Simone Vigneri | Università degli Studi di Palermo (original) (raw)

Papers by Simone Vigneri

Gastroenterology, May 1, 2009

Neuroscience Letters, 2009

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit:

Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical, 2012

$Research paper thumbnail of Comments on "Sacral Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Refractory Pudendal Neuralgia$

Clinical Neurophysiology, Sep 1, 2014

To evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on esophageal peristals... more To evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on esophageal peristalsis in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Patients with GERD preliminary diagnosis were included in a randomized double-blind sham-controlled study. Esophageal manometry was performed before and during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right precentral cortex. Half of patients were randomly assigned to anodal, half to sham stimulation. Distal waves amplitude and pathological waves percentage were measured, after swallowing water boli, for ten subsequent times. Last, a 24h pH-bilimetry was done to diagnose non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) or functional heartburn (FH). The values obtained before and during anodal or sham tDCS were compared. Sixty-eight patients were enrolled in the study. Distal waves mean amplitude increased significantly only during anodal tDCS in NERD (p=0.00002) and FH subgroups (p=0.008) while percentage of pathological waves strongly decreased only in NERDs (p=0.002). Transcranial stimulation can influence cortical control of esophageal motility and improve pathological motor pattern in NERD and FH but not in erosive reflux disease (ERD) patients. Pathophysiological processes in GERD are not only due to peripheral damage but to central neural control involvement as well. In ERD patients dysfunctions of the cortico-esophageal circuit seem to be more severe and may affect central nervous system physiology.

Brain disorders & therapy, 2014

The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls and modulates various functions of the digestive tract ... more The enteric nervous system (ENS) controls and modulates various functions of the digestive tract such as motility, exocrine and endocrine secretion, local microcirculation, inflammation and neuroimmunity. This system is autonomous from the central nervous system (CNS), although they share many neurons and neurotransmitters. The CNS may exert a modulatory role on ENS through brainstem and subcortical areas, peripheral and autonomic fibers. The brain-gut axis is the complex system regulating the interactions and mutual influences between the nervous system and the gut. This axis is divided into various levels through receptors, afferents, integration centers, efferents and effectors, and exploits multiple messengers belonging to the nervous, immune and endocrine systems. The proper functioning of this apparatus is essential in intestinal physiology, its involvement has been recognized as one of the leading pathophysiological basis of many digestive disorders and a target for current and future therapeutical approaches.

Cureus Journal of Medical Science, Sep 7, 2021

Vigneri et al. This is an open access abstract distributed under the terms of the Creative Common... more Vigneri et al. This is an open access abstract distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0

OBM neurobiology, May 29, 2023

This study aims to determine if high-voltage PRF could effectively adjunct epidural adhesiolysis ... more This study aims to determine if high-voltage PRF could effectively adjunct epidural adhesiolysis (EA) in treating patients with chronic lumbosacral radiating pain (LSRP) and neuropathic characteristics. A total of 409 patients suffering from a single leg-radiating pain lasting for > six months and unresponsive to previous treatments were divided into three different groups: Group 1 consisted of 227 patients suffering from LSRP in lumbar stenosis, 84

Journal of radiological review, Dec 1, 2021

Journal of Headache and Pain, Aug 7, 2018

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP38) is a widely distributed neuropept... more Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP38) is a widely distributed neuropeptide involved in neuroprotection, neurodevelopment, nociception and inflammation. Moreover, PACAP38 is a potent inducer of migraine-like attacks, but the mechanism behind this has not been fully elucidated. Migraine is a neurovascular disorder, recognized as the second most disabling disease. Nevertheless, the antibodies targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or its receptor are the only prophylactic treatment developed specifically for migraine. These antibodies have displayed positive results in clinical trials, but are not effective for all patients; therefore, new pharmacological targets need to be identified. Due to the ability of PACAP38 to induce migraine-like attacks, its location in structures previously associated with migraine pathophysiology and the 100-fold selectivity for the PAC 1 receptor when compared to VIP, new attention has been drawn to this pathway and its potential role as a novel target for migraine treatment. In accordance with this, antibodies against PACAP38 (ALD 1910) and PAC 1 receptor (AMG 301) are being developed, with AMG 301 already in Phase II clinical trials. No results have been published so far, but in preclinical studies, AMG 301 has shown responses comparable to those observed with triptans. If these antibodies prove to be effective for the treatment of migraine, several considerations should be addressed, for instance, the potential side effects of long-term blockade of the PACAP (receptor) pathway. Moreover, it is important to investigate whether these antibodies will indeed represent a therapeutic advantage for the patients that do not respond the CGRP (receptor)-antibodies. In conclusion, the data presented in this review indicate that PACAP38 and PAC 1 receptor blockade are promising antimigraine therapies, but results from clinical trials are needed in order to confirm their efficacy and side effect profile.

Clinical Neurophysiology, Dec 1, 2017

Journal of Pain Research, Nov 1, 2016

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of epidural morphine and b... more The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of epidural morphine and bupivacaine in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular neuropathic pain after the cessation of treatment. Methods: Twenty-two patients with chronic lumbosacral pain with neuropathic features were enrolled. An indwelling catheter was placed into the epidural space, and each patient received an epidural injection of morphine chlorhydrate and bupivacaine up to three times a day. The medication was administered for 4 weeks. The pain intensity score on a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS), the total pain rating index rank (PRIr-T), and its coefficients were evaluated before treatment and 1 month after catheter removal. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: NRS and PRIr-T were significantly reduced at follow-up (P=0.001 and P=0.03, respectively), whereas the parallel evolution of the two scores (r=0.75 and P<0.001, respectively) confirmed significant pain relief lasting up to 1 month after treatment cessation. None of the four pain rating coefficients was significantly modified compared to the others in either responders or nonresponders. Successful clinical outcome (pain reduction >30% in NRS) was reached and maintained in half of the patients at follow-up. Conclusion: Combined epidural morphine and bupivacaine seems to be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Muscle & Nerve, Jan 2, 2023

Pain Practice, Oct 25, 2020

Scientific data about neurophysiological changes subsequent to pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are st... more Scientific data about neurophysiological changes subsequent to pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are still lacking. The goal of this study was to evaluate sural nerve conduction and Hoffmann reflex (H‐reflex) in soleus muscle following adhesiolysis and PRF in patients with unilateral chronic lumbosacral L5‐S1 neuropathic radiating pain.

Clinical Case Reports, Feb 23, 2017

The coexistence of median and cervical nerve root damage might hide a complex pathophysiology. He... more The coexistence of median and cervical nerve root damage might hide a complex pathophysiology. Here, we describe and discuss the case of a patient suffering from numbness and painful tingling of the hand, whose symptoms were effectively treated with pulsed radiofrequency and epidural administration of bupivacaine and morphine.

Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2013

[15%], vestibular migraine [10%]) from the 12 established diagnoses covered 83% of all cases. Mig... more [15%], vestibular migraine [10%]) from the 12 established diagnoses covered 83% of all cases. Migraneous vertigo and psychiatric disorders were underdiagnosed, and BPPV was overdiagnosed (false positivity). One-third of patients presented reoccurring dizziness episodes, and 32.3% of them had psychiatric disorders. Chronic dizziness (N3 months) occurred most commonly (47.4%) in patients with a psychiatric disease. Isolated vertigo occurred in 50% of vertebrobasilar stroke cases. Seventy percent of patients with vertebrobasilar stroke had two or more vascular risk factors. Conclusion: Careful history taking and bedside evaluation provided in most of the cases the base for diagnosis, and laboratory and imaging techniques only had additional confirming and supporting roles.

The Clinical Journal of Pain, Oct 9, 2019

Objectives: Despite the interest in scientific community, there is still poor evidence about puls... more Objectives: Despite the interest in scientific community, there is still poor evidence about pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In order to determine whether highvoltage PRF and epidural adhesiolysis (PRF-EA) showed better results than epidural adhesiolysis alone (EA), a randomized, doubleblind, comparative-effectiveness study was conducted in patients with chronic lumbosacral radiating pain and neuropathic features. Materials and Methods: A total of 41 patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups. Twenty-one patients were randomized to receive 2 cycles of 240 seconds high-voltage PRF followed by the injection of local anesthetics, hyaluronidase, and betamethasone, whereas 20 patients underwent sham stimulation followed by adhesiolysis. The treatment was delivered at the affected lumbosacral roots and patients, treating physicians and assessors were blinded to intervention. Results: A significant reduction of radiating pain was observed in mean Numeric Rating Scale score at follow-up. A change of −3.43 versus −1.75 (P = 0.031) after 1 month and −3.34 versus −0.80 (P = 0.005) after 6 months was reported in patients undergoing PRF-EA in comparison with EA, respectively. After 1 month, 57% of patients in the PRF-EA group experienced a pain reduction of ≥ 50% versus only 25% of patients allocated to EA (P = 0.037). Improvement decreased to 48% in the PRF-EA group whereas only 10% of EA reported significant pain relief after 6 months (P = 0.008). Discussion: High-voltage PRF of dorsal root ganglion delivered through multifunctional electrode provided significant pain relief and may be considered a valuable treatment in chronic lumbosacral radicular pain with neuropathic features.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

Background Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are used... more Background Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are used to reduce the risk of developing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Despite the significant benefits in terms of reduced risk of hospitalization and death, different adverse events may present after vaccination: among them, headache is one of the most common, but nowadays there is no summary presentation of its incidence and no description of its main features. Methods We searched PubMed and EMBASE covering the period between January 1st 2020 and August 6th, 2021, looking for record in English and with an abstract and using three main search terms (with specific variations): COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; headache/adverse events. We selected manuscript including information on subjects developing headache after injection, and such information had to be derived from a structured form (i.e. no free reporting). Pooled estimates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Analyses we...

$Research paper thumbnail of Comments on "Sacral Nerve Stimulation in Patients With Refractory Pudendal Neuralgia$

Pain Physician, Sep 1, 2022