Frontal Behavioural Inventory in the differential diagnosis of dementia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate diagnostic properties of the Frontal Behavioural Inventory (FBI) in patients suffering from different forms of dementia. METHODS: The FBI was administered with other psychometric tests investigating cognitive performances and behavioral scales to the caregivers of 35 patients with the frontal variant of frontotemporal dementia (fv-FTD), 22 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 15 with vascular dementia (VaD). All patients were comparable for degree of dementia severity and level of executive impairment. RESULTS: The FBI showed high concurrent validity, internal consistency and good inter-rater and test-retest reliability. The discriminant validity was also very high. A new FBI cut-off score of 23 gave 97% sensitivity and 95% specificity in distinguishing fv-FTD from non-FTD patients. Conversely, the Neuropsychiatic Inventory (NPI) score was unable to differentiate fv-FTD from AD. CONCLUSIONS: The FBI is a neurobehavioral tool suitable to distinguish fv-FTD from other forms of dementia also when data from cognitive testing or other behavioral scales fail to support the differential diagnosis.

Evaluation of ovarian functionality after a dietary treatment in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) weight loss is associated with an improvement in insulin sensitivity and a reduction of the insulin concentration in the plasma. It is clear, then, that the first therapeutic approach that can be considered in obese PCOS patients for restoration of the menstrual cycle should be a diet. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of long-term caloric restriction on the clinical and biochemical abnormalities in obese PCOS women. The results obtained make it clear that caloric restriction for 4 weeks causes an increase in SHBG and decreases of free testosterone and insulin, with consequent improvement of the clinical picture.

Experimental chronic interstitial pancreatitis induced by scorpion toxin in rats.

Scorpion venom effects in the gastrointestinal system have been investigated both in men and experimental animals. Pancreatic flux and enzyme content are increased by TsTX, the purified venom from the scorpion Tityus serrulatus. In this study male rats received a single intravenous injection of TsTX. They were sacrificed 20 days later and their pancreas removed. Histopathological studies showed interstitial fibrosis, mononuclear infiltrate, acinar atrophy and ductal dilatation. There also appeared, although less frequently, eosinophil infiltrates, ductular hyperplasia and dense eosinophilic secretion in enlarged ducts. All lesions were multifocal. Islet hyperplasia and nesidioblastosis were also observed.

Acute pancreatitis induced by scorpion toxin, tityustoxin. Histopathological study in rats.

The toxin produced by the Brazilian scorpion Tityrus serrulatus (Tityustoxin) promotes pancreatitis when injected into dogs and rats. The aim of this study is to analyse the histological picture of the rat pancreas at different time intervals after tityustoxin administration. Male adult Wistar rats, weighing 250 +/- 30 g, received i.v. injections of tityustoxin. Different groups were sacrificed after 10, 20 and 40 minutes and after 24 and 96 hours. In all groups the pancreas was removed and examined under light microscope. Results show specific lesions after TsTX administration. After 10, 20 and 40 minutes histological sections of the pancreas showed degeneration with degranulation. After 24 and 96 hours a characteristic picture of acute pancreatitis was evident. Since cellular damage to the pancreas is evident soon after TxTX injection, we suggest a direct action of the venom on this organ. Furthermore, based on these findings, it is possible to claim for a rapid onset of the management of patients offended by scorpion stings.