Faculty Bibliography
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school:SOM
Department/Unit:Neurology
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23146
Preclinical and first-in-human-brain-cancer applications of [18F]poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor PET/MR
Background/UNASSIGNED:F]PARPi, as a diagnostic tool to differentiate between brain cancers and treatment-related changes. Methods/UNASSIGNED:F]PARPi acquisition on a dedicated positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) scanner. Lesion diagnosis was established by pathology when available or by Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) or RANO-BM response criteria. Resected tissue also underwent PARPi-FL staining and PARP1 immunohistochemistry. Results/UNASSIGNED:F]PARPi uptake on PET/MR in active brain cancers and low uptake in treatment-related changes independent of blood-brain barrier disruption. Immunohistochemistry results confirmed higher PARP1 expression in cancerous than in noncancerous tissue. Specificity was also corroborated by blocking fluorescent tracer uptake with an excess unlabeled PARP inhibitor in patient cancer biospecimen. Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:F]PARPi as a diagnostic tool to evaluate patients with brain cancers and possible treatment-related changes.
PMCID:7758909
PMID: 33392502
ISSN: 2632-2498
CID: 4840762
Autoimmune psychosis: an international consensus on an approach to the diagnosis and management of psychosis of suspected autoimmune origin
There is increasing recognition in the neurological and psychiatric literature of patients with so-called isolated psychotic presentations (ie, with no, or minimal, neurological features) who have tested positive for neuronal autoantibodies (principally N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibodies) and who have responded to immunotherapies. Although these individuals are sometimes described as having atypical, mild, or attenuated forms of autoimmune encephalitis, some authors feel that that these cases are sufficiently different from typical autoimmune encephalitis to establish a new category of so-called autoimmune psychosis. We briefly review the background, discuss the existing evidence for a form of autoimmune psychosis, and propose a novel, conservative approach to the recognition of possible, probable, and definite autoimmune psychoses for use in psychiatric practice. We also outline the investigations required and the appropriate therapeutic approaches, both psychiatric and immunological, for probable and definite cases of autoimmune psychoses, and discuss the ethical issues posed by this challenging diagnostic category.
PMID: 31669058
ISSN: 2215-0374
CID: 4162562
Clinical spectrum of individuals with pathogenic NF1 missense variants affecting p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 and p.Lys1423: genotype-phenotype study in neurofibromatosis type 1
We report 281 individuals carrying a pathogenic recurrent NF1 missense variants at p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 or p.Lys1423, representing three non-truncating NF1 hotspots in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) cohort, together identified in 1.8% of unrelated NF1 individuals. About 25% (95% CI, 20.5%-31.2%) of individuals heterozygous for a pathogenic NF1 p.Met1149, p.Arg1276 or p.Lys1423 missense variant had a Noonan-like phenotype, which is significantly more compared to the "classic" NF1-affected cohorts (all P<0.0001). Furthermore, p.Arg1276 and p.Lys1423 pathogenic missense variants were associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular abnormalities, including pulmonic stenosis (all P<0.0001), while p.Arg1276 variants had a high prevalence of symptomatic spinal neurofibromas (P<0.0001) compared with "classic" NF1-affected cohorts. However, p.Met1149-positive individuals had a mild phenotype, characterized mainly by pigmentary manifestations without externally visible plexiform neurofibromas, symptomatic spinal neurofibromas or symptomatic optic pathway gliomas. As up to 0.4% of unrelated individuals in the UAB cohort carries a p.Met1149 missense variant, this finding will contribute to more accurate stratification of a significant number of NF1 individuals. Although clinically relevant genotype-phenotype correlations are rare in NF1, each affecting only a small percentage of individuals, together they impact counseling and management of a significant number of the NF1 population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 31595648
ISSN: 1098-1004
CID: 4129722
Memory Decline Following Epilepsy Surgery: Can We Predict Who Will Pay the Price?
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PMCID:7020522
PMID: 31876174
ISSN: 1535-7597
CID: 4627432
Educational Case: Histologic and Molecular Features of Diffuse Gliomas
The following fictional cases are intended as a learning tool within the Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME), a set of national standards for teaching pathology. These are divided into three basic competencies: Disease Mechanisms and Processes, Organ System Pathology, and Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. For additional information, and a full list of learning objectives for all three competencies, see http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2374289517715040.1.
PMCID:7133074
PMID: 32284966
ISSN: 2374-2895
CID: 4401682
Infographic: Mental health in elite athletes. An IOC consensus statement
PMID: 31308063
ISSN: 1473-0480
CID: 4174742
Initiation of rituximab therapy for new onset neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder during pregnancy [Case Report]
BACKGROUND:Aquaporin-4 IgG (AQ4-IgG)-neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune inflammatory CNS disease that is predominantly characterized by severe relapses of optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM). Women are disproportionately affected by AQ4-NMOSD, usually with disease onset occurring between the ages of 35-45. This has significant implications during pregnancy, as disease activity in NMOSD does not remit during gestation. The optimal treatment of NMOSD during pregnancy has not been established. METHODS:Case report. RESULTS:A 35-year old woman, 10 weeks pregnant, presented with bilateral optic neuritis and intractable hiccups. Workup revealed seropositive aquaporin-4 IgG. She was treated with pulse intravenous methylprednisolone and plasma exchange. Because of high risk for future relapse, Rituximab 1000 mg was given at weeks 15 and 17 of pregnancy. She had no further relapses during pregnancy. She delivered her daughter at 39 weeks without complication. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:This case demonstrated a favorable outcome in administering rituximab for NMOSD with disease onset during pregnancy. This description of therapy for disease onset during pregnancy is novel, and adds to the few existing case reports of administering rituximab during pregnancy.
PMID: 32173005
ISSN: 2211-0356
CID: 4352352
Standardized Brain MRI Acquisition Protocols Improve Statistical Power in Multicenter Quantitative Morphometry Studies
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:In this study, we used power analysis to calculate required sample sizes to detect group-level changes in quantitative neuroanatomical estimates derived from MRI scans obtained from multiple imaging centers. Sample size estimates were derived from (i) standardized 3T image acquisition protocols and (ii) nonstandardized clinically acquired images obtained at both 1.5 and 3T as part of the multicenter Human Epilepsy Project. Sample size estimates were compared to assess the benefit of standardizing acquisition protocols. METHODS:Cortical thickness, hippocampal volume, and whole brain volume were estimated from whole brain T1-weighted MRI scans processed using Freesurfer v6.0. Sample sizes required to detect a range of effect sizes were calculated using (i) standard t-test based power analysis methods and (ii) a nonparametric bootstrap approach. RESULTS:A total of 32 participants were included in our analyses, aged 29.9 ± 12.62 years. Standard deviation estimates were lower for all quantitative neuroanatomical metrics when assessed using standardized protocols. Required sample sizes per group to detect a given effect size were markedly reduced when using standardized protocols, particularly for cortical thickness changes <.2 mm and hippocampal volume changes <10%. CONCLUSIONS:The use of standardized protocols yielded up to a five-fold reduction in required sample sizes to detect disease-related neuroanatomical changes, and is particularly beneficial for detecting subtle effects. Standardizing image acquisition protocols across scanners prior to commencing a study is a valuable approach to increase the statistical power of multicenter MRI studies.
PMID: 31664774
ISSN: 1552-6569
CID: 4163332
The MEK inhibitor selumetinib reduces spinal neurofibroma burden in patients with NF1 and plexiform neurofibromas
Background/UNASSIGNED:Spinal neurofibromas (SNFs) in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) can cause progressive spinal cord compression and neurological dysfunction. The MEK inhibitor selumetinib shrinks the majority of plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) in patients with NF1. We assessed the effect of selumetinib on SNF. Methods/UNASSIGNED:/dose twice daily (max 50 mg b.i.d.; 1 cycle = 28 days). We qualitatively assessed the effect of selumetinib on SNF-related spinal canal distortion, cerebrospinal fluid distribution, and spinal cord deformity on MRI. Results/UNASSIGNED:Twenty-four patients (18 male), median age 16.9 years (range, 6.2-60.3), had SNF, 22 of which were associated with the same nerves as the target PN assessed on the clinical trial. Twenty patients had spinal cord deformity. Twenty-three patients completed at least 12 treatment cycles to date. Eighteen patients showed subtle to a marked improvement in SNF burden, 5 remained stable, and no worsening was observed during treatment. Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:This is the first study describing the effect of selumetinib on SNF. Of 24 patients, 18 exhibited some improvement of SNF burden on imaging. These findings suggest that selumetinib may prevent the worsening of cord compression, potentially reducing the need for surgical interventions in select patients or benefitting patients who do not have a surgical option. Prospective evaluation of the clinical benefit of selumetinib for SNF is warranted.
PMCID:7486535
PMID: 32939452
ISSN: 2632-2498
CID: 4606452
An inflammatory milieu: Optic perineuritis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and giant cell arteritis
PMID: 31772003
ISSN: 2332-7812
CID: 4215942
