Relationship between lead exposure and mild cognitive impairment.

INTRODUCTION: Since it is still controversial whether-low-to moderate long-term lead below current threshold values causes neurobehavioural deficits in adults. METHODS: Forty lead-exposed workers subjects with a mean blood lead (PbB) level of 56.4 µg/dL and 40 non-lead-exposed aged matched subjects (PbB: 15.4 µg/dL) with the same socio-economic background were investigated. Participants were administered a neuropsychological tests consisting of BAMT (Branches Alternate Movements Task), FT (Finger Tapping Speed), DS (Digit Span) POMS (Profile of Mood States). RESULTS: Authors noted a significant relationship between the exposed and the referent groups in tests mainly involving executive functions, short time memory and psycho-emotional variables. In addition, Poisson regression test performed on single psychoemotional factors (POMS), has allowed to evidence a significant influence of Pb e ZPP levels on tension, anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that lead exposure among adults at levels previously considered safe, results in impairment of certain cognitive abilities.

Social and interpersonal relationship modifications after renal transplant. A statistic and epidemiologic evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney and liver transplants are the most frequent transplantation procedures carried out in Italy. We report the result of an epidemiological study on kidney transplanted patients resident in the Province of Messina (Italy). METHODS: Seventy-five patients were enrolled between June 2010 march 2011, interviewed and evaluated using an adapted Italian version short-form 36. Socio-economic characteristics, quality of life modifications and involvement in transplant-related charities were studied. The follow-up period was ranging between 52 and 356 months. All subjects gave written informed consent and all results were analysed by chi-square test. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between sexes, social and interpersonal relationship modifications. DISCUSSION: The benefits obtained on quality of life after transplantation is the prerogative of a small percentage of patients and is related to medium and high socio-economic conditions. The possibility of avoiding the haemodialysis represents the primary benefit for the totality of patients.

[Cognitive performances in workers with chronic virus hepatitis (HBV-HCV)]. / Performance cognitive in lavoratori affetti da epatite virale cronica (HBV-HCV).

Chronic condition in subjects with chronic viral hepatitis determines issues neuropsychic. The sample of 21 workers suffering from chronic viral hepatitis in drug treatment has been studied with a battery of standardized tests to assess the cognitive performance, the neurobehavioral effects and psychological disorders that interfere with quality of life, comparing the results of subjects with HBV with those of subjects suffering from HCV. The results showed that both subjects with chronic HBV and HCV have relational-work restrictions that determine long periods of absence from the workplace, with the depression, anxiety, irritability and dysphoria. It is that in patients with chronic HCV physical functioning is significantly impaired with clinical manifestations of the disease that lead to major depression and deficit cognitive function.

[Surgical treatment of hydatid cysts]. / Trattamento chirurgico delle cisti idatidee complicate.

Hydatidosis represents a form of helminthic zoonosis with a stronger medical, social and economic impact. It is endemic in some areas of the world including Mediterranean countries, and therefore Italy. The disease is often diagnosed in an advanced phase, due to the poor symptomatology in the early stages. The best treatment is surgery. Emergency surgery is similar to elective surgery, though in some cases is preferable only a drainage procedure until the stabilization of the genreal and local conditions of the patient allow a radical intervention. The Authors report on their five year experience of surgical treatment of compliated pulmonar hydatidosis pointing out that exeresis must be aimed at preserving pulmonar function as much as possible.

Affective correlates of occupational exposure to whole-body vibration. A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to whole-body vibrations (WBV) represents a highly diffuse occupational risk. Some studies report that chronic exposure to WBV induces a significant increment in the modifications of the cognitive and emotional area. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of WBV exposure on the neuropsychic and behavioural system. METHODS: The study population consisted of 137 male subjects, mean age 45.7 years, working as drivers of mechanical trolleys and occupationally exposed to WBV of a frequency below 2 m/s2. The Profile of Mood States was administered to all subjects in a maximum time of 10 min and in the same operative conditions. The results were compared with those of a homogeneous control group by means of an innovative statistical technique. RESULTS: The results show a significant difference in the response to the neurobehavioural test. The exposed group showed, in fact, a higher score compared with the controls for all 6 factors. In particular, the scores for factors F (fatigue-inertia), D (depression-dejection) and T (tension-anxiety) were more elevated, expressing a significant alteration of the psycho-affective status. Moreover, statistical analysis showed a correlation between exposure time and the score obtained for all factors in the exposed group. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that occupational exposure to WBV is associated with alterations of mood status and that these modifications are directly proportional to exposure time. Furthermore, our results show that psychological tests commonly used in psychopathologic diagnostics can be useful in monitoring alterations of psycho-emotional status determined by physical stressors.

Stressful life events and fibrinogen level in middle-aged teachers.

BACKGROUND: Strong evidence has been reported that a high plasmatic level of fibrinogen plays a central role in the development of coronary heart disease. Many researches showed that stressful life events lead to an increase in plasmatic fibrinogen. The present investigation examined the relationship between plasmatic fibrinogen level and stressful life events. SAMPLING AND METHODS: A sample of 40 middle-aged women employed as teachers underwent a general objective examination, a venous puncture for plasma fibrinogen level evaluation, and completed a questionnaire regarding health behaviours, at baseline and 1-year follow-up. The stressful life events were recorded using the Paykel's interview for recent life events. RESULTS: At the baseline assessment, the distribution of teachers in the two stress exposure groups was 16 women for the non-exposed group of teachers, and 24 for the exposed teachers, while at the 1-year follow-up assessment, it was 10 for the non-exposed and 30 for the exposed group. The number of teachers exposed to stress was significantly higher at the 1-year follow-up than at the baseline assessment (30 and 24, respectively; p < 0.05). Average levels of plasmatic fibrinogen were significantly higher in stress-exposed women than in non-exposed women both at baseline assessment (p < 0.01) and at 1-year follow-up (p < 0.002). Moreover, the mean value of fibrinogen at the follow-up assessment showed a higher increase in stressed women compared with non-stressed women with an annual increase of 10.71 and 5.40%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Stress may trigger the hypercoagulable state evidenced by an increased plasmatic fibrinogen level. This mechanism may help explain the adverse impact of stress on the cardiovascular system.

[Cognitive sequelae of acute hydrogen sulphide poisoning. A case report]. / Sequele cognitive nell'intossicazione acuta da idrogeno solforato. Descrizione di un caso clinico.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) is a highly toxic, colorless gas smelling of rotten eggs. It is used in several industries and is a product of many industrial processes such as oil refining, mining and rayon manufacture. Acute, non fatal H2S intoxication at a concentration of 500 ppm, for few minutes, is followed by brain damage characterised by both immediate and permanent neurobehavioural deficits. OBJECTIVES: The present study describes the neurobehavioral effects of acute, non-fatal H2S intoxication in a healthy 36-year-old male at the workplace. METHODS: Three months after the acute poisoning, the subject was examined via a neurological examination, neuropsychological tests (Mini Mental State, Verbal Span Test, Digit Span Test, Bourdon-Wiersma Dot Cancellation Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Somatognosia, Simple Visual Reaction Time, Simple Acoustic Reaction Time), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPET). RESULTS: The results showed a reduction of cognitive capabilities, depressive symptoms and personality changes even through the results of neurological examination and neuroimaging techniques were unremarkable. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychological testing is a key issue in neurotoxicology assessment, because conventional neurology has been shown to be insensitive to the chemical neurotoxic effects and neuroimaging techniques are often unclear.

Protein farnesyltransferase isoprenoid substrate discrimination is dependent on isoprene double bonds and branched methyl groups.

Farnesylation is a posttranslational lipid modification in which a 15-carbon farnesyl isoprenoid is linked via a thioether bond to specific cysteine residues of proteins in a reaction catalyzed by protein farnesyltransferase (FTase). We synthesized the benzyloxyisoprenyl pyrophosphate (BnPP) series of transferable farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) analogues (1a-e) to test the length dependence of the isoprenoid substrate on the FTase-catalyzed transfer of lipid to protein substrate. Kinetic analyses show that pyrophosphates 1a-e and geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) transfer with a lower efficiency than FPP whereas geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) does not transfer at all. While a correlation was found between K(m) and analogue hydrophobicity and length, there was no correlation between k(cat) and these properties. Potential binding geometries of FPP, GPP, GGPP, and analogues 1a-e were examined by modeling the molecules into the active site of the FTase crystal structure. We found that analogue 1d displaces approximately the same volume of the active site as does FPP, whereas GPP and analogues 1a-c occupy lesser volumes and 1e occupies a slightly larger volume. Modeling also indicated that GGPP adopts a different conformation than the farnesyl chain of FPP, partially occluding the space occupied by the Ca(1)a(2)X peptide in the ternary X-ray crystal structure. Within the confines of the FTase pocket, the double bonds and branched methyl groups of the geranylgeranyl chain significantly restrict the number of possible conformations relative to the more flexible lipid chain of analogues 1a-e. The modeling results also provide a molecular explanation for the observation that an aromatic ring is a good isostere for the terminal isoprene of FPP.

Extended V-Y latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap for anterior chest wall reconstruction.

Patients presenting advanced breast tumors are usually subject to major resections of the anterior chest wall tissue. Flaps taken from the abdominal wall, such as the TRAM, the external oblique flap, and the thoracoabdominal flap are frequently used for closure of this type of lesion. In this study, a different shape was planned for the skin island from the latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap with primary closure in V-Y for the correction of major lesions in the anterior chest wall after mastectomies occasioned by advanced breast cancer. The technique was used on eight female patients, between November of 1998 and July of 1999, victims of advanced breast cancer, who had been submitted to radical mastectomies with major resections of the cutaneous tegument. It was possible to make primary closure of lesions in the anterior chest wall, the preoperative areas of which varied between 15 x 15 and 29 x 14 cm (vertical x horizontal). This technical variant permitted use of the flap without the need to create tunnels for its advancement and rotation. It also proved to be easy to perform and presented a low morbidity rate, with three patients presenting minor complications that did not require correction through any further surgical intervention. Closure was obtained in the donor and recipient sites without the use of skin grafts or other more major procedures. According to the authors, this procedure is a viable alternative in repairing large defects in the anterior chest wall.

Synthesis and beta-adrenergic properties of (Z)-N-[3-(alkylamino)-2-hydroxypropylidene](aryl-methyloxy)amines: effects of the configuration around the methyloxyiminomethyl (MOIM) double bond on the biopharmacological properties of MOIM-type beta-blocking agents.

The N-isopropyl- (3a-g) and N-tert-butyl-substituted (4a-g) (Z)-N-(3-(amino)-2-hydroxypropylidene)-(arylmethyloxy)amines were synthesized in order to compare their beta 1- and beta 2-adrenergic properties with those of their previously studied corresponding analogues with the E configuration (1a-g and 2a-g). Compounds 3 and 4 were tested for their affinity for beta 1-a and beta 2-adrenoceptors by radioligand binding experiments, and the compounds with the highest affinity were also assayed for their activity towards the same types of beta-adrenoceptors by functional tests on isolated preparations. The Z-methyloxyiminomethyl (Z-MOIM) compounds 3 and 4 proved to possess, on the whole, affinity (Ki) and activity (PIC50) indices similar to those of the E isomers 1 and 2, thus indicating that for the MOIM-type beta-adrenergic antagonists 1-4, the type of configuration around the MOIM double bond does not have any appreciable effect either on the affinity or on the activity towards beta-adrenoceptors. These results are rationalized on the basis of the steric and electronic analogies existing between the MOIM groups of 1-4 in the two types of configurations (E and Z).