A comparative study on prophylactic efficacy of cinnarizine and amitriptyline in childhood migraine: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric migraine prophylaxis is indicated when headaches are frequent and/or disabling. We aimed to conduct a study to compare the efficacy of cinnarizine and amitriptyline in pediatric migraine prophylaxis. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind trial, patients aged 4-17 years with migraine who were eligible for prophylaxis enrolled. The primary outcome was a reduction response rate of ≥50% with p < 0.005 with respect to headache characteristics. The secondary outcome was migraine disability assessment. We evaluated patients every four weeks for three months: T1: week 4, T2: week 8 and T3: week 12. The safety profile was also assessed. RESULTS: Thirty patients were randomly assigned to each group. However, 43 patients completed the trial. Headache frequency decreased in amitriptyline group more effectively in T1 (p = 0.004). Amitriptyline was more successful in reducing the headache duration in all three periods (p < 0.005). There was no significant difference in severity improvement and reducing disability score between the two groups (p > 0.005). No serious adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Both medications are effective in ameliorating migraine headaches and related disabilities. However, amitriptyline appears be a preferable option over cinnarizine, given its faster onset of action, efficacy in reducing headache duration and longer-lasting effects.Trial Registration: The study was registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) under the code IRCT-20191112045413N1.

High genetic heterogeneity of leukodystrophies in Iranian children: the first report of Iranian Leukodystrophy Registry.

Leukodystrophies (LDs) are a heterogeneous group of progressive neurological disorders and characterized by primary involvement of white matter of the central nervous system (CNS). This is the first report of the Iranian LD Registry database to describe the clinical, radiological, and genomic data of Persian patients with leukodystrophies. From 2016 to 2019, patients suspicious of LDs were examined followed by a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A single gene testing or whole-exome sequencing (WES) was used depending on the neuroradiologic phenotypes. In a few cases, the diagnosis was made by metabolic studies. Based on the MRI pattern, diagnosed patients were divided into cohorts A (hypomyelinating LDs) versus cohort B (Other LDs). The most recent LD classification was utilized for classification of diagnosed patients. For novel variants, in silico analyses were performed to verify their pathogenicity. Out of 680 registered patients, 342 completed the diagnostic evaluations. In total, 245 patients met a diagnosis which in turn 24.5% were categorized in cohort A and the remaining in cohort B. Genetic tests revealed causal variants in 228 patients consisting of 213 variants in 110 genes with 78 novel variants. WES and single gene testing identified a causal variant in 65.5% and 34.5% cases, respectively. The total diagnostic rate of WES was 60.7%. Lysosomal disorders (27.3%; GM2-gangliosidosis-9.8%, MLD-6.1%, KD-4.5%), amino and organic acid disorders (17.15%; Canavan disease-4.5%, L-2-HGA-3.6%), mitochondrial leukodystrophies (12.6%), ion and water homeostasis disorders (7.3%; MLC-4.5%), peroxisomal disorders (6.5%; X-ALD-3.6%), and myelin protein disorders (3.6%; PMLD-3.6%) were the most commonly diagnosed disorders. Thirty-seven percent of cases had a pathogenic variant in nine genes (ARSA, HEXA, ASPA, MLC1, GALC, GJC2, ABCD1, L2HGDH, GCDH). This study highlights the most common types as well as the genetic heterogeneity of LDs in Iranian children.

Characteristics of disease progression and genetic correlation in ambulatory Iranian boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common muscular dystrophy in the pediatric population. The manifestations of this disease include progressive muscle weakness, gait dysfunction, and motor impairment, leading to a loss of ambulation by the age of 13 years. Molecular diagnosis is the standard diagnostic tool for DMD. This study aimed to investigate disease progression and genetic patterns in Iranian ambulant boys and to find the correlation between genotypes and motor function phenotypes. METHODS: This study was performed on 152 DMD patients. Clinical history, including the disease phenotype, steroid therapy, and the North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) score, was taken for all the patients. Molecular diagnoses were confirmed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and next-generation sequencing tests. RESULTS: A total of 152 Iranian DMD patients were examined in this study. The mean age at the time of disease onset was 4.04 ± 2.00 years, and the mean age at diagnosis was 5.05 ± 2.08 years. The mean age of ambulation loss was 10.9 years. Contracture was reported in 38.9% of cases. In terms of age, the mean total NSAA score showed a peak at 4 years of age, with a mean NSAA score of 24. Annual changes in the NSAA score were determined for all cases, based on the mutation type and exon site. Deletion mutation was found in 79.1% of cases, duplication in 6.8%, nonsense in 12.8%, and splice site in 1.4%. The most common single exon deletion was exon 44 (5.3%), and the most common multiexon deletions were attributed to exons 45-50 and exons 45-52 (4.6%). The results did not indicate any correlation between the mutation type and age at the time of disease onset, loss of ambulation age, and wheelchair dependence; however, a significant association was found between contracture and mutation type. The results showed a significant difference in the NSAA score between the deletion and nonsense groups at the age of 3 years (P = 0.04). No significant correlation was found between the phenotype and exon site. Overall, 91.1% of the study population had a history of corticosteroid use, and 54.1% showed compliance with rehabilitation therapy. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the phenotypes and mutational features of Iranian DMD boys and provided information regarding the natural motor history of the disease, disease progression, diagnosis, and status of DMD management in Iran. The present findings can promote the development of clinical trials and future advanced molecular therapies in Iran.

The safety and efficacy of umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells in individuals with spastic cerebral palsy: a randomized double-blind sham-controlled clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: The current multi-center, randomized, double-blind study was conducted among children with cerebral palsy (CP) to assess the safety and efficacy of umbilical cord blood mononuclear cell (UCB-MNC). We performed the diffusion tensor imaging to assess the changes in the white matter structure. METHODS: Males and females aged 4 to 14 years old with spastic CP were included. Eligible participants were allocated in 4:1 ratio to be in the experimental or control groups; respectively. Individuals who were assigned in UCB-MNC group were tested for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and fully-matched individuals were treated with UCB-MNCs. A single dose (5 × 106 /kg) UCB-MNCs were administered via intrathecal route in experimental group. The changes in gross motor function measure (GMFM)-66 from baseline to one year after treatment were the primary endpoints. The mean changes in modified Ashworth scale (MAS), pediatric evaluation of disability inventory (PEDI), and CP quality of life (CP-QoL) were also evaluated and compared between groups. The mean changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of corticospinal tract (CST) and posterior thalamic radiation (PTR) were the secondary endpoints. Adverse events were safety endpoint. RESULTS: There were 72 included individuals (36 cases in each group). The mean GMFM-66 scores increased in experimental group; compared to baseline (+ 9.62; 95%CI: 6.75, 12.49) and control arm (ß: 7.10; 95%CI: 2.08, 12.76; Cohen's d: 0.62) and mean MAS reduced in individuals treated with UCB-MNCs compared to the baseline (-0.87; 95%CI: -1.2, -0.54) and control group (ß: -0.58; 95%CI: -1.18, -0.11; Cohen's d: 0.36). The mean PEDI scores and mean CP-QoL scores in two domains were higher in the experimental group compared to the control. The imaging data indicated that mean FA increased and MD decreased in participants of UCB-MNC group indicating improvements in white matter structure. Lower back pain, headaches, and irritability were the most common adverse events within 24 h of treatment that were related to lumbar puncture. No side effects were observed during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This trial showed that intrathecal injection of UCB-MNCs were safe and effective in children with CP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03795974 ).

An open-label phase 1 clinical trial of the allogeneic side population adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in SMA type 1 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder of alpha motor neurons of spinal cord associated with progressive muscle weakness and hypotonia, is the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. Although there is few promising treatment for SMA, but the field of translational research is active in it, and stem cell-based therapy clinical trials or case studies are ongoing. Combination of different therapeutic approaches for noncurative treatments may increase their effectiveness and compliance of patients. We present a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with SMA1 who received side population adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SPADMSCs). METHODS: The intervention group received three intrathecal administrations of escalating doses of SPADMSCs and followed until 24 months or the survival time. The safety analysis was assessed by controlling the side effects and efficacy evaluations performed by the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), Ballard score, and electrodiagnostic (EDX) evaluation. These evaluations were performed before intervention and at the end of the follow-up. RESULTS: The treatment was safe and well tolerated, without any adverse event related to the stem cell administration. One of the patients in the intervention group was alive after 24 months of study follow-up. He is a non-sitter 62-month-old boy with appropriate weight gain and need for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for about 8 h per day. Clinical scores, need for supportive ventilation, and number of hospitalizations were not meaningful parameters in the response of patients in the intervention and control groups. All five patients in the intervention group showed significant improvement in the motor amplitude response of the tibial nerve (0.56mV; p: 0.029). CONCLUSION: This study showed that SPADMSCs therapy is tolerable and safe with promising efficacy in SMA I. Probably same as other treatment strategies, early intervention will increase its efficacy and prepare time for more injections. We suggest EDX evaluation for the follow-up of treatment efficacy.

The quality of life in children with spinal muscular atrophy: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) based on the type of SMA, demographic and clinical features and compare HRQoL of these patients with a matched healthy control group.  METHODS: This was a case-control study of Patients with SMA in Iran. Sixty-six patients with SMA type II and III aged 8-18 years and also 264 healthy age, sex, and socio-economic matched individuals were enrolled. To assess the quality of life, we used the Persian version of the KIDSCREEN-27. RESULTS: The health-related quality of life between children with type II and type III SMA was not significant in all 5 subscales. However, HRQoL in healthy children was significantly higher than in SMA children in all 5 subscales. CONCLUSION: The quality of life in children with SMA was lower than the healthy control group in all subscales, and physical well-being and psychosocial aspects are the main domains of life impaired by SMA disease. However, no significant difference between the quality of life in children with SMA type II and type III was observed.

The antifibrotic effects of naringin in a hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-induced mouse model of skin fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: Fibrosis is a chronic inflammation caused by the loss of innate compensational mechanisms. Naringin (NR) is a flavonoid with antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we aimed to investigate the antifibrotic effects of NR and underlying mechanisms in a Hypochlorous acid (HOCl)-induced mouse model of skin fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 six-week-old female BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into five groups: HOCl, Sham, PBS, HOCl + NR and DMSO and selected skin regions were treated for 6 weeks, until sacrifice. The histopathologic and collagenesis of skin resections were analyzed using H&E and PR staining. The mRNA levels of COL1, COL3 and αSMA genes were quantified. Serum samples were also used to evaluate TGF-ß levels and LDH activity. RESULTS: HOCl could increase the relative collagen content, while NR administration on HOCl-treated biopsies decreased collagenesis. COL1, COL3 and αSMA mRNA levels were significantly increased among HOCl-treated skin samples, while NR treatment could decrease these mRNA levels of genes to the extent equal to the levels in the Sham group. Similarly, Naringin-treated samples could decrease TGF-ß levels. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that Naringin could exert protective effects against fibrotic complications of HOCL in skin tissue in vivo, by reducing the collagenesis and decreasing the levels of fibrosis-associated genes.

Levetiracetam for prophylactic treatment of pediatric migraine: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Few drugs are available for migraine prophylaxis in children. Levetiracetam is a broad-spectrum anti-seizure drug that has been suggested to be effective in reducing adult migraine episodes. We assessed the safety and efficacy of levetiracetam in the prevention of pediatric migraine. METHODS: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed. Eligible participants were aged 4-17 years old with at least four migrainous episodes monthly or had severe disabling or intolerable episodes. Primary endpoints were the mean changes in monthly frequency and intensity of headaches from the baseline phase to the last month of the double-blind phase. Safety endpoint was the adverse effects reported. RESULTS: Sixty-one participants (31 taking levetiracetam and 30 taking placebo) completed the study. All had a significant reduction in frequency and intensity of episodes that was significantly greater in the levetiracetam arm. Sixty eight percent of individuals in the treatment group reported more than 50% reduction of episodes at the end of the trial compared with 30% in the placebo group (p-value: 0.007). Irritability, day-time sedation, and mild tic were reported. CONCLUSION: Levetiracetam may be useful in migraine prevention and may decrease migraine episodes and severity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study is prospectively registered with Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials; IRCT.ir, number IRCT2017021632603N1.

A survey of quality of life in adolescents with epilepsy in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial problems seem to be common in epilepsy, and they could negatively affect the social affairs and networking of adolescents with epilepsy. They could cause decreased self-esteem and social performance, leading to isolation and civil discrimination. This study was performed to assess the quality of life (QOL) of a group of adolescents with epilepsy in Iran. METHODS: An analytic cross-sectional study was performed in 197 young Iranian adolescents with epilepsy. To measure the QOL of these cases, the Persian version of the QOL in Epilepsy Inventory for Adolescents 48 (QOLIE-AD-48) scale was used. RESULTS: The mean total score of the scale was 61.5±10.4. The highest mean was in the school behavior domain (83.85±12.27), while the lowest mean was in the domain of attitudes toward epilepsy (22.45±15.78). There was a significant correlation between QOL and age, number of drugs taken, and frequency of seizures per year. Sixty-six percent of the adolescents with epilepsy had never talked to their friends or teachers about their disease. CONCLUSION: This study revealed an unsatisfactory state of the QOL of adolescents with epilepsy in our population in comparison with other studies. This indicates the need for greater concern about the psychological status and risk factors for the QOL of adolescents with epilepsy in Iran.

A comprehensive study of mutation and phenotypic heterogeneity of childhood mitochondrial leukodystrophies.

OBJECTIVE: Mitochondrial leukodystrophies (MLs) are mainly caused by impairments of the mitochondrial respiratory chains. This study reports the mutation and phenotypic spectrum of a cohort of 41 pediatric patients from 39 distinct families with MLs among 320 patients with a molecular diagnosis of leukodystrophies. METHODS: This study summarizes the clinical, imaging, and molecular data of these patients for five years. RESULTS: The three most common symptoms were neurologic regression (58.5%), pyramidal signs (58.5%), and extrapyramidal signs (43.9%). Because nuclear DNA mutations are responsible for a high percentage of pediatric MLs, whole exome sequencing was performed on all patients. In total, 39 homozygous variants were detected. Additionally, two previously reported mtDNA variants were identified with different levels of heteroplasmy in two patients. Among 41 mutant alleles, 33 (80.4%) were missense, 4 (9.8%) were frameshift (including 3 deletions and one duplication), and 4 (9.8%) were splicing mutations. Oxidative phosphorylation in 27 cases (65.8%) and mtDNA maintenance pathways in 8 patients (19.5%) were the most commonly affected mitochondrial pathways. In total, 5 novel variants in PDSS1, NDUFB9, FXBL4, SURF1, and NDUSF1 were also detected. In silico analyses showed how each novel variant may contribute to ML pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest whole-exome sequencing as a strong diagnostic genetic tool to identify the causative variants in pediatric MLs. In comparison between oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and mtDNA maintenance groups, brain stem and periaqueductal gray matter (PAGM) involvement were more commonly seen in OXPHOS group (P value of 0.002 and 0.009, respectively), and thinning of corpus callosum was observed more frequently in mtDNA maintenance group (P value of 0.042).

Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Levetiracetam Versus Phenytoin for Treating the Acute Phase of Neonatal Seizures.

Objectives: Neonatal seizure is a significant problem in this life course, and its timely and effective treatment is crucial. In this study, we compared the efficacy of levetiracetam versus phenytoin for treating the acute phase of neonatal seizures. Materials & Methods: In this single-blind case-control study, 60 consecutive children with neonatal seizures referred to the Children's medical center in Tehran, Iran, in 2018 were studied. Those neonates who had at least 30 minutes of seizure after Phenobarbital treatment were assigned to receive either phenytoin (20 mg/kg) or levetiracetam (initial dose of 40-60 mg/kg) through block randomization. The efficacy and safety of the two drugs were compared between the groups. Results: The response rate was 83.3% and 86.7% in phenytoin and Levetiracetam groups, respectively, which was not significantly different between groups (P=1.000). Adverse effects were nearly similar between groups (6.7% in the phenytoin group and 3.3% in the Levetiracetam group, P=1.000). Conclusion: Levetiracetam and phenytoin are both practical and safe for treating neonatal seizures.

Improved Efficacy of First-Line Imatinib in Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST): The Dutch GIST Registry Data.

BACKGROUND: Patients with unresectable and metastasized gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) experienced a remarkable improvement of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after the introduction of imatinib. Our hypothesis is that the outcomes of treatment with imatinib are even better nowadays compared with the registration trials that were performed two decades ago. To study this, we used real-life data from a contemporary registry. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective study was performed by exploring clinical data from a prospective real-life clinical database, the Dutch GIST Registry (DGR). Patients with advanced GIST treated with first-line imatinib were included and PFS (primary outcome) and OS (secondary outcome) were analyzed. Results of our study were compared with published results of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) 62005 trial, which marked the first era of imatinib in the treatment of GIST. RESULTS: Overall, 420 of the 435 patients treated with imatinib in the DGR had recorded response evaluation and were included in the analysis. During a median follow-up of 35.0 months (range 2.0-136.0), progression of GIST was eventually observed in 217 patients (51.2%). The DGR cohort showed a longer median PFS (33.0 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] 28.4-37.6) compared with the EORTC 62005 trial (an estimated PFS of 19.5 months). Additionally, the median OS of 68.0 months (95% CI 56.1-80.0) was longer than the exposed median OS (46.8 months) published in the long-term follow-up results of the EORTC 62005 trial (median follow-up duration 10.9 years). CONCLUSION: This study provides an update on outcomes of imatinib in the treatment of advanced GIST patients and demonstrates improved clinical outcomes since the first randomized studies of imatinib 2 decades ago. Furthermore, these results represent outcomes in real-world clinical practice and can serve as a reference when evaluating effectiveness of imatinib in patients with advanced GIST.

Neurologic Manifestations of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children: An Iranian Hospital-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 infection and its neurological manifestations were seen in children although less common than adults. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of different types of neurologic findings of hospitalized children with COVID-19. ]. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed on hospitalized pediatric patients aged≤18 years with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 at Children's Medical Center Hospital. Neurological manifestations were defined as the presence of any of the following symptoms: seizure, altered mental status, behavioral/personality change, ataxia, stroke, muscle weakness, smell and taste dysfunctions, and focal neurological disorders. RESULTS: Fifty-four children with COVID-19 were admitted and their mean age was 6.94±4.06 years. Thirty-four of them (63%) were male. The most frequent neurological manifestation was seizure (19 [45%]) followed by muscle weakness (11 [26%]), loss of consciousness (10 [23%]), and focal neurological disorders (10 [23%]). Other neurological manifestations consisted of headache (n=7), movement disorders (n=6), behavioral/personality change (n=5), ataxia (n=3), and stroke (n=3). Twenty-nine percent of our patients had leukocytosis. A neutrophil count above 70% was seen in 31% of participants. Among our patients, 81% had a positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSION: During the current pandemic outbreak, hospitalized children with COVID-19 should be evaluated for neurological signs because it is common among them and should not be under-estimated.

Local treatment in metastatic GIST patients: A multicentre analysis from the Dutch GIST Registry.

BACKGROUND: The added value of local treatment in selected metastatic GIST patients is unclear. This study aims to provide insight into the usefulness of local treatment in metastatic GIST by use of a survey study and retrospective analyses in a clinical database. METHODS: A survey study was conducted among clinical specialists to select most relevant characteristics of metastatic GIST patients considered for local treatment, defined as elective surgery or ablation. Patients were selected from the Dutch GIST Registry. A multivariate Cox-regression model for overall survival since time of diagnosis of metastatic disease was estimated with local treatment as a time-dependent variable. An additional model was estimated to assess prognostic factors since local treatment. RESULTS: The survey's response rate was 14/16. Performance status, response to TKIs, location of active disease, number of lesions, mutation status, and time between primary diagnosis and metastases, were regarded the 6 most important characteristics. Of 457 included patients, 123 underwent local treatment, which was associated with better survival after diagnosis of metastases (HR = 0.558, 95%CI = 0.336-0.928). Progressive disease during systemic treatment (HR = 3.885, 95%CI = 1.195-12.627) and disease confined to the liver (HR = 0.269, 95%CI = 0.082-0.880) were associated with worse and better survival after local treatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: Local treatment is associated with better survival in selected patients with metastatic GIST. Locally treated patients with response to TKIs and disease confined to the liver have good clinical outcome. These results might be considered for tailoring treatment, but should be interpreted with care because only specific patients are provided with local treatment in this retrospective study.

Dutch Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) Registry Data Comparing Sunitinib with Imatinib Dose Escalation in Second-Line Advanced Non-KIT Exon 9 Mutated GIST Patients.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has improved greatly after the introduction of imatinib. However, primary or secondary resistance to imatinib occurs in the majority of patients. Sunitinib is the standard second line treatment in exon-9 mutated GIST. OBJECTIVE: We compared the clinical outcomes of sunitinib with imatinib dose escalation in patients with progressive advanced non-KIT exon 9 mutated GIST after failure of first line imatinib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was performed, retrieving data from a real-life database (Dutch GIST Registry) including patients with GIST treated with sunitinib or imatinib dose escalation after failure on first line imatinib 400 mg daily. Primary outcome measures were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: In total, 110 patients were included, 72 (65.5%) patients were treated with sunitinib (group A) and 38 (34.5%) received an imatinib dose escalation (group B). Important prognostic features at baseline, such as tumor size, stage at diagnosis, mitotic count and localization were equally distributed in both groups. No significant difference (p = 0.88) between median PFS in group A [8.7 months (95% CI 5.6-11.3)] and group B [5.6 months, (95% CI 2.6-8.7)] was observed. Moreover, the OS was similar between group A and group B; 63.2 months and 63.4 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study represents a proper sample size cohort containing detailed data on mutational status of patients with advanced GIST. We illustrated that imatinib dose escalation could serve as a good alternative for sunitinib as second-line treatment in patients with a non-KIT exon 9 mutation.

Childhood Guillain-Barre syndrome in the SARS-CoV-2 era: Is there any causative relation?

We reported an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). From 37 patients with GBS, previous SARS-CoV-2 clinical clues, including fever, cough, and diarrhea, were recorded in 18 patients. Among them, SARS-CoV-2 IgG was detected in seven patients, considered confirmed as cases. SARS-CoV-2 PCR was positive in just one patient. Although we found no increase in patient recruitment during the pandemic compared to previous years, our study indicated that SARS-CoV-2 is associated with poorer outcomes regarding GBS disability scale and hospital stay.

Intragenic DNA polymorphism analysis of DMD/BMD dystrophy gene for carrier and prenatal diagnosis in 60 Iranian healthy individuals.

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD) are allelic, x-linked neuromuscular disease resulting from mutations in dystrophin gene. DMD is the most severe and frequent inherited but still incurable disease in males. About two-third of such patients have large deletions or duplications that can be identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In one-third of remaining cases, a linkage analysis that involves DNA markers of intragenic dystrophic gene is considered a rapid and simple method for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis. In the present study, we investigated frequency and heterozygosity of three polymorphic restriction sites and also four highly polymorphic (CA)(n) repeat microsatellites loci within hot spots region of human dystrophin gene in 60 healthy Iranian populations. Our findings indicated that the allele frequencies of pERT87-8/TaqI, pERT87-15/BamHI, and pERT87-15/XmnI were 0.23/0.77, 0.221/0.779, and 0.239/0.761, respectively. Among these three polymorphic sites, pERT78-15/XmnI locus had the highest heterozygosity with frequency of 47.17%. We also found that STR49 had the highest heterozygosity among four polymorphic microsatellites. These findings are useful in linkage analysis of Iranian DMD families in both carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis.

Systemic therapy of advanced/metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors: an update on progress beyond imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib.

Introduction: Discovery of oncogenic mutations in the KIT and PDGFRA tyrosine kinase receptor was a crucial step for the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Since then, GIST became a model for the development of molecular-targeted therapy, which led to dramatically improved median overall survival of advanced GIST. Still, further progress is needed after third-line or for TKI resistant mutations. Areas covered: In this review, after a brief introduction on imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib, an overview of TKIs that was evaluated beyond these drugs is provided, with a main focus on the novel approved TKIs. Expert opinion: Combination therapies have thus far not fulfilled their promise in GIST, nor did immunotherapy. Increased understanding of GIST and advances in the development of molecular-targeted drugs led to the introduction of ripretinib and avapritinib. Furthermore, NTRK inhibitors became available for ultrarare NTRK fusions. Solutions for NF1 and BRAF mutated and SDH-deficient GIST are still to be awaited. This all underlines the need for adequate molecular profiling of high-risk GISTs before treatment is started. Possibly by using circulating tumor DNA in the future, targeting resistance mutations with specific drugs along the course of the disease would be easier, avoiding multiple tumor biopsies.

Cytomegalovirus Infection and Guillain-Barré Syndrome: The First Case-Control Study in Iran.

OBJECTIVES: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated disease of the peripheral nervous system affecting all age groups around the world. Although the pathogenesis and optimal treatment of GBS have not yet been completely identified, one of the most common infectious diseases to trigger the syndrome is cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The GBS following CMV infection is rarely reported in childhood, and there have been no data on GBS with antecedent CMV infection in children in Iran. The current study aimed to evaluate the association between CMV infection and GBS in children in Iran. MATERIALS & METHODS: The case-control study design was used for 30 GBS cases and 30 matched controls. All the serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-CMV immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EUROIMMUN Medizinische, Germany). The CMV viral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in the specimen was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Cytomegalovirus PCR Detection Kit, CinnaGen Co., Iran). RESULTS: Anti-CMV IgG antibodies were detected in 97% of the GBS patients and 93% of the healthy controls. Anti-CMV IgM antibodies were demonstrated in 33% of the healthy controls (n=10) and 33% of the GBS children (n=10). The borderline level of anti-CMV IgM antibodies was observed in 23% of the healthy controls (n=7) and 13% of the GBS children (n=4) (P=0.57). None of the specimens from both controls and GBS cases was positive for CMV DNA using PCR. CONCLUSION: The obtained data demonstrated the presence of anti-CMV antibodies in the majority of both GBS patients and controls. Moreover, no relation was observed between CMV infection and GBS. However, it is highly recommended to perform further studies with a large sample size.