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Background: Gait analysis is a reliable tool to characterise ambulation in Charcot-Marie-Tooth, the obtained are complex data makes its use scarce in clinical practice. The use of synthetic measures may enable the clinician to easily interpret gait kinematics in Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Aims: To test the usefulness of Gait Profile Score as a method to quantify and monitor kinematic gait alterations in Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Methods: A group of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth and a control group underwent Gait Analysis. Neurological impairment was evaluated by means of the Charcot Marie Tooth neuropathy score in his original form and in the Rasch Analysis revised form. Differences in Kinematics scores induced by the pathology were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. The relationship between gait parameters and Charcot Marie Tooth neuropathy score was assessed by means of the Spearman correlation. Results: Twenty patients were enrolled. Mann-Whitney U test revealed a significant effect of the pathology on Gait Profile Score (p < 0.001). Charcot Marie Tooth neuropathy score was positively correlated with Gait Profile Score (Rho = 0.708, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Gait profile score can differentiate Charcot Marie Tooth from unaffected people and to quantify ambulation impairment, also identifying the joints more affected by the disease.Implications for rehabilitationPhysiotherapy and orthotics constitute the sole possible clinical approach for Charcot Marie Tooth, but the clinical scales are scarcely effective for assessing the rehabilitative outcome.Synthetic measures are able to summarize Charcot Marie tooth kinematics in a single score, and Gait Profile Score is able to differentiate patients with Charcot Marie tooth from healthy controls.Gait Profile Score is related to clinical disability as measured by the Charcot Marie tooth neuropathy score.

Background: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is used in aggressive relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The multicentre studies and case series reported have relatively short follow-up., Aim: To evaluate long-term effect and safety of HSCT in MS., Materials and Methods: Patients referred to the MS centre of Cagliari and undergoing HSCT were included. Variations in relapses and EDSS before and after HSCT were evaluated by Wilcoxon test. A descriptive analysis was made for other clinical data., Results: Nine patients (female 6, males 3; 5 relapsing-remitting, 2 secondary progressive, 1 primary progressive, and 1 progressive relapsing) performed HSCT (1999-2006). The median follow-up was 11 years (11-18). Eight patients underwent aHSCT, seven using a low intensity conditioning regimen, and one an intermediate intensity. The primary progressive underwent allogeneic HSCT, due to onco hematological disease. The relapses number decreased in the 2 years following the procedure compared to the two preceding years (p = 0.041). New relapses or disease progressions were observed after a range of 7 (low intensity regimen)-118 (intermediate intensity) months. At last follow-up, the EDSS was stable in two patients, improved in two, and worse in five (maximum 2 EDSS in one patient). Six patients showed new lesions, and seven gadolinium-enhancing on brain MRI after a mean of 23.3 and 19.8 months, respectively. Two serious adverse events were reported: melanoma, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy., Conclusions and Discussion: Our results confirm in a long follow-up the efficacy of HSCT in reducing relapses and disability progression. The risk/benefit profile is better for intermediate intensity regimens.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is characterised by great variability of genetic subtypes. This study aimed to assess the genetic subtypes of CMT disease in the Sardinian population. Genetic screening was performed for CMT cases (CMT1, CMT2, and hereditary neuropathy with susceptibility to pressure palsies [HNPP]). A total of 1,043 subjects (119 index cases) were evaluated. In CMT1 index cases (69/119; 58%), PMP22 duplication at 17p11.2 was the most frequent genetic diagnosis (60/69; 87%), followed by mutations in the GJB1 gene (5/69; 7.2%), in the SH3TC2 gene (3/69; 4.4%) and PMP22 Gly107Val point mutation (1/69; 1.4%). The CMT2 group (24/119; 20.1%) comprised 10/24 (41.6%) patients carrying MPZ gene Ser44Phe mutation, 6/24 (25%) with mutations in MFN2 and HSPB1, and 1/24 (4.2%) in GJB1 and LRSAM1. In the HNPP group (26/119; 21.9%), the majority of patients reported the PMP22 deletion (25/26; 96.2%). Further studies are needed to comprehend the overall picture of the disease in Mediterranean area.

Background and Objective: A critical aspect of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatments is understanding the effect of disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) on the long-term risk of disability and whether the effect is related to disability at start of treatment., Methods: We performed an observational study on 3060 MS patients. The effect of therapy on progression to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 3.0 and 6.0 from onset was analysed in treated vs untreated (UTP) patients using Cox regression analysis adjusted for propensity score and immortal time bias., Results: Compared to UTP, the risks of EDSS 3.0 were 94% and 73% lower in immunomodulant (IMTP-) and immunosuppressant (ISTP-) treated patients, respectively, while the risk of EDSS 6.0 was 86% lower in IMTP. The risk of EDSS 6.0 was, respectively, 91% and 75% lower in 1275 IMTP before and 114 after EDSS 3.0 than in 539 UTP; the risk was higher in IMTP starting therapy after EDSS 3.0 than before (HR = 4.42)., Conclusions: DMDs delayed long-term disability in MS patients treated either in the early or, to a lesser extent, in the later phase of the disease. Thus, the window of therapeutic opportunity is relatively extended, assuming that early is better than late treatment, but late is better than never., (© The Author(s), 2014.)

Background: Sardinia is a known high-risk area for multiple sclerosis (MS), but no data for south-western Sardinia (SWS) are available. SWS has a genetically homogeneous population, apart from St Peter Island, and represents a peculiar environment related to the industrial, mineralogical and military economy., Objective: To estimate prevalence and incidence and to evaluate temporal trends and geographical distribution of MS in SWS., Methods: MS prevalence was evaluated on 31 December 2007 and crude mean annual incidence rate was defined between 2003 and 2007. Temporal trend in MS incidence was assessed using the Armitage test. To identify MS clusters, Standard Morbidity Ratio (SMR) was calculated for each village and geographical distribution prevalence by means of a Bayesian hierarchical model., Results: Total crude prevalence rate was 210.4 (95% CI 186.3-234.5): 280.3 (95% CI 241.4-319.3) for females, 138 (95% CI 110.1-165.8) for males. The crude mean annual incidence rate was 9.7/100,000 (95% CI 3.4-13.2): 4.7/100,000 (95% CI 2.4-17.0) and 14.6/100,000 (95% CI 11.8-34.8) for males and females respectively. MS incidence has increased over the last 50 years. Cluster analysis showed an SMR of 0.2 (95% CI 0.05-0.68, p = 0.002) on the island of San Pietro, and 2.0 (95% CI 1.35-2.95, p = 0.001) in Domusnovas. Spatial distribution of MS was confirmed by Bayesian geographical analysis., Conclusions: Our data confirm Sardinia as a high-risk area for MS and support the relevance of genetic factors in MS, as evidenced in St Peter Island. However, we found an unexpectedly high MS prevalence in one village, in particular in males, suggesting an environmental influence on MS occurrence.

Background: The island of Sardinia features a high incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) characterized by early age at onset and a progressively increasing trend. The current study was aimed at examining variations in human leukocyte antigen-risk genotypes occurring over time in a cohort of patients., Methods: Susceptible and neutral DRB1-DQB1 genotypes were identified in 1660 patients. Age at onset was established in 1436 patients divided into two cohorts, an older cohort (subjects born before 1949, N = 233) and a younger one (subjects born from 1960 to 1989, N = 850). Patients from the older cohort were randomly assigned to patients of the same sex from the younger cohort, matched for age at onset. The final sample included 170 pairs. Logistic conditional analysis was performed to determine the probability of a neutral genotype in both cohorts. Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied to ascertain the influence of predisposing and neutral genotypes in age at onset for both cohorts., Findings: The probability of carrying a neutral genotype was 1.76-fold higher in the younger than in the older cohort (P = 0.02) and 3.67-fold higher in men (P = 0.005). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed an earlier age at onset in patients of the young cohort carrying the predisposing genotype (P = 0.004)., Interpretation: In the Sardinian population, an environment more prone and propitious to autoimmunity may contribute toward the rising incidence of MS or anticipate overt manifestation of the disease in genetically predisposed subjects.

There is still debate over the optimal dosage, frequency and route of administration of interferon (IFN) beta in multiple sclerosis (MS). A prospective, non-randomized, comparative study was performed to evaluate differences in magnetic resonance imaging and clinical outcomes of two IFN beta-1a preparations (30mcg intramuscular [im] once-weekly [qw], AVO; and 22 mcg subcutaneous [sc] three-times-weekly [tiw]; R22). Relapsing-remitting MS patients on one of the two IFN preparations (AVO, n=47; R22, n=48) were assessed at baseline and after 6 months of further treatment. There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline. Both groups showed significantly reduced relapse rates (F=19.5; p<0.001) from baseline (0.6) to 6-month assessment (0.2; p<0.001). Univariate analysis showed a significant difference in favour of R22 on T2 lesion volume (F=14.4; p<0.001) and T1 black hole lesion load (F=8.5; p=0.004), the latter showing a significant increase in the AVO group (p<0.001). The incidence of patients with new T1 black holes was also higher for AVO than R22 (23.5% vs 8.3%; p=0.025). These results from patients receiving AVO or R22 in normal clinical practice are in line with randomized clinical studies that show the benefits of high-dose, high-frequency administration of IFN beta-1a in MS therapy.