PLA2G6 variants associated with the number of affected alleles in Parkinson's disease in Japan.

This study aimed to evaluate genotype-phenotype correlations of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with phospholipase A2 group V (PLA2G6) variants. We analyzed the DNA of 798 patients with PD, including 78 PD patients reported previously, and 336 in-house controls. We screened the exons and exon-intron boundaries of PLA2G6 using the Ion Torrent system and Sanger method. We identified 21 patients with 18 rare variants, such that 1, 9, and 11 patients were homozygous, heterozygous, and compound heterozygous, respectively, with respect to PLA2G6 variants. The allele frequency was approximately equal between patients with familial PD and those with sporadic PD. The PLA2G6 variants detected frequently were identified in the early-onset sporadic PD group. Patients who were homozygous for a variant showed more severe symptoms than those who were heterozygous for the variant. The most common variant was p.R635Q in our cohort, which was considered a risk variant for PD. Thus, the variants of PLA2G6 may play a role in familial PD and early-onset sporadic PD.

Impact of major earthquakes on Parkinson's disease.

In April of 2016, major earthquakes occurred in Kumamoto, Japan. There is limited information on how major earthquakes affect patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study investigates the effect of major earthquakes on patients with PD. The participants were outpatients with PD from hospitals located in areas heavily damaged by the earthquakes. We performed an anonymous survey at nine medical institutions to investigate the condition of these patients during the month following the earthquakes. We collected questionnaires from 335 patients with PD. The mean age was 72.6, and the mean disease duration was 7.4 years. Regarding physical conditions, 29.3% of the patients worsened, 1.5% improved, and 68.1% had no change. The mental health of 35.2% of the patients worsened, 2.4% improved, and 57.9% had no change. The most frequently exacerbated neurologic symptoms included bradykinesia (56.1%), gait disturbance (51.0%), freezing of gait (40.8%), extension of "off" time (38.8%), and constipation (38.8%). The worsening mental conditions included fear of an aftershock (77.1%), anxiety (49.2%), insomnia (47.5%), melancholy feelings (45.8%), and fatigability (38.1%). Patients forced to evacuate reported significantly more physical and mental health symptoms (p < 0.01). The influences of major earthquakes on patients with PD were identified. After major earthquakes, we should consider the care required for patients' physical and mental health especially for those who experienced evacuation.

Establishing diagnostic criteria for Perry syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To establish international diagnostic criteria for Perry syndrome, a disorder characterised by clinical signs of parkinsonism, depression/apathy, weight loss, respiratory symptoms, mutations in the DCTN1 gene and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology. METHODS: Data from the published literature and newly identified patients were gathered and analysed during and after the International Symposium on Perry syndrome in Tokyo to identify diagnostic criteria for Perry syndrome. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients with Perry syndrome carrying DCTN1 mutations from 20 families were included in this study, and common signs of the disorder were identified, including parkinsonism (95.2% of patients), depression/apathy (71.4%), respiratory symptoms (66.7%) and weight loss (49.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings, we propose the following definitive diagnostic criteria for Perry syndrome: the presence of four cardinal signs of Perry syndrome, accompanied by a mutation in DCTN1; or a family history of the disease, parkinsonism and a mutation in DCTN1; or the presence of four cardinal signs and pathological findings that include nigral neuronal loss and TDP-43 pathology. As patients with Perry syndrome present with uniform clinical, genetic and pathological features, we further propose the disorder be termed 'Perry disease.'

Acute Multiple Cerebral Infarction in a Patient with an Accessory Mitral Valve.

A 96-year-old woman developed hemiparesis 2 weeks after orthopedic surgery. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple cerebral infarctions in the bilateral hemisphere. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a mobile structure attached to the anterior mitral leaflet that protruded toward the left ventricular outflow tract. The structure was identified as an accessory mitral valve. Doppler echocardiography showed that there was no significant left ventricular outflow obstruction. This is a rare case of a silent accessory mitral valve that was detected after multiple cerebral infarctions.

Decision making of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients on noninvasive ventilation to receive tracheostomy positive pressure ventilation.

OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively evaluated the decision-making process of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients on noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) concerning respiratory management with tracheostomy positive pressure ventilation (TPPV) in the future. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated the clinical characteristics of 29 consecutive ALS patients who had been introduced to NPPV during a 7-year period from September 2001 to August 2008 at our institution. We evaluated whether they had decided or not to undergo respiratory management with TPPV when NPPV was introduced and compared the clinical characteristics of the patients in these 2 groups. RESULTS: At the point of introduction of NPPV, 16 patients had made a definite decision on whether to receive TPPV for life, whereas 13 patients made their decision after its introduction. Finally, 12 patients (75.0%) of the former group and only 3 patients (23.1%) of the latter group refused to live with TPPV. Thus, among the patients who hesitated to decide whether to receive TPPV after the initiation of NPPV, a significantly higher number (P=0.002) ultimately transferred to TPPV. CONCLUSION: In Japan, NPPV is an important factor promoting the decision to receive TPPV for patients who worried about the transition to TPPV. Further study is needed to realize what kind of an education actually influences on decision-making for TPPV and results in the happiness of ALS patients.

Muscle biopsy findings predictive of malignancy in rare infiltrative dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: The characteristic pathological muscular findings of polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) have been shown to reflect their different pathogeneses. Here, we characterized the muscle biopsy findings of PM and DM patients with or without malignancy. METHODS: We evaluated the muscle biopsy findings of 215 consecutive PM and DM patients admitted to our hospital between 1970 and 2009. Pathology of the lesion biopsy sections was classified into 3 types: endomysial infiltration-type, perivascular infiltration-type, and rare-infiltrative-type. RESULTS: There was no difference between the muscle pathology of PM patients with and without malignancy. However, the incidence of rare-infiltrative type muscle pathology in DM patients with malignancy was significantly higher than in those without such tumors (p=0.0345). CONCLUSION: The incidence of rare-infiltrative type muscle pathology may be a predictive marker of DM with malignancy.

Long-term outcome of polymyositis treated with high single-dose alternate-day prednisolone therapy.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported no difference in the efficacies of high-dose alternate-day (ADT) and daily-dose (DDT) prednisolone therapies in myositis patients, but that the incidence of side effects was lower in the former. The aim of the present study was to compare the long-term outcomes of both treatments in polymyositis patients. METHODS: We compared clinical courses, efficacies, adverse reactions, and outcomes of 115 consecutive, biopsy-proven polymyositis patients treated between 1970 and 2008 with ADT (32 patients) or DDT (83 patients). RESULTS: Mean onset ages, disease severity, incidences of malignancy, and response rates did not differ between the ADT and DDT groups. Adverse reactions (incidence of diabetes) were significantly higher in the DDT group. In this group, the incidences of hyperlipidemia, infection, hypertension, and psychiatric symptoms were also slightly higher, but not significantly so. The 20-year survival rate of the ADT group (68%) was significantly higher (p = 0.0112) than that of the DDT group (37%). CONCLUSION: ADT might be useful as an initial treatment option for polymyositis.