The aim of the study was to determine the clinical frequency and features of REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) in a large population of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using defined diagnostic criteria both for RBD and PD. Six trained neurologists used a semistructured questionnaire based on ICSD-R diagnostic criteria for RBD to evaluate 200 PD patients and their caregivers. Interobserver reliability for the diagnosis of RBD was "substantial" (Kappa 0.65). Five patients were excluded from the study because of an MMSE lower than 25. The demographic and PD clinical features were compared in the clinically defined RBD group and in those without RBD (NRBD). Then the RBD features during the last year were analysed in the affected group. Out of 195 patients, 66 fulfilled the ICSD-R criteria for RBD; 62 patients reported RBD during the last year (frequency 31.8%). RBD features: two or more episodes per week in 35.5%; upper limb movements in 87%; lower limb movements in 79%; vocalisations during events in 85%. RBD onset was before PD in 27% of patients; 69% of the RBD group had injured themselves or their caregivers during sleep. According to multivariate analysis, RBD was associated with male gender, age and PD duration. Brief training and the use of a semistructured questionnaire may help the neurologist in dealing with sleep disturbances in PD patients. The search for RBD symptoms in PD is highly recommended, especially in patients with a long disease duration, the risk of sleep-related injuries being high.

OBJECTIVE:To estimate the risk of seizures while awake in pure sleep epilepsies in a prospective study.METHODS:From October 1, 1992, to October 31, 1996, all patients with pure sleep epilepsy presenting at a participating center were enrolled. Children with benign rolandic epilepsy and patients with frontal lobe epilepsy were excluded. Patients were followed for at least 2 up to 6 years. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a seizure while awake.RESULTS:The authors enrolled 161 patients (64% male). Age at the time of inclusion ranged from 11 to 83 years (mean 43.2, median 39). Eighty-five percent presented generalized tonic clonic seizures. Both sleep seizures and seizures while awake were absent for 2 years after inclusion in the study in 78% of patients. Eighteen patients presented a seizure while awake. The estimated risk of a seizure while awake during 6 years of follow-up was 13% (95% CI 7 to 18%). Multivariate analysis showed that episodes of sudden withdrawal of therapy and a higher frequency of seizures at inclusion were associated with an increased risk of seizures while awake. The estimated risk of a seizure while awake in patients with none of the above risk factors was 6.5% (95% CI 1.5 to 11.3%) during 6 years of follow-up.CONCLUSION:The clinical picture of pure sleep epilepsies is characterized by a preponderance of generalized tonic clonic seizures, low seizure frequency, and a good prognosis. The risk of occurrence of a seizure while awake is low, particularly among patients with rare seizures and good compliance with the therapy.

Study Objectives: To estimate the reliability of the diagnosis of narcolepsy after clinical interview and polysomnographic evaluation among sleep medicine doctors, before and after training in application of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD).Setting; Videotaped semi-structured interviews of 10 patients complaining of daytime sleepiness of different etiologies. Questions referred to ICSD criteria for narcolepsy. A further series of 10 cases of narcolepsy without cataplexy were simulated, with at least a random one to three of the ICSD polysomnographic criteria at pathological levels.Participants and Design: Seventeen doctors were required to classify each videotaped case as "ascertained," "possible," or "excluded" narcolepsy, in two sessions: one before and one after discussion of ICSD criteria, The observers were invited to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of narcolepsy in the 10 simulated cases, according to the given polysomnographic findings, before and after an agreed proposal of the interpretation of ICSD polysomnographic criteria. Interobserver reliability was calculated using Kappa statistics.Interventions: N/AMeasurements and Results: Interobserver reliability of clinical judgement improved from "substantial" at baseline (Kappa 0.61) to "almost perfect" after training (Kappa 0.95). Interobserver reliability of polysomnographic findings was "fair" at baseline (Kappa 0.24), unanimous after the proposed interpretation of ICSD polysomnographic criteria.Conclusions: Baseline reliability of diagnostic judgement in suspected narcolepsy was found satisfactory among Italian sleep medicine doctors. Educational training, based on discussion of ICSD criteria, further improved agreement. Diagnosis based on polysomnographic findings, not reliable at baseline, needed a strict interpretation of ICSD criteria to attain standardization.

The aim of this study was to validate some recurring definitions of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) obtained from descriptive epidemiological studies. We devised questions concerning concepts such as ‘tiredness’, ‘resistible sleepiness’, ‘irresistible sleepiness’ and ‘sudden sleep attacks’. The validation was done by comparing the answers with the results of the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), considered the gold standard, or criterion measure, for the diagnosis of EDS. The sample study comprised 73 subjects, 57 outpatients referred to our Sleep Center complaining of daytime sleepiness, snoring or sleep apnea and 16 inpatients admitted to our Neurological Institute for causes other than sleep disorders. A moderate correlation (p = –0.38, 95% confidence interval –0.57 to –0.19) was found between ‘irresistible sleepiness’ and mean sleep latency (MSL). The best combinations of sensitivity and specificity in identifying EDS, for 5- and 8-min MSL cutoffs, were observed for the questions concerning ‘sudden sleep attacks’ and ‘irresistible sleepiness’ (areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves = 66 and 67%, respectively). The subitems exploring the frequency and situations of occurrence of these symptoms improved the validity in identifying EDS. The items regarding ‘tiredness’ and ‘resistible sleepiness’ were not related to the results of the MSLT. In subgroup analysis, irresistible sleepiness failed to identify pathologic MSLT in sleep-disordered breathing subjects. According to previous observations, we suggest that the concept of sleepiness includes various domains heterogeneously related with MSL and that questionnaires must be tailored to the different populations studied.

To investigate the hypothesis that plasmatic changes of lipoperoxidative markers are associated with deep venous thrombosis (DVT), peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from 10 patients with venographically proven DVT before starting anticoagulant therapy, and 36+/-3 and 60+/-3 hours later. Values of myeloperoxidase (MPO), 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were compared with those of 10 age-matched control subjects. Despite individual variations, mean plasma MPO level was higher in the DVT group (p < 0.01), as were average plasma MDA (p < 0.001) and HNE (p < 0.01) levels. Separate analysis of the DVT cases showed that higher values of MDA, HNE and MPO were found in patients with either co-morbid diseases or clinically silent pulmonary embolism (PE). Good evidence exists for considering DVT a condition associated with an apparently excessive free radical production not buffered by efficient defence systems. A role of DVT itself cannot be excluded, but PE or other co-morbid diseases may participate in the oxidative stress. If confirmed in a larger series of patients, these findings could shed new light on the plasmatic changes associated with the propagation and complications of DVT, which in turn could have therapeutic implications.

Plasma activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) was measured prior to any treatment in 50 consecutive stroke patients with acute cerebral ischaemia, as well as in 14 healthy control subjects. Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for unpaired data showed greater values of MPO (p < 0.01), MDA (p < 0.01) and HNE (p < 0.05) in stroke patients compared with controls. Considering as covariates the level of consciousness (GCS < 9 vs > or = 9), possible sources of emboli (yes vs no), leukocyte count (< 10 x 10(9)/1 vs > or = 10 x 10(9)/1) and relevant comorbid diseases (yes vs no), exact multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that only the presence of possible cardiac sources of emboli was associated with changes in by-products of lipid peroxidation. If confirmed in a larger series of subjects, our results could have therapeutic implications, providing more support for the use of free radical scavengers in the acute care of stroke patients with a possible cardioembolic aetiology.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEA limiting criterion for the eligibility of patients in clinical trials investigating acute stroke therapies is that time between onset of symptoms and arrival in the hospital should fall within the "therapeutic window." The aims of this study were to estimate hospital arrival time in an unselected sample of stroke patients, to assess the association with some clinical and demographic variables, and to evaluate the effects of the delay on the clinical efficiency of an effective treatment.METHODSWe evaluated the delay in hospital arrival time in 189 patients (84 men, 105 women; mean age, 76.5 years) prospectively collected in the S Orsola-Malpighi Community Teaching Hospital in Bologna, Italy. Cutoffs of 2 and 5 hours were chosen to allow for hypothetical treatment within 3 and 6 hours, respectively. Exact multiple logistic regression was used to predict the delay as a function of dichotomized age, sex, symptoms on awakening, day of the week, hour of the day, area of residence, level of consciousness, and level of motor power defect. We then projected the effectiveness of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) on disability as estimated with the aid of the odds ratio from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) rt-PA Stroke Trial onto our unselected sample to evaluate clinical efficiency of treatment as a function of arrival time and of hypothetical effects of educational efforts to reduce it.RESULTSThe mean interval between onset of symptoms and hospital arrival was 680 minutes; 59 patients (31%) arrived within 2 hours and 100 (53%) within 5 hours. Onset of symptoms when awake, drowsiness or coma, and paralysis of at least one limb were the only independent predictors of hospital arrival within 2 and 5 hours in both the total sample and the subgroup of patients who were awake at stroke onset. The effectiveness of 17%, extrapolated with the aid of the odds ratio of 1.6 of having a favorable outcome (Barthel Index > or = 95 at 3 months) in treated versus untreated patients in the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Trial, corresponded to a projected clinical efficiency of 5%. This could be doubled by hypothesizing a 100% effect of educational efforts in reducing the delay in hospital arrival time.CONCLUSIONSPatients with milder symptoms, for whom treatment might be more effective, were less likely to arrive in time for therapy. The proposed model of the relationship between the delay in hospital presentation after a stroke and the clinical efficiency of a given treatment might be useful for planning future clinical trials on early stroke treatment and predicting the impact of an educational program aimed at shortening arrival time.

We performed a multicenter prospective study on the incidence and prognosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in the Emilia-Romagna region (3,909,512 inhabitants), Italy, over a 2-year period (1992-1993). The case finding method was based on a surveillance system including neurologic departments, all private and public general hospitals, and all practicing neurologists. We also reviewed all the ICD codes of hospital discharges. Ninety-four patients with GBS were identified, giving a mean incidence rate of 1.20 per 100,000 per year. Men/women ratio was 1.94. Incidence rate increased with age for both sexes. There were no significant incidence variations among seasons or months. Antecedent infections were reported in 59% of the patients. There was an overall good prognosis. After 6 months, 64% of patients had recovered and only 4% was still severely disabled. Acute mortality was 3%. Older age was the strongest predictor of poor outcome. NEUROLOGY 1997;48: 214-221

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE No definitive data are yet available on the effects of body temperature on neurological damage after cerebral ischemia in humans. Experimental animal models have provided much evidence, but to our knowledge, only two studies on the relationship between fever and prognosis of stroke in humans have been published. The aim of our study was to investigate the prognostic role of fever in the first 7 days of hospitalization in a cohort of patients admitted to our hospital for acute stroke. METHODS We analyzed the data of 183 patients included in a prospective observational prognostic study. Vital status at 30 days was considered the main outcome and was obtained for all patients. Age, level of consciousness, and glycemia at the time of hospitalization were considered covariates for an exact logistic regression analysis. The maximum temperature recorded during the first 7 days dichotomized as "no or low fever" versus "high fever" was added to the model. Death within 10 days, taken as a secondary outcome suggestive of death from neurological causes, was analyzed with exact permutation tests. RESULTS Of the 183 patients analyzed in this study, 43% had fever during the first 7 days after hospitalization. The mean value of the maximum temperature recorded during the first 7 days in the 78 febrile patients was 38.3 degrees C, and the median was 37.9 degrees C. Onset of fever occurred in only 15% of febrile patients during the first day and in 49% on the second. The prognostic roles of age, level of consciousness, and glycemia were confirmed by exact logistic regression. Degree of consciousness impairment was the strongest prognostic variable, with an odds ratio (OR) of 11.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.4 to 31.6). High fever (maximum temperature recorded during the first 7 days > or = 37.9 degrees C) was an independent factor for a worse prognosis, with an OR of 3.4 (95% CI, 1.2 to 9.5). The OR of dying within 10 days versus dying between 11 and 30 days was 4.9 (95% CI, 1.2 to 25.2) in patients with high fever with respect to all other patients. CONCLUSIONS Fever in the first 7 days was an independent predictor of poor outcome during the first month after a stroke. No data were available on the underlying causes of fever, but the higher risk of death in the first 10 days, most frequently attributed to neurological mechanisms, suggested that high temperature was an independent component of poor prognosis and not only an epiphenomenon of other complications in the course after a stroke. In agreement with animal studies, we found that patients with higher temperature had a worse stroke outcome.

Blood pressure measurement with two automatic devices, Dinamap 845 and Sentry, was compared with the standard mercury sphygmomanometer, by means of a 3-period crossover experiment. Both automatic devices read diastolic pressure considerably lower than the mercury sphygmomanometer (about 7 mmHg on average); agreement was better for systolic pressure. Device differences in individual patients were often much higher. To assess the patient's emotional pressor response during manual measurement, Dinamap was used to monitor blood pressure before, during and after measurement with the mercury sphygmomanometer. No rise in pressure was found. It is concluded that the three devices can often give different values, and that the physician's involvement cannot explain these differences.

Infective endocarditis is a difficult to treat and complex disease, and a computerized case history for past cases would be an aid for treatment of future cases. The case descriptions together with data from the literature (also to be computerized) would help the physician characterize the prognosis and choose the appropriate treatment. To this aim a flexible data bank was designed to organize the description of the 91 cases treated during the last 15 years at the Institute of Cardiology of Bologna university. Because of the complexity of the disease we developed a system of linked screens of various types to describe the key moments of the course. It was necessary to have a scheme that would encourage standardization while permitting graphs and free fields. The aim of the data bank is to provide the physician with a means to extract from past cases relationships between therapeutic regimen and outcome, with respect to the underlying conditions such as pre-existing heart disease and the microorganism involved. From these results diagnostic and therapeutic strategies will be developed to deal with patients with frequently occurring etiology. An attempt to optimize therapy for less common forms of the disease will be performed by selecting past cases similar to a current case and examining them individually. The system is currently in use.

The validity of a single blood sample technique at the 44th min after the injection of OIH for the evaluation of effective renal plasma flow was assessed by comparison with a standard clearance method, based on two-compartment analysis of plasma disappearance of the tracer. The simplified method tended to overestimate the true values; the 95% confidence interval for the error in predicting the true value was found to be +/- 88 ml/min. Overall, the simplified method appears to be adequate to study renal perfusion or its changes in different conditions, but due to the predicting error it requires a larger number of patients, as compared with the reference method, in order to obtain statistically valid results.