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1.
Genes (Basel) ; 13(12)2022 12 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36553623

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Heterozygous gain-of-function variants in SAMD9L are associated with ataxia-pancytopenia syndrome (ATXPC) and monosomy 7 myelodysplasia and leukemia syndrome-1 (M7MLS1). Association with peripheral neuropathy has rarely been described. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) from DNA extracted from peripheral blood was performed in a 10-year-old female presenting with demyelinating neuropathy, her similarly affected mother and the unaffected maternal grandparents. In addition to evaluation of single nucleotide variants, thorough work-up of copy number and exome-wide variant allele frequency data was performed. RESULTS: Combined analysis of the mother's and daughter's duo-exome data and analysis of the mother's and her parents' trio-exome data initially failed to detect a disease-associated variant. More detailed analysis revealed a copy number neutral loss of heterozygosity of 7q in the mother and led to reanalysis of the exome data for respective sequence variants. Here, a previously reported likely pathogenic variant in the SAMD9L gene on chromosome 7q (NM_152703.5:c.2956C>T; p.(Arg986Cys)) was identified that was not detected with standard filter settings because of a low percentage in blood cells (13%). The variant also showed up in the daughter at 32%, a proportion well below the expected 50%, which in each case can be explained by clonal selection processes in the blood due to this SAMD9L variant. CONCLUSION: The report highlights the specific pitfalls of molecular genetic analysis of SAMD9L and, furthermore, shows that gain-of-function variants in this gene can lead to a clinical picture associated with the leading symptom of peripheral neuropathy. Due to clonal hematopoietic selection, displacement of the mutant allele occurred, making diagnosis difficult.


Subject(s)
Myelodysplastic Syndromes , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases , Child , Female , Humans , Alleles , Myelodysplastic Syndromes/genetics , Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/genetics
3.
Eur J Paediatr Neurol ; 20(1): 147-51, 2016 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26387070

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in the CDKL5 gene cause an early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. To date, little is known about effective antiepileptic treatment in this disorder. METHOD: Accordingly, the aim of this retrospective study was to explore the role of different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the ketogenic diet (KD) in the treatment of this rare genetic disorder. We evaluated the efficacy in 39 patients with CDKL5 mutations at 3, 6 and 12 months after the introduction of each treatment. One patient was lost to follow-up after 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: The responder rate (>50% reduction in seizure frequency) to at least one AED or KD was 69% (27/39) after 3 months, 45% (17/38) after 6 months and 24% (9/38) after 12 months. The highest rate of seizure reduction after 3 months was reported for FBM (3/3), VGB (8/25), CLB (4/17), VPA (7/34), steroids (5/26), LTG (5/23) and ZNS (2/11). Twelve patients (31%) experienced a seizure aggravation to at least one AED. Most patients showed some but only initial response to various AEDs with different modes of actions. SIGNIFICANCE: Considering both age-related and spontaneous fluctuation in seizure frequency and the unknown impact of many AEDs or KD on cognition, our data may help defining realistic treatment goals and avoiding overtreatment in patients with CDKL5 mutations. There is a strong need to develop new treatment strategies for patients with this rare mutation.


Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Diet, Ketogenic , Epilepsy/diet therapy , Epilepsy/drug therapy , Adult , Epilepsy/genetics , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mutation , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics , Retrospective Studies , Seizures/prevention & control , Treatment Outcome , Young Adult
4.
Eur J Pediatr ; 171(11): 1619-24, 2012 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22782450

ABSTRACT

The varying clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis, transmitted by Ixodes ricinus and caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, frequently pose diagnostic problems. Diagnostic strategies vary between early and late disease manifestations and usually include serological methods. Erythema migrans is pathognomonic and does not require any further laboratory investigations. In contrast, the diagnosis of neuroborreliosis requires the assessment of serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Lyme arthritis is diagnosed in the presence of newly recognized arthritis and high-titer serum IgG antibodies against B. burgdorferi. The committee concludes the following recommendations: Borrelial serology should only be ordered in case of well-founded clinical suspicion for Lyme borreliosis, i.e., manifestations compatible with the diagnosis. Tests for borrelial genomic sequences in ticks or lymphocyte proliferation assays should not be ordered. When results of such tests or of serological investigations that were not indicated are available, they should not influence therapeutic decisions. Laboratories should be cautious when interpreting results of serological tests and abstain from giving therapeutic recommendations and from proposing retesting after some time without intimate knowledge of patient's history and disease manifestations.


Subject(s)
Borrelia burgdorferi/isolation & purification , Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Adolescent , Animals , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Arthritis, Infectious/diagnosis , Borrelia burgdorferi/immunology , Child , Erythema Chronicum Migrans/diagnosis , Humans , Ixodes/microbiology , Lyme Disease/blood , Lyme Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Lyme Neuroborreliosis/diagnosis
5.
Neuropediatrics ; 42(5): 179-82, 2011 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22006281

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the body composition and resting metabolic rate (RMR) of girls with Rett syndrome (RS) (n=15) and to compare them with an equally handicapped group of girls with developmental disabilities (DD) (n=13). Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis and RMR - the amount of energy expended while at rest - by indirect calorimetry. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), BMI percentiles and food intake were all measured and calculated by standardized procedures. Feeding time, ambulatory status and ability to self-feed were also assessed. Due to the sampling, there were no significant differences in age, height, weight, BMI, BMI percentiles and ambulatory status. Significant differences between groups were found for lower percentage lean body mass (LBM) (64.2±14.6 vs. 84.4±24.6) and higher absolute and relative fat mass (FM) in RS. RMR values adjusted for LBM were significantly higher in the group of girls with RS (approximately 160 kcal/day), indicating that higher energy expenditure is a component of increased risk of severely low body weight.


Subject(s)
Basal Metabolism , Child Nutrition Disorders/metabolism , Developmental Disabilities/metabolism , Rett Syndrome/metabolism , Body Composition , Body Mass Index , Body Weight , Calorimetry, Indirect , Child , Child, Preschool , Eating , Energy Intake , Energy Metabolism , Female , Humans
6.
Mol Genet Metab ; 98(3): 243-9, 2009 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19656703

ABSTRACT

Miglustat has been shown to stabilize disease progression in children, juveniles and adults with Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C), a rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive neurological deterioration. We report findings from a retrospective observational cohort study assessing the effects of miglustat on neurological disease progression in patients treated in the clinical practice setting. Data from all NP-C patients prescribed miglustat at 25 expert centers were evaluated using a disease disability scale. The scale analyzed four key parameters of neurological disease progression in NP-C (ambulation, manipulation, language, swallowing). Mean individual parameter scores and a composite score were calculated at baseline (time of diagnosis) and up to 4 follow-up visits. Overall, 66 patients were included (mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 9.7 [7.6] years, and at treatment start, 12.8 [9.5] years). The median (range) miglustat exposure was 1.46 (0.05-4.51) years. Mean annual progression was +0.11 score units/year from diagnosis to treatment start, indicating disease progression prior to therapy, and decreasing to -0.01 score units/year from treatment start to last clinic visit, indicating stabilization. Stabilization of neurological disease on miglustat was observed in all age groups, but the magnitude of the effect was greater in patients diagnosed in late childhood and in juveniles and adults. Stabilization of neurological disease was also observed in a subset of 19 patients with extended pre-treatment information. Overall, these data support previous clinical trial findings indicating clinically relevant beneficial effects of miglustat on neurological disease progression in patients with NP-C.


Subject(s)
1-Deoxynojirimycin/analogs & derivatives , Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C/drug therapy , 1-Deoxynojirimycin/administration & dosage , 1-Deoxynojirimycin/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Child , Cohort Studies , Enzyme Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Female , Humans , Male , Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C/pathology , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Outcome
7.
Mol Genet Metab ; 98(3): 250-4, 2009 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19616462

ABSTRACT

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a devastating genetic disorder characterised by progressive neurological deterioration. However, data on the progression of neurological manifestations, particularly across different patient age-of-disease onsets, are limited. This is an observational retrospective cohort study designed to assess the progression of neurological disease in patients with NP-C. Physicians were asked to retrospectively complete a web-based questionnaire for each patient, at diagnosis and at up to three follow-up visits. An NP-C-specific disability scale was used to measure disease progression. The scale comprised four key parameters of neurological disease progression; ambulation, manipulation, language and swallowing. Disease progression was evaluated based on the annual rate of change in each parameter and the composite score using a linear mixed model analysis, and by classifying patients according to the number of worsened parameters during the observation period. Data were collected from 57 patients. The rate of deterioration was similar across the four individual parameters of the disability scale. The mean (95% CI) annual disease progression was +0.12 (0.09, 0.15) units. Among patients with a time interval of at least 1 year between diagnosis and last visit (n=49), 42 (86%) patients had progressed disease and 7 (14%) patients had stable disease. Disease progression was consistently more rapid in patients diagnosed in early childhood, compared with those diagnosed in late childhood, or with juvenile or adult presentation. In conclusion, our findings showed a progression in all four parameters of the disability scale, representing a continuous, unbroken progression of neurological manifestations.


Subject(s)
Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C/diagnosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Disability Evaluation , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Male , Retrospective Studies
8.
Neuropediatrics ; 40(5): 211-7, 2009 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20221956

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an acute, inflammatory-demyelinating disorder of the CNS with a favourable outcome in the majority of cases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the long-term outcome of children with an initially severe form of ADEM. METHODS: Children with ADEM according to the criteria of the International Pediatric MS Study Group (IPMSSG) referred to the rehabilitation centre Vogtareuth were included. Neurological impairment was evaluated with a standardized telephone-based interview assessing the EDSS score. Neuropsychological outcome was assessed with review of the medical records and a standardized parental questionnaire (KOPKIJ). RESULTS: Twelve children (1 year 9 months to 13 years of age) were included. All children had focal-neurological signs and changes in mental status at presentation and an MRI of the brain showing a range of white and gray matter lesions. 11/12 patients with a mean follow-up of 6.2 years (2-13.6 years) had a monophasic course of the disease. One child had a multiphasic ADEM. Two children had an EDSS score of 0, three an EDSS of 2, five an EDSS between 3 and 5 and two children had an EDSS score of 6 and 9. Results of a standardized parental questionnaire (KOPKIJ) revealed that 7 children had deficits in the categories alertness, memory, school performance, visual-spatial skills and/or impulse control. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that children with an initially severe manifestation of ADEM continue to have in the majority of cases neurological and neuropsychological handicaps.


Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/etiology , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/complications , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/diagnosis , Adolescent , Brain/pathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Infant , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Male , Neurologic Examination/methods , Neuropsychological Tests , Spinal Cord/pathology
9.
Clin Genet ; 73(1): 62-70, 2008 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18042262

ABSTRACT

Cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) and Costello syndrome (CS) are congenital disorders with a significant clinical overlap. The recent discovery of heterozygous mutations in genes encoding components of the RAS-RAF-MAPK pathway in both CFC and CS suggested a similar underlying pathogenesis of these two disorders. While CFC is heterogeneous with mutations in BRAF, MAP2K1, MAP2K2 and KRAS, HRAS alterations are almost exclusively associated with CS. We carried out a comprehensive mutation analysis in 51 CFC-affected patients and 31 individuals with CS. Twelve different BRAF alterations were found in twenty-four patients with CFC (47.0%), two MAP2K1 mutations in five (9.8%) and two MAP2K2 sequence variations in three CFC-affected individuals (5.9%), whereas three patients had a KRAS alteration (5.9%). We identified four different missense mutations of HRAS in twenty-eight cases with CS (90.3%), while KRAS mutations were detected in two infants with a phenotype meeting criteria for CS (6.5%). In 14 informative families, we traced the parental origin of HRAS alterations and demonstrated inheritance of the mutated allele exclusively from the father, further confirming a paternal bias in the parental origin of HRAS mutations in CS. Careful clinical evaluation of patients with BRAF and MAP2K1/2 alterations revealed the presence of slight phenotypic differences regarding craniofacial features in MAP2K1- and MAP2K2-mutation positive individuals, suggesting possible genotype-phenotype correlations.


Subject(s)
Abnormalities, Multiple/genetics , Facies , Heart Defects, Congenital/genetics , Mutation , Skin Abnormalities/genetics , Adult , Child , DNA Mutational Analysis , Developmental Disabilities , Humans , Intellectual Disability , MAP Kinase Kinase 1/genetics , MAP Kinase Kinase 2/genetics , Phenotype , Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) , Syndrome , ras Proteins/genetics
10.
Z Geburtshilfe Neonatol ; 211(4): 157-61, 2007 Aug.
Article in German | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17729202

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of Vitamin B (12) deficiency in infancy include growth retardation, regression of psychomotor development, muscular hypotonia and brain atrophy. Besides an inappropriate vegetarian diet of the infants, a vegan diet or a pernicious anaemia of the mother may lead to an insufficient vitamin B (12) supply of the child. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report here the neurological symptoms of 4 fully breast-fed infants from mothers on vegan diet or with pernicious anaemia. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Vitamin B (12) deficiency can easily be diagnosed by detection of methylmalonic acid when measuring the organic acids in urine. Vitamin B (12) deficiency should be avoided or diagnosed as early as possible since a supplementation of mother and child can prevent neurological symptoms of the baby. Furthermore, the neurological symptoms of the infant with manifest vitamin B (12) deficiency are (partially) reversible.


Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/adverse effects , Diet, Vegetarian/adverse effects , Mothers , Nervous System Diseases/diagnosis , Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Vitamin B 12 Deficiency/complications , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Maternal-Fetal Exchange , Pregnancy , Vitamin B 12 Deficiency/diagnosis
11.
Neurology ; 69(5): 442-7, 2007 Jul 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17664403

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Lissencephaly is a neuronal migration disorder leading to absent or reduced gyration and a broadened but poorly organized cortex. The most common form of lissencephaly is isolated, referred as classic or type 1 lissencephaly. Type 1 lissencephaly is mostly associated with a heterozygous deletion of the entire LIS1 gene, whereas intragenic heterozygous LIS1 mutations or hemizygous DCX mutations in males are less common. METHODS: Eighteen unrelated patients with type 1 lissencephaly were clinically and genetically assessed. In addition, patients with subcortical band heterotopia (n = 1) or lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia (n = 2) were included. RESULTS: Fourteen new and seven previously described LIS1 mutations were identified. We observed nine truncating mutations (nonsense, n = 2; frameshift, n = 7), six splice site mutations, five missense mutations, and one in-frame deletion. Somatic mosaicism was assumed in three patients with partial subcortical band heterotopia in the occipital-parietal lobes or mild pachygyria. We report three mutations in exon 11, including a frameshift which extends the LIS1 protein, leading to type 1 lissencephaly and illustrating the functional importance of the WD domains at the C terminus. Furthermore, we present two patients with novel LIS1 mutations in exon 10 associated with lissencephaly with cerebellar hypoplasia type a. CONCLUSION: In contrast to previous reports, our data suggest that neither type nor position of intragenic mutations in the LIS1 gene allows an unambiguous prediction of the phenotypic severity. Furthermore, patients presenting with mild cerebral malformations such as subcortical band heterotopia or cerebellar hypoplasia should be considered for genetic analysis of the LIS1 gene.


Subject(s)
1-Alkyl-2-acetylglycerophosphocholine Esterase/genetics , Cerebral Cortex/abnormalities , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics , Mutation/genetics , Nervous System Malformations/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Cell Movement/genetics , Cerebellum/abnormalities , Cerebral Cortex/metabolism , Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology , Child , Child, Preschool , Choristoma/genetics , Choristoma/metabolism , DNA Mutational Analysis , Female , Genetic Markers/genetics , Genetic Testing , Genotype , Humans , Infant , Male , Nervous System Malformations/metabolism , Nervous System Malformations/physiopathology , Penetrance , Phenotype
12.
Neuropediatrics ; 36(3): 200-5, 2005 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15944906

ABSTRACT

Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy, although described some decades ago, may still be an underdiagnosed disorder. We have recently described isolated pipecolic acid elevations in the plasma and/or CSF of three patients with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy with an intriguing inverse correlation to the oral intake of pyridoxine. We have now confirmed these findings in a further 6 unrelated patients with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy. Pipecolic acid in plasma was 4.3- to 15.3 fold elevated compared to the upper normal range before pyridoxine and remained in the mildly elevated range while on pyridoxine. Pipecolic acid was even more markedly elevated in CSF. The extent of pipecolic acid elevation in CSF exceeded that of plasma by a factor of 2.2 to 4.8. This clearly discriminates pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy from other possible defects with elevated pipecolic acid. Determination of pipecolic acid in plasma and/or CSF should be included in the diagnostic work-up of patients with therapy-resistant seizures. It will in addition prevent patients with pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy from experiencing potentially dangerous pyridoxine-withdrawal, which until now has been necessary to prove the diagnosis.


Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Epilepsy/drug therapy , Epilepsy/metabolism , Pipecolic Acids/metabolism , Pyridoxine/therapeutic use , Biomarkers/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Epilepsy/diagnosis , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Treatment Outcome , Withholding Treatment
13.
Neuropediatrics ; 34(5): 237-46, 2003 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-14598229

ABSTRACT

About 35-40 % of boys with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) develop a rapidly progressive cerebral form which leads to severe neurologic disability and death within 3-5 years after onset of clinical symptoms. Because previous proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies of ALD identified metabolite patterns characteristic of demyelination, gliosis, and neuroaxonal loss, this work tested the hypothesis that MRS--apart from indicating disease progression--provides criteria for the outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) which has been promising at an early stage of the active disease. Follow-up quantitative proton MRS was performed in frontal and occipital white matter of ALD patients (n = 12) before and up to 5 years after HSCT. The observed metabolite alterations were retrospectively correlated with the clinical outcome representing either a stable condition (n = 5), a further deterioration (n = 5), or death (n = 2). While disease progression of patients before HSCT was mainly characterized by a further increase of elevated choline-containing compounds (Cho) as an indicator of active demyelination, a positive outcome after HSCT was correlated with high N-acetylaspartate (tNAA) levels in affected white matter before HSCT yielding positive and negative predictive values for tNAA of 80 %. Although to be confirmed in a larger cohort of patients, the present findings suggest the preservation of neuroaxonal integrity as a prerequisite for an arrested course. Conversely, the combination of increased Cho with markedly reduced tNAA before HSCT apparently reflects a degree of tissue degeneration which precludes a successful therapeutic intervention.


Subject(s)
Adrenoleukodystrophy/diagnosis , Adrenoleukodystrophy/metabolism , Aspartic Acid/analogs & derivatives , Brain/metabolism , Brain/surgery , Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods , Postoperative Care , Preoperative Care , Protons , Adrenoleukodystrophy/physiopathology , Aspartic Acid/metabolism , Brain/physiopathology , Child , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Nerve Regeneration/physiology , Predictive Value of Tests , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment Outcome
16.
J Inherit Metab Dis ; 23(2): 113-9, 2000 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10801052

ABSTRACT

Lymphocytopenia and depression of natural killer cells have been observed in patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) treated with glycerol trioleate and glycerol trierucate ('Lorenzo's oil'). To investigate possible alterations of cellular immunoreactivity, we measured lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogens (PHA, Con A, PWM, OKT3) in 27 patients on treatment and in 14 patients without treatment. In patients on treatment, lymphocyte proliferation in response to the mitogens PHA and Con A was significantly higher than in patients without treatment. Lymphocyte proliferation in patients without treatment was comparable to that of normal control lymphocytes. Additionally, we found increased concentrations of erucic acid, C22:1, in lymphocytes from patients with treatment. The enhanced proliferation of lymphocytes in response to mitogens is an indication of increased reactivity of cellular immunity to unspecific immunological stimuli. Long-term side-effects on cellular immunoreactivity have to be considered in ALD patients treated with Lorenzo's oil.


Subject(s)
Adrenoleukodystrophy/drug therapy , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/therapeutic use , Erucic Acids/therapeutic use , Lymphocytes/drug effects , Triolein/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Adrenoleukodystrophy/blood , Adult , Cell Division/drug effects , Child , Diet , Drug Combinations , Erucic Acids/metabolism , Female , Humans , Lymphocyte Count/drug effects , Lymphocytes/metabolism , Male , Middle Aged , Mitogens/pharmacology
17.
J Neuroimmunol ; 103(1): 93-6, 2000 Feb 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10674994

ABSTRACT

In the present study, we report sICAM-1 concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with neuroborreliosis (NB, n = 11), compared to the data from a control group of patients with corresponding blood/CSF barrier dysfunction but without inflammation in the central nervous system (disc prolaps, DP, n = 11). In NB, the sICAM-1 concentration in CSF was increased up to six-fold (ranges: 6.6-42.8 ng/ml and 2.2-9.8 ng/ml for NB and DP respectively) with no change in serum sICAM-1. The corresponding sICAM-1 CSF/serum concentration quotients (Q(ICAM)) were in the ranges: 22.5-171.3 X 10(-3), and 8.8-27.8 X 10(-3) for NB and DP respectively. This finding can be explained by increase of the brain-derived fraction of sICAM-1 in NB. In one case we observed increased Q(ICAM) on 6th day after admission to the hospital (171.3 X 10(-3) at the time of the first lumbar puncture slightly increasing to 243.6 x 10(-3) five days later), followed by normalization, in two remaining repunctured patients we observed decreasing QICAM with normalizing Q(Alb).


Subject(s)
Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/cerebrospinal fluid , Lyme Neuroborreliosis/cerebrospinal fluid , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/blood , Male , Middle Aged
18.
Neuropediatrics ; 29(5): 254-64, 1998 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9810561

ABSTRACT

Cerebral metabolic disturbances in patients with childhood adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) were assessed by quantitative localized proton MRS. Patient monitoring by follow-up MRS studies served to identify putative markers for disease onset and progression. Whereas normal-appearing white matter of neurologically asymptomatic patients is characterized by slightly elevated concentrations of choline-containing compounds (Cho), an increase of both Cho and myo-inositol (Ins) seems to indicate the onset of demyelination. Markedly elevated concentrations of Cho, Ins, and glutamine in affected white matter reflect active demyelination and glial proliferation. A simultaneous reduction of the concentrations of N-acetylaspartate and glutamate is consistent with neuronal damage or loss. The observation of elevated lactate is in line with inflammation and/or macrophage infiltration. The more severe metabolic disturbances in cerebral ALD correspond to progressive demyelination, neuroaxonal loss and gliosis leading to clinical deterioration and eventually death. The detection of MRS abnormalities before the onset of neurological symptoms may help in the selection of patients for bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Stabilization and partial reversal of metabolic abnormalities is demonstrated in a patient after BMT.


Subject(s)
Adrenoleukodystrophy/classification , Adrenoleukodystrophy/metabolism , Brain/metabolism , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Adolescent , Adrenoleukodystrophy/therapy , Adult , Bone Marrow Transplantation , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Progression , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Patient Selection , Prospective Studies
20.
J Neurol Sci ; 157(2): 206-13, 1998 May 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9619647

ABSTRACT

Combined alteration of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and respiratory chain function is described in a 21 year-old male patient with overlapping MELAS (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and 'stroke-like' episodes) and Kearns-Sayre syndrome. Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, pigmentary retinopathy and right bundle branch block were present when he experienced the first 'stroke-like' episode at 18 years old. The A>G tRNALeu(UUR) point mutation at nucleotide 3243 of the mitochondrial DNA was predominant in muscle tissue (79%) and present, but at lower levels in fibroblasts (49%) and blood cells (37%). Biochemical analysis revealed diminished activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase (23%) and respiratory chain complexes I and IV (57%, respectively) in muscle, but normal activities in the fibroblasts. Immunochemical studies of the muscular pyruvate dehydrogenase components showed normal content of E1alpha, E1beta and E2 protein. Molecular screening of the E1alpha gene did not indicate a nuclear mutation. These observations suggest that mitochondrial DNA defects may be associated with altered nuclear encoded enzymes which are actively imported into mitochondria and constitute components of the mitochondrial matrix. Biochemical workup of mitochondrial disorders should not be restricted to the respiratory chain even if mitochondrial DNA mutations are present.


Subject(s)
DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , Kearns-Sayre Syndrome/diagnosis , MELAS Syndrome/diagnosis , Point Mutation/genetics , Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency Disease/diagnosis , Adult , Humans , Kearns-Sayre Syndrome/enzymology , Kearns-Sayre Syndrome/genetics , MELAS Syndrome/enzymology , MELAS Syndrome/genetics , Male , Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency Disease/genetics
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