The detection of elevated levels of brain-derived proteins in the CSF in patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a valuable diagnostic test. A second lumbar puncture may be of value in patients with atypical clinical course in whom the first test was negative.
The McLeod syndrome is an X-linked disorder caused by mutations of the XK gene encoding the XK protein. The syndrome is characterized by absent Kx erythrocyte antigen, weak expression of Kell blood group system antigens, and acanthocytosis. In some allelic variants, elevated creatine kinase, myopathy, neurogenic muscle atrophy, and progressive chorea are found. We describe a family with a novel point mutation in the XK gene consisting of a C to T base transition at nucleotide position 977, introducing a stop codon. Among seven affected males, five manifested with psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, or personality disorder, but only two presented with chorea Positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance volumetry revealed reduced striatal 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (FDG) uptake and diminished volumes of the caudate nucleus and putamen that correlated with disease duration. In contrast, none of 12 female mutation carriers showed psychiatric or movement disorders. However, a semidominant effect of the mutation was suggested by erythrocyte and blood group mosaicism and reduced striatal FDG uptake without structural abnormalities. Therefore, patients with psychiatric signs or symptoms segregating in an X-linked trait should be examined for acanthocytosis and Kell/Kx blood group serology.
The present study combined molecular and neuroimaging techniques to examine if free radical-mediated damage to barrier function in hypoxia would result in extracellular edema, raise intracranial pressure (ICP) and account for the neurological symptoms typical of high-altitude headache (HAH) also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS). Twenty-two subjects were randomly exposed for 18 h to 12% (hypoxia) and 21% oxygen (O2 (normoxia)) for collection of venous blood (0 h, 8 h, 15 h, 18 h) and CSF (18 h) after lumbar puncture (LP). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy identified a clear increase in the blood and CSF concentration of O2 and carbon-centered free radicals (P<0.05 versus normoxia) subsequently identified as lipid-derived alkoxyl (LO*) and alkyl (LC*) species. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a mild increase in brain volume (7.0+/-4.8 mL or 0.6%+/-0.4%, P<0.05 versus normoxia) that resolved within 6 h of normoxic recovery. However, there was no detectable evidence for gross barrier dysfunction, elevated lumbar pressures, T2 prolongation or associated neuronal and astroglial damage. Clinical AMS was diagnosed in 50% of subjects during the hypoxic trial and corresponding headache scores were markedly elevated (P<0.05 versus non-AMS). A greater increase in brain volume was observed, though this was slight, independent of oxidative stress, barrier dysfunction, raised lumbar pressure, vascular damage and measurable evidence of cerebral edema and only apparent in the most severe of cases. These findings suggest that free-radical-mediated vasogenic edema is not an important pathophysiological event that contributes to the mild brain swelling observed in HAH.
The McLeod syndrome is an X-linked disorder caused by mutations of the XK gene encoding the XK protein. The syndrome is characterized by absent Kx erythrocyte antigen, weak expression of Kell blood group system antigens, and acanthocytosis. In some allelic variants, elevated creatine kinase, myopathy, neurogenic muscle atrophy, and progressive chorea are found. We describe a family with a novel point mutation in the XK gene consisting of a C to T base transition at nucleotide position 977, introducing a stop codon. Among seven affected males, five manifested with psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, or personality disorder, but only two presented with chorea Positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance volumetry revealed reduced striatal 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (FDG) uptake and diminished volumes of the caudate nucleus and putamen that correlated with disease duration. In contrast, none of 12 female mutation carriers showed psychiatric or movement disorders. However, a semidominant effect of the mutation was suggested by erythrocyte and blood group mosaicism and reduced striatal FDG uptake without structural abnormalities. Therefore, patients with psychiatric signs or symptoms segregating in an X-linked trait should be examined for acanthocytosis and Kell/Kx blood group serology.
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