Carlo Porro | Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (original) (raw)

Papers by Carlo Porro

Cancers

Background: Several novel targeted therapies seem to improve the outcome of acute myeloid leukemi... more Background: Several novel targeted therapies seem to improve the outcome of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Nonetheless, the 5-year survival rate remains below 40%, and the trajectory of the disease remains physically and emotionally challenging, with little time to make relevant decisions. For patients with advanced solid tumors, the integration of early palliative care (EPC) with standard oncologic care a few weeks after diagnosis has demonstrated several benefits. However, this model is underutilized in patients with hematologic malignancies. Methods: In this article, we analyze the palliative care (PC) needs of AML patients, examine the operational aspects of an integrated model, and review the evidence in favor of EPC integration in the AML course. Results: AML patients have a high burden of physical and psychological symptoms and high use of avoidant coping strategies. Emerging studies, including a phase III randomized controlled trial, have reported that EPC is feasibl...

Frontiers in psychology, 2018

Facial expressions of pain are able to elicit empathy and adaptive behavioral responses in the ob... more Facial expressions of pain are able to elicit empathy and adaptive behavioral responses in the observer. An influential theory posits that empathy relies on an affective mirror mechanism, according to which emotion recognition relies upon the internal simulation of motor and interoceptive states triggered by emotional stimuli. We tested this hypothesis comparing representations of self or others' expressions of pain in nineteen young healthy female volunteers by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We hypothesized that one's own facial expressions are more likely to elicit the internal simulation of emotions, being more strictly related to self. Video-clips of the facial expressions of each volunteer receiving either painful or non-painful mechanical stimulations to their right hand dorsum were recorded and used as stimuli in a 2 × 2 (Self/Other; Pain/No-Pain) within-subject design. During each trial, a 2 s video clip was presented, displaying either the su...

The Journal of Neuroscience

Journal of Neurophysiology

Porro, Carlo A., Valentina Cettolo, Maria Pia Francescato, and Patrizia Baraldi. Temporal and int... more Porro, Carlo A., Valentina Cettolo, Maria Pia Francescato, and Patrizia Baraldi. Temporal and intensity coding of pain in human cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 80:3312–3320, 1998. We used a high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique in healthy right-handed volunteers to demonstrate cortical areas displaying changes of activity significantly related to the time profile of the perceived intensity of experimental somatic pain over the course of several minutes. Twenty-four subjects (ascorbic acid group) received a subcutaneous injection of a dilute ascorbic acid solution into the dorsum of one foot, inducing prolonged burning pain (peak pain intensity on a 0–100 scale: 48 ± 3, mean ± SE; duration: 11.9 ± 0.8 min). fMRI data sets were continuously acquired for ∼20 min, beginning 5 min before and lasting 15 min after the onset of stimulation, from two sagittal planes on the medial hemispheric wall contralateral to the stimulated site, including the cingulate cortex a...

PloS one, 2018

Despite the flourishing research on the relationships between affect and language, the characteri... more Despite the flourishing research on the relationships between affect and language, the characteristics of pain-related words, a specific type of negative words, have never been systematically investigated from a psycholinguistic and emotional perspective, despite their psychological relevance. This study offers psycholinguistic, affective, and pain-related norms for words expressing physical and social pain. This may provide a useful tool for the selection of stimulus materials in future studies on negative emotions and/or pain. We explored the relationships between psycholinguistic, affective, and pain-related properties of 512 Italian words (nouns, adjectives, and verbs) conveying physical and social pain by asking 1020 Italian participants to provide ratings of Familiarity, Age of Acquisition, Imageability, Concreteness, Context Availability, Valence, Arousal, Pain-Relatedness, Intensity, and Unpleasantness. We also collected data concerning Length, Written Frequency (Subtlex-IT)...

This report is devoted to a brief discussion of some physiological aspects of walking and running... more This report is devoted to a brief discussion of some physiological aspects of walking and running. These forms of locomotion, and indeed many others, can be appropriately described provided that their energy cost above resting (C), per unit of distance and of mass, is known. In walking and running, a minor fraction of C (negligible in the case of walking, and < 7% for speeds of < 22 km/h, in the case of running) is utilised against the air resistance. So, nearly all the energy spent is utilised: (i) against gravitational and inertial forces (for lifting and lowering the mass of the body and for accelerating and decelerating it at each stride), (ii) for the activity of the heart and of the respiratory muscles, and (iii) for internal work, i.e. for moving parts of the body, such as the limbs, in respect to the centre of mass. As a first approximation, when running on the level ground at constant speed, C is constant and amounts to about 3.8 kJ per kilogram and per kilometer distance (0.9 kcal kg-] km-1). In walking, on the contrary, C attains a minimal value, equal to about half that for running (2 kJ kg -1 km -1) at an optimal speed which ranges

Supplements to Clinical Neurophysiology, 2006

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a brief description of the rationale underlying functiona... more Publisher Summary This chapter presents a brief description of the rationale underlying functional imaging techniques in experimental animals. It summarizes the results of selected mapping studies aimed at investigating brainstem nociceptive mechanisms, after stimulation of craniofacial or somatic structures or in experimental models of chronic pain. Blood flow rates may be simultaneously determined in the different central nervous system (CNS) regions by autoradiographic techniques, which measure the local tissue concentrations of the chemically inert, diffusible, and radioactive tracers. The quantitative autoradiographic techniques for determining local cerebral metabolic rates have been introduced, which use radioactively labeled 2-deoxyglucose (2DG). This glucose analog competes with glucose for transport across the blood–brain barrier and exokinase-catalyzed phosphorylation. Since its introduction, several studies have employed the 2DG technique to map the functional consequences of brief noxious stimulation and painful states along polysynaptic pathways in the CNS. Immediate-early gene (IEG) mapping offers cellular resolution and compatability with other neuroanatomical techniques. This has proven useful for characterizing the projection targets of stained cells. The identification of the spatial and temporal aspects of the cascade of genetic events triggered by noxious stimuli may help in understanding the pathophysiology of prolonged and chronic pain states.

Pain, 1994

The authors had noted, in previous studies that, when using the formalin test, a widely used anim... more The authors had noted, in previous studies that, when using the formalin test, a widely used animal model of prolonged pain based on the S.C. injection of formalin solution in one paw, they occasionally encountered pain-related behaviour (licking or shaking) also involving the contralateral non-injected paw. They have now studied this phenomenon in more detail and found that it is present only during the 'second phase' of response to the formaline injection. Experiments with 2-deoxygluxose (2-DG) demonstrated that metabolic activity is increased also in the contralateral dorsal horn and is maintained during this second phase.

Visual Neuroscience, 1989

As in rabbit, gerbil, and rat, the guinea pig interstitial nucleus of the superior fasciculus, po... more As in rabbit, gerbil, and rat, the guinea pig interstitial nucleus of the superior fasciculus, posterior bundle (INSFp) is a sparse assemblage of neurons scattered among the fibers forming the fasciculus bearing this name. Most of the INSFp neurons are small and are ovoid in shape. Interspersed among these, are a few larger, elongated neurons whose density becomes greater and whose shape becomes fusiform in correspondence to the zone of transition from the superior fasciculus to the ventral part of the medial terminal nucleus (MTN). Like the MTN, the INSFp is activated by retinal-slip signals evoked by whole-field visual patterns moving in the vertical direction, as shown by the increase of14C-2-deoxyglucose (2DG) uptake into this nucleus. At the same level of luminous flux, neither pattern moving in the horizontal direction nor the same pattern held stationary can elicit increases in the INSFp 2DG assumption. The specificity of the observed increases in metabolic rates in INSFp fol...

Progress in Neurobiology, 1993

Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. The formalin test 2.1. CONTENTS Behavioral studies 2.1.1. Tempor... more Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. The formalin test 2.1. CONTENTS Behavioral studies 2.1.1. Temporal profile of pain-related behavior 2.1.2. Modulation by environmental stimuli 2.1.3. Changes of other behavorial parametres 2.

Annals of neurology, 2014

Tactile spatial acuity is routinely tested in neurology to assess the state of the dorsal column ... more Tactile spatial acuity is routinely tested in neurology to assess the state of the dorsal column system. In contrast, spatial acuity for pain is not assessed, having never been systematically characterised. More than a century after the initial description of tactile acuity across the body, we provide the first systematic whole-body mapping of spatial acuity for pain. We evaluated the two-point discrimination thresholds for both nociceptive-selective and tactile stimuli across several skin regions. Thresholds were estimated using pairs of simultaneous stimuli, and also using successive stimuli. These two approaches produced convergent results. The fingertip was the area of highest spatial acuity, for both pain and touch. On the glabrous skin of the hand, the gradient of spatial acuity for pain followed that observed for touch. On the hairy skin of the upper limb, spatial acuity for pain and touch followed opposite proximal-distal gradients, consistent with the known innervation dens...

PAIN®, 2013

q DOI of original article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2013.02.002 0304-3959/$36.0

Neuroscience Letters, 1988

Endorphin-like immunoreactivity (B-EP-LI) levels have been investigated in the ventral periaquedu... more Endorphin-like immunoreactivity (B-EP-LI) levels have been investigated in the ventral periaqueductal gray matter (vPAG) of rats killed 30, 60 or 120 min after the subcutaneous injection of dilute formalin (0.08 ml, 5%) in one fore-or hindpaw, or comparable handling. B-EP-LI was estimated by radioimmunoassay, using an anti-camel B-EP serum directed against the C-terminal portion of B-EP molecule. In both fore-and hindlimb groups vPAG B-EP-LI values were significantly increased 60 and 120 min after the injection relative to controls. Values from animals killed 120 min after formalin injection were higher than the ones at 30 and 60 min, forelimb effects being quantitatively more pronounced. The increase in B-EP-LI appeared distributed along the whole rostrocaudal extent of the region.

NeuroImage, 2003

The relative contributions of autonomic arousal and of cognitive processing to cortical activity ... more The relative contributions of autonomic arousal and of cognitive processing to cortical activity during anticipation of pain, and the role of changes in thalamic outflow, are still largely unknown. To address these issues, we investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) the activity of the contralateral mesial hemispheric wall in 56 healthy volunteers while they expected the stimulation of one foot, which could be either painful or innocuous. The waiting period was characterized by emotional arousal, a moderate rise in heart rate, and by increases in mean fMRI signals in the medial thalamus, mid-and posterior cingulate cortex, and in the putative foot area of the primary somatosensory and motor cortex. The same brain regions, excepting posterior cingulate, were also activated by somatosensory stimulation. We identified by cross-correlation analysis a cluster population whose fMRI signal time course was related to the mean heart rate (HR) profile, showing selective changes of activity during the waiting period. Positively correlated clusters were found mainly in sensorimotor areas, mid-and posterior cingulate, and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Negatively correlated clusters predominated in the perigenual anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. HR clusters had different characteristics from, and showed limited spatial overlap with, clusters whose fMRI signals were related to the psychophysical pain intensity profile; however, both cluster populations were affected by anticipation. These findings unravel a complex pattern of brain activity during uncertain anticipation of noxious input, likely related both to changes in the level of arousal and to cognitive modulation of the pain system.

Pain, 2003

The behavioral response to acute tissue injury is usually characterized by different phases, but ... more The behavioral response to acute tissue injury is usually characterized by different phases, but the brain mechanisms underlying changes in pain-related behavior over time are still poorly understood. We aimed to analyze time-dependent changes in metabolic activity levels of 49 forebrain structures in the formalin pain model, using the autoradiographic 2-deoxyglucose method in unanesthetized, freely moving rats. We examined rats

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2013

Vascular space occupancy (VASO) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique sensitive to cerebral b... more Vascular space occupancy (VASO) is a magnetic resonance imaging technique sensitive to cerebral blood volume, and is a potential alternative to the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) sensitive technique as a basis for functional mapping of the neurovascular response to a task. Many implementations of VASO have made use of echo-planar imaging strategies that allow rapid acquisition, but risk introducing potentially confounding BOLD effects. Recently, multi-slice and 3D VASO techniques have been implemented to increase the imaging volume beyond the single slice of early reports. These techniques usually rely, however, on advanced scanner software or hardware not yet available in many centers. In the present study, we have implemented a short-echo time, multi-shot 3D Turbo Spin-Echo (TSE) VASO sequence that provided 8-slice coverage on a routine clinical scanner. The proposed VASO sequence was tested in assessing the response of the human motor cortex during a block design finger tapping task in 10 healthy subjects. Significant VASO responses, inversely correlated with the task, were found at both individual and group level. The location and extent of VASO responses were in close correspondence to those observed using a conventional BOLD acquisition in the same subjects. Although the spatial coverage and temporal resolution achieved were limited, robust and consistent VASO responses were observed. The use of a susceptibility insensitive volumetric TSE VASO sequence may have advantages in locations where conventional BOLD and echo-planar based VASO imaging is compromised.

Life Sciences, 1987

There is growing experimental evidence that beta-endorphin immunoreactivity is raised by surgical... more There is growing experimental evidence that beta-endorphin immunoreactivity is raised by surgical stress in patients undergoing general anesthesia. As the assay methods employed to date did not allow to fully discriminate between beta-endorphin and its immediate precursor, beta-lipotropin, we have investigated in the present study plasma levels of these two peptides by separating them by chromatography on plasma extracts prior to radioimmunoassay in eighteen surgical patients under general anesthesia and eight under spinal anesthesia. Beta-lipotropin, but not beta-endorphin, plasma levels were found to be significantly elevated during surgery in the general anesthesia group, while no change was found in either peptide concentration in the spinal one. Cortisol plasma levels also increased significantly 90 minutes after the beginning of surgery, when they were positively correlated to beta-lipotropin ones. Although the sampling time we adopted may have prevented us from detecting an early peak of beta-endorphin during the first 30 minutes of surgery, the major component of the pituitary opioid response to surgical stress appears to be related to beta-lipotropin. This is in agreement with results of experimental work on various kinds of stress in animals and humans and seems to rule out a role for plasma beta-endorphin in post-operative analgesia.