Proposal for an electron antineutrino disappearance search using high-rate 8Li production and decay.

This paper introduces an experimental probe of the sterile neutrino with a novel, high-intensity source of electron antineutrinos from the production and subsequent decay of 8Li. When paired with an existing ∼1 kton scintillator-based detector, this = 6.4 MeV source opens a wide range of possible searches for beyond standard model physics via studies of the inverse beta decay interaction ν(e) + p → e+ + n. In particular, the experimental design described here has unprecedented sensitivity to ν(e) disappearance at Δm2 ∼ 1 eV2 and features the ability to distinguish between the existence of zero, one, and two sterile neutrinos.

The leptin, a new hormone of adipose tissue: clinical findings and perspectives in geriatrics.

Obesity has gained a great importance during the last decades, and this fact stimulated numerous studies regarding the genetic causes of this disease. A recently discovered new molecule, called leptin, raised a wide interest. It is a product of the adipocytes, it exerts inhibitory effects on the center of appetite and increases the energy expenditure of the organism. The present study evaluated blood leptin levels in 57 elderly subjects and searched for eventual correlations between this parameter and the age, the body mass index (BMI), the fat body mass (fat%), the waist (W) and hip (H) circumference, as well as the ratio (R) of these latter two values (WHR). Blood leptin levels do not correlate with age, body height and the WHR, but display significant positive correlations with the body weight, the BMI, the fat%, the W, H and WHR. A deeper knowledge on leptin and the correlations of this hormone with other body parameters might be helpful in a better understanding of several pathogenetic mechanisms related to aging and involved in a deterioration of the quality of life in elderly, like multiple atherosclerotic and metabolic diseases (diabetes, dyslipidemias).

Alendronate reduces the daily consumption of insulin (DCI) in patients with senile type I diabetes and osteoporosis.

The use of Alendronate for the treatment of senile diabetes with osteopenia or osteoporosis is a common practice today, although the reasons for the success of this treatment are not completely understood. We investigated 40 elderly female patients, over 70 years of age, divided in two Groups (A and B) 20 cases of each, with insulin-dependent senile diabetes and fair metabolic balance, with an average disease duration of 30 +/- 4 years. They all had osteoporosis shown by the mean T-score of bone mineral densitometry. The Groups were treated as follows, Group A with 10 mg/day of Alendronate per os, with morning fasting plus a supplementation of calcium and vitamin D3, while the Group B received only calcium and vitamin D3 per os. Bone mineral density (BMD) expressed in mg/cm2, and in terms of T-score and Z-score at the spine (L1-L4) was monitored over time after 12 and 24 months, using dexa technique with a Lunar DPX densitometer. Moreover, the variation of daily consumption of insulin (DCI) of all the study population was calculated 12 and 24 months after the start of treatments. The data of Group A showed an improvement of osteoporosis, as evidenced by the increase of BMD at both times of measurement, accompanied by a significant reduction in the DCI (-21.6% by the 12th month, and -36.2% by the end of the observation period). In the Group B only small, statistically insignificant changes were observed in both the BMD and DCI. The most plausible explanation of reduction of DCI in Group A seems to be that Alendronate has improved the clinical symptoms of osteoporosis (pain, rigidity, and reduction of movements) through its action on the bone mass recovery and slowing down the bone turnover and under these conditions the diabetic patients improved their own physical performance. The better and more extensive movements certainly produced a reduction in the DCI, since a correct and adequate physical activity does contribute to an improved glucose metabolism.

A new method for diagnosing fever of unknown origin (FUO) due to infection of muscular-skeletal system in elderly people: leukoscan Tc-99m labelled scintigraphy.

Twenty patients affected by fever of unknown origin (FUO), due to a likely infection of the muscular or skeletal tissues, were studied by a Total Body scan with a monoclonal antibody fragment (Leukoscan) labelled with Tc-99m. The diagnostic procedure helped reach a final diagnosis in 8 out of the 20 patients because it identified the focus of the infection of the muscles or bones in joint proximity. Our data show that Leukoscan deserves to become a first line diagnostic procedure in the diagnostic algorithm for the evaluation of patients with FUO.

Leukoaraiosis, cognitivity and affectivity in elderly patients: on the lack of correlations between neurodiagnostic and psychometric findings.

Among the age-related pathophysiological alterations of the brain, the anomalies of the white matter are becoming of increasing interest at both pathological and clinical levels. Wherever specific pathologies of the white matter can be excluded, the still encountered anomalies are generally defined as leukoaraiosis (from the Greek words white and rarefaction), in order to indicate certain ill-defined, slurred subcortical areas which may be single, multiple, or confluent, representing transparent white matter regions, most probably of ischemic origin. The causes, risk factors and clinical significance of leukoaraiosis have remained so far unknown. At clinical level, it is believed to be connected with cognitive and affective disorders. This study intended to collect evidence of the presence and to estimate the extent of eventual cognitive and affective disorders in a sample of elderly patients displaying cerebral lesions like simple or associated leukoaraiosis, as well as other stabilized focal, single or multiple ischemic lesions, cerebral atrophy, lacunar state and vascular cerebropathies without leukoaraiosis. So far no significant correlations have been encountered between the neurodiagnostic and psychometric findings.

Treatment of arterial hypertension in the elderly using enalapril.

BACKGROUND: Arterial pressure increases with age and is the most common chronic disease in the elderly, men and women alike. At present arterial hypertension is considered a social disease as it poses great health, economic and social problems. METHODS: A group of 50 patients of both sexes, between 66 and 83 years of age, suffering from essential arterial hypertension and treated with Enalapril administered at doses varying from 10 to 20 mg/day, for a period of 18 months, has been studied. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that blood pressure values of almost all the patients treated normalised and left ventricular hypertrophy decreased in all patients with this complication.

The NTX assay in the follow-up of the osteoporotic patients: 3 years of alendronate treatment.

These studies were conducted on 38 female patients treated with alendronate (10 mg/day, per os) for 3 years, because of osteoporosis. Of these patients, 29 were in the menopausal age longer than 10 years, and the remaining nine patients were in menopausa shorter than 10 years. Urine sample were taken at the start of the treatment and every 6 months afterward for 3 years, and crosslinked N-telopeptides of type I collagen (NTx) have been measured in them by means of an ELISA technique. Bone mineral density (BMD) has been recorded at the ultradistal (UDBMD) and mediodistal (MDBMD) region of radius of the non-dominant side. Body mass index (BMI) of the subjects has also been determined each time. The baseline values of NTx varied very much, scattered in a range of 11-215 nanomoles bone collagen equivalent/millimoles creatinine (nM BCE/mM Cr), in average 59+/-46; those of UDBMD and MDBMD amounted to 258+/-63 and 587+/-112 mg/cm(2), respectively. NTx, the BMD values and the menopausal age does not correlate with cach other. Both BMD values increased almost linearly in the total study pool during the 3-years-long treatment, being 3.0-9.2 and 0.8-2.5% higher in terms of UDBMD and MDBMD, respectively. Urine NTx concentrations decreased during the same time 30-35%. It is concluded that monitoring of urine NTx levels may be very useful during antiosteoporotic treatments, because a reduction of NTx is an indicator of the slowing down of bone turnover and the bone losses, as was observed during the alendronate therapy.