Biomedical subjects

V Gallai

Publications and source records attributed to V Gallai.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1995

Cytokine secretion and eicosanoid production in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients undergoing dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

To demonstrate the influence of n-3 PUFA supplementation on cytokine and eicosanoid production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MS patients (MSP), we investigated the impact of a 6-month dietary supplementation with these fatty acids on the levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the supernatants of stimulated PBMCs and serum soluble IL-2 receptors in a group of 20 relapsing-remitting (R-R) MSP and a group of 15 age-matched control individuals (CI). The production of PGE2 and LTB4 in the stimulated PBMCs was also assessed in patient and control groups supplemented with n-3 PUFAs. In both groups, n-3 PUFA supplementation led to a significant decrease in the levels of IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, and this reduction was more pronounced in the 3rd and 6th month of supplementation. An analogous decrease was observed in the levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma produced by stimulated PBMCs, and in the levels of serum soluble IL-2 receptors. n-3 PUFA supplementation also appeared to significantly affect prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production in PBMCs, both in MSP and the control group. The reduced production of these proinflammatory eicosanoids, and the decrease of some cytokines with an immunohenancing effect as a consequence of n-3 PUFA supplementation, could modulate some immune functions which have been demonstrated to be altered in MSP.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Vasoactive peptide levels in the plasma of young migraine patients with and without aura assessed both interictally and ictally.

We measured, by RIA methods, ictal and interictal levels of substance P (SP), calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) and neurokinin A (NKA) in the plasma of 30 young migraine patients with aura (MPA) and 45 migraine patients without aura (MWA), and compared the results with those of 30 age-matched controls. There were no significant differences between the levels of these vasoactive peptides in the control group and the levels in both migraine groups studied in headache-free periods. An elevation of CGRP levels in plasma was found during attacks in MPA and, to a lesser extent, in MWA (p < 0.03 and p < 0.05, respectively). A significant increase in NKA levels was also demonstrated in the MPA and MWA groups (p < 0.02 and p < 0.04, respectively). These data suggest, although indirectly, that CGRP and NKA could be involved in the pathogenesis of migraine attacks in juvenile migraine patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Applicability of the 1988 IHS criteria to headache patients under the age of 18 years attending 21 Italian headache clinics. Juvenile Headache Collaborative Study Group.

Seven hundred nineteen young patients attending 21 Italian headache care settings were evaluated by a diagnostic headache interview and a neurological examination. Headache disorders were classified according to the current 1988 criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS); 54.9% of the patients suffered from migraine, 33.9% from tension-type headache, 1.9% from secondary headache, and 3.4% had non-classifiable headache. A further 5.9% of the patients were not classified due to incomplete questionnaires. Of the 395 patients with migraine, 44.5% were affected by migraine without aura, 29.9% by migraine with aura, 1.3% from other migraine forms, and 24.3% by migrainous disorders which do not fulfill the 1988 IHS diagnostic criteria for headache. Among the 244 patients with tension-type headache, 51.6% had episodic tension-type headache, 15.2% chronic tension-type headache, and 33.2% headache of the tension-type which does not fulfill the 1988 IHS criteria for episodic and chronic tension-type headache. In young migraine patients, pain was of a pulsating type in 55.7%, severe in 57.8%, unilateral in 42.6%, and aggravated by routine physical activity in 38.9%. Tension-type headache was described as pressing in 73.8%, mild or moderate in 75.7%, bilateral in 87.4%, and not aggravated by routine physical activity in 85.5%. The duration of pain was less than 2 hours in 35% of the cases in migraine sufferers and less than 30 minutes in 26.7% of tension-type headache sufferers. Nausea, phonophobia, and photophobia were present in at least half of the migraine patients and in one third of tension-type headache patients, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

The event-related potential P300 during headache-free period and spontaneous attack in adult headache sufferers.

The event-related potential P300 has been studied in 15 migraine without aura sufferers, and in 15 episodic tension-type headache sufferers, during pain-free periods and during spontaneous headache attacks. There were no variations of potential, either of P3 latency or N2-P3 amplitude, in either group during the interictal period. Similarly, there were no variations of the P300 parameters in the group of tension-type headache subjects during headache attacks; by contrast, a significant elongation of latency (P < 0.01) and an increment of N2-P3 wave amplitude (P < 0.002) was observed in the group of migraineurs. The authors discuss the data in accordance with the etiopathogenic theories of migraine and the hypothesis that acetylcholine and norepinephrine are the neurotransmitter able to affect the event-related potential P300, which reflects cerebral activity during sensory information processing and analysis.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Cognitive event-related potential in hepatic encephalopathy.

A study of auditory P300 was performed on 24 patients with cirrhosis of the liver: 13 patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE grade 1-2) and 11 patients without clinical encephalopathy (HE grade 0). The patients were also assessed using spontaneous EEG and neuropsychological methods: Mini Mental State, Digit Span and Number Connection Test. The P3 latency was found to be significantly increased in all patients (100%) with HE grade 1-2 and in 6 patients (54.5%) with HE grade 0. The clinical value of using the P300 latency in the hepatic encephalopathy is subsequently discussed.

Aged↗

PubMed1994

Neuropeptide Y in juvenile migraine and tension-type headache.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is widely distributed throughout sympathetic nerve endings where it is co-stored and co-secreted with noradrenaline. It is considered a marker of noradrenergic function. To determine the role of NPY in the pathogenesis of juvenile headache, we determined its plasma levels in two groups of young migraine patients (with and without aura), in a group of episodic tension-type headache patients and in a group of age and sex-matched healthy subjects. Significantly lower plasma levels of NPY were evident in the migraine patients with aura (P < 0.001) and, to a lesser extent, in the migraine patients without aura (P < 0.02), both assessed in the interictal period, with respect to the control group. Plasma NPY levels tended to significantly increase during attacks in migraine patients with aura (P < 0.0009). A less evident, though significant increase was also present during attacks in migraine patients without aura (P < 0.02). No significant variations were observed between headache-free periods and attacks in tension-type headache patients. Reduced NPY levels in the interictal period can be considered further evidence of the derangement of the sympathetic function in the course of migraine, particularly that with aura. The increase in NPY levels during migraine attacks could be an expression of sympathetic activation, even though the functional status of this system is less efficient.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Magnesium content of mononuclear blood cells in migraine patients.

Recent research has shown that magnesium levels in serum, salivary secretions and red blood cells are reduced in migraine patients with and without aura, both ictally and interictally. This suggests that lower magnesium levels can contribute to the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying migraine attacks. It has been suggested that mononuclear magnesium content is a reliable index of magnesium nutritional status, as it is more closely related to the total body stores than other biochemical indices. Therefore we determined mononuclear magnesium content in adult migraine patients with and without aura, in headache-free periods and, in a number of patients, during attacks. Migraine patients with and without aura, assessed in interictal periods, had a reduced mononuclear magnesium content compared to age-matched healthy control subjects. No significant variations were observed between ictal and interictal periods in migraine patients with aura and without aura. The lower magnesium content in mononuclear cells could indirectly indicate the reduction of brain magnesium concentration, which has recently been demonstrated in the course of migraine.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Endothelin 1 in migraine and tension-type headache.

We determined the plasma levels of ET1, both interictally and ictally, in 50 migraine patients, 20 with aura (MPA) and 30 without aura (MPWA), comparing them with the levels of 40 age-matched tension-type headache patients (20 episodic and 20 chronic) (ETTHP and CTTHP) and the levels of a group of 20 healthy control subjects (CS). No statistically significant difference was evident between the mean ET1 plasma levels of MPA and those of MPWA, assessed in headache-free periods. The mean ET1 plasma levels of MPA and MPWA, assessed interictally, were significantly higher than those of CS. However, the values of plasma ET1 in ETTP and in CTTHP did not differ statistically from those of CS. MPA and MPWA ET1 plasma levels increased significantly within 2 h from the onset of attacks (p < 0.0001) and remained significantly higher between 4 and 6 h from the onset. The ET1 plasma levels of ETTHP and CTTHP assessed during attacks did not differ statistically from those of the same patients assessed in the headache-free periods. The increase in ET1 levels in MPA and MPWA patients when assessed ictally, suggests that this peptide is involved in the haemodynamic changes and vascular tone modifications observed during migraine attacks, particularly in the first phase of the ictal period.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Neuropeptide Y plasma levels and serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in MS patients with and without abnormal cardiovascular reflexes.

An impairment in the autonomic function has been demonstrated in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using electrophysiological, pupillary and biochemical tests. Particularly evident were alterations in the cardiovascular reflexes, cutaneous sympathetic response and lymphomonocyte adrenergic binding. Electrophysiological and biochemical findings in MS patients have only occasionally been compared. Among the peripheral markers of the autonomic system, Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) have been singled out as reliable indices of sympathetic function. The former is a peptide with a strong vasoconstrictive action, which is released from adrenergic endings together with noradrenaline following sympathetic activation. The latter is the enzyme which catalyses the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. It is located both in sympathetic endings and the chromaffin granules of adrenal medulla. To verify a failure in autonomic function in the course of MS, a battery of cardiovascular tests (assessing sympathetic and parasympathetic functions) was performed on 25 MS patients. The results were compared with a group of 20 age- and sex-matched control individuals. The plasma levels of NPY and the serum DBH activity were also determined in both groups. 52% of patients showed an impairment in sympathetic function in one or more tests (sustained handgrip, postural hypotension, cold face test). 48% of the patients had abnormal values in deep breathing test, indicating a failure of the parasympathetic function. 44% of patients showed also a paroxysmal tachycardia after cold face test, indicating an abnormal function of the vagal-cardiac and sympathetic-vascular smooth muscle pathways of the trigeminal nerve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Monocyte chemotactic and phagocytic responses in migraine and tension-type headache patients.

Monocyte chemotactic and phagocytic responses were assessed in two groups of migraine patients (with and without aura) and in two groups of tension-type headache patients (episodic and chronic). The chemotactic but not the phagocytic response, assessed interictally, is significantly lower in migraine patients (p < 0.006) and in episodic tension-type headache patients, though not so significantly in the latter (p < 0.05), than in the control individuals. The chemotactic response tends to increase significantly during attack in migraine patients both with and without aura (p < 0.008 and p < 0.007 respectively). The same was evident for the phagocytic response in both migraine patient groups (p < 0.007 and 0.0004). No modifications of monocyte functions were found during attacks neither in episodic nor chronic tension-type headache patients. These findings suggest that one or more mediators of neurogenic inflammation having phagocytic and chemotactic enhancing properties (substance P, prostaglandin E and thromboxane A2 etc.) are implicated in the modification of monocyte function. The demonstration of a defect in monocyte function during the interictal period in migraine patients confirms the results of recent research which evidenced reduced capacity of monocyte to phagocyte and kill microorganisms in the course of migraine.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Red blood cell magnesium levels in migraine patients.

In the last few years, it has been suggested that magnesium plays a central role in establishing a threshold for migraine attacks and in intervening with the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in their onset. Accordingly, we determined red blood cell magnesium levels in adult migraine patients with and without aura interictally and in some of them also ictally. In comparison with normal subjects, migraineurs with and without aura had significantly lower red blood cell magnesium levels in the interictal period. Ictal red blood cell magnesium levels did not differ from the interictal values. Low red blood cell magnesium levels could be a peripheral expression of the reduced brain magnesium concentration observed in migraine patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in an Italian school sample: findings of a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to complete a teacher questionnaire on a sample of children (N = 232) in nine fourth grade classes in schools in two regions of central Italy to assess the frequency of occurrence of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the rates of probable cases in the sample. METHOD: Each ADHD symptom was rated by the teacher as either absent (0), sometimes present (1) or frequently present (2). RESULTS: Of the children 3.9% had eight or more DSM-III-R Criterion A symptoms of ADHD scored at a "frequent" level (score of 2) and were considered to be "likely cases" of ADHD; an additional 6.9% did not meet this threshold but had a total score of 16 or more on the scale and were considered to be "possible cases." CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the need for more systematic epidemiological investigations to evaluate the true prevalence of the syndrome and its risk factors in the Italian population.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed1993

Role of viruses in the etiopathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.

Epidemiological studies performed to identify the possible cause of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) suggest that an environmental agent could be involved in its etiopathogenesis. For a long time it has been hypothesized that this agent was a virus, but until now no virus specific to MS has been consistently identified. Animal models indicate that the demyelination of the central nervous system can be induced by certain families of viruses, but the implication of this in the etiopathogenesis of MS has not been clearly demonstrated. Morbilliviruses were the most studied. Research on this subject arose from the observation of the similarity between the brain lesions occurring in MS and encephalitis caused by the measles virus (Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis). Antimeasles, antirubella, antiherpes zoster antibodies have been found in the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid of MS patients, but the relationship between this finding and the disease is not clear. It has recently been proposed that the pathogenetic immune response in the brain of MS patients might be directed predominantly towards antigens of a DNA virus, such as JCV. This preferentially infects glial cells and causes a demyelinating syndrome in immunodeficient subjects, called Progressive Multifocal Leucoencephalopathy. The target JC viral antigens in MS could be synthesized during transient viral reactivation. A recent hypothesis is that retroviruses may intervene in the etiopathogenesis of MS. Strong interest has been taken in HTLV-I after its identification in Tropical Spastic Paraparesis, a disease with certain similarities to MS. Serologic and polymerase chain reaction findings from various authors have suggested an association between this human retrovirus and MS. However more recent data are not consistent with this. Current experiments aimed at detecting retroviral particles in long-term cultured peripheral blood monocytes and cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells in MS could clarify whether these cells provide a reservoir for such viruses, with a latency of many years without expression at brain level.

Antigens, Viral↗

PubMed1993

Better preservation of cognitive faculty in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

We employed the so-called event-correlated potential (ECP) P300, a neurophysiological test which explores the circuits of attention and memory in the brain and is altered in subjects with a dismetabolic or degenerative encephalopathy, in order to evaluate the cognitive faculty in two groups of uremic patients [18 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), 15 on hemodialysis (HD)] comparable with respect to age and time on dialysis. The values of latency (msec) of P300 resulted in CAPD patients 356 +/- 26 in CZ (central zero electrodes) and 357.5 +/- 25 in PZ (parietal zero electrodes), not significantly different from the values in normal controls (341 +/- 14.5 in CZ and 340 +/- 15.6 in PZ) and in HD patients postdialysis (354 +/- 24.4 in CZ and 354 +/- 25.6 in PZ). On the contrary, the predialytic values of HD patients (384 +/- 25.6 CZ and 385 +/- 25.5 in PZ) were significantly different from the postdialytic values and from the values of CAPD patients and controls (p < 0.01). These results support the conclusion that HD is able to restore a normal cognitive faculty only transiently in the postdialytic phase, while CAPD maintains this important function steadily close to the normal range, thus being clearly better than HD.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in multiple sclerosis.

For several years polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and in particular essential fatty acids (EFAs) have been proposed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). There are contrasting data in literature regarding the effects of the n-6 and the n-3 PUFA series on different aspects of the disease, in particular on the frequency and severity of relapses and platelet function. This can be ascribed to the different criteria of patient selection in relation to the form and severity of disease at the beginning of the various studies. Till now authors have tended to consider the effect of PUFA supplementation only on some clinical aspects of the disease. Modification in the more sensitive indices (immunological or biochemical) of the disease activity should be taken into account and also the influence of dietary lipid intake by patients in relation to n-3 or n-6 EFA supplementation.

Fatty Acids, Unsaturated↗

PubMed1992

Serum and salivary magnesium levels in migraine and tension-type headache. Results in a group of adult patients.

It has been suggested that magnesium plays a central role in different etiopathogenetic conditions involved in the onset of migraine. We measured, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, serum and salivary magnesium levels in drug-free migraine patients with and without aura and in tension-type headache patients. Migraine sufferers with and without aura and tension-type headache had significantly lower levels of serum and salivary magnesium concentrations in the interical periods than a group of healthy young individuals. Serum magnesium levels tended to be further reduced during attacks in all patient groups studied. A statistically significant decrease in salivary magnesium levels was evident only for migraine patients with aura. Serum magnesium levels and to a lesser extent salivary magnesium levels might express indirectly the lowering of brain extracellular magnesium concentration which occurs in migraine patients both in the intererictal periods and ictally.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Serum and salivary magnesium levels in migraine. Results in a group of juvenile patients.

In the last few years a fundamental role for magnesium in establishing the threshold for migraine attacks and involvement in the pathophysiologic mechanisms related to its onset has become evident. We measured serum and salivary magnesium levels in juvenile migraine patients (with and without aura) and in a group of healthy young individuals by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Migraineurs were studied in migraine-free (interictal) periods and during attacks. In comparison with normal subjects, migraine patients had lower levels of serum and salivary magnesium interictally. Serum magnesium levels tended to be further reduced during attacks. With respect to the values of interictal periods we observed a reduction, not statistically significant, of salivary magnesium levels for both migraine groups. Serum, and to a lesser extent salivary magnesium level reduction, could be an expression, at the peripheral level, of reduced cerebral magnesium levels which would contribute, at least in part, to defining the threshold for migraine attacks.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Evidence for an altered dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity in migraine and tension-type headache.

Sympathetic dysfunction is often present in migraine. It has been suggested that serum dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (D beta H) can be taken as an index of peripheral sympathetic activity. We studied the serum D beta H activity in migraine with and without aura and in tension-type headache patients compared with healthy control subjects. The serum D beta H activity was significantly lower in migraine and tension-type headache patients than in the control group. No significant difference was observed among the three groups of patients studied. These findings suggest that patients with migraine and tension-type headache have a sympathetic hypofunction that may play an important role in the pathogenesis.

Adult↗