1,721,054 research outputs found
The capacity to consent to treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a preliminary report
No full textBackground: Facing the relentless worsening of their condition, ALS patients are required to make decisions on treatments and end-of-life care. A cognitive impairment showed to be a negative prognostic factor in ALS patients, perhaps affecting the ability to make informed decisions. Notwithstanding its crucial role, the capacity to consent to treatment (CCT) has never been evaluated in these patients. Objectives: To assess the CCT in an ALS cohort in comparison to a control group, and to study the effects of demographic and clinical variables on this high-level cognitive function. Methods: 102 ALS patients and 106 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. CCT was assessed using the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MAC-CAT-T) and the performance was classified into the three CCT outcomes (full credit, partial credit, no credit). Cognitive and psychological variables were assessed by MMSE, phonemic fluencies, Frontal System Behavioural Scale (FrSBe), and ALS Depression Inventory (ADI). Clinical and demographic variables were analyzed as possible predictors of the MAC-CAT-T outcomes. After a 1-year follow-up, CCT and neuropsychological assessments were repeated. Results: Most ALS patients (i.e., from 75 to 83% according to the different sub-items) retain full CCT. However, a subpopulation of the ALS patients showed a reduced CCT with respect to the HC. Age, education, phonemic fluency, and depression appeared related to the CCT outcomes. After 1 year, only the reasoning items worsened. Conclusions: This is a preliminary report suggesting that the large majority of ALS patients can retain full ability to choose between treatment options. However, demographic and neuropsychological variables may affect CCT, pointing to the need for special attention to the consent disclosure in this disease
Reversible radiculomyelitis after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination
Full text linkAdverse events occurring after SARS-CoV-
2
vaccination
have been reported and are the subject of ongoing
research. We present the case of a young woman with
fully reversible radiculomyelitis, which happened after
the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCOVID-19
vaccine.
A previously healthy woman in her 20s presented
with a subacute onset of legs’ weakness and sensory
disturbances, urinary dysfunction and cramping pain after
receiving the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19
vaccine.
A diagnostic workup led to the diagnosis of inflammatory
radiculomyelitis. Her clinical status improved, with
complete recovery after a few months. The case described
a reversible radiculomyelitis associated with the ChAdOx1
nCOVID-19
vaccine. The clinical picture and evolution
supported the diagnosis. No other identifiable causes of
myelopathy were found. Our patient showed clinically
moderate symptoms and signs, showing good recovery.
The post-vaccine
inflammatory radiculomyelitis is a rare
side effect of the anti-COVID-
19
vaccination, and it should
not discourage the SARS-CoV-
2
vaccination programm
Luigi Castiglioni
No full textLuigi Castiglioni was an eminent classical philologist. As professor at the Università Statale of Milan he was also mentor of other famous researchers in this field. This critical profile reconstructs the biographical events of his life and his activity as a scholar and teacher, focusing on his scholarship
Scarpat, Giuseppe
No full textGiuseppe Scarpat (1920-2008) was an Italian classical philologist. The complete bibliography of his works, edited by Paideia, the publishing house he founded in 1961, includes more than 200 titles: their main subjects are Seneca philosopher, the Latin of Christian authors, comparative studies of Greek and Latin Literature
Giardina, Giancarlo (1939-2014)
No full textViene illustrata l'attività scientifica di Giancarlo Giardina
Pertusi, Agostino (1918-1979)
No full textBiography and scientific profile of the scholar Agostino Pertus
The Primitive Palmomental Reflex in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
No full textBackground and Purpose: The palmomental reflex (PMR) is a primitive reflex that might be released due to inhibition in adulthood. It has been associated with several neurodegenerative conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of PMR in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Patients and Methods: Non-demented ALS patients (n = 179) were recruited. Two groups of disease controls were enrolled: (a) non-demented patients with other neurological disorders (NC; n = 86, mean age 60 +/- 14 years); (b) healthy subjects, healthy controls (HC; n = 175, mean age 61 +/- 12 years). PMR was elicited by a brisk stroke along the thenar eminence of the right hand with a key or a pen. Results: The PMR could be elicited in 46% of the ALS patients, compared to 29% of NC and 16% of HC (p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that bulbar-onset and female gen-der are associated with an increased risk of PMR. Conclusion: We demonstrate a higher frequency of the PMR in ALS patients compared to NC or HC. Its expression increases with age, being higher in bulbar-onset patients. Given that the reflex circuit is located in the brain stem, its release due to inhibition might be associated to the presence of a corticobulbar tract dysfunction in ALS. (C) 2018 S. Karger AG, Base
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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