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S Palazzi

Publications and source records attributed to S Palazzi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Assessment of the association of Kava-Kava extract and hormone replacement therapy in the treatment of postmenopause anxiety].

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is one of the main symptoms in menopause. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the association of Kava-Kava extracts with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and to compare it with HRT alone in the treatment of postmenopausal anxiety. METHODS: Forty women in physiological or surgical menopause for the past 1 to 12 years were enrolled in the study. Patients in physiological menopause were randomly assigned to one of the following protocols: TTS natural estrogens 50 micrograms/day with progestin and Kava-Kava extract at a dose of 100 mg (HRT + K, no. = 13); TTS natural estrogens 50 micrograms/day with progestin and a placebo product (HRT, no. = 9). Patients in surgical menopause were randomly assigned to one of the following protocols: TTS natural estrogens 50 micrograms/day and Kava-Kava extract at a dose of 100 mg (ERT + K, no. = 11); TTS natural estrogens 50 micrograms/day and a placebo product (ERT, no. = 7). Each treatment cycle lasted for 6 months. The outcome of the study was to evaluate changes in the HAMA score. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the HAMA score was observed after 3 and 6 months' treatment in all four groups of women studied. The groups treated with the therapeutic association (HRT + K, ERT + K) showed a greater reduction in the HAMA score compared to patients in the groups treated with hormones alone. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that the association of HRT and Kava-Kava extract may represent an excellent therapeutic tool for the treatment of women in stabilized menopause, in particular those suffering from anxiety and depression, given that Kava-Kava therapy accelerates the resolution of psychological symptoms without diminishing the therapeutic action of estrogens on organic disease, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1995

Evidence of peripheral axonal neuropathy in primary restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a well-defined clinical entity characterized by an unpleasant creeping sensation arising in the legs with an irresistible need to move them. The trouble is more pronounced when the affected people lie in a prolonged rest position and try to fall asleep. It is known that RLS may be consequent to systemic disorders and to diseases affecting the central or peripheral nervous system. The International Classification of Sleep Disorders states that peripheral neuropathy should be ruled out by medical history and clinical grounds before diagnosing primary RLS (pRLS). The present study extended peripheral nerve investigation in eight consecutive pRLS patients with normal neurological examination results and showed that all patients exhibited two or more electrical, psychophysiological, and/or morphological features of peripheral axonal neuropathy. Morphometric analysis of sural nerve showed a significant reduction in myelinated fiber density and g ratio (axon diameter/fiber diameter) in the pRLS group compared with eight control biopsy specimens. These results suggest that axonal neuropathy is often present in patients with RLS. A comprehensive peripheral nerve investigation should be considered in RLS patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Fibrin glue is a sealant and not a nerve barrier.

This experimental work on the internal popliteal nerve of the rabbit was undertaken to clarify whether interposition of a block of 4 mm of fibrin-sealant would form a barrier which stops or interferes with the passage of the axons. Twenty-four adult rabbit tibial nerves were placed in a microclamp, sectioned, and separated 4 mm. The gap between the two nerve ends was filled with fibrin sealant. Eight weeks after the procedure, the animals were sacrificed and the nerves removed. Histologic studies and morphometric longitudinal and transverse examination by image analysis showed that interposition of the block of fibrin sealant between the nerve ends was not a barrier or obstacle to the passage of axons. The use of fibrin sealant is a relatively good experimental model for a chamber of regeneration, because 70 percent of axonal regeneration was obtained.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Snoring and nocturnal oxygen desaturations in an Italian middle-aged male population. Epidemiologic study with an ambulatory device.

Recent studies have suggested that portable monitoring may be a valid means of finding respiratory disturbances in epidemiologic research on a large scale. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate by means of an appropriately validated portable instrument (MESAM 4) the nocturnal oxygen desaturations in a representative sample of adult male population in North Italy. We randomly chose 750 subjects: 399 subjects (53.2 percent) agreed to participate and a complete evaluation of nocturnal recording was possible in 349 subjects (87.5 percent). Seventeen percent of subjects were every-night snorers; a number of oxygen desaturations per hour (ODI) > 10 was found in 13.7 percent, and an ODI > 20 resulted in 4.8 percent. Age, neck circumference corrected for height, snoring time (measured by MESAM), and self-reported snoring were the variables best explaining ODI in our multivariate approach. This study reports the highest prevalence, using nocturnal oxygen desaturation indices as marker, of sleep-disordered breathing than any reported until now in a general population.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Craniofacial cephalometric evaluation in habitual snorers with and without obstructive sleep apnea.

Cephalometry has been used to evaluate soft tissue and craniofacial dimensions in moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA), but rarely in habitual snoring, the preclinical stage of OSA. This study deals with craniofacial bone measurements in a sample of 28 male habitual snorers with and without OSA, and 10 healthy non-snorers. Habitual snorers showed a significant decrease in sagittal dimensions of the cranial base and mandibular bone; there was also a shorter maxilla in group B (apnea plus hypopnea index more than 10) with respect to group A (apnea plus hypopnea index less or equal to 10). Facial height and angle dimensions were not different between snorers and non-snorers. These findings indicate that some habitual snorers may have some anatomic disposition to upper airway obstruction during sleep.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Habitual snoring as a risk factor for acute vascular disease.

We wanted to assess habitual snoring as a credible risk factor for acute vascular disease, mainly stroke and myocardial infarction. The patients selected for the study had been admitted to the hospital through the emergency department, and were evaluated by means of multidimensional interviews and clinical records: 164 had acute cerebrovascular disease, and 136 cardiovascular disease; 330 patients with nonvascular disease were the controls. The evaluation showed 48% of vascular disease patients to be habitual snorers, but only 30% of the controls; the difference was statistically significant. Compared with the controls, in the cerebrovascular patients the risk (odds ratio) associated with habitual snoring was significantly increased, and of the same order as the risk associated with age over 65 yrs, male gender, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidaemia; whilst the risk associated with hypertension was higher. In the cardiovascular patients, the risk associated with habitual snoring was again significantly increased and of the same order as the risk associated with male gender, body mass index > 29 (kg.m-2), dyslipidaemia, heavy smoking, excessive alcohol intake and hypertension. A logistic regression analysis, entering the variables in the following order: age, gender, body mass index, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking, alcohol, hypertension, and habitual snoring, showed that habitual snoring carries a significant risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction, even after adjusting for other factors. Since habitual snoring carries a definite risk for acute vascular disease, we conclude that inquiring about it should become routine practice.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Habitual snoring with and without obstructive sleep apnoea: the importance of cephalometric variables.

BACKGROUND: The obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome is characterised by an increased apnoea-hypopnoea index and a reduction in the minimal arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) values during sleep. The extent to which these variables can be predicted by cephalometric and otorhinolaryngological variables was tested. METHODS: One hundred consecutive habitual snorers (84% male), with a mean (SD) age of 50.1 (10.1) years, were studied. The 45 patients with less severe sleep apnoea, with an apnoea-hypopnoea index of 10 or less (group A), were compared with the 55 with an index above 10 (group B). RESULTS: Body mass index, some cephalometric variables, and some otorhinolaryngological variables differed significantly between group A and group B, in particular the soft tissue measures PNS-P (posterior nasal spine to palate), MP-H (mandibular plane to hyoid bone), degree of oropharynx stenosis, and tongue size. In a multiple regression correlation analysis MP-H, SNB (angle from sella to nasion to subspinale point), SNA (angle from sella to nasion to supramentale point), PAS (posterior airway space), tongue size, and body mass index contributed significantly to the equation explaining the severity of sleep apnoea. Nevertheless, these variables together explained only 33% of the variance of the apnoea-hypopnoea index in the total sample; they were more important for patients with moderate to severe stages of the disease. CONCLUSION: The lack of association between cephalometric variables and mild sleep apnoea suggests that the differences in these variables (soft tissue measures) may be the consequence rather than the cause of habitual snoring and the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[The long-term prognosis of anorexia nervosa: the evaluation of hospital treatment].

The present study is the continuation of a previous programme performed by a mail or phone questionnaire. In this study 18 subjects with anorexia nervosa were submitted to a clinical semi-structured interview, and underwent a medical examination regarding eating habits and Rorschach tests. Clinical results seemed to be quite satisfactory (none died and 84% were greatly improved or had recovered clinically) whereas the psychopathologic aspects were less positive. The authors conclude that complete clinical evaluation can be considered the only safe approach for the understanding of the clinical course.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

A study of the relationship between life events and disturbed self image in adolescents.

The occurrence and subjective importance of a list of life events were determined in 1296 adolescents and compared with the risk of a disturbed self image, as assessed on the basis of Offer's (1981) questionnaire. A disturbed self image was shown by 24.2 per cent of the sample, and it was significantly associated with a reported excess of events (one standard deviation above the mean), and with the reporting of specific classes of events. These included serious disagreement between parents, sudden decrease in family income, serious abuse either within the family or outside the family, and having had an abortion. The events were sorted and ranked by the observed values of their sample frequency, subjective importance, and assessed risk of a disturbed self image. The rarest and subjectively most important events were often associated with a higher risk of a disturbed self image, and the role of reporting such "exceptional" experiences is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Infantile autism and computerized tomography brain-scan findings: specific versus nonspecific abnormalities.

The hypothesis that specific computerized tomography brain-scan findings are associated with infantile autism was tested in 45 cases and 19 controls. The autistic group was subdivided into serious and less-serious language-impaired subgroups. The analysis of Euclidean Distances, a type of cluster analysis, showed that neuroradiological parameters of cases and controls, including ventricular sizes, were on the whole significantly different, but no statistically significant difference appeared between the two autistic subgroups. But the analysis of variance of each neuroradiological parameter did not show any significant difference between autistics and controls. It was concluded that autism is nonspecifically associated with brain-scan abnormalities, and that other nonorganic, as well as organic, factors should be taken into account.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Premenstrual symptoms and psychiatric morbidity in two Italian health care settings.

Epidemiological surveys show that a large number of adult females complain of symptoms related to the menstrual cycle. According to the method proposed by another author, we administered the modified version of the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), 12-item version, to 101 women attending a family planning clinic and to 92 women attending a general practice in two North Italian towns. A very high rate (about 85% of the total sample) of women complained of moderate to severe symptoms during their premenstrual phase and a substantial proportion of women showed some degree of psychiatric ill health. Comparing the premenstrual complainers and the premenstrual non-complainers, the only significant difference found was related to the score on the GHQ. Half the women reported about 5 symptoms, and a cluster analysis identified a group of women complaining of severe symptoms. Implications of these findings for the current discussion on the premenstrual syndrome are discussed.

Adolescent↗