ABSTRACT
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder whose treatment is symptomatic. No suitable methods for assessing the effects of dopaminergic drugs on disease progression in clinical trials have yet been provided. The aim of this longitudinal study is to evaluate the influence of rasagiline and selegiline on neurometabolic profile in de novo PD patients by using Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS). We enrolled de novo PD patients who were divided into two groups of 20 patients each, according to the dopaminergic treatment prescribed at the baseline visit (rasagiline or selegiline). At the baseline visit and after 12 months, all patients underwent neurological evaluation as well as 1H-MRS. Forty healthy controls (HC) underwent 1H-MRS at baseline and after 12 months. PD patients, compared to HC, showed significantly lower concentrations of NAA in the motor cortex, while the Cho levels showed a decreasing trend. After 12 months of therapy, the 1H-MRS study revealed that rasagiline and selegiline in a similar way were able to restore the NAA levels to values similar to those of HC. In addition, this neurometabolic change showed a correlation with UPDRS-III scores. This is the first longitudinal study that provides preliminary evidence that 1H-MRS may be a suitable method to evaluate objectively the influence of MAO-B inhibitors on the neurometabolic profile of PD patients. These results could open a new scenario on the hypothesis of a drug-induced slowing effect of PD progression.
ABSTRACT
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, idiopathic, cystic disease that affects lungs of young women at childbearing age. Usually, LAM clinical manifestations are pneumothorax, progressive dyspnea and chylous pleural effusions. In many cases, due to unusual and nonspecific symptoms, LAM is mis-recognized and patients, who are affected by such disease, receive delayed diagnosis. This case report focuses on a 45-year-old woman patient with asymptomatic lymphangioleiomyomatosis who presented a big cyst which makes it looks like hydropneumothorax condition. Although chest radiograph and following CT scan has given an incidental diagnosis of right hydropneumothorax, treatment with drainages and video-assisted thorascopic surgery, instead, has allowed us to formulate correct diagnosis of cysts in LAM.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by a complex physiopathology. We assessed brain morphologic differences in migraine and the possible pathogenetic mechanism underlying this disease. METHODS: We analyzed brain morphologic images of migraine patients, 14 with aura (MwA) [the mean (SD) age was 42.36 (2.95) years (range, 37-47)] and 14 without aura (MwoA) [the mean (SD) age was 43.5 (3.25) years (range, 39-50)] during episodic attack compared with health subjects balanced (HS) [the mean (SD) age was 42.5 (5.17) years (range, 34-51)]. All subjects underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination with a scanner operating at 3.0 T and voxel based morphometry (VBM) approach was used to examine the gray matter volume (GMV). The statistical analysis to compare clinicl characteristics was performed using unpaired t-test an one-way Anova. RESULTS: Total cerebral GMV showed a significant difference between MwA and HS (p = 0.02), and between MwoA and HS (p = 0.003). In addition, not significative differences were found between MwA and MwoA groups (p = 0.17). We found three clusters of regions which showed significant GMV reduction in MwA compared with MwoA. MwA subjects showed a less of GMV in 4 clusters if compared with HS, and MwoA subjects showed a less of GMV in 3 clusters if compared with HS. We observed that MwA and MwoA patients had a significant reduction of GMV in the frontal and temporal lobe and the cerebellum, if compared to HS. The bilateral fusiform gyrus and the cingulate gyrus were increase in MwoA patients compared with HS. CONCLUSION: Our findings could provide a approach to understand possible differences in the pathogenesis of two type of migraine.
