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Papers by Marco Fiore
Case Reports in Clinical Pathology, 2014
We report a clinical case of a 44-year-old Caucasian male presenting with decompensated HCV-relat... more We report a clinical case of a 44-year-old Caucasian male presenting with decompensated HCV-related liver cirrhosis and clinical symptoms involving the central nervous system, particularly muscular spasms and loss of consciousness. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) was ruled out on the basis of normal levels of ammonia and normal psychometric and neurophysiological tools. A muscle biopsy revealed alterations consistent with homozygosity for myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (MADD). We hypothesize that the liver failure is responsible for an excess of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) which may exert an up-regulation in the expression of glutamine synthetase (GS) in astrocytes, with the consequence of astrocyte swelling, which is one of the steps in the onset of cerebral edema.
Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2015
The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and dopamine have a key role in transition from alcohol s... more The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and dopamine have a key role in transition from alcohol social use to addiction. The medial prefrontal cortex was shown to modulate dopaminergic activity and cortisol releasing factor (CRF) release in hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic systems. The recent advancements in non-invasive neurostimulation technologies has enabled stimulation of deeper brain regions using H-coil transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in humans. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study aims to evaluate H-coil efficacy in stimulating the medial prefrontal cortex. Cortisolemia and prolactinemia were evaluated as effectiveness markers. Alcohol intake and craving were considered as secondary outcomes. Eighteen alcoholics were recruited and randomized into 2 homogeneous groups: 9 in the real stimulation group and 9 in the sham stimulation group. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) was administered through a magnetic stimulator over 10 sessions at 20 Hz, directed to...
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2004
We have previously reported that nerve growth factor (NGF), a polypeptide known for its neurotrop... more We have previously reported that nerve growth factor (NGF), a polypeptide known for its neurotrophic activities, is also involved in the differentiation and survival of immune cells, and that NGF and its high-affinity receptor are present in the thymus. We here demonstrate that the thymus of humans affected by myasthenia gravis (MG) contains significant concentrations of NGF. These observations support our hypothesis of a role for NGF in the thymus and suggest that the changes observed in the thymus of subject with MG may have functional significance.
Annals of Surgery, 2007
Objective: To explore the role of surgery of residual disease following a period of therapy with ... more Objective: To explore the role of surgery of residual disease following a period of therapy with imatinib mesylate in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Methods: From January 2001 to June 2005, 159 patients with advanced/metastatic GIST were treated with imatinib mesylate at a single institution. As of June 2002, 38 patients were selected for surgery following a variable period of imatinib therapy. Twentyseven patients were operated on while they were in response, 8 in progression, 3 for localized disease. Clinical, pathologic, and molecular features were assessed and are reported. Results: Postsurgery PFS was 96% at 12 months and 69% at 24 months for responding patients, while it was nil at 12 months for progressing ones. Disease-specific survival at 12 months was 100% for responding patients and 60% for progressing ones. In responding cases, secondary progression was mainly related to postsurgical imatinib discontinuation, irrespective of pathologic or molecular variables. In progressing patients, secondary resistance was mainly related to acquired mutations. Conclusion: In advanced GIST patients who are responding to imatinib mesylate, the role of surgery is not formally demonstrated at the moment, but this option may well be considered investigational, or suitable for an individualized decision-making in the lack of evidence. In our series, patients progressing on imatinib mesylate did not seem to have any major benefit from surgery, although their number is low.
Case Reports in Clinical Pathology, 2014
We report a clinical case of a 44-year-old Caucasian male presenting with decompensated HCV-relat... more We report a clinical case of a 44-year-old Caucasian male presenting with decompensated HCV-related liver cirrhosis and clinical symptoms involving the central nervous system, particularly muscular spasms and loss of consciousness. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) was ruled out on the basis of normal levels of ammonia and normal psychometric and neurophysiological tools. A muscle biopsy revealed alterations consistent with homozygosity for myoadenylate deaminase deficiency (MADD). We hypothesize that the liver failure is responsible for an excess of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) which may exert an up-regulation in the expression of glutamine synthetase (GS) in astrocytes, with the consequence of astrocyte swelling, which is one of the steps in the onset of cerebral edema.
Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2015
The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and dopamine have a key role in transition from alcohol s... more The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and dopamine have a key role in transition from alcohol social use to addiction. The medial prefrontal cortex was shown to modulate dopaminergic activity and cortisol releasing factor (CRF) release in hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic systems. The recent advancements in non-invasive neurostimulation technologies has enabled stimulation of deeper brain regions using H-coil transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in humans. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study aims to evaluate H-coil efficacy in stimulating the medial prefrontal cortex. Cortisolemia and prolactinemia were evaluated as effectiveness markers. Alcohol intake and craving were considered as secondary outcomes. Eighteen alcoholics were recruited and randomized into 2 homogeneous groups: 9 in the real stimulation group and 9 in the sham stimulation group. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) was administered through a magnetic stimulator over 10 sessions at 20 Hz, directed to...
Journal of Neuroimmunology, 2004
We have previously reported that nerve growth factor (NGF), a polypeptide known for its neurotrop... more We have previously reported that nerve growth factor (NGF), a polypeptide known for its neurotrophic activities, is also involved in the differentiation and survival of immune cells, and that NGF and its high-affinity receptor are present in the thymus. We here demonstrate that the thymus of humans affected by myasthenia gravis (MG) contains significant concentrations of NGF. These observations support our hypothesis of a role for NGF in the thymus and suggest that the changes observed in the thymus of subject with MG may have functional significance.
Annals of Surgery, 2007
Objective: To explore the role of surgery of residual disease following a period of therapy with ... more Objective: To explore the role of surgery of residual disease following a period of therapy with imatinib mesylate in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Methods: From January 2001 to June 2005, 159 patients with advanced/metastatic GIST were treated with imatinib mesylate at a single institution. As of June 2002, 38 patients were selected for surgery following a variable period of imatinib therapy. Twentyseven patients were operated on while they were in response, 8 in progression, 3 for localized disease. Clinical, pathologic, and molecular features were assessed and are reported. Results: Postsurgery PFS was 96% at 12 months and 69% at 24 months for responding patients, while it was nil at 12 months for progressing ones. Disease-specific survival at 12 months was 100% for responding patients and 60% for progressing ones. In responding cases, secondary progression was mainly related to postsurgical imatinib discontinuation, irrespective of pathologic or molecular variables. In progressing patients, secondary resistance was mainly related to acquired mutations. Conclusion: In advanced GIST patients who are responding to imatinib mesylate, the role of surgery is not formally demonstrated at the moment, but this option may well be considered investigational, or suitable for an individualized decision-making in the lack of evidence. In our series, patients progressing on imatinib mesylate did not seem to have any major benefit from surgery, although their number is low.