Search results for " Middle"
showing 10 items of 1097 documents
Gelatinases and their tissue inhibitors in a group of subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
2016
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular events and stroke. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are endopeptidases involved in extracellular matrix degradation and then in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to evaluate plasma levels of gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) in a group of subjects with OSAS. We enrolled 48 subjects (36 men and 12 women; mean age 49.7 ± 14.68 yrs) with OSAS diagnosed with a 1-night cardiorespiratory study and then we subdivided these subjects into two subgroups according to the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI): Low (L = 21 subjects with AHI …
High prevalence of fragility vertebral fractures in patients hospitalised in Internal Medicine Units. Results of the POINT (Prevalence of Osteoporosi…
2015
Abstract Background Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (VFs) often go unrecognised in both healthy individuals and in pathological conditions. Few data exist on VFs in patients hospitalised in Internal Medicine Units (IMUs), who often suffer from multiple concomitant chronic disorders. Aim of the study This multicentre cross-sectional study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of VFs in an unselected population of patients referring to IMUs. Correlations between VFs and the main coexisting diseases were also investigated. Methods Information on demographic, clinical and laboratory findings, and on the presence of known risk factors for osteoporosis was recorded. The Genant's semi-quantitativ…
Arterial stiffness indexes and serum cytokine levels in seronegative spondyloarthritis: relationships between stiffness markers and metabolic and imm…
2015
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between immunoinflammatory markers and indexes of arterial stiffness in patients with seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA).Method: We enrolled consecutive patients with inflammatory seronegative SpA referred to a rheumatology outpatient clinic. Control subjects were patients admitted in the same period for any cause other than chronic inflammatory disease or acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured and the aortic pressure waveform was used to calculate the augmentation index (Aix). We also evaluated plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-1β…
The sensorimotor and cognitive deficits in rats following 90- and 120-min transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery
2012
Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) is the most commonly used method to study the neurological and histological outcomes and the pathological mechanisms of ischaemic stroke. The current work compares sensorimotor and cognitive deficits and the infarct volume in rats following a transient 90- or 120-min MCAO, which allows the appropriate behavioural tests to be chosen based on the goal and design of the experiment. In the beam-walking test, we found significant differences between the 90- and 120-min MCAO groups in the number of foot faults made with the impaired hindlimb on post-stroke days 3, 7 and 14. In the cylinder test, a difference between the 90- and 120-min groups was observed o…
Administration of transforming growth factor-α reduces infarct volume after transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat
2001
Growth factors promote cell growth and survival and protect the brain from developing injury after ischemia. In this article, the authors examined whether transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α was protective in transient focal ischemia and whether alteration of cerebral circulation was involved. Rats received intraventricular TGF-α (50 ng, either split into 2 doses given 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), or 1 dose given 30 minutes after MCAO) or vehicle. Rats were subjected to 1-hour intraluminal MCAO and cerebral blood flow was recorded continuously by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Infarct volume was measured 1 and 4 days later. The effects of TGF-α o…
Positional brain ischemia with MCA occlusion successfully treated with extra-intracranial bypass.
2010
408 Positional cerebral ischemia (PCI) is an extremely rare condition in which dramatic central nervous system deficits are triggered by standing in patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of the major brain-supplying blood vessels [1] . Because PCI is generally associated with orthostatic hypotension [2, 3] , a hemodynamic mechanism has been proposed [4] . However, PCI has been reported even in patients without orthostatic hypotension [1] . The treatment is medical, but surgery can be considered in refractory cases (endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis or either highor low-flow extra-intracranial bypass – for carotid occlusion) [3] . We report a case of PCI associated with middle …
Assessment of morphological CT imaging features for the prediction of risk stratification, mutations, and prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors
2021
To investigate the correlation between CT imaging features and risk stratification of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), prediction of mutation status, and prognosis. This retrospective dual-institution study included patients with pathologically proven GISTs meeting the following criteria: (i) preoperative contrast-enhanced CT performed between 2008 and 2019; (ii) no treatments before imaging; (iii) available pathological analysis. Tumor risk stratification was determined according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 2008 criteria. Two readers evaluated the CT features, including enhancement patterns and tumor characteristics in a blinded fashion. The differences in distributi…
Effect of high-caloric nutrition on serum neurofilament light chain levels in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
2020
Recent publications showed that circulating neurofilaments (Nfs) may be used as a diagnostic biomarker distinguishing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from ALS mimics with high sensitivity and specificity.1–3 Furthermore, it has been shown that patients with higher Nf levels show faster disease progression1 and shorter survival.2 3 Nf levels remain rather stable during the course of disease.2 Current literature suggests that the diagnostic value of neurofilament light chains (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chains in cerebrospinal fluid is about equal, whereas in blood NfL seems to be superior.4 In this study, we investigated the effect of a high-caloric fatty diet (HCFD) on …
Prognostic factors of survival in patients with advanced cancer admitted to home care
2011
Abstract CONTEXT: Data regarding prognostication of life expectancy in patients with advanced cancer are of paramount importance to patients, families, and clinicians. However, data regarding patients followed at home are lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between various factors recorded at the beginning of home care assistance and survival. METHODS: A sample of consecutive patients admitted to two home care programs was surveyed. A preliminary consensus was achieved as to the possible variables easy to be recorded at home. These included age at the time of home care admission, gender, residence, marital status, primary cancer diagnosis, Karnofsky Pe…
Zoledronic acid induces a significant decrease of circulating endothelial cells and circulating endothelial precursor cells in the early prostate can…
2012
<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> Published data demonstrated that zoledronic acid (ZOL) exhibits antiangiogenetic effects. A promising tool for monitoring antiangiogenic therapies is the measurement of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and circulating endothelial precursor cells (CEPs) in the peripheral blood of patients. Our aim was to investigate the effects of ZOL on levels of CECs and CEPs in localized prostate cancer. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Ten consecutive patients with a histologic diagnosis of low-risk prostate adenocarcinoma were enrolled and received an intravenous infusion of ZOL at baseline (T0), 28 days (T28) and 56 days (T56). Blood samp…