1,721,026 research outputs found
Excess of serum copper not related to ceruloplasmin in Alzheimer disease - Reply from the authors
No full textAnalisi della serie temporale della stazione CGPS sulla Grande Frana di Patigno
No full textLe aree di dissesto idrogeologico coprono circa il 7% del
territorio italiano, in particolare la Regione Emilia Roma-
gna risulta essere una delle tre regioni a più alto tasso
di dissesto in quanto oltre il 20% del territorio collinare
e montano è interessato da accumuli di frane attive o
quiescenti (dati progetto nazionale IFFI, Inventario dei
Fenomeni Franosi in Italia). In tale contesto un corretto
ed efficace monitoraggio di questi fenomeni da parte dei
diversi Enti preposti risulta essere un’attività sempre più
importante e necessaria sia per i settori inerenti alla pro-
tezione civile, che per quelli riguardanti la pianificazione.
Le moderne tecniche di monitoraggio possono fornire ri-
sultati molto interessanti per il controllo di tutte le defor-
mazioni che avvengono all’interno di un’area in dissesto.
Tali informazioni possono essere facilmente integrate
con quelle dedotte utilizzando le tecniche più classiche
come ad esempio estensimetri e/o i rilievi topografici,
e/o correlate con altri tipi di rilievo, come ad esempio le
misure eseguite utilizzando pluviometri o piezometri.
Nella prima parte del lavoro sono descritte brevemente
le principali caratteristiche delle metodologie di moni-
toraggio geofisico satellitare, aeree e terrestri. In parti-
colare, sono descritte le diverse modalità di rilievo che
possono essere eseguite utilizzando la metodologia
GNSS e le precisioni raggiungibili. Di seguito è descrit-
ta un’interessante applicazione in relazione alla grande
frana di Patigno, un’area di dissesto idrogeologico tipica
dell’Appennino settentrionale ubicata nel comune di Zeri
in provincia di Massa Carrara (Fig.1)
Motor cortex excitability in Alzheimer's disease: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study
No full textMotor deficits affect patients with Alzheimer's disease only at later stages. Recent studies demonstrate that the primary motor cortex is affected by neuronal degeneration accompanied by the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. It is conceivable that neuronal loss is compensated by reorganization of the neural circuitries occurring along the natural course of the disease, thereby maintaining motor performances in daily living. Cortical motor output to upper limbs was tested via motor-evoked potentials from forearm and hand muscles elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation of motor cortex in 16 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease without motor deficits. Motor cortex excitability was increased, and the center of gravity of motor cortical output, as represented by excitable scalp sites, showed a frontal and medial shift, without correlated changes in the site of maximal excitability (hot-spot). This may indicate functional reorganization, possibly after the neuronal loss in motor areas. Hyperexcitability might be caused by a dysregulation of the intracortical GABAergic inhibitory circuitries and selective alteration of glutamatergic neurotransmission. Such findings suggest that motor cortex hyperexcitability and reorganization allows prolonged preservation of motor function during the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease
'Free' copper in serum of Alzheimer's disease patients correlates with markers of liver function
No full textElevation of serum copper levels discriminates Alzheimer's disease from vascular dementia
No full textNo abstract availabl
Use of an Italian version of the telephone interview for cognitive status in Alzheimer's disease
No full textObjectives: Validation of an Italian version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (I-TICS). Methods: Telephone administration of the I-TICS within 6 weeks of face-to-face testing with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), in Probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and healthy controls. Two hundred and seven consecutive outpatients with cognitive impairment were recruited from Dementia Clinic of University Campus BioMedico. Of these, 45 probable AD patients with complete data were analyzed. Other dementias, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and patients with incomplete data were excluded. The control sample consisted of 64 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. For diagnosis, an extensive clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, brain imaging, EEG, neuropsychological battery and a depression scale were used. For I-TICS validation, telephone I-TICS and face-to-face MMSE were administered. Results; The I-TICS correlated highly and linearly with the MMSE (Pearson's r=0.904). Conversion equations are provided. Sensitivity and specificity were similar between tests (area under curve = 0.894 for the I-TICS; 0.966 for the MMSE). I-TICS sensitivity was 84% and specificity 86% at a cut-off score of 28. No significant difference in accuracy with the MMSE was present. Total agreement between I-TICS and MMSE was 'substantial' at 86% (Cohen's K = 0.717). Repeated testing in a subset of patients showed a disease progression related decrease of 4.2 point/year (t=2.664; p=0.018) in I-TICS scores. Conclusion: The I-TICS is a valid instrument in clinical and research screening and monitoring of AD. Potential applications in other dementias and MCI are worth further studies. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
A randomized controlled study on effects of ibuprofen on cognitive progression of Alzheimer's disease
No full textBackground and aims: Epidemiological studies have examined the association between the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, a variety of experimental studies indicates that a subset of NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or flurbiprofen, also have Aβ-lowering properties in both AD transgenic mice and cell cultures of peripheral, glial and neuronal origin. In this trial, we evaluated whether the non-selective NSAID ibuprofen slows disease progression in patients with mild to moderate AD. Methods: This was a 12-month multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial. Participants with mild-moderate AD (Mini-Mental State Examination score >15, <26; Clinical Dementia Rating= 0.5-1), 65 years or older, with reliable caregivers, were recruited between April 2003 and September 2004. Seven AD Outpatient Treatment Centers screened 530 patients, 132 of whom were enrolled. Intervention consisted of 400 mg ibuprofen twice a day or placebo, together with 20 mg once a day of esomeprazol, or placebo. The primary measure was any one-year change in the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) subscale score. Secondary measures included changes in MMSE, CDR, Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scales, and Neuropsychiatrie Inventory (NPI). Results: Fifty-one patients (77%) in the ibuprofen vs 46 (70%) in the placebo group completed the protocol (p>0.20). In intention-to-treat analysis, ADAS-Cog score worsening was similar in the two groups (p=0.951, treatment difference= 0.1, CI -2.7; 2.9). No differences were found for any secondary outcomes. In a subsample of genotyped patients, ApoE ε4 carriers treated with ibuprofen (n=27) were the only group without significant cognitive decline. Conclusions: Ibuprofen, if used for relatively short periods of time and although well tolerated thanks to gastroprotection, does not seem to be effective in tertiary prevention of mild-moderate AD. Our results suggest the need to examine whether differences in the response to NSAIDs exist, based on ApoE ε4 carrier status. ©2009, Editrice Kurtis
Does serum copper and oxidative stress discriminate Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy controls?
No full text- …
