Publications by authors named "F Ragona"

Objective: Fenfluramine (FFA), stiripentol (STP), and cannabidiol (CBD) are approved add-on therapies for seizures in Dravet syndrome (DS). We report on the long-term safety and health care resource utilization (HCRU) of patients with DS treated with FFA under an expanded access program (EAP).

Methods: A cohort of 124 patients received FFA for a median of 2.

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Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by progressive cognitive and motor decline, epilepsy, visual impairment, and shortened life-expectancy. CLN6-related NCLs include both late-infantile and adult myoclonic form. We report a 21-year-old patient, with mild developmental delay, who developed occipital seizures at 14 years, and subsequently cognitive decline, cortical myoclonus, and photosensitivity at low and higher frequencies.

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Background: We aimed to estimate real-world evidence of the prevalence rate of genetic developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) in the Italian population over a 11-year period.

Methods: Fifteen paediatric and adult tertiary Italian epilepsy centres participated in a survey related to 98 genes included in the molecular diagnostic workflows of most centres. We included patients with a clinical diagnosis of DEE, caused by a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in one of the selected genes, with a molecular diagnosis established between 2012 and 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a rare disorder linked with neurological and heart issues, particularly the ATP1A3-D801N variant, which causes a shorter QT interval and arrhythmia risks.
  • A study at Duke University evaluated heart rate (HR) and QT intervals in individuals with AHC, revealing that those with the variant had less QT prolongation at lower HR compared to healthy controls.
  • The findings suggest that individuals with ATP1A3-D801N show abnormal heart rhythms, indicating a need for closer monitoring and intervention for potential heart issues.
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Objective: The objective of this study is to report the results of the genetic analysis in a large and well-characterized population with pediatric-onset epilepsies and to identify those who could benefit from precision medicine treatments.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we consecutively recruited patients with pediatric-onset epilepsy observed at a tertiary neurological center over a time span of 7 years, collecting clinical and laboratory findings. Following in-depth diagnostic process to exclude possible structural and metabolic causes of the disease, patients with a suspected genetically determined etiology underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) screening with panels for the analysis of target genes causative of epilepsy.

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