Visual snow syndrome and its relationship with migraine.

Introduction: Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a central nervous system disorder that consists of the constant perception of small black and white dots throughout the entire visual field.

Development: VSS can present from infancy to old age, with greater prevalence in the young population, and shows no difference between sexes. The diagnostic criteria include the presence of visual snow and such other visual phenomena as palinopsia, photophobia, nyctalopia, and other persistent visual phenomena.

Visual snow syndrome and its relationship with migraine.

Introduction: Visual snow syndrome (VSS) is a central nervous system disorder that consists of the constant perception of small black and white dots throughout the entire visual field.

Development: VSS can present from infancy to old age, with greater prevalence in the young population, and shows no difference between sexes. The diagnostic criteria include the presence of visual snow and such other visual phenomena as palinopsia, photophobia, nyctalopia, and other persistent visual phenomena.

Exploring the presence of narcolepsy in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: There are several case reports of patients with narcolepsy and schizophrenia, but a systematic examination of the association of both disorders has not been done. The aim of this work is to assess the frequency of narcolepsy with cataplexy in a large consecutive series of adult patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Methods: We screened 366 consecutive patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with a sleep questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepines scale (ESS) exploring narcoleptiform symptoms.

High-field FT-ICR mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy to characterize DOM removal through a nanofiltration pilot plant.

Ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were combined to evaluate the molecular changes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) through an ultrafiltration-nanofiltration (UF-NF) pilot plant, using two dissimilar NF membranes tested in parallel. The sampling was performed on seven key locations within the pilot plant: pretreated water, UF effluent, UF effluent after addition of reagents, permeate NF 1, permeate NF 2, brine NF 1 and brine NF 2, during two sampling campaigns. The study showed that there is no significant change in the nature of DOM at molecular level, when the water was treated with UF and/or with the addition of sodium metabisulfite and antiscaling agents.

Life cycle and human health risk assessments as tools for decision making in the design and implementation of nanofiltration in drinking water treatment plants.

A combined methodology using life cycle assessment (LCA) and human health risk assessment (HHR) is proposed in order to select the percentage of water in drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) that should be nanofiltered (NF). The methodological approach presented here takes into account environmental and social benefit criteria evaluating the implementation of new processes into conventional ones. The inclusion of NF process improves drinking water quality, reduces HHR but, in turn, increases environmental impacts as a result of energy and material demand.

Eighteen month study of continuous intraduodenal levodopa infusion in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease: impact on control of fluctuations and quality of life.

Symptom control, daily "on" time, and quality of life (QoL) of nine patients with Advanced Parkinson's Disease was assessed following 18-months treatment with Continuous Intraduodenal Levodopa Infusion (CIDLI). Patients had severe motor fluctuations and dyskinesias and had previously received treatment with oral levodopa and dopamine agonists. There were significant improvements in patients' symptoms on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, and QoL (Parkinson's Disease QoL Questionnaire; Schwab & England Capacity for Daily Living Scale; p < 0.

[Association of renal carcinoma with neuromyotonia and involvement of inferior motor neuron].

Acquired neuromyotonia is defined as continuous muscle activity originated in peripheral nerve due to alterations of the motor axon membrane. It has been considered a paraneoplastic syndrome in patients with neoplasms of the immune system, mainly lymphomas. Similarly, involvement of the motor neuron has been described as an uncommon paraneoplastic complication, also in relationship to lymphomas.

Relationship between mineral content of domestic hot water and microbial contamination.

The relationship between Legionella and Pseudomonas spp contamination and mineral content of domestic hot waters was investigated in a cross-sectional Italian survey. Pseudomonas spp contamination was associated with elevated Ca, but lower Fe and free chlorine content in the water. Waters with Cu concentrations > 50 microg/L prevented Legionella spp colonisation (OR = 0.

Antibodies to the E2 protein of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus: prevalence and risk factors in different populations in Italy.

Background: Many aspects of the epidemiology of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C) infection have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of GBV-C antibodies and risk factors in different subjects living in Italy.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1,005 sera were tested for the presence of antibodies to the of GBV-C E2 protein using a recently developed enzyme immunoassay.

A seroepidemiologic survey on brucellosis antibodies in southern Italy.

This study investigated the prevalence of Brucella antibodies in the general population in two regions in southern Italy. A total of 1,294 subjects were recruited from January to June 1996 among patients attending randomly selected public and private laboratories and pediatric outpatient clinics. Information on sex, age, residence, and occupation was recorded.

Persistence of immunity to poliomyelitis among a southern population that received four doses of OPV 5 to over 15 years before.

The immune status against polioviruses was investigated in a population of 545 students aged 11-20 years residing in the Neapolitan area, who had completed the vaccination cycle with four doses of OPV 5 to over 15 years before. Assuming as unprotected those individuals without detectable neutralizing antibodies at the dilution 1:2, nobody resulted without protection against all types of poliovirus; 0.7% lacked antibodies only against type 1, 0.

Effective antibody response in newborn babies living in Maldives to simultaneous vaccination against hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, diphtheria and tetanus.

The antibody responses of Maldivian infants early in their life to simultaneous immunization against hepatitis B virus, poliomyelitis, diphtheria and tetanus were investigated. The vaccines were given at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. Among 243 newborn babies from HBsAg-negative mothers, 103 received three doses of oral poliomyelitis (OPV) and diphtheria and tetanus (DTV) vaccines; 105 were similarly immunized but received in addition the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (HBV); 35 were immunized with the HBV recombinant vaccine alone.

A study of a hospital cluster of systemic candidosis using DNA typing methods.

A cluster of disseminated Candida albicans infections, which occurred at the Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Heart Surgery, was investigated. Ten patients became infected and seven died. A wide microbiological surveillance was carried out.

Neurophysiological observations on the effects of botulinum toxin treatment in patients with dystonic blepharospasm.

Botulinum toxin treatment improves dystonic blepharospasm by inducing transient paresis of the orbicularis oculi muscle. It is not known if it also reduces the enhanced brainstem neuronal excitability found in this disorder. We have performed conventional electromyography (EMG) and blink reflex excitability studies on fifteen patients with blepharospasm before and after botulinum toxin treatment.

[Levels of anti-Legionella antibodies in a healthy Neapolitan population].

Legionella pneumophila was firstly recognized as the causative agent of a serious pneumonia about a decade ago. Since then a number of studies was carried out in order to define the epidemiological and clinical features of the microorganism. So far a high variability of the geographic distribution of the infection has been reported, with prevalences up to 50% of healthy populations.