0000000000462629

AUTHOR

P. Ragonese

Parkinson's Disease and Cancer

Epidemiological evidence suggests a reduced incidence of many common types of cancers in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Parkinson's disease and cancer are two diseases that result from an excessive signaling by one of two forces driving cells to opposite directions. PD results from the excessive death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) in the brain, while uncontrolled growth is the key property of cancer. Parkinson's disease is a complex disorder, probably due in most of the cases to the interaction of environment and genes. Many genes responsible for familial forms of PD are supposed to have a supportive role in regulating or maintaining the cel…

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Extracellular vesicles from CS fluid are possible biomarkers of multiple sclerosis disease status

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease and several researches have been focused on identifying molecular biomarkers that could reflect its heterogeneous clinical course and determine the best treatment option for patients. Some studies identified extracellular vesicles (EVs) in both the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and also in blood samples of patients affected by inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases and multiple sclerosis. To monitor the disease onset and its progression we compared the amount of CSF-EVs and their surface markers in subjects affected by either MS or other neurological disorders correlating the EVs with clinical indicators of MS disease severity. EVs isolated by u…

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A 12-month prospective, observational study evaluating the impact of disease-modifying treatment on emotional burden in recently-diagnosed multiple sclerosis patients: The POSIDONIA study.

Abstract Introduction Depression and anxiety are common among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and are frequently present at the time of MS diagnosis. Methods POSIDONIA was a 12-month, observational, prospective study conducted in Italy to evaluate the impact of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) on emotional burden in patients with recently-diagnosed MS. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), specifically HADS anxiety (HADS-A) and depression (HADS-D) subscale scores, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) were used to measure patient-reported outcomes. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), HDRS-17, was used as a measure…

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Real-life impact of early interferon beta therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Recent findings support greater efficacy of early vs. delayed interferon beta (IFNbeta) treatment in patients with a first clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of early IFNbeta treatment in definite relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and to assess the optimal time to initiate IFNbeta treatment with regard to the greatest benefits on disability progression. METHODS: A cohort of 2,570 IFNbeta-treated RRMS patients was prospectively followed for up to 7 years in 15 Italian MS Centers. A Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusted for propensity score (PS) quintiles was used to assess differences between groups of patients wit…

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The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: pinpointing the concept of "no better explanation"

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Rituximab for managing relapsing or refractory patients with idiopathic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura – haemolytic uraemic syndrome

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NEURODEGENERATION IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: COMPARISON BETWEEN CLINICAL, NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL, MRI,AND OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY PARAMETERS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) enables rapid, non-invasive in vivo measurement of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, reflecting axonal density within the optic nerve. There is still lack of concordance about the use of OCT in clinical routine as a surrogate measure of brain atrophy. Objective: To investigate the role of OCT as possible predictor of disability, cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited patients affected by MS according to validated criteria at the Neurological Department of the University of Palermo. Patients performed Stratus OCT- 3 Zeiss to assess RNFL and GCS measurements.…

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La Celioscopia in Urologia: Nota Preliminare

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Quantitative EEG differentiates multiple sclerosis with and without cognitive impairment from healthy controls at the beginning of the disease: preliminary data

Background and aims: The present study aims to assess possible qEEG differences between newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with or without cognitive impairment (CI). Methods: We enrolled 22 patients (18-55-years-old) treated with first-line drugs for <6 months, and 11 healthy controls. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment including BICAMS and BDI. EEG recordings were performed during a cognitive task (computerised “SDMT” subtest of BICAMS) and at rest. Based on neuropsychological assessment, patients were considered as affected (MSCI group) or not (MS group) by cognitive impairment. We analysed data comparing MSCI patients matched by sex, age (±5years) and e…

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Relapsing or refractory idiopathic thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-hemolytic uremic syndrome: the role of rituximab.

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