Niemann-Pick's and Gaucher's diseases.

A short account is presented of the evolution of knowledge concerning Niemann-Pick's and Gaucher's diseases, two autosomal recessive genetic disturbances of lysosomal storage function. This culminated in the intriguing realisation, arising from mounting clinical and molecular evidence, that glucocerebrosidase mutations constitute the most common risk factor for Parkinson's disease identified to date.

Gaucher disease: a comprehensive review.

Gaucher disease (GD) is an inherited error of metabolism due to a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase. This leads to excessive storage of glucocerebroside in the liver, spleen, bone, and bone marrow. Patients develop anemia, thrombocytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, bone infarcts, aseptic necrosis of bone, and osteoporosis. There are three types of GD; types 2 and 3 have neurological involvement. With the advent of enzyme replacement therapy and substrate reduction therapy, the natural history of the disease has been has significantly changed, with a marked decrease in morbidity, especially for type 1 patients. This article reviews a broad spectrum of information regarding Gaucher disease, from the history of the disease to newer therapies still in the investigational stage.

Causes of death due to hematological and non-hematological cancers in 57 US patients with type 1 Gaucher Disease who were never treated with enzyme replacement therapy.

Patients with type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) have increased risk of developing myeloma, other hematological cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other solid tumors. Patient awareness of the GD1-cancer association causes anxiety and fear. Little is known about cancer as a cause of death in GD1, especially in patients never treated with GD1-specific therapies. Consequently, the effect of treatment on cancer mortality in GD1 patients is difficult to evaluate. In this review, starting with a population of 184 GD1 cases never treated, we annotate and analyze the causes of death of 57 GD1 patients who died of cancer. The proportional mortality ratio (PMR) for all malignancies in patients with GD1 is 1.57 (p = 0.0002), but it is much higher for myeloma (PMR = 9.66) and other hematological cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, and kidney cancer (PMR = ≍4). However, deaths from colorectal and pancreatic cancers were not more frequent than expected, and deaths from lung, breast, gynecological, and prostate cancer occurred less than anticipated. Herein, we discuss whether GD1 is truly a hereditary cancer syndrome and the problem of comorbidities and cancer risk assessment, and we speculate as to whether the variability in death by cancer type might be attributable to biochemical sequelae of tumor cell and macrophage/stromal cell GBA1 mutation affecting signals for metastasis, the process most closely associated with cancer mortality.

Malaria, mummies, mutations: Tutankhamun's archaeological autopsy.

The cause of death of the Egyptian pharoah Tutankhamun has now for decades been matter of speculation and various hypotheses. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provided new evidence and suggested malaria, together with Köhler's disease, as the most probable cause of death of the boy king. We are sceptical towards this elucidation of the cause of death of King Tut and discuss alternative and differential diagnoses, among them, in particular, sickle cell disease and Gauche's disease.

[From "primitive spleen epithelioma" to Gaucher's disease. Story of a forerunner]. / De "l'epithélioma primitif de la rate" à la maladie de Gaucher, une thèse visionnaire?

This report is devoted to Philippe Gaucher's life and career. His MD thesis, presented while he was just an intern, is a quite unfrequent example of the description of a new disease, based on the anatomoclinical study of a single case. Since more than 100 years, its eponym is still used in the international literature.

[Gaucher's disease: pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy]. / Gaucher-kór: patogenezis, diagnózis, kezelés.

Gaucher's disease is the most common lysosomal storage disorder. Gene defect leads to deficiency or decreased activity of glucocerebrosidase followed by the accumulation of glucosylceramide. Most frequently hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, skeletal and hematological abnormalities are present. Different types are known based on the clinical findings. Recently used enzyme replacement therapy seems to eliminate bone marrow transplantation and has favourable effects on symptoms and outcome. Development of gene therapy (reintroduction of missing DNA sequence) hints the possibility of real causal therapy of the disease.

Age estimate of the N370S mutation causing Gaucher disease in Ashkenazi Jews and European populations: A reappraisal of haplotype data.

The N370S mutation at the GBA locus on human chromosome 1q21, which causes Gaucher disease (GD), has a high frequency in the Ashkenazim and is the second-most-widespread GD mutation in the European non-Jewish population. A common ancient origin for the N370S mutation in the Ashkenazi Jewish and Spanish populations has been proposed on the basis of both a similar haplotype for associated markers and an age estimate that suggests that this mutation appeared several thousand years ago. However, a reappraisal of haplotype data, using the Risch formula properly along with a Luria-Delbrück setting of the genetic clock, allows identification of the likely origin of the N370S mutation in Ashkenazi Jews between the 11th and 13th centuries. This result is consistent with the estimated ages of other mutations that are frequent among Ashkenazim, with the exception of type II (Glu117Stop) factor XI deficiency, which is deemed to be >3000 years old, predating the separation of the Ashkenazi and Iraqi Jews. The present finding supports the hypothesis of a more recent origin for the N370S mutation and is consistent with both a founder chromosome transfer from Ashkenazim who assimilated in some European populations and a non-Jewish origin of the European N370S-bearing chromosomes.

The spleen and splenectomy.

After 1940, the number of splenectomies performed in the United States and elsewhere increased rapidly. Splenectomy for Banti's disease and malaria decreased gradually into disrepute. Removal of the spleen for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, congenital spherocytic anemia and acquired hemolytic anemia became accepted practice. However, debate still continues regarding the proper indications for splenectomy in Gaucher's disease, Felty's syndrome and leukemia.