92 research outputs found
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO PREVENT THE EROSION OF SALT MARSHES IN THE LAGOON OF VENICE
The loss of coastal habitats is a widespread problem in Europe. To
protect the intertidal salt marshes of the lagoon of Venice from the
erosion due to natural and human causes which is diffusely and intensely
impacting them, the European Commission has funded the demonstrative
project LIFE VIMINE. LIFE VIMINE aims to protect the most interior,
hard-to-access salt marshes in the northern lagoon of Venice through an
integrated approach, whose core is the prevention of erosion through
numerous, small but spatially-diffuse soil-bioengineering protections
works, mainly placed through semi-manual labour and with low impact on
the environment and the landscape. The effectiveness of protection works
in the long term is ensured through routine, temporally-continuous and
spatially-diffuse actions of monitoring and maintenance. This method
contrasts the common approach to managing hydraulic risk and erosion in
Italy which is based on large, one-off and irreversible protection
actions. The sustainability of the LIFE VIMINE approach is ensured by
the participatory involvement of stakeholders and the recognition that
protecting salt marshes means defending the benefits they provide to
society through their ecological functions, as well as protecting the
jobs linked to the existence or conservation of this habitat
Substantia Nigra Volumetry with 3-T MRI in De Novo and Advanced Parkinson Disease
Background: Magnetization transfer–prepared T1-weighted MRI can depict a hyperintense subregion of the substantia nigra involved in the degeneration process of Parkinson disease. /
Purpose: To evaluate quantitative measurement of substantia nigra volume by using MRI to support clinical diagnosis and staging of Parkinson disease. /
Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, a high-spatial-resolution magnetization transfer–prepared T1-weighted volumetric sequence was performed with a 3-T MRI machine between January 2014 and October 2015 for participants with de novo Parkinson disease, advanced Parkinson disease, and healthy control participants. A reproducible semiautomatic quantification analysis method that entailed mesencephalic intensity as an internal reference was used for hyperintense substantia nigra volumetry normalized to intracranial volume. A general linear model with age and sex as covariates was used to compare the three groups. /
Results: Eighty participants were evaluated: 20 healthy control participants (mean age ± standard deviation, 56 years ± 11; 11 women), 29 participants with de novo Parkinson disease (64 years ± 10; 19 men), and 31 participants with advanced Parkinson disease (60 years ± 9; 16 women). Volumetric measurement of hyperintense substantia nigra from magnetization transfer–prepared T1-weighted MRI helped differentiate healthy control participants from participants with advanced Parkinson disease (mean difference for ipsilateral side, 64 mm3 ± 14, P < .001; mean difference for contralateral side, 109 mm3 ± 14, P < .001) and helped distinguish healthy control participants from participants with de novo Parkinson disease (mean difference for ipsilateral side, 45 mm3 ± 15, P < .01; mean difference for contralateral side, 66 mm3 ± 15, P < .001) and participants with de novo Parkinson disease from those with advanced Parkinson disease (mean difference for ipsilateral side, 20 mm3 ± 13, P = .40; mean difference for contralateral side, 43 mm3 ± 13, P = .004). /
Conclusion: Magnetization transfer–prepared T1-weighted MRI volumetry of the substantia nigra helped differentiate the stages of Parkinson disease
Extracellular Vesicles Derived From Plasma of Patients With Neurodegenerative Disease Have Common Transcriptomic Profiling
Objectives: There is a lack of effective biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and frontotemporal dementia. Extracellular vesicle (EV) RNA cargo can have an interesting potential as a non-invasive biomarker for NDs. However, the knowledge about the abundance of EV-mRNAs and their contribution to neurodegeneration is not clear. Methods: Large and small EVs (LEVs and SEVs) were isolated from plasma of patients and healthy volunteers (control, CTR) by differential centrifugation and filtration, and RNA was extracted. Whole transcriptome was carried out using next generation sequencing (NGS). Results: Coding RNA (i.e., mRNA) but not long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in SEVs and LEVs of patients with ALS could be distinguished from healthy CTRs and from other NDs using the principal component analysis (PCA). Some mRNAs were found in commonly deregulated between SEVs of patients with ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and they were classified in mRNA processing and splicing pathways. In LEVs, instead, one mRNA and one antisense RNA (i.e., MAP3K7CL and AP003068.3) were found to be in common among ALS, FTD, and PD. No deregulated mRNAs were found in EVs of patients with AD. Conclusion: Different RNA regulation occurs in LEVs and SEVs of NDs. mRNAs and lncRNAs are present in plasma-derived EVs of NDs, and there are common and specific transcripts that characterize LEVs and SEVs from the NDs considered in this study
Are patients with GBA-Parkinson disease good candidates for deep brain stimulation? A longitudinal multicentric study on a large Italian cohort
Background: GBA variants increase the risk of developing Parkinson disease (PD) and influence its outcome. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a recognised therapeutic option for advanced PD. Data on DBS long-term outcome in GBA carriers are scarce. Objective: To elucidate the impact of GBA variants on long-term DBS outcome in a large Italian cohort. Methods: We retrospectively recruited a multicentric Italian DBS-PD cohort and assessed: (1) GBA prevalence; (2) pre-DBS clinical features; and (3) outcomes of motor, cognitive and other non-motor features up to 5 years post-DBS. Results: We included 365 patients with PD, of whom 73 (20%) carried GBA variants. 5-year follow-up data were available for 173 PD, including 32 mutated subjects. GBA-PD had an earlier onset and were younger at DBS than non-GBA-PD. They also had shorter disease duration, higher occurrence of dyskinesias and orthostatic hypotension symptoms. At post-DBS, both groups showed marked motor improvement, a significant reduction of fluctuations, dyskinesias and impulsive-compulsive disorders (ICD) and low occurrence of most complications. Only cognitive scores worsened significantly faster in GBA-PD after 3 years. Overt dementia was diagnosed in 11% non-GBA-PD and 25% GBA-PD at 5-year follow-up. Conclusions: Evaluation of long-term impact of GBA variants in a large Italian DBS-PD cohort supported the role of DBS surgery as a valid therapeutic strategy in GBA-PD, with long-term benefit on motor performance and ICD. Despite the selective worsening of cognitive scores since 3 years post-DBS, the majority of GBA-PD had not developed dementia at 5-year follow-up
Consensus on the treatment of dysphagia in Parkinson's disease
BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is common in Parkinson's disease (PD). The effects of antiparkinsonian drugs on dysphagia are controversial. Several treatments for dysphagia are available but there is no consensus on their efficacy in PD. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the literature and to define consensus statements on the treatment of dysphagia in PD and related nutritional management. METHODS: A multinational group of experts in the field of neurogenic dysphagia and/or Parkinson's disease conducted a systematic evaluation of the literature and reported the results according to PRISMA guidelines. The evidence from the retrieved studies was analyzed and discussed in a consensus conference organized in Pavia, Italy, and the consensus statements were drafted. The final version of statements was subsequently achieved by e-mail consensus. RESULTS: The literature review retrieved 64 papers on treatment and nutrition of patients with PD and dysphagia, mainly of Class IV quality. Based on the literature and expert opinion in cases where the evidence was limited or lacking, 26 statements were developed. CONCLUSIONS: The statements developed by the Consensus panel provide a guidance for a multi-disciplinary treatment of dysphagia in patients with PD, involving neurologists, otorhinolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, phoniatricians, speech-language pathologists, dieticians, and clinical nutritionists
A multinational consensus on dysphagia in Parkinson's disease: screening, diagnosis and prognostic value
Background:
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of motor and non-motor dysfunction. Dysphagia is a common symptom in PD, though it is still too frequently underdiagnosed. Consensus is lacking on screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of dysphagia in PD.
Objective:
To systematically review the literature and to define consensus statements on the screening and the diagnosis of dysphagia in PD, as well as on the impact of dysphagia on the prognosis and quality of life (QoL) of PD patients.
Methods:
A multinational group of experts in the field of neurogenic dysphagia and/or PD conducted a systematic revision of the literature published since January 1990 to February 2021 and reported the results according to PRISMA guidelines. The output of the research was then analyzed and discussed in a consensus conference convened in Pavia, Italy, where the consensus statements were drafted. The final version of statements was subsequently achieved by e-mail consensus.
Results:
Eighty-five papers were used to inform the Panel’s statements even though most of them were of Class IV quality. The statements tackled four main areas: (1) screening of dysphagia: timing and tools; (2) diagnosis of dysphagia: clinical and instrumental detection, severity assessment; (3) dysphagia and QoL: impact and assessment; (4) prognostic value of dysphagia; impact on the outcome and role of associated conditions.
Conclusions:
The statements elaborated by the Consensus Panel provide a framework to guide the neurologist in the timely detection and accurate diagnosis of dysphagia in PD
Validation of the Italian version of the Movement Disorder Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.
Recommended from our members
Levodopa Equivalent Dose of Safinamide: A Multicenter, Longitudinal, Case-Control Study
Background
Effects of dopaminergic medications used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) may be compared with each other by using conversion factors, calculated as Levodopa equivalent dose (LED). However, current LED proposals on MAO-B inhibitors (iMAO-B) safinamide and rasagiline are still based on empirical approaches.
Objectives
To estimate LED of safinamide 50 and 100 mg.
Methods
In this multicenter, longitudinal, case–control study, we retrospectively reviewed clinical charts of 500 consecutive PD patients with motor complications and treated with (i) safinamide 100 mg (N = 130), safinamide 50 mg (N = 144), or rasagiline 1 mg (N = 97) for 9 ± 3 months and a control group of patients never treated with any iMAO-B (N = 129).
Results
Major baseline features (age, sex, disease duration and stage, severity of motor signs and motor complications) were similar among the groups. Patients on rasagiline had lower UPDRS-II scores and Levodopa dose than control subjects. After a mean follow-up of 8.8-to-10.1 months, patients on Safinamide 50 mg and 100 mg had lower UPDRS-III and OFF-related UPDRS-IV scores than control subjects, who in turn had larger increase in total LED than the three iMAO-B groups. After adjusting for age, disease duration, duration of follow-up, baseline values and taking change in UPDRS-III scores into account (sensitivity analysis), safinamide 100 mg corresponded to 125 mg LED, whereas safinamide 50 mg and rasagiline 1 mg equally corresponded to 100 mg LED.
Conclusions
We used a rigorous approach to calculate LED of safinamide 50 and 100 mg. Large prospective pragmatic trials are needed to replicate our findings
Copper deficiency in Wilson's disease: Peripheral neuropathy and myelodysplastic syndrome complicating zinc treatment
MONITORAGGIO DELL'AREA UMIDA DI CASTELNOVO BARIANO (RO): RAPPORTO FINALE DELLE ATTIVITA' (PERIODO APRILE 2005 - DICEMBRE 2005) - CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA PADANA POLESANA
Il Laboratorio di Analisi dei Sistemi Ambientali (L.A.S.A.) afferente al Dipartimento dei Processi
Chimici dell\u2019Ingegneria dell\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Padova da anni compie sperimentazioni
nell\u2019area umida di Castelnovo Bariano (RO). Tale area \ue8 stata costruita impegnando fondi della
Regione Veneto con finalit\ue0 di sperimentazione e ricerca sui processi di fitodepurazione, di
evoluzione ecologica e sulle problematiche relative alla gestione di un ecosistema di tipo palustre.
Nel corso delle precedenti sperimentazioni (L.A.S.A. 2004) sono emersi diversi problemi che
pregiudicano l\u2019efficacia dell\u2019area. E\u2019 stato quindi presentato dal Consorzio di Bonifica Padana
Polesana, che attualmente gestisce l\u2019area, un progetto di riqualificazione, approvato dalla Regione
Veneto, nell\u2019ambito dell\u2019Accordo di Programma Quadro per la tutela delle acque fra il Ministero
dell\u2019Ambiente, Regione Veneto ed il Consorzio di Bonifica Padana Polesana stesso allo scopo di
migliorarne le prestazioni (Barausse A., 2004.). Queste opere sono state realizzate nella primavera
del 2005.
Scopo di questa nuova Convenzione fra il L.A.S.A. ed il Consorzio di Bonifica \ue8 quello di
verificare l\u2019adeguatezza e l\u2019efficienza dei lavori di riqualificazione e l\u2019efficienza dell\u2019area
nell\u2019abbattimento dei nutrienti.
L\u2019attivit\ue0 sperimentale prevista nella Convenzione in atto tra Universit\ue0 di Padova e Consorzio di
Bonifica Padana Polesana ha avuto inizio il giorno 28-04-2005 a seguito della stesura del verbale di
inizio attivit\ue0 previsto all\u2019articolo 4 della Convenzione stessa
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