| Name | Simone |
| Surname | Sampaolo |
| Institution | Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli |
| simone.sampaolo@unicampania.it | |
| Address | II Division of Neurology & Center fo Rare Diseases Department of Medical Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic Sciences, and Aging, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Edificio 10 Via Sergio Pansini, 580131 Naples, Italy |
The superior sagittal sinus (SSS) of the mammalian brain is a pain-sensitive intracranial vessel thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of migraine headaches. Here, we aimed to investigate the presence and the potential co-localization of some neurotransmitters in the human SSS. Immunohistochemical and double-labeling immunofluorescence analyses were applied to paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded, coronal sections of the SSS. Protein extraction and Western blotting technique were performed on the same material to confirm the morphological data. Our results showed nerve fibers clustered mainly in large bundles tracking parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sinus, close in proximity to the vascular endothelium. Smaller fascicles of fibers encircled the vascular lumen in a spiral fashion, extending through the subendothelial connective tissue. Isolated nerve fibers were observed around the openings of bridging veins in the sinus or around small vessels extending into the perisinusal dura. The neurotransmitters calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were found in parietal nerve structures, distributed all along the length of the SSS. Overall, CGRP- and TH-containing nerve fibers were the most abundant. Neurotransmitters co-localized in the same fibers in the following pairs: CGRP/SP, CGRP/NOS, CGRP/VIP, and TH/NPY. Western blotting analysis confirmed the presence of such neurosubstances in the SSS wall. Overall our data provide the first evidence of the presence and co-localization of critical neurotransmitters in the SSS of the human brain, thus contributing to a better understanding of the sinus functional role.
Rasagiline is a selective, irreversible monoamine oxidase B inhibitor that ameliorates the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) by inhibiting striatal dopamine metabolism. There is also evidence that monoamine oxidase B inhibitors increase melatonin levels in the pineal gland and may have a beneficial effect on sleep disorders, which are a common feature in patients with PD.
We report on two patients disclosing a pneumosinus dilatans (PSD) and an anterior skull base meningioma. Our findings, together with those from the pertinent literature, support the thought that this infrequent anomaly of paranasal sinuses is a useful clue to suspect a concomitant meningioma. Moreover, hypotheses concerning the pathophysiology of PSD are discussed.
We report the clinical, neuro-imaging, pathological and biochemical features of an Italian family in which two siblings have the Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease (APBD). APBD is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a gradually progressive involvement of both the central and peripheral nervous systems caused by the deficiency of the glycogen branching enzyme (GBE1). The two affected siblings, a 64-year-old man and his 67-year-old sister who had complained of urinary urgency and sporadic incontinence and also progressive gait difficulty for 6 and 7 years respectively, had severely impaired deep sensations on direct examination and a moderately severe symmetrical, axonal sensory-motor neuropathy on electrophysiological testing. GBE1 activity was below 25% of the normal rate in leukocytes and sural nerves. The siblings were homozygous for the novel GBE1 mutation p.N541D. All other members of the pedigree are heterozygous and manifest no symptoms, even in the very elderly. The affected siblings showed polyglucosan bodies (PBs) included within non-myelinating Schwann cells and within lymphocyte vesicles, which were positive for the autophagy markers P62 and LC3-II at immunofluorescence microscopy.
Glycogenosis type II (GSDII or Pompe disease) is an autosomal recessive disease, often characterized by a progressive accumulation of glycogen within lysosomes caused by a deficiency of α-1,4-glucosidase (GAA; acid maltase), a key enzyme of the glycogen degradation pathway. To date, more than 326 different mutations in the GAA gene have been identified in patients with GSDII but the course of the disease is difficult to be predicted on the basis of molecular genetic changes. Studies on large informative families are advisable to better define how genetics and non genetics factors like exercise and diet may influence the clinical phenotype.
We report an Italian family in which the proband showed a severe phenotype characterized by the association of congenital fiber type disproportion (CFTD) with a left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). This study was focused on the identification of the responsible gene/s.
Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system which acts by the activation of either ionotropic (AMPA, NMDA and kainate receptors) or G-protein coupled metabotropic receptors. Glutamate is widely accepted to play a major role in the path physiology of migraine as implicated by data from animal and human studies. Genes involved in synthesis, metabolism and regulation of both glutamate and its receptors could be, therefore, considered as potential candidates for causing/predisposing to migraine when mutated.
MyoD is a myogenic regulatory factor with a critical role in skeletal muscle development and regeneration. As muscle regeneration comes with an inflammatory process, it has been proposed that the inflammatory cells can play an important role in the induction of muscle fibres regeneration. The aim of the present work was to verify if a cyclooxygenase inhibitory drug (ketoprofen) would alter the normal expression of MyoD in a regenerating rat soleus muscle after an over-load lesion. Using immunohistochemical techniques, the numbers of m-cadherin-positive cells, a selective marker of satellite cells, and MyoD-positive cells were evaluated in functionally overloaded rat soleus muscles 4 days after a gastrocnemius tendon cut. The same study was conducted either with four rats injected with ketoprofen (100 mg/kg b.w./day) or with four rats injected with saline solution. The data obtained showed a very large decrease in the number of MyoD positive/m-cadherin positive cells in the ketoprofen injected group compared to the control group. Although further studies are needed to elucidate the sequence of biochemical events that induce a reduction of MyoD expression due to ketoprofen, the results demonstrate that prostaglandin synthesis is required for the induction of MyoD expression and that ketoprofen can affect this expression, with possible adverse effects on muscle regeneration.