Amnestic Syndrome in Memory Clinics: Similar Morphological Brain Patterns in Older Adults with and without Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Amnestic syndrome of the hippocampal type (ASHT) in Memory Clinics is a presentation common to Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, ASHT can be found in other neurodegenerative disorders.

Objective: To compare brain morphometry including hippocampal volumes between amnestic older adults with and without AD pathology and investigate their relationship with memory performance and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers.

Dopamine transporter single-photon emission computerized tomography supports diagnosis of akinetic crisis of parkinsonism and of neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Akinetic crisis (AC) is akin to neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and is the most severe and possibly lethal complication of parkinsonism. Diagnosis is today based only on clinical assessments yet is often marred by concomitant precipitating factors. Our purpose is to evidence that AC and NMS can be reliably evidenced by FP/CIT single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) performed during the crisis.

Cysteinyl leukotriene D4 induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation: a possible role in myointimal hyperplasia.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (i.e. LTC4, LTD4), produced by activated leukocytes or by transcellular metabolism may act at different levels on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) during inflammatory process or atherosclerosis.

Arterial lesions in hypercholesterolaemic Yoshida rats: morphological evaluation.

The aortic wall structure of genetically determined hypercholesterolaemic (Yoshida) and control (Brown-Norway) rats was investigated by transmission and scanning electron and light microscopy. Leucocyte adherence mostly at branch sites and irregular protrusive structures were observed on the endothelial surface of the thoracic aorta of Yoshida, but not of Brown-Norway rats. The subendothelial space of the aortic wall of Yoshida rats was characterized by intimal cushions consisting of smooth muscle cells of 'synthetic phenotype' associated with adhering leucocytes and lipid droplets.

Reduced smooth muscle cell regeneration in Yoshida (YOS) spontaneously hypercholesterolemic rats.

Hypercholesterolemia is a predisposing factor for atherosclerosis. We studied the response to damage of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) from normocholesterolemic Brown Norway (BN) and from spontaneously hyper-cholesterolemic Yoshida (YOS) rats (16-24 month old). The regrowth rate of SMC from BN and YOS rats after freeze-induced damage was similar in the presence of fetal calf serum and of serum derived from normocholesterolemic rats, while it was reduced in the presence of serum from hypercholesterolemic rats.