Validation and Comparison of Noncontrast CT Scores to Predict Intracerebral Hemorrhage Expansion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The BAT, BRAIN, and HEP scores have been proposed to predict hematoma expansion (HE) with noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT). We sought to validate these tools and compare their diagnostic performance. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed two cohorts of patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. HE expansion was defined as volume growth > 33% or > 6 mL. Two raters analyzed NCCT scans and calculated the scores, blinded to clinical and imaging data. The inter-rater reliability was assessed with the interclass correlation statistic. Discrimination and calibration were calculated with area under the curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 statistic, respectively. AUC comparison between different scores was explored with DeLong test. We also calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of the dichotomized scores with cutoffs identified with the Youden's index. RESULTS: A total of 230 subjects were included, of whom 86 (37.4%) experienced HE. The observed AUC for HE were 0.696 for BAT, 0.700 for BRAIN, and 0.648 for HEP. None of the scores had a significantly superior AUC compared with the others (all p > 0.4). All the scores had good calibration (all p > 0.3) and good-to-excellent inter-rater reliability (interclass correlation > 0.8). BAT ≥ 3 showed the highest specificity (0.81), whereas BRAIN ≥ 6 had the highest sensitivity (0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The BAT, BRAIN, and HEP scores can predict HE with acceptable discrimination and require just a baseline NCCT scan. These tools may be used to stratify the risk of HE in clinical practice or randomized controlled trials.

The clinical spectrum of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: The Italian Project on Stroke at Young Age (IPSYS).

INTRODUCTION: To describe clinical, neuroimaging, and laboratory features of a large cohort of Italian patients with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. METHODS: In the setting of the multicenter Italian Project on Stroke at Young Age (IPSYS), we retrospectively enrolled patients with a diagnosis of definite reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-3 beta criteria (6.7.3 Headache attributed to reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, imaging-proven). Clinical manifestations, neuroimaging, treatment, and clinical outcomes were evaluated in all patients. Characteristics of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome without typical causes ("idiopathic reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome") were compared with those of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome related to putative causative factors ("secondary reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome"). RESULTS: A total of 102 patients (mean age, 47.2 ± 13.9 years; females, 85 [83.3%]) qualified for the analysis. Thunderclap headache at presentation was reported in 69 (67.6%) patients, and it typically recurred in 42 (60.9%). Compared to reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome cases related to putative etiologic conditions (n = 21 [20.6%]), patients with idiopathic reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (n = 81 [79.4%]) were significantly older (49.2 ± 13.9 vs. 39.5 ± 11.4 years), had more frequently typical thunderclap headache (77.8% vs. 28.6%) and less frequently neurological complications (epileptic seizures, 11.1% vs. 38.1%; cerebral infarction, 6.1% vs. 33.3%), as well as concomitant reversible brain edema (25.9% vs. 47.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical manifestations and putative etiologies of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome in our series are slightly different from those observed in previous cohorts. This variability might be partly related to the coexistence of precipitating conditions with a putative etiologic role on disease occurrence.

Intravenous fibrinolysis plus endovascular thrombectomy versus direct endovascular thrombectomy for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke: clinical and infarct volume results.

BACKGROUND: endovascular therapy (ET) is the standard of care for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO). The role of adjunctive intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in these patients remains unclear. The present study aims to investigate whether IVT followed by ET (CoT, combined therapy) provides additional benefits over direct ET for anterior circulation AIS with LVO. METHODS: we achieved a single center retrospective study of patients with AIS caused by anterior circulation LVO, referred to our center between January 2014 and January 2017 and treated with ET. Functional recovery (modified Rankin at 3-months follow-up), recanalization rate (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [TICI] score) and time, early follow-up brain CT scan infarct volume (EFIV) (for recanalized patients only), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and 3-month mortality were the outcomes of interests. Independent predictors of the outcomes were explored with multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: 145 subjects were included in the study, of whom 70 underwent direct ET and 75 were treated with CoT. Functional independence at 3-months was more frequent in CoT subjects compared to patients who received direct ET (mRS score 0-1: 48.5% vs 18.6%; P < 0.001. mRS score 0-2: 67.1% vs 37.3%; P < 0.001); CoT patients had also higher first-pass success rate (62.7% vs 38.6%, P < 0.05), higher recanalization rate (84.3% vs 65.3%; P = 0.009) and, in recanalized subjects, smaller EFIV (16.4 ml vs 62.3 ml; P = 0.003). Mortality and intracranial bleeding did not differ between the two groups. In multivariable regression analysis, low baseline NIHSS score (P < 0.05), vessel recanalization (P = 0.05) and CoT (P = 0.03) were independent predictors of favorable outcome at three months. CONCLUSIONS: CoT appears more effective than ET alone for anterior circulation AIS with LVO, with similar safety profile.

Migraine improvement after spontaneous cervical artery dissection the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS).

OBJECTIVE: Whether migraine modifies after spontaneous cervical artery dissection (sCeAD) more than after other stroke etiologic subtypes has never been adequately investigated. METHODS: In the setting of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS), we compared the course of migraine before and after acute brain infarct in a group of migraine patients with sCeAD and a group of migraine patients whose ischemia was due to a cause other than CeAD (non-CeAD IS), matched by sex, age (± 3 years), and migraine subtype.We applied linear mixed models to evaluate pre-event vs post-event changes and differences between sCeAD and non-CeAD IS patients. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients per group (migraine without aura/migraine with aura, 67/20) qualified for the analysis. After the acute event, migraine headaches disappeared in 14.0% of CeAD patients vs 0.0% of non-CeAD IS patients (p ≤ 0.001). Migraine frequency (patients suffering at least 1 attack, from 93.1 to 80.5%, p = 0.001), pain intensity (from 6.7 ± 1.7 to 4.6 ± 2.6 in a 0 to 10 pain scale, p ≤ 0.001), and use of acute anti-migraine medications (patients taking at least 1 preparation, from 81.6 to 64.4%, p = 0.007) also improved significantly after CeAD as opposed to that observed after non-CeAD IS. CONCLUSION: The spontaneous improvement of migraine after sCeAD reinforces the hypothesis of a pathogenic link between the two conditions.

GEN-O-MA project: an Italian network studying clinical course and pathogenic pathways of moyamoya disease-study protocol and preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: GENetics of mOyaMoyA (GEN-O-MA) project is a multicenter observational study implemented in Italy aimed at creating a network of centers involved in moyamoya angiopathy (MA) care and research and at collecting a large series and bio-repository of MA patients, finally aimed at describing the disease phenotype and clinical course as well as at identifying biological or cellular markers for disease progression. The present paper resumes the most important study methodological issues and preliminary results. METHODS: Nineteen centers are participating to the study. Patients with both bilateral and unilateral radiologically defined MA are included in the study. For each patient, detailed demographic and clinical as well as neuroimaging data are being collected. When available, biological samples (blood, DNA, CSF, middle cerebral artery samples) are being also collected for biological and cellular studies. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients (age of onset mean ± SD 35.5 ± 19.6 years; 68.4% females) have been collected so far. 65.3% of patients presented ischemic (50%) and haemorrhagic (15.3%) stroke. A higher female predominance concomitantly with a similar age of onset and clinical features to what was reported in previous studies on Western patients has been confirmed. CONCLUSION: An accurate and detailed clinical and neuroimaging classification represents the best strategy to provide the characterization of the disease phenotype and clinical course. The collection of a large number of biological samples will permit the identification of biological markers and genetic factors associated with the disease susceptibility in Italy.

Vulnerability to Infarction During Cerebral Ischemia in Migraine Sufferers.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral hyperexcitability in migraine experiencers might sensitize brain tissue to ischemia. We investigated whether a personal history of migraine is associated with vulnerability to brain ischemia in humans. METHODS: Multicenter cohort study of patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent a brain computed tomography perfusion and were scheduled to undergo reperfusion therapy. In a case-control design, we compared the proportion of subjects with no-mismatch, the volume of penumbra salvaged, as well as the final infarct size in a group of patients with migraine and a group of patients with no history of migraine. RESULTS: We included 61 patients with migraine (34 [55.7%] men; mean age, 52.2±15.1 years; migraine without aura/migraine with aura, 44/17) and 61 patients with no history of migraine. The proportion of no-mismatch among migraineurs was significantly higher than among nonmigraineurs (17 [27.9%] versus 7 [11.5%]; P=0.039) and was more prominent among patients with migraine with aura (6 [35.3%]; P=0.030) while it was nonsignificantly increased in patients with migraine without aura (11 [25.0%]; P=0.114). Migraine, especially migraine with aura, was independently associated with a no-mismatch pattern (odds ratio, 2.65; 95% CI, 0.95-7.41 for migraine; odds ratio, 5.54; 95% CI, 1.28-23.99 for migraine with aura), and there was a linear decrease of the proportion of patients with migraine with aura with increasing quartiles of mismatch volumes. Patients with migraine with aura had also smaller volumes of salvaged penumbra (9.8±41.2 mL) compared with patients with migraine without aura (36.4±54.1 mL) and patients with no migraine (45.1±55.0 mL; P=0.056). Conversely, there was no difference in final infarct size among the 3 migraine subgroups (P=0.312). CONCLUSIONS: Migraine is likely to increase individual vulnerability to ischemic stroke during the process of acute brain ischemia and might represent, therefore, a potential new therapeutic target against occurrence and progression of the ischemic damage.

Arterial tortuosity in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissection.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissection (CeAD) have increased arterial tortuosity, and the objective quantification of such a tortuosity may aid in the identification of subjects at increased risk of disease. METHODS: In the setting of a hospital-based, case-control study, we used the vertebral tortuosity index (VTI) measured on magnetic resonance angiography, a validated method for the assessment and quantification of arterial tortuosity, to compare the degree of tortuosity in a series of consecutive patients with spontaneous CeAD and of age- and sex-matched patients with ischemic stroke unrelated to CeAD (non-CeAD IS) and stroke-free subjects. RESULTS: The study group was composed of 102 patients with CeAD (mean age, 44.5 ± 7.8 years; 66.7% men), 102 with non-CEAD IS, and 102 stroke-free subjects. The VTI was higher in the group of patients with CeAD (median, 7.3; 25th-75th percentile, 10.2) compared with that of non-CeAD IS (median, 3.4; 25th-75th percentile, 4.4) and of stroke-free subjects (median, 4.0; 25th-75th percentile, 2.9; p ≤ 0.001), and was independently associated to the risk of CeAD (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09-1.29) in multivariable regression analysis. The degree of tortuosity also tended to be higher in CeAD patients who experienced short-term recurrence (5.8%; median, 20.2; 25th-75th percentile, 31.2) than in those without recurrent events (median, 7.2; 25th-75th percentile, 9.4; p = 0.074). CONCLUSION: CeAD patients exhibit increased arterial tortuosity. This might have potential implications for better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease as well as clinical utility in evaluation, prognostication, and decision-making of affected individuals.

Juvenile-Onset Recurrent Rhabdomyolysis Due to Compound Heterozygote Variants in the ACADVL Gene.

Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorder caused by mutations in the ACADVL gene. The myopathic form presents with exercise intolerance, exercise-related rhabdomyolysis, and muscle pain, usually starting during adolescence or adulthood. We report on a 17-year-old boy who has presented with exercise-induced muscle pain and fatigue since childhood. In recent clinical history, episodes of exercise-related severe hyperCKemia and myoglobinuria were reported. Electromyography was normal, and a muscle biopsy showed only "moth-eaten" fibers, and a mild increase in lipid storage in muscle fibers. NGS analysis displayed the already known heterozygote c.1769G>A variant and the unreported heterozygote c.523G>C change in ACADVL both having disease-causing predictions. Plasma acylcarnitine profiles revealed high long-chain acylcarnitine species levels, especially C14:1. Clinical, histopathological, biochemical, and genetic tests supported the diagnosis of VLCAD deficiency. Our report of a novel pathogenic missense variant in ACADVL expands the allelic heterogeneity of the disease. Since dietary treatment is the only therapy available for treating VLCAD deficiency and it is more useful the earlier it is started, prompt diagnosis is essential in order to minimize muscle damage and slow the disease progression.

Prognostic Usefulness of Motor Unit Number Index (MUNIX) in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

The MUNIX technique allows us to estimate the number and size of surviving motor units (MUs). Previous studies on ALS found correlations between MUNIX and several clinical measures, but its potential role as a predictor of disease progression rate (DPR) has not been thoroughly evaluated to date. We aimed to investigate MUNIX's ability to predict DPR at a six-month follow up. METHODS: 24 ALS patients with short disease duration (<24 months from symptoms' onset) were enrolled and divided according to their baseline DPR into two groups (normal [DPR-N] and fast [DPR-F] progressors). MUNIX values were obtained from five muscles (TA, APB, ADM, FDI, Trapezius) and averaged for each subject. RESULTS: MUNIX was found to predict DPR at follow up in a multivariable linear regression model; namely, patients with lower MUNIX values were at risk of showing greater DPR scores at follow up. The result was replicated in a simple logistic regression analysis, with the dichotomic category "MUNIX-Low" as the independent variable and the outcome "DPR-F" as the dependent variable. CONCLUSIONS: our results pave the way for the use of the MUNIX method as a prognostic tool in early ALS, enabling patients' stratification according to their rates of future decline.

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis: a comprehensive review with a focus on peripheral neuropathy.

Amyloidoses represent a group of diseases characterized by the pathological accumulation in the extracellular area of insoluble misfolded protein material called "amyloid". The damage to the tissue organization and the direct toxicity of the amyloidogenic substrates induce progressive dysfunctions in the organs involved. They are usually multisystem diseases involving several vital organs, such as the peripheral nerves, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, liver, skin, and eyes. Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is related to abnormalities of transthyretin (TTR), a protein that acts as a transporter of thyroxine and retinol and is produced predominantly in the liver. ATTR is classified as hereditary (ATTRv) and wild type (ATTRwt). ATTRv is a severe systemic disease of adults caused by mutations in the TTR gene and transmitted in an autosomal dominant manner with incomplete penetrance. Some pathogenic variants in TTR are preferentially associated with a neurological phenotype (progressive peripheral sensorimotor polyneuropathy); others are more frequently associated with restrictive heart failure. However, many mutations express a mixed phenotype with neurological and cardiological involvement. ATTRv is now a treatable disease. A timely and definite diagnosis is essential in view of the availability of effective therapies that have revolutionized the management of affected patients. The purpose of this review is to familiarize the clinician with the disease and with the correct diagnostic pathways in order to obtain an early diagnosis and, consequently, the possibility of an adequate treatment.

A Comprehensive Update on Late-Onset Pompe Disease.

Pompe disease (PD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the GAA gene that lead to a deficiency in the acid alpha-glucosidase enzyme. Two clinical presentations are usually considered, named infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) and late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD), which differ in age of onset, organ involvement, and severity of disease. Assessment of acid alpha-glucosidase activity on a dried blood spot is the first-line screening test, which needs to be confirmed by genetic analysis in case of suspected deficiency. LOPD is a multi-system disease, thus requiring a multidisciplinary approach for efficacious management. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), which was introduced over 15 years ago, changes the natural progression of the disease. However, it has limitations, including a reduction in efficacy over time and heterogeneous therapeutic responses among patients. Novel therapeutic approaches, such as gene therapy, are currently under study. We provide a comprehensive review of diagnostic advances in LOPD and a critical discussion about the advantages and limitations of current and future treatments.

Leprosy Neuropathy in a Non-Endemic Area: A Clinical and Pathological Study.

The extent of nerve involvement in leprosy is highly variable in distribution and clinical presentation. Mononeuropathies, multiple mononeuropathies, and polyneuropathies can present both in the context of a cutaneous and/or systemic picture and in the form of pure neuritic leprosy (PNL). The differential diagnosis of leprosy neuropathy remains challenging because it is a very rare condition and, especially in Western countries, is often overlooked. We report one case of the polyneuropathic form of PNL (P-PNL) and one case of multiple mononeuropathy in paucibacillary leprosy. In both cases, the diagnosis was achieved by performing a sural nerve biopsy, which showed subverted structure, severe infiltration of inflammatory cells in nerve fascicles, granulomatous abnormalities, and the presence of alcohol-acid-resistant, Ziehl-Neelsen-positive bacilli inside the nerve bundles. Leprosy remains an endemic disease in many areas of the world, and globalization has led to the spread of cases in previously disease-free countries. In this perspective, our report emphasizes that the diagnostic possibility of leprosy neuropathy should always be taken into account, even in Western countries, in the differential diagnostic process of an acquired sensory polyneuropathy or multineuropathy and confirms that nerve biopsy remains a useful procedure in working up neuropathies with unknown etiology.

Human leukocyte antigens class II in CIDP spectrum neuropathies.

CIDP spectrum encompasses several clinical variants and the reasons of the heterogeneous clinical expression and the variable response to therapy are scarcely known. HLA associations are common in dysimmune conditions. In CIDP, few studies reported no associations or HLA-DR13/DQ6 association in some populations but, to date, a clear confirmed association is lacking. We analyzed expression of HLA-DR and DQ haplotypes in 24 CIDP patients and 216 healthy subject. HLA-DR3 and DR3/DQ2 were significantly more frequent in CIDP patients than in the control group. The DR3 and DR3/DQ2 positive patients present with more frequent relapsing course, worse response to IVIg, higher inflammatory neuropathy sensory sumscore (ISS) and Rotterdam Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment Scale (INCAT) than negative patients.

Autosomal recessive Bethlem myopathy: A clinical, genetic and functional study.

Bethlem myopathy represents the milder form of the spectrum of Collagen VI-related dystrophies, which are characterized by a clinical continuum between the two extremities, the Bethlem myopathy and the Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy, and include less defined intermediate phenotypes. Bethlem myopathy is mainly an autosomal dominant disorder and the causing mutations occur in the COL6A genes encoding for the α1 (COL6A1), α2 (COL6A2) and α3 (COL6A3) chains. However, few cases of recessive inheritance have been also reported. We here describe clinical, genetic and functional findings in a recessive Bethlem myopathy family harbouring two novel pathogenic mutations in the COL6A2 gene. Two adult siblings presented with muscle weakness and wasting, elbows and Achilles tendon retractions, lumbar hyperlordosis, waddling gait and positive Gowers' sign. Muscle biopsy showed a dystrophic pattern. Molecular analysis of the COL6A2 gene revealed the novel paternally-inherited nonsense p.Gln889* mutation and the maternally-inherited p.Pro260_Lys261insProPro small insertion. Fibroblast studies in both affected patients showed the concomitant reduction in the amount of normal Collagen VI (p.Gln889*) and impairment of Collagen VI secretion and assembly (p.Pro260_Lys261insProPro). Each of the two variants behave as a recessive mutation as shown by the asymptomatic heterozygous parents, while their concomitant effects determined a relatively mild Bethlem myopathy phenotype. This study confirms the occurrence of recessive inherited Bethlem myopathy and expands the genetic heterogeneity of this group of muscle diseases.

Late and Severe Myopathy in a Patient With Glycogenosis VII Worsened by Cyclosporine and Amiodarone.

Glycogenosis VII (GSD VII) is a rare autosomal recessive glycogen storage disorder caused by mutations in the PFKM gene encoding the phosphofructokinase (PFK) enzyme. A classical form with exercise intolerance, contractures, and myoglobinuria, a severe multisystem infantile form, an hemolytic variant and a late-onset form usually presenting with muscle pain and mild fixed proximal weakness have been reported. We describe a 65-year-old man affected by muscle PFK deficiency who, since the age of 33, presented with exercise intolerance and myoglobinuria. Muscle biopsy showed a vacuolar myopathy with glycogen storage. The biochemical assay of PFK-M showed very low residual activity (6%). Genetic analysis of PFKM gene evidenced the presence of the heterozygote c.1817A>C (p.Asp543Ala) and c.488 G>A (p.Arg100Gln) pathogenic mutations. In his fifth decade, he started cyclosporine after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and, then, amiodarone because of atrial fibrillation. In the following years, he developed a progressive and severe muscle weakness, mainly involving lower limbs, up to a loss of independent walking. Muscle MRI showed adipose substitution of both anterior and posterior thigh muscles with selective sparing of the medial compartment. Marked signs of adipose substitution were also documented in the legs with a selective replacement of gemelli and peroneus muscles. The temporal relationship between the patient's clinical worsening and chronic treatment with cyclosporine and amiodarone suggests an additive toxic damage by these two potentially myotoxic drugs determining such an unusually severe phenotype, also confirmed by muscle MRI findings.

A Novel CAPN1 Mutation Causes a Pure Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia in an Italian Family.

CAPN1 encodes calpain-1, a large subunit of µ-calpain, a calcium-activated cysteine protease widely present in the central nervous system. Mutations in CAPN1 have recently been identified in a complicated form of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) with a combination of cerebellar ataxia and corticomotor tract disorder (SPG76). Therefore, CAPN1 is now considered one of those genes that clinically manifest with a spectrum of disorders ranging from spasticity to cerebellar ataxia and represent a link between Spinocerebellar Ataxia and HSP, two groups of diseases previously considered separate but sharing pathophysiological pathways. We here describe clinical and molecular findings of two Italian adult siblings affected with a pure form of HSP and harboring the novel homozygote c.959delA variant (p.Tyr320Leufs*73) in the CAPN1 gene. Although the reason why mutations in CAPN1 may cause heterogeneous clinical pictures remains speculative, our findings confirm that the spectrum of the CAPN1-linked phenotypes includes pure HSP with onset during the third decade of life. Further studies are warrantied in order to clarify the mechanism underlying the differences in CAPN1 mutation clinical expression.

History of Migraine and Volume of Brain Infarcts: The Italian Project on Stroke at Young Age (IPSYS).

Background and PURPOSE: Migraine has been shown to increase cerebral excitability, promote rapid infarct expansion into tissue with perfusion deficits, and result in larger infarcts in animal models of focal cerebral ischemia. Whether these effects occur in humans has never been properly investigated. METHODS: In a series of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke, enrolled in the setting of the Italian Project on Stroke at Young Age, we assessed acute as well as chronic infarct volumes by volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, and compared these among different subgroups identified by migraine status. RESULTS: A cohort of 591 patients (male, 53.8%; mean age, 37.5±6.4 years) qualified for the analysis. Migraineurs had larger acute infarcts than non-migraineurs (median, 5.9 cm3 [interquartile range (IQR), 1.4 to 15.5] vs. 2.6 cm3 [IQR, 0.8 to 10.1], P<0.001), and the largest volumes were observed in patients with migraine with aura (median, 9.0 cm3 [IQR, 3.4 to 16.6]). In a linear regression model, migraine was an independent predictor of increased log (acute infarct volumes) (median ratio [MR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22 to 2.20), an effect that was more prominent for migraine with aura (MR, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.88 to 4.54). CONCLUSION: s These findings reinforce the experimental observation of larger acute cerebral infarcts in migraineurs, extend animal data to human disease, and support the hypothesis of increased vulnerability to ischemic brain injury in people suffering migraine.

Assessing the Role of Anti rh-GAA in Modulating Response to ERT in a Late-Onset Pompe Disease Cohort from the Italian GSDII Study Group.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) receiving enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) may develop IgG antibodies against alglucosidase alpha (anti-rhGAA) in the first 3 months of treatment. The exact role of these antibodies in modulating efficacy of ERT in this group of patients is still not fully understood. To assess whether anti rh-GAA antibodies interfere with ERT efficacy, we studied a large Italian cohort of LOPD patients. METHODS: We analyzed clinical findings and performed serial measurements of IgG anti rh-GAA antibody titers from 64 LOPD patients treated with ERT. The first examination (T0) was completed on average at 17.56 months after starting ERT, while the follow-up (T1) was collected on average at 38.5 months. Differences in T0-T1 delta of the six-minute walking test (6MWT), MRC sum score (MRC), gait, stairs and chair performance (GSGC) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were considered and then related to the antibody titers. RESULTS: Almost 22% of the patients never developed antibodies against GAA, while 78.1% had a positive titer (31.2% patients developed a low titer, 43.8% a medium titer and 3.1% a high titer). No statistical significance was found in relating the T0-T1 delta differences and antibody titers, except for MRC sum score values in a subgroup of patients treated < 36 months, in which those with a null antibody titer showed a greater clinical improvement than patients with a positive titer. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that in a large cohort of LOPD patients, anti rh-GAA antibody generation did not significantly affect either clinical outcome or ERT efficacy. However, in the first 36 months of treatment, a possible interference of low-medium antibody titers with the clinical status could be present. Therefore, a careful and regular evaluation of antibody titers, especially in cases with evidence of clinical decline despite ERT, should be performed.

Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy (MNGIE-MTDPS1).

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE-MTDPS1) is a devastating autosomal recessive disorder due to mutations in TYMP, which cause a loss of function of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), nucleoside accumulation in plasma and tissues, and mitochondrial dysfunction. The clinical picture includes progressive gastrointestinal dysmotility, cachexia, ptosis and ophthalmoparesis, peripheral neuropathy, and diffuse leukoencephalopathy, which usually lead to death in early adulthood. Other two MNGIE-type phenotypes have been described so far, which are linked to mutations in POLG and RRM2B genes. Therapeutic options are currently available in clinical practice (allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and carrier erythrocyte entrapped thymidine phosphorylase therapy) and newer, promising therapies are expected in the near future. Since successful treatment is strictly related to early diagnosis, it is essential that clinicians be warned about the clinical features and diagnostic procedures useful to suspect diagnosis of MNGIE-MTDPS1. The aim of this review is to promote the knowledge of the disease as well as the involved mechanisms and the diagnostic processes in order to reach an early diagnosis.