Sleep and autonomic dysregulation in the elderly

The primary function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is maintenance of homeostasis controlling involuntary functions of the body such as circulation and heart rate, respiration, thermoregulation, neuroendocrine secretion, and gastrointestinal and genitourinary function..

REM behaviour disorder and neurodegenerative diseases.

Rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is an REM sleep parasomnia characterized by enactment of dream content during REM sleep associated with loss of muscle atonia. RBD can be either idiopathic or secondary to drugs or other diseases. The best recognized association is with neurodegenerative diseases, namely alpha-synucleinopathies. RBD may represent the first feature of neurodegeneration and can be considered an early marker of these disorders. This review describes the main clinical, pathogenetic, and therapeutic features of RBD, pointing to its association with neurodegenerative diseases and emphasizing the clinical and prognostic implications

Il terzo settore in Ogliastra

Questa pubblicazione nasce nell'ambito dell'iniziativa comunitaria Equal II "Fase TESEO" (IT-G2-SAR-005) con lo scopo di tracciare una mappa e dizionario delle competenze degli operatori che operano nel campo del sociale; di esaminare la legislazione speciale dei soggetti non profit nell'ambito dei loro rapporti contrattuali con la Pubblica Amministrazione, verificando nel contempo le regole necessarie per l'accreditamento di detti soggetti nell'ambito delle strutture sanitarie con particolare attenzione alle problematiche del terzo settore in Sardegna

Cephalalgiaphobia as a feature of high-frequency migraine: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Cephalalgiaphobia is the fear of having a headache attack during a pain-free period that may induce patients to use analgesic in the absence of pain to prevent headache and to improve their performances. This study aims at assessing if cephalalgiaphobia is related to migraine frequency or medication overuse, and if it is per se a predictor of increase in migraine frequency. METHODS: This is a pilot prospective cohort study on 126 consecutive migraineurs referred to a tertiary Headache Centre. A headache specialist collected data regarding migraine features, frequency and medications at baseline (T0) and 2 years later (T1). Cephalalgiaphobia was investigated at T0 and T1 through a score determined by a 4 items questionnaire. RESULTS: Moderate-high migraine frequency was associated with higher risk of cephalalgiaphobia (p < 0.001). Chronic migraineurs with medication overuse had higher score of cephalalgiaphobia than those without medication overuse (p < 0.001). Patients with increased migraine frequency between T0 and T1 had higher cephalalgiaphobia score (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Cephalalgiaphobia may represent a high-frequency migraine feature and may play a role in chronicization. Therefore, it should be better investigated by clinicians and treated or prevented in order to reduce the risk of disability and the increase in migraine frequency