Mario Mastrangelo

Inborn errors of creatine metabolism and epilepsy

Creatine metabolism disorders include guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency, arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) deficiency, and the creatine transporter (CT1‐encoded by SLC6A8 gene) deficiency. Epilepsy is one of the main symptoms in GAMT and CT1 deficiency, whereas the occurrence of febrile convulsions in infancy is a relatively common presenting symptom in all the three above‐mentioned diseases. GAMT deficiency results in a severe early onset epileptic encephalopathy with development arrest, neurologic deterioration, drug‐resistant seizures, movement disorders, mental disability, and autistic‐like behavior. In this disorder, epilepsy and associated abnormalities on electroencephalography (EEG) are more responsive to substitutive treatment with creatine monohydrate than to conventional antiepileptic drugs. AGAT deficiency is mainly characterized by mental retardation and severe language disorder without epilepsy. In CT1 deficiency epilepsy is generally less severe than in GAMT deficiency. All creatine disorders can be investigated through measurement of creatine metabolites in body fluids, brain proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS), and molecular genetic techniques. Blood guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) assessment and brain H‐MRS examination should be part of diagnostic workup for all patients presenting with epileptic encephalopathy of unknown origin. In girls with learning and/or intellectual disabilities with or without epilepsy, SLC6A8 gene assessment should be part of the diagnostic procedures. The aims of this review are the following: (1) to describe the electroclinical features of epilepsy occurring in inborn errors of creatine metabolism; and (2) to delineate the metabolic alterations associated with GAMT, AGAT, and CT1 deficiency and the role of a substitutive therapeutic approach on their clinical and electroencephalographic epileptic patterns.

Diagnostic work-up and therapeutic options in management of pediatric status epilepticus

BackgroundStatus epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening neurologic disorder comprising prolonged and unremitting crisis, and two or more series of seizures without complete intercritical recovery.Data sourcesWe reviewed the literature through a Pubmed/Medline research using key words including status epilepticus, antiepileptic drugs and children, in order to revise and compare international/national protocols and to examine pediatric guidelines in SE management.ResultsNeurologic impairment and SE etiology seem to be the most independent risks for mortality. A deep semiologic evaluation is essential to addressing diagnostic work-up. Ematochemical parameters, plasma levels of antiepileptic drugs and clinically oriented toxic/metabolic screening should be mandatory for investigating both causes and effects of SE. Electroencephalography is clearly helpful to characterize focal from generalized SE and to distinguish epileptic events from pseudoseizures, and it is deal to find nonconvulsive SE. Neuroimaging techniques could detect epileptogenic lesions (such as cortical malformations, tumors, demyelinating disorders or strokes) but are common in practice to find negative or controversial results. Pharmacologic management can be essentially arranged in three stages: benzodiazepines for early SE (lasting less than 30 minutes), phenytoin/fosphenytoin, phenobarbital, valproate, levetiracetam or lacosamide for established SE (30–90 minutes), and anesthetics for refractory SE (more than 90 minutes).ConclusionsStatus epilepticus is the most common neurologic emergency in childhood. A systematic diagnostic work-up and a three steps based therapeutic approach is required at this age.

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy: novel pathogenic mutations in thymidine phosphorylase gene in two Italian brothers.

Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE, MIM 603041) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder occurring due to mutations in a nuclear gene coding for the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase (TYMP). Clinical features of MNGIE include gastrointestinal dysmotility, cachexia, ptosis or ophthalmoparesis, peripheral neuropathy, diffuse leukoencephalopathy, and signs of mitochondrial dysfunction in tissues. We report the clinical and molecular findings in two brothers in whom novel TYMP gene mutations (c.215-13_215delinsGCGTGA; c.1159 + 2T > A) were associated with different clinical presentations and outcomes.

Bilateral (opercular and paracentral lobular) polymicrogyria and neurofibromatosis type 1

Anecdotal cases of polymicrogyria (PMG; a malformation of cortical development consisting of an excessive number of small gyri with abnormal lamination) in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have been described; however, the cases were unilateral and had negative NF1 genetic testing. We describe an 11‐year‐old girl with NF1 manifesting as a complex epileptic syndrome, including partial seizures secondarily generalized and status epilepticus, who had in association, bilateral, asymmetrical (opercular and paracentral lobular) PMG. She had a 1‐bp deletion (c.1862delC) in exon 12b of the NF1 gene. It is notable that, given the key role played by the NF1 gene product, neurofibromin, in normal brain development, and the relatively high frequency of other brain findings in NF1, there are not more NF1 cases with brain malformations manifesting as PMG.

The outcome of white matter abnormalities in early treated phenylketonuric patients: A retrospective longitudinal long-term study.

BACKGROUND Pathogenesis and clinical consequences of white matter abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in phenylketonuric (PKU) patients are incompletely known. OBJECTIVE To study white matter alterations progression and outcome and its relationships with phenylalanine levels and intelligence quotient (IQ) in early treated PKU subjects who underwent serial MRIs during a prolonged follow-up. METHODS 47 early treated PKU patients (mean age 25.1 ± 5.6 years; range 12-37 years) have been enrolled when two or more consecutive brain MRIs, a complete biochemical history, and MRI-concurrent blood phenylalanine levels were available. The severity and extension of white matter abnormalities were expressed in a computed score. Consecutive IQ assessments were available in 24 patients. We analyzed intra- and interindividual white matter alterations variations and their relationship with quality of biochemical control and cognitive outcome. RESULTS Early treated PKU patients showed a high rate of white matter alterations with a relevant increase in frequency/severity from the second decade of life onwards. Age and quality of dietary control before or between subsequent examinations showed an independent cumulative effect on white matter alterations outcome. No significant association was found between white matter alterations and cognitive outcome. A remarkable interindividual variability was found and several patients disclosed incongruity between the trajectory of white matter alterations and biochemical control. About 30% of white matter alterations variability remains unexplained by the disease-associated determinants. CONCLUSIONS The evolution of white matter alterations is not significantly affected by intellectual outcome and is affected by aging, chronic exposure to phenylalanine, and unknown individual factors.

Transdermal rotigotine in the treatment of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency.

Andres M. Lozano, MD, PhD, Clement Hamani, MD, PhD, Elena Moro, MD, PhD Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, University Healthy Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Movement Disorders Centre, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Grenoble, Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France

Epilepsy in KCNH1-related syndromes

KCNH1 mutations have been identified in patients with Zimmermann-Laband syndrome and Temple-Baraitser syndrome, as well as patients with uncharacterized syndromes with intellectual disability and overlapping features. These syndromes include dysmorphic facial features, nail hypo/aplasia, thumb and skeletal anomalies, intellectual disability, and seizures. We report the epilepsy phenotype in patients with KCNH1 mutations. Demographic data, electroclinical features, response to antiepileptic drugs, and results of significant diagnostic investigations of nine patients carrying mutations in KCNH1 were obtained from referring centres. Epilepsy was present in 7/9 patients. Both generalized and focal tonic-clonic seizures were observed. Complete seizure control was achieved with pharmacological treatment in 2/7 patients; polytherapy was required in 4/7 patients. Status epilepticus occurred in 4/7 patients. EEG showed a diffusely slow background in 7/7 patients with epilepsy, with variable epileptiform abnormalities. Cerebral folate deficiency and an increase in urinary hypoxanthine and uridine were observed in one patient. Epilepsy is a key phenotypic feature in most individuals with KCNH1-related syndromes, suggesting a direct role of KCNH1 in epileptogenesis, although the underlying mechanism is not understood.

Complex epileptic (Foix–Chavany–Marie like) syndrome in a child with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and bilateral (opercular and paracentral) polymicrogyria

The association of brain malformations and symptomatic epilepsy in the setting of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is rarely reported. When it occurs, patients can present clinically with infantile spasms, focal seizures, generalized tonic clonic seizures or atypical absences. We report on a 10‐year‐old (molecularly proven) NF1 girl manifesting a complex epileptic syndrome resembling the Foix–Chavany–Marie spectrum (also known as opercular syndrome) associated with bilateral (opercular and paracentral lobular) polymicrogyria (PMG). Anecdotal cases of unilateral PMG in the setting of NF1 have been described in association with other‐than‐opercular epileptic syndromes. The typical clinical opercular syndrome consisting in mild mental retardation, epilepsy and pseudobulbar palsy is usually associated to bilateral perisylvian PMG (BPP)

Bilateral perysilvian polymicrogyria in Chiari I malformation.

Case reportWe report on a 7-year-old girl with generalized epilepsy and mental retardation.DiscussionNeurologic examination was normal and only facial dysmorphic features, compatible with frontonasal dysplasia, were observed. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed Chiari I malformation together with bilateral opercular polymicrogyria. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the association of these developmental disorders. This condition raises questions regarding the ethiopathogenetic classification of Chiari spectrum and as to whether embryologic and genetic causes could be potentially interconnected.

Fuzzy c-Means for Web Mining: The Italian Tourist Forum Case

e-tourism is in stable growth and becoming one of the leading sectors in the e-commerce world. Social media and mobile technologies are holding an increasingly important role in the procurement processes of tourism, by both providing access to real-time information and promoting the exchange of experiences. Web mining allows the collection of new unstructured data and the building of users’ profiles based on electronic web mouth. We apply a soft approach to solve lexical ambiguity and build a vocabulary for the tourism sector. Indeed, we propose a new version of the fuzzy c-means algorithm to detect the best centroid clusters, and we choose the final partition according to the validation of three indices (the partition coefficient, the classification entropy, and the Xie-Beni index). We use this method to classify 525 posts published by the Italian tourism forum from January 2010 to April 2012.