Circulating Proneurotensin Levels Predict Impaired Bone Mineralisation in Postmenopausal Women With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Context: The mechanisms underlying bone fragility and increased fracture risk observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are not yet fully elucidated. Previous research has suggested a role for neuropeptides in regulating bone metabolism; however, the contribution of the neuropeptide Neurotensin (NT), which is thoroughly implicated in T2D and cardiovascular disease, has not been investigated in this context.

Objective: To study the relationship between circulating levels of the NT precursor proneurotensin (proNT) and bone mineralisation in T2D women.

NEURO-COVAX: An Italian Population-Based Study of Neurological Complications after COVID-19 Vaccinations.

Objective: In this Italian population-based study, we aimed to evaluate the neurological complications after the first and/or second dose of COVID-19 vaccines and factors potentially associated with these adverse effects.

Methods: Our study included adults aged 18 years and older who received two vaccine doses in the vaccination hub of Novegro (Milan, Lombardy) between 7 and 16 July 2021. The NEURO-COVAX questionnaire was able to capture the neurological events, onset and duration.

Equilibrium Polyethylene Passive Sampling of Soil Gas VOC Concentrations: Modeling, Parameter Determinations, and Laboratory Testing.

The use of low-density polyethylene (PE) sheets as equilibrium passive soil gas samplers to quantify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes, and chlorinated solvents ( trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene) in unsaturated subsurface environments was evaluated modeling and benchtop testing. Two methods were devised to quantify such VOCs in PE. Key chemical properties, including PE-water () and PE-air () partition coefficients and diffusivities in the PE (), were determined.

National validation and proposed revision of REM sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire (RBDSQ).

We validated the Italian version of the rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) and calculated its cut-off value for discriminating RBD group from other sleep disorders and healthy controls (HC). 380 patients with sleep disorders and 101 HC were enrolled. RBDSQ achieved an acceptable Cronbach's α value of 0.

Relevance of the bioavailable fraction of DDT and its metabolites in freshwater sediment toxicity: New insight into the mode of action of these chemicals on Dictyostelium discoideum.

In this work, the toxicity of lake sediments contaminated with DDT and its metabolites DDD and DDE (collectively, DDX) was evaluated with widely used toxicity tests (i.e., Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and Lumbriculus variegatus) and with the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a model organism that is also suitable for studying pollutant-induced alterations at the molecular and cellular levels.

Restless legs syndrome/Willis Ekbom disease: new diagnostic criteria according to different nosology.

Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis Ekbom Disease (RLS/WED) is a common neurological disorder characterized by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs, with an urge to move. The symptoms typically begin or worsen during periods of rest, in particular during the evening and at night, while the activity may typically relieve them. The majority of patients complains of poor sleep.

Defining the phenotype of restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED): a clinical and polysomnographic study.

Clinical features variability between familial and sporadic restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) has been previously reported. With this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to determine the clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of 400 RLS/WED patients. Patients with familial RLS/WED were significantly younger than sporadic RLS/WED, while clinical and polysomnographic characteristics were similar in both groups.

New data on psychological traits and sleep profiles of patients affected by nocturnal eating.

Objective: Nocturnal eating behavior is shared by patients affected by a parasomnia, sleep-related eating disorder (SRED), and several eating disorders such as night eating syndrome (NES) and binge-eating disorder (BED); however, the differential clinical features of these patients have been poorly studied, with persisting difficulties in defining the borders between these pathologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate polysomnographic and personality characteristics of nocturnal eaters to further differentiate the syndromes.

Methods: During a period of six months, consecutive patients complaining of nocturnal eating were asked to participate to the study.

Neurocognitive function in patients with idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome before and after treatment with dopamine-agonist.

Although a huge amount of clinical evidence for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is present in literature, an exhaustive account of cognitive profile in RLS patients is still lacking. In this study we evaluated the neurocognitive function in RLS patients and the effects of a three-month treatment with a dopamine agonist (pramipexole) at low doses. Clinical and polysomnographic characteristics, cognitive abilities, quality of life and psychological clinical indices were assessed in 20 RLS patients and 15 age-matched controls.

An observational clinical and video-polysomnographic study of the effects of clonazepam in REM sleep behavior disorder.

Objective: To analyze the differences in sleep structure and nocturnal motor activity between drug-free REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) patients and those under therapy with clonazepam, and to evaluate the long-term longitudinal changes under continued therapy with clonazepam.

Methods: Fifty-seven consecutive iRBD patients were recruited (52 men and 5 women, mean age 68.8±6.

Pramipexole versus ropinirole: polysomnographic acute effects in restless legs syndrome.

Background: Pramipexole and ropinirole have become the first-line treatment for restless legs syndrome. The aim of this study was to perform the first direct comparison between these two molecules in restless legs syndrome.

Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, double-night and prospective investigation was carried out in 45 consecutive naïve patients with idiopathic restless legs syndrome.

Effects of acute dopamine-agonist treatment in restless legs syndrome on heart rate variability during sleep.

Objective: To compare heart rate variability (HRV) changes in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and in healthy subjects, and to evaluate HRV before and after treatment with pramipexole in RLS patients.

Methods: A prospective, polysomnographic, single-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed in 23 patients with RLS and 10 healthy subjects. Basal spectral analysis of HRV and phasic heart rate (HR) changes during PLMS were compared between the two groups and, within the RLS group, before and after treatment with placebo or pramipexole.

Improved computation of the atonia index in normal controls and patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a simple method of noise reduction before the calculation of the REM sleep atonia index (AI) on a large number of recordings from different normal controls and patient groups.

Subjects And Methods: Eighty-nine subjects were included: 25 young controls, 10 aged controls, 31 untreated patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), 8 treated patients with iRBD, 10 patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and 5 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The average amplitude of the rectified submentalis muscle EMG signal was then obtained for all 1-s mini epochs of REM sleep.

Acute dopamine-agonist treatment in restless legs syndrome: effects on sleep architecture and NREM sleep instability.

Study Objectives: To analyze cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) in restless legs syndrome (RLS) and the eventual changes induced by the acute administration of pramipexole.

Setting: Sleep clinic in a scientific research institute.

Interventions: Placebo or pramipexole 0.

Measuring the error in sleep estimation in normal subjects and in patients with insomnia.

The aims of this study were to measure the error in sleep estimation in normal controls and subjects with primary insomnia to establish the minimum amount of sleep needed for reliable subjective estimation and to depict the distribution of the error in sleep estimation in both groups. A two-step retrospective (study 1) and prospective (study 2) validation study was carried out. Study 1 included 288 normal subjects [176 females and 112 males, mean age 58.

Association between bruxism and nocturnal groaning.

Bruxism is a well-known sleep-related movement disorder, usually associated with teeth damage and morning temporo-mandibular discomfort. Nocturnal groaning (NG) is a less common entity consisting of a nocturnal monotonous sound, which occurs during the expiratory phase, especially during REM sleep, recently classified among parasomnias. We describe the first case of an association between bruxism and NG.

First night efficacy of pramipexole in restless legs syndrome and periodic leg movements.

Objective: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) seems to improve immediately after a single dose of dopamine-agonists (DA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of a low standard dose of pramipexole in RLS drug-naïve patients.

Methods: A single-blind placebo-controlled study in 32 consecutive idiopathic RLS de-novo patients was carried out.

Topiramate treatment for nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.

Purpose: Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the antiepileptic drug topiramate (TPM) in a sample of patients with nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE).

Methods: A 24 patients with video-polysomnographically confirmed NFLE received topiramate as single or add-on therapy. They all completed diaries concerning the seizures frequency and complexity and underwent to periodic follow-up visits.

Evidence for a fourth locus for autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.

Mutations responsible for autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy have been identified in two members of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family: CHRNA4(ENFL1 locus) and CHRNB2 (ENFL3 locus) coding for alpha4 and beta2 subunit, respectively. However, mutations in these genes account for only a minority (less than 10%) of cases. For a third ADNFLE locus (ENFL2) on chromosome 15q24 the gene was not identified.

Genetics in restless legs syndrome.

Several studies on Restless legs syndrome (RLS) have suggested a substantial genetic contribution in the etiology of this sleep disorder. Clinical surveys of idiopathic RLS patients have shown that up to 60% report a positive family history. Investigations of single families with RLS have suggested an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable expressivity, and some families show possible anticipation.

Cabergoline is an effective single-drug treatment for restless legs syndrome: clinical and actigraphic evaluation.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and the safety of cabergoline, a dopamine-receptor agonist with a long half-life, in restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Design: A 2 month, single blind, open labeled clinical trial. Patients were evaluated with polysomnography at baseline (B), following 1 week of placebo (T0), and after 1 week (T1) and 2 months (T2) of cabergoline treatment.

Autosomal dominant restless legs syndrome maps on chromosome 14q.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder characterized by an irresistible desire to move the extremities associated with paraesthesia/dysaesthesia. These symptoms occur predominantly at rest and worsen at night, resulting in nocturnal insomnia and chronic sleep deprivation. In this paper, we show significant evidence of linkage to a new locus for RLS on chromosome 14q13-21 region in a 30-member, three-generation Italian family affected by RLS and periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMS).

Exclusion of linkage of nine neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes expressed in brain in autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy in four unrelated families.

Members of the ligand-gated neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) gene family ( CHRNA4 and CHRNB2, coding for the alpha4 and beta2 subunits, respectively) are involved in autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE). However, ADNFLE is genetically heterogeneous and mutations in CHRNA4 and CHRNB2 account for only a minority of ADNFLE cases. Additional nAChR subunits expressed in the brain are candidates for this epilepsy.

Mutational analysis of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor beta2 subunit gene (CHRNB2) in a representative cohort of Italian probands affected by autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy.

Twenty-four autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) probands were analyzed for the presence of V287L and V287M mutations in the CHRNB2 gene, which have been recently associated with the disease. In all patients, the involvement of the two additional loci reported as being associated with ADNFLE (CHRNA4 gene and chromosome 15q24 region) had been previously excluded. Mutational screening was performed by sequencing a polymerase chain reaction-amplified CHRNB2 DNA fragment, spanning the whole exon 5, which contains the V287L and V287M mutations and codes for approximately 65% of the mature protein.