Does Spinocerebellar ataxia 27B mimic cerebellar multiple system atrophy?

Background: Whether spinocerebellar ataxia 27B (SCA27B) may present as a cerebellar multiple system atrophy (MSA-C) mimic remains undetermined.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of FGF14 (GAA) expansions in patients with MSA-C, to compare SCA27B and MSA-C clinical presentation and natural history.

Methods: FGF14 expansion screening combined with longitudinal deep-phenotyping in a prospective cohort of 195 patients with sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia.

Natural History and Phenotypic Spectrum of GAA-FGF14 Sporadic Late-Onset Cerebellar Ataxia (SCA27B).

Background: Heterozygous GAA expansions in the FGF14 gene have been related to autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia (SCA27B-MIM:620174). Whether they represent a common cause of sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia (SLOCA) remains to be established.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence, characterize the phenotypic spectrum, identify discriminative features, and model longitudinal progression of SCA27B in a prospective cohort of SLOCA patients.

MRI dedicated to the emergency department for diplopia or dizziness: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the costs and organizational benefits of diagnostic workup without and with MRI dedicated to the ED.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational uncontrolled before-after study in one ED of a university hospital in France from July 1, 2018, and January 3, 2020. We included all consecutive patients presenting with dizziness or diplopia.

Impact of Disease-Modifying Treatments of Multiple Sclerosis on Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies: An Observational Study.

Objective: To compare the humoral response after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving different disease-modifying treatments (DMTs).

Methods: Patients with MS with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and available anti-SARS-CoV-2 serology were included. The primary endpoint was the anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) index.

Spastic paraplegia due to recessive or dominant mutations in can convert to ALS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether mutations in , known to cause SPG18, a recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia (SP) responsible for the degeneration of the upper motor neurons leading to weakness and spasticity restricted to the lower limbs, could contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a distinct and more severe motor neuron disease (MND), in which the lower motor neurons also profusely degenerates, leading to tetraplegia, bulbar palsy, respiratory insufficiency, and ultimately the death of the patients.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in a large cohort of 200 familial ALS and 60 sporadic ALS after a systematic screening for hexanucleotide repeat expansion. variants identified by exome analysis were validated using Sanger analysis.

Semantic and nonfluent aphasic variants, secondarily associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are predominant frontotemporal lobar degeneration phenotypes in TBK1 carriers.

Introduction: TBK1 mutations represent a rare novel genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without or with dementia. The full spectrum of TBK1 phenotypes has not been completely defined so far.

Methods: We describe the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics of loss-of-function mutation carriers initially presenting with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) phenotypes.

Validation of a clinical practice-based algorithm for the diagnosis of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias based on NGS identified cases.

Establishing a molecular diagnosis of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias (ARCA) is challenging due to phenotype and genotype heterogeneity. We report the validation of a previously published clinical practice-based algorithm to diagnose ARCA. Two assessors performed a blind analysis to determine the most probable mutated gene based on comprehensive clinical and paraclinical data, without knowing the molecular diagnosis of 23 patients diagnosed by targeted capture of 57 ataxia genes and high-throughput sequencing coming from a 145 patients series.

TBK1 mutation frequencies in French frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cohorts.

TANK1-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) has been recently identified as a new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) gene. Loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in TBK1 could be responsible for 0.4%-4% of ALS.

Blood Cell Palmitoleate-Palmitate Ratio Is an Independent Prognostic Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Growing evidence supports a link between fatty acid metabolism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here we determined the fatty acid composition of blood lipids to identify markers of disease progression and survival. We enrolled 117 patients from two clinical centers and 48 of these were age and gender matched with healthy volunteers.

JC-virus seroconversion in multiple sclerosis patients receiving natalizumab.

Aim: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the rate of JC virus (JCV) seroconversion/seroreversion in a French cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients receiving natalizumab (NTZ), describe the characteristics of this population, identify risk factors for JCV seropositivity and analyse the additional value of quantitative JCV serology results in this context.

Methods: MS patients from two French MS centres, whose JCV serological status in 2011 while receiving NTZ was known (n=357; first-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test (Gen1)), were proposed for inclusion in this study. We evaluated the rate of JCV seroconversion over a period of one year with a second-generation ELISA test (Gen2; n=303) and analysed the quantitative results.

Anti-JCV antibody prevalence in a French cohort of MS patients under natalizumab therapy.

To measure the prevalence of JCV-specific antibodies in a French cohort of MS patients treated with natalizumab and to identify risk factor(s) of JCV seropositivity. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) risk may be stratified by anti-JCV antibody status, duration of natalizumab therapy (≥24 months) and prior exposure to immunosuppressive (IS) drugs. No data are available in France on the prevalence of anti-JCV antibodies and distribution of PML risk factors in patients treated with natalizumab.

Long-term follow-up of acute partial transverse myelitis.

Background: Acute partial transverse myelitis (APTM) may be the first clinical symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) or may remain a monophasic event.

Objectives: To evaluate the risk of conversion to MS and long-term disability, and to determine prognosis factors for disability.

Design: We identified patients with no previous history of neurological disease who experienced APTM between January 1998 and December 2005 and were followed up at 3 university hospitals in France.

[Myasthenia gravis].

Myasthenia gravis is a rare, auto-immune neuromuscular junction disorder. Prevalence rates is about 50/1,000000. The disease results from circulating auto-antibody attacks against post-synaptic targets (acetylcholine receptor [AChR] in 80% cases) on the endplate region of the postsynaptic membrane.

Clinical and molecular findings of ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 in 4 families.

Background: Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by SETX mutations in 9q34 resulting in cerebellar ataxia in association with peripheral neuropathy, cerebellar atrophy on imaging, an elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) serum level, and occasional oculomotor apraxia.

Objective: To describe the clinical and molecular findings of 7 patients with a clinical presentation of AOA2 and their relatives.

Design: Case report.