44 research outputs found

    Somatosensory evoked potentials reflect the upper limb motor performance in multiple sclerosis.

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    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this multicentric study was to multidimensionally evaluate the relationship among somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) parameters, patient's perspective and clinical measures of the upper limb impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 39 MS patients. For median nerve SEPs we acquired the N9, P14, N20 responses and the N9-P14 and P14-N20 interpeak latencies on the dominant side. We also used a validated patient-oriented questionnaire (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand - DASH) and a test of dexterity quantification as the 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT). RESULTS: A significant longer time to complete the 9-HPT (p<0.00006) was observed in patients with abnormal SEPs. Patients with undetectable N20 or P14 responses performed the 9-HPT in a significant longer time than patients with detectable responses (p<0.0006 and p<0.001 respectively). Concerning the perspective of patient (evaluated with the DASH questionnaire) significant differences in patients with undetectable P14 response (p<0.01) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide further information useful for interpretation of SEPs results, being the median nerve SEPs related to the upper limb performance in MS patients. SIGNIFICANCE: These data increase the significance of SEPs both in clinical practice and in experimental studies in MS

    Severe disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis is associated with profound changes in the regulation of leptin secretion

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    Experimental evidences indicate that leptin is involved in the neuroinflammatory process sustaining multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the relationship between leptin and body fat, as assessed by body mass index (BMI), in MS was not previously evaluated. It was the aim of this study to compare serum leptin levels between patients with MS and healthy controls and to evaluate the possible relationship between circulating leptin levels and disease severity

    Potential role of OERP as early marker of Mild Cognitive Impairment

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    Olfactory impairment is present in up to 90% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is present in certain cases of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transient phase between normal aging and dementia. Subjects affected by MCI have a higher risk of developing dementia compared to the general population, and studies have found that olfactory deficits could be an indicator of whether such a conversion might happen. Following these assumptions, aim of this study was to investigate olfactory perception in MCI patients. We recruited 12 MCI subjects (mean age 70 ± 6.7 years) through the Alzheimer Assessment Unit (UVA Unite) of ASL Lecce (Italy), and 12 healthy geriatric volunteers (HS) as the control group (mean age 64 ± 6.0 years), all of whom were first evaluated via a panel of neuropsychological tests. Subjects were asked to perform an olfactory recognition task involving two scents: rose and eucalyptus, administrated in the context of an oddball task during EEG recordings. Olfactory event-related potential (OERP) components N1 and Late Positive Potential (LPC) were then analyzed as measures of the sensorial and perceptive aspects of the olfactory response, respectively. It was determined that, in the MCI group, both the N1 and LPC components were significantly different compared to those of the HS group during the execution of the oddball task. In particular, the N1 amplitude, was reduced, while the LPC amplitude was increased, indicating that a degree of perceptive compensation can occur when sensorial function is impaired. Further, a correlation analysis, involving OERP components and neuropsychological battery scores, indicated that impairment of olfactory perception may share common pathways with impairments of the spatial system and long-term memory processing

    Glucocorticoid treatment reduces T-bet and pSTAT1 expression in mononuclear cells from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis patients.

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    High dose glucocorticoid (GC) treatment has been demonstrated to have a short-term beneficial effect on functional recovery in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients but the exact mechanism of action of GCs in MS is unclear. We found that high dose intravenous GCs strongly reduced T-bet and pSTAT1 expression in CD4+, CD8+, CD14+ circulating cells in RRMS patients in relapse. pSTAT1and T-bet reduction was associated with the decline of IFNgamma production by PBMCs. A significant increase of AV-positive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was detectable after GC treatment without any variation in the percentage of annexin V-positive monocytes. By in vitro analysis, patients during relapse, either before or after GC treatment, exhibited a lower proportion of apoptotic lymphocytes than remitting patients and controls. Our study suggests that GCs can modulate T-bet and STAT1 expression and that IFNgamma signalling inhibition contributes to anti-inflammatory action of GCs in the treatment of relapses of MS patient

    IL17 and IFNgamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from clinically isolated syndrome to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

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    We evaluated the spontaneous IL17, IFNgamma and IL10 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients affected by clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) both in acute phase and in remission, relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) both in relapse and in remission, not-relapsing secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and controls. We observed higher IL17 levels in CIS patients both in acute phase and in remission than in SPMS patients and controls. On the contrary no difference in IL17 production was observed among RRMS patients and CIS, SPMS patients and controls. IFNgamma levels were significantly higher in CIS patients in acute phase than in CIS and RRMS patients in remission, SPMS patients and controls. Moreover, we observed higher IFNgamma spontaneous production in relapsing RRMS patients than in remitting RRMS and SPMS patients and controls. IL10 levels were significantly higher in remitting CIS and in relapsing RRMS patients than in SPMS patients and controls. There was no difference in IFNgamma, IL10 and IL17 levels between SPMS patients and controls. Our data suggest that IL17 might play a crucial role mainly in the early phase of MS, while IFNgamma seems to be involved both in the early phase and in the following relapses of the disease

    Exploratory Study on Chemosensory Event-Related Potentials in Long COVID-19 and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Common Pathway?

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    People affected by the Long COVID-19 (LC) syndrome often show clinical manifestations that are similar to those observed in patients with mild cognitive impairments (MCI), such as olfactory dysfunction (OD), brain fog, and cognitive and attentional diseases. This study aimed to investigate the chemosensory-evoked related potentials (CSERP) in LC and MCI to understand if there is a common pathway for the similarity of symptoms associated with these disorders. Eighteen LC patients (mean age 53; s.d. = 7), 12 patients diagnosed with MCI (mean age 67; s.d. = 6), and 10 healthy control subjects (mean age 66; s.d. = 5, 7) were recruited for this exploratory study. All of them performed a chemosensory event-related potentials (CSERP) task with the administration of trigeminal stimulations (e.g., the odorants cinnamaldehyde and eucalyptus). Study results highlighted that MCI and LC showed reduced N1 amplitude, particularly in the left frontoparietal network, involved in working memory and attentional deficits, and a reduction of P3 latency in LC. This study lays the foundations for evaluating aspects of LC as a process that could trigger long-term functional alterations, and CSERPs could be considered valid biomarkers for assessing the progress of OD and an indicator of other impairments (e.g., attentional and cognitive impairments), as they occur in MCI

    sj-docx-2-eso-10.1177_23969873221131635 – Supplemental material for Thrombolysis after dabigatran reversal: A nation-wide Italian multicentre study, systematic review and meta-analysis

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    Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-eso-10.1177_23969873221131635 for Thrombolysis after dabigatran reversal: A nation-wide Italian multicentre study, systematic review and meta-analysis by Michele Romoli, Eleonora Matteo, Ludovica Migliaccio, Mauro Gentile, Maria Giulia Mosconi, Giuseppe Maria Scura, Marcello Naccarato, Enrico Colangeli, Paolo Candelaresi, Vincenzo Andreone, Fabrizio Giammello, Rosa Fortunata Musolino, Cristina Dell’Aera, Federica Nicoletta Sepe, Edoardo Pronello, Leonardo Barbarini, Marcella Caggiula, Federica Rizzo, Marco Petruzzellis, Elisa Giorli, Maria Luisa Zedde, Sabrina Anticoli, Marilena Mangiardi, Mario Muto, Francesco Diana, Maria Vittoria De Angelis, Anna Digiovanni, Letizia Concari, Sara La Gioia, Maria Sessa, Sara Biguzzi, Francesco Cordici, Marco Longoni, Maria Ruggiero, Silvia Cenciarelli, Paolo Eusebi, Simona Sacco, Valeria Caso, Maurizio Paciaroni, Stefano Ricci, Andrea Zini, Danilo Toni and David Giannandrea in European Stroke Journal</p

    sj-docx-1-eso-10.1177_23969873221131635 – Supplemental material for Thrombolysis after dabigatran reversal: A nation-wide Italian multicentre study, systematic review and meta-analysis

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    Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-eso-10.1177_23969873221131635 for Thrombolysis after dabigatran reversal: A nation-wide Italian multicentre study, systematic review and meta-analysis by Michele Romoli, Eleonora Matteo, Ludovica Migliaccio, Mauro Gentile, Maria Giulia Mosconi, Giuseppe Maria Scura, Marcello Naccarato, Enrico Colangeli, Paolo Candelaresi, Vincenzo Andreone, Fabrizio Giammello, Rosa Fortunata Musolino, Cristina Dell’Aera, Federica Nicoletta Sepe, Edoardo Pronello, Leonardo Barbarini, Marcella Caggiula, Federica Rizzo, Marco Petruzzellis, Elisa Giorli, Maria Luisa Zedde, Sabrina Anticoli, Marilena Mangiardi, Mario Muto, Francesco Diana, Maria Vittoria De Angelis, Anna Digiovanni, Letizia Concari, Sara La Gioia, Maria Sessa, Sara Biguzzi, Francesco Cordici, Marco Longoni, Maria Ruggiero, Silvia Cenciarelli, Paolo Eusebi, Simona Sacco, Valeria Caso, Maurizio Paciaroni, Stefano Ricci, Andrea Zini, Danilo Toni and David Giannandrea in European Stroke Journal</p

    pSTAT1, pSTAT3, and T-bet expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients correlates with disease activity

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    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, and it is considered to be a T helper 1 (Th1) cell-mediated autoimmune disease. T-bet has been identified as a key transcription factor for the development of Th1 cells and the induction of interferon (IFN)-gamma production. T-bet is induced during T-cell activation by the IFN-gamma signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 signalling pathway. In this study we found an up-regulation of T-bet and pSTAT1 in peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and monocytes from relapsing-remitting MS patients in relapse compared with patients in remission and with healthy subjects. The increased expression of pSTAT1 strongly correlated with T-bet expression in CD4+ and CD8+ cells and monocytes from patients in relapse and was associated with an increased production of IFN-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). pSTAT3 was also up-regulated in CD4+ and CD8+ cells and monocytes from patients in relapse and was associated with an increased production of interleukin (IL)-10 but not of IL-6. pSTAT1, pSTAT3, and T-bet expression strongly correlated with Gd-DTPA-enhanced lesions on brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging. Our data show for the first time that there is an up-regulation of type 1 immunity-correlated transcription factors such as STAT1 and T-bet in peripheral blood subpopulations of MS patients in the active phase of disease. The evaluation of T-bet and pSTAT1 expression in peripheral blood CD4+, CD8+ T cells and monocytes could be used as a marker of disease activity in relapsing-remitting MS
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