Fabry Disease in Families With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Clinical Manifestations in the Classic and Later-Onset Phenotypes

BACKGROUND

The screening of Icelandic patients clinically diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy resulted in identification of 8 individuals from 2 families with X-linked Fabry disease (FD) caused by GLA(α-galactosidase A gene) mutations encoding p.D322E (family A) or p.I232T (family B).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Familial screening of at-risk relatives identified mutations in 16 family A members (8 men and 8 heterozygotes) and 25 family B members (10 men and 15 heterozygotes). Clinical assessments, α-galactosidase A (α-GalA) activities, glycosphingolipid substrate levels, and in vitro mutation expression were used to categorize p.D322E as a classic FD mutation and p.I232T as a later-onset FD mutation. In vitro expression revealed that p.D322E and p.I232T had α-GalA activities of 1.4% and 14.9% of the mean wild-type activity, respectively. Family A men had markedly decreased α-GalA activity and childhood-onset classic manifestations, except for angiokeratoma and cornea verticillata. Family B men had residual α-GalA activity and developed FD manifestations in adulthood. Despite these differences, all family A and family B men >30 years of age had left ventricular hypertrophy, which was mainly asymmetrical, and had similar late gadolinium enhancement patterns. Ischemic stroke and severe white matter lesions were more frequent among family A men, but neither family A nor family B men had overt renal disease. Family A and family B heterozygotes had less severe or no clinical manifestations.

CONCLUSIONS

Men with classic or later-onset FD caused by GLA missense mutations developed prominent and similar cardiovascular disease at similar ages, despite markedly different α-GalA activities.

Myocardial Native T1 Time in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC), there are significant variations in left ventricular (LV) wall thickness and fibrosis, which necessitates a volumetric coverage. Slice-interleaved T1 (STONE) mapping sequence allows for the assessment of native T1 time with complete coverage of LV myocardium. The aims of this study were to evaluate spatial heterogeneity of native T1 time in patients with HC. Twenty-nine patients with HC (55 ± 16 years) and 15 healthy adult control subjects (46 ± 19 years) were studied. Native T1 mapping was performed using STONE sequence which enables acquisition of 5 slices in the short-axis plane within a 90 seconds free-breathing scan. We measured LV native T1 time and maximum LV wall thickness in each 16 segments from 3 slices (basal, midventricular and apical slice). Late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging was acquired to assess the presence of myocardial enhancement. In patients with HC, LV native T1 time was significantly elevated compared with healthy controls, regardless of the presence or absence of LGE (mean native T1 time; LGE positive segments from HC, 1,141 ± 46 ms; LGE negative segments from HC, 1,114 ± 56 ms; segments from healthy controls, 1,065 ± 35 ms, p <0.001). Elevation of native T1 time was defined as >1,135 ms, which was +2SD of native T1 time by STONE sequence in healthy controls. A total of 120 of 405 (30%) LGE negative segments from patients with HC showed elevated native T1 time. Prevalence of segments with elevated native T1 time for basal, midventricular, and apical slice was 29%, 25%, 38%, respectively. Significant correlation was found between LV wall thickness and LV native T1 time (y = 0.029 × -22.6, p <0.001 by Spearman's correlation coefficient). In conclusion, substantial number of segments without LGE showed elevation of native T1 time, and whole-heart T1 mapping revealed heterogeneity of myocardial native T1 time in patients with HC.

How humans drive speciation as well as extinction

A central topic for conservation science is evaluating how human activities influence global species diversity. Humanity exacerbates extinction rates. But by what mechanisms does humanity drive the emergence of new species? We review human-mediated speciation, compare speciation and known extinctions, and discuss the challenges of using net species diversity as a conservation objective. Humans drive rapid evolution through relocation, domestication, hunting and novel ecosystem creation-and emerging technologies could eventually provide additional mechanisms. The number of species relocated, domesticated and hunted during the Holocene is of comparable magnitude to the number of observed extinctions. While instances of human-mediated speciation are known, the overall effect these mechanisms have upon speciation rates has not yet been quantified. We also explore the importance of anthropogenic influence upon divergence in microorganisms. Even if human activities resulted in no net loss of species diversity by balancing speciation and extinction rates, this would probably be deemed unacceptable. We discuss why, based upon 'no net loss' conservation literature-considering phylogenetic diversity and other metrics, risk aversion, taboo trade-offs and spatial heterogeneity. We conclude that evaluating speciation alongside extinction could result in more nuanced understanding of biosphere trends, clarifying what it is we actually value about biodiversity.

Differentiation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from other forms of left ventricular hypertrophy by means of three-dimensional echocardiography

In clinical practice, differential diagnosis among different forms of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is not always easy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) can be misdiagnosed. In this study, it was hypothesized that a 3-dimensional echocardiographically derived index of LV regional mass distribution could be useful in differentiating HC from other forms of LV hypertrophy. Sixty-eight subjects underwent 2- and 3-dimensional echocardiography; of these, 20 were healthy volunteers, 18 were top-level athletes, 15 had essential hypertension, and 15 had HC. In off-line analysis, a 12-segment model was generated for segmental mass measurement. A mass dispersion index (MDI) was calculated as the average of the SDs of segmental mass values at the basal, middle, and apical layers. The ratio of ventricular septal thickness to posterior wall thickness was also calculated using 2-dimensional echocardiography. Patients with HC had significantly higher MDI values (1.75 +/- 0.43) than healthy volunteers (0.39 +/- 0.13) (p <0.0001), athletes (0.49 +/- 0.12) (p <0.0001), and patients with hypertension (0.38 +/- 0.10) (p <0.0001). The ratio of ventricular septal thickness to posterior wall thickness was significantly higher in patients with HC (1.31 +/- 0.23) than normal subjects (1.04 +/- 0.05) (p <0.0001), highly trained athletes (1.03 +/- 0.06) (p = 0.001), and patients with hypertension (1.06 +/- 0.06) (p = 0.002). However, receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed a higher sensitivity for MDI (93.3% for the cut-off value of 1.13) than the ratio of ventricular septal thickness to posterior wall thickness (66.7% for the cut-off value of 1.20), with excellent specificity for both (100%) in identifying patients with HC. In conclusion, the 3-dimensional echocardiographically derived MDI could be considered a useful and reliable additional tool in differentiating HC from other forms of LV hypertrophy.

Left ventricular remodelling index (LVRI) in various pathophysiological conditions: a real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic study

BACKGROUND

Various studies have reported a close correlation between real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and cine magnetic resonance imaging studies for the assessment of cardiac volumes and mass.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of our study was to evaluate changes in left ventricular volumes and mass in subjects with different pathophysiological conditions. A ratio between left ventricular mass and end-diastolic volume (LVRI), detected by RT3DE, was used to describe various patterns of left ventricular remodelling.

METHODS

RT3DE was performed to calculate left ventricular end-diastolic (LVEDV) and end-systolic volume (LVESV), ejection fraction (LVEF) and mass in 220 selected subjects. Of these, 152 were healthy volunteers, 19 top-level rowers, 23 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 26 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Off-line analysis was performed by two independent operators by tracing manual endocardial and epicardial borders of the left ventricle through eight cutting planes. Inter- and intra-observer variability were calculated.

RESULTS

Despite the increase in LV volume and mass in the rowers, LVRI remained unchanged compared with control subjects (p = 0.455), while significantly lower values were found patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (p<0.001) and significantly higher values in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (p<0.001). There was inter- and intra-observer variability.

CONCLUSION

The LVRI may serve as a simple and useful indicator of left ventricular adaptation to physiological and pathological conditions.

[Value of a consultation center and crisis intervention in addressing psychiatric disorders in the perinatal period]

The Psychiatry department of the University Hospital Centre of Lille has developed, over the last 10 years, a treatment network for psychiatric disorders during pregnancy or in the post-partum period. There are liaison consultations in the maternity department, screening and management of psychopathological disorders in the perinatal period, training of midwives, support of patients seeking genetic counselling, collaboration with teams providing "medically-assisted procreation", etc. For severe disorders of the post-partum period (severe depression, serious alteration of mother-child interaction, puerperal psychosis), the Psychiatry department has a specialized unit where 3 "mother-child" groups can be admitted. This unit is particularly effective if the patients and their family understand this healthcare system and stick to it to a certain extent. Even if improvements are always possible, cases in which situations occur as an emergency, are when dysfunctions are most frequently seen. On 7th December 1998, a Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) was created with 15 short-term beds, for stays up to 72 hours. The CIU was opened in the Psychiatry department, close to the main Accident and Emergency department, with 2 aims: firstly to provide a setting and resources for a number of emergency psychiatric situations, and secondly to provide a place and time for crisis situations which we admit to the unit, with a view to facilitating interaction and to propose in certain cases a process of crisis intervention, which later continues on an outpatient basis. After being open for a year, the CIU has proved to be an improvement to all of the healthcare services which are available. It should be noted that the situations which need highly specialized resources in such a short time, are those which cause the most acute problems. This is at times when the emergency services network, with its internal logic, require another network based on a different logic, that the interface problems are at their most acute. The situations reported here, which require a fluid interface between the emergency services and the "mother-child" networks, are examples. We report 3 clinical situations, which illustrate 3 possibilities of action: the first, in which 2 successive stays in the CIU allowed an admission to the "mother-child" unit in satisfactory conditions, the second, in which overall management was based on hospitalization in the Obstetrics department and several visits to our Unit, and the last one, in which the whole medico-psycho-social approach was set up after a single stay of 3 days. Since the opening of Crisis Intervention Unit, around 1,000 patients have been treated there; 37 were women with difficulties with their pregnancy, 17 of whom required direct intervention by the "mother-child" team. The contexts were: 5 prenatal depressions, 4 post-partum depressions, 3 cases of hyperemesis gravidarum, 5 rejections of pregnancy and/or situations at risk of infanticide. The almost constant suicidal risk should be noted, or even attempted suicide, at the time of admission to the CIU. The other 20 women had psychopathological disorders linked to sterility, medically-assisted pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or pregnancy in women suffering from long-term somatic illnesses (insulin-dependent diabetes, lupus, etc.). When a psychopathological episode occurs during pregnancy, it is essential to preserve the developing relationship with the child in an intermediate place, in a healthcare perspective and to prevent any future impairment of the quality of the mother-child relationship by the psychiatric disorder. The Crisis Intervention Unit is not an emergency "mother-child" unit. Other French experiences have been reported, an example being mother-baby hospitalization in a crisis centre. The aim of our interventions is not the same, and our local context, together with the availability of a healthcare network on different floors, which is specific and close-by, allows this approach. Also, the contribution of Liaison Psychiatry in emergency situations should not be minimized. It is necessary to work in collaboration with the obstetricians. In fact, the chance to work with us was given by asking for a hospitalization in the Obstetric unit, during the prepartum period of pregnancies with a psychiatric risk. This way of proceeding allows somatic monitoring in hospital to be performed, whenever the risk run by the mother and/or the child requires it. This "analogue" procedure, however preventative it may be, does not always allow specific treatment of the psychiatric disorders to be given, despite liaison psychiatry interventions. Our interventions are not a specialized "mother-child" unit, or a substitute for Liaison Psychiatry, but they are specifically aimed at the context of the crisis. Obviously, it is precisely this dimension of the crisis which makes the other types of management temporarily unsuitable. This new working framework, with the simple possibility of admitting women and interacting with them in a crisis situation, with the aid of the competence of "mother-child" teams, most often seems to allow an alternative to hospitalization in the Psychiatry department, at the same time keeping up quality management of problems linked to the pregnancy or post-partum period. The specificity of the CIU, with its project of taking the special psychiatric vulnerability of pregnancy into account, makes sure that the psychopathological aspects of the crisis situation and the physiological aspects of adaptation reactions to the perinatal period are not neglected, but that are respected by this type of interaction/intervention.

Mycosis fungoides: HLA class II associations among Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients

BACKGROUND

An immunogenetic mechanism has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of mycosis fungoides (MF). While results of studies on HLA class I associations haveproved inconsistent, two previous studies showed that certain HLA class II alleles were significantly increased among North American caucasian patients with MF: HLA-DRB1*11 and DQB1*03.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the possible HLA class I and class II associations with MF among Jewish patients.

METHODS

The patient group comprised 68 Jewish patients with MF: 38 Ashkenazi and 30 non-Ashkenazi. The control group comprised 252 healthy Jewish volunteers: 132 Ashkenazi and 120 non-Ashkenazi. Tissue typing for HLA class I (A and B) was performed using the National Institutes of Health microlymphocytotoxicity technique. DNA-based low-medium resolution analysis for DRB1* and DQB1* alleles was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with sequence-specific primers. For those alleles found to have significantly increased frequency, high-resolution analysis was done by means of PCR sequence-specific oligotyping.

RESULTS

The allele frequency of HLA-DRB1*11 was found to be significantly increased but only among Ashkenazi patients with MF (30% vs. 19% in the controls; P = 0.034). High-resolution analysis for DRB1*11, not previously performed, suggested that its greater frequency is due to the increased number of Ashkenazi MF patients with the DRB1*1104 allele (P corrected = 0.036). Analysed together, DQB1*03 alleles (DQB1*0301-0304) had a significantly greater frequency in MF as a group as compared with controls (47% vs. 33%, P = 0.003). DQB1*0301 was demonstrated to be the specific allele associated with MF in Jewish patients (allele frequency of 36% vs. 23% in controls; P corrected = 0.0068), which was not the case for North American caucasian patients with MF. No greater frequencies of any of the HLA class I A or B antigens were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings further demonstrate the 'universality' of MF HLA class II susceptibility alleles, i.e. HLA-DRB1*11 and HLA-DQB1*03, suggesting that HLA polymorphism is likely to be important in the pathogenesis of MF in Jewish patients, as it is in North American caucasian patients. Not previously reported is our finding that HLA-DRB1*1104 is the specific allele more prevalent among patients with MF. Our study also underscores some differences in HLA profiles between non-Jewish and Jewish patients with MF and between Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jewish patients, indicating the possibility of diverse HLA disease associations in populations with different genetic backgrounds. Our study provides further evidence for the lack of association between HLA class I and MF.

Carbamazepine in the treatment of neuroleptic malignant syndrome

BACKGROUND

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a potentially lethal adverse effect to neuroleptic drugs.

METHODS

We report on 2 cases where NMS dramatically improved with carbamazepine. Incidental removal and reapplication of carbamazepine attests to its effectiveness for this condition.

RESULTS

A 34-year-old woman treated for a major depressive disorder experienced NMS with a phenothiazine. Her condition dramatically improved in 8 hours after she was administered carbamazepine. Since carbamazepine was discontinued, NMS recurred in 10 hours and remitted anew within less than 24 hours after reintroduction. A 31-year-old woman experiencing a schizoaffective disorder displayed NMS with aphenothiazine and a butyrophenone. NMS completely resolved within 8 hours after she was administered carbamazepine. NMS recurred within 12 hours after carbamazepine discontinuation.

CONCLUSIONS

These data thus account for a cause-effect relationship between carbamazepine administration and NMS relief, and argue against the neuroleptic withdrawal to be responsible by itself for NMS relief.

Cerebral blood flow in major depression and dysthymia

Using single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) with a 99mTc-HMPAO perfusion technique, we studied the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of 42 drug-free inpatients suffering from Major Depression' (n = 21) or dysthymia with the super-imposed diagnosis of a major depressive episode (n = 21). The patients with Major Depression had a significantly lower frontal and posterior rCBF ratio than those with Double Depression. Left frontal region indices showed a slight overlap between the two groups. There was no correlation between the severity of the illness and the rCBF indices. Different qualitative cerebral dysfunctions may be implicated in these two affective disorder sub-types.