Clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DNA analysis for DRPLA gene was performed in two patients. Clinical features and genetic testing of Chinese DRPLA patients reported in the literature were reviewed in terms of initial symptoms, CAG repeat and age of onset.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both families were confirmed by genetic analysis. In family 1, the number of CAG repeat in the proband, his brother and his mother was determined respectively as 8/65, 8/53 and 8/18. In family 2, the number of CAG repeat was respectively 13/63, 13/18, 18/52 and 13/13 in the proband, his brother, his father and his mother. The size of the expanded CAG repeats has inversely correlated with the age at onset (P<0.05, r=- 0.555). The age at onset of epilepsy was 10 and that for the onset of ataxia is forty years in initial symptom.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The clinical characteristics of DRPLA include epilepsy, ataxia and cognitive impairment. The initial symptoms are epilepsy in adolescence and ataxia in adults. The size of expanded CAG repeats inversely correlates with the age at onset. The initial symptoms are different with different age of onset. It is difficult to diagnose DRPLA at an early stage.</p>

Relationship between gene mutation and clinical phenotype in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To study the relationship between gene mutation and clinical phenotype in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).Methods The clinical data of 76 patients with TSC diagnosed in Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital were collected between May 2007 and May 2014 and then TSC gene mutation analysis was performed.Genotype-phenotype analyses for all the patients were also carried out.Results Fifty of the 76 (66％) patients were male,and 26 (34％) were female,in which 19 (31％) patients presented with cyst-like cortical tuber,69 (92％) with skin lesions,16 (30％) with renal lesions,50 (69％) with mental retardation and 39 still suffered seizures after a year.In this study,22 (29％) cases showed TSC1 gene mutation,31 (59％) presented TSC2 gene mutation,and 15 (20％)cases had no mutation identified.The mutation ratio of TSC1 ∶ TSC2 was approximately 3 ∶ 5,while the mutation ratio of TSC1 ∶ TSC2 was 1 ∶ 1 for familial TSC patients,and 1 ∶ 2 for sporadic TSC patients.Comparing to those with TSC1 gene mutation and no mutation identified,patients with TSC2 gene mutation exhibited statistical meaning on the aspects of the onset age of seizure (Z =1.688,P =0.007),seizure onset before l-year-old (x2 =10.584,P =0.001),epilepsy duration (x2 =4.996,P =0.025),spasms onset (x2 =10.111,P =0.001),cyst-like cortical tuber (x2 =9.182,P =0.002),skin lesions (x2 =9.016,P =0.003),as well as renal lesions (x2 =6.079,P =0.014).No apparent relation was found between genotype and intelligence outcome.Conclusions The patients with TSC2 gene mutations presented severer symptoms in seizure onset than those with TSC1 gene mutation and no mutation identified.The patients with TSC2 gene mutation were characterized by early onset of seizure,especially before 1-year-old,others like spasms onset,cyst-like cortical tuber,skin lesions,as well as renal lesions being more vulnerable.Therefore,more active treatment should be given to the patients with TSC2 gene mutation.

Analysis of causes of epilepsy in 5572 cases / 中华神经科杂志

Objective To explore the common causes of epilepsy and the etiologic characteristics in different age groups of patients with epilepsy.Methods A retrospective survey was made in 5572 epilepsy patients in Epileptic Center of Guangdong 999 Brain Hospital from January 2003 to December 2009.According to the diagnostic criteria published in 2005 from ILAE,all the diagnoses of 5572 cases were made by epileptic specialists.Based on history,cranial MRI or CT and pathologic data,causes of epilepsy were classified into idiopathic,symptomatic and cryptogenic epilepsy.The cases of symptomatic epilepsy were further arranged into different categories in different age grades,such as head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system, cerebral vascular disease, brain tumor, disorders of cortical development,neurocutaneous syndrome and others.The cases with febrile seizures and family history were collected,and positive ratio of febrile seizures and family history were contrasted in different categories of cases by Kruskal-Wallis test ( nonparametric test ).Results In 5572 cases,66 were idiopathic,2834 symptomatic,2672 cryptogenic,and the ratio of these causes was 1％,51％,48％ respectively.Among 2834 cases of symptomatic epilepsy,822 were head trauma,497 were perinatal injuries,360 were infection in central nervous system,249 were brain tumor,150 were cerebral vascular disease,135 were disorders of cortical development,62 were neurocutaneous syndrome and 559 were others. In brief,head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system,brain tumor and cerebral vascular disease were top 5 causes of symptomatic epilepsy. Hippocampal sclerosis was found in 744 cases in those of eryptogenic epilepsy.The importance of febrile seizures( idiopathic:15.2％ ( 10/66 ),symptomatic:6.5％ ( 185/2834 ),cryptogenic:9.4％ ( 250/2672 ) ; x2 =181.393,P =0.000 ) and family history ( idiopathic:83.3％ ( 55/66 ),symptomatic:1.1％ (31/2834),cryptogenic:0.4％ (12/2672) ; x2 =68.354,P =0.000) was statistically different in different causes of epilepsy.Febrile seizures was the most frequent in cases with hippocampal sclerosis than those with other causes,and family history was the most frequent in neurocutaneous syndrome in symptomatic cases.Perinatal injurics was thc first causc in cases of infancy and childhood,head trauma was the top one in those of juvenile and adulthood,and cerebral vascular disease was the main cause in senile cases. Conclusions In the whole epileptic cases of 5572, 1％ was idiopathic,51％ was symptomatic,and 48％ cryptogenic. The main causes of them were head trauma,perinatal injuries,infection in central nervous system,brain tumor,and cerebral vascular disease.