[Peripheral nervous system involvement in HCV-related mixed cryoglobulinemia].

In HCV-related mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) a peripheral neuropathy (PN) may occur. To evaluate the prevalence and the characteristics of PN, 133 consecutive patients with HCV-MC (117 type II, 16 type III) were studied. Neurologic evaluation was performed according to the guidelines of Italian Group for the Study of Cryoglobulinemias, using a neurological disability score and a neurological symptom score.

Gender and peripheral neuropathy in chronic alcoholism: a clinical-electroneurographic study.

In some alcohol-related pathologies of chronic alcoholism women are more vulnerable than men. A consecutive sample of 62 chronic alcoholics was studied, 18 females and 44 males, aged between 28 and 69 years to assess the incidence and distribution of peripheral neuropathy with regard to gender. All patients underwent clinical and neurological observations, laboratory tests, and electroneurography.

Progressive rubella panencephalitis. Follow-up EEG study of a case.

Progressive rubella panencephalitis is a very rare slow virus disease of the nervous system. The authors present a case, concerning a young man, aged 20 years, died 11 months after the onset of the disease. The following peculiarities of the case are emphasized: 1) the clinical symptomatology and the evolution (myoclonus, lack of cerebellar impairment) could suggest the diagnosis of SSPE; 2) the EEG recordings showed epileptiform abnormalities, long latency diffuse periodic complexes and--during interferon therapy and simultaneously with a temporary clinical improvement--the appearance of short latency anterior periodic complexes.

Carpal tunnel syndrome: a clinical electrophysiological study of 84 cases.

A retrospective study of 84 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), for a total of 118 hands, was performed in order to check clinical aspects of the disease including age of onset, sex, side affected, other associated pathological conditions, and to assess the existence of correlation between the clinical picture and electrophysiological parameters. All patients were subjected to careful clinical observation and electromyographic and electroneurographic examinations. Our study confirms that the female sex is by far predominant, the most interesting ages being the 5th and 6th decades of life and the right side is more affected than the left.

[Clinico-developmental aspects in 44 cases of polymyositis/dermatomyositis].

A retrospective study, paying particular attention to the clinical and evolutive aspects of the disease, was performed on 44 subjects affected by polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and hospitalized at the Institute of Medical Clinics of the 1st School of Medicine of Naples University. On the basis of the different clinical pictures, the cases were classified into the following groups: primary PM (4); primary DM (19); DM/PM associated with malignancy (6); childhood DM/PM (3); PM/DM associated with connective tissue disorders (12). Diagnosis was established in terms of the following criteria: a) symmetrical and mostly proximal bilateral muscle weakness (100%); b) elevation of serum enzymes (86.