Search results for "34"
showing 10 items of 1830 documents
Utility of post mortem MRI in definition of thrombus in aneurismatic coronary arteries due to incomplete Kawasaki Disease in infants
2016
Abstract Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited vasculitis of unknown etiology that primarily affects the coronary artery (CA) and presents in childhood. The characteristic coronary arterial lesion is an aneurysm, which may lead to thrombosis, dilatation, stenosis, and occlusion. Such an aneurysm is typically calcified and generally develops five or more years after the onset of acute KD. It becomes more noticeable after ten years. KD is sometimes difficult to diagnose because of the limited clinical features, especially in infants younger than 6 months old, where the clinical presentations often do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for KD. We report a case of Incomplete Kawasaki…
Substance P Saliva Reduction Predicts Pharyngeal Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease
2019
Introduction: Although patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often suffer from oropharyngeal dysphagia, knowledge about the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms is limited. Substance P (SP) is a localization-independent neurotransmitter of the entire nervous system. Reduced levels of SP were found in saliva of patients with impaired cough reflex and in advanced stages of PD. The aim of the study was to investigate SP in PD patients in order to gain further insights into the underlying pathophysiology of PD-related dysphagia and to evaluate the potential of SP as a biomarker for early dysphagia. Methods: Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) was used to objectively assess …
Can Vitamin D deficiency influence muscle perfomance in post-menopausal women? A multicenter retrospective study
2018
Background: The presence of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been recently demonstrated in human muscle supporting the theory of a role of vitamin D in the proliferation and differentiation of muscle cells. So far only few studies investigated the association between vitamin D and muscle performance in postmenopausal women. Aim: To define the functional impact of vitamin D deficiency. Design: Multicenter retrospective study. Setting: Five Italian outpatient services of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). Population: Postmenopausal women. Methods: We divided the population in two groups based on the threshold of 30 ng/mL as cut-off to define sufficient and insufficient serum levels o…
ENTERAL NUTRITION SUPPORT TO TREAT MALNUTRITION IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
2015
Malnutrition is a common consequence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diet has an important role in the management of IBD, as it prevents and corrects malnutrition. It is well known that diet may be implicated in the aethiology of IBD and that it plays a central role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal tract disease. Often oral nutrition alone is not sufficient in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal tract disease. Often oral nutrition alone is not sufficient in the management of IBD patients, especially in children or elederly, and must be combined with oral supplementation or replaced with tube enteral nutrition. In this review, we describe several different approaches to enteral …
Genetically determined hypercholesterolaemia results into premature leucocyte telomere length shortening and reduced haematopoietic precursors
2020
Abstract Aims Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening is a marker of cellular senescence and associates with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A number of cardiovascular risk factors affect LTL, but the correlation between elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and shorter LTL is debated: in small cohorts including subjects with a clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). We assessed the relationship between LDL-C and LTL in subjects with genetic familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) compared to those with clinically diagnosed, but not genetically confirmed FH (CD-FH), and normocholesterolaemic subjects. Methods and results LTL was measured in mononuclear cells-d…
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The New Frontier of Gluten Related Disorders
2013
Non Celiac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) was originally described in the 1980s and recently a “re-discovered” disorder characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing food, in subjects that are not affected with either celiac disease (CD) or wheat allergy (WA). Although NCGS frequency is still unclear, epidemiological data have been generated that can help establishing the magnitude of the problem. Clinical studies further defined the identity of NCGS and its implications in human disease. An overlap between the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and NCGS has been detected, requiring even more stringent diagnostic criteria. Several studies sug…
Magnesium and hypertension in old age
2021
Hypertension is a complex condition in which various actors and mechanisms combine, resulting in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications that today represent the most frequent causes of mortality, morbidity, disability, and health expenses worldwide. In the last decades, there has been an exceptional amount of experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies confirming a close relationship between magnesium deficit and high blood pressure. Multiple mechanisms may help to explain the bulk of evidence supporting a protective effect of magnesium against hypertension and its complications. Hypertension increases sharply with advancing age, hence older persons are those most affected…
Primary intra and extradural solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma of thoracic spine with paravertebral intrathoracic spread: Case report and rev…
2020
Abstract Solitary fibrous tumors/hemangiopericytomas (SFTs/HPCs), constitute 1% of all CNS tumors. Spinal SFTs/HPCs are extremely rare. To date, few retrospective studies and case reports of primary spinal SFTs/HPCs have been published in the literature. We report clinical and radiological presentation, surgical treatment, and post-operative outcome at three years follow-up of a rare case of primary spinal intra and extradural SFT/HPC of thoracic spine with dumbbell shaped paravertebral intrathoracic spread and multidirectional erosion of the bone. A 73-year-old female presented with progressive lower limbs weakness and hypoesthesia below the rib cage. MRI showed an irregular isointense T5-…
Reduced Neck Muscle Strength and Altered Muscle Mechanical Properties in Cervical Dystonia Following Botulinum Neurotoxin Injections : A Prospective …
2016
Cervical dystonia (CD) is a focal dystonia causing involuntary activation of neck and shoulder muscles resulting in abnormal, sustained and painful posturing that may lead to physical disability and social withdrawal [1]. In recent years, botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) has become the first line therapy for CD [2]. A subjective feeling of neck weakness has been reported as one of the most common localized adverse events of BoNT [2-7]. In clinical practice, this may sometimes be reported as having difficulty keeping the head upright. Although the effects of BoNT have been widely studied [2,5], there have been no prospective studies quantifying changes in maximal isometric neck muscle strength. O…
Posterior variant of alien limb syndrome with sudden clinical onset as self-hitting associated with thalamic stroke
2020
We present a case of sudden postischaemic onset of alien limb syndrome, with unintentional self-injury. Alien limb syndrome is an uncommon neurological disorder featured by uncontrolled and involuntary movements of a limb. Three variants of alien limb syndrome have been described: the anterior, featured by grasping of surrounding objects, the callosal, presenting with intermanual conflict, and the posterior, associated with involuntary levitation of the limb. Our patient suffered from an acute presentation of the posterior variant of the alien limb syndrome, resulting from an isolated thalamic stroke which was documented using 24-h computed tomography brain scan. Only one previous case of a…