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Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A screening method using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the single ion monitoring (SIM) mode for the routine congener-specific analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in human serum has been developed and validated. A fast procedure incorporating both liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction was used for clean up and enrichment. Interday and intraday precision and accuracy were assessed for the 12 congeners having dioxin-like activity and PCBs #180 and #170 by analyzing spiked samples on three subsequent days and using (13)C(12)-labelled analogues as internal standards. Furthermore, the relative errors for six non-dioxin-like congeners (PCBs #28, #52, #101, #138, #153 and #180) were measured by using certified reference materials, providing good accuracy at two different concentration levels. The limits of quantification and of detection were 0.5 and 0.2 micro g/L in serum for each congener, respectively. The method allows the chromatographic separation of at least 35 congeners and can therefore be applied to the routine monitoring of the general population for both dioxin-like and non-dioxin-like PCB congeners., (Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

MRI-based linear measurements of the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus complex (HPC) discriminated 39 subjects with probable Alzheimer's disease, from 15 patients with other dementias and 33 miscellaneous controls without evidence of dementia. The best discriminating parameter was the left height of the HPC at the level of the mammillary bodies, with a sensitivity of 79.49% and a specificity of 68.75%. The diagnostic value of these results is discussed considering the volumetric data found in the current literature.

Background: In the early stage of stroke, depression appears to be linked to certain brain areas. The study evaluated the importance of the side of the lesion in depressed patients 3 years after their first stroke., Method: Patients who had suffered a stroke and been discharged after rehabilitation were identified by hospital records. We interviewed 180 patients at home. Demographic as well as socioeconomic data were collected. The North-western University Disability Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Relatives' Stress Scale, and the Social Dysfunction Rating Scale were applied. The diagnosis was confirmed for each patient by a clinical assessment according to the ICD-10 criteria. Patients with previous psychiatric treatment, comprehension problems, or severe hemi-inattention were excluded., Results: By using a score of 14 on the BDI as a cutoff, 62 patients (34%) proved to be affected by depressive disorders. Clinical records showed that the location of the lesion was in the right hemisphere for 37 patients and in the left hemisphere for 25 patients. Statistical analysis of the mean scores obtained in this subgroup of depressed patients showed (1) no significant relation between depression and the hemispheric location of the lesion or between depression and level of education; (2) relation between BDI score and social activities; and (3) stress on the relatives that was mainly dependent on both the disability of the patients and their loss of social activities, whereas depression played a minor role., Conclusion: A high percentage of patients have depressive disorders 3 years or more after the stroke, independent of the side. Such mood disorders worsen the relationship between the disabled patients and their relatives and worsen leisure independent of the affected hemisphere.

EEG differential power patterns between Alzheimer's (AD, 50 patients) and vascular (VaD, 37 patients) dementia and between these two and 36 healthy ageing subjects, were studied in the 6.5-12 Hz band of the ongoing EEG recorded during the rest eyes closed (REC) and eyes open (REO) conditions. From the EEGs (16 electrodes, 10-20 international system except for Fz, Cz, Pz), a 6.5-12 Hz band, wider than the alpha range (alpha-like), was chosen and processed to include the highest theta frequencies characterising the occipital dominant activity in dementia. A global and occipital EEG Power Index (PI) was calculated and used considering the absolute powers during REC and REO. The MANOVA was used to compare the figures. Bearing in mind that the higher the PI value the greater the difference between the 6.5-12 Hz EEG band powers of REC vs. REO, the results were as follows: (i) in the patients with Alzheimer's and vascular dementia the global and occipital PIs were significantly lower than those in controls; (ii) in the patients with Alzheimer's dementia the same PIs were significantly lower that those of the patients with VaD; (iii) healthy elderly subjects showed significantly lower powers in the 6.5-12 Hz frequencies at T5 and O1 in REO as compared to dementia patients. The pathophysiological implications and the clinical applications of these results are discussed.

Little is known about electrically evoked long-latency responses (LLR) in muscles other than hand muscles. We obtained LLR in forearm, arm and shoulder muscles by ipsilateral homonymous and heteronymous mixed and pure cutaneous electrical stimulation of the median or ulnar nerve in healthy subjects and in patients with focal unilateral Central Nervous System lesions. Our results point out the important role played by hand afferents in the sensorimotor coordination of multiarticulate upper limb movements.

Aim of the study was to assess the activity of dihydroergocristine (DHEC, CAS 17479-19-5) in aged patients with impaired cognitive function. Twenty-five university hospital centres and 250 physicians participated in the study. 2,600 patients (1,104 males and 1,496 females, age range 50-80 years) were admitted to the study. Each patient was administered 6 mg/d DHEC for 120 days. Clinical evaluation was made through the SCAG Rating Scale registered at basal time, after 60 and 120 days. Responsivity to treatment was considered high when the final score was reduced by 30% and none if less than 10%. Analysis of results demonstrated that at the end of the study responsivity was high in 73% of cases, moderate in 20.4% and absent in 6.5%. Tolerability was very good as side effects were reported only in 3.16% of patients. Most frequent side effects were: nausea (1.23%), gastralgia (1.11%), headache (0.29%), hypotension (0.12%), vertigo (0.12%) and rash (0.08%). Drop-outs for gastralgia were reported only in 0.53% of the patients.

One hundred and twelve diabetic patients were submitted to several tests for evaluation of autonomic cardiovascular and sudomotor function. It was found that a patient could be positive to one test and negative to others, thus confirming the presence of sectorial lesions which do not affect the autonomic nervous system uniformly. The parasympathetic system is more frequently and precociously affected than the sympathetic system. The tests used for investigating the sympathetic component, the sympathetic skin response (SSR) gives results which are more frequently and precociously altered.