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Jones FJS, Orthmann-Murphy J. Clinical Reasoning: A 26-Year-Old Woman With Chronic Progressive Gait Dysfunction. Neurology 2024; 103:e209830. [PMID: 39236268 PMCID: PMC11379122 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000209830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Careful evaluation of symptom progression and radiographic findings are essential tools when approaching cases of suspected chronic myelopathies. In this case, a 26-year-old woman presented with progressive ambulatory and bladder dysfunction for 4 years. Her examination was marked by bilateral lower-extremity upper motor neuron signs and distal large-fiber sensory loss. Neurologic workup for acquired causes of this presentation was unrevealing. MRI of the brain revealed a characteristic radiologic finding. Guided genetic testing ultimately yielded the final diagnosis. In this clinical vignette, we review the approach to chronic myelopathy including consideration of genetic etiologies and pursuit of targeted gene testing. We further discuss the typical clinical and radiographic findings of a rare diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe J S Jones
- From the Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
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Raper AC, Weathers BL, Drivas TG, Ellis CA, Kripke CM, Oyer RA, Owens AT, Verma A, Wileyto PE, Wollack CC, Zhou W, Ritchie MD, Schnoll RA, Nathanson KL. Protocol for a type 3 hybrid implementation cluster randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of patient and clinician nudges to advance the use of genomic medicine across a diverse health system. Implement Sci 2024; 19:61. [PMID: 39160614 PMCID: PMC11331805 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-024-01385-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Germline genetic testing is recommended for an increasing number of conditions with underlying genetic etiologies, the results of which impact medical management. However, genetic testing is underutilized in clinics due to system, clinician, and patient level barriers. Behavioral economics provides a framework to create implementation strategies, such as nudges, to address these multi-level barriers and increase the uptake of genetic testing for conditions where the results impact medical management. METHODS Patients meeting eligibility for germline genetic testing for a group of conditions will be identified using electronic phenotyping algorithms. A pragmatic, type 3 hybrid cluster randomization study will test nudges to patients and/or clinicians, or neither. Clinicians who receive nudges will be prompted to either refer their patient to genetics or order genetic testing themselves. We will use rapid cycle approaches informed by clinician and patient experiences, health equity, and behavioral economics to optimize these nudges before trial initiation. The primary implementation outcome is uptake of germline genetic testing for the pre-selected health conditions. Patient data collected through the electronic health record (e.g. demographics, geocoded address) will be examined as moderators of the effect of nudges. DISCUSSION This study will be one of the first randomized trials to examine the effects of patient- and clinician-directed nudges informed by behavioral economics on uptake of genetic testing. The pragmatic design will facilitate a large and diverse patient sample, allow for the assessment of genetic testing uptake, and provide comparison of the effect of different nudge combinations. This trial also involves optimization of patient identification, test selection, ordering, and result reporting in an electronic health record-based infrastructure to further address clinician-level barriers to utilizing genomic medicine. The findings may help determine the impact of low-cost, sustainable implementation strategies that can be integrated into health care systems to improve the use of genomic medicine. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT06377033. Registered on March 31, 2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06377033?term=NCT06377033&rank=1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C Raper
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Benita L Weathers
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Theodore G Drivas
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Colin A Ellis
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Colleen Morse Kripke
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Randall A Oyer
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anjali T Owens
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anurag Verma
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Paul E Wileyto
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Colin C Wollack
- Information Services Applications, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Wenting Zhou
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Marylyn D Ritchie
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert A Schnoll
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katherine L Nathanson
- Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Lempel N, Shelly S, Chorin O, Rock R, Eliyahu A, Finezilber Y, Poran H, Feinstein-Goren N, Segev M, Reznik-Wolf H, Barel O, Orion D, Anis S, Regev M, Yonath H, Dominissini D, Blatt I, Hassin-Baer S, Dori A, Pras E, Greenbaum L. The yield of genetic workup for middle-aged and elderly patients with neurological disorders in a real-world setting. J Neurol Sci 2024; 463:123074. [PMID: 38968664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2024.123074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Genetic workup is becoming increasingly common in the clinical assessment of neurological disorders. We evaluated its yield among middle-aged and elderly neurological patients, in a real-world context. This retrospective study included 368 consecutive Israeli patients aged 50 years and older (202 [54.9%] males), who were referred to a single neurogenetics clinic between 2017 and mid-2023. All had neurological disorders, without a previous molecular diagnosis. Demographic, clinical and genetic data were collected from medical records. The mean age at first genetic counseling at the clinic was 62.3 ± 7.8 years (range 50-85 years), and the main indications for referral were neuromuscular, movement and cerebrovascular disorders, as well as cognitive impairment and dementia. Out of the 368 patients, 245 (66.6%) underwent genetic testing that included exome sequencing (ES), analysis of nucleotide repeat expansions, detection of specific mutations, targeted gene panel sequencing or chromosomal microarray analysis. Overall, 80 patients (21.7%) received a molecular diagnosis due to 36 conditions, accounting for 32.7% of the patients who performed genetic testing. The diagnostic rates were highest for neuromuscular (58/186 patients [31.2%] in this group, 39.2% of 148 tested individuals) and movement disorders (14/79 [17.7%] patients, 29.2% of 48 tested), but lower for other disorders. Testing of nucleotide repeat expansions and ES provided a diagnosis to 28/73 (38.4%) and 19/132 (14.4%) individuals, respectively. Based on our findings, genetic workup and testing are useful in the diagnostic process of neurological patients aged ≥50 years, in particular for those with neuromuscular and movement disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Lempel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shahar Shelly
- Department of Neurology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel; Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | - Odelia Chorin
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Rachel Rock
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Aviva Eliyahu
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Yael Finezilber
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Hana Poran
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Neta Feinstein-Goren
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Meirav Segev
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Haike Reznik-Wolf
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Ortal Barel
- The Genomics Unit, Sheba Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - David Orion
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Neurology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Saar Anis
- Department of Neurology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Movement Disorders Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Miriam Regev
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Hagith Yonath
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Department of Internal Medicine A, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Dan Dominissini
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Genomics Unit, Sheba Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; The Wohl Institute for Translational Medicine, Sheba Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Ilan Blatt
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sharon Hassin-Baer
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Neurology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; Movement Disorders Institute, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Amir Dori
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Neurology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Elon Pras
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Lior Greenbaum
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel; The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
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Dratch L, Bardakjian TM, Johnson K, Babaian N, Gonzalez-Alegre P, Elman L, Quinn C, Guo MH, Scherer SS, Amado DA. The Importance of Offering Exome or Genome Sequencing in Adult Neuromuscular Clinics. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:93. [PMID: 38392311 PMCID: PMC10886886 DOI: 10.3390/biology13020093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Advances in gene-specific therapeutics for patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) have brought increased attention to the importance of genetic diagnosis. Genetic testing practices vary among adult neuromuscular clinics, with multi-gene panel testing currently being the most common approach; follow-up testing using broad-based methods, such as exome or genome sequencing, is less consistently offered. Here, we use five case examples to illustrate the unique ability of broad-based testing to improve diagnostic yield, resulting in identification of SORD-neuropathy, HADHB-related disease, ATXN2-ALS, MECP2 related progressive gait decline and spasticity, and DNMT1-related cerebellar ataxia, deafness, narcolepsy, and hereditary sensory neuropathy type 1E. We describe in each case the technological advantages that enabled identification of the causal gene, and the resultant clinical and personal implications for the patient, demonstrating the importance of offering exome or genome sequencing to adults with NMDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laynie Dratch
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Tanya M Bardakjian
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kelsey Johnson
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Nareen Babaian
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Lauren Elman
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Colin Quinn
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael H Guo
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Steven S Scherer
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Defne A Amado
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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