The diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can be challenging due to its heterogeneity in clinical presentation and overlap with other neurological disorders. Diagnosis early in the disease course can improve outcomes as timely interventions can slow disease progression. An evolving awareness of disease genotypes and phenotypes and new diagnostic criteria, such as the recent Gold Coast criteria, could expedite diagnosis. Improved prognosis, such as that achieved with the survival model from the European Network for the Cure of ALS, could inform the patient and their family about disease course and improve end-of-life planning. Novel staging and scoring systems can help monitor disease progression and might potentially serve as clinical trial outcomes. Lastly, new tools, such as fluid biomarkers, imaging modalities, and neuromuscular electrophysiological measurements, might increase diagnostic and prognostic accuracy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00465-8 | DOI Listing |
Brain Pathol
December 2024
Laboratory of Neurobiology and Molecular Therapeutics, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milano, Italy.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease with no effective treatments, in part caused by variations in progression and the absence of biomarkers. Mice carrying the SOD1G93A transgene with different genetic backgrounds show variable disease rates, reflecting the diversity of patients. While extensive research has been done on the involvement of the central nervous system, the role of skeletal muscle remains underexplored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroinflammation
December 2024
Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan.
The immune system has garnered attention due to its association with disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the role of peripheral immune cells in this context remains controversial. Here, we conducted single-cell RNA-sequencing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to comprehensively profile immune cells concerning the rate of disease progression in patients with ALS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Neurogenetics Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, uniformly lethal degenerative disease of motor neurons, presenting with relentlessly progressive muscle atrophy and weakness. More than fifty genes carrying causative or disease-modifying variants have been identified since the 1990s, when the first ALS-associated variant in the gene SOD1 was discovered. The most commonly mutated ALS genes in the European populations include the C9orf72, SOD1, TARDBP and FUS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Neurophysiol
December 2024
Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Purpose: High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) of muscle and nerve has the potential to be a reliable, responsive, and informative biomarker of disease progression for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). High-frequency ultrasound is not able to visualize median nerve fascicles to the same extent as ultra-high-frequency ultrasound (UHFUS). Evaluating the number and size of fascicles within a nerve may facilitate a better understanding of nerve diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxins (Basel)
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Balamand, Kalhat, Tripoli P.O. Box 100, Lebanon.
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are a diverse phylum of photosynthetic, Gram-negative bacteria and one of the largest microbial taxa. These organisms produce cyanotoxins, which are secondary metabolites that can have significant impacts on both human health and the environment. While toxins like Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsins are well-documented and have been extensively studied, other cyanotoxins, including those produced by and , remain underexplored.
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