Double Trouble: Association of Malignant Melanoma with Sporadic and Genetic Forms of Parkinson's Disease and Asymptomatic Carriers of Related Genes: A Brief Report.

Introduction: Previous epidemiological evidence has established the co-occurrence of malignant melanoma (MM) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Shared molecular mechanisms have been proposed to be implicated in this relationship. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of MM in patients with sporadic and genetic types of PD, as well as in asymptomatic carriers of PD-related genes. Methods: Data regarding past medical history and concomitant disease of 1416 patients with PD (including 20 participants with prodromal disease who phenoconverted to PD), 275 healthy controls (HCs) and 670 asymptomatic carriers of PD-related genes were obtained from the database of the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Focus was placed on information about a medical record of MM. We also retrieved data regarding the genetic status of selected PPMI participants with a positive MM history. Results: In total, 46 patients with PD reported a positive MM history. Concerning the genetic forms of PD, nine of these PD patients (2.47%) carried a Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene mutation (mainly the G2019S), while eight (4.49%) harbored a Glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene mutation (mainly the N370S). No alpha-synuclein (SNCA) gene mutation was identified in patients with an MM history. The remaining 29 PD patients (3.5%) were genetically undetermined. In total, 18 asymptomatic carriers of PD-related genes had a positive medical history for MM: among them, 10 carried an LRRK2 gene mutation (2.69%) and 10 a GBA gene mutation (3.51%) (2 were dual carriers). MM history was identified for seven HCs (2.5%). Conclusions: We replicated the previously reported association between genetically undetermined PD (GU-PD) and MM. A correlation of LRRK2 mutations with the development of MM could not be verified in either symptomatic PD patients or asymptomatic carriers, implicating distinct pathogenetic mechanisms as compared to GU-PD. Importantly, despite the limited literature evidence on Gaucher disease, this study highlights for the first time the relatively high prevalence of MM among asymptomatic and symptomatic PD GBA mutation carriers, with potential clinical implications.

Nurses' knowledge about perioperative care of patients with neurological diseases.

This study investigated the level of nurses' knowledge regarding the perioperative care of neurological patients. An author-developed questionnaire of 20 items was used in a sample of 94 hospital nurses serving in the neurology, surgery and anesthesiology departments and the intensive care unit. The average percentage of participants with correct answers was 49.2%. The mean value of participants' score was 9.8 ±3.4. Preexisting experience in the care of cases with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease was positively related to the level of knowledge (p = 0.001 and 0.014 respectively). The ascertained level of nurses' knowledge regarding the perioperative care of neurological patients was moderate, questioning their adequacy to handle such cases. Previous experience in the care of particular diseases had significantly positive impact on knowledge, suggesting potential improvement strategies through targeted education and specialization of nurses. In conclusion, nurse's knowledge regarding perioperative care of neurological patients was insufficient, requiring appropriate improvement interventions.