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The disorder of autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy has recently been identified, and is now delineated in detail. A phenotypically homogeneous group of five families from Australia, Britain and Canada, containing 47 affected individuals, was studied. The largest family contained 25 affected individuals spanning six generations. This disorder is characterized by clusters of brief nocturnal motor seizures, with hyperkinetic or tonic manifestations. Subjects often experienced an aura, and remained aware throughout the attacks. Seizures occurred in clusters (mean eight attacks/night) typically as the individual dozed, or shortly before awakening. The epilepsy usually began in childhood, and persisted through adult life, with considerable intra-family variation in severity. Seizures were often misdiagnosed as benign nocturnal parasomnias, psychiatric and medical disorders. Interictal EEG studies were unhelpful. Ictal video-EEG studies showed that the attacks were partial seizures with frontal lobe seizure semiology. Neuro-imaging was normal. Carbamazepine monotherapy was frequently effective. This disorder showed autosomal dominant inheritance. Recognition of this entity is clinically important for diagnosis, appropriate therapy and genetic counselling. Moreover, this disorder now offers an opportunity to identify a gene for partial epilepsy.

Objective To investigate the effects on cardiovascular outcomes of drug interventions that increase high density lipoprotein levels.Design Meta-analysis.Studies reviewed Therapeutic benefit of niacin, fibrates, and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors on cardiovascular events (all cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and stroke).

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We retrospectively studied 12 consecutive patients with gelastic seizures and hypothalamic hamartomas who, because of intractable epilepsy, underwent chronic intracranial EEG monitoring or epilepsy surgery. All patients had medically refractory seizures that included laughter as an ictal behavior (gelastic seizures). The hypothalamic hamartomas were identified with neuroimaging studies (12 of 12) and by pathologic verification (four of 12). Associated clinical features included behavioral disorders (n = 5), developmental delay (n = 4), and precocious puberty (n = 2). Interictal extracranial EEG predominantly showed bi-hemispheric epileptiform changes suggesting a secondary generalized epileptic disorder. Intracranial EEG recordings, performed in eight patients, indicated the apparent focal onset of seizure activity (anterior temporal lobe [n = 7] and frontal lobe [n = 1]). None of the seven patients who underwent a focal cortical resection, however, experienced a significant reduction in seizure tendency. An anterior corpus callosotomy, performed in two patients with symptomatic generalized epilepsy, resulted in a worthwhile reduction in drop attacks. Results of this study may modify the surgical strategies in patients with gelastic seizures and hypothalamic hamartomas.

BackgroundHis bundle pacing is a new method for delivering cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).ObjectivesThe authors performed a head-to-head, high-precision, acute crossover comparison between His bundle pacing and conventional biventricular CRT, measuring effects on ventricular activation and acute hemodynamic function.MethodsPatients with heart failure and left bundle branch block referred for conventional biventricular CRT were recruited. Using noninvasive epicardial electrocardiographic imaging, the authors identified patients in whom His bundle pacing shortened left ventricular activation time. In these patients, the authors compared the hemodynamic effects of His bundle pacing against biventricular pacing using a high-multiple repeated alternation protocol to minimize the effect of noise, as well as comparing effects on ventricular activation.ResultsIn 18 of 23 patients, left ventricular activation time was significantly shortened by His bundle pacing. Seventeen patients had a complete electromechanical dataset. In them, His bundle pacing was more effective at delivering ventricular resynchronization than biventricular pacing: greater reduction in QRS duration (−18.6 ms; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −31.6 to −5.7 ms; p = 0.007), left ventricular activation time (−26 ms; 95% CI: −41 to −21 ms; p = 0.002), and left ventricular dyssynchrony index (−11.2 ms; 95% CI: −16.8 to −5.6 ms; p < 0.001). His bundle pacing also produced a greater acute hemodynamic response (4.6 mm Hg; 95% CI: 0.2 to 9.1 mm Hg; p = 0.04). The incremental activation time reduction with His bundle pacing over biventricular pacing correlated with the incremental hemodynamic improvement with His bundle pacing over biventricular pacing (R = 0.70; p = 0.04).ConclusionsHis resynchronization delivers better ventricular resynchronization, and greater improvement in hemodynamic parameters, than biventricular pacing.

SUMMARYObjective: We aimed to determine the type, frequency, and size of microchromosomal copy number variations (CNVs) affecting the neuronal sodium channel a 1 subunit gene (SCN1A) in Dravet syndrome (DS), other epileptic encephalopathies, and generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+). Methods: Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was applied to detect SCN1A CNVs among 289 cases (126 DS, 97 GEFS+, and 66 with other phenotypes). CNVs extending beyond SCN1A were further characterized by comparative genome hybridization (array CGH). Results: Novel SCN1A CNVs were found in 12.5% of DS patients where sequence-based mutations had been excluded. We identified the first partial SCN1A duplications in two siblings with typical DS and in a patient with early-onset symptomatic generalized epilepsy. In addition, a patient with DS had a partial SCN1A amplification of 5-6 copies. The remaining CNVs abnormalities were four partial and nine whole SCN1A deletions involving contiguous genes. Two CNVs (a partial SCN1A deletion and a duplication) were inherited from a parent, in whom there was mosaicism. Array CGH showed intragenic deletions of 90 kb and larger, with the largest of 9.3 Mb deleting 49 contiguous genes and extending beyond SCN1A. Discussion: Duplication and amplification involving SCN1A are now added to molecular mechanisms of DS patients. Our findings showed that Epilepsia, 50 (7): 1670-1678, 2009 doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02013.x FULL-LENGTH ORIGINAL RESEARCH 1670 12.5% of DS patients who are mutation negative have MLPA-detected SCN1A CNVs with an overall frequency of about 2-3%. MLPA is the established second-line testing strategy to reliably detect all CNVs of SCN1A from the megabase range down to one exon. Large CNVs extending outside SCN1A and involving contiguous genes can be precisely characterized by array CGH.

Startle disease is an autosomal dominant disorder with two phenotypic expressions. In the major form, there is hypertonia in infancy, and later an insecure gait. The patients have falling attacks without unconsciousness and in these, they are often injured or suffer concussions. Episodes of shaking of the limbs lasting for several minutes and resembling generalized clonus or repetitive myoclonus occur. These are most often nocturnal and are also unaccompanied by loss of consciousness. the patients are hyperreflexic and show an increased incidence of associated neurological and electroencephalographic abnormalities. The minor form of startle disease is only manifested by excessive startle and this is inconstant. In infancy it is brought out by febrile illness and in adult life by emotional stress. Gastaut and Villeneuve postulated the existence of a sporadic form of hyperekplexia different from the disorder described by Suhren et al. Review of their report and comparison with the cases of Suhren et al, and our own patients leads us to believe that the sporadic and familial forms of startle disease are the same. The disorder is rare, probably misdiagnosed initially as spastic quadriplegia, and later as epilepsy. Clonazepam appears to be the treatment of choice and its effect is sustained.