Composites Composed of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Polymers, and Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Study of Their Biocompatible Properties.

The creation of artificial biocomposites consisting of biocompatible materials in combination with bioactive molecules is one of the main tasks of tissue engineering. The development of new materials, which are biocompatible, functional, and also biodegradable in vivo, is a specific problem. Two types of products can be formed from these materials in the processes of biodegradation.

STAT4 activation in smokers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Activation of the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-4 is critical for the differentiation of T-helper 1 cells/type-1 cytotoxic T-cells and the production of interferon (IFN)-gamma. Expression of STAT4, phospho-STAT4, IFN-gamma and T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) proteins in bronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)-derived lymphocytes, obtained from 12 smokers with mild/moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 59 +/- 16% predicted), 14 smokers with normal lung function (FEV1 106 +/- 12% pred) and 12 nonsmoking subjects (FEV1 111 +/- 14% pred), was examined by immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry. In bronchial biopsies of COPD patients, the number of submucosal phospho-STAT4+ cells was increased (240 (22-406) versus 125 (0-492) versus 29 (0-511) cells mm(-2)) when compared with both healthy smokers and control nonsmokers, respectively.

Increased expression of nuclear factor-kappaB in bronchial biopsies from smokers and patients with COPD.

The expression of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB is an indicator of cellular activation and of inflammatory mediator production. The aim of the present study was to characterise the expression and localisation of p65, the major subunit of NF-kappaB, in the bronchial mucosa of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to examine the relationship between p65 expression and disease status. Bronchial biopsies were obtained from 14 smokers with COPD, 17 smokers with normal lung function and 12 nonsmokers with normal lung function.

Long-latency auditory-evoked potentials in severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To detect the effects of different deviant stimuli on long-latency auditory-evoked potentials (LLAEPs) in patients with severe impairment of consciousness from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to define their prognostic value for late functional outcome.

Design: Correlational study on a prospective cohort.

Setting: Brain injury rehabilitation center.

Incremental benefit of adding oxitropium bromide to formoterol in patients with stable COPD.

The effects of the long-acting beta(2)-agonist formoterol, the anticholinergic drug oxitropium bromide, and their combination were compared in 16 patients with partially reversible stable COPD. On each of 4 study days patients inhaled both drugs separated by 180 min in alternate sequence, with formoterol being administered in two doses (formoterol 12 microg + oxitropium bromide 200 microg; oxitropium bromide 200 microg + formoterol 12 microg; formoterol 24 microg + oxitropium bromide 200 microg; oxitropium bromide 200 microg + formoterol 24 microg). FEV(1)and FVC were measured baseline and after 30, 60, 120, 180, 210, 240, 300 and 360 min.

The natural history and the effects of gabapentin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Glutamate excitotoxicity seems to play an important role in the aetiopathogenesis and progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Gabapentin is a modulator of the glutamatergic system and has been shown to prolong survival in the transgenic model of familial ALS. It has also been demonstrated to slow the decline of arm strength in human sporadic cases.

H-reflex changes in the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

In this study the H-reflex and M-wave were evoked in a group of ALS patients, to correlate the findings with the clinical state, and to investigate whether a statistical approach for assessing H-reflex changes in the presence of a constant M-wave could be reproducible and helpful in monitoring the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The H-reflex and M-wave from the soleus muscle were evoked at different stimulus strengths in 35 patients with definite ALS during the course of their illness. The mean amplitude of the H-reflexes (H-mean) obtained in different sessions within an established range of mean M-response amplitude (M-mean) was calculated.

Effects of record length selection on the accuracy of spectral estimates of heart rate variability: a simulation study.

To evaluate the effects of record length selection on the accuracy of spectral estimates of heart rate variability (HRV), a simulation study was carried out using a set of 58 signals obtained by autoregressive (AR) fitting a representative sample of real HRV signals. Four record lengths of 180, 300, 420, and 540 s were considered. Spectral estimation was performed by both the Blackman-Tukey (B-T) and AR methods.

Muscle relaxation in Parkinson's disease: a reaction time study.

We tested the hypothesis that the relaxation reaction time in Parkinson's disease (PD) is delayed, as a sign of disorder in the control of voluntary motoneuron derecruitment. We compared, in the triceps brachii muscle, the reaction times (RTs) of the onset (O-RT) of electromyographic (EMG) activity during initiation of a contraction with the RTs of the termination of EMG tonic activity during full relaxation (R-RTs). Fourteen patients with idiopathic PD and 10 normal controls were examined.

Application of time series spectral analysis theory: analysis of cardiovascular variability signals.

The paper focuses on the most important application problems commonly encountered in spectral analysis of short-term (less than 10 min) recordings of cardiovascular variability signals (CVSs), critically analysing the different approaches to these problems presented in the literature and suggesting practical solutions based on sound theoretical and empirical considerations. The Blackman-Tukey (BT) and Burg methods have been selected as the most representative of classical and AR spectral estimators, respectively. For realistic simulations, 'synthetic' CVSs are generated as AR processes whose parameters are estimated on corresponding time series of normal, post-myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure subjects.

Crossed aphasia. II: Why are deep lesions overrepresented with respect to standard aphasia?

In this paper we have reviewed the cases of vascular crossed aphasia reported in the literature, in order to check whether deep lesions are really overrepresented in crossed aphasia with respect to standard aphasia. The comparison with a large sample of standard left-hemisphere-damaged aphasics revealed a significantly higher incidence of purely deep lesions in crossed aphasics than in standard aphasics. The overrepresentation of deep lesions in crossed aphasia appears to be contingent on the co-occurrence of aphasia and Unilateral Neglect after right-hemisphere lesion.

Crossed aphasia. I: A case-study with purely deep lesion.

In this paper, we describe the case of a right-handed man, MR, who after right thalamic haemorrhage presented subtranscortical aphasia. Of the disturbances generally associated with standard left hemisphere functions, the patient presented acalculia but not apraxia. Among the functions attributed to the standard right hemisphere, MR showed impairment in affective language and presented unilateral neglect and a strong position preference.

Recovery of object recognition in a case of simultanagnosia.

A case of visual agnosia is described. The patient, V C, complained of difficulties in identifying visual stimuli, after a stroke in the left occipital lobe. A neuropsychological examination demonstrated a range of symptoms consistent with (ventral) simultanagnosia, and a reaching disorder--suggesting Balint's syndrome.

Decreased heart rate variability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Autoregressive spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was performed in 29 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 33 age-matched healthy subjects to evaluate the involvement of the autonomic nervous system. HRV analysis provides a means to recognize low (LF) and high (HF) frequency components, respectively mediated by sympathetic and parasympathetic heart control. An increase in the mean heart rate at rest (P < 0.

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and enteral nutrition in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Bulbar involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is often related to a worse prognosis on account of the higher risk of pulmonary aspiration and undernutrition due to dysphagia. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of enteral feeding by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in a long-term follow-up of ALS patients. We report the results of PEG in 31 ALS patients with bulbar involvement.

The teaching of bioethics to the health care team: the neurologist's role.

The term 'bioethics' connotes not only the complexity of the subject but also the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary approach to it. Any given bioethical issue should be considered from a biological as well as anthropological and social perspective. Treating and evaluating ethical ideas without regard for these three aspects means diminishing and limiting them.

Abnormalities of somatosensory evoked potentials in spasmodic torticollis.

This study examined the N20 and N30 waves of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) from median nerve stimulation at three different stimulation rates (1, 3, and 6 Hz) in patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (ST). The data were compared with those collected from a group of patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) and normal age-matched subjects. N30 amplitude was significantly decreased in both groups of patients with respect to the controls.

The accuracy of power-spectrum analysis of heart-rate variability from annotated RR lists generated by Holter systems.

The accuracy of spectral analysis of heart-rate variability performed on annotated RR interval lists obtained from several commercial Holter systems was appraised. Five tape-recorder-based systems (Del Mar 750, Marquette 8000, Oxford Medilog Excel, Remco Cardioline AD 35 and Reynolds Pathfinder PA3) and four solid-state systems (Hewlett Packard 43420B, Marquette Seer, Oxford 6000FD2, Reynolds E-Ram) were considered. Two ECG signals with fixed real morphology but characterized by a different degree of modulation of the RR interval (reduced and normal variability) were fed into the recorders evaluated.

Perceptual and associative knowledge in category specific impairment of semantic memory: a study of two cases.

We report two head-injured patients whose knowledge of living things was selectively disrupted. Their semantic knowledge was tested with naming and verbal comprehension tasks and a verbal questionnaire. In all of them there was consistent evidence that knowledge of living things was impaired and that of non-living things was relatively preserved.