memory, and sequential memory. In visuospatial tasks all differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Five of the seven visuospatial tasks (all but telling time and recognition of superimposed figures) showed differences between age groups with a better performance found in the younger groups and four of the tasks (cube, house, Rey-Osterrith complex figure copying, and telling time) were significant between sexes with a better performance in men. In memory tasks, with the exception of the immediate memory of sentences, all tasks showed statistically significant differences between educational groups. Eight of the 13 memory tasks (digits forward and backward, delayed memory of words, immediate and delayed logical memory, Rey-Osterrieth immediate memory, cube immediate memory, and sequential memory) showed significant differences for age while 4 of the tasks (digits backward, memory curve, Rey-Osterrieth immediate memory, and cube immediate memory) were significant for sex. Results are analyzed with regard to current theories in cognitive psychology and anthropology. Emphasis is placed on the finding that cognitive skills usually examined by neuropsychological tests represent learned and highly trained abilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Severe dementia associated with neurocysticercosis.

A severe case of dementia associated with a parenchymous miliar neurocysticercosis in a 15-year-old girl is described. Although there was general cerebral involvement, EEG, neurological and neuropsychological examinations showed a marked decrease in right hemisphere activity. Treatment with Praziquantel reduced the patient's intellectual deterioration, but hydrocephalus developed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Wilson's disease, a reversible dementia: case report.

A case of advanced Wilson's disease with clear dementing features is presented. Neuropsychological evaluation before treatment revealed intellectual deterioration particularly in memory and performance tasks. The patient was treated with Penicillamine, a copper-chelating agent, for 7 months, with notable improvement in her dementia and in her motor signs. A second battery of neuropsychological tests demonstrated the improvement in the mental aspects. These findings support the concept of Wilson's disease being a reversible dementia.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Huntington's disease in Colombia: a neuropsychological analysis.

This is the first publication of the presence of Huntington's disease (HD) in Colombia. We studied four families comprising nine adult HD patients and 45 high risk adult offspring; all received complete physical, neurological and neuropsychological examinations. Among affected individuals, intensity of mental involvement varied in direct proportion with duration of the symptoms. The HD patients and some of the asymptomatic offspring displayed similar low scores on standardized tests of memory, language and constructive abilities. Prolonged follow-up of the latter group will allow assessment of the potential value of such tests for early diagnosis. The sequence followed by mental deterioration is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Topography of the hemi-inattention syndrome.

The hemi-inattention syndrome was studied in 15 right-handed adults, 12 men and 3 women. One patient had a pontic-mesencephalic lesion, 3 had right hemisphere damage, 7 had left-hemisphere lesion and 4 had bilateral lesions. All lesions were confirmed by CT-scan. Different criteria of hemi-inattention were used. All patients presented extinction, inattention and in 13 visuomotor akinesia; 5 of the left and all of the right and bilateral lesion patients presented spatial neglect. CT-scans were superimposed. The posterior parietal region was the most important in producing contralateral hemi-inattention. Results are discussed with relation to the literature and the educational factor and cerebral asymmetry are discussed with regard to hemi-inattention.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Idiopathic aneurysm of the left ventricle. Report of two cases and review of literature (author's transl)].

Two cases of left ventricular aneurysm occurring in young patients (23 and 29 years respectively) are reported. Coronary arteriograms were normal. Pertinent literature was reviewed. About 70 cases of left ventricular aneurysm in patients under 35 years of age have been reported: approximately half of them are congenital. They include both diverticuli of the apex, as a part of a syndrome of congenital defects, and those, much rarer, following myocardial infarction in children with anomalous origin of coronary arteries. A few cases may be attributed to trauma or myocarditis. In 26 patients, including the two reported here, etiology was uncertain (idiopathic aneurysm of the left ventricle) in as much as malformation or an infectious disease might have been the underlying cause.

Adult↗