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Sample records for familial creutzfeldt-jakob disease

  1. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Form Controls Cancel Submit Search the CDC Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) Note: Javascript is disabled or is not ... gov . Recommend on Facebook Tweet Share Compartir Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a prion disease that was first ...

  2. A test for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease using nasal brushings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orrú, Christina D; Bongianni, Matilde; Tonoli, Giovanni; Ferrari, Sergio; Hughson, Andrew G; Groveman, Bradley R; Fiorini, Michele; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Monaco, Salvatore; Caughey, Byron; Zanusso, Gianluigi

    2014-08-07

    Definite diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in living patients remains a challenge. A test that detects the specific marker for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the prion protein (PrP(CJD)), by means of real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) testing of cerebrospinal fluid has a sensitivity of 80 to 90% for the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We have assessed the accuracy of RT-QuIC analysis of nasal brushings from olfactory epithelium in diagnosing sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in living patients. We collected olfactory epithelium brushings and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with and patients without sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and tested them using RT-QuIC, an ultrasensitive, multiwell plate-based fluorescence assay involving PrP(CJD)-seeded polymerization of recombinant PrP into amyloid fibrils. The RT-QuIC assays seeded with nasal brushings were positive in 30 of 31 patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (15 of 15 with definite sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 13 of 14 with probable sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and 2 of 2 with inherited Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) but were negative in 43 of 43 patients without Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, indicating a sensitivity of 97% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82 to 100) and specificity of 100% (95% CI, 90 to 100) for the detection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. By comparison, testing of cerebrospinal fluid samples from the same group of patients had a sensitivity of 77% (95% CI, 57 to 89) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 90 to 100). Nasal brushings elicited stronger and faster RT-QuIC responses than cerebrospinal fluid (PCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease and indicated substantial prion seeding activity lining the nasal vault. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others.).

  3. Visual art therapy in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrestha, Rajeet; Trauger-Querry, Barbara; Loughrin, Athena; Appleby, Brian S

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the diagnostic and treatment utility of visual art therapy in a case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Visual art therapy was compared longitudinally with clinical and neuroimaging data over five-month period in an autopsy-confirmed case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of MM2-cortical subtype. Art therapy sessions and content were useful in ascertaining neuropsychiatric symptoms during the course of her illness. Art therapy offered a unique emotional and cognitive outlet as illness progressed. Patients and families affected by sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may benefit from art therapy despite the rapidly progressive nature of the illness. Art therapy can also be useful for assessment of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by healthcare professionals.

  4. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob Dementia: Hope Through Research Information booklet about Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia ...

  5. Peripheral Tissue Involvement in Sporadic, Iatrogenic, and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Head, Mark W.; Ritchie, Diane; Smith, Nadine; McLoughlin, Victoria; Nailon, William; Samad, Sazia; Masson, Stephen; Bishop, Matthew; McCardle, Linda; Ironside, James W.

    2004-01-01

    Human prion diseases are rare fatal neurodegenerative conditions that occur as acquired, familial, or idiopathic disorders. A key event in their pathogenesis is the accumulation of an altered form of the prion protein, termed PrPSc, in the central nervous system. A novel acquired human prion disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is thought to result from oral exposure to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. This disease differs from other human prion diseases in its neurological, neuropathological, and biochemical phenotype. We have used immunohistochemistry and Western blot techniques to analyze the tissue distribution and biochemical properties of PrPSc in peripheral tissues in a unique series of nine cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We have compared this with the distribution and biochemical forms found in all of the major subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in a case of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with growth hormone therapy. The results show that involvement of the lymphoreticular system is a defining feature of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but that the biochemical isoform of PrPSc found is influenced by the cell type in which it accumulates. PMID:14695328

  6. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Psychiatric Symptoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soner Cakmak

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rapidly progressive, degenerative slow virus infection disease of central nervous system. Based on etiologic origins, four different Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease subtypes have been identified: sporadic, genetic, iatrogenic and variant. The clinical course generally begin with apathy, irritability, behavioral changes, speech problems, memory deterioration, rapidly progresses and concludes with death over a period of 3-12 months. Symptoms are observed secondary to brain cortex, cerebellum, corticospinal tracts, spinal anterior horn cells and basal ganglia damage. Unusual (%5-10 cases can survive up to 2 years. The initial symptoms of disease can be sudden which resultsin adjustment problems leading patients to seek psychiatric help. Patients could receive different diagnosis such as psychosis, depression with psychotic features, and treatments at this stages. Early diagnosis is crucial because of management of the disease and treatment approaches. In this article diagnosis and clinical features of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and related psychiatric symptoms have been briefly reviewed. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2013; 22(4.000: 631-643

  7. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers and Morticians

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... here Home » Disorders » Patient & Caregiver Education » Fact Sheets Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Fact Sheet for Healthcare Workers and Morticians Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fatal brain disorder that ...

  8. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    In this podcast, Dr. Lynne Sehulster discusses Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease. This disease is caused by a pathological accumulation in the brain of an abnormal protein known as prions.

  9. White matter involvement in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caverzasi, Eduardo; Mandelli, Maria Luisa; DeArmond, Stephen J; Hess, Christopher P; Vitali, Paolo; Papinutto, Nico; Oehler, Abby; Miller, Bruce L; Lobach, Irina V; Bastianello, Stefano; Geschwind, Michael D; Henry, Roland G

    2014-12-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is considered primarily a disease of grey matter, although the extent of white matter involvement has not been well described. We used diffusion tensor imaging to study the white matter in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease compared to healthy control subjects and to correlated magnetic resonance imaging findings with histopathology. Twenty-six patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and nine age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects underwent volumetric T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging. Six patients had post-mortem brain analysis available for assessment of neuropathological findings associated with prion disease. Parcellation of the subcortical white matter was performed on 3D T1-weighted volumes using Freesurfer. Diffusion tensor imaging maps were calculated and transformed to the 3D-T1 space; the average value for each diffusion metric was calculated in the total white matter and in regional volumes of interest. Tract-based spatial statistics analysis was also performed to investigate the deeper white matter tracts. There was a significant reduction of mean (P=0.002), axial (P=0.0003) and radial (P=0.0134) diffusivities in the total white matter in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Mean diffusivity was significantly lower in most white matter volumes of interest (PCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Mean diffusivity reduction reflected concomitant decrease of both axial and radial diffusivity, without appreciable changes in white matter anisotropy. Tract-based spatial statistics analysis showed significant reductions of mean diffusivity within the white matter of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mainly in the left hemisphere, with a strong trend (P=0.06) towards reduced mean diffusivity in most of the white matter bilaterally. In contrast, by visual assessment there was no white matter abnormality either on T2-weighted or diffusion-weighted images. Widespread reduction in white matter mean

  10. Prions in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moda, Fabio; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Notari, Silvio; Concha-Marambio, Luis; Catania, Marcella; Park, Kyung-Won; Maderna, Emanuela; Suardi, Silvia; Haïk, Stéphane; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Ironside, James; Knight, Richard; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Soto, Claudio

    2014-08-07

    Prions, the infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, consist mainly of the misfolded prion protein (PrP(Sc)). The unique mechanism of transmission and the appearance of a variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has been linked to consumption of prion-contaminated cattle meat, have raised concerns about public health. Evidence suggests that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions circulate in body fluids from people in whom the disease is silently incubating. To investigate whether PrP(Sc) can be detected in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, we used the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technique to amplify minute quantities of PrP(Sc), enabling highly sensitive detection of the protein. We analyzed urine samples from several patients with various transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and genetic forms of prion disease), patients with other degenerative or nondegenerative neurologic disorders, and healthy persons. PrP(Sc) was detectable only in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and had the typical electrophoretic profile associated with this disease. PrP(Sc) was detected in 13 of 14 urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in none of the 224 urine samples obtained from patients with other neurologic diseases and from healthy controls, resulting in an estimated sensitivity of 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.1 to 99.8) and a specificity of 100.0% (95% CI, 98.4 to 100.0). The PrP(Sc) concentration in urine calculated by means of quantitative PMCA was estimated at 1×10(-16) g per milliliter, or 3×10(-21) mol per milliliter, which extrapolates to approximately 40 to 100 oligomeric particles of PrP(Sc) per milliliter of urine. Urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease contained minute quantities of PrP(Sc). (Funded by the

  11. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance in Australia: update to December 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klug, Genevieve M; Boyd, Alison; Sarros, Shannon; Stehmann, Christiane; Simpson, Marion; McLean, Catriona; Masters, Colin L; Collins, Steven J

    2016-06-30

    Nation-wide surveillance of human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (also known as prion diseases), the most common being Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, based at the University of Melbourne. Prospective surveillance has been undertaken since 1993 and over this dynamic period in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy research and understanding, the unit has evolved and adapted to changes in surveillance practices and requirements concomitant with the emergence of new disease subtypes, improvements in diagnostic capabilities and the overall heightened awareness of prion diseases in the health care setting. In 2014, routine national surveillance continued and this brief report provides an update of the cumulative surveillance data collected by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry prospectively from 1993 to December 2014, and retrospectively to 1970.

  12. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance in Australia: update to December 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klug, Genevieve M; Boyd, Alison; Sarros, Shannon; Stehmann, Christiane; Simpson, Marion; McLean, Catriona A; Masters, Colin L; Collins, Steven J

    2016-09-30

    Nation-wide surveillance of human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (also known as prion diseases), the most common being Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, based at the University of Melbourne. Prospective surveillance has been undertaken since 1993 and over this dynamic period in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy research and understanding, the unit has evolved and adapted to changes in surveillance practices and requirements concomitant with the delineation of new disease subtypes, improvements in diagnostic capabilities and the overall heightened awareness of prion diseases in the health care setting. In 2015, routine national surveillance continued and this brief report provides an update of the cumulative surveillance data collected by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry prospectively from 1993 to December 2015, and retrospectively to 1970.

  13. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2009-02-03

    In this podcast, Dr. Lynne Sehulster discusses Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease. This disease is caused by a pathological accumulation in the brain of an abnormal protein known as prions.  Created: 2/3/2009 by Emerging Infectious Diseases.   Date Released: 2/3/2009.

  14. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIU Jian-rong

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is a degenerative central nervous system (CNS disease caused by infection of prion protein (PrP, with clinical features including short course, rapid development and 100% mortality. This article aims to discuss the pathogenesis, histopathological features, clinical manifestations, electroencephalogram (EEG findings, imaging data and treatment progress of this disease based on literature review. Cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein detection, EEG and MRI are three important methods to make an early diagnosis on patients with suspected CJD, such as elderly patients with rapidly progressive dementia (RPD and young patients with mental symptoms involving multiple systems (MS.

  15. A Case of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Presenting as Conversion Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yegya-Raman, Nikhil; Aziz, Rehan; Schneider, Daniel; Tobia, Anthony; Leitch, Megan; Nwobi, Onyi

    2017-01-01

    Background . Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare disorder of the central nervous system. Its initial diagnosis may be obscured by its variable presentation. This case report illustrates the complexity of diagnosing this disease early in the clinical course, especially when the initial symptoms may be psychiatric. It offers a brief review of the literature and reinforces a role for consultation psychiatry services. Methods . PUBMED/MEDLINE was searched using the terms "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease", "psychiatric symptoms", "conversion disorder", "somatic symptom disorder", "functional movement disorder", and "functional neurologic disorder". Case . The patient was a 64-year-old woman with no prior psychiatric history who was initially diagnosed with conversion disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder but soon thereafter was discovered to have Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Discussion . This case highlights the central role of psychiatric symptoms in early presentations of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Still, few other cases in the literature report functional neurological symptoms as an initial sign. The consultation psychiatrist must remain alert to changing clinical symptoms, especially with uncharacteristic disease presentations.

  16. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: report of four cases and review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atalay, Fatma Öz; Tolunay, Şahsine; Özgün, Gonca; Bekar, Ahmet; Zarifoğlu, Mehmet

    2015-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a very rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is incurable and always fatal. It is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies caused by prions. Multiple vacuoles in neuropil and neuronal loss in the gray matter gives the classical sponge-like appearance of brain and are responsible for the typical clinical symptoms. In this report, we present 4 cases referred to the neurology department of Uludağ University with neurological symptoms. Patients were evaluated with electroencephalogram and magnetic resonance imaging, and performed brain biopsies for further investigation. For definitive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, accumulation of prion protein in brain was detected immunohistochemically. Patients died within weeks in consequence of rapid progression of the disease. Although Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an infrequent disorder, when a patient presents with characteristic clinical symptoms such as rapidly progressive dementia with myoclonus, the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease should be taken into consideration.

  17. Creutzfeldt jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haider, E.; Raja, S.; Wali, W.; Tariq, M.

    2013-01-01

    A case of 50 years of age, male with sporadic Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (sCJD) is reported. Patient had dementia, behavioural abnormalities, unsteady gait and myoclonic jerks. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain T2 weighted and Fluid Attenuated Inverse Recovery (FLAIR) images showed abnormally increased signal intensity in caudate nucleus and putamen. Scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) revealed periodic synchronous biphasic sharp wave complexes. On the basis of history, clinical findings, typical MRI brain and EEG changes, diagnosis of sporadic CJD was made. (author)

  18. Abnormal Eye Movements in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Michael P.; Cohen, Mark; Petersen, Robert B.; Halmagyi, G. Michael; McDougall, Alan; Tusa, Ronald J.; Leigh, R. John

    1993-01-01

    We report 3 patients with autopsy-proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who, early in their course, developed abnormal eye movements that included periodic alternating nystagmus and slow vertical saccades. These findings suggested involvement of the cerebellar nodulus and uvula, and the brainstem reticular formation, respectively. Cerebellar ataxia was also an early manifestation and, in one patient, a frontal lobe brain biopsy was normal at a time when ocular motor and cerebellar signs were conspicuous. As the disease progressed, all saccades and quick phases of nystagmus were lost, but periodic alternating gaze deviation persisted. At autopsy, 2 of the 3 patients had pronounced involvement of the cerebellum, especially of the midline structures. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease should be considered in patients with subacute progressive neurological disease when cognitive changes are overshadowed by ocular motor findings or ataxia.

  19. Health professions and risk of sporadic Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease, 1965 to 2010

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E. Alcalde-Cabero; J. Almazán-Isla; J-P. Brandel (Jean-Philippe); M. Breithaupt; J. Catarino; S.J. Collins (Steven); J. Haybäck; R. Höftberger (Romana); E. Kahana; G.G. Kovacs (Gabor); A. Ladogana (Anna); E. Mitrová (Eva); A. Molesworth; Y. Nakamura; M. Pocchiari (Maurizio); M. Popovic; M. Ruiz-Tovar; A. Taratuto; C. van Duin; M. Yamada; R.G. Will (Robert); I. Zerr (Inga); J. de Pedro-Cuesta (Jesús)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractIn 2009, a pathologist with sporadic Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease (sCJD) was reported to the Spanish registry. This case prompted a request for information on health-related occupation in sCJD cases from countries participating in the European Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease Surveillance network

  20. Rapid cognitive decline: not always Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randall, A; Ellis, R; Hywel, B; Davies, R R; Alusi, S H; Larner, A J

    2015-01-01

    A patient with rapidly progressive cognitive decline over an approximately four month period was suspected to have sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Features thought to support this diagnosis included psychiatric symptoms (anxiety and depression), visual hallucinations and a visual field defect. However, the finding of papilloedema broadened the differential diagnosis. Although standard brain imaging and electroencephalography had shown only non-specific abnormalities, subsequent cerebral angiography disclosed an intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula. Following embolisation, the patient made a good functional recovery. Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistula merits consideration in any patient with subacute cognitive decline, and should be included in the differential diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

  1. Cortical restricted diffusion as the predominant MRI finding in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

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    Talbott, Sabrina D.; Sattenberg, Ronald J.; Heidenreich, Jens O. (Dept. of Radiology, Univ. of Louisville, Louisville (United States)), e-mail: sdtalb02@gwise.louisville.edu; Plato, Brian M (Dept. of Neurology, Univ. of Louisville, Louisville (United States)); Parker, John (Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Univ. of Louisville, Louisville (United States))

    2011-04-15

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with MR findings predominantly limited to the grey matter of the cortex and the basal ganglia. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can produce a spectrum of MR imaging findings of the brain, most notably on DWI and FLAIR sequences. Involvement of the basal ganglia and neocortex is the most common finding, but isolated involvement of the cortex can also be seen. We describe the clinical history and MRI findings of three patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease confirmed by brain biopsy or autopsy and review the literature of imaging manifestations of this disease

  2. Cortical restricted diffusion as the predominant MRI finding in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talbott, Sabrina D.; Sattenberg, Ronald J.; Heidenreich, Jens O.; Plato, Brian M; Parker, John

    2011-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with MR findings predominantly limited to the grey matter of the cortex and the basal ganglia. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can produce a spectrum of MR imaging findings of the brain, most notably on DWI and FLAIR sequences. Involvement of the basal ganglia and neocortex is the most common finding, but isolated involvement of the cortex can also be seen. We describe the clinical history and MRI findings of three patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease confirmed by brain biopsy or autopsy and review the literature of imaging manifestations of this disease

  3. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a case report and differential diagnoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kojima, Gotaro; Tatsuno, Brent K; Inaba, Michiko; Velligas, Stephanie; Masaki, Kamal; Liow, Kore K

    2013-04-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology that causes rapidly progressive dementia. This disease is uniformly fatal and most patients die within 12 months. Clinical findings include myoclonus, visual disturbances, and cerebellar and pyramidal/extrapyramidal signs in addition to rapidly progressive cognitive and functional impairment. These findings are all non-specific and it is often difficult and challenging to diagnose premortem because of low awareness and clinical suspicion. We present a 66-year-old woman with a 5-month history of rapidly progressive dementia. After a series of extensive diagnostic examinations and continuous follow-up, she was diagnosed with probable sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria, with key findings of rapidly progressive dementia, blurry vision, extrapyramidal signs (cogwheel rigidity), and abnormal hyperintensity signals on diffusion-weighted MRI. Her symptoms progressively worsened and she died 7 months after the onset. The postmortem brain autopsy demonstrated the presence of abnormal protease-resistant prion protein by Western Blot analysis. A literature review was performed on differential diagnoses that present with rapidly progressive dementia and thereby mimic sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. These include Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies, frontotemporal dementia, meningoencephalitis, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, CADASIL, and paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis.

  4. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in biopsy-proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

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    Kim, Hyo Cheol; Chang, Kee Hyun; Song In Chan; Lee, Sang Hyun; Kwon, Bae Ju; Han, Moon Hee; Kim, Sang Yun [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2001-12-01

    To compare conventional and diffusion-weighted MR imaging in terms of their depiction of the abnormalities occurring in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We retrospectively analyzed the findings of conventional (T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) and diffusion-weighted MR imaging in four patients with biopsy-proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The signal intensity of the lesion was classified by visual assessment as markedly high, slightly high, or isointense, relative to normal brain parenchyma. Both conventional and diffusion-weighted MR images demonstrated bilateral high signal intensity in the basal ganglia in all four patients. Cortical lesions were observed on diffusion-weighted MR images in all four, and on fluidattenuated inversion recovery MR images in one, but in no patient on T2-weighted images. Conventional MR images showed slightly high signal intensity in all lesions, while diffusion-weighted images showed markedly high signal intensity in most. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging is more sensitive than its conventional counterpart in the depiction of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and permits better detection of the lesion in both the cerebral cortices and basal ganglia.

  5. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in biopsy-proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyo Cheol; Chang, Kee Hyun; Song In Chan; Lee, Sang Hyun; Kwon, Bae Ju; Han, Moon Hee; Kim, Sang Yun

    2001-01-01

    To compare conventional and diffusion-weighted MR imaging in terms of their depiction of the abnormalities occurring in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We retrospectively analyzed the findings of conventional (T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) and diffusion-weighted MR imaging in four patients with biopsy-proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The signal intensity of the lesion was classified by visual assessment as markedly high, slightly high, or isointense, relative to normal brain parenchyma. Both conventional and diffusion-weighted MR images demonstrated bilateral high signal intensity in the basal ganglia in all four patients. Cortical lesions were observed on diffusion-weighted MR images in all four, and on fluidattenuated inversion recovery MR images in one, but in no patient on T2-weighted images. Conventional MR images showed slightly high signal intensity in all lesions, while diffusion-weighted images showed markedly high signal intensity in most. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging is more sensitive than its conventional counterpart in the depiction of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and permits better detection of the lesion in both the cerebral cortices and basal ganglia

  6. Prion infectivity in the spleen of a PRNP heterozygous individual with subclinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Matthew T; Diack, Abigail B; Ritchie, Diane L; Ironside, James W; Will, Robert G; Manson, Jean C

    2013-04-01

    Blood transfusion has been identified as a source of human-to-human transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Three cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been identified following red cell transfusions from donors who subsequently developed variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and an asymptomatic red cell transfusion recipient, who did not die of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, has been identified with prion protein deposition in the spleen and a lymph node, but not the brain. This individual was heterozygous (MV) at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP), whereas all previous definite and probable cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been methionine homozygotes (MM). A critical question for public health is whether the prion protein deposition reported in peripheral tissues from this MV individual correlates with infectivity. Additionally it is important to establish whether the PRNP codon 129 genotype has influenced the transmission characteristics of the infectious agent. Brain and spleen from the MV blood recipient were inoculated into murine strains that have consistently demonstrated transmission of the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent. Mice were assessed for clinical and pathological signs of disease and transmission data were compared with other transmission studies in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, including those on the spleen and brain of the donor to the index case. Transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was observed from the MV blood recipient spleen, but not from the brain, whereas there was transmission from both spleen and brain tissues from the red blood cell donor. Longer incubation times were observed for the blood donor spleen inoculum compared with the blood donor brain inoculum, suggesting lower titres of infectivity in the spleen. The distribution of vacuolar pathology and abnormal prion protein in infected mice were similar following inoculation with both donor and recipient spleen

  7. The contribution of different prion protein types and host polymorphisms to clinicopathological variations in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Head, Mark W; Ironside, James W

    2012-07-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the central nervous system. In this respect, it can be considered alongside the more frequently occurring neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is perhaps the paradigmatic protein misfolding disorder, so comparisons between the mechanisms involved in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein misfolding (such as the tauopathies and synucleinopathies) may also be informative. Like many of these diseases, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease occurs sporadically or can, more rarely, be associated with mutations. However, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can also be acquired and is experimentally transmissible. These properties have had profound public health implications and made the disease of interest to virologists, in addition to those interested in protein misfolding disorders and neurodegeneration. The possible causes for the pronounced phenotypic variation among different forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are beginning to become understood, and these appear to depend in large measure on the genetics of the host (specifically the sequence of the prion protein gene, PRNP) and the epigenetic aspects of the agent (thought to be a misfolded and aggregated form of the PRNP gene product, termed a prion). This review will examine whether this model in its present form has sufficient complexity and subtlety to account for the clinicopathological variation evident in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and will outline the ways in which a more complete and informative molecular definition of human prions are currently being sought. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Detection of infectivity in blood of persons with variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douet, Jean Yves; Zafar, Saima; Perret-Liaudet, Armand; Lacroux, Caroline; Lugan, Séverine; Aron, Naima; Cassard, Herve; Ponto, Claudia; Corbière, Fabien; Torres, Juan Maria; Zerr, Inga; Andreoletti, Olivier

    2014-01-01

    We report the presence of infectivity in erythrocytes, leukocytes, and plasma of 1 person with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in the plasma of 2 in 4 persons whose tests were positive for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The measured infectivity levels were comparable to those reported in various animals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

  9. Differential diagnosis of Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease

    OpenAIRE

    Paterson, RW; Torres-Chae, CC; Kuo, AL; Ando, T; Nguyen, EA; Wong, K; DeArmond, SJ; Haman, A; Garcia, P; Johnson, DY; Miller, BL; Geschwind, MD

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To identify the misdiagnoses of patients with sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (sCJD) during the course of their disease and determine which medical specialties saw patients with sCJD prior to the correct diagnosis being made and at what point in the disease course a correct diagnosis was made. Design: Retrospective medical record review. Setting: A specialty referral center of a tertiary academic medical center. Participants: One hundred sixty-three serial patients over a 5.5-y...

  10. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Mimicking Alzheimer Disease and Dementia With Lewy Bodies-Findings of FDG PET With 3-Dimensional Stereotactic Surface Projection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyazawa, Nobuhiko

    2017-05-01

    A 78-year-old man received a diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease based on symptoms and findings of MRI, FDG PET, and cerebrospinal fluid markers. PET with 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP) showed that the distribution of hypometabolism mimicked that of Alzheimer disease. A 68-year-old woman was treated under a diagnosis of convulsion. Findings of MRI, PET, familial history, and cerebrospinal fluid markers revealed familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. FDG PET with 3D-SSP disclosed that the hypometabolic pattern mimicked that of dementia with Lewy bodies. FDG PET with 3D-SSP can demonstrate similar patterns in various neurodegenerative disorders.

  11. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance in Australia, update to December 2013.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klug, Genevieve M; Boyd, Alison; Sarros, Shannon; Stehmann, Christiane; Simpson, Marion; McLean, Catriona A; Masters, Collin L; Collins, Stephen J

    2014-12-31

    Nation-wide surveillance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry, based at the University of Melbourne. Surveillance has been undertaken since 1993. Over this dynamic period in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy research and understanding, the unit has evolved and adapted to changes in surveillance practices and requirements, the emergence of new disease subtypes, improvements in diagnostic capabilities and the overall heightened awareness and understanding of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in the health care setting. In 2013, routine surveillance continued and this brief report provides an update of the surveillance data collected by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry prospectively from 1993 to December 2013, and retrospectively to 1970. The report highlights the recent multi-national collaborative study published that has verified the correlation between surveillance intensity and reported disease incidence. This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to the Online, Services and External Relations Branch, Department of

  12. Topodiagnosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by HMPAO-SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heye, N.; Farahati, J.; Heinz, A.; Buettner, T.; Przuntek, H.; Reiners, C.

    1993-01-01

    A 80-year old female presented with an early stage of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with clinical, neurophysiological and neuropathological findings suggesting a focal involvement of the brain. HMPAO SPECT disclosed asymmetries of regional cerebral perfusion, thus suggesting that it may be a further diagnostic instrument in this disease. (orig.) [de

  13. Symptomatic aggravation after corticosteroid pulse therapy in definite sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with the feature of Hashimoto's encephalopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Jae-Won; Park, So Young; Park, Young Ho; Kim, Jung E; Kim, SangYun

    2014-09-08

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Hashimoto's encephalopathy often show similar clinical presentation. Among Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease mimics, Hashimoto's encephalopathy is particularly important as it is treatable with corticosteroids. Thus, in cases of middle-aged woman diagnosed with probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and who exhibit high titers of antithyroid antibodies, corticosteroid pulse therapy is typically performed with expectations of near complete recovery from Hashimoto's encephalopathy. Herein, we provide the first case report that exhibited a negative effect of corticosteroid pulse therapy for a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with features of Hashimoto's encephalopathy. We report a case of 59-year-old Asian woman with blurred vision, dysarthria, myoclonus, and rapidly progressive dementia. Cerebrospinal fluid showed 14-3-3 protein positive. Electroencephalogram showed periodic sharp waves (1.5 Hz) at the bilateral frontal or occipital areas. Magnetic resonance imaging showed high signal intensities at the bilateral cerebral cortex, caudate nucleus, and putamen. The patient was diagnosed with probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, serum analysis showed a high titer of antithyroid antibodies. We started corticosteroid pulse therapy with subsequent aggravation of seizure activity including generalized myoclonus, epilepsia parialis continua, and ballistic dyskinesia, which was effectively treated with clonazepam. We provide evidence of a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease that exhibited clinical deterioration after corticosteroid therapy. Although histopathological confirmation with brain biopsy is not easily available in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients, selective initiation of corticosteroid pulse therapy should be considered in cases of uncertain diagnosis for differentiation with Hashimoto's encephalopathy.

  14. Pathologically confirmed autoimmune encephalitis in suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maat, P.; de Beukelaar, J.W.; Jansen, C.; Schuur, M.; van Duijn, C.M.; van Coevorden, M.H.; de Graaff, E.; Titulaer, E.; Rozemuller, A.J.M.; Sillevis Smitt, P.

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To determine the clinical features and presence in CSF of antineuronal antibodies in patients with pathologically proven autoimmune encephalitis derived from a cohort of patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: The Dutch Surveillance Centre for Prion Diseases

  15. Physical properties of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sklaviadis, T.K.; Manuelidis, L.; Manuelidis, E.E.

    1989-03-01

    In this report, the authors present the first physical characterization of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease agent. Preparations with high yields of infectivity (assayed infectious units) were obtained by a novel, gentle procedure in which initially sedimenting Gp34 (prion protein) was disaggregated by a variety of criteria with no subsequent loss of infectivity. Studies with this preparation indicate that most of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent has both a viruslike size and density. In velocity sedimentation and isopycnic sucrose gradients, infectivity comigrated with nucleic acid-protein complexes of appreciable size.

  16. Physical properties of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sklaviadis, T.K.; Manuelidis, L.; Manuelidis, E.E.

    1989-01-01

    In this report, the authors present the first physical characterization of the Creutzfeld-Jakob disease agent. Preparations with high yields of infectivity (assayed infectious units) were obtained by a novel, gentle procedure in which initially sedimenting Gp34 (prion protein) was disaggregated by a variety of criteria with no subsequent loss of infectivity. Studies with this preparation indicate that most of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent has both a viruslike size and density. In velocity sedimentation and isopycnic sucrose gradients, infectivity comigrated with nucleic acid-protein complexes of appreciable size

  17. Extent of misclassification of death from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in England 1979-96: retrospective examination of clinical records

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majeed, Azeem; Lehmann, Petra; Kirby, Liz; Knight, Richard; Coleman, Michel

    2000-01-01

    Objective To investigate the extent to which deaths from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were misclassified during 1979-96. Design Structured review of clinical records based on predetermined criteria to determine whether death could have been due to sporadic or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Setting 100 health authorities and 275 NHS trusts in England. Subjects 1485 people who died aged 15-44 years from selected neurological disorders in England during 1979-96. Main outcome measure Cause of death. Results The clinical records of 705 (48%) subjects were successfully traced. Tracing of clinical records was highest in subjects who died during 1990-6. There was sufficient information in the records of 640 (91%) of the 705 subjects to exclude Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a cause of death. In 61 (9%) subjects, there was insufficient information to reach any conclusion about the validity of the cause of death recorded on the death certificate. The clinical records of four subjects were examined further by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit; none was thought to have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Conclusions No new cases of sporadic or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were detected in a sample of deaths most likely to have included misclassified cases. This suggests that the surveillance system is unlikely to have missed a significant number of cases among people aged 15-44 years. Hence, any rapid increase in the number of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in this age group is likely to be real not artefactual. PMID:10634732

  18. Updated clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    I. Zerr; K. Kallenberg; D.M. Summers; C. Romero; A. Taratuto; U. Heinemann; M. Breithaupt; D. Varges; B. Meissner; A. Ladogana (Anna); M. Schuur (Maaike); S. Haik; S.J. Collins (Steven); G.H. Jansen (Gerard); G.B. Stokin; J. Pimentel; E. Hewer; D. Collie; P. Smith; H. Roberts; J.P. Brandel; P. Tikka-Kleemola (Päivi); M. Pocchiari (Maurizio); C. Begue; P. Cras (Patrick); R.G. Will; P. Sanchez-Juan (Pascual)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractSeveral molecular subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been identified and electroencephalogram and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have been reported to support clinical diagnosis but with variable utility according to subtype. In recent years, a series of publications

  19. Mitochondrial DNA differentiates Alzheimer's disease from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podlesniy, Petar; Llorens, Franc; Golanska, Ewa; Sikorska, Beata; Liberski, Pawel; Zerr, Inga; Trullas, Ramon

    2016-05-01

    Low content of cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a biomarker of early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether mtDNA is altered in a rapid neurodegenerative dementia such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is unknown. CSF mtDNA was measured using digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) in two independent cohorts comprising a total of 112 patients diagnosed with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), probable AD, or non-Alzheimer's type dementia. Patients with AD exhibit low mtDNA content in CSF compared with patients diagnosed with sCJD or with non-Alzheimer's type dementias. The CSF concentration of mtDNA does not correlate with Aβ, t-tau, p-tau, and 14-3-3 protein levels in CSF. Low-CSF mtDNA is not a consequence of brain damage and allows the differential diagnosis of AD from sCJD and other dementias. These results support the hypothesis that mtDNA in CSF is a pathophysiological biomarker of AD. Copyright © 2015 Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Applicability of long-term electroencephalography in pre-mortem diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attaripour Isfahani, Sanaz; Dougherty, Michelle; Gliebus, Gediminas Peter

    2017-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease accounts for more than 90% of all sporadic prion disease cases. The molecular MM2 genotype has been divided into cortical and thalamic subtypes based on structures involved and is characterized clinically by progressive dementia without ataxia or typical electroencephalography changes. Proposed diagnostic criteria for MM2 cortical type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease include progressive dementia, cortical hyper-intensity on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, increased cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein level, and the exclusion of other types of dementia. The presence of periodic discharges on electroencephalography in MM2 cortical type were reported in 42% of the cases. We are reporting a case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cortical MM2-type presenting with rapid cognitive decline, who survived 8 months since symptom onset. Brain imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and long-term electroencephalography monitoring were obtained and diagnosis was confirmed by autopsy. Short-term electroencephalography recording, performed 5 months after symptom onset, demonstrated diffuse background slowing without epileptiform activity. Long-term video electroencephalography monitoring demonstrated generalized slowing, maximum in bilateral frontal areas, which intermittently would become rhythmic (1-2 Hz) without hemispheric predominance. If the findings do not clearly meet the proposed clinical criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the use of long-term electroencephalography could increase the sensitivity. We question whether the lack of the characteristic findings on electroencephalography in some cases could be due to insufficient time of recording. Application of long-term electroencephalography monitoring increases the sensitivity of electroencephalography and the certainty of pre-mortem diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

  1. Neuropathological correlations with the computed tomograms in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagura, Hiroshi; Tohgi, Hideo; Yamanouchi, Hiroshi (Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center (Japan)); Tomonaga, Masanori

    1983-03-01

    Findings of computed tomograms were correlated with pathological changes in 3 autopsied cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who died at various stages of the disease. CTs were almost normal at the periods when severe dementia, myoclonus fully developed. The brain from a patient who died at this period showed slight nerve cell loss and spongiform changes mainly in the cerebral cortex. CTs of two advanced cases showed that the atrophic processes of the brain progressed rapidly. In these cases severe nerve cell loss and status spongiosus were found in the cerebral cortex, basal nuclei and cerebellum. Serial CTs showed that atrophic processes involved first the cerebral cortex, and then the basal nuclei and cerebellum. These observations pose the problem whether the difference in the distribution of lesions observed in cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is merely due to the different stages of the disease at the time of death or due to the variety of pathologic processes in individual case.

  2. Neuropathological correlations with the computed tomograms in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagura, Hiroshi; Tohgi, Hideo; Yamanouchi, Hiroshi; Tomonaga, Masanori.

    1983-01-01

    Findings of computed tomograms were correlated with pathological changes in 3 autopsied cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who died at various stages of the disease. CTs were almost normal at the periods when severe dementia, myoclonus fully developed. The brain from a patient who died at this period showed slight nerve cell loss and spongiform changes mainly in the cerebral cortex. CTs of two advanced cases showed that the atrophic processes of the brain progressed rapidly. In these cases severe nerve cell loss and status spongiosus were found in the cerebral cortex, basal nuclei and cerebellum. Serial CTs showed that atrophic processes involved first the cerebral cortex, and then the basal nuclei and cerebellum. These observations pose the problem whether the difference in the distribution of lesions observed in cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is merely due to the different stages of the disease at the time of death or due to the variety of pathologic processes in individual case. (author)

  3. MRI of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kong, A.; Vliet, A. Van der.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The key MRI findings in five cases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are illustrated with four 'definite' and one 'probable' according to World Health Organization criteria. Close attention to fluid-attenuation inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences are important for diagnosis, noting especially restricted diffusion in cortical and deep grey matter. Our study and those of others show predominant cortical, caudate and thalamic involvement. This pattern is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis. Fluid-attenuation inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted imaging signal abnormality becomes progressively more extensive and bilateral as disease progresses, but may become less pronounced in end-stage disease because of atrophy.

  4. Serial MR imaging in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uchino, A.; Hata, H.; Ohno, M. (Kyushu Rosai Hospital, Kitakyushu (Japan). Dept. of Radiology); Yoshinaga, M.; Shiokawa, O. (Kyushu Rosai Hospital, Kitakyushu (Japan). Stroke Care Unit)

    1991-08-01

    Serial magnetic resonance (MR) imagings of two autopsied patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are presented. Both patients showed a dramatic progression of brain atrophy. The initial MR imagings were, however, interpreted as normal except for localized mild cortical atrophy in one patient. When a normal MR image is obtained in a demented middle-aged or aged patient, CJD may still need to be ruled out: follow up MR imaging may be useful. (orig.).

  5. Serial MR imaging in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchino, A.; Hata, H.; Ohno, M.; Yoshinaga, M.; Shiokawa, O.

    1991-01-01

    Serial magnetic resonance (MR) imagings of two autopsied patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are presented. Both patients showed a dramatic progression of brain atrophy. The initial MR imagings were, however, interpreted as normal except for localized mild cortical atrophy in one patient. When a normal MR image is obtained in a demented middle-aged or aged patient, CJD may still need to be ruled out: follow up MR imaging may be useful. (orig.)

  6. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Venezuela a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro J. Caraballo H.

    1991-06-01

    Full Text Available A case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD in a 32 year old man is presented. The clinical picture included a rapid progressive dementia associated with ataxia, global aphasia, myoclonus and pyramidal signs, death ocurred after 13 months. The diagnosis of CJD was confirmed by CT and neuropathological studies. This is the first report of CJD occurring in Venezuela.

  7. CSF Neurofilament Proteins Levels are Elevated in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Eijk, Jeroen J. J.; van Everbroeck, Bart; Abdo, W. Farid; Kremer, Berry P. H.; Verbeek, Marcel M.

    2010-01-01

    In this study we investigated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neurofilament light (NFL) and heavy chain (NFHp35), total tau (t-tau), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) to detect disease specific profiles in sporadic Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (sCJD) patients and Alzheimer's disease

  8. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a native Puerto Rican patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Pilar-Morales, Esteban A; Cali, Ignazio; Chapas, Javier; Bertrán-Pasarell, Jorge; Puoti, Gianfranco; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Nobo, Ulises

    2015-03-01

    The diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is often a challenge for most physicians given its extremely low incidence and different clinico-pathological presentations. We report the case of a 56-year old patient native to Puerto Rico suspected of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCD). The symptoms at onset were notorious for bilateral cortical blindness followed by rapidly progressive cognitive decline, visual deficit, increased levels of CSF 14-3-3 and tau along with positive brain MRI and EEG, are highly indicative of CJD. The definite diagnosis was confirmed by the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Lack of genetic mutations in the prion protein (PrP) gene, widespread histopathological changes and the accumulation of scrapie PrP (PrPSc) in the brain confirmed the diagnosis of sCJD. The patient, admitted to our institution in 2011, represents the first detailed report of sCJD in a native Puerto Rican patient living in Puerto Rico.

  9. Treating seizures in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Marcus C; Westover, M Brandon; Cole, Andrew J

    2014-01-01

    Seizures are known to occur in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In the setting of a rapidly progressive condition with no effective therapy, determining appropriate treatment for seizures can be difficult if clinical morbidity is not obvious yet the electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrates a worrisome pattern such as status epilepticus. Herein, we present the case of a 39-year-old man with CJD and electrographic seizures, discuss how this case challenges conventional definitions of seizures, and discuss a rational approach toward treatment. Coincidentally, our case is the first report of CJD in a patient with Stickler syndrome.

  10. Determination of neuronal antibodies in suspected and definite Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    O. Grau-Rivera (Oriol); R. Sánchez-Valle (Raquel); A. Saiz (Albert Abe); J.L. Molinuevo (José Luis); R. Bernabé (Reyes); E. Munteis (Elvira); F. Pujadas (Francesc); A. Salvador (Antoni); J. Saura (Júlia); A. Ugarte (Antonio); M.J. Titulaer (Maarten); J. Dalmau (Josep); F. Graus (Francesc)

    2014-01-01

    textabstractIMPORTANCE: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and autoimmune encephalitis with antibodies against neuronal surface antigens (NSA-abs) may present with similar clinical features. Establishing the correct diagnosis has practical implications in the management of care for these patients.

  11. Topodiagnosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by HMPAO-SPECT. Topodiagnostik der Creutzfeldt-Jakobschen Krankheit durch HMPAO-SPECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heye, N. (Neurologische Klinik, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum Univ. (Germany)); Farahati, J. (Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Nuklearmedizin, Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany)); Heinz, A. (Neurologische Klinik, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum Univ. (Germany)); Buettner, T. (Neurologische Klinik, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum Univ. (Germany)); Przuntek, H. (Neurologische Klinik, St. Josef Hospital, Bochum Univ. (Germany)); Reiners, C. (Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Nuklearmedizin, Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany))

    1993-02-01

    A 80-year old female presented with an early stage of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with clinical, neurophysiological and neuropathological findings suggesting a focal involvement of the brain. HMPAO SPECT disclosed asymmetries of regional cerebral perfusion, thus suggesting that it may be a further diagnostic instrument in this disease. (orig.)

  12. Efficient transmission and characterization of creutzfeldt-jakob disease strains in bank voles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available Transmission of prions between species is limited by the "species barrier," which hampers a full characterization of human prion strains in the mouse model. We report that the efficiency of primary transmission of prions from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients to a wild rodent species, the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus, is comparable to that reported in transgenic mice carrying human prion protein, in spite of a low prion protein-sequence homology between man and vole. Voles infected with sporadic and genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease isolates show strain-specific patterns of spongiform degeneration and pathological prion protein-deposition, and accumulate protease-resistant prion protein with biochemical properties similar to the human counterpart. Adaptation of genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease isolates to voles shows little or no evidence of a transmission barrier, in contrast to the striking barriers observed during transmission of mouse, hamster, and sheep prions to voles. Our results imply that in voles there is no clear relationship between the degree of homology of the prion protein of the donor and recipient species and susceptibility, consistent with the view that the prion strain gives a major contribution to the species barrier. The vole is therefore a valuable model to study human prion diversity and, being susceptible to a range of animal prions, represents a unique tool for comparing isolates from different species.

  13. Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in Slovak Patients: over 10-Year Period Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koscova, Silvia; Zakova Slivarichova, Dana; Tomeckova, Ivana; Melicherova, Katarina; Stelzer, Martin; Janakova, Alzbeta; Kosorinova, Dana; Belay, Girma; Mitrova, Eva

    2017-10-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare, but rapidly progressive, up to now untreatable and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Clinical diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is difficult; however, it can be facilitated by suitable biomarkers. Aim of the present study is to compare levels of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers (total tau protein, phosphorylated-tau protein, protein 14-3-3 and amyloid beta) in Slovak population of CJD suspect cases, retrospectively in over a 10-year period. One thousand three hundred sixty-four CSF samples from patients with suspect CJD, forming a homogenous group in terms of geographical as well as of equal transport conditions, storage and laboratory processing, were analysed. Definite diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was confirmed in 101 patients with genetic form, and 60 patients with its sporadic form of the disease. Specificity of protein 14-3-3 and total tau in both forms CJD was similar (87 % for P14-3-3/85 % for total tau), sensitivity to P 14-3-3 and total tau was higher in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) (90/95 %) than in genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (gCJD) (89/74 %). As expected, the total tau levels were significantly higher in CJD patients than in controls, but there was also significant difference between gCJD and sCJD (levels in gCJD were lower; p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in p-tau and Aβ 1-42 levels neither between both CJD forms nor between CJD patients and control group.

  14. Sequential MRI in a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tribl, G.G.; Zeitlhofer, J.; Asenbaum, S.; Wessely, P.; Strasser, G.; Prayer, D.; Jarius, C.

    2002-01-01

    A 48-year-old man suddenly developed clinically and electroencephalographically nonspecific dementia. On MRI sequences, only diffusion-weighted images (DWI) of the cortex were unequivocally pathological. Obvious atrophy and basal ganglia signal changes appeared only 9 months after the onset. Brain biopsy confirmed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In rapidly progressive dementia, we recommend DWI for early diagnosis of CJD. (orig.)

  15. Sequential MRI in a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tribl, G.G.; Zeitlhofer, J.; Asenbaum, S.; Wessely, P. [Universitaetsklinik fuer Neurologie, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Wien (Austria); Strasser, G.; Prayer, D. [Universitaetsklinik fuer Radiodiagnostik, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Wien (Austria); Jarius, C. [Klinisches Institut fuer Neurologie, Universitaet Wien (Austria)

    2002-03-01

    A 48-year-old man suddenly developed clinically and electroencephalographically nonspecific dementia. On MRI sequences, only diffusion-weighted images (DWI) of the cortex were unequivocally pathological. Obvious atrophy and basal ganglia signal changes appeared only 9 months after the onset. Brain biopsy confirmed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In rapidly progressive dementia, we recommend DWI for early diagnosis of CJD. (orig.)

  16. Detection of type 1 prion protein in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yull, H.M.; Ritchie, D.L.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Zijderveld, van F.G.; Bruce, M.E.; Ironside, J.W.; Head, M.W.

    2006-01-01

    Molecular typing of the abnormal form of the prion protein (PrPSc) has come to be regarded as a powerful tool in the investigation of the prion diseases. All evidence thus far presented indicates a single PrPSc molecular type in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (termed type 2B), presumably

  17. Diffusion MR imaging in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burcak Cakir Pekoz

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is a rare dementing disease and is thought to caused by a prion. It is characterized by rapidly progressive dementia, ataxia, myoclonus, akinetic mutism and eventual death. Brain biopsy or autopsy is required for a definitive diagnosis of CJD. Diffusion-weighted imaging became an important tool for early diagnosis of CJD because of the high sensitivity. We present 59-year-old female patient diagnosed as sporadic CJD with typical MR imagings. [Cukurova Med J 2014; 39(4.000: 880-883

  18. Related or not? Development of spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a patient with chronic, well-controlled HIV: A case report and review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babi, M-Alain; Kraft, Bryan D; Sengupta, Sweta; Peterson, Haley; Orgel, Ryan; Wegermann, Zachary; Lugogo, Njira L; Luedke, Matthew W

    2016-01-01

    We report a novel case of a rare disease: spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a patient with well-controlled HIV. We explore the relationship between spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and HIV. A 66-year-old man with long-standing, well-controlled HIV infection presented with 3 months of progressive, subacute neurocognitive decline. His symptoms included conceptual apraxia, apathy, memory impairment, and gait disturbance, and were initially attributed to depressive "pseudo-dementia." Unfortunately, the patient's symptoms rapidly progressed and he ultimately succumbed to his illness. Autopsy confirmed the clinical diagnosis of spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This case highlights spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a rare terminal illness in the setting of well-controlled chronic HIV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with chronic and previously well-controlled HIV infection dying from a prion disease. Despite the very different epidemiology and pathophysiology of HIV and spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, this case does raise questions of whether certain host genetic factors could predispose to both conditions, albeit currently, there is no clear causal link between HIV and spontaneous Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

  19. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Magnetic resonance imaging findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puvaneswary, M.; Floate, D.; Harper, C.

    1999-01-01

    Rapidly progressive dementia in an adult with findings of bilateral, symmetric high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences and normal findings on T1-weighted sequences predominantly in the deep grey matter is suggestive of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The peripheral cortex may be involved, as it was in the present case. The absence of subcortical periventricular white matter high signal intensity suggests that symmetric high signal intensities within the basal ganglia and cortical grey matter are more likely to be due to a degenerative process rather than due to ischaemia, infection or tumour. Copyright (1999) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

  20. Radiological assessment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tschampa, Henriette J.; Urbach, Horst [University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Bonn (Germany); Zerr, Inga [University of Goettingen, National Reference Center for TSE Surveillance at the Department of Neurology, Goettingen (Germany)

    2007-05-15

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare fatal neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by rapidly progressive dementia and neurological signs. There is a need for early and accurate clinical diagnosis in order to exclude any treatable disorder. Additionally, it is of public interest to differentiate the sporadic form of the disease from the variant CJD type (vCJD), which is probably transmitted from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). High signal in the striatum on T2-weighted, FLAIR and diffusion weighted (DW) MRI as well as cortical high signal in FLAIR and DW MRI are the classical findings in sCJD. The ''pulvinar sign'', defined as high signal in the pulvinar thalami that is brighter than potential additional high signal in the basal ganglia, is considered pathognomonic for vCJD. (orig.)

  1. Radiological assessment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tschampa, Henriette J.; Urbach, Horst; Zerr, Inga

    2007-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare fatal neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by rapidly progressive dementia and neurological signs. There is a need for early and accurate clinical diagnosis in order to exclude any treatable disorder. Additionally, it is of public interest to differentiate the sporadic form of the disease from the variant CJD type (vCJD), which is probably transmitted from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). High signal in the striatum on T2-weighted, FLAIR and diffusion weighted (DW) MRI as well as cortical high signal in FLAIR and DW MRI are the classical findings in sCJD. The ''pulvinar sign'', defined as high signal in the pulvinar thalami that is brighter than potential additional high signal in the basal ganglia, is considered pathognomonic for vCJD. (orig.)

  2. Serial computed tomography findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlenska, G.K.; Walter, G.F.

    1989-01-01

    Serial CT investigations of 3 patients with histologically confirmed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease revealed persisting slight brain atrophy to progressive extreme atrophy corresponding to the absolute, not the individual duration of illness. No correlation was observed between CT findings and the patients condition or electroencephalographic results. In one case with a duration of about 16 months and a terminal brain weight of 750 g a massive bilateral, later unilateral subdural hygroma appeared which probably was caused by retraction of the brain showing an enormous atrophy. (orig.)

  3. Serial computed tomography findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlenska, G.K.; Walter, G.F.

    1989-09-01

    Serial CT investigations of 3 patients with histologically confirmed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease revealed persisting slight brain atrophy to progressive extreme atrophy corresponding to the absolute, not the individual duration of illness. No correlation was observed between CT findings and the patients condition or electroencephalographic results. In one case with a duration of about 16 months and a terminal brain weight of 750 g a massive bilateral, later unilateral subdural hygroma appeared which probably was caused by retraction of the brain showing an enormous atrophy. (orig.).

  4. MRI evidence of cerebellar and hippocampal involvement in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poon, M.A. [Dept. of Neurology, Alfred Hospital, Victoria (Australia); Stuckey, S. [Dept. of Radiology, Alfred Hospital, Victoria (Australia); Storey, E. [Van Cleef Roet Centre for Nervous Diseases, Monash Univ., Victoria (Australia)

    2001-09-01

    We report a 51-year-old woman with the Brownell-Oppenheimer (cerebellar) variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). She had the typical findings of bilateral basal ganglion changes on MRI, as well as changes in the cerebellum and hippocampus. This case adds further information to the known imaging characteristics of CJD. (orig.)

  5. MRI evidence of cerebellar and hippocampal involvement in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poon, M.A.; Stuckey, S.; Storey, E.

    2001-01-01

    We report a 51-year-old woman with the Brownell-Oppenheimer (cerebellar) variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). She had the typical findings of bilateral basal ganglion changes on MRI, as well as changes in the cerebellum and hippocampus. This case adds further information to the known imaging characteristics of CJD. (orig.)

  6. Seizures in E200K familial and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appel, S; Chapman, J; Cohen, O S; Rosenmann, H; Nitsan, Z; Blatt, I

    2015-03-01

    Although seizures (other than myoclonus) are frequently reported in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), their frequency, clinical manifestations, and effect on the disease course is unknown. To characterize the frequency of seizures in E200K familial and sporadic CJD, to describe its semiology, EEG and MRI findings. In this retrospective study, we reviewed all patients with CJD who were seen in the Sheba Medical Center between the years 2003-2012 and underwent clinical evaluation, genetic testing, EEG and MRI studies. The diagnosis of seizures was carried out based on documentation of episodes consistent with seizures or episode of unresponsiveness correlated with ictal activity in EEG. Sixty-four probable patients with CJD were included in the study, 57 (89%) with E200K familial (fCJD) and 7 (11%) with sporadic (sCJD). Seizures occurred in 8 patients: 3 of 7 (43%) in patients with sCJD compared to 5/57 (9%) in patients with E200K fCJD (P = 0.04, chi-square test). Two of E200K fCJD patients with seizures had other non-prion etiologies for seizures (brain metastasis, known history of temporal lobe epilepsy which started 44 years before the diagnosis of CJD). Seizures occurred late in the course of the disease with an average of 12 days between the onset of seizures and death. Seizures in E200K fCJD were infrequent and occurred late in the disease course. This difference suggests that E200K fCJD represents a separate subtype of the disease with distinct clinical characteristics. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Case series of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a third-level hospital in Quito.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres Herrán, Germaine Eleanor; Ortega Herrera, Andrés Damián; Burbano, Braulio Martinez; Serrano-Dueñas, Marcos; Ortiz Yepez, María Angélica; Barrera Madera, Raúl Alberto; Masabanda Campaña, Luis Alfredo; Baño Jiménez, Guillermo David; Santos Saltos, Denny Maritza; Correa Díaz, Edgar Patricio

    2018-04-27

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects mammals and humans. The prevalence of this disease in the United States is 0.5 to 1 per million inhabitants. So far in Ecuador, we do not know what the prevalence or incidence is, and only one case report has been written. We present a case series of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a third-level hospital in Quito. The average age of symptom onset in our patients was 58.8 years. The male to female ratio was 1:1. Two patients began with cognitive/behavioral symptoms, while 4 patients began with focal neurological signs; 1 case with ataxia, 2 with gait disorders and 1 with vertigo and headache. All of the patients had the clinical features established by the World Health Organization. In addition, the entire cohort was positive for the 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid, and had high signal abnormalities in caudate and putamen nucleus in DWI and FLAIR IRM. Only in one case, did we reach a definitive diagnosis through a pathological study. All other cases had a probable diagnosis. In this series of cases, 6 out of 6 patients died. The average time from the onset of the symptoms to death in this cohort was 13 months. This is the first report of a series of cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Quito. Although definitive diagnosis must be histopathological, there are ancillary tests currently available that have allowed us to obtain a diagnosis of the disease.

  8. Epidemiology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Incidence. risk factors and sulVival in European studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.P.W.M. Wientjens (Dorothee)

    1997-01-01

    textabstractCREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE (CJO) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder with a highly interesting aetiology and potentially important public health implications. l In aetiological terms, CJD is one of the human prion diseases, characterised by rapid neurodegeneration leading to

  9. Risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a reanalysis of case-control studies.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D.P.W.M. Wientjens (Dorothee); Z. Davanipour; K. Kondo; W.B. Matthews; R.G. Will (Robert); C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia); A. Hofman (Albert)

    1996-01-01

    textabstractTo review the evidence for risk factors of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), we pooled and reanalyzed the raw data of three case-control studies. The pooled data set comprised 178 patients and 333 control subjects. The strength of association between CJD and putative risk factors was

  10. Beyond PrPres type 1/Type 2 dichotomy in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uro-Coste, E.; Cassard, H.; Simon, S.; Lugan, S.; Bilheude, J.M.; Perret-Liaudet, A.; Ironside, J.E.; Haik, S.; Basset-Leobon, C.; Lacroux, C.; Peoch, K.; Streichenberger, N.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Head, M.W.; Grassi, J.; Hauw, J.J.; Schelcher, F.; Delisle, M.B.; Andreoletti, O.

    2008-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases are currently subclassified according to the methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP gene and the proteinase K (PK) digested abnormal prion protein (PrPres) identified on Western blotting (type 1 or type 2). These biochemically distinct

  11. Influence of timing on CSF tests value for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Sanchez-Juan (Pascual); R. Sánchez-Valle (Raquel); A. Green (Alison); A. Ladogana (Anna); N. Cuadrado-Corrales (Natividad); E. Mitrová (Eva); K. Stoeck (Katharina); T. Sklaviadis (Theodoros); J. Kulczycki (Jerzy); K. Hess; A. Krasnianski (Anna); M. Equestre; D. Slivarichová; A. Saiz (Albert Abe); M. Calero (Miguel); M. Pocchiari (Maurizio); R.S.G. Knight (Richard); P. Tikka-Kleemola (Päivi); I. Zerr (Inga)

    2007-01-01

    textabstractBackground: The analysis of markers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is useful in the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). However, the time at which the study of these markers is most sensitive remains controversal. Objective: To assess the influence of time of

  12. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Magnetic resonance imaging findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puvaneswary, M.; Floate, D. [John Hunter Hospital, NewCastle, NSW (Australia). Departments of Medical Imaging and Neurology; Harper, C. [Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW (Australia). Department of Neuropathology

    1999-02-01

    Rapidly progressive dementia in an adult with findings of bilateral, symmetric high signal intensity on T2-weighted sequences and normal findings on T1-weighted sequences predominantly in the deep grey matter is suggestive of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The peripheral cortex may be involved, as it was in the present case. The absence of subcortical periventricular white matter high signal intensity suggests that symmetric high signal intensities within the basal ganglia and cortical grey matter are more likely to be due to a degenerative process rather than due to ischaemia, infection or tumour. Copyright (1999) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd 17 refs., 6 figs.

  13. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease 38 years after diagnostic use of human growth hormone

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E.A. Croes (Esther); F. Forey; G.H. Jansen; P.C. Nijssen; C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia)

    2002-01-01

    textabstractA 47 year old man is described who developed pathology proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) 38 years after receiving a low dose of human derived growth hormone (hGH) as part of a diagnostic procedure. The patient presented with a cerebellar syndrome, which is compatible with iatrogenic

  14. Clinical radiological correlation in E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Oren S; Chapman, Joab; Korczyn, Amos D; Siaw, Oliver L; Warman-Alaluf, Naama; Nitsan, Zeev; Appel, Shmuel; Kahana, Esther; Rosenmann, Hanna; Hoffmann, Chen

    2016-12-01

    The use of diffusion MRI improved the accuracy of diagnosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and expanded our knowledge of the changes occurring in the brain during the disease. The aim of this study was to test whether in patients with E200K familial CJD (fCJD) the clinical severity correlates with the disease burden as reflected by the extent of cortical involvement in DWI MRI. Consecutive fCJD patients were examined by a neurologist who performed several tests including the CJD neurological scale (CJD-NS), MiniMental status examination (MMSE), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). A simultaneously acquired MRI was analyzed by measuring the extent of cortical involvement in the DWI axial sequence. Correlations were tested for using Pearson test. Fifty-two fCJD patients (35 males, mean age 59.4 ± 5.7 years) were recruited to the study. Significant negative correlation was found between the extent of cortical involvement and the cognitive performance of the patients as reflected by their MMSE and FAB scores. In addition, a significant positive correlation was found between the MRI and the clinical disease severity scales CJD-NS and EDSS. The correlation between clinical scales of severity and cognitive dysfunction and the disease burden confirms the reliability of the CJD-NS scale. Further studies are warranted to examine whether MRI may serve not only for diagnosis but also as a biomarker for follow-up of disease progression and the efficacy of potential treatments.

  15. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with Mixed Transcortical Aphasia: Insights into Echolalia

    OpenAIRE

    McPherson, S. E.; Kuratani, J. D.; Cummings, J. L.; Shih, J.; Mischel, P. S.; Vinters, H. V.

    1994-01-01

    Aphasia is a common manifestation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and investigation of the linguistic disorders of CJD patients may provide insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of language and aphasia. We report an autopsy-confirmed case of CJD in which the presenting symptom was change in language abilities. The patient ultimately evidenced mixed transcortical aphasia (MTA) with echolalia. Disruption of frontal-subcortical circuits with environmental dependency accounts for the s...

  16. Agraphia of Kanji (Chinese characters): an early symptom of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a Japanese patient: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Keiko; Sakai, Kenji; Samuraki, Miharu; Nozaki, Ichiro; Notoya, Masako; Yamada, Masahito

    2014-08-06

    Slowly progressive cognitive decline is the most frequent initial manifestation in MM2-cortical-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Agraphia has never been noted in patients with this type of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, however, we report the case of a Japanese patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in whom agraphia of Kanji was an initial cardinal symptom. A 59-year-old right-handed Japanese woman complained of agraphia of Kanji (Chinese characters) as an initial symptom. A neurological examination revealed mild word-finding difficulty, constructive disturbance, hyperreflexia in her jaw and lower limbs, and bilateral extensor plantar reflexes. An examination of her cerebrospinal fluid revealed increased levels of 14-3-3 and total tau proteins, and abnormal conformation of the proteinase K-resistant prion protein. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse hyperintensity in bilateral cerebral cortices. Single-photon emission computed tomography scans revealed hypoperfusion in the left temporal lobe, bilateral parietal and occipital lobes. An analysis of the prion protein gene demonstrated no mutation with homozygous for methionine at the codon 129. We diagnosed our patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Although a histological examination was not performed, it was assumed that our patient could be the MM2-cortical type according to the clinical findings and the elevated levels of 14-3-3 protein in her cerebrospinal fluid. The left posterior inferior temporal area, which was affected in our patient as a hypoperfusion area, is associated with selecting and recalling Kanji characters. Focal signs as an early symptom and hypoperfusion areas in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are critical to recognize initial brain lesions damaged by the proteinase K-resistant prion protein accumulation.

  17. Prion Strain Characterization of a Novel Subtype of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galeno, Roberta; Di Bari, Michele Angelo; Nonno, Romolo; Cardone, Franco; Sbriccoli, Marco; Graziano, Silvia; Ingrosso, Loredana; Fiorini, Michele; Valanzano, Angelina; Pasini, Giulia; Poleggi, Anna; Vinci, Ramona; Ladogana, Anna; Puopolo, Maria; Monaco, Salvatore; Agrimi, Umberto; Zanusso, Gianluigi; Pocchiari, Maurizio

    2017-06-01

    In 2007, we reported a patient with an atypical form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) heterozygous for methionine-valine (MV) at codon 129 who showed a novel pathological prion protein (PrP TSE ) conformation with an atypical glycoform (AG) profile and intraneuronal PrP deposition. In the present study, we further characterize the conformational properties of this pathological prion protein (PrP TSE MV AG ), showing that PrP TSE MV AG is composed of multiple conformers with biochemical properties distinct from those of PrP TSE type 1 and type 2 of MV sporadic CJD (sCJD). Experimental transmission of CJD-MV AG to bank voles and gene-targeted transgenic mice carrying the human prion protein gene (TgHu mice) showed unique transmission rates, survival times, neuropathological changes, PrP TSE deposition patterns, and PrP TSE glycotypes that are distinct from those of sCJD-MV1 and sCJD-MV2. These biochemical and experimental data suggest the presence of a novel prion strain in CJD-MV AG IMPORTANCE Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is caused by the misfolding of the cellular prion protein, which assumes two different major conformations (type 1 and type 2) and, together with the methionine/valine polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein gene, contribute to the occurrence of distinct clinical-pathological phenotypes. Inoculation in laboratory rodents of brain tissues from the six possible combinations of pathological prion protein types with codon 129 genotypes results in the identification of 3 or 4 strains of prions. We report on the identification of a novel strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease isolated from a patient who carried an abnormally glycosylated pathological prion protein. This novel strain has unique biochemical characteristics, does not transmit to humanized transgenic mice, and shows exclusive transmission properties in bank voles. The identification of a novel human prion strain improves our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and of

  18. Transmissible familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with five, seven, and eight extra octapeptide coding repeats in the PRNP gene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldfarb, L.G.; Brown, P.; McCombie, W.R.; Gibbs, C.J. Jr.; Gajdusek, D.C. (National Inst. of Health, Bethesda, MD (United States)); Goldgaber, D. (State Univ. of New York, Stony Brook (United States)); Swergold, G.D. (National Inst. of Health, Bethesda, MD (United States)); Wills, P.R. (Univ. of Auckland (New Zealand)); Cervenakova, L. (Inst. of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)); Baron, H. (Searle Pharmaceuticals, Paris (France))

    1991-12-01

    The PRNP gene, encoding the amyloid precursor protein that is centrally involved in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), has an unstable region of five variant tandem octapeptide coding repeats between codons 51 and 91. The authors screened a total of 535 individuals for the presence of extra repeats in this region, including patients with sporadic and familial forms of spongiform encephalopathy, members of their families, other neurological and non-neurological patients, and normal controls. They identified three CJD families (in each of which the proband's disease was neuropathologically confirmed and experimentally transmitted to primates) that were heterozygous for alleles with 10, 12, or 13 repeats, some of which had wobble nucleotide substitutions. They also found one individual with 9 repeats and no nucleotide substitutions who had no evidence of neurological disease. These observations, together with data on published British patients with 11 and 14 repeats, strongly suggest that the occurrence of 10 or more octapeptide repeats in the encoded amyloid precursor protein predisposes to CJD.

  19. Positive 14-3-3 and tau proteins in a sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease case and a brief perspective of prion diseases in Colombia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escandón-Vargas, Kevin; Zorrilla-Vaca, Andrés; Corral-Prado, Raúl Heli

    2016-02-24

    Prion diseases are rare neurodegenerative disorders occurring worldwide and affecting both humans and animals. Herein, we present the case of a patient diagnosed with definite sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Cali, Colombia. Besides neurological examination, 14-3-3 and tau proteins were valuable tools supporting the diagnosis. We also present a brief perspective of the prion diseases reported in Colombia to date. Although the incidence of prion diseases is unknown in Colombia, our literature review revealed that one case of scrapie in 1981 and 29 human sporadic cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been documented and published in our country.

  20. CSF tau correlates with the degree of cortical involvement in E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Oren S; Chapman, Joab; Korczyn, Amos D; Siaw, Oliver L; Warman-Alaluf, Naama; Nitsan, Zeev; Appel, Shmuel; Kahana, Esther; Rosenmann, Hanna; Hoffmann, Chen

    2016-11-10

    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau was found to correlate with disease severity and cognitive status in E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD) patients. The objective of the present study was to test whether tau levels in the CSF also correlate with the disease burden as reflected by the degree of cortical involvement in DWI MRI. Forty-four consecutive E200K fCJD patients (25 males, mean age 58.6±7.5, range 48-75 years) were recruited to the study and had a CSF tau examination as well as measurements of the extent of the cortical involvement in the DWI axial MRI. Correlation was tested using Pearson test. A significant correlation (r=0.617 pdisease burden reinforce the notion that tau can be used as a biomarker reflecting the extent of disease in patients with E200K fCJD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker supported diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and rapid dementias: a longitudinal multicentre study over 10 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoeck, Katharina; Sanchez-Juan, Pascual; Gawinecka, Joanna; Green, Alison; Ladogana, Anna; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Sanchez-Valle, Raquel; Mitrova, Eva; Sklaviadis, Theodor; Kulczycki, Jerzy; Slivarichova, Dana; Saiz, Albert; Calero, Miguel; Knight, Richard; Aguzzi, Adriano; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Peoc'h, Katell; Schelzke, Gabi; Karch, Andre; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Zerr, Inga

    2012-10-01

    To date, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, particularly protein 14-3-3 testing, presents an important approach in the identification of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cases. However, one special point of criticism of 14-3-3 testing is the specificity in the differential diagnosis of rapid dementia. The constant observation of increased cerebrospinal fluid referrals in the national surveillance centres over the last years raises the concern of declining specificity due to higher number of cerebrospinal fluid tests performed in various neurological conditions. Within the framework of a European Community supported longitudinal multicentre study ('cerebrospinal fluid markers') we analysed the spectrum of rapid progressive dementia diagnoses, their potential influence on 14-3-3 specificity as well as results of other dementia markers (tau, phosphorylated tau and amyloid-β(1-42)) and evaluated the specificity of 14-3-3 in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnosis for the years 1998-2008. A total of 29 022 cerebrospinal fluid samples were analysed for 14-3-3 protein and other cerebrospinal fluid dementia markers in patients with rapid dementia and suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the participating centres. In 10 731 patients a definite diagnosis could be obtained. Protein 14-3-3 specificity was analysed for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with respect to increasing cerebrospinal fluid tests per year and spectrum of differential diagnosis. Ring trials were performed to ensure the comparability between centres during the reported time period. Protein 14-3-3 test specificity remained high and stable in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease during the observed time period across centres (total specificity 92%; when compared with patients with definite diagnoses only: specificity 90%). However, test specificity varied with respect to differential diagnosis. A high 14-3-3 specificity was obtained in differentiation to other neurodegenerative diseases (95-97%) and non

  2. Unusual Phenotype of the Brownell-Oppenheimer Variant of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dronacharya Lamichhane

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare, transmissible, neurodegenerative disease caused by conformationally changed abnormal prion protein. Most patients present with cognitive impairment, myoclonus, ataxia, visual impairment alone or in combination. Patients who present with ataxia only at the onset are said to have Brownell-Oppenheimer variant of the disease. However, here we present a case where visual symptoms preceded the clinical presentation and hallucinations accompanied the ataxia at the onset of the disease.

  3. Determination of neuronal antibodies in suspected and definite Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    OpenAIRE

    Grau-Rivera, O.; Sánchez del Valle Díaz, Raquel; Saiz Hinajeros, Albert; Molinuevo, José L.; Bernabé, Reyes; Munteis, Elvira; Pujadas, Francesc; Salvador, Antoni; Saura, Júlia; Ugarte, Antonio; Titulaer, Maarten; Dalmau Obrador, Josep; Graus Ribas, Francesc

    2014-01-01

    IMPORTANCE Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and autoimmune encephalitis with antibodies against neuronal surface antigens (NSA-abs) may present with similar clinical features. Establishing the correct diagnosis has practical implications in the management of care for these patients. OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of NSA-abs in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with suspected CJD and in patients with pathologically confirmed (ie, definite) CJD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A mixed ...

  4. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: the value of MRI; Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Krankheit: Stellenwert der MRT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urbach, H.; Tschampa, H.J.; Keller, E.; Schild, H.H. [Radiologische Klinik, Neuroradiologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Univ. Bonn (Germany); Paus, S. [Neurologische Klinik, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Univ. Bonn (Germany)

    2001-06-01

    To define the role of MRI in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: 14 patients with suspected CJD were studied within 3 years. MRI findings were correlated with WHO established diagnostic criteria (clinical findings, EEG, CSF with 14-3-3 protein assay). Results: 12 patients had CJD. One patient each suffered from Hashimoto's encephalitis and ALS dementia complex, respectively. Nine of 12 CJD patients had increased signal intensity of the striatum (n = 8), pulvinar thalami (n = 5) and/or cerebellar and cerebral cortex (n = 3), respectively. Signal intensity was most pronounced on FLAIR sequences; six patients were studied with diffusion-weighted MRI and showed impaired diffusion in these areas. Both patients without CJD did not show the abovementioned signal changes (sensitivity 75%, specificity and positive predictive value 100%, respectively). Conclusion: If patients with suspected CJD are studied with FLAIR and diffusion-weighted sequences, this disorder can reliably be proven or ruled out. Typical MRI findings narrow down the differential diagnosis and should be included in the WHO diagnostic criteria. (orig.) [German] Bestimmung des Stellenwerts der MRT in der Diagnostik der Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Krankheit (CJK). Methoden: Analyse der MRTs von 14 innerhalb von drei Jahren mit Verdacht auf CJK zugewiesenen Patienten. Korrelation der MRTs mit den entsprechend den WHO-Diagnosekriterien etablierten Untersuchungsverfahren (Klinik, EEG, Liquor mit 14-3-3 Protein-Nachweis). Ergebnisse: 12 Patienten hatten eine CJK, jeweils ein Patient hatte eine Hashimoto-Enzephalitis bzw. einen ALS-Demenz-Komplex. Bei 9 der 12 CJK-Patienten fanden sich beidseits Signalerhoehungen des Striatum (n = 8), des Pulvinar thalami (n = 5) und/oder des Kleinhirn- bzw. Grosshirnkortex (n = 3). Die Signalerhoehungen waren am deutlichsten auf FLAIR-Aufnahmen erkennbar; 6 mit diffusionsgewichteter MRT untersuchte Patienten wiesen eine eingeschraenkte Diffusion dieser Areale

  5. Codon 219 polymorphism of PRNP in healthy caucasians and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petraroli, R.; Pocchiari, M. [Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome (Italy)

    1996-04-01

    A number of point and insert mutations of the PrP gene (PRNP) have been linked to familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). Moreover, the methionine/valine homozygosity at the polymorphic codon 129 of PRNP may cause a predisposition to sporadic and iatrogenic CJD or may control the age at onset of familial cases carrying either the 144-bp insertion or codon 178, codon 198, and codon 210 pathogenic mutations in PRNP. In addition, the association of methionine or valine at codon 129 and the point mutation at codon 178 on the same allele seem to play an important role in determining either fatal familial insomnia or CJD. However, it is noteworthy that a relationship between codon 129 polymorphism and accelerated pathogenesis (early age at onset or shorter duration of the disease) has not been seen in familial CJD patients with codon 200 mutation or in GSS patients with codon 102 mutation, arguing that other, as yet unidentified, gene products or environmental factors, or both, may influence the clinical expression of these diseases. 17 refs.

  6. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and lyophilised dura mater grafts: report of two cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esmonde, T; Lueck, C J; Symon, L; Duchen, L W; Will, R G

    1993-01-01

    Two further cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in association with cadaveric dura mater grafts are described. The clinical features of all such reported cases resemble more closely those of sporadic CJD, in contrast with kuru and the cases of CJD which have arisen after therapy with human pituitary-derived growth hormone. This observation may reflect the route of inoculation of the agent. PMID:8410042

  7. Unusual presentations in patients with E200K familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, O S; Kimiagar, I; Korczyn, A D; Nitsan, Z; Appel, S; Hoffmann, C; Rosenmann, H; Kahana, E; Chapman, J

    2016-05-01

    Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD) in Jews of Libyan ancestry is caused by an E200K mutation in the PRNP gene. The typical presenting symptoms include cognitive decline, behavioral changes and gait disturbances; however, some patients may have an unusual presentation such as a stroke-like presentation, alien hand syndrome or visual disturbances. The aim of this paper is to describe uncommon presentations in our series of consecutive patients with E200K fCJD. The study group included consecutive fCJD patients followed up as part of a longitudinal prospective study ongoing since 2003 or hospitalized since 2005. The clinical diagnosis of probable CJD was based on accepted diagnostic criteria and supported by typical magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalographic findings, elevated cerebrospinal fluid tau protein levels and by genetic testing for the E200K mutation. Disease symptoms and signs were retrieved from the medical files. The study population included 77 patients (42 men) with a mean age of disease onset of 60.6 ± 7.2 years. The most prevalent presenting symptoms were cognitive decline followed by gait impairment and behavioral changes. However, six patients had an unusual presentation including auditory agnosia, monoparesis, stroke-like presentation, facial nerve palsy, pseudobulbar syndrome and alien hand syndrome. Our case series illustrates the wide phenotypic variability of the clinical presentation of patients with fCJD and widens the clinical spectrum of the disease. A high level of clinical suspicion may prove useful in obtaining early diagnosis and therefore avoiding costly and inefficient diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. © 2016 EAN.

  8. A genome wide association study links glutamate receptor pathway to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease risk

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Sanchez-Juan (Pascual); M.T. Bishop (Matthew); G.G. Kovacs (Gabor); M. Calero (Miguel); Y.S. Aulchenko (Yurii); A. Ladogana (Anna); A. Boyd (Alison); V. Lewis (Victoria); C. Ponto (Claudia); Calero, O. (Olga); A. Poleggi (Anna); A. Carracedo (Angel); S.J. van der Lee (Sven); T. Ströbel (Thomas); F. Rivadeneira Ramirez (Fernando); A. Hofman (Albert); S. Haik; O. Combarros (Onofre); J. Berciano (José); A.G. Uitterlinden (André); S.J. Collins (Steven); H. Budka (Herbert); J-P. Brandel (Jean-Philippe); J.-L. Laplanche (Jean-Louis); M. Pocchiari (Maurizio); I. Zerr (Inga); R. Knight (Richard); R.G. Will (Robert); C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia)

    2015-01-01

    textabstractWe performed a genome-wide association (GWA) study in 434 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) patients and 1939 controls from the United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands. The findings were replicated in an independent sample of 1109 sCJD and 2264 controls provided by a

  9. Imaging and clinical characteristics of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HAN Shun-chang

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Five patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD presented rapidly progressive dementia which were subacute onset from 1 to 4 months. Among these cases, periodic synchronous discharge (PSD of electroencephalography (EEG was seen in 2 patients. Besides, 4 patients obtained positive results in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF analysis for 14-3-3 protein. The cranial MRI examination showed symmetrical or asymmetrical colored-ribbon-shaped high signals in cerebral cortex or basal ganglia by diffusion weighted imaging (DWI, suggesting that DWI had high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of sCJD as a preferred method in the clinical examination of sCJD.

  10. Doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob: a propósito de um caso com comprometimento medular Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: case report with spinal cord involvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlos Fábio Alves de Azevedo

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available A doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (DCJ é a encefalopatia espongiforme subaguda transmissível mais frequente nos seres humanos. Aproximadamente 85% dos casos pertencem à forma esporádica da doença. Os outros 15% consistem na forma genética e iatrogênica. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente com a forma esporádica da doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, com comprometimento medular e apresentação clínica caracterizada por síndrome demencial e cerebelar, miofasciculação com arreflexia difusa e crises convulsivas do tipo tônico-clônico generalizada. É rara a associação das duas últimas manifestações clínicas. O caso foi considerado como provável DCJ até confirmação por autópsia e imunohistoquímica. Concluímos que se deve sempre pensar na DCJ em pacientes que apresentam demência rapidamente progressiva e, na ausência de sinais piramidais ou extrapiramidais, pensar em acometimento periférico e/ou medular.Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is the most common subacute transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Approximately 85% of the cases are sporadic. The remaining 15% consist of genetic and iatrogenic forms. We report a sporadic form of CJD with spinal cord involvement and a clinical manifestation characterized by dementia and cerebellar syndrome, myofasciculation with absent reflexes and seizures. The two last manifestations are rare. The clinical hypothesis was probable CJD which was confirmed with autopsy and immunohistochemistry. We conclude that CJD should always be suspected when rapidly progressive dementia occurs and the absence of pyramidal or extrapyramidal signs suggest a spinal cord and/or peripheral nerve involvement.

  11. The association of neuroleptic sensitivity in Lewy body disease with a false positive clinical diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lemstra, A. W.; Schoenmaker, N.; Rozemuller-Kwakkel, A. J. M.; van Gool, W. A.

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) share clinical features like cognitive decline, motor disturbances en psychiatric symptoms. Overlapping symptoms may cause physicians to mistake DLB for CJD. METHODS: Clinical data of 12 patients with autopsy-confirmed

  12. Nosocomial transmission of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: results from a risk-based assessment of surgical interventions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Pedro-Cuesta, Jesús; Mahillo-Fernández, Ignacio; Rábano, Alberto

    2011-01-01

    Evidence of surgical transmission of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) remains debatable in part due to misclassification of exposure levels. In a registry-based case-control study, the authors applied a risk-based classification of surgical interventions to determine the association...

  13. Anesthetic management in patients suspected of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -A case report-.

    Science.gov (United States)

    In, Chi Bum; Choi, Young Sil; Park, Eun Young; Chang, Dong Jin; Lee, Soo Kyung; Choi, Hyun; Moon, Hyun Soo

    2011-09-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in which accumulation of the pathogenic prion protein induces neuronal damage and results in distinct pathologic features. This abnormal prion is an infectious protein and resistant to methods of sterilization currently being used. Therefore, management of definite, or suspected CJD patients requires additional precautions. We report our experience of a patient who had undergone brain biopsy for suspected of CJD. The patient was confirmed to have sporadic CJD.

  14. Early pathology in sleep studies of patients with familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Givaty, Gili; Maggio, Nicola; Cohen, Oren S; Blatt, Ilan; Chapman, Joab

    2016-10-01

    In this study, we aimed to assess sleep function in patients with recent-onset familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD). The largest cluster of fCJD patients is found in Jews of Libyan origin, linked to the prion protein gene (PRNP) E200K mutation. The high index of suspicion in these patients often leads to early diagnosis, with complaints of insomnia being a very common presenting symptom of the disease. The study included 10 fCJD patients diagnosed by clinical manifestations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain, elevated tau protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and positive PRNP E200K mutation. Standard polysomnography was performed after a brief interview confirming the presence of sleep disturbances. All patients showed a pathological sleep pattern according to all scoring evaluation settings. The sleep stages were characterized by (i) disappearance of sleep spindles; (ii) outbursts of periodic sharp waves and shallowing of sleep consisting in increased Stage 2 and wake periods during the night, as well as decrease of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Recordings of respiratory functions reported irregular breathing with central and obstructive apnea and hypopnea. The typical hypotonia occurring during the night and atonia during REM sleep were replaced by hyperactive sleep consisting of multiple jerks, movements and parasomnia (mainly talking) throughout the night. In conclusion, we report unique pathological sleep patterns in early fCJD associated with the E200K mutation. Specific respiratory disturbances and lack of atonia could possibly serve as new, early diagnostic tools in the disease. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

  15. Recent US Case of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease-Global Implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maheshwari, Atul; Fischer, Michael; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Parker, Alicia; Ram, Aarthi; Soto, Claudio; Concha-Marambio, Luis; Cohen, Yvonne; Belay, Ermias D; Maddox, Ryan A; Mead, Simon; Goodman, Clay; Kass, Joseph S; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Hussein, Haitham M

    2015-05-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a rare, fatal prion disease resulting from transmission to humans of the infectious agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. We describe the clinical presentation of a recent case of vCJD in the United States and provide an update on diagnostic testing. The location of this patient's exposure is less clear than those in the 3 previously reported US cases, but strong evidence indicates that exposure to contaminated beef occurred outside the United States more than a decade before illness onset. This case exemplifies the persistent risk for vCJD acquired in unsuspected geographic locations and highlights the need for continued global surveillance and awareness to prevent further dissemination of vCJD.

  16. The value of magnetic resonance imaging in the early diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – own experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bekiesińska-Figatowska, Monika; Kuczyńska-Zardzewiały, Arleta; Pomianowska, Barbara; Kajdana, Katarzyna; Szpak, Grażyna M.; Iwanowska, Beata; Mądzik, Jarosław

    2012-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare progressive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by the deposition of the pathological isoform of prion protein PrPsc in the central nervous system. The classic triad of symptoms consists of: rapidly progressive dementia, myoclonus and typical electroencephalographic findings (intermittent rhythmic delta activity and periodic sharp wave complexes). Detection of 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid plays an important diagnostic role as well. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain have been recently incorporated into the diagnostic criteria of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. MR examinations were performed in a 65-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman with delusional disorder and cognitive dysfunction, respectively. Diffusion restriction (hyperintense signal in DWI) was shown in the cortex of the left parietal and occipital lobe in the first patient and symmetrically in the cortex of both cerebral hemispheres except for precentral gyri in the second one. In both cases, the first examinations were misread, with the suspicion of ischemic infarcts as the first differential diagnosis. Consultations and subsequent MR examinations in which lesions in subcortical nuclei appeared allowed for a diagnosis of probable CJD. In the first case it was confirmed by clinical picture, EEG and finally – autopsy. In the second case, EEG was not typical for CJD but the clinical course of the disease confirmed that diagnosis. The authors present the cases of two patients with characteristic MR images that allowed early diagnosis of probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease before the characteristic clinical picture appeared. Early diagnosis is nowadays important for the prevention of disease transmission and in the future – hopefully – for early treatment

  17. Diagnostic profiles of patients with late-onset Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease differ from those of younger Creutzfeldt-Jakob patients: a historical cohort study using data from the German National Reference Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karch, André; Raddatz, Lena Maria; Ponto, Claudia; Hermann, Peter; Summers, David; Zerr, Inga

    2014-05-01

    In contrast to other neurodegenerative diseases, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is rarely diagnosed in patients older than 75 years. Data describing the characteristics of sCJD in the very old are rare and inconclusive. Therefore, a historical cohort study was designed to evaluate clinical, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of this group. Patients older than 75 years identified via the German surveillance program from 2001 to 2012 (n = 73) were compared to a random subsample of sCJD patients younger than 75 (n = 73) from the same time period using an historical cohort design. Older patients showed a faster disease progression represented by an earlier point of diagnosis and a shorter survival time (p disease, older patients presented slightly more often with dementia (p = 0.127) or dysarthria (p = 0.238), whereas disorders of the extrapyramidal (p = 0.056) and visual system (p = 0.015) were more common in the younger group. Atypical MRI profiles such as MRI lesions restricted to one hemisphere (p Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cases in patients older than 75 years seems likely due to atypical clinical and radiological presentation. This might contribute to lower sCJD incidence rates in this age group.

  18. The diagnostic efficiency of biomarkers in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease compared to Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahl, Justyna Maria Czarna; Heegaard, Niels Henrik Helweg; Falkenhorst, Gerhard

    2009-01-01

    ) together with the prion protein gene genotype to discriminate patients with sCJD (n=21) from neurological controls (n=164) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (n=49). Low p-tau/t-tau ratio was the best single marker for sCJD with 90% specificity against neurological controls at 86% sensitivity whilst NSE......Laboratory markers have a prominent place among the diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Here we investigate the capability of protein 14-3-3, total-tau (t-tau), threonin-181-phosphorylated tau (p-tau), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF...

  19. Biochemical features of genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with valine-to-isoleucine substitution at codon 180 on the prion protein gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ito, Yoko; Sanjo, Nobuo; Hizume, Masaki; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Ohgami, Tetsuya; Satoh, Katsuya; Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi; Yamada, Masahito; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Mizusawa, Hidehiro; Yokota, Takanori

    2018-02-19

    Valine-to-isoleucine substitution at codon 180 of the prion protein gene is only observed in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and accounts for approximately half of all cases of genetic prion disease in Japan. In the present study, we investigated the biochemical characteristics of valine-to-isoleucine substitution at codon 180 in the prion protein gene, using samples obtained from the autopsied brains of seven patients with genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease exhibiting this mutation (diagnoses confirmed via neuropathological examination). Among these patients, we observed an absence of diglycosylated and monoglycosylated forms of PrP res at codon 181. Our findings further indicated that the abnormal prion proteins were composed of at least three components, although smaller carboxyl-terminal fragments were predominant. Western blot analyses revealed large amounts of PrP res in the cerebral neocortices, where neuropathological examination revealed marked spongiosis. Relatively smaller amounts of PrP res were detected in the hippocampus, where milder spongiosis was observed, than in the cerebral neocortex. These findings indicate that abnormal prion proteins in the neocortex are associated with severe toxicity, resulting in severe spongiosis. Our findings further indicate that the valine-to-isoleucine substitution is not a polymorphism, but rather an authentic pathogenic mutation associated with specific biochemical characteristics that differ from those observed in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Similarities of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Strain in Mother and Son in Spain to UK Reference Case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diack, Abigail B; Boyle, Aileen; Ritchie, Diane; Plinston, Chris; Kisielewski, Dorothy; de Pedro-Cuesta, Jesús; Rábano, Alberto; Will, Robert G; Manson, Jean C

    2017-09-01

    We investigated transmission characteristics of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a mother and son from Spain. Despite differences in patient age and disease manifestations, we found the same strain properties in these patients as in UK vCJD cases. A single strain of agent appears to be responsible for all vCJD cases to date.

  1. Progressive fatal dementia (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) in a patient who received homograft tissue for tympanic membrane closure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tange, R. A.; Troost, D.; Limburg, M.

    1990-01-01

    We report the case history of a 54-year-old man who developed a fatal neurological disorder 4 years after a successful tympanoplasty with homograft pericardium. The final diagnosis of this case was Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This infectious spongiform encephalopathy is probably caused by a slow

  2. Risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease via blood and blood products. The French risk-analysis over the last 15 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, M; Trouvin, J-H

    2013-09-01

    Risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (infectious agent, responsible of spongiform encephalopathy) via blood and blood components (including the plasma-derived medicinal products such as coagulation factors and immunoglobulins) have been a subject of concern for Health authorities since the early 1980s, with a regain of interest in the 1990s, with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy outbreak followed few years after with the notification of the first cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. The risk-analysis and measures taken by the French authorities in the period 1990-2010 will be described with the various assumptions and working hypothesis used and revisited as new findings become available. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. Polymorphisms in the prion protein gene and in the doppel gene increase susceptibility for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E.A. Croes (Esther); B.Z. Alizadeh (Behrooz); A.M. Bertoli Avella (Aida); T.A.M. Rademaker (Tessa); J. Vergeer-Drop (Jeannette); B. Dermaut (Bart); J.J. Houwing-Duistermaat (Jeanine); D.P.W.M. Wientjens (Dorothee); A. Hofman (Albert); C. van Broeckhoven (Christine); C.M. van Duijn (Cornelia)

    2004-01-01

    textabstractThe prion protein gene (PRNP) plays a central role in the origin of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), but there is growing interest in other polymorphisms that may be involved in CJD. Polymorphisms upstream of PRNP that may modulate the prion protein production as well as polymorphisms in

  4. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with mixed transcortical aphasia: insights into echolalia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McPherson, S E; Kuratani, J D; Cummings, J L; Shih, J; Mischel, P S; Vinters, H V

    1994-01-01

    Aphasia is a common manifestation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and investigation of the linguistic disorders of CJD patients may provide insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of language and aphasia. We report an autopsy-confirmed case of CJD in which the presenting symptom was change in language abilities. The patient ultimately evidenced mixed transcortical aphasia (MTA) with echolalia. Disruption of frontal-subcortical circuits with environmental dependency accounts for the symptoms in MTA, including intact repetition and echolalia. Observation in this patient and a review of the literature suggest that frontal-subcortical circuit dysfunction may contribute to the syndrome of echolalia. This hypothesis offers an alternative explanation to "isolation" of the speech area as the cause of MTA.

  5. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease-Like Periodic Sharp Wave Complexes in Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel-Complex Antibodies Encephalitis: A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savard, Martin; Irani, Sarosh R; Guillemette, Annie; Gosselin-Lefebvre, Stéphanie; Geschwind, Michael; Jansen, Gerard H; Gould, Peter V; Laforce, Robert

    2016-02-01

    Voltage-gated potassium channel-complex antibodies (VGKC-cAbs) encephalitis, a treatable autoantibody encephalopathy, has been previously reported to clinically mimic sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Among available clinical clues to distinguish them, periodic sharp wave complexes, a typical finding in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, have never been reported in association with VGKC-cAbs encephalitis. A 76-year-old man was transferred to a tertiary neurology center with a clinical history of 6-month weight loss, cognitive disturbance, and nonspecific generalized weakness. He had two seizures the month before transfer and then evolved to severe encephalopathy, requiring mechanical ventilation. Periodic sharp wave complexes every 1 to 2 seconds over slowed background were found on EEG, and MRI showed cerebellar and bifrontal cortical T2/FLAIR/DWI hypersignal without restricted diffusion on ADC mapping. Pancorporal positron emission tomography scan was negative. An immunotherapy trial did not improve the patient condition. Therefore, he died after life support withdrawal. Brain autopsy revealed mononuclear neocortex infiltrate without significant spongiosis, and the anti-VGKC test showed a seropositivity of 336 pmol/L (normal, 0-31), 3 month after the patient deceased. This is the first reported case of VGKC-cAbs encephalitis associated with periodic sharp wave complexes on EEG, which further confuse the differential diagnosis with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, the cortical DWI hypersignal without restriction seems to remain a way to discriminate these two entities appropriately, when present. These clues are of paramount importance because VGKC-cAbs encephalitis is a treatable disease.

  6. Can Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease unravel the mysteries of Alzheimer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovacs, Gabor G

    2016-09-02

    Recent studies on iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) raised concerns that one of the hallmark lesions of Alzheimer disease (AD), amyloid-β (Aβ), may be transmitted from human-to-human. The neuropathology of AD-related lesions is complex. Therefore, many aspects need to be considered in deciding on this issue. Observations of recent studies can be summarized as follows: 1) The frequency of iatrogenic CJD cases with parencyhmal and vascular Aβ deposits is statistically higher than expected; 2) The morphology and distribution of Aβ deposition may show distinct features; 3) The pituitary and the dura mater themselves may serve as potential sources of Aβ seeds; 4) Cadaveric dura mater from 2 examined cases shows Aβ deposition; and 5) There is a lack of evidence that the clinical phenotype of AD appears following the application of cadaveric pituitary hormone or dura mater transplantation. These studies support the notion that neurodegenerative diseases have common features regarding propagation of disease-associated proteins as seeds. However, until further evidence emerges, prions of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are the only neurodegenerative disease-related proteins proven to propagate clinicopathological phenotypes.

  7. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: the value of MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbach, H.; Tschampa, H.J.; Keller, E.; Schild, H.H.; Paus, S.

    2001-01-01

    To define the role of MRI in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: 14 patients with suspected CJD were studied within 3 years. MRI findings were correlated with WHO established diagnostic criteria (clinical findings, EEG, CSF with 14-3-3 protein assay). Results: 12 patients had CJD. One patient each suffered from Hashimoto's encephalitis and ALS dementia complex, respectively. Nine of 12 CJD patients had increased signal intensity of the striatum (n = 8), pulvinar thalami (n = 5) and/or cerebellar and cerebral cortex (n = 3), respectively. Signal intensity was most pronounced on FLAIR sequences; six patients were studied with diffusion-weighted MRI and showed impaired diffusion in these areas. Both patients without CJD did not show the abovementioned signal changes (sensitivity 75%, specificity and positive predictive value 100%, respectively). Conclusion: If patients with suspected CJD are studied with FLAIR and diffusion-weighted sequences, this disorder can reliably be proven or ruled out. Typical MRI findings narrow down the differential diagnosis and should be included in the WHO diagnostic criteria. (orig.) [de

  8. Early-Onset Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Mimicking Immune-Mediated Encephalitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wietse A. Wiels

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to explore the clinical, radiological, and pathological manifestations of a rare subtype of prion disease and their implication for differential diagnosis in case of an early onset neuropsychiatric deterioration.MethodsWe discuss a patients’ clinical history, as well as the string of investigations and symptomatological evolution that finally led to a pathological diagnosis.ResultsOur patient had the extremely rare VV1 type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. We explain the differential diagnosis of progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus and its implications for treatment.ConclusionsCJD, especially the VV1 subtype, can present at an early age with an insidious psychiatric onset. Classical findings of prion disease—14-3-3 protein, PSWC on electroencephalography, and magnetic resonance imaging patterns—are not always present. The presence of neural autoantibodies does not always implicate pathogenicity in the presence of other neurological/neurodegenerative conditions.

  9. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with Mixed Transcortical Aphasia: Insights into Echolalia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. E. McPherson

    1994-01-01

    Full Text Available Aphasia is a common manifestation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, and investigation of the linguistic disorders of CJD patients may provide insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of language and aphasia. We report an autopsy-confirmed case of CJD in which the presenting symptom was change in language abilities. The patient ultimately evidenced mixed transcortical aphasia (MTA with echolalia. Disruption of frontal-subcortical circuits with environmental dependency accounts for the symptoms in MTA, including intact repetition and echolalia. Observation in this patient and a review of the literature suggest that frontal-subcortical circuit dysfunction may contribute to the syndrome of echolalia. This hypothesis offers an alternative explanation to “isolation” of the speech area as the cause of MTA.

  10. An alarming presentation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease following a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harnish, Carissa; Gross, Brian; Rittenhouse, Katelyn; Bupp, Katherine; Vellucci, Ashley; Anderson, Jeffrey; Riley, Deborah; Rogers, Frederick B

    2015-05-01

    Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), also known as prion diseases, are characterized by rapid and fatal neurological decline. They not only detrimentally affect the patient, but also present additional challenges to healthcare systems due to the infectivity of the tissues and the difficulty of inactivating the prion. The most common TSE is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which can occur after familial, spontaneous or acquired transmission. TSEs received more attention after the development of variant CJD (vCJD), also known as Mad Cow Disease, in the UK during the mid-1990s. Unlike familial or spontaneous CJD, this variant was connected to consumption of cattle contaminated with the prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy.This development increased interest in the etiology of CJD and other TSEs and the risk it presents as an infectious disease. The following details the case of a 59-year-old male infected with CJD presented to our level II trauma center for treatment following a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease following human growth hormone therapy: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caboclo, Luís Otávio Sales Ferreira; Huang, Nancy; Lepski, Guilherme Alves; Livramento, José Antônio; Buchpiguel, Carlos Alberto; Porto, Cláudia Sellitto; Nitrini, Ricardo

    2002-06-01

    We report the case of a 41-year-old man with iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) acquired after the use of growth hormone (GH) obtained from a number of pituitary glands sourced from autopsy material. The incubation period of the disease (from the midpoint of treatment to the onset of clinical symptoms) was rather long (28 years). Besides the remarkable cerebellar and mental signs, the patient exhibited sleep disturbance (excessive somnolence) from the onset of the symptoms, with striking alteration of the sleep architecture documented by polysomnography. 14-3-3 protein was detected in the CSF, and MRI revealed increased signal intensity bilaterally in the striatum, being most evident in diffusion-weighted (DW-MRI) sequences. This is the second case of iatrogenic CJD associated with the use of GH reported in Brazil.

  12. Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease following human growth hormone therapy: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caboclo Luís Otávio Sales Ferreira

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the case of a 41-year-old man with iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD acquired after the use of growth hormone (GH obtained from a number of pituitary glands sourced from autopsy material. The incubation period of the disease (from the midpoint of treatment to the onset of clinical symptoms was rather long (28 years. Besides the remarkable cerebellar and mental signs, the patient exhibited sleep disturbance (excessive somnolence from the onset of the symptoms, with striking alteration of the sleep architecture documented by polysomnography. 14-3-3 protein was detected in the CSF, and MRI revealed increased signal intensity bilaterally in the striatum, being most evident in diffusion-weighted (DW-MRI sequences. This is the second case of iatrogenic CJD associated with the use of GH reported in Brazil.

  13. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Infection Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynn Johnston

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Over the past year, several situations have occurred in Canada in which patients who had recently undergone a surgical procedure were subsequently diagnosed with confirmed or suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. This raised concerns over contamination of surgical instruments: which instruments might have been contaminated from direct exposure to tissues; can instruments become cross-contaminated by exposure to other contaminated instruments; what assessment is necessary to determine cross-contamination; and what should be done with instruments that have been contaminated. Additionally, should there be a patient traceback in the face of potential but unproven exposure? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to most of the above questions. Australia, the United Kingdom and the World Health Organization have developed guidelines for the infection control management of patients with CJD, as well as instruments and devices that come into contact with them and their tissues (1-3. Health Canada's draft CJD infection control guidelines, withdrawn from the Health Canada Web site until safety concerns regarding sodium hydroxide can be addressed, closely mirrored recommendations made in those documents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for CJD are under revision. However, a recent American publication made recommendations on what procedures should be used for reprocessing items that have been in contact with the prion protein (PrP (4. These recommendations differ substantially from the draft Canadian guidelines. This article reviews current knowledge about CJD, and highlights some of the infection control concerns and controversies.

  14. Unique inflammatory RNA profiles of microglia in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Christopher A.; Manuelidis, Laura

    2003-01-01

    Previous studies in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have shown that myeloid cells in the periphery as well as derivative microglial cells in the brain are infectious. Microglia can show an activated phenotype before prion protein (PrP) pathology is detectable in brain, and isolated infectious microglia contain very little PrP. To find whether a set of inflammatory genes are significantly induced or suppressed with infection, we analyzed RNA from isolated microglia with relevant cDNA arrays, and identified 30 transcripts not previously examined in any transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This CJD expression profile contrasted with that of uninfected microglia exposed to prototypic inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide and IFN-, as well as PrP amyloid. These findings underscore inflammatory pathways evoked by the infectious agent in brain. Transcript profiles unique for CJD microglia and other myeloid cells provide opportunities for more sensitive preclinical diagnoses of infectious and noninfectious neurodegenerative diseases.

  15. Differential diagnosis of Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paterson, Ross W; Torres-Chae, Charles C; Kuo, Amy L; Ando, Tim; Nguyen, Elizabeth A; Wong, Katherine; DeArmond, Stephen J; Haman, Aissa; Garcia, Paul; Johnson, David Y; Miller, Bruce L; Geschwind, Michael D

    2012-12-01

    To identify the misdiagnoses of patients with sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (sCJD) during the course of their disease and determine which medical specialties saw patients with sCJD prior to the correct diagnosis being made and at what point in the disease course a correct diagnosis was made. Retrospective medical record review. A specialty referral center of a tertiary academic medical center. One hundred sixty-three serial patients over a 5.5-year period who ultimately had pathologically proven sCJD. The study used the subset of 97 patients for whom we had adequate medical records. Other diagnoses considered in the differential diagnosis and types of medical specialties assessing patients with sCJD. Ninety-seven subjects' records were used in the final analysis. The most common disease categories of misdiagnosis were neurodegenerative, autoimmune/paraneoplastic, infectious, and toxic/metabolic disorders. The most common individual misdiagnoses were viral encephalitis, paraneoplastic disorder, depression, vertigo, Alzheimer disease, stroke, unspecified dementia, central nervous system vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, and Hashimoto encephalopathy. The physicians who most commonly made these misdiagnoses were primary care physicians and neurologists; in the 18% of patients who were diagnosed correctly at their first assessment, the diagnosis was almost always by a neurologist. The mean time from onset to diagnosis was 7.9 months, an average of two-thirds of the way through their disease course. Diagnosis of sCJD is quite delayed. When evaluating patients with rapidly progressive dementia with suspected neurodegenerative, autoimmune, infectious, or toxic/metabolic etiology, sCJD should also be included in the differential diagnosis, and appropriate diagnostic tests, such as diffusion brain magnetic resonance imaging, should be considered. Primary care physicians and neurologists need improved training in sCJD diagnosis.

  16. MRI manifestation for the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Yonggang; Qi Ji; Xia Shuang

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To study the MRI features of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Methods: Three patients with clinically diagnosed sCJD underwent MR study, including SE T 1 WI, FSE T 2 WI, and DWI sequences. The MR imaging features were analyzed. Results: The lesions were not definite either in SE T 1 WI or in FSE T 2 WI, but were prominent in DWI. Abnormal hyperintensive signal appeared in the cerebral cortex, with the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes being the mostly involved region. The subcortical white matter was normal. The bilateral caudate nuclei and thalami could also be involved. The abnormal signal could be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. There was diffuse atrophy of the brain parenchyma in the late phase of disease, especially in the cortex. Conclusion: With the application of MR study, especially the DWI, combined with its characteristic clinical manifestation, the diagnosis of sCJD can be made definitely. (authors)

  17. New variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) disease and other human prion diseases under epidemiological surveillance in Brazil

    OpenAIRE

    Gattás, Vera Lúcia; Lima Neto, Antonio Silva; Dimech, George Santiago; Mancini, Denise; Cantarino, Ligia Maria; Marins, José Ricardo Pio; Luna, Expedito José Albuquerque

    2007-01-01

    Abstract To increase the timeliness of detection of human cases of the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and to reduce the risk of transmission, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has established and standardized rules and control measures. These include the definition of criteria for suspect cases, reporting, monitoring, and control measures for illness prevention and transmission. Guidelines to be used by the team of health care staff were published and distributed to health wor...

  18. MRI of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Imaging features and recommended MRI protocol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Collie, D.A.; Sellar, R.J.; Zeidler, M.; Colchester, A.C.F.; Knight, R.; Will, R.G

    2001-09-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rare, progressive and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by specific histopathological features. Of the four subtypes of CJD described, the commonest is sporadic CJD (sCJD). More recently, a new clinically distinct form of the disease affecting younger patients, known as variant CJD (vCJD), has been identified, and this has been causally linked to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent in cattle. Characteristic appearances on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been identified in several forms of CJD; sCJD may be associated with high signal changes in the putamen and caudate head and vCJD is usually associated with hyperintensity of the pulvinar (posterior nuclei) of the thalamus. These appearances and other imaging features are described in this article. Using appropriate clinical and radiological criteria and tailored imaging protocols, MRI plays an important part in the in vivodiagnosis of this disease. Collie, D.A. et al. (2001)

  19. MRI of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Imaging features and recommended MRI protocol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collie, D.A.; Sellar, R.J.; Zeidler, M.; Colchester, A.C.F.; Knight, R.; Will, R.G.

    2001-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rare, progressive and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by specific histopathological features. Of the four subtypes of CJD described, the commonest is sporadic CJD (sCJD). More recently, a new clinically distinct form of the disease affecting younger patients, known as variant CJD (vCJD), has been identified, and this has been causally linked to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) agent in cattle. Characteristic appearances on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been identified in several forms of CJD; sCJD may be associated with high signal changes in the putamen and caudate head and vCJD is usually associated with hyperintensity of the pulvinar (posterior nuclei) of the thalamus. These appearances and other imaging features are described in this article. Using appropriate clinical and radiological criteria and tailored imaging protocols, MRI plays an important part in the in vivodiagnosis of this disease. Collie, D.A. et al. (2001)

  20. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Ireland: epidemiological aspects 1980-2002.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Horan, Gail

    2012-02-03

    Surveillance for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has been carried out in the Republic of Ireland since 1980. Initial surveillance was passive and based on consented autopsy confirmation of CJD in patients in whom there was a high index of clinical suspicion. Since 1999, an active surveillance programme involving formal notification of all suspect CJD cases has been in place. The annual mortality rate has increased from 0.34 cases\\/million in 1980 to 1.27 cases\\/million in 2001. In all, 29 cases have been pathologically confirmed: 1 had variant CJD (vCJD), 1 had iatrogenic human growth hormone-induced CJD and 1 had fatal insomnia. Sporadic CJD (sCJD) accounted for the remainder. This paper details the change in incidence over 22 years as the surveillance programme in Ireland got under way; the increased incidence is attributed to better case ascertainment, as has occurred in other countries where active surveillance programmes have been established.

  1. New MRI findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: high signal in the globus pallidus on T 1-weighted images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Priester, J.A. de; Wilmink, J.T.; Jansen, G.H.; Kruijk, J.R. de

    1999-01-01

    We report a 49-year-old woman with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In addition to typical high-signal lesions on proton-density and T 2-weighted images there was high signal in the globus pallidus bilaterally on T 1-weighted images. The latter feature has not been described previously and probably due to deposition of prion protein, as found at autopsy. (orig.)

  2. Long-term preclinical magnetic resonance imaging alterations in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zanusso, Gianluigi; Camporese, Giulia; Ferrari, Sergio; Santelli, Luca; Bongianni, Matilde; Fiorini, Michele; Monaco, Salvatore; Manara, Renzo; Cagnin, Annachiara

    2016-10-01

    An asymptomatic 74-year-old woman, on follow-up for a carotid body tumor, showed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) focal restricted diffusion confined to the left temporal and occipital cortices. Thirteen months later, diffusion-weighted images revealed a bilateral cortical ribbon sign involving all lobes. After 1 month, the patient developed gait instability and cognitive decline rapidly evolving to severe dementia and death within 3 months. Prion protein gene sequence, molecular, and neuropathological studies confirmed the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) MM1 subtype. Here we show the kinetics of MRI changes and prion spreading in preclinical sCJD MM1. Ann Neurol 2016;80:629-632. © 2016 American Neurological Association.

  3. Patient with rapidly evolving neurological disease with neuropathological lesions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Lewy body dementia, chronic subcortical vascular encephalopathy and meningothelial meningioma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vita, Maria Gabriella; Tiple, Dorina; Bizzarro, Alessandra; Ladogana, Anna; Colaizzo, Elisa; Capellari, Sabina; Rossi, Marcello; Parchi, Piero; Masullo, Carlo; Pocchiari, Maurizio

    2017-04-01

    We report a case of rapidly evolving neurological disease in a patient with neuropathological lesions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), chronic subcortical vascular encephalopathy and meningothelial meningioma. The coexistence of severe multiple pathologies in a single patient strengthens the need to perform accurate clinical differential diagnoses in rapidly progressive dementias. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  4. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic abnormalities in sporadic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandya, H.G.; Coley, S.C.; Wilkinson, I.D.; Griffiths, P.D.

    2003-01-01

    AIM: To study the proton MR spectroscopic findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (sporadic and variant). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging and proton MR spectra were acquired in two patients with sporadic CJD (biopsy proven) and one patient with variant CJD. RESULTS: The two patients with sporadic CJD demonstrated MR signal change within the basal ganglia and thalami and reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA):creatine ratios. The patient with variant CJD showed characteristic signal change within the pulvinar of the thalami and a markedly reduced N-acetylaspartate:creatine ratio. CONCLUSION: All three patients with CJD demonstrated evidence of reduced N-acetylaspartate: creatine ratios on MR spectroscopy. These changes imply that neuronal loss and/or dysfunction is a consistent finding in established CJD. Pandya H. G., et al (2003) Clinical Radiology58, 148--153

  5. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic abnormalities in sporadic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandya, H.G.; Coley, S.C.; Wilkinson, I.D.; Griffiths, P.D

    2003-02-01

    AIM: To study the proton MR spectroscopic findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (sporadic and variant). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging and proton MR spectra were acquired in two patients with sporadic CJD (biopsy proven) and one patient with variant CJD. RESULTS: The two patients with sporadic CJD demonstrated MR signal change within the basal ganglia and thalami and reduced N-acetylaspartate (NAA):creatine ratios. The patient with variant CJD showed characteristic signal change within the pulvinar of the thalami and a markedly reduced N-acetylaspartate:creatine ratio. CONCLUSION: All three patients with CJD demonstrated evidence of reduced N-acetylaspartate: creatine ratios on MR spectroscopy. These changes imply that neuronal loss and/or dysfunction is a consistent finding in established CJD. Pandya H. G., et al (2003) Clinical Radiology58, 148--153.

  6. New MRI findings in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: high signal in the globus pallidus on T 1-weighted images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Priester, J.A. de; Wilmink, J.T. [Dept. of Radiology, University Hospital Maastricht (Netherlands); Jansen, G.H. [Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital Utrecht (Netherlands); Kruijk, J.R. de [Department of Neurology, University Hospital Maastricht (Netherlands)

    1999-04-01

    We report a 49-year-old woman with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In addition to typical high-signal lesions on proton-density and T 2-weighted images there was high signal in the globus pallidus bilaterally on T 1-weighted images. The latter feature has not been described previously and probably due to deposition of prion protein, as found at autopsy. (orig.) With 3 figs., 11 refs.

  7. Incidence and spectrum of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease variants with mixed phenotype and co-occurrence of PrPSc types: an updated classification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Parchi, P.; Strammiello, R.; Notari, S.; Giese, A.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Ladogana, A.; Zerr, I.; Roncaroli, F.; Cras, P.; Ghetti, B.; Pocchiari, M.; Kretzschmar, H.; Capellari, S.

    2009-01-01

    Six subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with distinctive clinico-pathological features have been identified largely based on two types of the abnormal prion protein, PrPSc, and the methionine (M)/valine (V) polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein. The existence of affected subjects

  8. MRI in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Correlation with clinical and neuropathological data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbach, H.; Solymosi, L.; Klisch, J.; Brechtelsbauer, D.; Wolf, H.K.; Gass, S.

    1998-01-01

    To ascertain whether increased grey matter signal intensity on T2-weighted images in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) corresponds to the stage and severity of this disease, we correlated MRI findings in four of our own and previously reported patients with sporadic CJD with the clinical variants, neuropathological changes at autopsy, duration of the disease and survival time after MRI examination. Of 15 patients with the extrapyramidal type of CJD, 10 showed increased signal in the basal ganglia on T2-weighted images. One of seven patients with the Heidenhain variant had increased signal in the occipital cortex. Patients without increased grey matter signal intensity had a longer overall duration of CJD (P = 0.035). Although the interval between onset of neurological symptoms and MRI was not different, patients without increased grey matter signal also survived longer after MRI examination (P = 0.022). (orig.)

  9. Updated clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallenberg, K.; Summers, D. M.; Romero, C.; Taratuto, A.; Heinemann, U.; Breithaupt, M.; Varges, D.; Meissner, B.; Ladogana, A.; Schuur, M.; Haik, S.; Collins, S. J.; Jansen, Gerard H.; Stokin, G. B.; Pimentel, J.; Hewer, E.; Collie, D.; Smith, P.; Roberts, H.; Brandel, J. P.; van Duijn, C.; Pocchiari, M.; Begue, C.; Cras, P.; Will, R. G.; Sanchez-Juan, P.

    2009-01-01

    Several molecular subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease have been identified and electroencephalogram and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers have been reported to support clinical diagnosis but with variable utility according to subtype. In recent years, a series of publications have demonstrated a potentially important role for magnetic resonance imaging in the pre-mortem diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Magnetic resonance imaging signal alterations correlate with distinct sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease molecular subtypes and thus might contribute to the earlier identification of the whole spectrum of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease cases. This multi-centre international study aimed to provide a rationale for the amendment of the clinical diagnostic criteria for sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and fluid attenuated inversion recovery or diffusion-weight imaging were recruited from 12 countries. Patients referred as ‘suspected sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease’ but with an alternative diagnosis after thorough follow up, were analysed as controls. All magnetic resonance imaging scans were assessed for signal changes according to a standard protocol encompassing seven cortical regions, basal ganglia, thalamus and cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were evaluated in 436 sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease patients and 141 controls. The pattern of high signal intensity with the best sensitivity and specificity in the differential diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease was identified. The optimum diagnostic accuracy in the differential diagnosis of rapid progressive dementia was obtained when either at least two cortical regions (temporal, parietal or occipital) or both caudate nucleus and putamen displayed a high signal in fluid attenuated inversion recovery or diffusion-weight imaging magnetic resonance imaging. Based on our analyses, magnetic

  10. Atypical Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Evolution after Electroconvulsive Therapy for Catatonic Depression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iria Grande

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe a case report of an 80-year-old woman who presented with symptomatology compatible with an episode of major depression with catatonia. After psychiatric admission, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT was applied, but symptoms progressed with cognitive impairment, bradykinesia, widespread stiffness, postural tremor, and gait disturbance. After compatible magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, diffusion changes, and electroencephalogram (EEG findings the case was reoriented to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. The genetic study found a methionine/valine heterozygosity at codon 129 of the prion protein gene PrPSc. On followup, a significant clinical recovery turned out. For this reason, EEG and MRI were repeated and confirmed the findings. The patient subsequently demonstrated progressive clinical deterioration and died 21 months later. The diagnosis was verified postmortem by neuropathology. The vCJD subtype MV2 is indeed characterized by early and prominent psychiatric symptoms and a prolonged disease duration however no frank clinical recovery has before been reported.

  11. Constant Transmission Properties of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 5 Countries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diack, Abigail B.; Ritchie, Diane; Bishop, Matthew; Pinion, Victoria; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Haik, Stephane; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Van Duijn, Cornelia; Belay, Ermias D.; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Schonberger, Lawrence B.; Piccardo, Pedro; Will, Robert G.

    2012-01-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has been reported in 12 countries. We hypothesized that a common strain of agent is responsible for all vCJD cases, regardless of geographic origin. To test this hypothesis, we inoculated strain-typing panels of wild-type mice with brain material from human vCJD case-patients from France, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States. Mice were assessed for clinical disease, neuropathologic changes, and glycoform profile; results were compared with those for 2 reference vCJD cases from the United Kingdom. Transmission to mice occurred from each sample tested, and data were similar between non-UK and UK cases, with the exception of the ranking of mean clinical incubation times of mouse lines. These findings support the hypothesis that a single strain of infectious agent is responsible for all vCJD infections. However, differences in incubation times require further subpassage in mice to establish any true differences in strain properties between cases. PMID:23017202

  12. A case cluster of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease linked to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coulthart, Michael B; Geschwind, Michael D; Qureshi, Shireen; Phielipp, Nicolas; Demarsh, Alex; Abrams, Joseph Y; Belay, Ermias; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Jansen, Gerard H; Lang, Anthony E; Schonberger, Lawrence B

    2016-10-01

    As of mid-2016, 231 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease-the human form of a prion disease of cattle, bovine spongiform encephalopathy-have been reported from 12 countries. With few exceptions, the affected individuals had histories of extended residence in the UK or other Western European countries during the period (1980-96) of maximum global risk for human exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. However, the possibility remains that other geographic foci of human infection exist, identification of which may help to foreshadow the future of the epidemic. We report results of a quantitative analysis of country-specific relative risks of infection for three individuals diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the USA and Canada. All were born and raised in Saudi Arabia, but had histories of residence and travel in other countries. To calculate country-specific relative probabilities of infection, we aligned each patient's life history with published estimates of probability distributions of incubation period and age at infection parameters from a UK cohort of 171 variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cases. The distributions were then partitioned into probability density fractions according to time intervals of the patient's residence and travel history, and the density fractions were combined by country. This calculation was performed for incubation period alone, age at infection alone, and jointly for incubation and age at infection. Country-specific fractions were normalized either to the total density between the individual's dates of birth and symptom onset ('lifetime'), or to that between 1980 and 1996, for a total of six combinations of parameter and interval. The country-specific relative probability of infection for Saudi Arabia clearly ranked highest under each of the six combinations of parameter × interval for Patients 1 and 2, with values ranging from 0.572 to 0.998, respectively, for Patient 2 (age at infection × lifetime) and

  13. Atypical presentation of probable Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with anti-Zic4 antibody: Literature review of neuronal antibodies in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salazar, Richard

    2018-05-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a prion disease characterized by rapidly progressive dementia, ataxia and myoclonus. Atypical phenotype masquerading as stroke, movement disorders or autoimmune encephalitis have been described. Here, I report a probable case of sCJD with an atypical presentation associated with anti-Zic4 antibody and review the literature of neuronal antibodies in CJD. A 70 year-old gentleman is admitted with a 2-month history of recurrent stroke-like symptoms associated with behavioral disturbances, gait ataxia and rapidly progressive dementia. His initial examination demonstrated akinetic mutism, diffuse rigidity, dysautononia, and Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Over the following weeks his condition progressed to profound coma. A comprehensive infectious, metabolic, inflammatory and autoimmune work-up yielded negative results. Empiric immunosuppressive therapy ensued. He expired three months after symptoms onset. Autopsy was not performed. After his demise, prion tests came back abnormal for elevated 14-3-3 protein, total tau and positive RTQuIC. Later on, anti-Zic4 antibodies were found in serum. This case underscores the importance of a high index of suspicion for CJD even in case of atypical features or the concurrence of neuronal antibodies. Further larger prospective studies on the prevalence of these neuronal antibodies in CJD and the contribution of these autoantibodies to disease pathophysiology are necessary. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. MRI in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Correlation with clinical and neuropathological data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urbach, H.; Solymosi, L. [Department of Neuroradiology, University of Wuerzburg (Germany); Klisch, J.; Brechtelsbauer, D. [Department of Neuroradiology, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany); Wolf, H.K. [Department of Neuropathology, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany); Gass, S. [Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany)

    1998-02-01

    To ascertain whether increased grey matter signal intensity on T2-weighted images in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) corresponds to the stage and severity of this disease, we correlated MRI findings in four of our own and previously reported patients with sporadic CJD with the clinical variants, neuropathological changes at autopsy, duration of the disease and survival time after MRI examination. Of 15 patients with the extrapyramidal type of CJD, 10 showed increased signal in the basal ganglia on T2-weighted images. One of seven patients with the Heidenhain variant had increased signal in the occipital cortex. Patients without increased grey matter signal intensity had a longer overall duration of CJD (P = 0.035). Although the interval between onset of neurological symptoms and MRI was not different, patients without increased grey matter signal also survived longer after MRI examination (P = 0.022). (orig.) With 5 figs., 2 tabs., 23 refs.

  15. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Analysis of Four Cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Al Balushi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is a rare, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease that almost always results in death in under a year from onset of symptoms. Here, we report four cases of CJD with different clinical presentations diagnosed at our institution over two-year period. Cases: The first patient is an 82-year-old woman who presented with depression, cognitive decline and word-finding difficulty over 4 weeks. The patient deteriorated neurologically to akinetic mutism and death within 6 weeks of presentation. The second patient is a 54-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis who presented with confusion, ataxia and multiple falls over 4 weeks. She was treated initially for hepatic encephalopathy, but continued to progress to mutism, startle myoclonus and obtundation. Death occurred within 4 weeks of presentation. The third patient is a 58-year-old woman who presented with an 8-week history of confusion, urinary incontinence, Parkinsonism, ataxia and myoclonus. Death occurred within 2 months from presentation. The fourth patient is a 67-year-old man who presented with a 6-week history of headache, blurred vision, ataxia and personality change and progressed to confusion, myoclonus, akinetic mutism and obtundation. Death occurred within 3 weeks from presentation. Conclusion: These 4 cases highlight the varied possible clinical presentations of CJD and demonstrate the importance of considering CJD in patients with atypical presentations of rapidly progressive cognitive decline. To diagnose CJD, brain biopsy remains the gold standard. However, the presence of CSF protein 14-3-3, typical MRI findings and suggestive EEG abnormalities all support the diagnosis.

  16. Prion-Seeding Activity Is widely Distributed in Tissues of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanae Takatsuki, PhD

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Human prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by abnormally folded prion proteins in the central nervous system. These proteins can be detected using the quaking-induced conversion assay. Compared with other bioassays, this assay is extremely sensitive and was used in the present study to determine prion distribution in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients at autopsy. Although infectivity of the sporadic form is thought to be restricted within the central nervous system, results showed that prion-seeding activities reach 106/g from a 50% seeding dose in non-neuronal tissues, suggesting that prion-seeding activity exists in non-neural organs, and we suggested that non-neural tissues of 106/g SD50 did not exist the infectivity.

  17. Serum uric acid and lipid profiles in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shuai; He, Shuang; Shang, Jun-Kui; Ma, Ming-Ming; Xu, Chang-Shui; Shi, Xiao-Hong; Zhang, Jie-Wen

    2016-02-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, rapidly progressive, and fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting the central nervous system. Brain lipid homeostasis and oxidative stress seem to play an important role in the disease pathogenesis. But little was known whether serum lipids and uric acid (a natural antioxidant) levels changed in patients with prion disease. Here we retrospectively reviewed and compared the serum lipids and uric acid levels of 19 probable sporadic CJD patients and 26 healthy control subjects. We found that the serum uric acid levels in sporadic CJD patients were significantly lower than that in controls (P=0.01). Serum triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) were similar in sporadic CJD patients and controls. However, LDL/HDL ratio was lower in sporadic CJD patients (P=0.003). The low serum uric acid and LDL/HDL ratio levels in sporadic CJD indicate that dysfunction in the lipid homeostasis and oxidative stress is associated with sporadic prion disease. Copyright © 2015 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Cerebrospinal fluid tau levels are a marker for molecular subtype in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karch, André; Hermann, Peter; Ponto, Claudia; Schmitz, Matthias; Arora, Amandeep; Zafar, Saima; Llorens, Franc; Müller-Heine, Annika; Zerr, Inga

    2015-05-01

    The molecular subtype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is an important prognostic marker for patient survival. However, subtype determination is not possible during lifetime. Because the rate of disease progression is associated with the molecular subtype, this study aimed at investigating if total tau, a marker of neuronal death, allows premortem diagnosis of molecular subtype when codon 129 genotype is known. Two hundred ninety-six sCJD patients were tested for their cerebrospinal fluid total tau level at the time of diagnosis and were investigated for their sCJD subtype postmortem. There was a significant association between tau levels and the prion protein type in patients with codon 129 MM (p disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Defining sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease strains and their transmission properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Matthew T.; Will, Robert G.; Manson, Jean C.

    2010-01-01

    The biological determinants of the phenotypic variation in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) are unknown. To categorize sCJD cases, the prion protein (PrP) codon 129 genotype and the biochemical characteristics of the disease-associated form of PrP (PrPSc) can be combined to form six subgroups (MM1, MM2, MV1, MV2, VV1, and VV2). This classification largely correlates with the known variation in the clinical and pathological features of sCJD, with the MM1 and MV1 cases representing the “classic” phenotype of sCJD. To address how this classification relates to different strains of sCJD we have inoculated each subgroup of sCJD to a panel of mice expressing different forms of the human PRNP gene (129MM, 129VV, and 129MV). We have established that all subtypes are transmissible to at least one genotype of mouse, and both agent and host factors determine transmission efficiency and the form of PrPSc deposited in the brain. Moreover, we have identified four distinct strains of sCJD using our in vivo strain typing panel. PMID:20547859

  20. Medical Procedures and Risk for Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Japan, 1999–2008

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi; Noguchi-Shinohara, Moeko; Nozaki, Ichiro; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Sato, Takeshi; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Mizusawa, Hidehiro

    2009-01-01

    To elucidate the association between medical procedures and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), we analyzed medical procedures (any surgical procedure, neurosurgery, ophthalmic surgery, and blood transfusion) for patients registered by the CJD Surveillance Committee in Japan during 1999–2008. We conducted an age-stratified case–control study with 753 sCJD patients and 210 controls and a study of patients who underwent neurosurgical or ophthalmic surgical procedures at the same hospital. Although the control group was relatively small, no evidence was found that prion disease was transmitted through the investigated medical procedures before onset of sCJD. After onset of sCJD, 4.5% of the sCJD patients underwent operations, including neurosurgical for 0.8% and ophthalmic for 1.9%; no special precautions against transmission of prion diseases were taken. Fortunately, we have not identified patients with prion disease attributed to these operations. Our findings indicate that surgical procedures or blood transfusion had little effect on the incidence of sCJD. PMID:19193271

  1. Combined Creutzfeldt-Jakob/ Alzheimer's Disease Cases are Important in Search for Microbes in Alzheimer's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastian, Frank O

    2017-01-01

    The question whether Alzheimer's disease is infectious as brought up in the recent editorial published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease is complicated by the controversy whether the causal agent is a microbe or a misfolded host protein (amyloid). The replicating amyloid (prion) theory, based upon data from studies of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), has been challenged since the prion can be separated from TSE infectivity, and spiroplasma, a wall-less bacterium, has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of CJD. Further support for a microbial cause for AD comes from occurrence of mixed CJD/AD cases involving up to 15% of AD brains submitted to brain banks. The association of CJD with AD suggests a common etiology rather than simply being a medical curiosity. A co-infection with the transmissible agent of CJD, which we propose to be a Spiroplasma sp., would explain the diversity of bacteria shown to be associated with cases of AD.

  2. Prion-Seeding Activity Is widely Distributed in Tissues of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takatsuki, Hanae; Fuse, Takayuki; Nakagaki, Takehiro; Mori, Tsuyoshi; Mihara, Ban; Takao, Masaki; Iwasaki, Yasushi; Yoshida, Mari; Murayama, Shigeo; Atarashi, Ryuichiro; Nishida, Noriyuki; Satoh, Katsuya

    2016-10-01

    Human prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by abnormally folded prion proteins in the central nervous system. These proteins can be detected using the quaking-induced conversion assay. Compared with other bioassays, this assay is extremely sensitive and was used in the present study to determine prion distribution in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients at autopsy. Although infectivity of the sporadic form is thought to be restricted within the central nervous system, results showed that prion-seeding activities reach 10 6 /g from a 50% seeding dose in non-neuronal tissues, suggesting that prion-seeding activity exists in non-neural organs, and we suggested that non-neural tissues of 10 6 /g SD50 did not exist the infectivity. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The Prion Protein Preference of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Subtypes*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klemm, Helen M. J.; Welton, Jeremy M.; Masters, Colin L.; Klug, Genevieve M.; Boyd, Alison; Hill, Andrew F.; Collins, Steven J.; Lawson, Victoria A.

    2012-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is the most prevalent manifestation of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases affecting humans. The disease encompasses a spectrum of clinical phenotypes that have been correlated with molecular subtypes that are characterized by the molecular mass of the protease-resistant fragment of the disease-related conformation of the prion protein and a polymorphism at codon 129 of the gene encoding the prion protein. A cell-free assay of prion protein misfolding was used to investigate the ability of these sporadic CJD molecular subtypes to propagate using brain-derived sources of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). This study confirmed the presence of three distinct sporadic CJD molecular subtypes with PrPC substrate requirements that reflected their codon 129 associations in vivo. However, the ability of a sporadic CJD molecular subtype to use a specific PrPC substrate was not determined solely by codon 129 as the efficiency of prion propagation was also influenced by the composition of the brain tissue from which the PrPC substrate was sourced, thus indicating that nuances in PrPC or additional factors may determine sporadic CJD subtype. The results of this study will aid in the design of diagnostic assays that can detect prion disease across the diversity of sporadic CJD subtypes. PMID:22930754

  4. Brain Dopamine Transporter Binding and Glucose Metabolism in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-Like Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eero Rissanen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Here, we present a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD who developed initial symptoms mimicking progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP. Before the development of typical CJD symptoms, functional imaging supported a diagnosis of PSP when [123I]-FP-CIT-SPECT showed a defect in striatal dopamine transporter binding, while [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET showed cortical hypometabolism suggestive of Lewy body dementia. However, the postmortem neuropathological examination was indicative of CJD only, without tau protein or Lewy body findings. This case demonstrates that CJD should be taken into account in rapidly progressing atypical cases of parkinsonism, even when functional imaging supports a diagnosis of a movement disorder.

  5. Co-existence of scrapie prion protein types 1 and 2 in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: its effect on the phenotype and prion-type characteristics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cali, I.; Castellani, R.; Alshekhlee, A.; Cohen, Y.; Blevins, J.; Yuan, J.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Parchi, P.; Safar, J.G.; Zou, W.Q.; Gambetti, P.

    2009-01-01

    Five phenotypically distinct subtypes have been identified in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), based on the methionine/valine polymorphic genotype of codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene and the presence of either one of the two protease K-resistant scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) types

  6. Bitemporal hypometabolism in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease measured by positron emission tomography with [18F]-2-fluorodeoxyglucose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedland, R.P.; Prusiner, S.B.; Jagust, W.J.; Budinger, T.F.; Davis, R.L.

    1984-01-01

    It is well established that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is caused by a slow infectious agent similar to the scrapie prion. However, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a 54-year-old man with autopsy confirmed CJD using [18F]-2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the Donner 280-crystal tomograph. Temporal lobe hypometabolism with hemispheric asymmetry was observed. These findings are similar to those previously obtained in PET-FDG studies of patients with clinically defined Alzheimer disease (AD). The similarities in the regional metabolic alterations between CJD and AD provide additional evidence for the possibility that AD may be caused by a slow infectious prion

  7. The First Report of a Patient with Probable Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Demet Özbabalık Adapınar

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD was first reported in the UK in 1996. Here, we report the first Turkish case of vCJD. A 47-year-old man, who has never lived outside of Turkey and had had no transfusion, was admitted to the University Hospital with speech disorder, cognitive decline and ataxia following depression, irritability, and personality change. The immunoassay of the 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid was negative. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed high-signal lesions involving the bilateral caudate and lentiform nucleus on T2- and diffusion-weighted imaging. The patient developed akinetic mutism 10 months after disease onset. The clinical presentation and neuroimaging findings were compatible with the vCJD cases reported since 1996 and met the World Health Organization’s case definition for probable vCJD.

  8. Doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob: considerações clínicas, eletrencefalográficas e anatomopatológicas a propósito de uma caso Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a case report with clinical, electroencephalographic and neuropathological aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilson Luiz Sanvito

    1971-03-01

    Full Text Available É relatado um caso da doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob cujo diagnóstico foi comprovado mediante estudo anátomo-patológico. São analisadas as diversas formas clínicas da doença e particular ênfase é dada aos aspectos eletrencefalográficos. No que respeita aos aspectos neuropatológicos é ressaltada a importância, para o diagnóstico, da presença de degeneração neuronal ao lado de hipertrofia da astroglia; o estado espongioso pode ocorrer em elevado número de casos. O paciente do presente registro, do sexo masculino, apresentou aos 52 anos de idade um quadro rapidamente evolutivo, caracterizado por instabilidade à marcha, mutismo, mioclonias generalizadas e coma vigil, vindo a falecer 5 meses após o início da doença. O estudo anátomo-patológico evidenciou lesões difusas nas regiões corticais, sub-corticais, no tronco do encéfalo e na medula espinhal, caracterizadas por degeneração neuronal, hipertrofia da astroglia e presença do estado espongioso.A case of peculiar form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease — the subacute disseminated encephalo-myelopathy one — is reported. The diagnosis was ascertained by necroscopic study. The clinical and electroencephalographic aspects are analysed. The patient here concerned, a man aged fifty two, during the clinical course of the disease showed stupor, decorticate posture, myoclonic jerks, epileptic seizures, muscular wasting in the left leg, exaggerated tendon reflexes in the face, tendon reflexes not elicitable in the legs. The electroencephalographic findings, during the downhill course of the disease, showed a pattern of irregularly depressed background rhythm with the periodic synchronous high voltage wave. The post-mortem findings revealed mild atrophy of the brain and the histological study revealed neuronal degeneration, astroglial hypertrophies and status spongiosus. The microscopic examination showed that the areas most affected were the frontal and occipital lobes, the basal

  9. Tau pathology in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovacs, Gabor G; Rahimi, Jasmin; Ströbel, Thomas; Lutz, Mirjam I; Regelsberger, Günther; Streichenberger, Nathalie; Perret-Liaudet, Armand; Höftberger, Romana; Liberski, Pawel P; Budka, Herbert; Sikorska, Beata

    2017-05-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a human prion disease with different etiologies. To determine the spectrum of tau pathologies in CJD, we assessed phospho-Tau (pTau) immunoreactivities in 75 sporadic CJD cases including an evaluation of the entorhinal cortex and six hippocampal subregions. Twelve cases (16%) showed only small tau-immunoreactive neuritic profiles. Fifty-two (69.3%) showed additional tau pathology in the medial temporal lobe compatible with primary age related tauopathy (PART). In 22/52 cases the lower pTau immunoreactivity load in the entorhinal cortex as compared to subiculum, dentate gyrus or CA4 region of the hippocampus was significantly different from the typical distribution of the Braak staging. A further 11 cases (14.7%) showed widespread tau pathologies compatible with features of primary tauopathies or the gray matter type of ageing-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG). Prominent gray matter ARTAG was also observed in two out of three additionally examined V203I genetic CJD cases. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid revealed prominent increase of total tau protein in cases with widespread tau pathology, while pTau (T181) level was increased only in four. This correlated with immunohistochemical observations showing less pathology with anti-pTau T181 antibody when compared to anti-pTau S202/T205, T212/S214 and T231. The frequency of tau pathologies is not unusually high in sporadic CJD and does not precisely relate to PrP deposition. However, the pattern of hippocampal tau pathology often deviates from the stages of Braak. Currently applied examination of cerebrospinal fluid pTau (T181) level does not reliably reflect primary tauopathies, PART and ARTAG seen in CJD brains. © 2016 The Authors. Brain Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Neuropathology.

  10. Intracranial Procedures and Expected Frequency of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrams, Joseph Y; Maddox, Ryan A; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Belay, Ermias D

    2016-01-01

    To assess the frequency and characteristics of intracranial procedures (ICPs) performed and the number of U.S. residents living with a history of ICP. These data are used to calculate the expected annual number of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases among U.S. residents with a history of ICP. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample provided data on the frequency and types of ICPs, and data from the National Center for Health Statistics was used to produce age-adjusted mortality rates. A model was constructed, which estimated long-term survival and sporadic CJD rates among ICP patients based on procedure type and age. There were an estimated 2,070,488 ICPs in the United States from 1998 to 2007, an average of over 200,000 per year. There were an estimated 2,023,726 U.S. residents in 2013 with a history of ICP in the previous 30 years. In 2013, there was expected to be 4.1 sporadic CJD cases (95% CI 1-8) among people with a history of ICP in the past 30 years. The considerable proportion of U.S. residents living with a history of ICP is important information for retrospective assessments of CJD or any other suspected long-term outcome of ICPs. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  11. Laminar Distribution of the Pathological Changes in Sporadic and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. A. Armstrong

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The laminar distributions of the pathological changes in the cerebral cortex were compared in the prion diseases sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD and variant CJD (vCJD. First, in some cortical regions, the vacuolation (“spongiform change” was more generally distributed across the cortex in sCJD. Second, there was greater neuronal loss in the upper cortex in vCJD and in the lower cortex in sCJD. Third, the “diffuse” and “florid” prion protein (PrPsc deposits were more frequently distributed in the upper cortex in vCJD and the “synaptic” deposits in the lower cortex in sCJD. Fourth, there was a significant gliosis mainly affecting the lower cortex of both disorders. The data suggest that the pattern of cortical degeneration is different in sCJD and vCJD which may reflect differences in aetiology and the subsequent spread of prion pathology within the brain.

  12. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A great masquerade in neurology, a rare case report from South India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivaprakash Varadan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by an infectious protein called prion and is characterized by spongiform changes, neuronal loss, reactive astrocytic proliferation, and accumulation of pathologic cellular protein. Clinical presentation of CJD is characterized by rapidly progressive dementia, neurologic symptoms and visual impairment, and the development of akinetic mutism, which can mimic many neurological conditions. The diagnosis is based on clinical presentation, electroencephalogram, and typical cerebrospinal fluid and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI findings. Literature on the incidence and prevalence of CJD is lacking in South India. We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with progressive dementia and typical neurologic symptoms, myoclonic jerks, and MRI findings of CJD. This case highlights the need for a high index of suspicion to diagnose CJD.

  13. Case series of probable sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from Eastern India

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    Atanu Biswas

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rapidly progressive, fatal, transmissible neurodegenerative disorder caused by prion protein. It is still considered rare in countries like India. This is probably due to nonavailability of autopsy studies in majority of the center. The recent European diagnostic criterion for sporadic CJD (sCJD is useful for making an early diagnosis. Objective: To report a series of patients of probable sCJD from a neurology institute of eastern India. Materials and Methods: Patients of rapidly developing dementia fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for sCJD were included. All were investigated in detail to find out any possible treatable cause including electroencephalography (EEG, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI of brain, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Results: A total 10 patients of probable sCJD diagnosed using the European diagnostic criterion between December 2011 and January 2013. The clinical features are consistent with other reported series. While 60% of patients had the classical EEG findings, 100% had typical MRI features. Eight patients died within a mean duration of 4.56 months from the disease onset. Conclusions: The clinical features are similar to other reported series. Our observation raises question about the prevalence of this disease in India which needs more elaborate studies.

  14. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Presenting as Expressive Aphasia and Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hafiz B. Mahboob

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, the most common form of human prion diseases, is a fatal condition with a mortality rate reaching 85% within one year of clinical presentation. CJD is characterized by rapidly progressive neurological deterioration in combination with typical electroencephalography (EEG and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI findings and positive cerebrospinal spinal fluid (CSF analysis for 14-3-3 proteins. Unfortunately, CJD can have atypical clinical and radiological presentation in approximately 10% of cases, thus making the diagnosis often challenging. We report a rare clinical presentation of sporadic CJD (sCJD with combination of both expressive aphasia and nonconvulsive status epilepticus. This patient presented with slurred speech, confusion, myoclonus, headaches, and vertigo and succumbed to his disease within ten weeks of initial onset of his symptoms. He had a normal initial diagnostic workup, but subsequent workup initiated due to persistent clinical deterioration revealed CJD with typical MRI, EEG, and CSF findings. Other causes of rapidly progressive dementia and encephalopathy were ruled out. Though a rare condition, we recommend consideration of CJD on patients with expressive aphasia, progressive unexplained neurocognitive decline, and refractory epileptiform activity seen on EEG. Frequent reimaging (MRI, video EEGs and CSF examination might help diagnose this fatal condition earlier.

  15. Neuronal phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Paquet, Claire

    2009-02-01

    The mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and their relationship to accumulated prion protein (PrP) are unclear. A recent cell culture study showed that intracytoplasmic PrP may induce phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR(p))-mediated cell stress. The double-stranded RNA protein kinase PKR is a proapoptotic and stress kinase that accumulates in degenerating neurons in Alzheimer disease. To determine whether neuronal apoptosis in human CJD is associated with activation of the PKR(p) signaling pathway, we assessed in situ end labeling and immunocytochemistry for PrP, glial fibrillary acidic protein, CD68, activated caspase 3, and phosphorylated PKR (Thr451) in samples of frontal, occipital, and temporal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum from 6 patients with sporadic CJD and 5 controls. Neuronal immunostaining for activated PKR was found in all CJD cases. The most staining was in nuclei and, in contrast to findings in Alzheimer disease, cytoplasmic labeling was not detected. Both the number and distribution of PKR(p)-positive neurons correlated closely with the extent of neuronal apoptosis, spongiosis, astrocytosis, and microglial activation and with the phenotype and disease severity. There was no correlation with the type, topography, or amount of extracellular PrP deposits. These findings suggest that neuronal apoptosis in human CJD may result from PKR(p)-mediated cell stress and are consistent with recent studies supporting a pathogenic role for intracellular or transmembrane PrP.

  16. Bitemporal hypometabolism in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease measured by positron emission tomography with (/sup 18/F)-2-fluorodeoxyglucose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedland, R.P.; Prusiner, S.B.; Jagust, W.J.; Budinger, T.F.; Davis, R.L.

    1984-10-01

    It is well established that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is caused by a slow infectious agent similar to the scrapie prion. However, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a 54-year-old man with autopsy confirmed CJD using (18F)-2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the Donner 280-crystal tomograph. Temporal lobe hypometabolism with hemispheric asymmetry was observed. These findings are similar to those previously obtained in PET-FDG studies of patients with clinically defined Alzheimer disease (AD). The similarities in the regional metabolic alterations between CJD and AD provide additional evidence for the possibility that AD may be caused by a slow infectious prion.

  17. The Clinical Stages of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with Met/Met Genotype in Korean Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, So Young; Wang, Min Jeong; Jang, Jae-Won; Park, Young Ho; Lim, Jae-Sung; Youn, Young Chul; Kim, Jungeun; Kim, SangYun

    2016-01-01

    Clinical diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is currently based on changes occurring in the late disease stages, which limits early-stage detection. Therefore, we investigated the disease course from the vague symptomatic to the terminal phase. We retrospectively reviewed 36 sCJD patient records, classifying the disease progression into 4 stages based on clinical manifestations: vague symptomatic, possible CJD, probable CJD and chronic vegetative state. We analyzed findings from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), electroencephalography (EEG) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing performed at each stage. In stage 1, the most distinctive feature was DWI hyperintensities in the neocortex, even with negative CSF 14-3-3 protein and EEG results. In stage 2, DWI hyperintensities in the limbic cortex were more remarkable. CSF 14-3-3 protein testing yielded positive results in >80% of patients; EEG showed sensitivity in disease stage-dependent differences in clinical symptoms and laboratory test results will facilitate early and accurate diagnosis. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  18. Mutation and polymorphism of the prion protein gene in Libyan Jews with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gabizon, R.; Rosenmann, H.; Meiner, Z.; Kahana, I. (Hadassah Univ., Jerusalem (Israel)); Kahana, E. (Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon (Israel)); Shugart, Y.; Ott, J. (Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)); Prusiner, S.B. (Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States))

    1993-10-01

    The inherited prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders which are not only genetic but also transmissible. More than a dozen mutations in the prion protein gene that result in nonconservative amino acid substitutions segregate with the inherited prion diseases including familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In Israel, the incidence of CJD is about 1 case/10[sup 4] Libyan Jews. A Lys[sub 200] substitution segregates with CJD and is reported here to be genetically linked to CJD with a lod score of >4.8. Some healthy elderly Lys[sub 200] carriers > age 65 years were identified, suggesting the possibility of incomplete penetrance. In contrast, no linkage was found between the development of familial CJD and a polymorphism encoding either Met[sub 129] or Val[sub 129]. All Libyan Jewish CJD patients with the Lys[sub 200] mutation encode a Met[sub 129] on the mutant allele. Homozygosity for Met[sub 129] did not correlate with age at disease onset or the duration of illness. The frequency of the Met[sub 129] allele was higher in the affected pedigrees than in a control population of Libyan Jews. The frequency of the Met[sub 129] and Val[sub 129] alleles in the control Libyan population was similar to that found in the general Caucasian population. The identification of three Libyan Jews homozygous for the Lys[sub 200] mutation suggests frequent intrafamilial marriages, a custom documented by genealogical investigations. 26 refs., 3 figs., 6 tabs.

  19. Genetics Home Reference: prion disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... which have overlapping signs and symptoms, include familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), and fatal ... Sc . Sporadic forms of prion disease include sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI), and variably protease- ...

  20. Panencephalopathic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with distinct pattern of prion protein deposition in a patient with D178N mutation and homozygosity for valine at codon 129 of the prion protein Gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcon, Gabriella; Indaco, Antonio; Di Fede, Giuseppe; Suardi, Silvia; Finato, Nicoletta; Moretti, Valentino; Micoli, Sandro; Fociani, Paolo; Zerbi, Pietro; Pincherle, Alessandro; Redaelli, Veronica; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Giaccone, Giorgio

    2014-03-01

    Prion diseases include sporadic, acquired and genetic forms linked to mutations of the prion protein (PrP) gene (PRNP). In subjects carrying the D178N PRNP mutation, distinct phenotypes can be observed, depending on the methionine/valine codon 129 polymorphism. We present here a 53-year-old woman with D178N mutation in the PRNP gene and homozygosity for valine at codon 129. The disease started at age 47 with memory deficits, progressive cognitive impairment and ataxia. The clinical picture slowly worsened to a state of akinetic mutism in about 2 years and the disease course was 6 years. The neuropathologic examination demonstrated severe diffuse cerebral atrophy with neuronal loss, spongiosis and marked myelin loss and tissue rarefaction in the hemispheric white matter, configuring panencephalopathic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. PrP deposition was present in the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum with diffuse synaptic-type pattern of immunoreactivity and clusters of countless, small PrP deposits, particularly evident in the lower cortical layers, in the striatum and in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Western blot analysis showed the presence of type 1 PrP(Sc) (Parchi classification). These findings underline the clear-cut distinction between the neuropathological features of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with D178N PRNP mutation and those of fatal familial insomnia. © 2013 International Society of Neuropathology.

  1. Psychiatric symptoms in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasnianski, Anna; Bohling, Geeske T; Harden, Markus; Zerr, Inga

    2015-09-01

    Psychiatric symptoms in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) are still not sufficiently evaluated. To describe psychiatric symptoms in sCJD with respect to molecular subtype. Patients in this retrospective study were classified according to established diagnostic criteria. 248 sCJD patients with known molecular subtype were recruited from January 1993 to December 2004 and investigated. Psychiatric symptoms were defined according to Möller and colleagues and the AMDP system (Study Group for Methods and Documentation in Psychiatry) and were collected by direct examination by study physicians or extracted from medical documentation. Our data were compared with published data on variant CJD (vCJD). Psychiatric symptoms were common in sCJD patients (90%) and mostly found already at the disease onset (agitation in 64% of the patients, hallucinations in 45%, anxiety in 50%, depression in 37%). All psychiatric symptoms but illusions were found early in the disease course. Psychiatric symptoms in sCJD were less frequent than in vCJD. We provide the first detailed analysis of psychiatric symptoms in a large group of patients with sCJD with respect to differences concerning frequency and time point of occurrence of psychiatric symptoms between molecular subtypes. These data suggest that psychiatric symptoms occurring early in the disease course are common not only in vCJD but also in other CJD types. © Copyright 2015 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

  2. Neuropsychological Symptoms in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients in Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krasnianski, Anna; Bohling, Geeske T; Heinemann, Uta; Varges, Daniela; Meissner, Bettina; Schulz-Schaeffer, Walter J; Reif, Andreas; Zerr, Inga

    2017-01-01

    The polymorphism at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) and the PrPSc types 1 and 2 belong to a molecular classification of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) that correlates well with the clinical and neuropathological phenotype of sCJD. The aim of the study was to perform the first detailed evaluation of neuropsychological deficits in a large group of definite sCJD patients with known molecular subtype. We analyzed neuropsychological symptoms in a cohort of 248 sCJD patients with known M129 V polymorphism of PRNP and prion protein type. Neuropsychological symptoms were very frequent in our patients (96%) and occurred as early as in the first third of the disease course. Besides amnesia and impaired attention (89% each), frontal lobe syndrome (75%), aphasia (63%), and apraxia (57%) were the most common neuropsychological deficits. There was no statistically significant difference with regard to frequency of neuropsychological symptoms between the subtypes. In MV2 and VV2 patients, the onset of neuropsychological symptoms was significantly later than in all other subtypes. We provide the first detailed analysis of neuropsychological symptoms in a large group of sCJD patients with known M129 V genotype and prion protein type. We suggest that the rate of progression of neuropsychological symptoms is subtype-specific. These data may improve the diagnosis in atypical sCJD subtypes.

  3. LGI1 antibody encephalopathy overlapping with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Boaz; Yoo, Patrick; Sutherland, Tom; Boyd, Alison; Stehmann, Christiane; McLean, Catriona

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To report a rare case of leucine-rich, glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody–mediated autoimmune encephalopathy clinically overlapping with pathologically confirmed sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: The patient was investigated with repeated brain MRI, EEG, CSF examination, whole-body fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography, genetic analysis of the prion protein gene (PRNP), and extensive serologic screening for paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalopathy markers. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient's next of kin for access to clinical files for research purposes and for publication. Results: The patient was a 77-year-old man who presented with faciobrachial dystonic seizures (FBDS) secondary to LGI1 antibody–mediated autoimmune encephalopathy, with suggestive MRI findings and a complete response to treatment with combinatorial immunosuppression. Stereotactic biopsy of a nonenhancing T1 hyperintense basal ganglia lesion during the initial FBDS phase, albeit following immunosuppression, did not disclose evidence of lymphocytic inflammation. Following full remission of the FBDS, the patient manifested a rapidly progressive dementia associated with gross motor decline confirmed to be CJD at autopsy (molecular subtype VV3), with no evidence of a pathogenic PRNP mutation. Conclusions: Our patient highlights that these rare diseases are not invariably mutually exclusive and underscores the benefits of comprehensive neuropathologic examination of the brain to achieve an accurate diagnosis, especially in complex cases when the clinical trajectory dramatically deviates and a concomitant disease may need to be conscientiously considered to best explain the new clinical course. PMID:27354985

  4. Possible iatrogenic transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease via tonometer tips: a review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walia, J S; Chronister, C L

    2001-10-01

    Tonometer tips are used by optometrists to measure intraocular pressures. The recommended procedure of soaking in bleach solution kills bacteria and certain viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex virus-1 and herpes simplex virus-2, adenovirus 8, and hepatitis B, from the tip. Conversely, recommendations made in literature to sterilize equipment that may have come in contact with virus-contaminated tissue from patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have a somewhat tougher requirement. Autoclaving for 1 hour at a temperature of at least 120 degrees C (15 psi), or a 1-hour exposure to 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (a 10-fold dilution of household bleach) should provide excellent disinfection. One-hour exposure to 1 N Sodium hydroxide has also been mentioned in the literature. Studies have shown that corneas of guinea pigs with Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (C-J disease) are infectious. Infected corneas have been shown to cause transmission via corneal transplants, and via experimental placement of infected guinea pig's cornea into the anterior chamber of uninfected guinea pigs. Many researchers have strongly suggested that C-J disease can be iatrogenically transmitted via applanation tonometer tips. An epidemiologic case-controlled study found statistically significant odds ratio for intraocular pressure testing in the medical history of patients with C-J disease. Even though there have not been any proven studies confirming iatrogenic transmission through tonometer tips, optometrists should be cautious if a patient has C-J disease, or manifests symptoms of C-J disease and use alternatives to Goldmann applanation tonometry.

  5. New variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD disease and other human prion diseases under epidemiological surveillance in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vera Lúcia Gattás

    Full Text Available Abstract To increase the timeliness of detection of human cases of the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD and to reduce the risk of transmission, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has established and standardized rules and control measures. These include the definition of criteria for suspect cases, reporting, monitoring, and control measures for illness prevention and transmission. Guidelines to be used by the team of health care staff were published and distributed to health workers. A detailed proposal for a simplified system of surveillance for prion diseases was developed and mandatory reporting introduced. Additional effort is necessary to increase vCJD case detection, thus making it necessary to establish a partnership with health care services for best identification of suspected cases and dissemination of information to all involved in the service dealing with vCJD investigation.

  6. High signal of the striatum in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: sequential change on T2-weighted MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uemura, A.; O'uchi, T.; Sakamoto, T.; Yashiro, N.

    2002-01-01

    The object of this study is to describe the sequential change of high signal of the striatum on T2-weighted MRI in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Three cases of autopsy-proven sporadic CJD and a total of 18 serial MR images are included in this study. The degree of high signal of the striatum on T2-weighted MRI was evaluated by two neuroradiologists and divided into four grades by mutual agreement. Initial MRI of all three cases showed a slightly high signal of the bilateral striatum, and the conspicuity of the high signal became more prominent as the disease progressed. In each case the pathological change of striatum and globus pallidus was compared with the high signal on the last MR image. (orig.)

  7. High signal of the striatum in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: sequential change on T2-weighted MRI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uemura, A.; O' uchi, T.; Sakamoto, T.; Yashiro, N. [Department of Radiology, Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa, Chiba (Japan)

    2002-04-01

    The object of this study is to describe the sequential change of high signal of the striatum on T2-weighted MRI in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Three cases of autopsy-proven sporadic CJD and a total of 18 serial MR images are included in this study. The degree of high signal of the striatum on T2-weighted MRI was evaluated by two neuroradiologists and divided into four grades by mutual agreement. Initial MRI of all three cases showed a slightly high signal of the bilateral striatum, and the conspicuity of the high signal became more prominent as the disease progressed. In each case the pathological change of striatum and globus pallidus was compared with the high signal on the last MR image. (orig.)

  8. Role of the biomarkers for the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dulamea, A; Solomon, E

    2016-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a human prion disease, rapidly progressive and fatal, characterized by spongiform encephalopathy. The characteristic triad of signs - rapidly progressive dementia, myoclonus and periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWC) on electroencephalography (EEG) - usually appear in the late stages of the disease. The clinical diagnosis of CJD ante-mortem involves the exclusion of the rapidly progressive non-prionic dementias, the definitive diagnosis requiring brain tissue confirmation. Authors evaluated the methods of clinical diagnosis for sporadic CJD. This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with probable sporadic CJD, based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), EEG, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and extensive laboratory work-up. Four patients with a mean age of 67 years were included in our study. The mean duration from diagnosis until death was of 3.2 weeks. The clinical features of the disease at onset were atypical. In the final stage of the disease, all patients presented rapidly progressive dementia and myoclonus. High levels of 14-3-3 protein and tau protein and normal levels of amyloid β1-42 were found at CSF analysis, in all patients. PSWC on EEG were present in 3 out of 4 patients at different moments of the disease. MRI showed hyperintense lesions in brain cortex, caudate nucleus, and putamen on T2, FLAIR, and DWI. CJD may present various clinical features and, since brain biopsy is usually difficult to perform, a combination of biomarkers is useful in order to establish the diagnosis in the early phase of the disease.

  9. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: updated diagnostic criteria, treatment algorithm, and the utility of brain biopsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manix, Marc; Kalakoti, Piyush; Henry, Miriam; Thakur, Jai; Menger, Richard; Guthikonda, Bharat; Nanda, Anil

    2015-11-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare neurodegenerative condition with a rapid disease course and a mortality rate of 100%. Several forms of the disease have been described, and the most common is the sporadic type. The most challenging aspect of this disease is its diagnosis-the gold standard for definitive diagnosis is considered to be histopathological confirmation-but newer tests are providing means for an antemortem diagnosis in ways less invasive than brain biopsy. Imaging studies, electroencephalography, and biomarkers are used in conjunction with the clinical picture to try to make the diagnosis of CJD without brain tissue samples, and all of these are reviewed in this article. The current diagnostic criteria are limited; test sensitivity and specificity varies with the genetics of the disease as well as the clinical stage. Physicians may be unsure of all diagnostic testing available, and may order outdated tests or prematurely request a brain biopsy when the diagnostic workup is incomplete. The authors review CJD, discuss the role of brain biopsy in this patient population, provide a diagnostic pathway for the patient presenting with rapidly progressive dementia, and propose newer diagnostic criteria.

  10. Association between the PRNP 1368 polymorphism and the occurrence of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bratosiewicz-Wąsik, Jolanta; Smoleń-Dzirba, Joanna; Rozemuller, Annemieke J.; Jansen, Casper; Spliet, Wim; Jansen, Gerard H.; Wąsik, Tomasz J.; Liberski, Paweł P.

    2012-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare transmissible neurodegenerative disorder. The etiology of sporadic form of CJD remains unsolved. In addition to the codon 129 polymorphism, polymorphisms in the non-coding region of PRNP are considered as important factors in sCJD development. To assess a possible association between PRNP 1368 SNP and sCJD, we compared the genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies of the 1368 SNP among 46 sCJD patients of Dutch origin with the respective frequencies in healthy controls. We detected a significant association between sCJD and 1368T/T genotype. A significant difference was also observed in 1368 alleles’ distribution. In the haplotype analysis, haplotype 1368C-129G was associated with decreased risk of sCJD in Dutch population. Our findings support the hypothesis that genetic variations in the regulatory region of the PRNP gene may influence the pathogenesis of sCJD. PMID:22895088

  11. Creutzfeldt-Jacob-disease: The computerized tomogram in relation to clinical, electroencephalographic and neuropathological findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zieger, A.

    1981-01-01

    The computerized tomogram (CT) of a senile case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with rapid progress, showed after an initially minor parietal dilatation of the gyri, a volume increase, predominantly on the right side, in the area of the cerebral convexity and a right-preponderant dilatation of the anterior horns. By neuropathologic examination indications for a passed cerebral oedema was found, covering the cortex atrophy, which previously had been detected by CT. Progression and local intensity of the atrophic signs in CT - in combination with clinical and electroencephalographic findings - let appear probable the existence of a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and permit its delineation against other atrophying processes. (orig./MG) [de

  12. N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine brain scintigraphy with SPECT in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Momose, Toshimitsu; Kosaka, Noboru; Nishikawa, Junichi; Ohtake, Tohru; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Yoshikawa, Kohki; Iio, Masahiro

    1988-10-01

    Two patients of clinically diagnosed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were examined with N-Isopropyl I-123 p-Iodoamphetamine (IMP) SPECT, MRI and XCT. Both patient has myoclonus and severe conscious disturbance with periodic synchronized discharge (PSD) on EEG. SPECT images were obtained using GE400AC/T. Regional IMP uptake was determined by calculating the ratio of each cortical regional to cerebellar IMP uptake (cortico-cerebellar ratio: CCR) and compared with that of five normal controls. In both case, CCR was remarkably decreased in all cortical areas, although XCT or MRI shows no abnormality except slight cortical atrophy. It suggests that metabolic and functional changes proceed morphological abnormality seen on XCT or MRI. In one case of CJD, serial studies of SPECT and XCT were performed after three months of interval. CCR in second study was higher than in first study, while XCT revealed remarkable brain atrophy including cerebrum, pons and cerebellum. It can be interpreted as regional differences of disease process. In conclusion, I-123 IMP-SPECT is useful for the earlier detection of lesions in CJD.

  13. Corticobasal syndrome due to sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a review and neuropsychological case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, David Andrés; Soble, Jason R

    2017-04-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, rapidly progressive, and fatal neurodegenerative disease with neuropsychological sequelae. This study highlighted a rare presentation of CJD (e.g. corticobasal syndrome [CBS]), reviewed updated diagnostic criteria and procedures for CJD (e.g. diffusion weighted imaging [DWI], real-time quaking-induced conversion [RT-QuIC]), and discussed differential diagnoses. Case report methodology focused on a 68-year-old, Hispanic, right-handed man with 11 years of education. He presented with a 1-2-month history of gait and motor difficulties (e.g. rigidity, myoclonus). After evaluation, a 'cortical ribboning' pattern on DWI and positive RT-QuIC was integrated with performance on neurobehavioral exam (i.e. alien limb phenomenon, unilateral ideomotor apraxia) and neuropsychological testing (i.e. frontal-parietal dysfunction pattern) to reach a diagnosis of sCJD-CBS. The patient expired 3 months after onset of symptoms. This literature review and case report highlighted the importance of staying abreast of developments in neurological literature and the added value of neuropsychology, when integrated with newer procedures, for confirming and excluding diagnostic considerations.

  14. N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine brain scintigraphy with SPECT in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Momose, Toshimitsu; Kosaka, Noboru; Nishikawa, Junichi; Ohtake, Tohru; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Yoshikawa, Kohki; Iio, Masahiro

    1988-01-01

    Two patients of clinically diagnosed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were examined with N-Isopropyl I-123 p-Iodoamphetamine (IMP) SPECT, MRI and XCT. Both patient has myoclonus and severe conscious disturbance with periodic synchronized discharge (PSD) on EEG. SPECT images were obtained using GE400AC/T. Regional IMP uptake was determined by calculating the ratio of each cortical regional to cerebellar IMP uptake [cortico-cerebellar ratio: CCR] and compared with that of five normal controls. In both case, CCR was remarkably decreased in all cortical areas, although XCT or MRI shows no abnormality except slight cortical atrophy. It suggests that metabolic and functional changes proceed morphological abnormality seen on XCT or MRI. In one case of CJD, serial studies of SPECT and XCT were performed after three months of interval. CCR in second study was higher than in first study, while XCT revealed remarkable brain atrophy including cerebrum, pons and cerebellum. It can be interpreted as regional differences of disease process. In conclusion, I-123 IMP-SPECT is useful for the earlier detection of lesions in CJD. (author)

  15. Short TE quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cordery, R.J.; Godbolt, A.; Rossor, M.N.; MacManus, D.; Waldman, A.D.

    2006-01-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a fatal neurodegerative disorder. Clinical diagnosis is difficult in the early stages as the disease often presents with non-specific psychiatric and neurological symptoms. To investigate the diagnostic potential of quantitative short TE in vivo MRS, and the nature and anatomical distribution of biochemical abnormalities in vCJD, localised single-voxel spectra (TE/TR 30 ms/2,000 ms) were acquired from three brain regions: thalami, caudate nuclei and frontal white matter. Metabolite concentrations and ratios from three patients with definite or probable vCJD were compared with eight normal age-matched controls. Abnormal signal on T2-weighted MRI was apparent in the pulvinar region in all vCJD patients; this region also showed greatly increased myo-inositol [MI] (mean 2.5-fold, P=0.01) and decreased N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA; mean 2-fold, P=0.01). Two patients also showed increased [MI] (z=17, 11; one with decreased NAA, z=-12) in normal-appearing caudate nuclei. The magnitude of metabolite abnormalities in the thalami in moderately advanced vCJD suggests a potential role in earlier diagnosis. Short TE protocols allow the measurement of MI, which adds discriminant power to the MRS examination. (orig.)

  16. Short TE quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordery, R.J.; Godbolt, A.; Rossor, M.N. [University College London, Dementia Research Group, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Division of Neuroscience and Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, London (United Kingdom); MacManus, D. [University College London, NMR Research Unit, Department of Clinical Neurology,Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Waldman, A.D. [University College London, Dementia Research Group, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Division of Neuroscience and Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, London (United Kingdom); Charing Cross Hospital, Department of Imaging, London (United Kingdom); National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Dementia Research Group, London (United Kingdom)

    2006-08-15

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a fatal neurodegerative disorder. Clinical diagnosis is difficult in the early stages as the disease often presents with non-specific psychiatric and neurological symptoms. To investigate the diagnostic potential of quantitative short TE in vivo MRS, and the nature and anatomical distribution of biochemical abnormalities in vCJD, localised single-voxel spectra (TE/TR 30 ms/2,000 ms) were acquired from three brain regions: thalami, caudate nuclei and frontal white matter. Metabolite concentrations and ratios from three patients with definite or probable vCJD were compared with eight normal age-matched controls. Abnormal signal on T2-weighted MRI was apparent in the pulvinar region in all vCJD patients; this region also showed greatly increased myo-inositol [MI] (mean 2.5-fold, P=0.01) and decreased N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA; mean 2-fold, P=0.01). Two patients also showed increased [MI] (z=17, 11; one with decreased NAA, z=-12) in normal-appearing caudate nuclei. The magnitude of metabolite abnormalities in the thalami in moderately advanced vCJD suggests a potential role in earlier diagnosis. Short TE protocols allow the measurement of MI, which adds discriminant power to the MRS examination. (orig.)

  17. Guinea Pig Prion Protein Supports Rapid Propagation of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Prions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Joel C; Giles, Kurt; Saltzberg, Daniel J; Dugger, Brittany N; Patel, Smita; Oehler, Abby; Bhardwaj, Sumita; Sali, Andrej; Prusiner, Stanley B

    2016-11-01

    The biochemical and neuropathological properties of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) prions are faithfully maintained upon transmission to guinea pigs. However, primary and secondary transmissions of BSE and vCJD in guinea pigs result in long incubation periods of ∼450 and ∼350 days, respectively. To determine if the incubation periods of BSE and vCJD prions could be shortened, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing guinea pig prion protein (GPPrP). Inoculation of Tg(GPPrP) mice with BSE and vCJD prions resulted in mean incubation periods of 210 and 199 days, respectively, which shortened to 137 and 122 days upon serial transmission. In contrast, three different isolates of sporadic CJD prions failed to transmit disease to Tg(GPPrP) mice. Many of the strain-specified biochemical and neuropathological properties of BSE and vCJD prions, including the presence of type 2 protease-resistant PrP Sc , were preserved upon propagation in Tg(GPPrP) mice. Structural modeling revealed that two residues near the N-terminal region of α-helix 1 in GPPrP might mediate its susceptibility to BSE and vCJD prions. Our results demonstrate that expression of GPPrP in Tg mice supports the rapid propagation of BSE and vCJD prions and suggest that Tg(GPPrP) mice may serve as a useful paradigm for bioassaying these prion isolates. Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prions are two of the prion strains most relevant to human health. However, propagating these strains in mice expressing human or bovine prion protein has been difficult because of prolonged incubation periods or inefficient transmission. Here, we show that transgenic mice expressing guinea pig prion protein are fully susceptible to vCJD and BSE prions but not to sporadic CJD prions. Our results suggest that the guinea pig prion protein is a better, more rapid substrate than either bovine or human prion protein for

  18. Value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Quangang; Wu Weiping; Huang Dehui; Zhang Jiatang; Lang Senyang; Pu Chuanqiang

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To assess the diagnosis value of diffusion- weighted imaging (DWI) in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Methods: 8 cases of sporadic CJD who underwent MRI were reported. 4 cases were definite, 3 cases were probable and 1 case was possible. The sensitivity of DWI and conventional MRI were compared. Results: T 1 WI and T 2 WI revealed no abnormal signals except nonspecific diffuse brain atrophy in 4 cases, whereas DWI detected hyperintense abnormalities in all cases. 2 cases showed linear lesions only in the cerebral cortex, and 6 cases showed lesions in both the cerebral cortex and the striatum. The lesions were symmetric in 5 cases, but were asymmetric in the other 3 cases. Although fluid- attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging also showed cortical hyperintensity in 1 case, the high signal changes were more evident and extensive on DWI. Conclusions: The hyperintense changes in the cerebral cortices and/or striata on DWI are considered characteristic of CJD. DWI is more sensitive than conventional MRI in depicting lesions of CJD and may be an essential tool for the early diagnosis of this disease. (authors)

  19. The Heidenhain variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and concomitant tau pathology: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehler, Edvard; Pipka, Michael; Meleková, Alena; Mandysová, Petra; Johanidesová, Silvie; Matěj, Radoslav; Rusina, Robert

    The Heidenhain form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare CJD variant with predominantly visual symptoms in the early stages. Clinical manifestations of metamorphopsia, hemianopia and Balint's syndrome correlate with the involvement of the posterior cortical regions. A 71-year old healthy and very active man was admitted because of impaired visual acuity, hemianopia, and gait disturbance progressing over one week. MRI found typical cortical hyperintensities in the occipital regions while rhythm slowing and sharp waves were seen in the occipital regions on EEG. Protein 14-3-3 was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. Postmortem neuropathology revealed typical histopathological changes consistent with CJD. Moreover, we found deposits of phosphorylated tau protein in the limbic regions that met the criteria for primary age-related tauopathy (PART); representing an additional and interesting finding in our case. Copyright © 2017 Polish Neurological Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

  20. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease lookback study: 21 years of surveillance for transfusion transmission risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowder, Lauren A; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Dodd, Roger Y; Steele, Whitney R

    2017-08-01

    Transfusion transmission of human prion diseases has been observed for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), but not for the classic forms of prion disease (CJD: sporadic, genetic, and iatrogenic). Although the presence of prions or misfolded prion proteins in blood has been documented in some patients with the most common form of CJD, sporadic CJD, no transfusion-transmitted cases of CJD have been recognized. Since 1995, the American Red Cross has conducted a lookback study of the recipients of blood products from donors who develop CJD to assess the risk of blood-borne CJD transmission in the United States. Blood donors subsequently diagnosed with confirmed or probable CJD were enrolled and the consignees were asked to identify the recipients of their blood products. These donors' transfusion recipients are traced annually with the National Death Index to see if they subsequently die of CJD. To date, 65 CJD donors have been enrolled along with 826 of their blood recipients. These recipients have contributed 3934 person-years of follow-up and no transfusion-transmitted cases of CJD have been recognized. From this study, as well as other epidemiologic studies, there is no evidence of CJD transfusion transmission; this risk remains theoretical. © 2017 AABB.

  1. Redefining periodic patterns on electroencephalograms of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Jung-Won; Yim, Byeongsoo; Oh, Seung Hun; Kim, Nam Keun; Lee, Sang Kun; Kim, Ok-Joon

    2017-05-01

    We aimed to redefine various periodic patterns (PPs) observed on electroencephalography (EEG) in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) using the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society's (ACNS) Criteria. We analyzed EEG data of 23 patients with sCJD were admitted to two university hospitals between August 2005 and September 2015. We classified PPs on EEG data into three types: irregular periodic discharges (PDs) with superimposed rhythmic activities, appearing at a median of 8weeks after onset (w.a.o.); rhythmic sharp-and-wave, at a median of 11w.a.o.; and PDs with biphasic or triphasic morphology, at a median of 17w.a.o. Of 16 patients presenting with PPs, 14 had widespread lesions in both cortical and subcortical areas with clinical stage III at admission, and shorter time intervals for admission to hospital from disease onset than patients without PPs (Patients with PP, 11.6±12.2weeks; without PP, 18.2±8.3weeks; p=0.033). PPs largely presented as three types at different stages of disease progression, and patients who had PPs had more wide spread lesions and rapid disease progression. Our redefinition of PPs demonstrated on EEG using the ACNS criteria may contribute to further understanding of the pathological mechanisms of sCJD, and PPs might be a predictive factor of a rapid sCJD progression. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Characteristics of Korean patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid: Preliminary study of the Korean Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease active surveillance program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jae-Sung; Kwon, Hyung-Min; Jang, Jae-Won; Ju, Young-Ran; Kim, SuYeon; Park, Young Ho; Park, So Young; Kim, SangYun

    2015-01-01

    Although Korea had a national surveillance system for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), it was mainly dependent on attending physician's reports. Thus, little prospective data about the epidemiology, characteristics, and final diagnoses of suspected patients were available. We have established a nationwide network for the active surveillance of patients with suspected CJD. When the requested cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples tested positive for 14-3-3 protein, we investigated the clinical characteristics of the corresponding patients and followed them until their final diagnoses were confirmed. A total of 218 samples were requested for CSF assays from May 2010 to August 2012, and 106 (48.6%) were positive for 14-3-3 protein. In 89 patients with complete clinical data, 38 (42.7%) were diagnosed with probable CJD and the estimated annual occurrence of CJD was 16.3 persons-per-year. The most common diagnoses of the remainder were central nervous system infection and any-cause encephalopathy. Non-CJD subjects showed worse initial consciousness levels than CJD patients. This preliminary study showed that the number of reported cases of CJD and the true positivity rates of CSF 14-3-3 protein assays were both low in Korea. An active surveillance system is urgently needed to provide the latest nationwide epidemiological data of CJD.

  3. Cathepsin D SNP associated with increased risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanchez-Juan Pascual

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD originally resulted from the consumption of foodstuffs contaminated by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE material, with 163 confirmed cases in the UK to date. Many thousands are likely to have been exposed to dietary infection and so it is important (for surveillance, epidemic modelling, public health and understanding pathogenesis to identify genetic factors that may affect individual susceptibility to infection. This study looked at a polymorphism in the cathepsin D gene (refSNP ID: rs17571 previously examined in Alzheimer's disease (AD. Methods Blood samples taken from 110 vCJD patients were tested for the C-T base change, and genotype data were compared with published frequencies for a control population using multiple logistic regression. Results There was a significant excess of the cathepsin D polymorphism TT genotype in the vCJD cohort compared to controls. The TT genotype was found to have a 9.75 fold increase in risk of vCJD compared to the CT genotype and a 10.92 fold increase compared to the CC genotype. Conclusion This mutation event has been observed to alter the protease activity of the cathepsin D protein and has been linked to an increase in amyloid beta plaque formation in AD. vCJD neuropathology is characterised by the presence of amyloid plaques, formed from the prion protein, and therefore alterations in the amyloid processing activity of cathepsin D may affect the neuropathogenesis of this disease.

  4. Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Autoimmunity Mimicking Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geschwind, Michael D.; Tan, K. Meng; Lennon, Vanda A.; Barajas, Ramon F.; Haman, Aissa; Klein, Christopher J.; Josephson, S. Andrew; Pittock, Sean J.

    2009-01-01

    Background Rapidly progressive dementia has a variety of causes, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and neuronal voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) autoantibody–associated encephalopathy. Objective To describe patients thought initially to have CJD but found subsequently to have immunotherapy-responsive VGKC autoimmunity. Design Observational, prospective case series. Setting Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, and the Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco. Patients A clinical serologic cohort of 15 patients referred for paraneoplastic autoantibody evaluation. Seven patients were evaluated clinically by at least one of us. Clinical information for the remaining patients was obtained by physician interview or medical record review. Main Outcome Measures Clinical features, magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities, electroencephalographic patterns, cerebrospinal fluid analyses, and responses to immunomodulatory therapy. Results All the patients presented subacutely with neurologic manifestations, including rapidly progressive dementia, myoclonus, extrapyramidal dysfunction, visual hallucinations, psychiatric disturbance, and seizures; most (60%) satisfied World Health Organization diagnostic criteria for CJD. Magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities included cerebral cortical diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensities. Electroencephalographic abnormalities included diffuse slowing, frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity, and focal epileptogenic activity but not periodic sharp wave complexes. Cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein or neuron-specific enolase levels were elevated in 5 of 8 patients. Hyponatremia was common (60%). Neoplasia was confirmed histologically in 5 patients (33%) and was suspected in another 5. Most patients’ conditions (92%) improved after immunomodulatory therapy. Conclusions Clinical, radiologic, electrophysiologic, and laboratory findings in VGKC autoantibody–associated encephalopathy may be

  5. Comparative Study of Prions in Iatrogenic and Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Xiangzhu; Yuan, Jue; Qing, Liuting; Cali, Ignazio; Mikol, Jacqueline; Delisle, Marie-Bernadette; Uro-Coste, Emmanuelle; Zeng, Liang; Abouelsaad, Mai; Gazgalis, Dimitris; Martinez, Manuel Camacho; Wang, Gong-Xian; Brown, Paul; Ironside, James W.; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Kong, Qingzhong; Zou, Wen-Quan

    2014-01-01

    Differentiating iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) from sporadic CJD (sCJD) would be useful for the identification and prevention of human-to-human prion transmission. Currently, the diagnosis of iCJD depends on identification of a recognized source of contamination to which patients have been exposed, in addition to fulfilling basic requirements for the establishment of diagnosis of CJD. Attempts to identify differences in clinical manifestations, neuropathological changes and pathological prion protein (PrPSc) between iCJD and sCJD have been unsuccessful. In the present study, using a variety of more sophisticated methods including sucrose step gradient sedimentation, conformational stability immunoassay, protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), fragment-mapping, and transmission study, we show no significant differences in gel profiles, oligomeric state, conformational stability and infectivity of PrPSc between iCJD and sCJD. However, using PMCA, we find that convertibility and amplification efficiency of PrPSc is greater in iCJD than in sCJD in a polymorphism-dependent manner. Moreover, two protease-resistant PrP C-terminal fragments (termed PrP-CTF12/13) were detected in all 9 cases of sCJD but not in 6 of 8 cases of iCJD tested in this study. The use of fragment mapping- and PMCA-based assays thus provides a means to distinguish most cases of iCJD from sCJD. PMID:25419482

  6. Update: Dura Mater Graft-Associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease - Japan, 1975-2017.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ae, Ryusuke; Hamaguchi, Tsuyoshi; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Yamada, Masahito; Tsukamoto, Tadashi; Mizusawa, Hidehiro; Belay, Ermias D; Schonberger, Lawrence B

    2018-03-09

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that, according to the most well accepted hypothesis (1), is caused by replicating, transmissible, abnormal forms of a host-encoded prion protein (prions). Most CJD cases occur spontaneously (sporadic CJD) or are inherited (genetic CJD). Iatrogenic CJD can occur after exposure to prion-contaminated instruments or products in medical/surgical settings. Cadaveric dura mater graft-associated CJD (dCJD) accounts for a common form of iatrogenic CJD. This report summarizes the epidemiologic features of 154 cases of dCJD identified in Japan during 1975-2017; these cases account for >60% of dCJD cases reported worldwide (1,2). The unusually high prevalence of dCJD in Japan was first reported in 1997 (3). In 2008, a single brand of graft (Lyodura [B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen, Germany]), frequently used as a patch in neurosurgical procedures, was identified as the probable vehicle of transmission (4). No international recall of the implicated Lyodura occurred, the product had a relatively long shelf life, and the grafts were used frequently in Japanese patients with non-life-threatening conditions (4,5). Since 2008, additional cases have been ascertained, reflecting the identification of previously missed cases and the occurrence of new cases with longer latency periods (interval from exposure to symptom onset) for dCJD (up to 30 years), underscoring the importance of maintaining surveillance for dCJD.

  7. Detection of prions in blood from patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Concha-Marambio, Luis; Pritzkow, Sandra; Moda, Fabio; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Ironside, James W; Schulz, Paul E; Soto, Claudio

    2016-12-21

    Human prion diseases are infectious and invariably fatal neurodegenerative diseases. They include sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the most common form, and variant CJD (vCJD), which is caused by interspecies transmission of prions from cattle infected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Development of a biochemical assay for the sensitive, specific, early, and noninvasive detection of prions (PrP Sc ) in the blood of patients affected by prion disease is a top medical priority to increase the safety of the blood supply. vCJD has already been transmitted from human to human by blood transfusion, and the number of asymptomatic carriers of vCJD in the U.K. alone is estimated to be 1 in 2000 people. We used the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technique to analyze blood samples from 14 cases of vCJD and 153 controls, including patients affected by sCJD and other neurodegenerative or neurological disorders as well as healthy subjects. Our results showed that PrP Sc could be detected with 100% sensitivity and specificity in blood samples from vCJD patients. Detection was possible in any of the blood fractions analyzed and could be done with as little as a few microliters of sample volume. The PrP Sc concentration in blood was estimated to be ~0.5 pg/ml. Our findings suggest that PMCA may be useful for premortem noninvasive diagnosis of vCJD and to identify prion contamination of the blood supply. Further studies are needed to fully validate the technology. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  8. Comparison Between Sporadic and Misdiagnosed Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Report of Two Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xiongfei; Yu, Yingxin; Zhao, Zhiru; Xu, Jiaping

    2015-06-01

    Definite accurate diagnosis for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) depends on neuropathologic examination of brain biopsy or autopsy. However, transmissible nature makes the invasive examination dangerous. This study was set to determine that the clinical features are for the diagnosis of CJD through a comparison study. We compared clinical features of two cases with initial diagnosis of sporadic CJD. One case was finally diagnosed as definite sporadic CJD. According to World Health Organization diagnosis criteria, the other one, which had been diagnosed as probable sporadic CJD, was confirmed as limbic encephalitis after long-term follow-up. Compared with the case of definite sporadic CJD, the misdiagnosed case did not present typical electroencephalogram (EEG) and diffusion-weighted in magnetic resonance images (DWI) of CJD. However, cerebrospinal fluid in the misdiagnosed patient showed 14-3-3 protein positivity. The patient conditions improved after treatment. Through this case comparison, we conclude that EEG and DWI are necessary for accurate diagnosis of sporadic CJD. Further, long-term follow-up is crucial to diagnosis and treatment of CJD.

  9. Case report of Lewy body disease mimicking Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a 44-year-old man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saint-Aubert, Laure; Pariente, Jérémie; Dumas, Herve; Payoux, Pierre; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Puel, Michèle; Vital, Anne; Guedj, Eric; Lesage, Suzanne; Peoc'h, Katell; Brefel Courbon, Christine; Ory Magne, Fabienne

    2016-07-30

    Few patients are reported with dementia with Lewy bodies before fifty years-old, which may partly reflect the difficulty of accurate diagnosis in young population. We report the case of a 44-year-old male with pathologically confirmed sporadic dementia with Lewy bodies, who did not fulfil the revised clinical criteria for this disease. We document this atypical case with clinical and cognitive evaluation, imaging, biochemistry, genetics and pathology investigations. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was first suspected in this patient with no previous medical history, who developed acute and rapid cognitive impairment, L-dopa-non-responsive parkinsonism, and delusion. Positive 14-3-3 protein was initially detected in cerebrospinal fluid and until the late stages of the disease. Severe atrophy with no diffusion hypersignal was found on structural MRI as well as an extensive hypometabolism on (18)F-FDG-PET, in comparison to age-matched healthy volunteers. Genetic investigation found no alpha-synuclein gene mutation. The patient died within 5 years, and post-mortem examination found numerous Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites consistent with pure Lewy body disease. This comprehensively described case illustrates that dementia with Lewy bodies can occur in young patients with atypical clinical presentation. Biochemistry and neuroimaging investigations can sometimes be insufficient to allow accurate diagnostic. More specific markers to support such diagnosis are needed.

  10. Factors influencing the survival period in Japanese patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Iwasaki, Yasushi; Akagi, Akio; Mimuro, Maya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari

    2015-10-15

    Although Japanese cases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) generally involve longer survival periods compared to those from other countries, details regarding the factors influencing survival are unclear. To determine the influence of certain factors on survival, we retrospectively assessed 51 Japanese MM1-type sCJD patients with respect to background, clinical course, and disease management. No significant differences were found between men and women, tracheotomy and nontracheotomy patients, or patients treated in public and other types of hospitals. Although the survival period of tube-fed patients was significantly longer than that of patients who were not tube fed, survival of patients fed via a nasal tube did not differ significantly from that of gastrostomy-fed patients. The proportion of tube-fed patients was 68.6% (35/51). Disease duration was not significantly associated with age or year of onset. However, it was associated with time from onset to first recognition of myoclonus, first recognition of periodic sharp-wave complexes on electroencephalogram, and progression to the akinetic mutism state. Mechanical ventilation was not performed for any patient. Because the total disease duration increased in cases with a slowly progressive clinical course as a natural outcome, we concluded that the most crucial factor contributing to the prolonged survival of Japanese sCJD patients was tube feeding once the akinetic mutism state had been reached. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. [Based on the incidence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Lanzarote healthcare area. Description of two definitive cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Ramos, F J; Martínez Martín, M; Esteban Robayna, M; Jensen Toll, F; Palacios Llopis, S

    2005-01-01

    We present two cases who have been diagnosed of definitive Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the health area of Lanzarote in the period January 2002 to January 2004. The two cases are presented with clinical description, complementary tests -- including electroencephalogram, 14-3-3 protein determination -- study of the prionic protein gene, and histopathologic findings. In this article, we try to show the importance of trying to reach a definitive diagnosis with the histopathologic study once there is clinical suspicion (a diagnosis that is probable or possible). In addition our cases show that communication between the clinical and the epidemiological coordinator of the regional community and the National Center of Epidemiology is very important. We refer to the clear growth in the incidence of the disease in the population of Lanzarote in the period above mentioned. Finally, we discuss whether this growth is or is not an isolated event.

  12. Subtype and regional regulation of prion biomarkers in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorens, Franc; Zafar, Saima; Ansoleaga, Belén; Shafiq, Mohsin; Blanco, Rosi; Carmona, Marga; Grau-Rivera, Oriol; Nos, Carlos; Gelpí, Ellen; Del Río, José Antonio; Zerr, Inga; Ferrer, Isidre

    2015-08-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapid progressive neurological disease leading to dementia and death. Prion biomarkers are altered in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of CJD patients, but the pathogenic mechanisms underlying these alterations are still unknown. The present study examined prion biomarker levels in the brain and CSF of sporadic CJD (sCJD) cases and their correlation with neuropathological lesion profiles. The expression levels of 14-3-3, Tau, phospho-Tau and α-synuclein were measured in the CSF and brain of sCJD cases in a subtype- and region-specific manner. In addition, the activity of prion biomarker kinases, the expression levels of CJD hallmarks and the most frequent neuropathological sCJD findings were analysed. Prion biomarkers levels were increased in the CSF of sCJD patients; however, correlations between mRNA, total protein and their phosphorylated forms in brain were different. The observed downregulation of the main Tau kinase, GSK3, in sCJD brain samples may help to explain the differential phospho-Tau/Tau ratios between sCJD and other dementias in the CSF. Importantly, CSF biomarkers levels do not necessarily correlate with sCJD neuropathological findings. Present findings indicate that prion biomarkers levels in sCJD tissues and their release into the CSF are differentially regulated following specific modulated responses, and suggest a functional role for these proteins in sCJD pathogenesis. © 2014 British Neuropathological Society.

  13. Caregiver burden in atypical dementias: comparing frontotemporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uflacker, Alice; Edmondson, Mary C; Onyike, Chiadi U; Appleby, Brian S

    2016-02-01

    Caregiver burden is a significant issue in the treatment of dementia and a known contributor to institutionalization of patients with dementia. Published data have documented increased caregiver burden in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) compared to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Another atypical dementia with high-perceived caregiver burden is sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), but no formal studies have assessed this perception. The aim of this study was to compare caregiver burden across atypical dementia etiologies. 76 adults with atypical dementia (young-onset AD [YOAD], bvFTD, language variant FTD [lvFTD], and sCJD) were administered an abbreviated version of the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q), and other assessment instruments during a five-year time period at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH). A Cox regression model examined differences between disease categories that impact mean ZBI scores. Mean ZBI scores were significantly different between dementia etiologies, with bvFTD and sCJD having the highest caregiver burden (p = 0.026). Mean NPI-Q caregiver distress scores were highest in bvFTD and sCJD (p = 0.002), with sCJD and bvFTD also having the highest number of endorsed symptom domains (p = 0.012). On regression analyses, an interactive variable combining final diagnosis category and NPI-Q total severity score demonstrated statistically significant differences in mean ZBI scores for sCJD and bvFTD. This study demonstrates that bvFTD and sCJD have increased levels of caregiver burden, NPI-Q caregiver distress, total severity scores, and number of endorsed symptom domains. These results suggest that higher caregiver burden in bvFTD and sCJD are disease specific and possibly related to neuropsychiatric symptoms.

  14. Age at Death of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in subsequent family generation carrying the E200K mutation of the prion protein gene.

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    Maurizio Pocchiari

    Full Text Available The E200K mutation of the prion protein gene (PRNP is the most frequent amino acid substitution in genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and is the only one responsible for the appearance of clustered cases in the world. In the Israel and Slovakian clusters, age of disease onset was reduced in successive generations but the absence of a clear molecular basis raised the possibility that this event was an observational bias. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible selection biases or confounding factors related to anticipation in E200K CJD patients belonging to a cluster in Southern Italy.Clinical and demographical data of 41 parent-offspring pairs from 19 pedigrees of the Italian cluster of E200K patients were collected. Age at death of parents was compared with age at death of E200K CJD offspring. Subgroup analyses were performed for controlling possible selection biases, confounding factors, or both.The mean age at death/last follow-up of the parent generation was 71.4 years while that of CJD offspring was 59.3 years with an estimated anticipation of 12.1 years. When the same analysis was performed including only parents with CJD or carrying the E200K mutation (n = 26, the difference between offspring and parents increased to 14.8 years.These results show that early age at death occurs in offspring of families carrying the E200K PRNP mutation and that this event is not linked to observational biases. Although molecular or environmental bases for this occurrence remain unsettled, this information is important for improving the accuracy of information to give to mutated carriers.

  15. Regulation of human cerebrospinal fluid malate dehydrogenase 1 in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitz, Matthias; Llorens, Franc; Pracht, Alexander; Thom, Tobias; Correia, Ângela; Zafar, Saima; Ferrer, Isidre; Zerr, Inga

    2016-11-14

    The identification of reliable diagnostic biomarkers in differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is an ongoing topic. A previous two-dimensional proteomic study on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed an elevated level of an enzyme, mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1), in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) patients. Here, we could demonstrate the expression of MDH1 in neurons as well as in the neuropil. Its levels are lower in sCJD brains than in control brains. An examination of CSF-MDH1 in sCJD patients by ELISA revealed a significant elevation of CSF-MDH1 levels in sCJD patients (independently from the PRNP codon 129 MV genotype or the prion protein scrapie (PrP Sc ) type) in comparison to controls. In combination with total tau (tau), CSF-MDH1 detection exhibited a high diagnostic accuracy for sCJD diagnosis with a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 95.6%. A correlation study of MDH1 level in CSF with other neurodegenerative marker proteins revealed a significant positive correlation between MDH1 concentration with tau, 14-3-3 and neuron specific enolase level. In conclusion, our study indicated the potential of MDH1 in combination with tau as an additional biomarker in sCJD improving diagnostic accuracy of tau markedly.

  16. Distribution and Quantitative Estimates of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Prions in Tissues of Clinical and Asymptomatic Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douet, Jean Y; Lacroux, Caroline; Aron, Naima; Head, Mark W; Lugan, Séverine; Tillier, Cécile; Huor, Alvina; Cassard, Hervé; Arnold, Mark; Beringue, Vincent; Ironside, James W; Andréoletti, Olivier

    2017-06-01

    In the United-Kingdom, ≈1 of 2,000 persons could be infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Therefore, risk of transmission of vCJD by medical procedures remains a major concern for public health authorities. In this study, we used in vitro amplification of prions by protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) to estimate distribution and level of the vCJD agent in 21 tissues from 4 patients who died of clinical vCJD and from 1 asymptomatic person with vCJD. PMCA identified major levels of vCJD prions in a range of tissues, including liver, salivary gland, kidney, lung, and bone marrow. Bioassays confirmed that the quantitative estimate of levels of vCJD prion accumulation provided by PMCA are indicative of vCJD infectivity levels in tissues. Findings provide critical data for the design of measures to minimize risk for iatrogenic transmission of vCJD.

  17. Genetic and Transcriptomic Profiles of Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Alzheimer, Parkinson, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Tauopathies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López González, Irene; Garcia-Esparcia, Paula; Llorens, Franc; Ferrer, Isidre

    2016-02-04

    Polymorphisms in certain inflammatory-related genes have been identified as putative differential risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates, such as sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and sporadic Parkinson's disease (sPD). Gene expression studies of cytokines and mediators of the immune response have been made in post-mortem human brain samples in AD, sPD, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) subtypes MM1 and VV2, Pick's disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration linked to mutation P301L in MAPT Frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau (FTLD-tau). The studies have disclosed variable gene regulation which is: (1) disease-dependent in the frontal cortex area 8 in AD, sPD, sCJD MM1 and VV2, PiD, PSP and FTLD-tau; (2) region-dependent as seen when comparing the entorhinal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and frontal cortex area 8 (FC) in AD; the substantia nigra, putamen, FC, and angular gyrus in PD, as well as the FC and cerebellum in sCJD; (3) genotype-dependent as seen considering sCJD MM1 and VV2; and (4) stage-dependent as seen in AD at different stages of disease progression. These observations show that regulation of inflammation is much more complicated and diverse than currently understood, and that new therapeutic approaches must be designed in order to selectively act on specific targets in particular diseases and at different time points of disease progression.

  18. Genetic and Transcriptomic Profiles of Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Alzheimer, Parkinson, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Tauopathies

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    Irene López González

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Polymorphisms in certain inflammatory-related genes have been identified as putative differential risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates, such as sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD and sporadic Parkinson’s disease (sPD. Gene expression studies of cytokines and mediators of the immune response have been made in post-mortem human brain samples in AD, sPD, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD subtypes MM1 and VV2, Pick’s disease (PiD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP and frontotemporal lobar degeneration linked to mutation P301L in MAPT Frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau (FTLD-tau. The studies have disclosed variable gene regulation which is: (1 disease-dependent in the frontal cortex area 8 in AD, sPD, sCJD MM1 and VV2, PiD, PSP and FTLD-tau; (2 region-dependent as seen when comparing the entorhinal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and frontal cortex area 8 (FC in AD; the substantia nigra, putamen, FC, and angular gyrus in PD, as well as the FC and cerebellum in sCJD; (3 genotype-dependent as seen considering sCJD MM1 and VV2; and (4 stage-dependent as seen in AD at different stages of disease progression. These observations show that regulation of inflammation is much more complicated and diverse than currently understood, and that new therapeutic approaches must be designed in order to selectively act on specific targets in particular diseases and at different time points of disease progression.

  19. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease with a prion protein gene codon 180 mutation presenting asymmetric cortical high-intensity on magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amano, Yuko; Kimura, Noriyuki; Hanaoka, Takuya; Aso, Yasuhiro; Hirano, Teruyuki; Murai, Hiroyuki; Satoh, Katsuya; Matsubara, Etsuro

    2015-01-01

    Here we report a genetically confirmed case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a prion protein gene codon 180 mutation presenting atypical magnetic resonance imaging findings. The present case exhibited an acute onset and lateralized neurologic signs, and progressive cognitive impairment. No myoclonus or periodic synchronous discharges on electroencephalography were observed. Diffusion-weighted images revealed areas of high signal intensity in the right frontal and temporal cortices at onset that extended to the whole cortex and basal ganglia of the right cerebral hemisphere at 3 months. Although the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was initially negative for neuron specific enolase, tau protein, 14-3-3 protein, and abnormal prion protein, the CSF was positive for these brain-derived proteins at 3 months after onset.

  20. Fatal Prion Disease in a Mouse Model of Genetic E200K Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman-Levi, Yael; Meiner, Zeev; Canello, Tamar; Frid, Kati; Kovacs, Gabor G.; Budka, Herbert; Avrahami, Dana; Gabizon, Ruth

    2011-01-01

    Genetic prion diseases are late onset fatal neurodegenerative disorders linked to pathogenic mutations in the prion protein-encoding gene, PRNP. The most prevalent of these is the substitution of Glutamate for Lysine at codon 200 (E200K), causing genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (gCJD) in several clusters, including Jews of Libyan origin. Investigating the pathogenesis of genetic CJD, as well as developing prophylactic treatments for young asymptomatic carriers of this and other PrP mutations, may well depend upon the availability of appropriate animal models in which long term treatments can be evaluated for efficacy and toxicity. Here we present the first effective mouse model for E200KCJD, which expresses chimeric mouse/human (TgMHu2M) E199KPrP on both a null and a wt PrP background, as is the case for heterozygous patients and carriers. Mice from both lines suffered from distinct neurological symptoms as early as 5–6 month of age and deteriorated to death several months thereafter. Histopathological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed early gliosis and age-related intraneuronal deposition of disease-associated PrP similarly to human E200K gCJD. Concomitantly we detected aggregated, proteinase K resistant, truncated and oxidized PrP forms on immunoblots. Inoculation of brain extracts from TgMHu2ME199K mice readily induced, the first time for any mutant prion transgenic model, a distinct fatal prion disease in wt mice. We believe that these mice may serve as an ideal platform for the investigation of the pathogenesis of genetic prion disease and thus for the monitoring of anti-prion treatments. PMID:22072968

  1. Fatal prion disease in a mouse model of genetic E200K Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Yael Friedman-Levi

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Genetic prion diseases are late onset fatal neurodegenerative disorders linked to pathogenic mutations in the prion protein-encoding gene, PRNP. The most prevalent of these is the substitution of Glutamate for Lysine at codon 200 (E200K, causing genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (gCJD in several clusters, including Jews of Libyan origin. Investigating the pathogenesis of genetic CJD, as well as developing prophylactic treatments for young asymptomatic carriers of this and other PrP mutations, may well depend upon the availability of appropriate animal models in which long term treatments can be evaluated for efficacy and toxicity. Here we present the first effective mouse model for E200KCJD, which expresses chimeric mouse/human (TgMHu2M E199KPrP on both a null and a wt PrP background, as is the case for heterozygous patients and carriers. Mice from both lines suffered from distinct neurological symptoms as early as 5-6 month of age and deteriorated to death several months thereafter. Histopathological examination of the brain and spinal cord revealed early gliosis and age-related intraneuronal deposition of disease-associated PrP similarly to human E200K gCJD. Concomitantly we detected aggregated, proteinase K resistant, truncated and oxidized PrP forms on immunoblots. Inoculation of brain extracts from TgMHu2ME199K mice readily induced, the first time for any mutant prion transgenic model, a distinct fatal prion disease in wt mice. We believe that these mice may serve as an ideal platform for the investigation of the pathogenesis of genetic prion disease and thus for the monitoring of anti-prion treatments.

  2. Protective Effect of Val129-PrP against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy but not Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

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    Fernández-Borges, Natalia; Espinosa, Juan Carlos; Marín-Moreno, Alba; Aguilar-Calvo, Patricia; Asante, Emmanuel A; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Mohri, Shirou; Andréoletti, Olivier; Torres, Juan María

    2017-09-01

    Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is the only known zoonotic prion that causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. The major risk determinant for this disease is the polymorphic codon 129 of the human prion protein (Hu-PrP), where either methionine (Met 129 ) or valine (Val 129 ) can be encoded. To date, all clinical and neuropathologically confirmed vCJD cases have been Met 129 homozygous, with the exception of 1 recently reported Met/Val heterozygous case. Here, we found that transgenic mice homozygous for Val 129 Hu-PrP show severely restricted propagation of the BSE prion strain, but this constraint can be partially overcome by adaptation of the BSE agent to the Met 129 Hu-PrP. In addition, the transmission of vCJD to transgenic mice homozygous for Val 129 Hu-PrP resulted in a prion with distinct strain features. These observations may indicate increased risk for vCJD secondary transmission in Val 129 Hu-PrP-positive humans with the emergence of new strain features.

  3. Bitemporal hypometabolism in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease measured by positron emission tomography with (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedland, R.P.; Budinger, T.F.; Prusiner, S.B.; Jagust, W.J.

    1984-01-01

    It is well established that Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is caused by a slow infectious agent similar to the scrapie prion. However, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a 54 year old male subject with autopsy confirmed CJD using (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the Donner 280-crystal tomograph. An x-ray computed tomographic study of the brain performed 4 days prior to PET was normal. In the PET study the frontal to temporal cortex difference of activity densities was 30% on the left and 12% on the right, reflecting temporal hypometabolism. The left-right temporal cortex difference of activity density was 25%, documenting marked hemispheric asymmetry. These findings are similar to those previously obtained in PET-FDG studies of patients with clinically defined Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and are distinctly different from PET-FDG finding in patients with other dementing illnesses or in healthy aged subjects. Recent work has demonstrated extensive biological similarities between CJD, scrapie and AD. The similarities in the regional metabolic alterations between CJD and AD provide additional evidence for the hypothesis that AD is caused by a slow infectious (prion-like) pathogen

  4. Bitemporal hypometabolism in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease measured by positron emission tomography with (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose

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    Friedland, R.P.; Budinger, T.F.; Prusiner, S.B.; Jagust, W.J.

    1984-01-01

    It is well established that Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is caused by a slow infectious agent similar to the scrapie prion. However, the pathogenesis of this infection is poorly understood. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed on a 54 year old male subject with autopsy confirmed CJD using (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and the Donner 280-crystal tomograph. An x-ray computed tomographic study of the brain performed 4 days prior to PET was normal. In the PET study the frontal to temporal cortex difference of activity densities was 30% on the left and 12% on the right, reflecting temporal hypometabolism. The left-right temporal cortex difference of activity density was 25%, documenting marked hemispheric asymmetry. These findings are similar to those previously obtained in PET-FDG studies of patients with clinically defined Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and are distinctly different from PET-FDG finding in patients with other dementing illnesses or in healthy aged subjects. Recent work has demonstrated extensive biological similarities between CJD, scrapie and AD. The similarities in the regional metabolic alterations between CJD and AD provide additional evidence for the hypothesis that AD is caused by a slow infectious (prion-like) pathogen.

  5. Cerebrospinal fluid markers in the differentiation of molecular subtypes of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Gmitterová, K; Heinemann, U; Krasnianski, A; Gawinecka, J; Zerr, I

    2016-06-01

    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis supports the clinical diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) when applied within an adequate clinical context. A diagnostic potential has been attributed to CSF proteins such as 14-3-3, but also tau protein, phosphorylated tau (181P) (p-tau) protein, amyloid β1-42 , S100B and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). There has been only limited information available about the contribution of CSF analysis in the differentiation of various molecular sCJD subtypes. The CSF levels of the aforementioned proteins from 73 sCJD patients with distinct molecular subtypes were determined. Differences in tau values were significant amongst the homozygous patients (MM and VV genotype) compared to the heterozygous group (P = 0.07 and P = 0.02 respectively). Significantly higher CSF tau levels (P = 0.003) and NSE (P = 0.02) but lower p-tau/tau ratio (P = 0.01) were observed in MM1 compared to MM2 patients. The p-tau/tau ratio enabled the differentiation of MV genotype with higher levels in PrP(sc) type 2 (P = 0.04). Elevation of S100B (P disease duration and clinical stage influenced the test sensitivity in all proteins. Cerebrospinal fluid protein levels might be useful in the pre-mortem differentiation of molecular sCJD subtypes when the codon 129 genotype is known. © 2016 EAN.

  6. Diagnosing Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in a Patient with a Suspected Status Epilepticus in the Intensive Care Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harm J. van der Horn

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. Several tests are available in the diagnostics of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD; however, none of these is conclusive. We review the values of these tests, from an intensive care unit (ICU perspective. Methods. Case report and review of the literature. Results. A 53-year-old woman initially presenting with psychiatric symptoms developed myoclonus and was admitted 1 month later to the ICU with a suspected nonconvulsive status epilepticus and respiratory insufficiency, probably due to extensive antiepileptic drug therapy. Typical MRI and EEG findings and a positive 14-3-3 protein led to the diagnosis of sCJD. All treatments were terminated, and autopsy confirmed sCJD. Conclusions. Clinical signs combined with MRI, EEG, and 14-3-3 and/or tau protein determination might be sufficient to diagnose or exclude sCJD and may therefore prevent the application of unnecessary diagnostic tests.

  7. Validation of α-Synuclein as a CSF Biomarker for Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorens, Franc; Kruse, Niels; Karch, André; Schmitz, Matthias; Zafar, Saima; Gotzmann, Nadine; Sun, Ting; Köchy, Silja; Knipper, Tobias; Cramm, Maria; Golanska, Ewa; Sikorska, Beata; Liberski, Pawel P; Sánchez-Valle, Raquel; Fischer, Andre; Mollenhauer, Brit; Zerr, Inga

    2018-03-01

    The analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers gains importance in the differential diagnosis of prion diseases. However, no single diagnostic tool or combination of them can unequivocally confirm prion disease diagnosis. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based immunoassays have demonstrated to achieve high diagnostic accuracy in a variety of sample types due to their high sensitivity and dynamic range. Quantification of CSF α-synuclein (a-syn) by an in-house ECL-based ELISA assay has been recently reported as an excellent approach for the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the most prevalent form of human prion disease. In the present study, we validated a commercially available ECL-based a-syn ELISA platform as a diagnostic test for correct classification of sCJD cases. CSF a-syn was analysed in 203 sCJD cases with definite diagnosis and in 445 non-CJD cases. We investigated reproducibility and stability of CSF a-syn and made recommendations for its analysis in the sCJD diagnostic workup. A sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 97% were achieved when using an optimal cut-off of 820 pg/mL a-syn. Moreover, we were able to show a negative correlation between a-syn levels and disease duration suggesting that CSF a-syn may be a good prognostic marker for sCJD patients. The present study validates the use of a-syn as a CSF biomarker of sCJD and establishes the clinical and pre-analytical parameters for its use in differential diagnosis in clinical routine. Additionally, the current test presents some advantages compared to other diagnostic approaches: it is fast, economic, requires minimal amount of CSF and a-syn levels are stable along disease progression.

  8. Altered Ca2+ homeostasis induces Calpain-Cathepsin axis activation in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorens, Franc; Thüne, Katrin; Sikorska, Beata; Schmitz, Matthias; Tahir, Waqas; Fernández-Borges, Natalia; Cramm, Maria; Gotzmann, Nadine; Carmona, Margarita; Streichenberger, Nathalie; Michel, Uwe; Zafar, Saima; Schuetz, Anna-Lena; Rajput, Ashish; Andréoletti, Olivier; Bonn, Stefan; Fischer, Andre; Liberski, Pawel P; Torres, Juan Maria; Ferrer, Isidre; Zerr, Inga

    2017-04-27

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most prevalent form of human prion disease and it is characterized by the presence of neuronal loss, spongiform degeneration, chronic inflammation and the accumulation of misfolded and pathogenic prion protein (PrP Sc ). The molecular mechanisms underlying these alterations are largely unknown, but the presence of intracellular neuronal calcium (Ca 2+ ) overload, a general feature in models of prion diseases, is suggested to play a key role in prion pathogenesis.Here we describe the presence of massive regulation of Ca 2+ responsive genes in sCJD brain tissue, accompanied by two Ca 2+ -dependent processes: endoplasmic reticulum stress and the activation of the cysteine proteases Calpains 1/2. Pathogenic Calpain proteins activation in sCJD is linked to the cleavage of their cellular substrates, impaired autophagy and lysosomal damage, which is partially reversed by Calpain inhibition in a cellular prion model. Additionally, Calpain 1 treatment enhances seeding activity of PrP Sc in a prion conversion assay. Neuronal lysosomal impairment caused by Calpain over activation leads to the release of the lysosomal protease Cathepsin S that in sCJD mainly localises in axons, although massive Cathepsin S overexpression is detected in microglial cells. Alterations in Ca 2+ homeostasis and activation of Calpain-Cathepsin axis already occur at pre-clinical stages of the disease as detected in a humanized sCJD mouse model.Altogether our work indicates that unbalanced Calpain-Cathepsin activation is a relevant contributor to the pathogenesis of sCJD at multiple molecular levels and a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

  9. Towards an age-dependent transmission model of acquired and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Pedro-Cuesta, Jesús; Mahillo-Fernandez, Ignacio; Calero, Miguel; Rábano, Alberto; Cruz, Mabel; Siden, Åke; Martínez-Martín, Pablo; Laursen, Henning; Ruiz-Tovar, María; Mølbak, Kåre

    2014-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) might be transmitted by surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential susceptibility to sCJD from surgery at juvenile age and in early adulthood. From Danish and Swedish national registries we identified 167 definite and probable sCJD cases with onset from 1987 through 2003, and 835 age-, sex- and residence-matched controls along with their surgical histories. Main, anatomically or etiologically classified surgical procedures followed by a ≥20-year lag were analyzed using logistic regression, and stratified by age at first-registered surgical discharge. The risk of having a diagnosis of CJD depended strongly on age at first surgery with odds ratio (OR) of 12.80 (95% CI 2.56-64.0) in patients <30 years, 3.04 (95% 1.26-7.33) in 30-39 years, and 1.75 (95% CI 0.89-3.45) in ≥40 years, for anatomically classified surgical procedures. Similar figures were obtained for etiologically classified surgical procedures. Risk of surgical-acquired sCJD depends on age at exposure; this pattern is similar to age-specific profiles reported for CJD accidentally transmitted by human pituitary-derived growth hormone and susceptibility curves for variant CJD estimated after adjustment for dietary exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. There might be an age-at-exposure-related susceptibility to acquire all CJD forms, including sCJD from routine surgery.

  10. Beyond PrPres Type 1/Type 2 Dichotomy in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Stéphanie; Lugan, Séverine; Bilheude, Jean-Marc; Perret-Liaudet, Armand; Ironside, James W.; Haik, Stéphane; Basset-Leobon, Christelle; Lacroux, Caroline; Peoch', Katell; Streichenberger, Nathalie; Langeveld, Jan; Head, Mark W.; Grassi, Jacques; Hauw, Jean-Jacques; Schelcher, Francois; Delisle, Marie Bernadette; Andréoletti, Olivier

    2008-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases are currently subclassified according to the methionine/valine polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP gene and the proteinase K (PK) digested abnormal prion protein (PrPres) identified on Western blotting (type 1 or type 2). These biochemically distinct PrPres types have been considered to represent potential distinct prion strains. However, since cases of CJD show co-occurrence of type 1 and type 2 PrPres in the brain, the basis of this classification system and its relationship to agent strain are under discussion. Different brain areas from 41 sCJD and 12 iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) cases were investigated, using Western blotting for PrPres and two other biochemical assays reflecting the behaviour of the disease-associated form of the prion protein (PrPSc) under variable PK digestion conditions. In 30% of cases, both type 1 and type 2 PrPres were identified. Despite this, the other two biochemical assays found that PrPSc from an individual patient demonstrated uniform biochemical properties. Moreover, in sCJD, four distinct biochemical PrPSc subgroups were identified that correlated with the current sCJD clinico-pathological classification. In iCJD, four similar biochemical clusters were observed, but these did not correlate to any particular PRNP 129 polymorphism or western blot PrPres pattern. The identification of four different PrPSc biochemical subgroups in sCJD and iCJD, irrespective of the PRNP polymorphism at codon 129 and the PrPres isoform provides an alternative biochemical definition of PrPSc diversity and new insight in the perception of Human TSE agents variability. PMID:18389084

  11. Brains with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and copathology showed a prolonged end-stage of disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miguelez-Rodriguez, Aitzol; Santos-Juanes, Jorge; Vicente-Etxenausia, Ikerne; Perez de Heredia-Goñi, Katty; Garcia, Beatriz; Quiros, Luis M; Lorente-Gea, Laura; Guerra-Merino, Isabel; Aguirre, Jose J; Fernandez-Vega, Ivan

    2018-05-01

    To investigate the expression of major proteins related to primary neurodegenerative diseases and their prognostic significance in brains with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Thirty consecutive cases of confirmed CJD during the period 2010-2015 at Basque Brain bank were retrospectively reviewed. Moreover, major neurodegenerative-associated proteins (phosphorylated Tau, 4R tau, 3R tau, alpha-synuclein, TDP43, amyloid beta) were tested. Clinical data were reviewed. Cases were divided according to the presence or absence of copathology. Survival curves were also determined. Copathology was significantly associated with survival in brains with CJD (4.2±1.2 vs 9.2±1.9; P=0.019) and in brains with MM1/MV1 CJD (2.1±1.0 vs 6.7±2.8; P=0.012). Besides, the presence of more than one major neurodegenerative-associated protein was significantly associated with survival (4.2±1.2 vs 10.7±2.6; P=0.017). Thus, univariate analyses further pointed out variables significantly associated with better survival: copathology in CJD (HR=0.430; P=0.033); more than one neurodegenerative-associated protein in CJD (HR=0.369; P=0.036) and copathology in MM1/MV1 CJD (HR=0.525; P=0.032). The existence of copathology significantly prolongs survival in patients with rapidly progressive dementia due to CJD. The study of major neurodegenerative-associated proteins in brains with CJD could allow us to further understand the molecular mechanisms behind prion diseases. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  12. The French surveillance network of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Epidemiological data in France and worldwide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandel, J-P; Peckeu, L; Haïk, S

    2013-09-01

    France, involved for a long time in the epidemiological surveillance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), created a national network of surveillance in 1991, because of the description of the first cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) linked to a treatment by growth hormone of human origin and the observation of cases of cats infected with the agent of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the United Kingdom (UK). The French surveillance network is integrated into the European network of surveillance since its creation in 1993. As in other countries, sporadic CJD is the most frequent form of TSE in France with an annual mortality rate of 1.44 per million. Genetic forms are most often associated with a mutation at codon 200. Among the cases of iatrogenic CJD, 13 cases of CJD after duramater grafts were observed and 119 related to treatment with growth hormone. France is the country worst affected in Europe and the world by this latter form, before the USA and UK. Since 1996, 27 cases of variant of CJD (vCJD) has been observed, making France the second country in the world most affected after the UK. No cases of transfusion-associated vCJD have been observed. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  13. Variants of PLCXD3 are not associated with variant or sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a large international study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balendra, Rubika; Uphill, James; Collinson, Claire; Druyeh, Ronald; Adamson, Gary; Hummerich, Holger; Zerr, Inga; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Collinge, John; Mead, Simon

    2016-04-07

    Human prion diseases are relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative disorders which include sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and variant CJD (vCJD). Aside from variants of the prion protein gene (PRNP) replicated association at genome-wide levels of significance has proven elusive. A recent association study identified variants in or near to the PLCXD3 gene locus as strong disease risk factors in multiple human prion diseases. This study claimed the first non-PRNP locus to be highly significantly associated with prion disease in genomic studies. A sub-study of a genome-wide association study with imputation aiming to replicate the finding at PLCXD3 including 129 vCJD and 2500 sCJD samples. Whole exome sequencing to identify rare coding variants of PLCXD3. Imputation of relevant polymorphisms was accurate based on wet genotyping of a sample. We found no supportive evidence that PLCXD3 variants are associated with disease. The marked discordance in vCJD genotype frequencies between studies, despite extensive overlap in vCJD cases, and the finding of Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium in the original study, suggests possible reasons for the discrepancies between studies.

  14. MM2-Thalamic Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease: Neuropathological, Biochemical and Transmission Studies Identify a Distinctive Prion Strain

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moda, F.; Suardi, S.; Fede, Di G.; Indaco, A.; Limido, L.; Vimercati, C.; Ruggerone, M.; Campagnani, I.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Terruzzi, A.; Brambilla, A.; Zerbi, P.; Fociani, P.; Bishop, T.; Will, G.W.; Manson, J.C.; Giaccone, G.; Tagliavini, F.

    2012-01-01

    In CreutzfeldtJakob disease (CJD), molecular typing based on the size of the protease resistant core of the disease-associated prion protein (PrPSc) and the M/V polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP gene correlates with the clinico-pathologic subtypes. Approximately 95% of the sporadic 129MM CJD

  15. Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun [Seoul Veterans Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-11-15

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images.

  16. Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun

    2005-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images

  17. Stereotypic Movements in Case of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Possible Role of Anti-NMDA Receptor Antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Molina

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD and anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis (NMDAE can both produce a rapidly progressive dementia with resulting state of catatonia or akinetic mutism. Both are associated with movement disorders. In published case series, myoclonus appears to be the most frequent movement disorder in sCJD, while stereotypic, synchronized, one-cycle-per-second movements such as arm or leg elevation, jaw opening, grimacing, head turning, and eye deviation are seen in NMDAE. We report a case of a 59-year-old woman with rapidly worsening cognitive disturbance leading to a nearly catatonic state interrupted by stereotypic movements. sCJD was diagnosed via periodic sharp wave complexes on EEG as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF 14-3-3 and tau protein elevation. Characteristic movement disorder of NMDAE was present in absence of ovarian mass or CSF pleiocytosis. Given prior case reports of presence of anti-NMDA receptor antibodies in sCJD, we propose that the movement disorder in this case was caused by anti-NMDA receptor antibodies whose formation was secondary to neuronal damage from prion disease. It is important to consider sCJD even in cases that have some clinical features suggestive of NMDAE.

  18. Creutzfeldt-Jacob-disease: The computerized tomogram in relation to clinical, electroencephalographic and neuropathological findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zieger, A.; Vonofakos, D.; Vitzthum, H.

    1981-12-01

    The computerized tomogram (CT) of a senile case of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease with rapid progress, showed after an initially minor parietal dilatation of the gyri, a volume increase, predominantly on the right side, in the area of the cerebral convexity and a right-preponderant dilatation of the anterior horns. By neuropathologic examination indications for a passed cerebral oedema was found, covering the cortex atrophy, which previously had been detected by CT. Progression and local intensity of the atrophic signs in CT - in combination with clinical and electroencephalographic findings - suggest the existence of a Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and permit its delineation against other atrophying processes.

  19. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with focal findings: caveats to current diagnostic criteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mader, Edward C.; El-Abassi, Rima; Villemarette-Pittman, Nicole R.; Santana-Gould, Lenay; Olejniczak, Piotr W.; England, John D.

    2013-01-01

    The clinical diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is largely based on the 1998 World Health Organization diagnostic criteria. Unfortunately, rigid compliance with these criteria may result in failure to recognize sporadic CJD (sCJD), especially early in its course when focal findings predominate and traditional red flags are not yet present. A 61-year-old man presented with a 3-week history of epilepsia partialis continua (jerking of the left upper extremity) and a 2-week history of forgetfulness and left hemiparesis; left hemisensory neglect was also detected on admission. Repeated brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed areas of restricted diffusion in the cerebral cortex, initially on the right but later spreading to the left. Electroence-phalography (EEG) on hospital days 7, 10, and 14 showed right-sided periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. On day 20, the EEG showed periodic sharp wave complexes leading to a diagnosis of probable sCJD and subsequently to definite sCJD with brain biopsy. Neurological decline was relatively fast with generalized myoclonus and akinetic mutism developing within 7 weeks from the onset of illness. CJD was not immediately recognized because of the patient's focal/lateralized manifestations. Focal/lateralized clinical, EEG, and MRI findings are not uncommon in sCJD and EEG/MRI results may not be diagnostic in the early stages of sCJD. Familiarity with these caveats and with the most current criteria for diagnosing probable sCJD (University of California San Francisco 2007, MRI-CJD Consortium 2009) will enhance the ability to recognize sCJD and implement early safety measures. PMID:23717780

  20. Progressive Stroke-Like Symptoms in a Patient with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jukka Lyytinen

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD is a rare neurodegenerative disorder in which accumulation of a pathogenic isoform of prion protein (PrPSc induces neuronal damage with distinct pathologic features. The prognosis of sCJD is devastating: rapid clinical decline is followed by death generally within months after onset of symptoms. The classic clinical manifestations of sCJD are rapidly progressing dementia, myoclonus, and ataxia. However, the spectrum of clinical features can vary considerably. We describe a definite, neuropathologically verified sCJD in a 67-year-old woman who initially presented with progressive stroke-like symptoms: left-sided hemiparesis and ataxia within a few days. The initial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI showed bilateral cortical hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI resembling multiple ischemic lesions. Despite anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin, the patient deteriorated rapidly, became dysphagic and bedridden with myoclonic jerks on her left side extremities correlating with intermittent high-amplitude epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG. Basal ganglia hyperintense signal changes in addition to cortical ribboning were seen in DWI images of a follow-up MRI. Repeated EEG recordings showed an evolution to periodic sharp wave complexes. Protein 14-3-3 was positive in her cerebrospinal fluid specimen, in addition to an abnormally high total tau level. In the terminal stage the patient was in an akinetic, mutistic state with deteriorating consciousness. She died 19 days after admission to the hospital. Neuropathologic investigation corroborated the clinical diagnosis of sCJD with spongiform degeneration and immunohistochemical demonstration of the deposition of pathologic PrPSc.

  1. Racial and ethnic differences in individuals with sporadic Creutzfeldt-jakob disease in the United States of America.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian S Appleby

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Little is known about racial and ethnic differences in individuals with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. The authors sought to examine potential clinical, diagnostic, genetic, and neuropathological differences in sCJD patients of different races/ethnicities. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A retrospective study of 116 definite and probable sCJD cases from Johns Hopkins and the Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems was conducted that examined differences in demographic, clinical, diagnostic, genetic, and neuropathological characteristics among racial/ethnic groups. Age at disease onset differed among racial/ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic Whites had a significantly older age at disease onset compared to the other groups (65 vs. 60, p = 0.036. Non-Whites were accurately diagnosed more rapidly than Whites (p = 0.008 and non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to have normal appearing basal ganglia on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI compared to minorities (p = 0.02. Whites were also more likely to undergo post-mortem evaluation compared to non-Whites (p = 0.02. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Racial/ethnic groups affected by sCJD demonstrated differences in age at disease onset, time to correct diagnosis, clinical presentation, and diagnostic test results. Whites were more likely to undergo autopsy compared to non-Whites. These results have implications in regards to case ascertainment, diagnosis, and surveillance of sCJD and possibly other human prion diseases.

  2. Multitracer study with positron emission tomography in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engler, Henry; Lundberg, Per Olov; Ekbom, Karl; Nennesmo, Inger; Nilsson, Anna; Bergstroem, Mats; Hartvig, Per; Laangstroem, Bengt; Tsukada, Hideo

    2003-01-01

    During the period February 1997 to April 2000, 15 patients with clinical symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were referred to Uppsala University PET Centre. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed to detect characteristic signs of the disease, e.g. neuronal death and/or astrocytosis in the brain. The examinations were performed in one session starting with oxygen-15 labelled water scan to measure regional cerebral blood flow, followed by imaging with the monoamine oxidase B inhibitor N-[ 11 C-methyl]-L-deuterodeprenyl (DED) to assess astrocytosis in the brain and finally imaging with fluorine-18 2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to assess regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMR glu ). Nine of the patients fulfilled the clinical criteria of probable CJD. In eight of them, FDG and DED imaging revealed, in comparison with normal controls, a typical pattern characterized by a pronounced regional decrease ( 2SD) in DED binding, indicating astrocytosis. These changes were most pronounced in the cerebellum and the frontal, occipital and parietal cortices, whereas the pons, the thalamus and the putamen were less affected and the temporal cortex appeared unaffected. The cerebral blood flow showed a pattern similar to that observed with FDG. In the ninth patient, analysis with DED was not possible. The diagnosis of definite CJD according to international consensus criteria was confirmed in six of these patients. In one patient with probable CJD, protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres) could not be demonstrated. In two patients with probable CJD, autopsy was not allowed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, performed in four and seven of these nine patients respectively, showed unspecific, mainly atrophic changes. In six other patients, the PET examinations gave a different pattern. In three of them, high rCMR glu was noticed in parts of the brain, particularly in the temporal lobes and basal ganglia, which could suggest encephalitis. One of the

  3. The sensitivity of auxiliary examinations in different stages of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiao-jiao JIANG

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective To analyze the sensitivity of auxiliary examinations in different periods of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. Methods The clinical data of 53 sCJD patients were retrospectively analyzed including the different stages of skull diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI, 24-hour ambulatory electroencephalogram (EEG, 18F-FDG PET/CT (PET-CT and cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein. When calculating the sensitivity of an auxiliary examination, the diagnostic criteria were defined by combining the specific clinical manifestations with two or more positive results of other auxiliary examinations. Results There were 24, 53 and 22 sCJD patients, respectively, met the criterion of early (E, middle (M and later (L stage of disease (some patients fit 2 or 3 stages. The sensitivity of DWI (E: 58.3%, M: 85.4%, L: 94.7%, EEG (E: 45.8%, M: 62.7%, L: 77.8%, 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid (E: 11.1%, M: 52.9% and PET-CT (E: 80%, M: 100% increased gradually with disease progression. The sensitivity of PET-CT was higher than the other auxiliary examinations for E and M stages; no PET-CT was conducted in L stage. High signal regions mainly distributed in the cortex in E and M stages, but in L stage, no significant difference was found on the distribution of high signal regions between cortex and basal ganglia. Conclusions The sensitivities of the auxiliary examinations were different for sCJD patients in different stages. Reexaminations in different periods may improve the sensitivity for sCJD diagnosis. The sensitivity of PET-CT was high, and the combination of PET-CT and other auxiliary examinations may play a key role in the diagnosis of sCJD. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2017.05.15

  4. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Heidenhain variant: case report with MRI (DWI) findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arruda, Walter Oleschko; Bordignon, Kelly C.; Milano, Jeronimo B.; Ramina, Ricardo

    2004-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a pre senile dementia characterized by rapidly progressive mental deterioration, myoclonic jerking, and other less common neurological signs. Few accentuates cases have been described in Brazil. A 54-year-old white woman, was admitted in our service with a month history of progressive, bilateral cortical blindness. After admission, she developed right partial motor seizures (right facial, upper and lower limbs), she became progressively aphasic (mixed aphasia). Seizures were controlled with phenytoine, but she developed choreoathetotic movements on her right dimidium, with partial control after introduction of chlorpromazine 25 mg q/d. She could no longer stand up or walk due to severe ataxia. The first EEG (October, 2001) showed left hemisphere severe seizure activity (status epilepticus partial is). She was delivered home with enteral nutrition, phenytoine, chlorpromazine and mepacrine 100 mg q d. The following laboratory tests were negative or normal: blood series, platelets, ESR, kidney and liver function, copper, ceruloplasmin, Vedril, HIV, HTLV-1, lactate, and cerebral Dsa (performed in other service). A spinal tap with normal opening pressure was perform and CSFR examination was normal. CSFR 14-3-3 protein was positive, CSF specific neuronal enolase 7.5 ng/ml(normal). Genetic study of PRNP gene did not disclosed any known mutation. A MRI (October, 2001) showed areas of hyperintense signal (T 2 and FLAIR) without Gd-enhancement on T1, in the left temporal lobe and in both occipital lobes; basal ganglia have a normal appearance. DWI imaging showed bright areas at the same sites. An EEG (March, 2002) disclosed a periodical sharp triphasic waves pattern, suggestive of CJD. A second MRI (April, 2002) showed mild generalized atrophy, no ventricular dilatation, and the hyperintense sites disappeared. She remained clinically stable and under use of chlorpromazine and mepacrine until she died due to pulmonary complications on April

  5. Isolated visual symptoms at onset in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: the clinical phenotype of the “Heidenhain variant”

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, S A; Murray, K L; Heath, C A; Will, R G; Knight, R S G

    2005-01-01

    Background: The Heidenhain variant of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is commonly understood to represent cases with early, prominent visual complaints. The term is clarified to represent those who present with isolated visual symptoms. This group may pose diagnostic difficulties and often present to ophthalmologists where they may undergo needless invasive procedures. Method: A retrospective review of 594 pathologically proved sCJD cases referred to the UK National CJD Surveillance Unit over a 15 year period to identify Heidenhain cases. Results: 22 cases had isolated visual symptoms at onset with a mean illness duration of 4 months. The mean age at disease onset was 67 years. Most displayed myoclonus, pyramidal signs, and a delay in the onset of dementia for some weeks. 17 (77%) were referred initially to ophthalmology. Two underwent cataract extraction before diagnosis. All tested cases were homozygous for methionine at codon 129 of the prion protein gene. Conclusions: This rare, but clinically distinct, group of patients with sCJD may cause diagnostic difficulties. Because ocular intervention carries with it the risk of onward transmission awareness of this condition among ophthalmologists is important. PMID:16170128

  6. Transmission of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by blood transfusion: risk factor or possible biases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puopolo, Maria; Ladogana, Anna; Vetrugno, Vito; Pocchiari, Maurizio

    2011-07-01

    The occurrence of transfusion transmissions of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases has reawakened attention to the possible similar risk posed by other forms of CJD. CJD with a definite or probable diagnosis (sporadic CJD, n = 741; genetic CJD, n = 175) and no-CJD patients with definite alternative diagnosis (n = 482) with available blood transfusion history were included in the study. The risk of exposure to blood transfusion occurring more than 10 years before disease onset and for some possible confounding factors was evaluated by calculating crude odds ratios (ORs). Variables with significant ORs in univariate analyses were included in multivariate logistic regression analyses. In the univariate model, blood transfusion occurring more than 10 years before clinical onset is 4.1-fold more frequent in sporadic CJD than in other neurologic disorders. This significance is lost when the 10-year lag time was not considered. Multivariate analyses show that the risk of developing sporadic CJD after transfusion increases (OR, 5.05) after adjusting for possible confounding factors. Analysis conducted on patients with genetic CJD did not reveal any significant risk factor associated with transfusion. This is the first case-control study showing a significant risk of transfusion occurring more than 10 years before clinical onset in sporadic CJD patients. It remains questionable whether the significance of these data is biologically plausible or the consequence of biases in the design of the study, but they counterbalance previous epidemiologic negative reports that might have overestimated the assessment of blood safety in sporadic CJD. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

  7. Neuronal antibodies in patients with suspected or confirmed sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Meghan; Mead, Simon; Collinge, John; Rudge, Peter; Vincent, Angela

    2015-06-01

    There have been reports of patients with antibodies to neuronal antigens misdiagnosed as sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Conversely, low levels of antibodies to neuronal proteins have been reported in patients with sCJD. However, the frequency of misdiagnoses, or of antibodies in patients with subsequently confirmed sCJD, is not clear. We reviewed 256 consecutive cases of sCJD seen in the National Prion Clinic, of whom 150 had sera previously referred for selected antibody tests. Eighty-two available samples were retested for antibodies to N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), the glycine receptor (GlyR), voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex and the associated proteins, leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) and contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2). Four of the initial 150 sera referred were positive; two had antibodies to NMDAR, and two to the VGKC-complex, one of which was also positive for GlyR antibodies. Of the 82 sCJD sera retested, one had VGKC-complex antibodies confirming the previous result, two had CASPR2 and GlyR antibodies and one had CASPR2 and NMDAR antibodies; all antibodies were at low levels. Over the same period three patients with autoimmune encephalitis and high VGKC-complex antibodies were initially referred as sCJD. This study indicates that VGKC-complex/LGI1 antibodies. Low titres of neuronal antibodies occur only rarely in suspected patients with sCJD and when present should be interpreted with caution. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  8. A Genome Wide Association Study Links Glutamate Receptor Pathway to Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Juan, Pascual; Bishop, Matthew T.; Kovacs, Gabor G.; Calero, Miguel; Aulchenko, Yurii S.; Ladogana, Anna; Boyd, Alison; Lewis, Victoria; Ponto, Claudia; Calero, Olga; Poleggi, Anna; Carracedo, Ángel; van der Lee, Sven J.; Ströbel, Thomas; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Hofman, Albert; Haïk, Stéphane; Combarros, Onofre; Berciano, José; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Collins, Steven J.; Budka, Herbert; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Laplanche, Jean Louis; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Zerr, Inga; Knight, Richard S. G.; Will, Robert G.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.

    2015-01-01

    We performed a genome-wide association (GWA) study in 434 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) patients and 1939 controls from the United Kingdom, Germany and The Netherlands. The findings were replicated in an independent sample of 1109 sCJD and 2264 controls provided by a multinational consortium. From the initial GWA analysis we selected 23 SNPs for further genotyping in 1109 sCJD cases from seven different countries. Five SNPs were significantly associated with sCJD after correction for multiple testing. Subsequently these five SNPs were genotyped in 2264 controls. The pooled analysis, including 1543 sCJD cases and 4203 controls, yielded two genome wide significant results: rs6107516 (p-value=7.62x10-9) a variant tagging the prion protein gene (PRNP); and rs6951643 (p-value=1.66x10-8) tagging the Glutamate Receptor Metabotropic 8 gene (GRM8). Next we analysed the data stratifying by country of origin combining samples from the pooled analysis with genotypes from the 1000 Genomes Project and imputed genotypes from the Rotterdam Study (Total n=12967). The meta-analysis of the results showed that rs6107516 (p-value=3.00x10-8) and rs6951643 (p-value=3.91x10-5) remained as the two most significantly associated SNPs. Rs6951643 is located in an intronic region of GRM8, a gene that was additionally tagged by a cluster of 12 SNPs within our top100 ranked results. GRM8 encodes for mGluR8, a protein which belongs to the metabotropic glutamate receptor family, recently shown to be involved in the transduction of cellular signals triggered by the prion protein. Pathway enrichment analyses performed with both Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and ALIGATOR postulates glutamate receptor signalling as one of the main pathways associated with sCJD. In summary, we have detected GRM8 as a novel, non-PRNP, genome-wide significant marker associated with heightened disease risk, providing additional evidence supporting a role of glutamate receptors in sCJD pathogenesis. PMID:25918841

  9. Amyloid- and FDG-PET in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Correlation with pathological prion protein in neuropathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matías-Guiu, Jordi A; Guerrero-Márquez, Carmen; Cabrera-Martín, María Nieves; Gómez-Pinedo, Ulises; Romeral, María; Mayo, Diego; Porta-Etessam, Jesús; Moreno-Ramos, Teresa; Carreras, José Luis; Matías-Guiu, Jorge

    2017-05-04

    The role of positron emission tomography (PET) in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is less defined than in other neurodegenerative diseases. We studied the correlation between the uptake of 18 F-florbetaben and 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose with pathological prion protein deposition in histopathology in a case. A patient with 80 y old with a rapid neurological deterioration with a confirmed diagnosis of CJD was studied. PET and MRI studies were performed between 13-20 d before the death. A region of interest analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping. MRI showed atrophy with no other alterations. FDG-PET showed extensive areas of hypometabolism including left frontoparietal lobes as well as bilateral thalamus. Correlation between uptake of 18 F-florbetaben and pathological prion protein deposition was r = 0.786 (p < 0.05). Otherwise, correlation between uptake of 18 F-FDG and pathological prion protein was r = 0.357 (p = 0.385). Immunohistochemistry with β-amyloid did not show amyloid deposition or neuritic plaques. Our study supports the use of FDG-PET in the assessment of CJD. FDG-PET may be especially useful in cases of suspected CJD and negative MRI. Furthermore, this case report provides more evidence about the behavioral of amyloid tracers, and the possibility of a low-affinity binding to other non-amyloid proteins, such as the pathological prion protein, is discussed.

  10. [Perioperative considerations for performing a brain biopsy on a patient with subtype VV2 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerrero-Domínguez, R; Rubio-Romero, R; González-González, G; Jiménez, I

    2015-04-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is the most common transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. It is an infectious, progressive, degenerative neurological disorder, with a presumably long incubation period, but a rapid fatal course. CJD is transmitted by a proteinaceous infectious agent, or «prion». Because the prions are difficult to eradicate and are resistant to the currently used sterilization methods, special precautions must be taken with all surgical instruments. It is recommended the single-use equipment, destruction of contaminated equipment, decontamination of reusable instruments, use of protective clothing, and storing and quarantining surgical instruments. The single-use equipment and some tissues and body fluids from the patient with CJD are highly infectious and must be incinerated. We report a case of a patient who had undergone brain biopsy for suspected of CJD, being confirmed to have sporadic CJD. Specific preventive measures were taken to reduce the risk of transmission to healthcare workers. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  11. Kuru

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... type to also change shape. Other TSEs include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and fatal familial insomnia in humans, bovine spongiform ... type to also change shape. Other TSEs include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and fatal familial insomnia in humans, bovine spongiform ...

  12. MM2-thalamic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: neuropathological, biochemical and transmission studies identify a distinctive prion strain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moda, Fabio; Suardi, Silvia; Di Fede, Giuseppe; Indaco, Antonio; Limido, Lucia; Vimercati, Chiara; Ruggerone, Margherita; Campagnani, Ilaria; Langeveld, Jan; Terruzzi, Alessandro; Brambilla, Antonio; Zerbi, Pietro; Fociani, Paolo; Bishop, Matthew T; Will, Robert G; Manson, Jean C; Giaccone, Giorgio; Tagliavini, Fabrizio

    2012-09-01

    In Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), molecular typing based on the size of the protease resistant core of the disease-associated prion protein (PrP(Sc) ) and the M/V polymorphism at codon 129 of the PRNP gene correlates with the clinico-pathologic subtypes. Approximately 95% of the sporadic 129MM CJD patients are characterized by cerebral deposition of type 1 PrP(Sc) and correspond to the classic clinical CJD phenotype. The rare 129MM CJD patients with type 2 PrP(Sc) are further subdivided in a cortical and a thalamic form also indicated as sporadic fatal insomnia. We observed two young patients with MM2-thalamic CJD. Main neuropathological features were diffuse, synaptic PrP immunoreactivity in the cerebral cortex and severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the thalamus and olivary nucleus. Western blot analysis showed the presence of type 2A PrP(Sc) . Challenge of transgenic mice expressing 129MM human PrP showed that MM2-thalamic sporadic CJD (sCJD) was able to transmit the disease, at variance with MM2-cortical sCJD. The affected mice showed deposition of type 2A PrP(Sc) , a scenario that is unprecedented in this mouse line. These data indicate that MM2-thalamic sCJD is caused by a prion strain distinct from the other sCJD subtypes including the MM2-cortical form. © 2012 The Authors; Brain Pathology © 2012 International Society of Neuropathology.

  13. Creutzfeldt-Jacob’s Disease Presenting with Psychiatric Symptomsand Severe Itching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emine Rabia Koç

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal prion-like proteins in the central nervous system. Clinical features, electroencephalography, brain magnetic resonance imaging and protein 14.3.3 is useful in diagnosis. Protein 14.3.3 may be negative in the early or late stages of the disease. Presentation with psychiatric symptoms and itching is not typical in the beginning of the disease In this paper, we present a patient who was first accepted to the pschiatry ward because of his psychiatric symtpoms and had severe itching, resistant to antihistaminic drugs

  14. Diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: correlation with clinical course

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jae Hyoung; Choi, Byung Se; Jung, Cheolkyu; Chang, YoungHee; Kim, SangYun

    2011-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a fatal disease with variable clinical courses. The presence or absence of basal ganglia (BG) involvement has been reported to be associated with clinical course. We investigated the association of clinical course of sCJD with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS) as well as BG involvement at early stage. DWI and single voxel proton MRS were performed in 14 patients with sCJD during the initial diagnostic workup. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and metabolites were measured in medial occipitoparietal cortices where large hyperintense DWI lesions were found in all patients. The presence or absence of BG involvement, ADC, N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) ratios, and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios were correlated with disease duration (i.e., the time from the symptom onset to death). The disease duration ranged from 2 to 31 months (median, 16). Hyperintense DWI lesions were observed bilaterally in both cortices and basal ganglia in eight patients and in cortices alone in six patients. Patients with BG involvement had shorter disease duration (median, 6.8 versus 20.5; p = 0.039) than those without and lower NAA/Cr ratios (median, 1.41 versus 2.03; p = 0.001). ADC and Cho/Cr ratios were not significantly different between the patients with BG involvement and those without. By multiple regression analysis, NAA/Cr ratios had the greatest correlation with the disease duration (p = 0.029). The disease duration of sCJD was variable. NAA/Cr ratios of the affected brain at the early stage of sCJD can be used as a useful parameter in predicting the clinical course. (orig.)

  15. Diffusion-weighted imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: correlation with clinical course

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jae Hyoung; Choi, Byung Se; Jung, Cheolkyu [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam-si (Korea, Republic of); Chang, YoungHee; Kim, SangYun [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam-si (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-12-15

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a fatal disease with variable clinical courses. The presence or absence of basal ganglia (BG) involvement has been reported to be associated with clinical course. We investigated the association of clinical course of sCJD with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS) as well as BG involvement at early stage. DWI and single voxel proton MRS were performed in 14 patients with sCJD during the initial diagnostic workup. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and metabolites were measured in medial occipitoparietal cortices where large hyperintense DWI lesions were found in all patients. The presence or absence of BG involvement, ADC, N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) ratios, and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios were correlated with disease duration (i.e., the time from the symptom onset to death). The disease duration ranged from 2 to 31 months (median, 16). Hyperintense DWI lesions were observed bilaterally in both cortices and basal ganglia in eight patients and in cortices alone in six patients. Patients with BG involvement had shorter disease duration (median, 6.8 versus 20.5; p = 0.039) than those without and lower NAA/Cr ratios (median, 1.41 versus 2.03; p = 0.001). ADC and Cho/Cr ratios were not significantly different between the patients with BG involvement and those without. By multiple regression analysis, NAA/Cr ratios had the greatest correlation with the disease duration (p = 0.029). The disease duration of sCJD was variable. NAA/Cr ratios of the affected brain at the early stage of sCJD can be used as a useful parameter in predicting the clinical course. (orig.)

  16. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a clinico-neuropathological analysis of nine definite cases Doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob do tipo esporádico: análise clínico-neuropatológica de nove casos da forma definida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CARLOS M. DE CASTRO COSTA

    1998-09-01

    Full Text Available The authors have analyzed clinico-neuropathologically nine cases of the definite sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. All cases were female, with mean age of 62.7 years. Eighty-nine percent of the patients exhibited prodromal and initial psychiatric symptoms; definite signs of dementia, and myoclonus were present in 100% of cases. The EEG was abnormal in all cases and pseudoperiodic paroxysms were present in 56% of the patients. Their evolution time ranged from 3 to 19 months. Neuropathologically, brain and cerebellar atrophy, spongiosis, astrocytosis and neuronal loss were present in 100% of the patients. In 5 (56% of these 9 cases, prion protein (PrP amyloid plaques were detected in the cerebellum, by optical- and electronmicroscopy. There was a positive correlation between the number of plaques and the evolution time. The authors outline the similarities of their cases in the elderly with the new variant of CJD described in young people.Os autores analisaram, do ponto de vista clínico e neuropatológico, nove casos da forma esporádica definida da doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (DCJ. Todos eles eram mulheres, com idade média de 62,7 anos. Oitenta e nove por cento dos pacientes exibiram sintomas psiquiátricos prodrômicos e iniciais; sinais típicos de demência e mioclonias estavam presentes em 100% deles. O EEG foi anormal em todos os casos e apresentou paroxismos pseudoperiódicos em 56% dos pacientes. O tempo de evolução da doença variou de 3 a 19 meses. Do ponto de vista neuropatológico, atrofia cerebral e cerebelar, espongiose, astrocitose e perda neuronal estavam presentes em 100% dos pacientes. Em 5 (56% dos 9 casos, foi evidenciada, por microscopia óptica e eletrônica, a presença de placas amilóides de proteína prion (PrP no cerebelo. Havia correlação positiva entre o número de placas e o tempo de evolução da doença. Os autores salientam as semelhanças desses seus casos de pacientes idosos com a nova

  17. Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with Amyloid-β pathology: an international study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cali, Ignazio; Cohen, Mark L; Haїk, Stéphane; Parchi, Piero; Giaccone, Giorgio; Collins, Steven J; Kofskey, Diane; Wang, Han; McLean, Catriona A; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Privat, Nicolas; Sazdovitch, Véronique; Duyckaerts, Charles; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Belay, Ermias D; Maddox, Ryan A; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Leschek, Ellen; Appleby, Brian S; Safar, Jiri G; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Gambetti, Pierluigi

    2018-01-08

    The presence of pathology related to the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) has been recently reported in iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) acquired from inoculation of growth hormone (GH) extracted from human cadaveric pituitary gland or use of cadaveric dura mater (DM) grafts.To investigate this phenomenon further, a cohort of 27 iCJD cases - 21 with adequate number of histopathological sections - originating from Australia, France, Italy, and the Unites States, were examined by immunohistochemistry, amyloid staining, and Western blot analysis of the scrapie prion protein (PrP Sc ), and compared with age-group matched cases of sporadic CJD (sCJD), Alzheimer disease (AD) or free of neurodegenerative diseases (non-ND).Cases of iCJD and sCJD shared similar profiles of proteinase K-resistant PrP Sc with the exception of iCJD harboring the "MMi" phenotype. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), either associated with, or free of, Thioflavin S-positive amyloid core plaques (CP), was observed in 52% of 21 cases of iCJD, which comprised 37.5% and 61.5% of the cases of GH- and DM-iCJD, respectively. If only cases younger than 54 years were considered, Aβ pathology affected 41%, 2% and 0% of iCJD, sCJD and non-ND, respectively. Despite the patients' younger age CAA was more severe in iCJD than sCJD, while Aβ diffuse plaques, in absence of Aβ CP, populated one third of sCJD. Aβ pathology was by far most severe in AD. Tau pathology was scanty in iCJD and sCJD.In conclusion, (i) despite the divergences in the use of cadaveric GH and DM products, our cases combined with previous studies showed remarkably similar iCJD and Aβ phenotypes indicating that the occurrence of Aβ pathology in iCJD is a widespread phenomenon, (ii) CAA emerges as the hallmark of the Aβ phenotype in iCJD since it is observed in nearly 90% of all iCJD with Aβ pathology reported to date including ours, and it is shared by GH- and DM-iCJD, (iii) although the contributions to Aβ pathology of other

  18. Chinese specific characteristics of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a retrospective analysis of 57 cases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Zhao

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD is a fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disorder. However, no studies have reported Chinese specific characteristics of sCJD. We aimed to identify differences in sCJD between Chinese patients and patients from other countries. METHODS: The data from 57 Chinese sCJD patients were retrospectively analyzed, including demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, electroencephalograms (EEGs, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI scans, positron emission tomography (PET scans, and pathological results. RESULT: The disease was pathologically confirmed in 11 patients. 39 cases were diagnosed as probable sCJD, and 7 were possible. Of the total cases, 33 were male, and 24 were female. The onset age ranged from 36 to 75 years (mean: 55.5, median: 57. Disease onset before the age of 60 occurred in 57.9% of patients. The disease duration from onset to death ranged 5-22 months (mean: 11.6, median: 11, and 51.9% of patients died 7 to 12 months after disease onset. The majority of patients presented with sub-acute onset with progressive dementia. 3 of the 9 patients who took 14-3-3 protein analysis had positive results (33.3%. The sensitivity of EEG was 79.6% (43/54. For DWI and PET examinations, the sensitivities were 94% (47/50 and 94.1% (16/17, respectively. In seven patients who did not show typical hyper-intensities on the first DWI examination, abnormalities of hypo-metabolism in the cerebral cortex were clearly detected by PET. In 13 out of the 17 patients, PET detected extra abnormal regions in addition to the hyper-intense areas observed in DWI. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to indicate that Chinese sCJD patients have a much earlier onset age and a longer disease duration than other populations, which is most likely related to racial differences. The longer disease duration may also be a probable characteristic of Asian populations. PET had high sensitivity for the

  19. UK Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: investigating human prion transmission across genotypic barriers using human tissue-based and molecular approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritchie, Diane L; Barria, Marcelo A; Peden, Alexander H; Yull, Helen M; Kirkpatrick, James; Adlard, Peter; Ironside, James W; Head, Mark W

    2017-04-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is the prototypic human prion disease that occurs most commonly in sporadic and genetic forms, but it is also transmissible and can be acquired through medical procedures, resulting in iatrogenic CJD (iCJD). The largest numbers of iCJD cases that have occurred worldwide have resulted from contaminated cadaveric pituitary-derived human growth hormone (hGH) and its use to treat primary and secondary growth hormone deficiency. We report a comprehensive, tissue-based and molecular genetic analysis of the largest series of UK hGH-iCJD cases reported to date, including in vitro kinetic molecular modelling of genotypic factors influencing prion transmission. The results show the interplay of prion strain and host genotype in governing the molecular, pathological and temporal characteristics of the UK hGH-iCJD epidemic and provide insights into the adaptive mechanisms involved when prions cross genotypic barriers. We conclude that all of the available evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that the UK hGH-iCJD epidemic resulted from transmission of the V2 human prion strain, which is associated with the second most common form of sporadic CJD.

  20. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Prion Pathology in Medulla Oblongata-Possible Routes of Infection and Host Susceptibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iacono, Diego; Ferrari, Sergio; Gelati, Matteo; Zanusso, Gianluigi; Mariotto, Sara; Monaco, Salvatore

    2015-01-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the most frequent human prion disorder, is characterized by remarkable phenotypic variability, which is influenced by the conformation of the pathologic prion protein and the methionine/valine polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein gene. While the etiology of sCJD remains unknown, it has been hypothesized that environmental exposure to prions might occur through conjunctival/mucosal contact, oral ingestion, inhalation, or simultaneous involvement of the olfactory and enteric systems. We studied 21 subjects with definite sCJD to assess neuropathological involvement of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and other medullary nuclei and to evaluate possible associations with codon 129 genotype and prion protein conformation. The present data show that prion protein deposition was detected in medullary nuclei of distinct sCJD subtypes, either valine homozygous or heterozygous at codon 129. These findings suggest that an "environmental exposure" might occur, supporting the hypothesis that external sources of contamination could contribute to sCJD in susceptible hosts. Furthermore, these novel data could shed the light on possible causes of sCJD through a "triple match" hypothesis that identify environmental exposure, host genotype, and direct exposure of specific anatomical regions as possible pathogenetic factors.

  1. Diffusion-Weighted MRI in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Focus on the Cerebral Cortex and Chronologic Change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jeong Eun; Song, Chang Joon; Lee, In Ho; Yu, In Kyu; Choi, See Sung

    2010-01-01

    To evaluate high cortical signal intensity and chronologic changes for diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We retrospectively analyzed the DWI results of 16 patients with probable CJD (according to WHO criteria) and evaluated the distribution, extent and bilaterality of the lesions in the cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. We also reviewed the chronologic changes of the lesions by evaluating the followup MR examination results in 8 of 16 patients. Cortical abnormalities were present in 15 (94%) of 16 patients. Isolated cortical involvement was present in 6 patients (40%), while the combined involvement of the cortex and basal ganglia was present in 9 patients (60%). The distribution of the lesions was bilateral in 12 patients and predominantly on the right side in 8 patients. Upon follow-up MR imaging, the cortical lesions showed progress in terms of extent and signal intensity. Basal ganglia abnormalities were present in 9 of 15 patients. Moreover, 4 of 6 patients who had no abnormal signal intensity in the basal ganglia on the initial MR imaging results, showed abnormally high signal intensity upon follow-up MR imaging. The characteristically high cortical signal intensities on DWI in an elderly patient with rapidly progressive dementia should point to the diagnosis of early phase CJD and might be useful for the differential diagnosis

  2. Diffusion-Weighted MRI in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Focus on the Cerebral Cortex and Chronologic Change

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jeong Eun; Song, Chang Joon; Lee, In Ho [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yu, In Kyu [Eulji University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, See Sung [Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-08-15

    To evaluate high cortical signal intensity and chronologic changes for diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We retrospectively analyzed the DWI results of 16 patients with probable CJD (according to WHO criteria) and evaluated the distribution, extent and bilaterality of the lesions in the cortex, basal ganglia and thalamus. We also reviewed the chronologic changes of the lesions by evaluating the followup MR examination results in 8 of 16 patients. Cortical abnormalities were present in 15 (94%) of 16 patients. Isolated cortical involvement was present in 6 patients (40%), while the combined involvement of the cortex and basal ganglia was present in 9 patients (60%). The distribution of the lesions was bilateral in 12 patients and predominantly on the right side in 8 patients. Upon follow-up MR imaging, the cortical lesions showed progress in terms of extent and signal intensity. Basal ganglia abnormalities were present in 9 of 15 patients. Moreover, 4 of 6 patients who had no abnormal signal intensity in the basal ganglia on the initial MR imaging results, showed abnormally high signal intensity upon follow-up MR imaging. The characteristically high cortical signal intensities on DWI in an elderly patient with rapidly progressive dementia should point to the diagnosis of early phase CJD and might be useful for the differential diagnosis.

  3. CT and MRI in iatrogenic and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: as far as imaging perseives

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia Santos, J.M. [Servicio de Radiodiagnostico, HU Dr. Morales Meseguer, Murcia (Spain)]|[Section of Neuroradiology, HU Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia (Spain); Lopez Corbalan, J.A. [Section of Neuroradiology, HU Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia (Spain); Martinez-Lage, J.F. [Service of Neurosurgery, HU Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia (Spain); Sicilis Guillen, J. [Service of Neurology, HU Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia (Spain)

    1996-04-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), an invariably fatal dementing illness, affects patients in middle and old age (sporadic form). However, the association of CJD with certain treatments (iatrogenic form) has been described in younger patients. The clinical onset of the two forms seems to differ; in the iatrogenic form a high frequency of the ataxic CJD variant has been reported. Nowadays, a definitive diagnosis of CJD is exclusively histological. We present five cases of CJD, one sporadic and the others iatrogenic, following dura mater grafts and analyse their CT and MRI features. CT typically demonstrates brain atrophy, generally progressive, but in sporadic CJD midfield MRI also showed abnormal signal, with predominant deep grey matter involvement. The use of narrow windows with proton-density sequences may reveal subtle cortical signal abnormalities not clearly visible with conventional windows. The early demonstration of these changes, in the appropriate clinical context, may suggest CJD and this supports the use of mid- or high magnetic fields in the diagnosis of CJD and other forms of dementia. In our cases of iatrogenic CJD, low-field MRI did not reveal more than the progressive atrophy displayed by CT, and raises the question on the one hand of possible differences, based on imaging, from the sporadic form, and on the other of the lack of sensitivity of low-field magnets to signal changes in CJD. (orig.)

  4. CT and MRI in iatrogenic and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: as far as imaging perseives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Santos, J.M.; Lopez Corbalan, J.A.; Martinez-Lage, J.F.; Sicilis Guillen, J.

    1996-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), an invariably fatal dementing illness, affects patients in middle and old age (sporadic form). However, the association of CJD with certain treatments (iatrogenic form) has been described in younger patients. The clinical onset of the two forms seems to differ; in the iatrogenic form a high frequency of the ataxic CJD variant has been reported. Nowadays, a definitive diagnosis of CJD is exclusively histological. We present five cases of CJD, one sporadic and the others iatrogenic, following dura mater grafts and analyse their CT and MRI features. CT typically demonstrates brain atrophy, generally progressive, but in sporadic CJD midfield MRI also showed abnormal signal, with predominant deep grey matter involvement. The use of narrow windows with proton-density sequences may reveal subtle cortical signal abnormalities not clearly visible with conventional windows. The early demonstration of these changes, in the appropriate clinical context, may suggest CJD and this supports the use of mid- or high magnetic fields in the diagnosis of CJD and other forms of dementia. In our cases of iatrogenic CJD, low-field MRI did not reveal more than the progressive atrophy displayed by CT, and raises the question on the one hand of possible differences, based on imaging, from the sporadic form, and on the other of the lack of sensitivity of low-field magnets to signal changes in CJD. (orig.)

  5. Multitracer study with positron emission tomography in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Engler, Henry [Uppsala University PET Centre, Uppsala University Hospital, SE 751 85 Uppsala (Sweden); Department of Neurology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala (Sweden); Lundberg, Per Olov [Department of Neurology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala (Sweden); Ekbom, Karl [Department of Neurology, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden); Nennesmo, Inger [Department of Pathology, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden); Nilsson, Anna; Bergstroem, Mats; Hartvig, Per; Laangstroem, Bengt [Uppsala University PET Centre, Uppsala University Hospital, SE 751 85 Uppsala (Sweden); Tsukada, Hideo [Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.Central Research Lab, Hamakita City (Japan)

    2003-01-01

    During the period February 1997 to April 2000, 15 patients with clinical symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were referred to Uppsala University PET Centre. Positron emission tomography (PET) was performed to detect characteristic signs of the disease, e.g. neuronal death and/or astrocytosis in the brain. The examinations were performed in one session starting with oxygen-15 labelled water scan to measure regional cerebral blood flow, followed by imaging with the monoamine oxidase B inhibitor N-[{sup 11}C-methyl]-L-deuterodeprenyl (DED) to assess astrocytosis in the brain and finally imaging with fluorine-18 2-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to assess regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMR{sub glu}). Nine of the patients fulfilled the clinical criteria of probable CJD. In eight of them, FDG and DED imaging revealed, in comparison with normal controls, a typical pattern characterized by a pronounced regional decrease (<2SD) in glucose brain metabolism, indicative of neuronal dysfunction; this was accompanied by a similar increase (>2SD) in DED binding, indicating astrocytosis. These changes were most pronounced in the cerebellum and the frontal, occipital and parietal cortices, whereas the pons, the thalamus and the putamen were less affected and the temporal cortex appeared unaffected. The cerebral blood flow showed a pattern similar to that observed with FDG. In the ninth patient, analysis with DED was not possible. The diagnosis of definite CJD according to international consensus criteria was confirmed in six of these patients. In one patient with probable CJD, protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres) could not be demonstrated. In two patients with probable CJD, autopsy was not allowed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, performed in four and seven of these nine patients respectively, showed unspecific, mainly atrophic changes. In six other patients, the PET examinations gave a different pattern. In three of them, high rCMR{sub glu} was

  6. The Distribution of Prion Protein Allotypes Differs Between Sporadic and Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Roger A; Head, Mark W; Ironside, James W; Ritchie, Diane L; Zanusso, Gianluigi; Choi, Young Pyo; Pyo Choi, Young; Priola, Suzette A

    2016-02-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most prevalent of the human prion diseases, which are fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases caused by the infectious prion protein (PrP(Sc)). The origin of sCJD is unknown, although the initiating event is thought to be the stochastic misfolding of endogenous prion protein (PrP(C)) into infectious PrP(Sc). By contrast, human growth hormone-associated cases of iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) in the United Kingdom (UK) are associated with exposure to an exogenous source of PrP(Sc). In both forms of CJD, heterozygosity at residue 129 for methionine (M) or valine (V) in the prion protein gene may affect disease phenotype, onset and progression. However, the relative contribution of each PrP(C) allotype to PrP(Sc) in heterozygous cases of CJD is unknown. Using mass spectrometry, we determined that the relative abundance of PrP(Sc) with M or V at residue 129 in brain specimens from MV cases of sCJD was highly variable. This result is consistent with PrP(C) containing an M or V at residue 129 having a similar propensity to misfold into PrP(Sc) thus causing sCJD. By contrast, PrP(Sc) with V at residue 129 predominated in the majority of the UK human growth hormone associated iCJD cases, consistent with exposure to infectious PrP(Sc) containing V at residue 129. In both types of CJD, the PrP(Sc) allotype ratio had no correlation with CJD type, age at clinical onset, or disease duration. Therefore, factors other than PrP(Sc) allotype abundance must influence the clinical progression and phenotype of heterozygous cases of CJD.

  7. Neuropathological and biochemical criteria to identify acquired Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease among presumed sporadic cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Atsushi; Parchi, Piero; Yamada, Masahito; Mohri, Shirou; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki

    2016-06-01

    As an experimental model of acquired Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), we performed transmission studies of sporadic CJD using knock-in mice expressing human prion protein (PrP). In this model, the inoculation of the sporadic CJD strain V2 into animals homozygous for methionine at polymorphic codon 129 (129 M/M) of the PRNP gene produced quite distinctive neuropathological and biochemical features, that is, widespread kuru plaques and intermediate type abnormal PrP (PrP(Sc) ). Interestingly, this distinctive combination of molecular and pathological features has been, to date, observed in acquired CJD but not in sporadic CJD. Assuming that these distinctive phenotypic traits are specific for acquired CJD, we revisited the literature and found two cases showing widespread kuru plaques despite the 129 M/M genotype, in a neurosurgeon and in a patient with a medical history of neurosurgery without dura mater grafting. By Western blot analysis of brain homogenates, we revealed the intermediate type of PrP(Sc) in both cases. Furthermore, transmission properties of brain extracts from these two cases were indistinguishable from those of a subgroup of dura mater graft-associated iatrogenic CJD caused by infection with the sporadic CJD strain V2. These data strongly suggest that the two atypical CJD cases, previously thought to represent sporadic CJD, very likely acquired the disease through exposure to prion-contaminated brain tissues. Thus, we propose that the distinctive combination of 129 M/M genotype, kuru plaques, and intermediate type PrP(Sc) , represents a reliable criterion for the identification of acquired CJD cases among presumed sporadic cases. © 2015 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  8. Prion diseases of the brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutz, Kira; Urbach, Horst

    2015-01-01

    The prion diseases of the brain, especially Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are rare fatal neurodegenerative disorders. A definitive CJD diagnosis is currently only possible by a brain biopsy or post mortem autopsy. The diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is based on clinical signs, pathognomonic EEG, on typical MRI findings and the examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. Using the MRI the diagnosis Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be confirmed or excluded with high certainty. The MRI examination should contain diffusion-weighted and FLAIR imaging sequences. This review article provides an overview of the prion diseases of the brain with the corresponding imaging findings.

  9. Risk of transmission of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by surgical procedures: systematic reviews and quality of evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, Fernando J García; Ruiz-Tovar, María; Almazán-Isla, Javier; Alcalde-Cabero, Enrique; Calero, Miguel; de Pedro-Cuesta, Jesús

    2017-10-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is potentially transmissible to humans. This study aimed to summarise and rate the quality of the evidence of the association between surgery and sCJD. Firstly, we conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses of case-control studies with major surgical procedures as exposures under study. To assess quality of evidence, we used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Secondly, we conducted a systematic review of sCJD case reports after sharing neurosurgical instruments. Thirteen case-control studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review of case-control studies. sCJD was positively associated with heart surgery, heart and vascular surgery and eye surgery, negatively associated with tonsillectomy and appendectomy, and not associated with neurosurgery or unspecified major surgery. The overall quality of evidence was rated as very low. A single case-control study with a low risk of bias found a strong association between surgery conducted more than 20 years before disease onset and sCJD. Seven cases were described as potentially transmitted by reused neurosurgical instruments. The association between surgery and sCJD remains uncertain. Measures currently recommended for preventing sCJD transmission should be strongly maintained. Future studies should focus on the potential association between sCJD and surgery undergone a long time previously.

  10. Altered Mitochondria, Protein Synthesis Machinery, and Purine Metabolism Are Molecular Contributors to the Pathogenesis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansoleaga, Belén; Garcia-Esparcia, Paula; Llorens, Franc; Hernández-Ortega, Karina; Carmona Tech, Margarita; Antonio Del Rio, José; Zerr, Inga; Ferrer, Isidro

    2016-06-12

    Neuron loss, synaptic decline, and spongiform change are the hallmarks of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), and may be related to deficiencies in mitochondria, energy metabolism, and protein synthesis. To investigate these relationships, we determined the expression levels of genes encoding subunits of the 5 protein complexes of the electron transport chain, proteins involved in energy metabolism, nucleolar and ribosomal proteins, and enzymes of purine metabolism in frontal cortex samples from 15 cases of sCJD MM1 and age-matched controls. We also assessed the protein expression levels of subunits of the respiratory chain, initiation and elongation translation factors of protein synthesis, and localization of selected mitochondrial components. We identified marked, generalized alterations of mRNA and protein expression of most subunits of all 5 mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes in sCJD cases. Expression of molecules involved in protein synthesis and purine metabolism were also altered in sCJD. These findings point to altered mRNA and protein expression of components of mitochondria, protein synthesis machinery, and purine metabolism as components of the pathogenesis of CJD. © 2016 American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease MM1+2C and MM1 are Identical in Transmission Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Atsushi; Matsuura, Yuichi; Iwaki, Toru; Iwasaki, Yasushi; Yoshida, Mari; Takahashi, Hitoshi; Murayama, Shigeo; Takao, Masaki; Kato, Shinsuke; Yamada, Masahito; Mohri, Shirou; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki

    2016-01-01

    The genotype (methionine, M or valine, V) at polymorphic codon 129 of the PRNP gene and the type (1 or 2) of abnormal prion protein in the brain are the major determinants of the clinicopathological features of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), thus providing molecular basis for classification of sporadic CJD, that is, MM1, MM2, MV1, MV2, VV1 or VV2. In addition to these "pure" cases, "mixed" cases presenting mixed neuropathological and biochemical features have also been recognized. The most frequently observed mixed form is the co-occurrence of MM1 and MM2, namely MM1+2. However, it has remained elusive whether MM1+2 could be a causative origin of dura mater graft-associated CJD (dCJD), one of the largest subgroups of iatrogenic CJD. To test this possibility, we performed transmission experiments of MM1+2 prions and a systematic neuropathological examination of dCJD patients in the present study. The transmission properties of the MM1+2 prions were identical to those of MM1 prions because MM2 prions lacked transmissibility. In addition, the neuropathological characteristics of MM2 were totally absent in dCJD patients examined. These results suggest that MM1+2 can be a causative origin of dCJD and causes neuropathological phenotype similar to that of MM1. © 2015 International Society of Neuropathology.

  12. Prion diseases of the brain; Prionenerkrankung des Gehirns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lutz, Kira; Urbach, Horst [Universitaetsklinik Freiburg (Germany). Klinik fuer Neuroradiologie

    2015-09-15

    The prion diseases of the brain, especially Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, are rare fatal neurodegenerative disorders. A definitive CJD diagnosis is currently only possible by a brain biopsy or post mortem autopsy. The diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is based on clinical signs, pathognomonic EEG, on typical MRI findings and the examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. Using the MRI the diagnosis Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease can be confirmed or excluded with high certainty. The MRI examination should contain diffusion-weighted and FLAIR imaging sequences. This review article provides an overview of the prion diseases of the brain with the corresponding imaging findings.

  13. EEG Differences in Two Clinically Similar Rapid Dementias: Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Complex-Associated Autoimmune Encephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Brin; Probasco, John C; Cervenka, Mackenzie C; Sutter, Raoul; Kaplan, Peter W

    2018-05-01

    Distinguishing treatable causes for rapidly progressive dementia from those that are incurable is vital. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and voltage-gated potassium channel complex-associated autoimmune encephalitis (VGKC AE) are 2 such conditions with disparate outcomes and response to treatment. To determine the differences in electroencephalography between CJD and VGKC AE, we performed a retrospective review of medical records and examined clinical data, neuroimaging, and electroencephalographs performed in patients admitted for evaluation for rapidly progressive dementia diagnosed with CJD and VGKC AE at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2015. More patients in the VGKC AE group had seizures (12/17) than those with CJD (3/14; P = .008). Serum sodium levels were lower in those with VGKC AE ( P = .001). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count was higher in VGKC AE ( P = .008). CSF protein 14-3-3 ( P = .018) was more commonly detected in CJD, and tau levels were higher in those with CJD ( P VGKC AE, and electroencephalography can aid in their diagnoses. Performing serial EEGs better delineates these conditions.

  14. Specific clinical signs and symptoms are predictive of clinical course in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakatani, E; Kanatani, Y; Kaneda, H; Nagai, Y; Teramukai, S; Nishimura, T; Zhou, B; Kojima, S; Kono, H; Fukushima, M; Kitamoto, T; Mizusawa, H

    2016-09-01

    Akinetic mutism is thought to be an appropriate therapeutic end-point in patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). However, prognostic factors for akinetic mutism are unclear and clinical signs or symptoms that precede this condition have not been defined. The goal of this study was to identify prognostic factors for akinetic mutism and to clarify the order of clinical sign and symptom development prior to its onset. The cumulative incidence of akinetic mutism and other clinical signs and symptoms was estimated based on Japanese CJD surveillance data (455 cases) collected from 2003 to 2008. A proportional hazards model was used to identify prognostic factors for the time to onset of akinetic mutism and other clinical signs and symptoms. Periodic synchronous discharges on electroencephalography were present in the majority of cases (93.5%). The presence of psychiatric symptoms or cerebellar disturbance at sCJD diagnosis was associated with the development of akinetic mutism [hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-1.99, and HR 2.15, 95% CI1.61-2.87, respectively]. The clinical course from cerebellar disturbance to myoclonus or akinetic mutism was classified into three types: (i) direct path, (ii) path via pyramidal or extrapyramidal dysfunction and (iii) path via psychiatric symptoms or visual disturbance. The presence of psychiatric symptoms or cerebellar disturbance increased the risk of akinetic mutism of sCJD cases with probable MM/MV subtypes. Also, there appear to be sequential associations in the development of certain clinical signs and symptoms of this disease. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Neurology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Neurology.

  15. Transgenic Fatal Familial Insomnia Mice Indicate Prion Infectivity-Independent Mechanisms of Pathogenesis and Phenotypic Expression of Disease

    OpenAIRE

    Bouybayoune, I.; Mantovani, S.; Del Gallo, F.; Bertani, I.; Restelli, E.; Comerio, L.; Tapella, L.; Baracchi, F.; Fernández-Borges, N.; Mangieri, M.; Bisighini, C.; Beznoussenko, G..V.; Paladini, A.; Balducci, C.; Micotti, E.

    2015-01-01

    Author Summary Genetic prion diseases are degenerative brain disorders caused by mutations in the gene encoding the prion protein (PrP). Different PrP mutations cause different diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI). The reason for this variability is not known, but assembly of the mutant PrPs into distinct aggregates that spread in the brain by promoting PrP aggregation may contribute to the disease phenotype. We previously generated transgenic ...

  16. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Heidenhain variant: case report with MRI (DWI) findings; Doenca de Creutzfeldt-Jakob forma Heidenhain: relato de caso com achados de ressonancia magnetica e DWI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arruda, Walter Oleschko; Bordignon, Kelly C; Milano, Jeronimo B; Ramina, Ricardo [Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba, PR (Brazil)

    2004-06-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a pre senile dementia characterized by rapidly progressive mental deterioration, myoclonic jerking, and other less common neurological signs. Few accentuates cases have been described in Brazil. A 54-year-old white woman, was admitted in our service with a month history of progressive, bilateral cortical blindness. After admission, she developed right partial motor seizures (right facial, upper and lower limbs), she became progressively aphasic (mixed aphasia). Seizures were controlled with phenytoine, but she developed choreoathetotic movements on her right dimidium, with partial control after introduction of chlorpromazine 25 mg q/d. She could no longer stand up or walk due to severe ataxia. The first EEG (October, 2001) showed left hemisphere severe seizure activity (status epilepticus partial is). She was delivered home with enteral nutrition, phenytoine, chlorpromazine and mepacrine 100 mg q d. The following laboratory tests were negative or normal: blood series, platelets, ESR, kidney and liver function, copper, ceruloplasmin, Vedril, HIV, HTLV-1, lactate, and cerebral Dsa (performed in other service). A spinal tap with normal opening pressure was perform and CSFR examination was normal. CSFR 14-3-3 protein was positive, CSF specific neuronal enolase 7.5 ng/ml(normal). Genetic study of PRNP gene did not disclosed any known mutation. A MRI (October, 2001) showed areas of hyperintense signal (T 2 and FLAIR) without Gd-enhancement on T1, in the left temporal lobe and in both occipital lobes; basal ganglia have a normal appearance. DWI imaging showed bright areas at the same sites. An EEG (March, 2002) disclosed a periodical sharp triphasic waves pattern, suggestive of CJD. A second MRI (April, 2002) showed mild generalized atrophy, no ventricular dilatation, and the hyperintense sites disappeared. She remained clinically stable and under use of chlorpromazine and mepacrine until she died due to pulmonary complications on April

  17. An autopsy-verified case of FTLD-TDP type A with upper motor neuron-predominant motor neuron disease mimicking MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Yuichi; Iwasaki, Yasushi; Takekoshi, Akira; Yoshikura, Nobuaki; Asano, Takahiko; Mimuro, Maya; Kimura, Akio; Satoh, Katsuya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari; Inuzuka, Takashi

    2016-11-01

    Here we report an autopsy-verified case of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD)-transactivation responsive region (TAR) DNA binding protein (TDP) type A with upper motor neuron-predominant motor neuron disease mimicking MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). A 69-year-old woman presented with an 11-month history of progressive dementia, irritability, insomnia, and gait disturbance without a family history of dementia or prion disease. Neurological examination revealed severe dementia, frontal signs, and exaggerated bilateral tendon reflexes. Periodic sharp-wave complexes were not observed on the electroencephalogram. Brain diffusion MRI did not reveal abnormal changes. An easy Z score (eZIS) analysis for 99m Tc-ECD-single photon emission computed tomography ( 99m Tc-ECD-SPECT) revealed a bilateral decrease in thalamic regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). PRNP gene analysis demonstrated methionine homozygosity at codon 129 without mutation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed normal levels of both 14-3-3 and total tau proteins. Conversely, prion protein was slowly amplified in the CSF by a real-time quaking-induced conversion assay. Her symptoms deteriorated to a state of akinetic mutism, and she died of sudden cardiac arrest, one year after symptom onset.  Despite the SPECT results supporting a clinical diagnosis of MM2-thalamic-type sCJD, a postmortem assessment revealed that this was a case of FTLD-TDP type A, and excluded prion disease. Thus, this case indicates that whereas a bilateral decreasing thalamic rCBF detected by 99m Tc-ECD-SPECT can be useful for diagnosing MM2-thalamic-type sCJD, it is not sufficiently specific. Postmortem diagnosis remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of this condition.

  18. Distinct pathological phenotypes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in recipients of prion-contaminated growth hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cali, Ignazio; Miller, Cathleen J; Parisi, Joseph E; Geschwind, Michael D; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Schonberger, Lawrence B

    2015-06-25

    The present study compares the clinical, pathological and molecular features of a United States (US) case of growth hormone (GH)-associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (GH-CJD) (index case) to those of two earlier referred US cases of GH-CJD and one case of dura mater (d)-associated CJD (dCJD). All iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) subjects were methionine (M) homozygous at codon 129 (129MM) of the prion protein (PrP) gene and had scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)) type 1 (iCJDMM1). The index subject presented with ataxia, weight loss and changes in the sleep pattern about 38 years after the midpoint of GH treatment. Autopsy examination revealed a neuropathological phenotype reminiscent of both sCJDMV2-K (a sporadic CJD subtype in subjects methionine/valine heterozygous at codon 129 with PrP(Sc) type 2 and the presence of kuru plaques) and variant CJD (vCJD). The two earlier cases of GH-CJDMM1 and the one of dCJDMM1 were associated with neuropathological phenotypes that differed from that of the index case mainly because they lacked PrP plaques. The phenotype of the earlier GH-CJDMM1 cases shared several, but not all, characteristics with sCJDMM1, whereas dCJDMM1 was phenotypically indistinguishable from sCJDMM1. Two distinct groups of dCJDMM1 have also been described in Japan based on clinical features, the presence or absence of PrP plaques and distinct PK-resistant PrP(Sc) (resPrP(Sc)) electrophoretic mobilities. The resPrP(Sc) electrophoretic mobility was, however, identical in our GH-CJDMM1 and dCJDMM1 cases, and matched that of sCJDMM1. Our study shows that receipt of prion-contaminated GH can lead to a prion disease with molecular features (129MM and PrP(Sc) type 2) and phenotypic characteristics that differ from those of sporadic prion disease (sCJDMM1), a difference that may reflect adaptation of "heterologous" prion strains to the 129MM background.

  19. SCREENING FOR GENETIC CHANGES AND CODON 129 POLYMORPHISM IN PRNP GENE IN HEALTHY SLOVENIAN POPULATION AND SPORADIC CASES OF CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sava Smerkolj

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Background. Prion protein has an important role in development of prion diseases, fatal neurodegenerative disorders. As the codon 129 genotype of the prion protein gene (PRNP is a known susceptibility factor for the diseases, we wanted to determine its distribution in healthy Slovenian population and also in cases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. Furthermore, we wanted to screen the whole gene in order to establish the presence of genetic changes.Methods. We screened 350 DNA samples of healthy blood donors and 12 DNA samples of patients deceased of sCJD. After the amplification and conformation analysis had been done, the gene was sequenced using an automatic sequencer.Results. Methionine homozygotes comprised 46.8% of healthy population, valine homozygotes 12.1% and heterozygotes 41.1%; out of 12 sCJD patients 10 were methionine homozygotes (83.3%, 1 was valine homozygote (8.3% and 1 was heterozygote (8.3%.Found SNPs were combination of codon 76 change (228C > T and codon 84 change (252T > C in a single sample of healthy population, combination of codon 68 change (204T > C and codon 76 change (228C > T in two samples of healthy population and codon 117 change (351A > G in a healthy population sample and in a valine homozygote patient.Conclusions. In comparison to the pooled Caucasian population is genotype M/M frequency slightly increased on account of decreased genotype M/V frequency in healthy Slovenian population, suggesting a little higher risk for acquiring a new variant of CJD (vCJD, because up to date all confirmed vCJD cases except one heterozygote were methionine homozygotes. Codon 129 genotype distribution in sCJD can be described as disease-specific. The absence of pathogenic mutations in sCJD patients confirms the non-familial, sporadic disease form.

  20. Validation of 14-3-3 Protein as a Marker in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Diagnostic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitz, Matthias; Ebert, Elisabeth; Stoeck, Katharina; Karch, André; Collins, Steven; Calero, Miguel; Sklaviadis, Theodor; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Golanska, Ewa; Baldeiras, Ines; Satoh, Katsuya; Sanchez-Valle, Raquel; Ladogana, Anna; Skinningsrud, Anders; Hammarin, Anna-Lena; Mitrova, Eva; Llorens, Franc; Kim, Yong Sun; Green, Alison; Zerr, Inga

    2016-05-01

    At present, the testing of 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a standard biomarker test in suspected sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) diagnosis. Increasing 14-3-3 test referrals in CJD reference laboratories in the last years have led to an urgent need to improve established 14-3-3 test methods. The main result of our study was the validation of a commercially available 14-3-3 ELISA next to the commonly used Western blot method as a high-throughput screening test. Hereby, 14-3-3 protein expression was quantitatively analyzed in CSF of 231 sCJD and 2035 control patients. We obtained excellent sensitivity/specificity values of 88 and 96% that are comparable to the established Western blot method. Since standard protocols and preanalytical sample handling have become more important in routine diagnostic, we investigated in a further step the reproducibility and stability of 14-3-3 as a biomarker for human prion diseases. Ring trial data from 2009 to 2013 revealed an increase of Fleiss' kappa from 0.51 to 0.68 indicating an improving reliability of 14-3-3 protein detection. The stability of 14-3-3 protein under short-term and long-term storage conditions at various temperatures and after repeated freezing/thawing cycles was confirmed. Contamination of CSF samples with blood appears likely to be an important factor at a concentration of more than 2500 erythrocytes/μL. Hemolysis of erythrocytes with significant release of 14-3-3 protein started after 2 days at room temperature. We first define clear standards for the sample handling, short- and long-term storage of CSF samples as well as the handling of blood- contaminated samples which may result in artificially elevated CSF levels of 14-3-3.

  1. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with unusual initial presentation as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dirzius, Edgaras; Balnyte, Renata; Steibliene, Vesta; Gleizniene, Rymante; Gudinaviciene, Inga; Radziunas, Andrius; Petrikonis, Kestutis

    2016-11-22

    Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative prion disease. MRI findings are included in diagnostic criteria for probable CJD, giving a sensitivity and specificity more than 90%, but the atypical radiological presentations in the early stage of the disease could cause the diagnostic difficulties. CJD can be definitively diagnosed by histopathological confirmation, brain biopsy or at autopsy. We present a case of 53-year-old woman with a history of a rapidly progressive dementia with symptoms of visual impairment, increased extrapyramidal type muscle tonus, stereotypical movements and ataxic gait resulting in the patient's death after13 months. The clinical symptoms deteriorated progressively to myoclonus and akinetic mutism already on the 14th week. The series of diagnostic examinations were done to exclude the possible causes of dementia. Initial MRI evaluation as posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) on the 9th week after the onset of symptoms created us a diagnostic conundrum. Subsequent MRI findings of symmetrical lesions in the basal ganglia (nucleus caudatus, putamen) on the 13th week and EEG with periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWC) in frontal regions on the 18th week allowed us to diagnose the probable sCJD. The histopathological findings after brain biopsy on the 14th week demonstrated the presence of the abnormal prion protein deposits in the grey matter by immunohistochemistry with ICSM35, KG9 and 12 F10 antibodies and confirmed the diagnosis of sCJD. In this article we focus our attention on a rare association between radiological PRES syndrome and early clinical stage of sCJD. Although concurrent manifestation of these conditions can be accidental, but the immunogenic or neuropeptide mechanisms could explain such radiological MRI findings. A thorough knowledge of differential diagnostic of PRES may be especially useful in earlier diagnosis of sCJD.

  2. Inhibition of IL-1β Signaling Normalizes NMDA-Dependent Neurotransmission and Reduces Seizure Susceptibility in a Mouse Model of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertani, Ilaria; Iori, Valentina; Trusel, Massimo; Maroso, Mattia; Foray, Claudia; Mantovani, Susanna; Tonini, Raffaella; Vezzani, Annamaria; Chiesa, Roberto

    2017-10-25

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by prion protein (PrP) misfolding, clinically recognized by cognitive and motor deficits, electroencephalographic abnormalities, and seizures. Its neurophysiological bases are not known. To assess the potential involvement of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) dysfunction, we analyzed NMDA-dependent synaptic plasticity in hippocampal slices from Tg(CJD) mice, which model a genetic form of CJD. Because PrP depletion may result in functional upregulation of NMDARs, we also analyzed PrP knock-out (KO) mice. Long-term potentiation (LTP) at the Schaffer collateral-commissural synapses in the CA1 area of ∼100-d-old Tg(CJD) mice was comparable to that of wild-type (WT) controls, but there was an inversion of metaplasticity, with increased GluN2B phosphorylation, which is indicative of enhanced NMDAR activation. Similar but less marked changes were seen in PrP KO mice. At ∼300 d of age, the magnitude of LTP increased in Tg(CJD) mice but decreased in PrP KO mice, indicating divergent changes in hippocampal synaptic responsiveness. Tg(CJD) but not PrP KO mice were intrinsically more susceptible than WT controls to focal hippocampal seizures induced by kainic acid. IL-1β-positive astrocytes increased in the Tg(CJD) hippocampus, and blocking IL-1 receptor signaling restored normal synaptic responses and reduced seizure susceptibility. These results indicate that alterations in NMDA-dependent glutamatergic transmission in Tg(CJD) mice do not depend solely on PrP functional loss. Moreover, astrocytic IL-1β plays a role in the enhanced synaptic responsiveness and seizure susceptibility, suggesting that targeting IL-1β signaling may offer a novel symptomatic treatment for CJD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Dementia and myoclonic jerks develop in individuals with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), an incurable brain disorder caused by alterations in prion protein structure. These individuals are prone to seizures and have high

  3. Protease-sensitive conformers in broad spectrum of distinct PrPSc structures in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are indicator of progression rate.

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    Chae Kim

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The origin, range, and structure of prions causing the most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD, are largely unknown. To investigate the molecular mechanism responsible for the broad phenotypic variability of sCJD, we analyzed the conformational characteristics of protease-sensitive and protease-resistant fractions of the pathogenic prion protein (PrP(Sc using novel conformational methods derived from a conformation-dependent immunoassay (CDI. In 46 brains of patients homozygous for polymorphisms in the PRNP gene and exhibiting either Type 1 or Type 2 western blot pattern of the PrP(Sc, we identified an extensive array of PrP(Sc structures that differ in protease sensitivity, display of critical domains, and conformational stability. Surprisingly, in sCJD cases homozygous for methionine or valine at codon 129 of the PRNP gene, the concentration and stability of protease-sensitive conformers of PrP(Sc correlated with progression rate of the disease. These data indicate that sCJD brains exhibit a wide spectrum of PrP(Sc structural states, and accordingly argue for a broad spectrum of prion strains coding for different phenotypes. The link between disease duration, levels, and stability of protease-sensitive conformers of PrP(Sc suggests that these conformers play an important role in the pathogenesis of sCJD.

  4. Preserved regional cerebral blood flow in the occipital cortices, brainstem, and cerebellum of patients with V180I-129M genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in serial SPECT studies.

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    Hayashi, Yuichi; Yoshikura, Nobuaki; Takekoshi, Akira; Yamada, Megumi; Asano, Takahiko; Kimura, Akio; Satoh, Katsuya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Inuzuka, Takashi

    2016-11-15

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) with a causative point mutation of valine to isoleucine at codon 180 (V180I) is one of the major types of genetic CJD (gCJD) in Japan. V180I gCJD is rarely accompanied by a family history, and its clinical characteristics include late-onset, long disease duration, and edematous cortical hyperintensity in diffusion, fluid attenuate inversion and T2-weighted MRI. We performed serial imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and MRI in three V180I gCJD cases over long-term observation. All cases were characterized by progressive dementia, parkinsonism, and the absence of cerebellar signs or cortical visual dysfunction in their clinical courses. Moreover, during the end-stage, SPECT findings showed preserved regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the occipital cortices, brainstem, and cerebellum. Similarly, no apparent atrophy or increased signal intensities were observed in MRI images of the occipital and cerebellar regions. In conclusion, we report a decrease in rCBF predominantly in the frontal and temporal cortices during the early-stage, which became more widespread as the disease progressed. Importantly, rCBF was preserved in the occipital cortices, brainstem, and cerebellar regions until the end-stage, which may be distinct to V180I gCJD cases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Strain-Specific Altered Regulatory Response of Rab7a and Tau in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.

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    Zafar, Saima; Younas, Neelam; Correia, Susana; Shafiq, Mohsin; Tahir, Waqas; Schmitz, Matthias; Ferrer, Isidre; Andréoletti, Olivier; Zerr, Inga

    2017-01-01

    There is an increasing demand for the understanding of pathophysiology on neurodegeneration diseases at early stages. Changes in endocytic machinery and the cytoskeleton-associated response are the first alterations observed in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Alzheimer's disease AD brain. In this study, we performed a targeted search for endocytic pathway proteins in the different regions of the brain. We found late endosome marker Rab7a which was significantly upregulated in the frontal cortex region in the rapid progressive CJD form (MM1) and rapid progressive AD (rpAD) forms. However, Rab9 expression was significantly downregulated only in CJD-MM1 brain frontal cortex region. In the cerebellum, Rab7a expression showed significant upregulation in both subtype MM1 and VV2 CJD forms, in contrast to Rab9 which showed significant downregulation in both subtype MM1 and VV2 CJD forms at terminal stage of the disease. To check regulatory response at pre-symptomatic stage of the disease, we checked the regulatory interactive response of Rab7a, Rab9, and known biomarkers PrP C and tau forms in frontal cortex at pre-symptomatic stage of the disease in tg340 mice expressing about fourfold of human PrP-M129 with PrP-null background that had been inoculated with human sCJD MM1 brain tissue homogenates (sCJD MM1 mice). In addition, we analyzed 5XFAD mice, exhibiting five mutations in the APP and presenilin genes related to familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD), to validate specific regulatory response of Rab7a, Rab9, tau, and phosphorylated form of tau by immunostaining 5XFAD mice in comparison with the wild-type age-matched mice brain. The cortical region of 5XFAD mice brain showed accumulated form of Rab7a in puncta that co-label for p-Tau, indicating colocalization by using confocal laser-scanning microscopy and was confirmed by using reverse co-immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, synthetic RNA (siRNA) against the Rab7a gene decreased expression of Rab7a protein, in cortical

  6. Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease: Two Case Reports

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    Aysu Şen

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD is characterised by subacute progressive dementia, cerebellar ataxia, myoclonic jerks together with pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs. It is a rare prion disease and definitive diagnosis can only be made by biopsy. It becomes progressively worse and the death is the rule. We presented two CJD cases because of their demonstrative characteristics. A 43 year-old female and a 52 year-old male patient was suspected to be CJD due to presence of subacute severe cognitive deterioration, neuropsychiatric disturbances, myoclonic jerks, ataxia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs and also periodic spike and wave complexes in EEG. Patients were lost in a short period of time because of the complications of disease process. Medical autopsy were done in both cases for definitive diagnosis and autopsy results displayed characteristic pathologic findings of CJD. Patients were diagnosed as definitive sporadic CJD according to Master’s, French and European criterias. CJD should be considered in patients with rapidly progressive dementia, that starts with various neuropsychiatric symptoms. Although seen very rare, CJD is a untreatable, fatal disease. Therefore we emphasize that, preventive precaution should be taken when a CJD diagnosis is suspected

  7. An experiential learning model applied to nurses working with patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    D'Amour, Rolande; Guimond, Pierrette

    2010-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (C/D) is a rare neurological disease, transmissible, incurable and always fatal affecting humans, as well as animals. In the 1980s, the "mad cow disease" (MCD) epidemic in the United Kingdom popularized prion diseases worldwide. However, this contributed to the proliferation of disinformation, causing confusion between C/D and MCD in the public, as well as in some health care providers. The purpose of this article is to describe the process utilized to develop, implement, and evaluate a workshop on CJD for nurses and other health care providers. Kolb's experiential teaching/learning model was used as a framework for this workshop. A workbook was developed to complement the participants' learning. Fifteen health care providers from the Alzheimer Society of Canada's Dementia Network agreed to participate in this educational project. The results indicated that the participants had limited knowledge about C/D. They felt ill prepared and uncomfortable in providing quality care to this patient population. The workshop generated new insights and knowledge about the disease and the needs of the patients and their families. Participants exchanged ideas for tailored interventions. An experiential teaching/learning model is a highly effective approach to increase knowledge and skills, as well as fostering reflective practice.

  8. Asymmetric cortical high signal on diffusion weighted-MRI in a case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Hipersinal cortical assimétrico na ressonância magnética na imagem em difusão em caso de doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob

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    Ricardo Nitrini

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available High signal in the cerebral cortex and/or basal ganglia on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI has been described as a good diagnostic marker for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. We report a case of sCJD with atypical clinical evolution and unusual DW-MRI findings. A 53-year-old man was seen with a 2-year history of a rapidly progressive dementia and cerebellar ataxia. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis, including the test for 14-3-3 protein, was normal. EEG did not show periodic activity. However, DW-MRI showed gyriform hyperintensity involving practically the entire cortical ribbon of the left hemisphere, whilst being limited to the posterior cingulate gyrus in the right hemisphere. DNA analysis showed no mutations or insertions in the prion protein gene, and homozigozity for methionine in codon 129. A subsequent brain biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of CJD. Thus, high signal on DW-MRI may be limited to the cerebral cortex and may present a very asymmetric distribution in sCJD.Hipersinal no cortex cerebral e/ou nos gânglios da base observado com a técnica de difusão da ressonância magnética (RM-DIF tem sido descrito como bom marcador diagnóstico da doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob esporádica (DCJe. Relatamos caso de DCJe com evolução clínica atípica e achados incomuns na RM-DIF. Homem de 53 anos foi examinado com história de dois anos de demência rapidamente progressiva e ataxia cerebelar. Exame do líquido cefalorraqueano, incluindo pesquisa da proteína 14-3-3, foi normal; EEG não revelou atividade periódica; RM-DIF mostrou hiperintensidade nos giros que afetava quase inteiramente o manto cortical do hemisfério cerebral esquerdo e que no hemisfério direito se limitava à parte posterior do giro cíngulo. Análise do DNA revelou ausência de mutação ou de inserção no gene da proteína priônica e a presença de homozigose para metionina no códon 129. Biópsia cerebral confirmou o diagnóstico de DCJ

  9. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease versus anti-LGI1 limbic encephalitis in a patient with progressive cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, involuntary facio-brachio-crural movement, and an abnormal electroencephalogram: a case report

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    Sun L

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Li Sun, Jie Cao, Chang Liu, Yudan LvDepartment of Neurology, The First Hospital of JiLin University, ChangChun, People’s Republic of ChinaAbstract: Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is often challenging in elderly individuals, not only because of its variable clinical features but also because of nonspecific changes on the electroencephalogram (EEG in the early stages of the disease. Here we report on a patient who presented with progressive cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, involuntary facio-brachio-crural movement, and an abnormal EEG. We provide a detailed analysis and differential diagnosis between anti-leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1 limbic encephalitis versus CJD, in the hope of providing a new understanding of CJD. A 65-year-old Chinese man presented with slowly progressive cognitive decline with psychiatric symptoms. On admission, he presented with facial grimacing and brief left upper limb dystonic posturing lasting 1–2 seconds, with hyponatremia that was difficult to rectify. Neurological examination showed increased muscle tension in the left limb but without pathological reflexes. His early EEG showed focal periodic wave complexes. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed a suspected “lace sign” in the occipital cortex. His cerebrospinal fluid was negative for LGI1 antibodies and positive for 14-3-3 brain protein. Therefore, we made a presumptive diagnosis of CJD. At the following visit, a second EEG showed paroxysmal sharp wave complexes, but the patient had a poor prognosis. Atypical facio-brachio-crural movement and nonspecific EEG changes may occasionally be found in patients with CJD or anti-LGI1 encephalitis. Clinicians should not be dissuaded from a diagnosis of CJD where the EEG does not show paroxysmal sharp wave complexes in the early stages but abnormal facio-brachio-crural movement is present.Keywords: abnormal facio-brachio-crural movement, hyponatremia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob

  10. Determination of neuronal antibodies in suspected and definite Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Grau-Rivera, Oriol; Sánchez-Valle, Raquel; Saiz, Albert; Molinuevo, José Luis; Bernabé, Reyes; Munteis, Elvira; Pujadas, Francesc; Salvador, Antoni; Saura, Júlia; Ugarte, Antonio; Titulaer, Maarten; Dalmau, Josep; Graus, Francesc

    2014-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and autoimmune encephalitis with antibodies against neuronal surface antigens (NSA-abs) may present with similar clinical features. Establishing the correct diagnosis has practical implications in the management of care for these patients. To determine the frequency of NSA-abs in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with suspected CJD and in patients with pathologically confirmed (ie, definite) CJD. A mixed prospective (suspected) and retrospective (definite) CJD cohort study was conducted in a reference center for detection of NSA-abs. The population included 346 patients with suspected CJD and 49 patients with definite CJD. Analysis of NSA-abs in cerebrospinal fluid with brain immunohistochemistry optimized for cell-surface antigens was performed. Positive cases in the suspected CJD group were further studied for antigen specificity using cell-based assays. All definite CJD cases were comprehensively tested for NSA-abs, with cell-based assays used for leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1), contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2), N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), and glycine (GlY) receptors. Neuronal surface antigens were detected in 6 of 346 patients (1.7%) with rapid neurologic deterioration suggestive of CJD. None of these 6 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for probable or possible CJD. The target antigens included CASPR2, LGI1, NMDAR, aquaporin 4, Tr (DNER [δ/notch-like epidermal growth factor-related receptor]), and an unknown protein. Four of the patients developed rapidly progressive dementia, and the other 2 patients had cerebellar ataxia or seizures that were initially considered to be myoclonus without cognitive decline. The patient with Tr-abs had a positive 14-3-3 test result. Small cell lung carcinoma was diagnosed in the patient with antibodies against an unknown antigen. All patients improved or stabilized after appropriate treatment. None of the 49 patients with definite CJD had NSA-abs. A low, but

  11. Doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob forma Heidenhain: relato de caso com achados de ressonância magnética e DWI Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Heidenhain variant: case report with MRI (DWI findings

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    Walter Oleschko Arruda

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available A doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD é uma forma de demência pré-senil de rápida evolução, geralmente fatal em um ano. Casos autóctones no Brasil têm sido raramente descritos assim como achados de ressonância magnética. Mulher, natural de Ponta Grossa PR, branca , 54 anos , foi admitida no serviço em outubro de 2001 com quadro de amaurose bilateral cortical progressiva desde há 1 mês do internamento. Nunca viajou ao exterior e foi somente submetida a uma cirurgia de redução do estômago, para obesidade. História familial sem relato de casos semelhantes. Logo após o internamento a paciente desenvolveu quadro de disfasia mista, hemiparesia flácida direita, com movimentos coreoatetóticos e crises parciais motoras. Paciente evoluiu com quadro demencial progressivo; atualmente, acamada, torporosa, dependente de alimentação enteral, recebendo mepacrina, fenitoína e clorpromazina , estabilizando o quadro até final de maio de 2002. Exames laboratoriais negativos ou normais. Pesquisa de proteína 14-3-3 no líquor foi positiva; enolase-neurônio-específica no líquor foi normal. Estudo genético do gen PRNP não revelou mutação descrita anteriormente. EEG (23/10/2001 revelou intensa atividade irritativa hemisfério cerebral esquerdo. Estudo de ressonância magnética revelou áreas de hipersinal em T2 e FLAIR em regiões temporal esquerda e bioccipital; gânglios da base normal. Imagens de DWI mostraram hipersinal nas mesmas áreas.Outro EEG (15/03/2002 revelou padrão periódico de ondas trifásicas sugestivos de CJD. A paciente fez uso de mepacrina associado a clorpromazina com aparente estabilização do quadro, até seu óbito por complicações infecciosas pulmonares em abril de 2003.Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD is a presenile dementia characterized by rapidly progressive mental deterioration, myoclonic jerking, and other less common neurological signs. Few autoctonous cases have been described in Brazil. A 54-year

  12. Comparison of the clinical course of Japanese MM1-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease between subacute spongiform encephalopathy and panencephalopathic-type.

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    Iwasaki, Yasushi; Tatsumi, Shinsui; Mimuro, Maya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari

    2014-06-01

    Approximately half of Japanese sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases show panencephalopathic-type (PE-type) pathology, which is a rare subtype in North Americans and Europeans. Until now, the differences in the clinical course between subacute spongiform encephalopathy (SSE) cases and PE-type cases have been unclear. To investigate the clinical course of both subtypes, clinical findings from 42 Japanese MM1-type sCJD cases (20 SSE cases and 22 PE-type cases) were retrospectively evaluated by statistical analysis. No significant differences could be found regarding age at disease onset, the period between disease onset and first observation of myoclonus, the period between disease onset and the first observation of periodic sharp-wave complexes on electroencephalogram, or the period between disease onset and progression to the akinetic mutism state - whereas total disease duration and the period between the akinetic mutism state and death were significantly longer in PE-type cases. The prolonged disease duration was induced by the extended survival period in the akinetic mutism state. There was a statistically significant difference between the two series regarding performance of tube-feeding, but no statistically significant difference regarding performance of tracheotomy or gastrostomy. None of the cases received mechanical ventilation. We speculate that the most crucial factor of the prolonged survival period of Japanese sCJD cases, particularly in the PE-type, is that the introduction of tube-feeding in the akinetic mutism state leads to the stabilization of the patient's general condition. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

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    ... in the chromosome 20 gene coding the biological blueprint for prion protein. People who develop familial CJD ... other dementias, and help you find local support services. Call our 24/7 Helpline at 800.272. ...

  14. Forma de heidenhain da doença de creutzfeldt-jakob: relato de um caso

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    Luciano Ribeiro Pinto Junior

    1986-03-01

    Full Text Available Registro de um caso da doença de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, forma de Heidenhain, que se caracteriza por comprometimento visual importante. As manifestações iniciais consistiram de distúrbios visuais. A paciente evoluiu para franca demência, ao lado de manifestações pirâmido-extrapiramidais. Além dos dados clínicos o EEG mostrou atividade periódica característica da doença. O estudo anátomo-patológico confirmou o diagnóstico clínico mostrando alteração esponjosa, degeneração neuronal e astrogliose. Além do quadro clínico, eletrencefalográfico e anátomo-patológico são discutidos os aspectos etiopatogênicos da doença.

  15. Proteomics analyses for the global proteins in the brain tissues of different human prion diseases.

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    Shi, Qi; Chen, Li-Na; Zhang, Bao-Yun; Xiao, Kang; Zhou, Wei; Chen, Cao; Zhang, Xiao-Mei; Tian, Chan; Gao, Chen; Wang, Jing; Han, Jun; Dong, Xiao-Ping

    2015-04-01

    Proteomics changes of brain tissues have been described in different neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. However, the brain proteomics of human prion disease remains less understood. In the study, the proteomics patterns of cortex and cerebellum of brain tissues of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and G114V genetic CJD were analyzed with isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation combined with multidimensional liquid chromatography and MS analysis, with the brains from three normal individuals as controls. Global protein profiling, significant pathway, and functional categories were analyzed. In total, 2287 proteins were identified with quantitative information both in cortex and cerebellum regions. Cerebellum tissues appeared to contain more up- and down-regulated proteins (727 proteins) than cortex regions (312 proteins) of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and G114V genetic CJD. Viral myocarditis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, lysosome, oxidative phosphorylation, protein export, and drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 were the most commonly affected pathways of the three kinds of diseases. Almost coincident biological functions were identified in the brain tissues of the three diseases. In all, data here demonstrate that the brain tissues of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and G114V genetic CJD have obvious proteomics changes at their terminal stages, which show the similarities not only among human prion diseases but also with other neurodegeneration diseases. This is the first study to provide a reference proteome map for human prion diseases and will be helpful for future studies focused on potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and therapy of human prion diseases. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. Revisiting the Heidenhain Variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Evidence for Prion Type Variability Influencing Clinical Course and Laboratory Findings.

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    Baiardi, Simone; Capellari, Sabina; Ladogana, Anna; Strumia, Silvia; Santangelo, Mario; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Parchi, Piero

    2016-01-01

    The Heidenhain variant defines a peculiar clinical presentation of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) characterized by isolated visual disturbances at disease onset and reflecting the early targeting of prions to the occipital cortex. Molecular and histopathological typing, thus far performed in 23 cases, has linked the Heidenhain variant to the MM1 sCJD type. To contribute a comprehensive characterization of cases with the Heidenhain variant, we reviewed a series of 370 definite sCJD cases. Eighteen patients (4.9%) fulfilled the selection criteria. Fourteen of them belonging to sCJD types MM1 or MM1+2C had a short duration of isolated visual symptoms and overall clinical disease, a high prevalence of periodic sharp-wave complexes in EEG, and a marked increase of cerebrospinal fluid proteins t-tau and 14-3-3 levels. In contrast, three cases of the MM 2C or MM 2+1C types showed a longer duration of isolated visual symptoms and overall clinical disease, non-specific EEG findings, and cerebrospinal fluid concentration below threshold for the diagnosis of "probable" CJD of both 14-3-3 and t-tau. However, a brain DWI-MRI disclosed an occipital cortical hyperintensity in the majority of examined cases of both groups. While confirming the strong linkage with the methionine genotype at the polymorphic codon 129 of the prion protein gene, our results definitely establish that the Heidenhain variant can also be associated with the MM 2C sCJD type in addition to the more common MM1 type. Likewise, our results highlight the significant differences in clinical evolution and laboratory findings between cases according to the dominant PrPSc type (type 1 versus type 2).

  17. Detection and Localization of PrPSc in the Skeletal Muscle of Patients with Variant, Iatrogenic, and Sporadic Forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

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    Peden, Alexander H.; Ritchie, Diane L.; Head, Mark W.; Ironside, James W.

    2006-01-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) differs from other human prion diseases in that the pathogenic prion protein PrPSc can be detected to a greater extent at extraneuronal sites throughout the body, principally within lymphoid tissues. However, a recent study using a high-sensitivity Western blotting technique revealed low levels of PrPSc in skeletal muscle from a quarter of Swiss patients with sporadic CJD (sCJD). This posed the question of whether PrPSc in muscle could also be detected in vCJD, sCJD, and iatrogenic (iCJD) patients from other populations. Therefore, we have used the same high-sensitivity Western blotting technique, in combination with paraffin-embedded tissue blotting, to screen for PrPSc in muscle tissue specimens taken at autopsy from 49 CJD patients in the United Kingdom. These techniques identified muscle PrPSc in 8 of 17 vCJD, 7 of 26 sCJD, and 2 of 5 iCJD patients. Paraffin-embedded tissue blotting analysis showed PrPSc in skeletal muscle in localized anatomical structures that had the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of nerve fibers. The detection of PrPSc in muscle tissue from all forms of CJD indicates the possible presence of infectivity in these tissues, suggesting important implications for assessing the potential risk of iatrogenic spread via contaminated surgical instruments. PMID:16507908

  18. Accuracy of diagnosis criteria in patients with suspected diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and detection of 14-3-3 protein, France, 1992 to 2009.

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    Peckeu, Laurene; Delasnerie-Lauprètre, Nicole; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Salomon, Dominique; Sazdovitch, Véronique; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Duyckaerts, Charles; Seilhean, Danielle; Haïk, Stéphane; Hauw, Jean-Jacques

    2017-10-01

    Diagnostic criteria of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare and fatal transmissible nervous system disease with public health implications, are determined by clinical data, electroencephalogram (EEG), detection of 14-3-3 protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), brain magnetic resonance imaging and prion protein gene examination. The specificity of protein 14-3-3 has been questioned. We reviewed data from 1,572 autopsied patients collected over an 18-year period (1992-2009) and assessed whether and how 14-3-3 detection impacted the diagnosis of sporadic CJD in France, and whether this led to the misdiagnosis of treatable disorders. 14-3-3 detection was introduced into diagnostic criteria for CJD in 1998. Diagnostic accuracy decreased from 92% for the 1992-1997 period to 85% for the 1998-2009 period. This was associated with positive detections of 14-3-3 in cases with negative EEG and alternative diagnosis at autopsy. Potentially treatable diseases were found in 163 patients (10.5%). This study confirms the usefulness of the recent modification of diagnosis criteria by the addition of the results of CSF real-time quaking-induced conversion, a method based on prion seed-induced misfolding and aggregation of recombinant prion protein substrate that has proven to be a highly specific test for diagnosis of sporadic CJD.

  19. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome as a rare phenotype of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

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    Bielewicz, Joanna; Szczepańska-Szerej, Anna; Ogórek, Magdalena; Dropko, Piotr; Wojtal, Katarzyna; Rejdak, Konrad

    2018-03-04

    We reported the case of a patient with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKs) as an early clinical manifestation of sporadic Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (sCJD). The 66-year-old female complained of dizziness and imbalance which mostly occurred while walking. A neurological examination revealed a triad of symptoms characteristic for WKs such as gaze paresis, ataxia of limbs and trunk as well as memory disturbances with confabulations. The disturbances increased during the course of the disease, which led to the death of the patient four months after the appearance of the signs. The patient was finally diagnosed with sCJD disease. The most useful ancillary examination results supporting sCJD diagnosis were brain diffusion DWI MRI (diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging) and the presence of 14-3-3 protein in CSF (cerebrospinal fluid). Since that manifestation of sCJD is very unique other causes should be taken into consideration while making a final diagnosis.

  20. The first report of RPSA polymorphisms, also called 37/67 kDa LRP/LR gene, in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD

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    Jeong Byung-Hoon

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although polymorphisms of PRNP, the gene encoding prion protein, are known as a determinant affecting prion disease susceptibility, other genes also influence prion incubation time. This finding offers the opportunity to identify other genetic or environmental factor (s modulating susceptibility to prion disease. Ribosomal protein SA (RPSA, also called 37 kDa laminin receptor precursor (LRP/67 kDa laminin receptor (LR, acts as a receptor for laminin, viruses and prion proteins. The binding/internalization of prion protein is dependent for LRP/LR. Methods To identify other susceptibility genes involved in prion disease, we performed genetic analysis of RPSA. For this case-control study, we included 180 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD patients and 189 healthy Koreans. We investigated genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphism on RPSA by direct sequencing or restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP analysis. Results We observed four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, including -8T>C (rs1803893 in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR of exon 2, 134-32C>T (rs3772138 in the intron, 519G>A (rs2269350 in the intron and 793+58C>T (rs2723 in the intron on the RPSA. The 519G>A (at codon 173 is located in the direct PrP binding site. The genotypes and allele frequencies of the RPSA polymorphisms showed no significant differences between the controls and sporadic CJD patients. Conclusion These results suggest that these RPSA polymorphisms have no direct influence on the susceptibility to sporadic CJD. This was the first genetic association study of the polymorphisms of RPSA gene with sporadic CJD.

  1. Evolution of Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging Signal Abnormality in Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, With Histopathological Correlation.

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    Eisenmenger, Laura; Porter, Marie-Claire; Carswell, Christopher J; Thompson, Andrew; Mead, Simon; Rudge, Peter; Collinge, John; Brandner, Sebastian; Jäger, Hans R; Hyare, Harpreet

    2016-01-01

    Prion diseases represent the archetype of brain diseases caused by protein misfolding, with the most common subtype being sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a rapidly progressive dementia. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has emerged as the most sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence for the diagnosis of sCJD, but few studies have assessed the evolution of MRI signal as the disease progresses. To assess the natural history of the MRI signal abnormalities on DWI in sCJD to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis and to investigate the potential of DWI as a biomarker of disease progression, with histopathological correlation. Gray matter involvement on DWI was assessed among 37 patients with sCJD in 26 cortical and 5 subcortical subdivisions per hemisphere using a semiquantitative scoring system of 0 to 2 at baseline and follow-up. A total brain score was calculated as the summed scores in the individual regions. In 7 patients, serial mean diffusivity measurements were obtained. Age at baseline MRI, disease duration, atrophy, codon 129 methionine valine polymorphism, Medical Research Council Rating Scale score, and histopathological findings were documented. The study setting was the National Prion Clinic, London, England. All participants had a probable or definite diagnosis of sCJD and had at least 2 MRI studies performed during the course of their illness. The study dates were October 1, 2008 to April 1, 2012. The dates of our analysis were January 19 to April 20, 2012. Correlation of regional and total brain scores with disease duration. Among the 37 patients with sCJD in this study there was a significant increase in the number of regions demonstrating signal abnormality during the study period, with 59 of 62 regions showing increased signal intensity (SI) at follow-up, most substantially in the caudate and putamen (P disease duration (r = 0.47, P = .003 at baseline and r = 0.35, P = .03 at follow-up), and the left

  2. CSF concentrations of cAMP and cGMP are lower in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease but not Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

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    Patrick Oeckl

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The cyclic nucleotides cyclic adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP and cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP are important second messengers and are potential biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we investigated by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF concentrations of cAMP and cGMP of 82 patients and evaluated their diagnostic potency as biomarkers. For comparison with a well-accepted biomarker, we measured tau concentrations in CSF of CJD and control patients. CJD patients (n = 15 had lower cAMP (-70% and cGMP (-55% concentrations in CSF compared with controls (n = 11. There was no difference in PD, PD dementia (PDD and ALS cases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve analyses confirmed cAMP and cGMP as valuable diagnostic markers for CJD indicated by the area under the curve (AUC of 0.86 (cAMP and 0.85 (cGMP. We calculated a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 64% for cAMP and a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 100% for cGMP. The combination of both nucleotides increased the sensitivity to 80% and specificity to 91% for the term cAMPxcGMP (AUC 0.92 and to 93% and 100% for the ratio tau/cAMP (AUC 0.99. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that the CSF determination of cAMP and cGMP may easily be included in the diagnosis of CJD and could be helpful in monitoring disease progression as well as in therapy control.

  3. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease a case report, with special attention to the electroencephalogram in this disorder and to its possible relationships to kuru, scrapie and «mad cow disease»

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    A.H. Chapman

    1993-06-01

    Full Text Available A case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a 58-year-old Brazillian cattle rancher and businessman is presented. The EEG was normal, which is consistent with the fact that it was made during the first half of his illness; in a later stage suppression of normal rhythms by slow moderate voltage waves would be expected. The resemblances of kuru, scrapie and "mad cow disease» to C-J disease are discussed. In each of these 4 illnesses the patient or affected animal (scrapie and «mad cow disease" (a has a widespread spongiform encephalopathy and consequent dementia, myoclonic epilepsy and cerebellar and corticospinal symptoms, (b Each illness is caused by a virus (or virus-like organism called a PrP or prion which is unusually resistant to heat and entirely resistant to ultraviolet light and x-rays, (c This causative agent can be transmitted to other mammals by intracerebral injection or, in the proved cases of 3 of them, by the oral route. Unresolved questions about C-J disease include the following: Are C-J disease, kuru, scrapie and "mad cow disease" essentially similar illnesses caused by the same virus or by subtle variants of it? What is the incubation period of C-J disease, and does its virus exist for long periods of time in some asymptomatic persons, some of whom may never become neurologically ill? How does this virus enter the bodies of most persons with C-J disease, and why does the clinical disease characteristically occur only in middle age?

  4. Characterization of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Prions in Prion Protein-humanized Mice Carrying Distinct Codon 129 Genotypes*

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    Takeuchi, Atsuko; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Ironside, James W.; Mohri, Shirou; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki

    2013-01-01

    To date, all clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) patients are homozygous for methionine at polymorphic codon 129 (129M/M) of the prion protein (PrP) gene. However, the appearance of asymptomatic secondary vCJD infection in individuals with a PRNP codon 129 genotype other than M/M and transmission studies using animal models have raised the concern that all humans might be susceptible to vCJD prions, especially via secondary infection. To reevaluate this possibility and to analyze in detail the transmission properties of vCJD prions to transgenic animals carrying distinct codon 129 genotype, we performed intracerebral inoculation of vCJD prions to humanized knock-in mice carrying all possible codon 129 genotypes (129M/M, 129M/V, or 129V/V). All humanized knock-in mouse lines were susceptible to vCJD infection, although the attack rate gradually decreased from 129M/M to 129M/V and to 129V/V. The amount of PrP deposition including florid/amyloid plaques in the brain also gradually decreased from 129M/M to 129M/V and to 129V/V. The biochemical properties of protease-resistant abnormal PrP in the brain and transmissibility of these humanized mouse-passaged vCJD prions upon subpassage into knock-in mice expressing bovine PrP were not affected by the codon 129 genotype. These results indicate that individuals with the 129V/V genotype may be more susceptible to secondary vCJD infection than expected and may lack the neuropathological characteristics observed in vCJD patients with the 129M/M genotype. Besides the molecular typing of protease-resistant PrP in the brain, transmission studies using knock-in mice carrying bovine PrP may aid the differential diagnosis of secondary vCJD infection, especially in individuals with the 129V/V genotype. PMID:23792955

  5. Characterization of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions in prion protein-humanized mice carrying distinct codon 129 genotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeuchi, Atsuko; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Ironside, James W; Mohri, Shirou; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki

    2013-07-26

    To date, all clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) patients are homozygous for methionine at polymorphic codon 129 (129M/M) of the prion protein (PrP) gene. However, the appearance of asymptomatic secondary vCJD infection in individuals with a PRNP codon 129 genotype other than M/M and transmission studies using animal models have raised the concern that all humans might be susceptible to vCJD prions, especially via secondary infection. To reevaluate this possibility and to analyze in detail the transmission properties of vCJD prions to transgenic animals carrying distinct codon 129 genotype, we performed intracerebral inoculation of vCJD prions to humanized knock-in mice carrying all possible codon 129 genotypes (129M/M, 129M/V, or 129V/V). All humanized knock-in mouse lines were susceptible to vCJD infection, although the attack rate gradually decreased from 129M/M to 129M/V and to 129V/V. The amount of PrP deposition including florid/amyloid plaques in the brain also gradually decreased from 129M/M to 129M/V and to 129V/V. The biochemical properties of protease-resistant abnormal PrP in the brain and transmissibility of these humanized mouse-passaged vCJD prions upon subpassage into knock-in mice expressing bovine PrP were not affected by the codon 129 genotype. These results indicate that individuals with the 129V/V genotype may be more susceptible to secondary vCJD infection than expected and may lack the neuropathological characteristics observed in vCJD patients with the 129M/M genotype. Besides the molecular typing of protease-resistant PrP in the brain, transmission studies using knock-in mice carrying bovine PrP may aid the differential diagnosis of secondary vCJD infection, especially in individuals with the 129V/V genotype.

  6. [A case of MM1+2 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with a longitudinal study of EEG and MRI].

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    Katsube, Mizuho; Shiota, Yuri; Harada, Takayuki; Shibata, Hiroshi; Nagai, Atsushi

    2013-11-01

    We report a case of definite MM1 + 2 sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). A 66-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with memory disturbance and disorientation for three months. On admission she presented a progressive cognitive insufficiency. Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed a frontal intermittent rhythmical delta activity (FIRDA) and the brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed high signal intensities in cerebral cortex on diffusion weighted images (DWI). After four months from the onset, she reached the akinetic mutism state followed by myoclonus. Follow up examination revealed that periodic synchronous discharge (PSD) was found in EEG, and DWI revealed enlargement of high signal intensity lesions in cerebral cortex. At seven months from the onset, PSD and high signal intensities of cortex became unclear with disappearance of myoclonus, and brain white matter lesions were evident on MRI. Serial studies of EEG and MRI revealed that PSD generalized from frontal lobe dominant pattern, while high signal intensity lesions of cortex diffusely increased on DWI. At ten months from the onset patient died. Pathological examination in brain showed moderate and diffuse neuronal cell loss and gliosis in cerebral cortex corresponding with DWI changes. The genotype at codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) was homozygous methionine (MM) and the type of protease-resistant PrP (PrPres) was the mixed type of 1 and 2 in Western blot analysis. It has been rare to analyze the changes of EEG and MRI in the entire stage and to investigate pathological finding in the case of sCJD-MM1 + 2. A longitudinal examination of EEG and MRI is useful for early diagnosis of CJD. Also we could correlate these findings with clinical and histopathological phenotype.

  7. Diversidad sindromatica de la enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob: correlato neurofisiologico e histopatologico

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    Sergio Ferrer D

    1982-03-01

    Full Text Available Se estudian dos casos de enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob comprobados por examen necrópsico. Uno de ellos presentaba típicas descargas hipersincrónicas, periódicas en el electroencefalograma; el otro caso no mostraba estas descargas epileptiformes y evolucionó con una lentitud difusa progresiva. La espongiosis, gliosis y pérdida neuronal fué intensa en la corteza del caso con espigas y muy moderada en el caso sin espigas. El compromiso subcortical era similar en ambos casos. Se postula que la diferente expresión topográfica de su histopatología explicaria tambien la diferencia en el comportamiento de los potenciales evocados somatosensoriales y el diferente modelo electroencefalográfico del sueno penthotálico. La independencia de las descargas epileptiformes en cada hemisferio se prueba con el test de Wada. Se discute el origen de las espigas y su periodicidad. Se postula teóricamente que el predominio de las lesiones de las capas II a IV privaria a las células piramidales remanentes, de influencias inhibitorias, lo que explicaria la génesis de las espigas.

  8. A Test for Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease Using Nasal Brushings

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    Orrú, Christina D.; Bongianni, Matilde; Tonoli, Giovanni; Ferrari, Sergio; Hughson, Andrew G.; Groveman, Bradley R.; Fiorini, Michele; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Monaco, Salvatore; Caughey, Byron; Zanusso, Gianluigi

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Definite diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in living patients remains a challenge. A test that detects the specific marker for Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, the prion protein (PrPCJD), by means of real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) testing of cerebrospinal fluid has a sensitivity of 80 to 90% for the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. We have assessed the accuracy of RT-QuIC analysis of nasal brushings from olfactory epithelium in diagnosing sporadic Creutzfeldt– Jakob disease in living patients. METHODS We collected olfactory epithelium brushings and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with and patients without sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and tested them using RT-QuIC, an ultrasensitive, multiwell plate–based fluorescence assay involving PrPCJD-seeded polymerization of recombinant PrP into amyloid fibrils. RESULTS The RT-QuIC assays seeded with nasal brushings were positive in 30 of 31 patients with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (15 of 15 with definite sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, 13 of 14 with probable sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, and 2 of 2 with inherited Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease) but were negative in 43 of 43 patients without Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, indicating a sensitivity of 97% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82 to 100) and specificity of 100% (95% CI, 90 to 100) for the detection of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. By comparison, testing of cerebrospinal fluid samples from the same group of patients had a sensitivity of 77% (95% CI, 57 to 89) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI, 90 to 100). Nasal brushings elicited stronger and faster RT-QuIC responses than cerebrospinal fluid (PCreutzfeldt–Jakob disease and indicated substantial prion seeding activity lining the nasal vault. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others.) PMID:25099576

  9. EEG?EMG polygraphic study of dystonia and myoclonus in a case of Creutzfeldt?Jakob disease ?

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    Hashimoto, Takao; Iwahashi, Teruaki; Ishii, Wataru; Yamamoto, Kanji; Ikeda, Shu-ichi

    2015-01-01

    We report on a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) who showed dystonia, periodic myoclonus, and periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWCs) on EEG. The EEG–EMG polygraphic study revealed that dystonia appeared without relation to periodic myoclonus and PSWCs and that dystonia EMGs were strongly suppressed after periodic myoclonus EMGs. These findings suggest that dystonia has a pathogenesis different from that of periodic myoclonus and PSWCs, but dystonia and periodic myoclonus ma...

  10. Late-in-life surgery associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a methodological outline for evidence-based guidance

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background There is increasing epidemiological evidence of etiological links between general surgery and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) with long incubation periods. The purpose of this study was to identify specific surgical procedures potentially associated with sCJD to be targeted for preventive presurgical-intervention guidance. Results We propose a three-step clinical guidance outline where surgical procedures associated with sCJD clinical onset – potentially more contaminant - are taken into account. Data on hospital discharges and surgical procedures were obtained from Danish and Swedish national in-patient hospital registries for 167 sCJD cases, onset 1987–2003, and for 835 matched and 2,224 unmatched population controls. Surgery was allocated to different life-time periods as previously reported, and frequencies were compared using logistic regression analysis. In the year preceding clinical onset, persons with sCJD underwent a statistically significant higher number of minor surgical interventions (OR (95% CI): 17.50 (3.64-84.24)), transluminal endoscopies (OR: 2.73 (1.01–7.37)) and gastrointestinal operations (OR: 3.51 (1.21–10.19)) compared to matched controls. Surgical discharges clustered towards clinical onset. These differences increased during the clinical period, with statistically significant higher frequencies for both endoscopies and minor surgery (OR: 13.91 (5.87-32.95), and for main surgical procedures (OR: 2.10 (1.00-4.39)), particularly gastrointestinal surgery (OR: 6.00 (1.83-19.66)), and surgery contacting skeletal muscle. Comparisons with unmatched controls yielded similar results for neurosurgery in the clinical period (OR: 19.40 (2.22-168.34)). Conclusions These results suggest that some types of surgical procedures are associated with sCJD, after clinical onset or particularly just before onset. Selective planning of such surgery to minimize instrument/device contamination or quarantining might be feasible

  11. PrP mRNA and protein expression in brain and PrP(c) in CSF in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease MM1 and VV2.

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    Llorens, Franc; Ansoleaga, Belén; Garcia-Esparcia, Paula; Zafar, Saima; Grau-Rivera, Oriol; López-González, Irene; Blanco, Rosi; Carmona, Margarita; Yagüe, Jordi; Nos, Carlos; Del Río, José Antonio; Gelpí, Ellen; Zerr, Inga; Ferrer, Isidre

    2013-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a heterogenic neurodegenerative disorder associated with abnormal post-translational processing of cellular prion protein (PrP(c)). CJD displays distinctive clinical and pathological features which correlate with the genotype at the codon 129 (methionine or valine: M or V respectively) in the prion protein gene and with size of the protease-resistant core of the abnormal prion protein PrP(sc) (type 1: 20/21 kDa and type 2: 19 kDa). MM1 and VV2 are the most common sporadic CJD (sCJD) subtypes. PrP mRNA expression levels in the frontal cortex and cerebellum are reduced in sCJD in a form subtype-dependent. Total PrP protein levels and PrP(sc) levels in the frontal cortex and cerebellum accumulate differentially in sCJD MM1 and sCJD VV2 with no relation between PrP(sc) deposition and spongiform degeneration and neuron loss, but with microgliosis, and IL6 and TNF-α response. In the CSF, reduced PrP(c), the only form present in this compartment, occurs in sCJD MM1 and VV2. PrP mRNA expression is also reduced in the frontal cortex in advanced stages of Alzheimer disease, Lewy body disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and frontotemporal lobe degeneration, but PrP(c) levels in brain varies from one disease to another. Reduced PrP(c) levels in CSF correlate with PrP mRNA expression in brain, which in turn reflects severity of degeneration in sCJD.

  12. Relation between clinical findings and progression of cerebral cortical pathology in MM1-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: proposed staging of cerebral cortical pathology.

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    Iwasaki, Yasushi; Tatsumi, Shinsui; Mimuro, Maya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Hashizume, Yoshio; Yoshida, Mari

    2014-06-15

    In our pathologic observation of the cerebral cortex including the neocortex, hippocampus, and limbic cortex in 43 Japanese patients with MM1-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the earliest pathologic finding was spongiform change and next was gliosis. Subsequently, neuropil rarefaction appeared, followed by neuron loss. On the basis of these observations, we propose the following cortical pathologic staging: Stage I, spongiform change; Stage II, hypertrophic astrocytosis; Stage III, neuropil rarefaction; Stage IV, neuron loss; Stage V, status spongiosus; and Stage VI, large cavity formation. We also suggest a more simple staging classification: Stages I and II, mild; Stages III and IV, moderate; and Stages V and VI, severe involvement. Based on statistical analysis of the cases, strong correlation coefficients were obtained between the neocortical and limbic pathologic stage and both total disease duration and brain weight. We estimated that the first observation times of cortical hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted images of magnetic resonance imaging, myoclonus, and periodic sharp wave complexes on the electroencephalogram approximately correspond to the early phase of Stage II of the neocortex. The time to reach the akinetic mutism state approximately corresponds to the middle phase of Stage II of the neocortex. Therefore, we think that approximate clinical manifestations at death, total disease duration, and brain weight can be estimated according to the pathologic stage of the neocortex or limbic cortex. Panencephalopathic-type pathology appeared approximately 12 months after disease onset, and this time approximately corresponds to the middle phase of Stage III of the neocortex. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Enfermedad de creutzfeldt-jakob en el Perú: reporte de once casos

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    Luis Torres-Ramírez

    Full Text Available La enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (ECJ es una enfermedad neurológica fatal producida por la isoforma patológica de la proteína priónica humana. Se reporta las características clínicas de seis casos de la forma esporádica de ECJ con diagnóstico definitivo por histopatología, y cinco casos con diagnóstico probable, en pacientes atendidos en el Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas del Perú. La edad de inicio en los casos definitivos fue de 55,8 años y, en los probables, de 59,6 años, con predominio del sexo masculino. El tiempo de enfermedad fue de 8,8 meses. Se encontró un EEG típico en 50% de los casos definitivos y 80% de los probables. La proteína 14-3-3 en líquido cefalorraquídeo fue positiva en un caso probable y los hallazgos típicos en resonancia magnética se observaron en dos casos probables. Todos los casos cursaron con una evolución clínica típica de la enfermedad, y se considera el primer reporte de ECJ en el Perú

  14. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (image)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... called a prion. Loss of brain function resembles Alzheimer's disease, but is very rapid in progression. Complete dementia usually occurs by the sixth month, death follows quickly. There is no known cure.

  15. CSF Tau proteins reduce misdiagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease suspected cases with inconclusive 14-3-3 result.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leitão, M J; Baldeiras, I; Almeida, M R; Ribeiro, M H; Santos, A C; Ribeiro, M; Tomás, J; Rocha, S; Santana, I; Oliveira, C R

    2016-09-01

    Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein supports sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob (sCJD) diagnosis, but often leads to weak-positive results and lacks standardization. In this study, we explored the added diagnostic value of Total Tau (t-Tau) and phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) in sCJD diagnosis, particularly in the cases with inconclusive 14-3-3 result. 95 definite sCJD and 287 patients without prion disease (non-CJD) were included in this study. CSF samples were collected in routine clinical diagnosis and analysed for 14-3-3 detection by Western blot (WB). CSF t-Tau and p-Tau were quantified by commercial ELISA kits and PRNP and APOE genotyping assessed by PCR-RFLP. In a regression analysis of the whole cohort, 14-3-3 protein revealed an overall accuracy of 82 % (sensitivity = 96.7 %; specificity = 75.6 %) for sCJD. Regarding 14-3-3 clear positive results, we observed no added value either of t-Tau alone or p-Tau/t-Tau ratio in the model. On the other hand, considering 14-3-3 weak-positive cases, t-Tau protein increased the overall accuracy of 14-3-3 alone from 91 to 94 % and specificity from 74 to 93 % (p < 0.05), with no sensitivity improvement. However, inclusion of p-Tau/t-Tau ratio did not significantly improve the first model (p = 0.0595). Globally, t-Tau protein allowed a further discrimination of 65 % within 14-3-3 inconclusive results. Furthermore, PRNP MV genotype showed a trend to decrease 14-3-3 sensitivity (p = 0.051), but such effect was not seen on t-Tau protein. In light of these results, we suggest that t-Tau protein assay is of significant importance as a second marker in identifying 14-3-3 false-positive results among sCJD probable cases.

  16. The reporting of theoretical health risks by the media: Canadian newspaper reporting of potential blood transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

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    Ahmad Nadya

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The media play an important role at the interface of science and policy by communicating scientific information to the public and policy makers. In issues of theoretical risk, in which there is scientific uncertainty, the media's role as disseminators of information is particularly important due to the potential to influence public perception of the severity of the risk. In this article we describe how the Canadian print media reported the theoretical risk of blood transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. Methods We searched 3 newspaper databases for articles published by 6 major Canadian daily newspapers between January 1990 and December 1999. We identified all articles relating to blood transmission of CJD. In duplicate we extracted information from the articles and entered the information into a qualitative software program. We compared the observations obtained from this content analysis with information obtained from a previous policy analysis examining the Canadian blood system's decision-making concerning the potential transfusion transmission of CJD. Results Our search identified 245 relevant articles. We observed that newspapers in one instance accelerated a policy decision, which had important resource and health implication, by communicating information on risk to the public. We also observed that newspapers primarily relied upon expert opinion (47 articles as opposed to published medical evidence (28 articles when communicating risk information. Journalists we interviewed described the challenges of balancing their responsibility to raise awareness of potential health threats with not unnecessarily arousing fear amongst the public. Conclusions Based on our findings we recommend that journalists report information from both expert opinion sources and from published studies when communicating information on risk. We also recommend researchers work more closely with journalists to assist them in identifying

  17. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease as a Cause of Cognitive Decline and Seizures in the Elderly: Diagnostic Pointers and Strategy for Investigation

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    R. Williams

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Cognitive decline affects one in twenty people over the age of 65. There is often a paucity of clues as to the underlying pathology, and while the diagnosis will usually prove to be either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia, there may be clinical features suggesting rarer alternatives. This case of a 71-year-old lady with a 3-month history of progressive cognitive decline illustrates clinical features suggestive of Creutzfeltd-Jakob disease such as rapid decline in conscious level and myoclonic jerking. Diagnosis was confirmed by 3 means: (1 Electroencephalogram demonstrating periodic sharp wave complexes, (2 MRI brain showing cortical ribboning and high signal in the caudate nucleus, and (3 presence of protein S100 and protein14-3-3 in the cerebrospinal fluid. Postmortem brain histology confirmed a typical spongiform encephalopathy. Establishing an underlying aetiology is dementia is important not only for prognostic reasons but in order to detect potentially reversible causes. In cases of an atypical dementing illness our proposed investigations may assist in confirming or excluding underlying Creutzfeltd-Jakob disease.

  18. Is brain copper deficiency in Alzheimer's, Lewy body, and Creutzfeldt Jakob diseases the common key for a free radical mechanism and oxidative stress-induced damage?

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    Deloncle, Roger; Guillard, Olivier

    2015-01-01

    In Alzheimer's (AD), Lewy body (LBD), and Creutzfeldt Jakob (CJD) diseases, similar pathological hallmarks have been described, one of which is brain deposition of abnormal protease-resistant proteins. For these pathologies, copper bound to proteins is able to protect against free radicals by reduction from cupric Cu++ to cupreous Cu+. We have previously demonstrated in bovine brain homogenate that free radicals produce proteinase K-resistant prion after manganese is substituted for copper. Since low brain copper levels have been described in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, in substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease, and in various brain regions in AD, LBD, and CJD, a mechanism has been proposed that may underlie the neurodegenerative processes that occur when copper protection against free radicals is impaired. In peptide sequences, the alpha acid proton near the peptide bond is highly mobile and can be pulled out by free radicals. It will produce a trivalent α-carbon radical and induce a free radical chain process that will generate a D-amino acid configuration in the peptide sequence. Since only L-amino acids are physiologically present in mammalian (human) proteins, it may be supposed that only physiological L-peptides can be recycled by physiological enzymes such as proteases. If a D-amino acid is found in the peptide sequence subsequent to deficient copper protection against free radicals, it will not be recognized and might alter the proteasome L-amino acid recycling from brain peptides. In the brain, there will result an accumulation of abnormal protease-resistant proteins such as those observed in AD, LBD, and CJD.

  19. Emergence of two prion subtypes in ovine PrP transgenic mice infected with human MM2-cortical Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapuis, Jérôme; Moudjou, Mohammed; Reine, Fabienne; Herzog, Laetitia; Jaumain, Emilie; Chapuis, Céline; Quadrio, Isabelle; Boulliat, Jacques; Perret-Liaudet, Armand; Dron, Michel; Laude, Hubert; Rezaei, Human; Béringue, Vincent

    2016-02-05

    Mammalian prions are proteinaceous pathogens responsible for a broad range of fatal neurodegenerative diseases in humans and animals. These diseases can occur spontaneously, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, or be acquired or inherited. Prions are primarily formed of macromolecular assemblies of the disease-associated prion protein PrP(Sc), a misfolded isoform of the host-encoded prion protein PrP(C). Within defined host-species, prions can exist as conformational variants or strains. Based on both the M/V polymorphism at codon 129 of PrP and the electrophoretic signature of PrP(Sc) in the brain, sporadic CJD is classified in different subtypes, which may encode different strains. A transmission barrier, the mechanism of which remains unknown, limits prion cross-species propagation. To adapt to the new host, prions have the capacity to 'mutate' conformationally, leading to the emergence of a variant with new biological properties. Here, we transmitted experimentally one rare subtype of human CJD, designated cortical MM2 (129 MM with type 2 PrP(Sc)), to transgenic mice overexpressing either human or the VRQ allele of ovine PrP(C). In marked contrast with the reported absence of transmission to knock-in mice expressing physiological levels of human PrP, this subtype transmitted faithfully to mice overexpressing human PrP, and exhibited unique strain features. Onto the ovine PrP sequence, the cortical MM2 subtype abruptly evolved on second passage, thereby allowing emergence of a pair of strain variants with distinct PrP(Sc) biochemical characteristics and differing tropism for the central and lymphoid tissues. These two strain components exhibited remarkably distinct replicative properties in cell-free amplification assay, allowing the 'physical' cloning of the minor, lymphotropic component, and subsequent isolation in ovine PrP mice and RK13 cells. Here, we provide in-depth assessment of the transmissibility and evolution of one rare subtype of

  20. An autopsied case of MV2K + C-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting with widespread cerebral cortical involvement and Kuru plaques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwasaki, Yasushi; Saito, Yufuko; Aiba, Ikuko; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Mimuro, Maya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari

    2017-06-01

    MV2-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), which was previously called "Kuru-plaque variant", was gradually revealed to have a wide spectrum and has been classified into three pathological subtypes: MV2K, MV2C and MV2K + C. We herein describe the detailed clinical findings and neuropathologic observations from an autopsied MV2K + C-type Japanese sCJD case with widespread cerebral cortical pathology and Kuru plaques. In the early stages of the disease, the patient exhibited gait disturbance with ataxia and dysarthria as well as gradual appearance of cognitive dysfunction. Diffusion-weighted images (DWI) on MRI revealed extensive cerebral cortical hyperintensity. Pathologic investigation revealed extensive spongiform change in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the deeper layers. Vacuole size varied, and some were confluent. Prion protein (PrP) immunostaining revealed extensive PrP deposition in the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, brainstem and spinal cord. In the cerebral cortex, synaptic-type, Kuru plaque-like, and coarse plaque-type PrP depositions were mainly observed, along with some perivacuolar-type PrP depositions. Kuru plaques and coarse plaque-type PrP depositions also were observed in the cerebellar cortex. PrP gene analysis revealed no mutations, and polymorphic codon 129 exhibited Met/Val heterozygosity. Western blot analysis revealed a mixture of intermediate-type PrP Sc and type 2 PrP Sc . Based on previous reports regarding MV2-type sCJD and the clinicopathologic findings of the present case, we speculated that it may be possible to clinically distinguish each MV2 subtype. Clinical presentation of the MV2K + C subtype includes predominant cerebral cortical involvement signs with ataxia and DWI hyperintensity of the cerebral cortex on MRI. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  1. Geographic exposure risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in US blood donors: a risk-ranking model to evaluate alternative donor-deferral policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hong; Huang, Yin; Gregori, Luisa; Asher, David M; Bui, Travis; Forshee, Richard A; Anderson, Steven A

    2017-04-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has been transmitted by blood transfusion (TTvCJD). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends deferring blood donors who resided in or traveled to 30 European countries where they may have been exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) through beef consumption. Those recommendations warrant re-evaluation, because new cases of BSE and vCJD have markedly abated. The FDA developed a risk-ranking model to calculate the geographic vCJD risk using country-specific case rates and person-years of exposure of US blood donors. We used the reported country vCJD case rates, when available, or imputed vCJD case rates from reported BSE and UK beef exports during the risk period. We estimated the risk reduction and donor loss should the deferral be restricted to a few high-risk countries. We also estimated additional risk reduction by leukocyte reduction (LR) of red blood cells (RBCs). The United Kingdom, Ireland, and France had the greatest vCJD risk, contributing approximately 95% of the total risk. The model estimated that deferring US donors who spent extended periods of time in these three countries, combined with currently voluntary LR (95% of RBC units), would reduce the vCJD risk by 89.3%, a reduction similar to that achieved under the current policy (89.8%). Limiting deferrals to exposure in these three countries would potentially allow donations from an additional 100,000 donors who are currently deferred. Our analysis suggests that a deferral option focusing on the three highest risk countries would achieve a level of blood safety similar to that achieved by the current policy. © 2016 AABB.

  2. Infectious prion diseases in humans: cannibalism, iatrogenicity and zoonoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haïk, Stéphane; Brandel, Jean-Philippe

    2014-08-01

    In contrast with other neurodegenerative disorders associated to protein misfolding, human prion diseases include infectious forms (also called transmitted forms) such as kuru, iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The transmissible agent is thought to be solely composed of the abnormal isoform (PrP(Sc)) of the host-encoded prion protein that accumulated in the central nervous system of affected individuals. Compared to its normal counterpart, PrP(Sc) is β-sheet enriched and aggregated and its propagation is based on an autocatalytic conversion process. Increasing evidence supports the view that conformational variations of PrP(Sc) encoded the biological properties of the various prion strains that have been isolated by transmission studies in experimental models. Infectious forms of human prion diseases played a pivotal role in the emergence of the prion concept and in the characterization of the very unconventional properties of prions. They provide a unique model to understand how prion strains are selected and propagate in humans. Here, we review and discuss how genetic factors interplay with strain properties and route of transmission to influence disease susceptibility, incubation period and phenotypic expression in the light of the kuru epidemics due to ritual endocannibalism, the various series iatrogenic diseases secondary to extractive growth hormone treatment or dura mater graft and the epidemics of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease linked to dietary exposure to the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Genetic Characterization of Movement Disorders and Dementias

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-27

    Ataxia; Dystonia; Parkinson's Disease; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; Corticobasal Degeneration; Multiple System Atrophy; Alzheimer's Disease; Lewy Body Dementia; Parkinson Disease-Dementia; Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian Atrophy; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Fatal Familial Insomnia; Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome; Krabbe's Disease; Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C; Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

  4. Use of 14-3-3 and other brain-specific proteins in CSF in the diagnosis of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, A; Thompson, E; Stewart, G; Zeidler, M; McKenzie, J; MacLeod, M; Ironside, J; Will, R; Knight, R

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVES—The detection of the protein 14-3-3 in the CSF has been shown to be a reliable and sensitive marker for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Other brain-specific proteins such as neuron specific enolase (NSE), S-100b, and tau protein have also been reported to be increased in the CSF of patients with sporadic CJD. In 1996a variant of CJD (vCJD) was described which is likely to be causally linked to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. This study reports and compares the findings of CSF brain specific protein analysis in 45 patients with vCJD and in 34 control patients.
METHODS—The CSF from 45 patients with vCJD and 34 controls were investigated for the presence of 14-3-3 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blotting with chemiluminescent detection. Tau protein, S-100b, and NSE concentrations in CSF were measured using enzyme immunoassays.
RESULTS—Protein 14-3-3 was detected in the CSF of 22/45 patients with vCJD and in 3/34 controls. The mean concentrations of NSE, S-100b, and tau protein in CSF were significantly raised in patients with vCJD compared with controls. The positive predictive value of CSF 14-3-3 was 86% and the negative predictive value was 63%. These values are lower than those reported for sporadic CJD. An increased CSF tau had a positive predictive value of 93% and a negative predictive value of 81%. The combination of CSF 14-3-3 and/or increased CSF tau had a positive predictive value of 91% and a negative predictive value of 84%.
CONCLUSIONS—CSF protein 14-3-3 is not as useful a marker for vCJD as it is for sporadic CJD. Increased concentration of CSF tau was found to be a sensitive marker of vCJD but as concentrations may be increased in many forms of non-CJD dementia, this may limit its usefulness as a diagnostic test.

 PMID:11385008

  5. Rapid and Highly Sensitive Detection of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Abnormal Prion Protein on Steel Surfaces by Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification: Application to Prion Decontamination Studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maxime Belondrade

    Full Text Available The prevalence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD in the population remains uncertain, although it has been estimated that 1 in 2000 people in the United Kingdom are positive for abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE by a recent survey of archived appendix tissues. The prominent lymphotropism of vCJD prions raises the possibility that some surgical procedures may be at risk of iatrogenic vCJD transmission in healthcare facilities. It is therefore vital that decontamination procedures applied to medical devices before their reprocessing are thoroughly validated. A current limitation is the lack of a rapid model permissive to human prions. Here, we developed a prion detection assay based on protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA technology combined with stainless-steel wire surfaces as carriers of prions (Surf-PMCA. This assay allowed the specific detection of minute quantities (10-8 brain dilution of either human vCJD or ovine scrapie PrPTSE adsorbed onto a single steel wire, within a two week timeframe. Using Surf-PMCA we evaluated the performance of several reference and commercially available prion-specific decontamination procedures. Surprisingly, we found the efficiency of several marketed reagents to remove human vCJD PrPTSE was lower than expected. Overall, our results demonstrate that Surf-PMCA can be used as a rapid and ultrasensitive assay for the detection of human vCJD PrPTSE adsorbed onto a metallic surface, therefore facilitating the development and validation of decontamination procedures against human prions.

  6. Human prion diseases in The Netherlands : clinico-pathological, genetic and molecular aspects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, C.

    2011-01-01

    Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), are invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorders that can be sporadic, inherited or acquired by infection. In humans, TSEs comprise three major groups showing a wide phenotypic heterogeneity: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD),

  7. Prions in the Urine of Patients with Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moda, Fabio; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Notari, Silvio; Concha-Marambio, Luis; Catania, Marcella; Park, Kyung-Won; Maderna, Emanuela; Suardi, Silvia; Haïk, Stéphane; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Ironside, James; Knight, Richard; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Soto, Claudio

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND Prions, the infectious agents responsible for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, consist mainly of the misfolded prion protein (PrPSc). The unique mechanism of transmission and the appearance of a variant form of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, which has been linked to consumption of prion-contaminated cattle meat, have raised concerns about public health. Evidence suggests that variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease prions circulate in body fluids from people in whom the disease is silently incubating. METHODS To investigate whether PrPSc can be detected in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, we used the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technique to amplify minute quantities of PrPSc, enabling highly sensitive detection of the protein. We analyzed urine samples from several patients with various transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (variant and sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and genetic forms of prion disease), patients with other degenerative or nondegenerative neurologic disorders, and healthy persons. RESULTS PrPSc was detectable only in the urine of patients with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and had the typical electrophoretic profile associated with this disease. PrPSc was detected in 13 of 14 urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and in none of the 224 urine samples obtained from patients with other neurologic diseases and from healthy controls, resulting in an estimated sensitivity of 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66.1 to 99.8) and a specificity of 100.0% (95% CI, 98.4 to 100.0). The PrPSc concentration in urine calculated by means of quantitative PMCA was estimated at 1×10−16 g per milliliter, or 3×10−21 mol per milliliter, which extrapolates to approximately 40 to 100 oligomeric particles of PrPSc per milliliter of urine. CONCLUSIONS Urine samples obtained from patients with variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease contained minute

  8. CT and MRI findings of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the early stage. The usefulness of diffusion-weighted images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ukisu, Ryutaro; Kushihashi, Tamio; Gokan, Takehiko

    2001-01-01

    To detect subtle CT and MRI features of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) in the early stage is important to prevent a human-to-human transmission. This study included 10 patients of CJD who underwent CT and/or MRI in its early stage. CT, T1- and T2-weighted MRI, DWI, and FLAIR images were obtained in 10, 6, 4, and 2 patients respectively. On DWI, abnormal hyperintensities were observed in both cerebral cortex, and in basal ganglia in all patients. On FLAIR images, abnormal hyperintensies were observed in one patient. Detection of abnormal intensities may be possible in the early stage of CJD using MRI, particularly with DWI. (author)

  9. CT and MRI findings of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the early stage. The usefulness of diffusion-weighted images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ukisu, Ryutaro; Kushihashi, Tamio; Gokan, Takehiko [Showa Univ., Tokyo (Japan). School of Medicine] [and others

    2001-02-01

    To detect subtle CT and MRI features of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD) in the early stage is important to prevent a human-to-human transmission. This study included 10 patients of CJD who underwent CT and/or MRI in its early stage. CT, T1- and T2-weighted MRI, DWI, and FLAIR images were obtained in 10, 6, 4, and 2 patients respectively. On DWI, abnormal hyperintensities were observed in both cerebral cortex, and in basal ganglia in all patients. On FLAIR images, abnormal hyperintensies were observed in one patient. Detection of abnormal intensities may be possible in the early stage of CJD using MRI, particularly with DWI. (author)

  10. Prions in Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy: An Update

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zou, W.Q.; Gambetti, P.; Xiao, X.; Yuan, J.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Pirisinu, L.

    2013-01-01

    Human prion diseases, including sporadic, familial, and acquired forms such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), are caused by prions in which an abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) derived from its normal cellular isoform (PrPC) is the only known component. The recently-identified variably

  11. [Anesthetic management of a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease undergoing tracheal separation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanzaki, Rieko; Hamada, Hiroshi; Fukuda, Hideki; Kawamoto, Masashi

    2012-10-01

    We gave anesthesia for tracheal separation in a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The patient, a 33-year-old woman, was bedridden and unable to communicate, and was going to undergo a tracheal separation procedure for repeated bouts of aspiration pneumonia. After a tracheostomy with local anesthesia and sedation with propofol, general anesthesia was induced and maintained with propofol (1.5-3.0 microg x ml(-1), target controlled infusion) and remifentanil (0.05-0.15 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1)). We did not use an anesthetic apparatus from the standpoint of infection control, and provided manual ventilation with a disposable Jackson-Rees circuit. During the operation, an entropy monitor indicated alternating extremely low (0-10) and high (90-100) values without circulatory change, probably due to a previously existing electroencephalographic abnormality. The surgery was uneventful, and spontaneous breathing and eyelid opening occurred about 10 minutes after discontinuation of remifentanil and propofol. In such infected patients, abnormal prion proteins can exist outside of the central nervous system throughout the period of anesthetic management. Therefore, careful infection control must be undertaken, even if the surgical site is not directly related to the central nervous system.

  12. Atypical Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with PrP-amyloid plaques in white matter: molecular characterization and transmission to bank voles show the M1 strain signature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Marcello; Saverioni, Daniela; Di Bari, Michele; Baiardi, Simone; Lemstra, Afina Willemina; Pirisinu, Laura; Capellari, Sabina; Rozemuller, Annemieke; Nonno, Romolo; Parchi, Piero

    2017-11-23

    Amyloid plaques formed by abnormal prion protein (PrP Sc ) aggregates occur with low frequency in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but represent a pathological hallmark of three relatively rare disease histotypes, namely variant CJD, sporadic CJDMV2K (methionine/valine at PRNP codon 129, PrP Sc type 2 and kuru-type amyloid plaques) and iatrogenic CJDMMiK (MM at codon 129, PrP Sc of intermediate type and kuru plaques). According to recent studies, however, PrP-amyloid plaques involving the subcortical and deep nuclei white matter may also rarely occur in CJDMM1 (MM at codon 129 and PrP Sc type 1), the most common CJD histotype.To further characterize the phenotype of atypical CJDMM1 with white matter plaques (p-CJDMM1) and unravel the basis of amyloid plaque formation in such cases, we compared clinical and histopathological features and PrP Sc physico-chemical properties between 5 p-CJDMM1 and 8 typical CJDMM1 brains lacking plaques. Furthermore, transmission properties after bioassay in two genetic lines of bank voles were also explored in the two groups.All 5 p-CJDMM1 cases had a disease duration longer than one year. Three cases were classified as sporadic CJDMM1, one as sporadic CJDMM1 + 2C and one as genetic CJDE200K-MM1. Molecular mass, protease sensitivity and thermo-solubilization of PrP Sc aggregates did not differ between p-CJDMM1 and classical CJDMM1 cases. Likewise, transmission properties such as incubation time, lesion profile and PrP Sc properties in bank voles also matched in the two groups.The present data further define the clinical-pathologic phenotype of p-CJDMM1, definitely establish it as a distinctive CJD histotype and demonstrate that PrP-plaque formation in this histotype is not a strain-specific feature. Since cases lacking amyloid plaques may also manifest a prolonged (i.e. > than one year) disease course, unidentified, host-specific factors likely play a significant role, in addition to disease duration, in generating white matter Pr

  13. Diagnostic Accuracy of a Combined Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid t-PrP, t-tau, p-tau, and Aβ42 in the Differential Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from Alzheimer's Disease with Emphasis on Atypical Disease Variants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu Rumeileh, Samir; Lattanzio, Francesca; Stanzani Maserati, Michelangelo; Rizzi, Romana; Capellari, Sabina; Parchi, Piero

    2017-01-01

    According to recent studies, the determination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau (t-tau)/phosphorylated tau (p-tau) ratio and total prion protein (t-PrP) levels significantly improves the accuracy of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in atypical cases with clinical or laboratory features mimicking Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). However, this has neither been validated nor tested in series including atypical CJD variants. Furthermore, the added diagnostic value of amyloid-β (Aβ)42 remains unclear. To address these issues, we measured t-PrP, 14-3-3, t-tau, p-tau, and Aβ42 CSF levels in 45 typical and 44 atypical/rapidly progressive AD patients, 54 typical and 54 atypical CJD patients, and 33 controls. CJD patients showed significantly lower CSF t-PrP levels than controls and AD patients. Furthermore, atypical CJD was associated with lower t-PrP levels in comparison to typical CJD. T-tau, 14-3-3, or t-PrP alone yielded, respectively, 80.6, 63.0, and 73.0% sensitivity and 75.3, 92.1, and 75% specificity in distinguishing AD from CJD. On receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses of biomarker combinations, the (t-tau×Aβ42)/(p-tau×t-PrP) ratio achieved the best accuracy, with 98.1% sensitivity and 97.7% specificity overall, and 96.2% sensitivity and 95.5% specificity for the "atypical" disease groups. Our results show that the combined analysis of CSF t-PrP, t-tau, p-tau, and Aβ42 is clinically useful in the differential diagnosis between CJD and AD. Furthermore, the finding of reduced CSF t-PrP levels in CJD patients suggest that, likewise Aβ42 in AD, CSF t-PrP levels reflect the extent of PrPc conversion into abnormal PrP (PrPSc) and the burden of PrPSc deposition in CJD.

  14. The expanded octarepeat domain selectively binds prions and disrupts homomeric prion protein interactions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leliveld, S. R.; Dame, R.T.; Wuite, G.J.L.; Stitz, L.; Korth, C.

    2006-01-01

    Insertion of additional octarepeats into the prion protein gene has been genetically linked to familial Creutzfeldt Jakob disease and hence to de novo generation of infectious prions. The pivotal event during prion formation is the conversion of the normal prion protein (PrP

  15. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... CJD diagnosed? Several tests can help diagnose CJD. Electroencephalography (EEG), which records the brain’s electrical pattern, can be ... to be accurate in about 90 percent of cases. The only way to confirm a ... can cure or control CJD, although studies of a variety of drugs are now in ...

  16. Experimental Models of Inherited PrP Prion Diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Joel C; Prusiner, Stanley B

    2017-11-01

    The inherited prion protein (PrP) prion disorders, which include familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease, and fatal familial insomnia, constitute ∼10%-15% of all PrP prion disease cases in humans. Attempts to generate animal models of these disorders using transgenic mice expressing mutant PrP have produced variable results. Although many lines of mice develop spontaneous signs of neurological illness with accompanying prion disease-specific neuropathological changes, others do not. Furthermore, demonstrating the presence of protease-resistant PrP species and prion infectivity-two of the hallmarks of the PrP prion disorders-in the brains of spontaneously sick mice has proven particularly challenging. Here, we review the progress that has been made toward developing accurate mouse models of the inherited PrP prion disorders. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

  17. Metabolic patterns in prion diseases: an FDG PET voxel-based analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prieto, Elena; Dominguez-Prado, Ines; Jesus Ribelles, Maria; Arbizu, Javier [Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Nuclear Medicine Department, Pamplona (Spain); Riverol, Mario; Ortega-Cubero, Sara; Rosario Luquin, Maria; Castro, Purificacion de [Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Neurology Department, Pamplona (Spain)

    2015-09-15

    Clinical diagnosis of human prion diseases can be challenging since symptoms are common to other disorders associated with rapidly progressive dementia. In this context, {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) might be a useful complementary tool. The aim of this study was to determine the metabolic pattern in human prion diseases, particularly sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI). We retrospectively studied 17 patients with a definitive, probable or possible prion disease who underwent FDG PET in our institution. Of these patients, 12 were diagnosed as sCJD (9 definitive, 2 probable and 1 possible), 1 was diagnosed as definitive vCJD and 4 were diagnosed as definitive FFI. The hypometabolic pattern of each individual and comparisons across the groups of subjects (control subjects, sCJD and FFI) were evaluated using a voxel-based analysis. The sCJD group exhibited a pattern of hypometabolism that affected both subcortical (bilateral caudate, thalamus) and cortical (frontal cortex) structures, while the FFI group only presented a slight hypometabolism in the thalamus. Individual analysis demonstrated a considerable variability of metabolic patterns among patients, with the thalamus and basal ganglia the most frequently affected areas, combined in some cases with frontal and temporal hypometabolism. Patients with a prion disease exhibit a characteristic pattern of brain metabolism presentation in FDG PET imaging. Consequently, in patients with rapidly progressive cognitive impairment, the detection of these patterns in the FDG PET study could orient the diagnosis to a prion disease. (orig.)

  18. Metabolic patterns in prion diseases: an FDG PET voxel-based analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prieto, Elena; Dominguez-Prado, Ines; Jesus Ribelles, Maria; Arbizu, Javier; Riverol, Mario; Ortega-Cubero, Sara; Rosario Luquin, Maria; Castro, Purificacion de

    2015-01-01

    Clinical diagnosis of human prion diseases can be challenging since symptoms are common to other disorders associated with rapidly progressive dementia. In this context, 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) might be a useful complementary tool. The aim of this study was to determine the metabolic pattern in human prion diseases, particularly sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI). We retrospectively studied 17 patients with a definitive, probable or possible prion disease who underwent FDG PET in our institution. Of these patients, 12 were diagnosed as sCJD (9 definitive, 2 probable and 1 possible), 1 was diagnosed as definitive vCJD and 4 were diagnosed as definitive FFI. The hypometabolic pattern of each individual and comparisons across the groups of subjects (control subjects, sCJD and FFI) were evaluated using a voxel-based analysis. The sCJD group exhibited a pattern of hypometabolism that affected both subcortical (bilateral caudate, thalamus) and cortical (frontal cortex) structures, while the FFI group only presented a slight hypometabolism in the thalamus. Individual analysis demonstrated a considerable variability of metabolic patterns among patients, with the thalamus and basal ganglia the most frequently affected areas, combined in some cases with frontal and temporal hypometabolism. Patients with a prion disease exhibit a characteristic pattern of brain metabolism presentation in FDG PET imaging. Consequently, in patients with rapidly progressive cognitive impairment, the detection of these patterns in the FDG PET study could orient the diagnosis to a prion disease. (orig.)

  19. PrPCWD lymphoid cell targets in early and advanced chronic wasting disease of mule deer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sigurdson, C.J.; Barillas-Mury, C.; Miller, M.W.; Oesch, B.; Keulen, van L.J.M.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Hoover, E.A.

    2002-01-01

    Up to 15% of free-ranging mule deer in northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming, USA, are afflicted with a prion disease, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), known as chronic wasting disease (CWD). CWD is similar to a subset of TSEs including scrapie and variant Creutzfeldt¿Jakob

  20. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging - a new instrument in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jacob's disease; Diffusjonsvektet magnetisk resonanstomografi - nytt i diagnostikken av Creutzfeldt-Jakobs sykdom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Romi, Fredrik; Smivoll, Alf Inge; Moerk, Sverre; Tysnes, Ole-Bjoern

    2000-07-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jacob's disease (CID) is characterised by rapidly progressive dementia, ataxia, myoclonus and several other neurological deficits. It generally affects older adults and occurs in sporadic, genetic and iatrogenic forms. Death occurs usually within one year after onset of the disease. The diagnosis is based on clinical criteria, neuro physiological and radiological findings and confirmed by post mortal histopathology. During the last two years several cases of CID have been reported with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MR) abnormalities represented by increased signal intensity indicating reduced diffusion in basal ganglia and/or cortex cerebric. These abnormalities seem to be characteristic of CID. We report a case of CID in a 54 year old woman who developed vertigo, nystagmus, ataxia, myoclonus and dementia over a period of eight months. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed increased signal intensity in corpus striatum and gyrus conguli. The diagnosis was post mortally confirmed with histopathology. (Author) 7 figs., 15 refs.

  1. Absence of Evidence for a Causal Link between Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Strain Variant L-BSE and Known Forms of Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in Human PrP Transgenic Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaumain, Emilie; Quadrio, Isabelle; Herzog, Laetitia; Reine, Fabienne; Rezaei, Human; Andréoletti, Olivier; Laude, Hubert; Perret-Liaudet, Armand; Haïk, Stéphane; Béringue, Vincent

    2016-12-01

    Prions are proteinaceous pathogens responsible for subacute spongiform encephalopathies in animals and humans. The prions responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are zoonotic agents, causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. The transfer of prions between species is limited by a species barrier, which is thought to reflect structural incompatibilities between the host cellular prion protein (PrP C ) and the infecting pathological PrP assemblies (PrP Sc ) constituting the prion. A BSE strain variant, designated L-BSE and responsible for atypical, supposedly spontaneous forms of prion diseases in aged cattle, demonstrates zoonotic potential, as evidenced by its capacity to propagate more easily than classical BSE in transgenic mice expressing human PrP C and in nonhuman primates. In humanized mice, L-BSE propagates without any apparent species barrier and shares similar biochemical PrP Sc signatures with the CJD subtype designated MM2-cortical, thus opening the possibility that certain CJD cases classified as sporadic may actually originate from L-type BSE cross-transmission. To address this issue, we compared the biological properties of L-BSE and those of a panel of CJD subtypes representative of the human prion strain diversity using standard strain-typing criteria in human PrP transgenic mice. We found no evidence that L-BSE causes a known form of sporadic CJD. Since the quasi-extinction of classical BSE, atypical BSE forms are the sole BSE variants circulating in cattle worldwide. They are observed in rare cases of old cattle, making them difficult to detect. Extrapolation of our results suggests that L-BSE may propagate in humans as an unrecognized form of CJD, and we urge both the continued utilization of precautionary measures to eliminate these agents from the human food chain and active surveillance for CJD phenotypes in the general population. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  2. Decreased regional cerebral blood flow in the bilateral thalami and medulla oblongata determined by an easy Z-score (eZIS) analysis of (99m)Tc-ECD-SPECT images in a case of MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Yuichi; Iwasaki, Yasushi; Yoshikura, Nobuaki; Asano, Takahiko; Hatano, Taku; Tatsumi, Shinsui; Satoh, Katsuya; Kimura, Akio; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari; Inuzuka, Takashi

    2015-11-15

    We report a case of autopsy-verified MM2-thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) in a 46-year-old patient with a 16-month history of abnormal behavior, progressive dementia, insomnia, and speech disturbances without family history. Neurological examination revealed progressive dementia, frontal signs, insomnia, speech disturbance, gait disturbance and bilaterally exaggerated tendon reflexes. Both brain MRI and cerebrospinal fluid examinations, including 14-3-3 protein, yielded normal results. An easy Z-score (eZIS) analysis for (99m)Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer-single photon emission computed tomography ((99m)Tc-ECD-SPECT) revealed decreased regional cerebral blood flow in the bilateral thalami and medulla oblongata. PRNP gene analysis revealed methionine homozygosity at codon 129 without mutation. Neuropathological examinations revealed severe neuronal loss, gliosis, and hypertrophic astrocytosis in the medial thalamus and inferior olivary nucleus. A slight depletion of Purkinje cells was observed. PrP immunostaining showed no obvious PrP deposits in the basal ganglia, thalamus, cerebellum, or brainstem; however, mild synaptic-type PrP deposits with some smaller plaque-like structures were only partially observed in the localized region of the frontal lobe with the spongiform change. Western blot analyses of protease-resistant PrP showed a type 2 pattern. In conclusion, eZIS analysis of (99m)Tc-ECD-SPECT images is useful for detecting both thalamic and medullary lesions. This is the first case of medullary lesions detected in a live patient with MM2-thalamic-type sCJD using SPECT. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Antithyroideaantistof hos to patienter med subakut dementiel udvikling, ataksi og myoklonus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kondziella, Daniel; Hansen, Klaus; Gonzalez, Teresa

    2012-01-01

    Hashimoto encephalitis (HE) is a steroid-responsive autoimmune encephalitis with anti-thyroid antibodies; Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. Both disorders can have a similar clinical presentation. Two women, 67 and 63 year-old, with subacute dementia, ataxia, myoclonus and posit......Hashimoto encephalitis (HE) is a steroid-responsive autoimmune encephalitis with anti-thyroid antibodies; Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. Both disorders can have a similar clinical presentation. Two women, 67 and 63 year-old, with subacute dementia, ataxia, myoclonus...

  4. Prion infectivity in the spleen of a PRNP heterozygous individual with subclinical variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Matthew T.; Diack, Abigail B.; Ritchie, Diane L.; Ironside, James W.; Will, Robert G.

    2013-01-01

    Blood transfusion has been identified as a source of human-to-human transmission of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Three cases of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease have been identified following red cell transfusions from donors who subsequently developed variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and an asymptomatic red cell transfusion recipient, who did not die of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, has been identified with prion protein deposition in the spleen and a lymph node, but not the brain. This individual was heterozygous (MV) at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP), whereas all previous definite and probable cases of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease have been methionine homozygotes (MM). A critical question for public health is whether the prion protein deposition reported in peripheral tissues from this MV individual correlates with infectivity. Additionally it is important to establish whether the PRNP codon 129 genotype has influenced the transmission characteristics of the infectious agent. Brain and spleen from the MV blood recipient were inoculated into murine strains that have consistently demonstrated transmission of the variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease agent. Mice were assessed for clinical and pathological signs of disease and transmission data were compared with other transmission studies in variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, including those on the spleen and brain of the donor to the index case. Transmission of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease was observed from the MV blood recipient spleen, but not from the brain, whereas there was transmission from both spleen and brain tissues from the red blood cell donor. Longer incubation times were observed for the blood donor spleen inoculum compared with the blood donor brain inoculum, suggesting lower titres of infectivity in the spleen. The distribution of vacuolar pathology and abnormal prion protein in infected mice were similar following inoculation with both donor and

  5. Prion disease resembling frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nitrini Ricardo

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical features of a familial prion disease with those of frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17. BACKGROUND: Prion diseases are not usually considered in the differential diagnosis of FTDP-17, since familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, the most common inherited prion disease, often manifests as a rapidly progressive dementia. Conversely, FTDP-17 usually has an insidious onset in the fifth decade, with abnormal behavior and parkinsonian features. METHOD: We present the clinical features of 12 patients from a family with CJD associated with a point mutation at codon 183 of the prion protein gene. RESULTS: The mean age at onset was 44.0 ± 3.7; the duration of the symptoms until death ranged from two to nine years. Behavioral disturbances were the predominant presenting symptoms. Nine patients were first seen by psychiatrists. Eight patients manifested parkinsonian signs. CONCLUSION: These clinical features bear a considerable resemblance to those described in FTDP-17.

  6. Diagnostic accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid protein markers for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Canada: a 6-year prospective study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background To better characterize the value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins as diagnostic markers in a clinical population of subacute encephalopathy patients with relatively low prevalence of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), we studied the diagnostic accuracies of several such markers (14-3-3, tau and S100B) in 1000 prospectively and sequentially recruited Canadian patients with clinically suspected sCJD. Methods The study included 127 patients with autopsy-confirmed sCJD (prevalence = 12.7%) and 873 with probable non-CJD diagnoses. Standard statistical measures of diagnostic accuracy were employed, including sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), predictive values (PVs), likelihood ratios (LRs), and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results At optimal cutoff thresholds (empirically selected for 14-3-3, assayed by immunoblot; 976 pg/mL for tau and 2.5 ng/mL for S100B, both assayed by ELISA), Se and Sp respectively were 0.88 (95% CI, 0.81-0.93) and 0.72 (0.69-0.75) for 14-3-3; 0.91 (0.84-0.95) and 0.88 (0.85-0.90) for tau; and 0.87 (0.80-0.92) and 0.87 (0.84-0.89) for S100B. The observed differences in Sp between 14-3-3 and either of the other 2 markers were statistically significant. Positive LRs were 3.1 (2.8-3.6) for 14-3-3; 7.4 (6.9-7.8) for tau; and 6.6 (6.1-7.1) for S100B. Negative LRs were 0.16 (0.10-0.26) for 14-3-3; 0.10 (0.06-0.20) for tau; and 0.15 (0.09-0.20) for S100B. Estimates of areas under ROC curves were 0.947 (0.931-0.961) for tau and 0.908 (0.888-0.926) for S100B. Use of interval LRs (iLRs) significantly enhanced accuracy for patient subsets [e.g., 41/120 (34.2%) of tested sCJD patients displayed tau levels > 10,000 pg/mL, with an iLR of 56.4 (22.8-140.0)], as did combining tau and S100B [e.g., for tau > 976 pg/mL and S100B > 2.5 ng/mL, positive LR = 18.0 (12.9-25.0) and negative LR = 0.02 (0.01-0.09)]. Conclusions CSF 14-3-3, tau and S100B proteins are useful diagnostic markers of sCJD even in a low

  7. Extensive cortical damage in a case of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: clinicoradiological correlations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergui, M.; Bradac, G.B. [Neuroradiology, Ospedale S. G. Battista, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, 10126, Torino (Italy); Rossi, G. [Neuropathology Department, Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Milano (Italy); Orsi, L. [Neurology, Ospedale S. G. Battista, University of Torino, Via Cherasco 15, 10126, Torino (Italy)

    2003-05-01

    MRI demonstrated extensive cortical involvement in a patient with pathologically proven Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. The whole brain was atrophic; some of the supratentorial cortex, putamen and caudate nucleus gave high signal on T2-weighted images; the changes were more extensive on diffusion-weighted images (DWI). Comparison of the history, and the sites of atrophy and signal change suggested that the latter predominates in regions with long-lasting damage and prevalent gliosis, while high signal on DWI indicate current neuronal loss. This case widens the range of MRI findings in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, and suggests that some information about the progression of the disease can be extracted from single MRI study. (orig.)

  8. The Structural Stability of Wild-type Horse Prion Protein - Molecular Dynamics Studies

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Jiapu

    2011-01-01

    Prion diseases {\\it (e.g. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), variant CJD (vCJD), Gerstmann-Str$\\ddot{\\text{a}}$ussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) and Kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or `mad-cow' disease) and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cattles)} are invariably fatal and highly infectious neurodegenerative diseases affecting humans and animals. However, by now there have not been some effective therapeutic approaches or med...

  9. Insights into the management of emerging infections: regulating variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transfusion risk in the UK and the US.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maya L Ponte

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD is a human prion disease caused by infection with the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. After the recognition of vCJD in the UK in 1996, many nations implemented policies intended to reduce the hypothetical risk of transfusion transmission of vCJD. This was despite the fact that no cases of transfusion transmission had yet been identified. In December 2003, however, the first case of vCJD in a recipient of blood from a vCJD-infected donor was announced. The aim of this study is to ascertain and compare the factors that influenced the motivation for and the design of regulations to prevent transfusion transmission of vCJD in the UK and US prior to the recognition of this case.A document search was conducted to identify US and UK governmental policy statements and guidance, transcripts (or minutes when transcripts were not available of scientific advisory committee meetings, research articles, and editorials published in medical and scientific journals on the topic of vCJD and blood transfusion transmission between March 1996 and December 2003. In addition, 40 interviews were conducted with individuals familiar with the decision-making process and/or the science involved. All documents and transcripts were coded and analyzed according to the methods and principles of grounded theory. Data showed that while resulting policies were based on the available science, social and historical factors played a major role in the motivation for and the design of regulations to protect against transfusion transmission of vCJD. First, recent experience with and collective guilt resulting from the transfusion-transmitted epidemics of HIV/AIDS in both countries served as a major, historically specific impetus for such policies. This history was brought to bear both by hemophilia activists and those charged with regulating blood products in the US and UK. Second, local specificities, such as the recall of blood

  10. Insights into the management of emerging infections: regulating variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transfusion risk in the UK and the US.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponte, Maya L

    2006-10-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a human prion disease caused by infection with the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. After the recognition of vCJD in the UK in 1996, many nations implemented policies intended to reduce the hypothetical risk of transfusion transmission of vCJD. This was despite the fact that no cases of transfusion transmission had yet been identified. In December 2003, however, the first case of vCJD in a recipient of blood from a vCJD-infected donor was announced. The aim of this study is to ascertain and compare the factors that influenced the motivation for and the design of regulations to prevent transfusion transmission of vCJD in the UK and US prior to the recognition of this case. A document search was conducted to identify US and UK governmental policy statements and guidance, transcripts (or minutes when transcripts were not available) of scientific advisory committee meetings, research articles, and editorials published in medical and scientific journals on the topic of vCJD and blood transfusion transmission between March 1996 and December 2003. In addition, 40 interviews were conducted with individuals familiar with the decision-making process and/or the science involved. All documents and transcripts were coded and analyzed according to the methods and principles of grounded theory. Data showed that while resulting policies were based on the available science, social and historical factors played a major role in the motivation for and the design of regulations to protect against transfusion transmission of vCJD. First, recent experience with and collective guilt resulting from the transfusion-transmitted epidemics of HIV/AIDS in both countries served as a major, historically specific impetus for such policies. This history was brought to bear both by hemophilia activists and those charged with regulating blood products in the US and UK. Second, local specificities, such as the recall of blood products for possible

  11. Effects of a naturally occurring amino acid substitution in bovine PrP: a model for inherited prion disease in a natural host species

    Science.gov (United States)

    The most common hereditary prion disease is human Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) associated with a mutation in the prion gene (PRNP) resulting in a glutamic acid to lysine substitution at position 200 (E200K) in the prion protein. Models of E200K CJD in transgenic mice have proven interesting but h...

  12. [Doctor Francoise Cathala and history of prions diseases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Court, L; Hauw, J-J

    2015-12-01

    Doctor Françoise Cathala Pagesy, MD, MS, born on July 7, 1921 in Paris, passed away peacefully at home on November 5, 2012. Unconventional, passionate and enthusiastic neurologist and virologist, she devoted her life to research on latent and slow viral infections, specializing mainly on unconventional transmissible agents or prions. As a research member of Inserm (French Institute for Medical Research), she soon joined the team of Carlton Gajdusek (the NINCDS - National Institute of Nervous Central System and Stroke - of NIH), who first demonstrated the transmissibility of kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to monkeys. When she came back to Paris, where she was followed by one of NIH members, Paul Brown, she joined the Centre de Recherches du Service de Santé des Armées (Army Health Research Center), in Percy-Clamart, where she found the experimental design and the attentive help needed for her research, which appeared heretical to many French virologists, including some authorities. A large number of research programs were set up with numerous collaborations involving CEA (Center for Atomic Energy) and other institutions in Paris and Marseilles on epidemiology, results of tissue inoculation, electrophysiology and neuropathology of human and animal prions diseases, and resistance of the infectious agent. International symposia were set up, where met, in the Val-de-Grâce hospital in Paris, the research community on "slow viral diseases". Stanley Prusiner introduced the concept - then badly accepted and still in evolution - of prion, a protein only infectious agent. Before retiring from Inserm, Françoise Cathala predicted and was involved in some of the huge sanitary crises in France. These were, first, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from contaminated growth hormone extracted from cadavers, which led parents to instigate legal procedure - a quite unusual practice in France. The second was Mad cow disease in the United Kingdom then in France, followed by new variant

  13. An autopsied case of MM1 + MM2-cortical with thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting with hyperintensities on diffusion-weighted MRI before clinical onset.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwasaki, Yasushi; Mori, Keiko; Ito, Masumi; Mimuro, Maya; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Yoshida, Mari

    2017-02-01

    + MM2-cortical with thalamic-type sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), which suggests a broader spectrum of sCJD clinicopathological findings. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

  14. Transgenic fatal familial insomnia mice indicate prion infectivity-independent mechanisms of pathogenesis and phenotypic expression of disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ihssane Bouybayoune

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Fatal familial insomnia (FFI and a genetic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD178 are clinically different prion disorders linked to the D178N prion protein (PrP mutation. The disease phenotype is determined by the 129 M/V polymorphism on the mutant allele, which is thought to influence D178N PrP misfolding, leading to the formation of distinctive prion strains with specific neurotoxic properties. However, the mechanism by which misfolded variants of mutant PrP cause different diseases is not known. We generated transgenic (Tg mice expressing the mouse PrP homolog of the FFI mutation. These mice synthesize a misfolded form of mutant PrP in their brains and develop a neurological illness with severe sleep disruption, highly reminiscent of FFI and different from that of analogously generated Tg(CJD mice modeling CJD178. No prion infectivity was detectable in Tg(FFI and Tg(CJD brains by bioassay or protein misfolding cyclic amplification, indicating that mutant PrP has disease-encoding properties that do not depend on its ability to propagate its misfolded conformation. Tg(FFI and Tg(CJD neurons have different patterns of intracellular PrP accumulation associated with distinct morphological abnormalities of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, suggesting that mutation-specific alterations of secretory transport may contribute to the disease phenotype.

  15. Red-backed vole brain promotes highly efficient in vitro amplification of abnormal prion protein from macaque and human brains infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemecek, Julie; Nag, Nabanita; Carlson, Christina M.; Schneider, Jay R.; Heisey, Dennis M.; Johnson, Christopher J.; Asher, David M.; Gregori, Luisa

    2013-01-01

    Rapid antemortem tests to detect individuals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) would contribute to public health. We investigated a technique known as protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) to amplify abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) from highly diluted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)-infected human and macaque brain homogenates, seeking to improve the rapid detection of PrPTSE in tissues and blood. Macaque vCJD PrPTSE did not amplify using normal macaque brain homogenate as substrate (intraspecies PMCA). Next, we tested interspecies PMCA with normal brain homogenate of the southern red-backed vole (RBV), a close relative of the bank vole, seeded with macaque vCJD PrPTSE. The RBV has a natural polymorphism at residue 170 of the PrP-encoding gene (N/N, S/S, and S/N). We investigated the effect of this polymorphism on amplification of human and macaque vCJD PrPTSE. Meadow vole brain (170N/N PrP genotype) was also included in the panel of substrates tested. Both humans and macaques have the same 170S/S PrP genotype. Macaque PrPTSE was best amplified with RBV 170S/S brain, although 170N/N and 170S/N were also competent substrates, while meadow vole brain was a poor substrate. In contrast, human PrPTSE demonstrated a striking narrow selectivity for PMCA substrate and was successfully amplified only with RBV 170S/S brain. These observations suggest that macaque PrPTSE was more permissive than human PrPTSE in selecting the competent RBV substrate. RBV 170S/S brain was used to assess the sensitivity of PMCA with PrPTSE from brains of humans and macaques with vCJD. PrPTSE signals were reproducibly detected by Western blot in dilutions through 10-12 of vCJD-infected 10% brain homogenates. This is the first report showing PrPTSE from vCJD-infected human and macaque brains efficiently amplified with RBV brain as the substrate. Based on our estimates, PMCA showed a sensitivity that might be sufficient to detect PrPTSE in v

  16. Red-backed vole brain promotes highly efficient in vitro amplification of abnormal prion protein from macaque and human brains infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Nemecek

    Full Text Available Rapid antemortem tests to detect individuals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE would contribute to public health. We investigated a technique known as protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA to amplify abnormal prion protein (PrP(TSE from highly diluted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD-infected human and macaque brain homogenates, seeking to improve the rapid detection of PrP(TSE in tissues and blood. Macaque vCJD PrP(TSE did not amplify using normal macaque brain homogenate as substrate (intraspecies PMCA. Next, we tested interspecies PMCA with normal brain homogenate of the southern red-backed vole (RBV, a close relative of the bank vole, seeded with macaque vCJD PrP(TSE. The RBV has a natural polymorphism at residue 170 of the PrP-encoding gene (N/N, S/S, and S/N. We investigated the effect of this polymorphism on amplification of human and macaque vCJD PrP(TSE. Meadow vole brain (170N/N PrP genotype was also included in the panel of substrates tested. Both humans and macaques have the same 170S/S PrP genotype. Macaque PrP(TSE was best amplified with RBV 170S/S brain, although 170N/N and 170S/N were also competent substrates, while meadow vole brain was a poor substrate. In contrast, human PrP(TSE demonstrated a striking narrow selectivity for PMCA substrate and was successfully amplified only with RBV 170S/S brain. These observations suggest that macaque PrP(TSE was more permissive than human PrP(TSE in selecting the competent RBV substrate. RBV 170S/S brain was used to assess the sensitivity of PMCA with PrP(TSE from brains of humans and macaques with vCJD. PrP(TSE signals were reproducibly detected by Western blot in dilutions through 10⁻¹² of vCJD-infected 10% brain homogenates. This is the first report showing PrP(TSE from vCJD-infected human and macaque brains efficiently amplified with RBV brain as the substrate. Based on our estimates, PMCA showed a sensitivity that might be sufficient to detect Pr

  17. Prionic diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abelardo Q-C Araujo

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Prion diseases are neurodegenerative illnesses due to the accumulation of small infectious pathogens containing protein but apparently lacking nucleic acid, which have long incubation periods and progress inexorably once clinical symptoms appear. Prions are uniquely resistant to a number of normal decontaminating procedures. The prionopathies [Kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD and its variants, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS syndrome and fatal familial insomnia (FFI] result from accumulation of abnormal isoforms of the prion protein in the brains of normal animals on both neuronal and non-neuronal cells. The accumulation of this protein or fragments of it in neurons leads to apoptosis and cell death. There is a strong link between mutations in the gene encoding the normal prion protein in humans (PRNP - located on the short arm of chromosome 20 – and forms of prion disease with a familial predisposition (familial CJD, GSS, FFI. Clinically a prionopathy should be suspected in any case of a fast progressing dementia with ataxia, myoclonus, or in individuals with pathological insomnia associated with dysautonomia. Magnetic resonance imaging, identification of the 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid, tonsil biopsy and genetic studies have been used for in vivo diagnosis circumventing the need of brain biopsy. Histopathology, however, remains the only conclusive method to reach a confident diagnosis. Unfortunately, despite numerous treatment efforts, prionopathies remain short-lasting and fatal diseases.

  18. Prion diseases: immunotargets and therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burchell JT

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Jennifer T Burchell, Peter K Panegyres Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Pty Ltd, West Perth, Western Australia, Australia Abstract: Transmissible spongiform encephathalopathies or prion diseases are a group of neurological disorders characterized by neuronal loss, spongiform degeneration, and activation of astrocytes or microglia. These diseases affect humans and animals with an extremely high prevalence in some species such as deer and elk in North America. Although rare in humans, they result in a devastatingly swift neurological progression with dementia and ataxia. Patients usually die within a year of diagnosis. Prion diseases are familial, sporadic, iatrogenic, or transmissible. Human prion diseases include Kuru, sporadic, iatrogenic, and familial forms of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker disease, and fatal familial insomnia. The causative agent is a misfolded version of the physiological prion protein called PrPSc in the brain. There are a number of therapeutic options currently under investigation. A number of small molecules have had some success in delaying disease progression in animal models and mixed results in clinical trials, including pentosan polysulfate, quinacrine, and amphotericin B. More promisingly, immunotherapy has reported success in vitro and in vivo in animal studies and clinical trials. The three main branches of immunotherapy research are focus on antibody vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, and adoptive transfer of physiological prion protein-specific CD4+ T-lymphocytes. Vaccines utilizing antibodies generally target disease-specific epitopes that are only exposed in the misfolded PrPSc conformation. Vaccines utilizing antigen-loaded dendritic cell have the ability to bypass immune tolerance and prime CD4+ cells to initiate an immune response. Adoptive transfer of CD4+ T-cells is another promising target as this cell type can orchestrate the

  19. Symmetrical corticobasal syndrome caused by a novel c.314dup progranulin mutation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    E.G.P. Dopper (Elise); H. Seelaar (Harro); W.Z. Chiu (Wang Zheng); I. de Koning (Inge); R. van Minkelen (Rick); M.C. Baker (Matthew); A.J.M. Rozemuller (Annemieke); R. Rademakers (Rosa); J.C. van Swieten (John)

    2011-01-01

    textabstractCorticobasal syndrome (CBS) is characterised by asymmetrical parkinsonism and cognitive impairment. The underlying pathology varies between corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration

  20. Symmetrical Corticobasal Syndrome Caused by a Novel c.314dup Progranulin Mutation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dopper, E.G.; Seelaar, H.; Chiu, W.Z.; de Koning, I.; van Minkelen, R.; Baker, M.C.; Rozemuller, A.J.; Rademakers, R.; van Swieten, J.C.

    2011-01-01

    Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is characterised by asymmetrical parkinsonism and cognitive impairment. The underlying pathology varies between corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration sometimes in

  1. Current and future molecular diagnostics for prion diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehto, Marty T; Peery, Harry E; Cashman, Neil R

    2006-07-01

    It is now widely held that the infectious agents underlying the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are prions, which are primarily composed of a misfolded, protease-resistant isoform of the host prion protein. Untreatable prion disorders include some human diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and diseases of economically important animals, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (cattle) and chronic wasting disease (deer and elk). Detection and diagnosis of prion disease (and presymptomatic incubation) is contingent upon developing novel assays, which exploit properties uniquely possessed by this misfolded protein complex, rather than targeting an agent-specific nucleic acid. This review highlights some of the conventional and disruptive technologies developed to respond to this challenge.

  2. Glycoform-Selective Prion Formation in Sporadic and Familial Forms of Prion Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Xiangzhu; Yuan, Jue; Haïk, Stéphane; Cali, Ignazio; Zhan, Yian; Moudjou, Mohammed; Li, Baiya; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Laude, Hubert; Langeveld, Jan; Gambetti, Pierluigi; Kitamoto, Tetsuyuki; Kong, Qingzhong; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Cobb, Brian A.; Petersen, Robert B.; Zou, Wen-Quan

    2013-01-01

    The four glycoforms of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) variably glycosylated at the two N-linked glycosylation sites are converted into their pathological forms (PrPSc) in most cases of sporadic prion diseases. However, a prominent molecular characteristic of PrPSc in the recently identified variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr) is the absence of a diglycosylated form, also notable in familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD), which is linked to mutations in PrP either from Val to Ile at residue 180 (fCJDV180I) or from Thr to Ala at residue 183 (fCJDT183A). Here we report that fCJDV180I, but not fCJDT183A, exhibits a proteinase K (PK)-resistant PrP (PrPres) that is markedly similar to that observed in VPSPr, which exhibits a five-step ladder-like electrophoretic profile, a molecular hallmark of VPSPr. Remarkably, the absence of the diglycosylated PrPres species in both fCJDV180I and VPSPr is likewise attributable to the absence of PrPres glycosylated at the first N-linked glycosylation site at residue 181, as in fCJDT183A. In contrast to fCJDT183A, both VPSPr and fCJDV180I exhibit glycosylation at residue 181 on di- and monoglycosylated (mono181) PrP prior to PK-treatment. Furthermore, PrPV180I with a typical glycoform profile from cultured cells generates detectable PrPres that also contains the diglycosylated PrP in addition to mono- and unglycosylated forms upon PK-treatment. Taken together, our current in vivo and in vitro studies indicate that sporadic VPSPr and familial CJDV180I share a unique glycoform-selective prion formation pathway in which the conversion of diglycosylated and mono181 PrPC to PrPSc is inhibited, probably by a dominant-negative effect, or by other co-factors. PMID:23527023

  3. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. What is the role of magnetic resonance tomography?; Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Krankheit. Welche Rolle spielt die MR-Tomographie?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kujat, C. [Inst. fuer Neuroradiologie der Univ. des Saarlandes, Homburg (Germany); Hagen, T. [Inst. fuer Neuroradiologie der Univ. des Saarlandes, Homburg (Germany); Feiden, W. [Abt. fuer Neuropathologie der Univ. des Saarlandes, Homburg (Germany)

    1995-11-01

    We report three patients with histologically confirmed CJD and confirm that MRI is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of this disease. (orig./MG) [Deutsch] Anhand der MRT-Ergebnisse von 3 Patienten mit histologisch gesicherter CJD und einer Literaturrecherche wird untersucht, ob die MRT einen Beitrag zur Diagnostik der CJD leisten kann. (orig./MG)

  4. Heterozygous genotype at codon 129 correlates with prolonged disease course in Heidenhain variant sporadic CJD: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townley, Ryan A; Dawson, Elliot T; Drubach, Daniel A

    2018-02-01

    Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rapid and fatal neurodegenerative disease defined by misfolded prion proteins accumulating in the brain. A minority of cases initially present with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) phenotype, also known as Heidenhain variant or visual variant CJD. This case provides further evidence of sCJD presenting as PCA. The case also provides evidence for early DWI changes and cortical atrophy over 30 months before neurologic decline and subsequent death. The prolonged disease course correlates with prion protein codon 129 heterozygosity and coexistence of multiple prion strains.

  5. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy in the UK: a retrospective review 1991-2008

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Head, M.W.; Yull, H.M.; Ritchie, D.L.; Langeveld, J.P.M.; Fletcher, N.A.; Knight, R.S.; Ironside, J.W.

    2013-01-01

    Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy is a newly described human prion disease of unknown aetiology lying out with the hitherto recognized phenotypic spectrum of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Two cases that conform to the variably protease-sensitive prionopathy phenotype have been identified

  6. Detection of PrP(Sc) in peripheral tissues of clinically affected cattle after oral challenge with bovine spongiform encephalopathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease that affects cattle and can be transmitted to human beings as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). A protease-resistant, disease-associated isoform of the prion protein (PrP**Sc) accumulates in the central ner...

  7. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker supported diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and rapid dementias: a longitudinal multicentre study over 10 years

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Juan, Pascual; Gawinecka, Joanna; Green, Alison; Ladogana, Anna; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Sanchez-Valle, Raquel; Mitrova, Eva; Sklaviadis, Theodor; Kulczycki, Jerzy; Slivarichova, Dana; Saiz, Albert; Calero, Miguel; Knight, Richard; Aguzzi, Adriano; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Peoc’h, Katell; Schelzke, Gabi; Karch, Andre; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Zerr, Inga

    2012-01-01

    To date, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, particularly protein 14-3-3 testing, presents an important approach in the identification of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease cases. However, one special point of criticism of 14-3-3 testing is the specificity in the differential diagnosis of rapid dementia. The constant observation of increased cerebrospinal fluid referrals in the national surveillance centres over the last years raises the concern of declining specificity due to higher number of cerebrospinal fluid tests performed in various neurological conditions. Within the framework of a European Community supported longitudinal multicentre study (‘cerebrospinal fluid markers’) we analysed the spectrum of rapid progressive dementia diagnoses, their potential influence on 14-3-3 specificity as well as results of other dementia markers (tau, phosphorylated tau and amyloid-β1–42) and evaluated the specificity of 14-3-3 in Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease diagnosis for the years 1998–2008. A total of 29 022 cerebrospinal fluid samples were analysed for 14-3-3 protein and other cerebrospinal fluid dementia markers in patients with rapid dementia and suspected Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in the participating centres. In 10 731 patients a definite diagnosis could be obtained. Protein 14-3-3 specificity was analysed for Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease with respect to increasing cerebrospinal fluid tests per year and spectrum of differential diagnosis. Ring trials were performed to ensure the comparability between centres during the reported time period. Protein 14-3-3 test specificity remained high and stable in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease during the observed time period across centres (total specificity 92%; when compared with patients with definite diagnoses only: specificity 90%). However, test specificity varied with respect to differential diagnosis. A high 14-3-3 specificity was obtained in differentiation to other neurodegenerative diseases (95–97%) and non

  8. Detection of the GPI-anchorless prion protein fragment PrP226* in human brain

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dvořáková, E.; Vranac, T.; Janoušková, Olga; Černilec, M.; Koren, S.; Lukan, A.; Nováková, J.; Matej, R.; Holada, K.; Čurin Šerbec, V.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 13, 25 September (2013), 126_1-126_12 ISSN 1471-2377 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : transmissible spongiform encephalopathies * Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease * GSS Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 2.486, year: 2013

  9. The M129V polymorphism of codon 129 in the prion gene (PRNP) in the Danish population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyrbye, Henrik; Broholm, Helle; Dziegiel, Morten Hanefeld

    2008-01-01

    Since variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) was described for the first time in 1995 and fears of an epidemic ensued, the assumed culprit the prion protein (PrP) and its precursor the prion-gene (PRNP) have been subjects to intense studies. Several polymorphisms in PRNP modify disease...

  10. Disease Burden of 32 Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, 2007-2011.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alies van Lier

    Full Text Available Infectious disease burden estimates provided by a composite health measure give a balanced view of the true impact of a disease on a population, allowing the relative impact of diseases that differ in severity and mortality to be monitored over time. This article presents the first national disease burden estimates for a comprehensive set of 32 infectious diseases in the Netherlands.The average annual disease burden was computed for the period 2007-2011 for selected infectious diseases in the Netherlands using the disability-adjusted life years (DALY measure. The pathogen- and incidence-based approach was adopted to quantify the burden due to both morbidity and premature mortality associated with all short and long-term consequences of infection. Natural history models, disease progression probabilities, disability weights, and other parameters were adapted from previous research. Annual incidence was obtained from statutory notification and other surveillance systems, which was corrected for under-ascertainment and under-reporting. The highest average annual disease burden was estimated for invasive pneumococcal disease (9444 DALYs/year; 95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 8911-9961 and influenza (8670 DALYs/year; 95% UI: 8468-8874, which represents 16% and 15% of the total burden of all 32 diseases, respectively. The remaining 30 diseases ranked by number of DALYs/year from high to low were: HIV infection, legionellosis, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, campylobacteriosis, pertussis, tuberculosis, hepatitis C infection, Q fever, norovirus infection, salmonellosis, gonorrhoea, invasive meningococcal disease, hepatitis B infection, invasive Haemophilus influenzae infection, shigellosis, listeriosis, giardiasis, hepatitis A infection, infection with STEC O157, measles, cryptosporidiosis, syphilis, rabies, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, tetanus, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis. The very low burden for the latter five diseases can be

  11. Disease Burden of 32 Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, 2007-2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouwknegt, Martijn; Kretzschmar, Mirjam E.; Mangen, Marie-Josée J.; Wallinga, Jacco; de Melker, Hester E.

    2016-01-01

    Background Infectious disease burden estimates provided by a composite health measure give a balanced view of the true impact of a disease on a population, allowing the relative impact of diseases that differ in severity and mortality to be monitored over time. This article presents the first national disease burden estimates for a comprehensive set of 32 infectious diseases in the Netherlands. Methods and Findings The average annual disease burden was computed for the period 2007–2011 for selected infectious diseases in the Netherlands using the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) measure. The pathogen- and incidence-based approach was adopted to quantify the burden due to both morbidity and premature mortality associated with all short and long-term consequences of infection. Natural history models, disease progression probabilities, disability weights, and other parameters were adapted from previous research. Annual incidence was obtained from statutory notification and other surveillance systems, which was corrected for under-ascertainment and under-reporting. The highest average annual disease burden was estimated for invasive pneumococcal disease (9444 DALYs/year; 95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 8911–9961) and influenza (8670 DALYs/year; 95% UI: 8468–8874), which represents 16% and 15% of the total burden of all 32 diseases, respectively. The remaining 30 diseases ranked by number of DALYs/year from high to low were: HIV infection, legionellosis, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, campylobacteriosis, pertussis, tuberculosis, hepatitis C infection, Q fever, norovirus infection, salmonellosis, gonorrhoea, invasive meningococcal disease, hepatitis B infection, invasive Haemophilus influenzae infection, shigellosis, listeriosis, giardiasis, hepatitis A infection, infection with STEC O157, measles, cryptosporidiosis, syphilis, rabies, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, tetanus, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis. The very low burden for the latter five

  12. Disease Burden of 32 Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, 2007-2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Lier, Alies; McDonald, Scott A; Bouwknegt, Martijn; Kretzschmar, Mirjam E; Havelaar, Arie H; Mangen, Marie-Josée J; Wallinga, Jacco; de Melker, Hester E

    2016-01-01

    Infectious disease burden estimates provided by a composite health measure give a balanced view of the true impact of a disease on a population, allowing the relative impact of diseases that differ in severity and mortality to be monitored over time. This article presents the first national disease burden estimates for a comprehensive set of 32 infectious diseases in the Netherlands. The average annual disease burden was computed for the period 2007-2011 for selected infectious diseases in the Netherlands using the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) measure. The pathogen- and incidence-based approach was adopted to quantify the burden due to both morbidity and premature mortality associated with all short and long-term consequences of infection. Natural history models, disease progression probabilities, disability weights, and other parameters were adapted from previous research. Annual incidence was obtained from statutory notification and other surveillance systems, which was corrected for under-ascertainment and under-reporting. The highest average annual disease burden was estimated for invasive pneumococcal disease (9444 DALYs/year; 95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 8911-9961) and influenza (8670 DALYs/year; 95% UI: 8468-8874), which represents 16% and 15% of the total burden of all 32 diseases, respectively. The remaining 30 diseases ranked by number of DALYs/year from high to low were: HIV infection, legionellosis, toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, campylobacteriosis, pertussis, tuberculosis, hepatitis C infection, Q fever, norovirus infection, salmonellosis, gonorrhoea, invasive meningococcal disease, hepatitis B infection, invasive Haemophilus influenzae infection, shigellosis, listeriosis, giardiasis, hepatitis A infection, infection with STEC O157, measles, cryptosporidiosis, syphilis, rabies, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, tetanus, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis. The very low burden for the latter five diseases can be attributed to the

  13. 78 FR 15368 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-11

    ... include: Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), Cyclosporiasis, Dengue, Hantavirus, Kawasaki Syndrome... treatment. The data collected will also be used to recommend target areas most in need of vaccinations for... Epidemiologist Dengue 55 182 15/60 Epidemiologist Hantavirus 46 3 20/60 Epidemiologist Kawasaki Syndrome...

  14. Differential overexpression of SERPINA3 in human prion diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanni, S; Moda, F; Zattoni, M; Bistaffa, E; De Cecco, E; Rossi, M; Giaccone, G; Tagliavini, F; Haïk, S; Deslys, J P; Zanusso, G; Ironside, J W; Ferrer, I; Kovacs, G G; Legname, G

    2017-11-15

    Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders with sporadic, genetic or acquired etiologies. The molecular alterations leading to the onset and the spreading of these diseases are still unknown. In a previous work we identified a five-gene signature able to distinguish intracranially BSE-infected macaques from healthy ones, with SERPINA3 showing the most prominent dysregulation. We analyzed 128 suitable frontal cortex samples, from prion-affected patients (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) n = 20, iatrogenic CJD (iCJD) n = 11, sporadic CJD (sCJD) n = 23, familial CJD (gCJD) n = 17, fatal familial insomnia (FFI) n = 9, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS)) n = 4), patients with Alzheimer disease (AD, n = 14) and age-matched controls (n = 30). Real Time-quantitative PCR was performed for SERPINA3 transcript, and ACTB, RPL19, GAPDH and B2M were used as reference genes. We report SERPINA3 to be strongly up-regulated in the brain of all human prion diseases, with only a mild up-regulation in AD. We show that this striking up-regulation, both at the mRNA and at the protein level, is present in all types of human prion diseases analyzed, although to a different extent for each specific disorder. Our data suggest that SERPINA3 may be involved in the pathogenesis and the progression of prion diseases, representing a valid tool for distinguishing different forms of these disorders in humans.

  15. Pros and cons of a prion-like pathogenesis in Parkinson's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brotchie Jonathan M

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Parkinson's disease (PD is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects widespread areas of the brainstem, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex. A number of proteins are known to accumulate in parkinsonian brains including ubiquitin and α-synuclein. Prion diseases are sporadic, genetic or infectious disorders with various clinical and histopathological features caused by prion proteins as infectious proteinaceous particles transmitting a misfolded protein configuration through brain tissue. The most important form is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which is associated with a self-propagating pathological precursor form of the prion protein that is physiologically widely distributed in the central nervous system. Discussion It has recently been found that α-synuclein may behave similarly to the prion precursor and propagate between cells. The post-mortem proof of α-synuclein containing Lewy bodies in embryonic dopamine cells transplants in PD patient suggests that the misfolded protein might be transmitted from the diseased host to donor neurons reminiscent of prion behavior. The involvement of the basal ganglia and brainstem in the degenerative process are other congruencies between Parkinson's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, a number of issues advise caution before categorizing Parkinson's disease as a prion disorder, because clinical appearance, brain imaging, cerebrospinal fluid and neuropathological findings exhibit fundamental differences between both disease entities. Most of all, infectiousness, a crucial hallmark of prion diseases, has never been observed in PD so far. Moreover, the cellular propagation of the prion protein has not been clearly defined and it is, therefore, difficult to assess the molecular similarities between the two disease entities. Summary At the current state of knowledge, the molecular pathways of transmissible pathogenic proteins are not yet fully understood. Their exact

  16. Prion protein immunocytochemistry helps to establish the true incidence of prion diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lantos, P L; McGill, I S; Janota, I; Doey, L J; Collinge, J; Bruce, M T; Whatley, S A; Anderton, B H; Clinton, J; Roberts, G W

    1992-11-23

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Gerstmann-Strüssler-Scheinker disease (GSSD) are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases affecting man. It has been reported that prion diseases may occur without the histological hallmarks of spongiform encephalopathies: vacuolation of the cerebral grey matter, neuronal loss and astrocytosis. These cases without characteristic neuropathology may go undiagnosed and consequently the true incidence of transmissible dementias is likely to have been under-estimated. Immunocytochemistry using antibodies to prion protein gives positive staining of these cases, albeit the pattern of immunostaining differs from that seen in typical forms. Accumulation of prion protein is a molecular hallmark of prion diseases, and thus a reproducible, speedy and cost-efficient immunocytochemical screening of unusual dementias may help to establish the true incidence of prion diseases.

  17. Prion protein gene analysis in three kindreds with fatal familial insomnia (FFI): Codon 178 mutation and codon 129 polymorphism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Medori, R.; Tritschler, H.J. (Universita di Bologna (Italy))

    1993-10-01

    Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a disease linked to a GAC(Asp) [yields] AAC(Asn) mutation in codon 178 of the prion protein (PrP) gene. FFI is characterized clinically by untreatable progressive insomnia, dysautonomia, and motor dysfunctions and is characterized pathologically by selective thalamic atrophy. The authors confirmed the 178[sup Asn] mutation in the PrP gene of a third FFI family of French ancestry. Three family members who are under 40 years of age and who inherited the mutation showed only reduced perfusion in the basal ganglia on single photon emission computerized tomography. Some FFI features differ from the clinical and neuropathologic findings associated with 178[sup Asn] reported elsewhere. However, additional intragenic mutations accounting for the phenotypic differences were not observed in two affected individuals. In other sporadic and familial forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Straeussler syndrome, Met or Val homozygosity at polymorphic codon 129 is associated with a more severe phenotype, younger age at onset, and faster progression. In FFI, young and old individuals at disease onset had 129[sup Met/Val]. Moreover, of five 178[sup Asn] individuals who are above age-at-onset range and who are well, two have 129[sup Met] and three have 129[sup Met/Val], suggesting that polymorphic site 129 does not modulate FFI phenotypic expression. Genetic heterogeneity and environment may play an important role in inter- and intrafamilial variability of the 178[sup Asn] mutation. 32 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

  18. Molecular Pathology of Human Prion Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative conditions in humans and animals. In this review, we summarize the molecular background of phenotypic variability, relation of prion protein (PrP to other proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases, and pathogenesis of neuronal vulnerability. PrP exists in different forms that may be present in both diseased and non-diseased brain, however, abundant disease-associated PrP together with tissue pathology characterizes prion diseases and associates with transmissibility. Prion diseases have different etiological background with distinct pathogenesis and phenotype. Mutations of the prion protein gene are associated with genetic forms. The codon 129 polymorphism in combination with the Western blot pattern of PrP after proteinase K digestion serves as a basis for molecular subtyping of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Tissue damage may result from several parallel, interacting or subsequent pathways that involve cellular systems associated with synapses, protein processing, oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis.

  19. The PRNP gene polymorphism in Rough-coated Pomeranian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prion protein (PrP) is a membrane glycoprotein whose abnormal form is believed to cause a group of disorders known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which affect the brain and nervous system of both human beings and animals. The most familiar TSEs are Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in human ...

  20. Regional brain metabolite abnormalities in inherited prion disease and asymptomatic gene carriers demonstrated in vivo by quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Waldman, A.D.; Cordery, R.J.; Godbolt, A.; Rossor, M.N. [University College London, Dementia Research Group, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Division of Neuroscience and Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, London (United Kingdom); MacManus, D.G. [University College London, NMR Research Unit, Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom); Collinge, J. [University College London, MRC Prion Unit, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, London (United Kingdom)

    2006-06-15

    Inherited prion diseases are caused by mutations in the gene which codes for prion protein (PrP), leading to proliferation of abnormal PrP isomers in the brain and neurodegeneration; they include Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD). We studied two patients with symptomatic inherited prion disease (P102L) and two pre-symptomatic P102L gene carriers using quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Short echo time spectra were acquired from the thalamus, caudate region and frontal white matter, metabolite levels and ratios were measured and z-scores calculated for individual patients relative to age-matched normal controls. MRS data were compared with structural magnetic resonance imaging. One fCJD case had generalised atrophy and showed increased levels of myo-inositol (MI) in the thalamus (z=3.7). The other had decreased levels of N-acetylaspartate (z=4) and diffuse signal abnormality in the frontal white matter. Both asymptomatic gene carriers had normal imaging, but increased frontal white matter MI (z=4.3, 4.1), and one also had increased MI in the caudate (z=5.3). Isolated MI abnormalities in asymptomatic gene carriers are a novel finding and may reflect early glial proliferation, prior to significant neuronal damage. MRS provides potential non-invasive surrogate markers of early disease and progression in inherited prion disease. (orig.)

  1. Regional brain metabolite abnormalities in inherited prion disease and asymptomatic gene carriers demonstrated in vivo by quantitative proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waldman, A.D.; Cordery, R.J.; Godbolt, A.; Rossor, M.N.; MacManus, D.G.; Collinge, J.

    2006-01-01

    Inherited prion diseases are caused by mutations in the gene which codes for prion protein (PrP), leading to proliferation of abnormal PrP isomers in the brain and neurodegeneration; they include Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD). We studied two patients with symptomatic inherited prion disease (P102L) and two pre-symptomatic P102L gene carriers using quantitative magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Short echo time spectra were acquired from the thalamus, caudate region and frontal white matter, metabolite levels and ratios were measured and z-scores calculated for individual patients relative to age-matched normal controls. MRS data were compared with structural magnetic resonance imaging. One fCJD case had generalised atrophy and showed increased levels of myo-inositol (MI) in the thalamus (z=3.7). The other had decreased levels of N-acetylaspartate (z=4) and diffuse signal abnormality in the frontal white matter. Both asymptomatic gene carriers had normal imaging, but increased frontal white matter MI (z=4.3, 4.1), and one also had increased MI in the caudate (z=5.3). Isolated MI abnormalities in asymptomatic gene carriers are a novel finding and may reflect early glial proliferation, prior to significant neuronal damage. MRS provides potential non-invasive surrogate markers of early disease and progression in inherited prion disease. (orig.)

  2. Prions and neuro degenerative diseases

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    2011-03-28

    Mar 28, 2011 ... scrapie (a fatal disease of sheep and goats), mad cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, fatal familial insomnia, kuru .... The scrapie agent is extremely resistant to heat ... movement, or the stress of handling, the animal may.

  3. The diagnostic efficiency of biomarkers in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease compared to Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bahl, J.M.; Heegaard, N.H.; Falkenhorst, G.

    2009-01-01

    ) together with the prion protein gene genotype to discriminate patients with sCJD (n=21) from neurological controls (n=164) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (n=49). Low p-tau/t-tau ratio was the best single marker for sCJD with 90% specificity against neurological controls at 86% sensitivity whilst NSE...

  4. R3-R4 deletion in the PRNP gene is associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cervenakova, L.; Brown, P.; Nagle, J. [and others

    1994-09-01

    There are conflicting reports on the association of deletions in the PRNP gene on chromosome 20 with CJD, a rapidly progressive fatal spongiform encephalopathy. We accumulated data suggesting that a deletion of R3-R4 type (parts of the third and fourth repeats are deleted from the area of four repeating 24 bp sequences in the 5{prime} region of the gene) is causing CJD. Screening of 129 unaffected control individuals demonstrated presence of a deletion of R2 type in four (1.55% of the studied chromosomes), but none of them had the R3-R4 type. Of 181 screened patients with spongiform encephalopathies, two had a deletion of R3-R4 type with no other mutations in the coding sequence. Both patients had a classical rapidly progressive dementing disease and diffuse spongiform degeneration, and both cases were apparently sporadic. The same R3-R4 type of deletion was detected in three additional neuropathologically confirmed spongiform encephalopathy patients, of which two had other known pathogenic mutations in the PRNP gene: at codon 178 on the methionine allele exhibiting the phenotype of fatal familial insomnia, and codon 200 causing CJD with severe dementia; the third was a patient with iatrogenic CJD who developed the disease after treatment with growth hormone extracted from cadaveric human pituitary glands. In all cases the deletion coincided with a variant sequence at position 129 coding for methionine.

  5. Jakob Nielsen and His Contributions to Topology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

    1999-01-01

    The Danish mathematician Jakob Nielsen won international recognition as one of the developers of combinatorial group theory and the topology of surfaces. This article describes the life and work of Jakob Nielsen with emphasis on his contributions to topology.......The Danish mathematician Jakob Nielsen won international recognition as one of the developers of combinatorial group theory and the topology of surfaces. This article describes the life and work of Jakob Nielsen with emphasis on his contributions to topology....

  6. Jakob Nielsen and his Contributions to Topology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Vagn Lundsgaard

    1996-01-01

    The Danish mathematician Jakob Nielsen won international recognitionas one of the developers of combinatiorial group theory and the topologyof surfaces. This article describes the life and work of Jakob Nielsenwith emphasis on his contributions to topology.The biography is to be included in the b......The Danish mathematician Jakob Nielsen won international recognitionas one of the developers of combinatiorial group theory and the topologyof surfaces. This article describes the life and work of Jakob Nielsenwith emphasis on his contributions to topology.The biography is to be included...

  7. Prion disease. The characteristics and diagnostic points in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanjo, Nobuo; Mizusawa, Hidehiro

    2010-01-01

    Prion disease develops when normal prion proteins change into transmissible abnormal prion proteins and the converted proteins accumulate in the brain. The Japanese Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Surveillance Committee has identified 1,320 patients with prion diseases in the 10 years since 1999 (classified into 3 types: sporadic, 77.2%; hereditary, 16.7%; and environmentally acquired, 6.1%). Compared with patients in other countries, a relatively larger number of Japanese patients characteristically have dura mater graft-associated CJD and hereditary prion diseases. All the environmentally acquired cases, except 1 case of variant CJD, were acquired from dura grafts. Although most patients were diagnosed with a classical subtype of sporadic CJD (sCJD), whose features include rapidly progressing dementia, myoclonus, hyperintensity in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, and periodic synchronous discharge in electroencephalography, the number of cases with atypical symptoms, such as MM2 (0.8%), MV2 (0.2%), VV1 (0%), and VV2 (0.2%) subtypes of sCJD cases, was not negligible. Appropriate diagnosis should be made based on clinical features, neuroradiological findings, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings (14-3-3 and total tau proteins), and genetic analysis of polymorphisms. Hereditary prion diseases are classified into 3 major phenotypes: familial CJD (fCJD); Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), which mainly presents as spinocerebellar ataxia; and fatal familial insomnia. Many mutations of the prion protein gene have been identified, but V1801 (fCJD), P102L (GSS), and E200K (fCJD) mutations were the most common among the fCJD cases in Japan. Without a family history, genetic testing is necessary to distinguish even seemingly ''sporadic'' CJD from fCJD. Accurate diagnosis is important for clarification of the pathological process, prevention of secondary infection, and also psychological support. (author)

  8. Molecular pathogenesis of sporadic prion diseases in man

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safar, Jiri G.

    2012-01-01

    The yeast, fungal and mammalian prions determine heritable and infectious traits that are encoded in alternative conformations of proteins. They cause lethal sporadic, familial and infectious neurodegenerative conditions in man, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), kuru, sporadic fatal insomnia (SFI) and likely variable protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr). The most prevalent of human prion diseases is sporadic (s)CJD. Recent advances in amplification and detection of prions led to considerable optimism that early and possibly preclinical diagnosis and therapy might become a reality. Although several drugs have already been tested in small numbers of sCJD patients, there is no clear evidence of any agent’s efficacy. Therefore, it remains crucial to determine the full spectrum of sCJD prion strains and the conformational features in the pathogenic human prion protein governing replication of sCJD prions. Research in this direction is essential for the rational development of diagnostic as well as therapeutic strategies. Moreover, there is growing recognition that fundamental processes involved in human prion propagation – intercellular induction of protein misfolding and seeded aggregation of misfolded host proteins – are of far wider significance. This insight leads to new avenues of research in the ever-widening spectrum of age-related human neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by protein misfolding and that pose a major challenge for healthcare. PMID:22421210

  9. Phosphatidylinositol-glycan-phospholipase D is involved in neurodegeneration in prion disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae-Kwang Jin

    Full Text Available PrPSc is formed from a normal glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI-anchored prion protein (PrPC by a posttranslational modification. Most GPI-anchored proteins have been shown to be cleaved by GPI phospholipases. Recently, GPI-phospholipase D (GPI-PLD was shown to be a strictly specific enzyme for GPI anchors. To investigate the involvement of GPI-PLD in the processes of neurodegeneration in prion diseases, we examined the mRNA and protein expression levels of GPI-PLD in the brains of a prion animal model (scrapie, and in both the brains and cerebrospinal fluids (CSF of sporadic and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD patients. We found that compared with controls, the expression of GPI-PLD was dramatically down-regulated in the brains of scrapie-infected mice, especially in the caveolin-enriched membrane fractions. Interestingly, the observed decrease in GPI-PLD expression levels began at the same time that PrPSc began to accumulate in the infected brains and this decrease was also observed in both the brain and CSF of CJD patients; however, no differences in expression were observed in either the brains or CSF specimens from Alzheimer's disease patients. Taken together, these results suggest that the down-regulation of GPI-PLD protein may be involved in prion propagation in the brains of prion diseases.

  10. Enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob: hallazgos clínicos, electroencefalográficos, imagenológicos y de patología

    OpenAIRE

    Díaz Martínez, Juan Carlos; Yuri, Takeuchi Tan

    2010-01-01

    Éste artículo hace parte de: Acta Neurológica Colombianana Vol. 24 No. 3 SEPTIEMBRE 2008 La enfermedad de Creutzfeld-Jakob (ECJ) hace parte de un grupo de enfermedades transmisibles que se caracterizan por la presencia de encefalopatía espongiforme, donde también se encuentran el kuru, el síndrome Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker, y el insomnio fatal familiar. De ellas, la más común es la ECJ (representando aproximadamente el 85 por ciento de casos de encefalopatías espongiformes), con una i...

  11. The expanding universe of prion diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Joel C; Balachandran, Aru; Westaway, David

    2006-03-01

    Prions cause fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disease. These etiological infectious agents are formed in greater part from a misfolded cell-surface protein called PrP(C). Several mammalian species are affected by the diseases, and in the case of "mad cow disease" (BSE) the agent has a tropism for humans, with negative consequences for agribusiness and public health. Unfortunately, the known universe of prion diseases is expanding. At least four novel prion diseases--including human diseases variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI), bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy (BASE), and Nor98 of sheep--have been identified in the last ten years, and chronic wasting disease (CWD) of North American deer (Odocoileus Specis) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) is undergoing a dramatic spread across North America. While amplification (BSE) and dissemination (CWD, commercial sourcing of cervids from the wild and movement of farmed elk) can be attributed to human activity, the origins of emergent prion diseases cannot always be laid at the door of humankind. Instead, the continued appearance of new outbreaks in the form of "sporadic" disease may be an inevitable outcome in a situation where the replicating pathogen is host-encoded.

  12. Presence of voltage-gated potassium channel complex antibody in a case of genetic prion disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jammoul, Adham; Lederman, Richard J; Tavee, Jinny; Li, Yuebing

    2014-06-05

    Voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibody-mediated encephalitis is a recently recognised entity which has been reported to mimic the clinical presentation of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Testing for the presence of this neuronal surface autoantibody in patients presenting with subacute encephalopathy is therefore crucial as it may both revoke the bleak diagnosis of prion disease and allow institution of potentially life-saving immunotherapy. Tempering this optimistic view is the rare instance when a positive VGKC complex antibody titre occurs in a definite case of prion disease. We present a pathologically and genetically confirmed case of CJD with elevated serum VGKC complex antibody titres. This case highlights the importance of interpreting the result of a positive VGKC complex antibody with caution and in the context of the overall clinical manifestation. 2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

  13. Jakob Johannes Sederholm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eklund, O.; Korsman, K.; Scheinin, B.

    2010-05-01

    Jakob Johannes Sederholm (1863-1934) was one of the more influential pioneers in Precambrian geology having introduced some fundamental insights and concepts which are still relevant today. Towards the end of the 19th century, he demonstrated how the principle of actualism can be applied to Precambrian terranes, while during the early part of the 20th century he undertook detailed studies on deformed magmatic rocks, both defining and interpreting the enigmatic mixed rocks now known as migmatites. He acted as the head of the Geological Survey of Finland for 40 years, which developed under his leadership into a modern progressive and versatile research organization. In addition, Sederholm also served as a diplomat with a number of international assignments, including appointments with the League of Nations in missions in Albania and a supervisory role relating to sovereignty and autonomy issues in the Åland Island. Several mountains in Greenland have been named after him and his family, and he was also appointed as honorary chief of two Indian tribes in Canada. To understand the driving forces behind a man of his kind, we focus here on Sederholm the person and some of the social and cultural background that influenced his career. This text is based on the book, published in Swedish, entitled "Jakob Johannes Sederholm, Geolog, humanist och sanningssökare" (Scheinin and Korsman, 2007), and an interview with J.J. Sederholm's granddaughter Barbro Scheinin by Eklund (2008). Other references are marked in the text. The first author is responsible for all translations from Swedish, Norwegian, German and Finnish.

  14. Observance of Sterilization Protocol Guideline Procedures of Critical Instruments for Preventing Iatrogenic Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in Dental Practice in France, 2017

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denis Bourgeois

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Effective sterilization of reusable instruments contaminated by Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in dental care is a crucial issue for public health. The present cross-sectional study investigated how the recommended procedures for sterilization were implemented by French dental practices in real-world settings. A sample of dental practices was selected in the French Rhône-Alpes region. Data were collected by a self-questionnaire in 2016. Sterilization procedures (n = 33 were classified into 4 groups: (1 Pre-sterilization cleaning of reusable instruments; (2 Biological verification of sterilization cycles—Monitoring steam sterilization procedures; (3 Autoclave performance and practitioner knowledge of autoclave use; (4 Monitoring and documentation of sterilization procedures—Tracking and tracing the instrumentation. Answers were provided per procedure, along with the global implementation of procedures within a group (over 80% correctly performed. Then it was verified how adherence to procedure groups varied with the size of the dental practice and the proportion of dental assistants within the team. Among the 179 questionnaires available for the analyses, adherence to the recommended procedures of sterilization noticeably varied between practices, from 20.7% to 82.6%. The median percentages of procedures correctly implemented per practice were 58.1%, 50.9%, 69.2% and 58.2%, in Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively (corresponding percentages for performing over 80% of the procedures in the group: 23.4%, 6.6%, 46.6% and 38.6%. Dental practices ≥ 3 dental units performed significantly better (>80% procedures of Groups 2 and 4 (p = 0.01 and p = 0.002, respectively, while no other significant associations emerged. As a rule, practices complied poorly with the recommended procedures, despite partially improved results in bigger practices. Specific training regarding sterilization procedures and a better understanding of the reasons leading to their

  15. EEG–EMG polygraphic study of dystonia and myoclonus in a case of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takao Hashimoto

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We report on a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD who showed dystonia, periodic myoclonus, and periodic sharp wave complexes (PSWCs on EEG. The EEG–EMG polygraphic study revealed that dystonia appeared without relation to periodic myoclonus and PSWCs and that dystonia EMGs were strongly suppressed after periodic myoclonus EMGs. These findings suggest that dystonia has a pathogenesis different from that of periodic myoclonus and PSWCs, but dystonia and periodic myoclonus may be generated through the sensorimotor cortex in CJD.

  16. South-East Asia bovine populations and the Japanese cattle breeds do not harbour the E211K variant of the PRNP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George Msalya

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available An important outcome of intensive worldwide Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE obtained with the surveillance by The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/figures. htm, has been the detection of atypical BSE in cattle. The discovery of a prion protein gene (PRNP E211K variant in an atypical BSE case is particularly remarkable because it is analogous to the most common pathogenic mutation in humans (E200K, which causes hereditary Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. Knowledge of the distribution and frequency of PRNP E211K variants in cattle populations is critical for understanding and managing atypical BSE. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of the E211K variant in the South-East Asia bovine populations and in the Japanese cattle breeds. It was discovered that E211K variant was monomorphic for a G allele and the GG genotype in the 745 animals analyzed in this study. Therefore, neither the Bos indicus nor the Bos taurus animals analyzed are presently known to harbor the 211K variant predicting that the number of carriers for this variant will also be vanishingly low.

  17. Singled out?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waller, Frank

    2004-03-01

    The increasing use of single use medical devices is being driven by a growing awareness of iatrogenic (from the Greek; caused by the doctor) and nosocomial infections. Public health perceptions relating to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, specifically variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B are high on the political agenda and a matter of concern to healthcare professionals.

  18. Co-existence of Distinct Prion Types Enables Conformational Evolution of Human PrPSc by Competitive Selection*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haldiman, Tracy; Kim, Chae; Cohen, Yvonne; Chen, Wei; Blevins, Janis; Qing, Liuting; Cohen, Mark L.; Langeveld, Jan; Telling, Glenn C.; Kong, Qingzhong; Safar, Jiri G.

    2013-01-01

    The unique phenotypic characteristics of mammalian prions are thought to be encoded in the conformation of pathogenic prion proteins (PrPSc). The molecular mechanism responsible for the adaptation, mutation, and evolution of prions observed in cloned cells and upon crossing the species barrier remains unsolved. Using biophysical techniques and conformation-dependent immunoassays in tandem, we isolated two distinct populations of PrPSc particles with different conformational stabilities and aggregate sizes, which frequently co-exist in the most common human prion disease, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The protein misfolding cyclic amplification replicates each of the PrPSc particle types independently and leads to the competitive selection of those with lower initial conformational stability. In serial propagation with a nonglycosylated mutant PrPC substrate, the dominant PrPSc conformers are subject to further evolution by natural selection of the subpopulation with the highest replication rate due to its lowest stability. Cumulatively, the data show that sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease PrPSc is not a single conformational entity but a dynamic collection of two distinct populations of particles. This implies the co-existence of different prions, whose adaptation and evolution are governed by the selection of progressively less stable, faster replicating PrPSc conformers. PMID:23974118

  19. Genetic human prion disease modelled in PrP transgenic Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thackray, Alana M; Cardova, Alzbeta; Wolf, Hanna; Pradl, Lydia; Vorberg, Ina; Jackson, Walker S; Bujdoso, Raymond

    2017-09-20

    Inherited human prion diseases, such as fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD), are associated with autosomal dominant mutations in the human prion protein gene PRNP and accumulation of PrP Sc , an abnormal isomer of the normal host protein PrP C , in the brain of affected individuals. PrP Sc is the principal component of the transmissible neurotoxic prion agent. It is important to identify molecular pathways and cellular processes that regulate prion formation and prion-induced neurotoxicity. This will allow identification of possible therapeutic interventions for individuals with, or at risk from, genetic human prion disease. Increasingly, Drosophila has been used to model human neurodegenerative disease. An important unanswered question is whether genetic prion disease with concomitant spontaneous prion formation can be modelled in Drosophila We have used pUAST/PhiC31-mediated site-directed mutagenesis to generate Drosophila transgenic for murine or hamster PrP (prion protein) that carry single-codon mutations associated with genetic human prion disease. Mouse or hamster PrP harbouring an FFI (D178N) or fCJD (E200K) mutation showed mild Proteinase K resistance when expressed in Drosophila Adult Drosophila transgenic for FFI or fCJD variants of mouse or hamster PrP displayed a spontaneous decline in locomotor ability that increased in severity as the flies aged. Significantly, this mutant PrP-mediated neurotoxic fly phenotype was transferable to recipient Drosophila that expressed the wild-type form of the transgene. Collectively, our novel data are indicative of the spontaneous formation of a PrP-dependent neurotoxic phenotype in FFI- or CJD-PrP transgenic Drosophila and show that inherited human prion disease can be modelled in this invertebrate host. © 2017 The Author(s).

  20. Etiologic and diagnostic facets of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: The effect of genes and environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P.J. Sánchez-Juan

    2007-01-01

    textabstractTransmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases constitute a fascinating group of neurological disorders. In spite of their rarity, their unique etiopathological mechanisms and epidemiological aspects have attracted a considerable number of researchers. This

  1. The expanding universe of prion diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Prions cause fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disease. These etiological infectious agents are formed in greater part from a misfolded cell-surface protein called PrP(C. Several mammalian species are affected by the diseases, and in the case of "mad cow disease" (BSE the agent has a tropism for humans, with negative consequences for agribusiness and public health. Unfortunately, the known universe of prion diseases is expanding. At least four novel prion diseases-including human diseases variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD and sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI, bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy (BASE, and Nor98 of sheep-have been identified in the last ten years, and chronic wasting disease (CWD of North American deer (Odocoileus Specis and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni is undergoing a dramatic spread across North America. While amplification (BSE and dissemination (CWD, commercial sourcing of cervids from the wild and movement of farmed elk can be attributed to human activity, the origins of emergent prion diseases cannot always be laid at the door of humankind. Instead, the continued appearance of new outbreaks in the form of "sporadic" disease may be an inevitable outcome in a situation where the replicating pathogen is host-encoded.

  2. The expanding universe of prion diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel C Watts

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Prions cause fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative disease. These etiological infectious agents are formed in greater part from a misfolded cell-surface protein called PrP(C. Several mammalian species are affected by the diseases, and in the case of "mad cow disease" (BSE the agent has a tropism for humans, with negative consequences for agribusiness and public health. Unfortunately, the known universe of prion diseases is expanding. At least four novel prion diseases--including human diseases variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD and sporadic fatal insomnia (sFI, bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy (BASE, and Nor98 of sheep--have been identified in the last ten years, and chronic wasting disease (CWD of North American deer (Odocoileus Specis and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni is undergoing a dramatic spread across North America. While amplification (BSE and dissemination (CWD, commercial sourcing of cervids from the wild and movement of farmed elk can be attributed to human activity, the origins of emergent prion diseases cannot always be laid at the door of humankind. Instead, the continued appearance of new outbreaks in the form of "sporadic" disease may be an inevitable outcome in a situation where the replicating pathogen is host-encoded.

  3. A novel PRNP Y218N mutation in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease with neurofibrillary degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alzualde, Ainhoa; Indakoetxea, Begoña; Ferrer, Isidre; Moreno, Fermin; Barandiaran, Myriam; Gorostidi, Ana; Estanga, Ainara; Ruiz, Irune; Calero, Miguel; van Leeuwen, Fred W; Atares, Begoña; Juste, Ramón; Rodriguez-Martínez, Ana Belén; López de Munain, Adolfo

    2010-08-01

    Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker (GSS) disease is a prion disease associated with prion protein gene (PRNP) mutations. We report a novel PRNP mutation (Y218N) associated with GSS disease in a pathologically confirmed case and in two other affected family members. The clinical features of these cases met criteria for possible Alzheimer disease and possible frontotemporal dementia. Neuropathologic analysis revealed deposition of proteinase K-resistant prion protein (PrP(res)), widespread hyperphosphorylated tau pathology, abnormal accumulation of mitochondria in the vicinity of PrP deposits, and expression of mutant ubiquitin (UBB(+1)) in neurofibrillary tangles and dystrophic neurites. Prion protein immunoblotting using 3F4 and 1E4 antibodies disclosed multiple bands ranging from approximately 20 kd to 80 kd and lower bands of 15 kd and approximately 10 kd, the latter only seen after a long incubation. These bands were partially resistant to proteinase K pretreatment. This pattern differs from those seen in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease andresembles those reported in other GSS cases. The approximately 10kd band was recognized with anti-PrP C-terminus antibodies but not with anti-N terminus antibodies, suggesting PrP truncation at the N terminal. This new mutation extends the list of known mutations responsible for GSS disease and reinforces its clinical heterogeneity. Genetic examination of the PRNP gene should be included in the workup of patients with poorly classifiable dementia.

  4. Mad Cows and CJD A Physicist's View of Prion Brain Diseases

    CERN Document Server

    Morrison, Douglas Robert Ogston

    1997-01-01

    The research of Carleton Gajdusek on a stone-age tribe in Papua New Guinea, who suffered from a mysterious disease, kuru, spread by cannibalism, is described and short extracts from his films will be shown. Some deaths from kuru are still occuring after 45 years. This disease is believed to be caused by an entirely new mechanism, not a virus or bacteria, but by a small molecule known as a prion that occurs naturally in many living forms. The Prion Only hypothesis of Stan Prusiner is discussed critically. It has been calculated that 900,000 cows in Britain had the Mad Cow disease, BSE, but most were slaughtered before symptoms were recognised. This epidemic started with 10 cases in the first year, and finally 160,000 were officially classified as having BSE; it is now slowly dying out. The human epidemic, caused by a new version of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, nvCJD, affects mainly young people, has just begun with 10 cases in the first year. The average incubation time may be about 14 years then death follows i...

  5. Jakob Narkiewicz-Jodko-Tesla ``Predecessor''

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuilov, Vladimir; Kiselev, Vladimir

    2014-03-01

    Prof. Jakob Narkiewicz-Jodko (1947-1905) is a bright figure in the history of science of the XIXth century. His major discoveries are: Electrography - the method of the visualization of electric discharge from the bodies due to the application of high strength and high frequency electric fields, and one of the first observations of the propagation of the electromagnetic waives and information transfer over the distances. We review Prof. Jakob Narkiewicz-Jodko's research results and explain our point why we consider him as the predecessor of Nikola Tesla.

  6. Involvement of the endosomal-lysosomal system correlates with regional pathology in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kovács, Gábor G; Gelpi, Ellen; Ströbel, Thomas

    2007-01-01

    The endosomal-lysosomal system (ELS) has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine how experimental observations can be translated to human neuropathology and whether alterations of the ELS relate to neuropathologic changes...... correlate with regional pathology. Overloading of this system might impair the function of lysosomal enzymes and thus may mimic some features of lysosomal storage disorders. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Jul...

  7. Isoprostanes and Neuroprostanes as Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Miller

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Accumulating data shows that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative disorders. The literature data indicate that in vivo or postmortem cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue levels of F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs especially F4-neuroprotanes (F4-NPs are significantly increased in some neurodegenerative diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Central nervous system is the most metabolically active organ of the body characterized by high requirement for oxygen and relatively low antioxidative activity, what makes neurons and glia highly susceptible to destruction by reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and neurodegeneration. The discovery of F2-IsoPs and F4-NPs as markers of lipid peroxidation caused by the free radicals has opened up new areas of investigation regarding the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on the relationship between F2-IsoPs and F4-NPs as biomarkers of oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases. We summarize the knowledge of these novel biomarkers of oxidative stress and the advantages of monitoring their formation to better define the involvement of oxidative stress in neurological diseases.

  8. Antithyroideaantistof hos to patienter med subakut dementiel udvikling, ataksi og myoklonus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kondziella, Daniel; Hansen, Klaus; Gonzalez, Teresa

    2012-01-01

    Hashimoto encephalitis (HE) is a steroid-responsive autoimmune encephalitis with anti-thyroid antibodies; Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a prion disease. Both disorders can have a similar clinical presentation. Two women, 67 and 63 year-old, with subacute dementia, ataxia, myoclonus...... and positive antithyroid antibodies were given oral steroids. Whereas one progressively declined and had histopathologically proven CJD, the other made a complete recovery and was diagnosed with HE. Anti-thyroid antibodies can occur in CJD, but when present in a patient with subacute dementia, ataxia...

  9. The human prion diseases. A review with special emphasis on new variant CJD and comments on surveillance.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Keohane, C

    2012-02-03

    The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases represent a new group of diseases with unique clinical and neuropathological features, the transmission of which is both genetic and infectious. The responsible agent is unconventional and appears to be largely composed of a glycoprotein, the prion protein PrP. This is normally present on different cells. In prion diseases, it becomes converted to the pathogenic form PrPres which is resistant to proteinase and accumulates within the brain and this process is accompanied by the development of spongiform change, gliosis and neuronal loss. The human prion diseases include Kuru a progressive cerebellar degeneration with late dementia affecting Fore tribes in New-Guinea, now almost extinct, regarded as being related to cannibalism. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is the more frequent human prion disease. Its incidence is approximately one case per million per year. Four variants are now recognized: sporadic, familial, iatrogenic and the new variant. The latter represents a distinct clinico-pathological entity. It is now widely accepted that it is due to the same agent responsible for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in cattle. Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease is a very rare inherited disorder due to a number of different mutations in the PRP gene, characterized by abundant deposits of plaque PrPres in the cerebral grey matter. Fatal familial insomnia is another inherited disorder due to a mutation at codon 178 of the PRP gene associated with methionine on codon 129 of the mutant allele. The main neuropathological change is neuronal loss in the thalamus with little or no spongiosis and usually no PrPres deposition. Following the emergence of new variant CJD in 1996, surveillance of all forms of prion diseases has been now been actively introduced in many European nations in order to determine the true incidence and geographic distribution of these rare disorders in humans.

  10. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging - a new instrument in the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jacob's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romi, Fredrik; Smivoll, Alf Inge; Moerk, Sverre; Tysnes, Ole-Bjoern

    2000-01-01

    Creutzfeldt-Jacob's disease (CID) is characterised by rapidly progressive dementia, ataxia, myoclonus and several other neurological deficits. It generally affects older adults and occurs in sporadic, genetic and iatrogenic forms. Death occurs usually within one year after onset of the disease. The diagnosis is based on clinical criteria, neuro physiological and radiological findings and confirmed by post mortal histopathology. During the last two years several cases of CID have been reported with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MR) abnormalities represented by increased signal intensity indicating reduced diffusion in basal ganglia and/or cortex cerebric. These abnormalities seem to be characteristic of CID. We report a case of CID in a 54 year old woman who developed vertigo, nystagmus, ataxia, myoclonus and dementia over a period of eight months. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed increased signal intensity in corpus striatum and gyrus conguli. The diagnosis was post mortally confirmed with histopathology. (Author) 7 figs., 15 refs

  11. Purification and Fibrillation of Full-Length Recombinant PrP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makarava, Natallia; Savtchenko, Regina; Baskakov, Ilia V

    2017-01-01

    Misfolding and aggregation of prion protein are related to several neurodegenerative diseases in humans such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia, and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease. A growing number of applications in the prion field including assays for detection of PrP Sc and methods for production of PrP Sc de novo require recombinant prion protein (PrP) of high purity and quality. Here, we report an experimental procedure for expression and purification of full-length mammalian prion protein. This protocol has been proved to yield PrP of extremely high purity that lacks PrP adducts, oxidative modifications, or truncation, which is typically generated as a result of spontaneous oxidation or degradation. We also describe methods for preparation of amyloid fibrils from recombinant PrP in vitro. Recombinant PrP fibrils can be used as a noninfectious synthetic surrogate of PrP Sc for development of prion diagnostics including generation of PrP Sc -specific antibody.

  12. Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease with cerebellar ataxia at onset in the UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, S A; Murray, K L; Heath, C A; Will, R G; Knight, R S G

    2006-01-01

    Objective To determine the frequency, in the UK, of sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease (sCJD) with a cerebellar ataxic onset, and to describe the clinical features of the syndrome. Methods A retrospective review of autopsy‐proved cases of sCJD cases in the UK, 1990–2005, identifying those presenting with cerebellar features without early cognitive decline. Results 29 of 618 (5%) patients with sCJD had an isolated cerebellar onset. Mean illness duration was 9 months. Subsequently, 21 (72%) developed myoclonus and 23 (79%) developed pyramidal features. Magnetic resonance imaging showed high signal in the basal ganglia in 11 of 14 (79%) patients. 7 of 15 (47%) patients were valine homozygotic at prion protein gene (PRNP)‐129. Only 8 (28%) cases were referred to the surveillance unit after death. Conclusion A better definition of sCJD presenting with an isolated cerebellar syndrome might improve future case recognition and contribute to the determination of its cause. PMID:16835290

  13. Chronic wasting disease and atypical forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie are not transmissible to mice expressing wild-type levels of human prion protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Rona; Plinston, Chris; Hunter, Nora; Casalone, Cristina; Corona, Cristiano; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Suardi, Silvia; Ruggerone, Margherita; Moda, Fabio; Graziano, Silvia; Sbriccoli, Marco; Cardone, Franco; Pocchiari, Maurizio; Ingrosso, Loredana; Baron, Thierry; Richt, Juergen; Andreoletti, Olivier; Simmons, Marion; Lockey, Richard; Manson, Jean C; Barron, Rona M

    2012-07-01

    The association between bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) has demonstrated that cattle transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) can pose a risk to human health and raises the possibility that other ruminant TSEs may be transmissible to humans. In recent years, several novel TSEs in sheep, cattle and deer have been described and the risk posed to humans by these agents is currently unknown. In this study, we inoculated two forms of atypical BSE (BASE and H-type BSE), a chronic wasting disease (CWD) isolate and seven isolates of atypical scrapie into gene-targeted transgenic (Tg) mice expressing the human prion protein (PrP). Upon challenge with these ruminant TSEs, gene-targeted Tg mice expressing human PrP did not show any signs of disease pathology. These data strongly suggest the presence of a substantial transmission barrier between these recently identified ruminant TSEs and humans.

  14. Quantitative Risk Assessment of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsutsui, Toshiyuki; Kasuga, Fumiko

    Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive neurological disease of cattle affecting the central nervous system and was first diagnosed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1986 (Wells et al., 1987). This disease is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) which includes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans and scrapie in sheep. The causative agent of TSE is considered to be an abnormal form of prion protein. However, the details of its pathogenic mechanism have not been fully identified. Scrapie, which causes neurological symptoms in sheep and goats, has existed in the UK for 200 years (Hoinville, 1996) and spread across the rest of the world in the 1900s (Detwiler & Baylis, 2003). There has been no report so far that scrapie can be transmitted to humans. Initially, BSE was also considered as a disease affecting only animals. However, a variant type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) was first reported in the UK, and exposure to a BSE agent was suspected (Collinge, Sidle, Meads, Ironside, & Hill, 1996). vCJD is clinically and pathologically different from the sporadic type of CJD, and age at clinical onset of vCJD is younger than sporadic type (Will et al., 1996). Since the UK government announced the possible association between BSE and vCJD in 1996, BSE has become a huge public health concern all over the world. Of particular concern about vCJD, the fatal disease in younger age, distorted consumer confidence in beef safety, and as a result reduced beef consumption has been seen in many BSE-affected countries.

  15. Studies of the aggregation of mutant proteins in vitro provide insights into the genetics of amyloid diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiti, Fabrizio; Calamai, Martino; Taddei, Niccolo; Stefani, Massimo; Ramponi, Giampietro; Dobson, Christopher M

    2002-12-10

    Protein aggregation and the formation of highly insoluble amyloid structures is associated with a range of debilitating human conditions, which include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Muscle acylphosphatase (AcP) has already provided significant insights into mutational changes that modulate amyloid formation. In the present paper, we have used this system to investigate the effects of mutations that modify the charge state of a protein without affecting significantly the hydrophobicity or secondary structural propensities of the polypeptide chain. A highly significant inverse correlation was found to exist between the rates of aggregation of the protein variants under denaturing conditions and their overall net charge. This result indicates that aggregation is generally favored by mutations that bring the net charge of the protein closer to neutrality. In light of this finding, we have analyzed natural mutations associated with familial forms of amyloid diseases that involve alteration of the net charge of the proteins or protein fragments associated with the diseases. Sixteen mutations have been identified for which the mechanism of action that causes the pathological condition is not yet known or fully understood. Remarkably, 14 of these 16 mutations cause the net charge of the corresponding peptide or protein that converts into amyloid deposits to be reduced. This result suggests that charge has been a key parameter in molecular evolution to ensure the avoidance of protein aggregation and identifies reduction of the net charge as an important determinant in at least some forms of protein deposition diseases.

  16. Jakob Martin Strid, Little Frog

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skyggebjerg, Anna Karlskov

    2008-01-01

    En præsentation af Jakob Martins Strids billedbog Lille frø (2005). Bogen fungerer som et eksempel på en nyere billedbog, der indskriver sig i en dansk/nordisk traditionen af antiautoritære og nonsensprægede fortællinger med oprør mod forældre og samfundsinstitutioner.......En præsentation af Jakob Martins Strids billedbog Lille frø (2005). Bogen fungerer som et eksempel på en nyere billedbog, der indskriver sig i en dansk/nordisk traditionen af antiautoritære og nonsensprægede fortællinger med oprør mod forældre og samfundsinstitutioner....

  17. Region-specific protein misfolding cyclic amplification reproduces brain tropism of prion strains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Privat, Nicolas; Levavasseur, Etienne; Yildirim, Serfildan; Hannaoui, Samia; Brandel, Jean-Philippe; Laplanche, Jean-Louis; Béringue, Vincent; Seilhean, Danielle; Haïk, Stéphane

    2017-10-06

    Human prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are transmissible brain proteinopathies, characterized by the accumulation of a misfolded isoform of the host cellular prion protein (PrP) in the brain. According to the prion model, prions are defined as proteinaceous infectious particles composed solely of this abnormal isoform of PrP (PrP Sc ). Even in the absence of genetic material, various prion strains can be propagated in experimental models. They can be distinguished by the pattern of disease they produce and especially by the localization of PrP Sc deposits within the brain and the spongiform lesions they induce. The mechanisms involved in this strain-specific targeting of distinct brain regions still are a fundamental, unresolved question in prion research. To address this question, we exploited a prion conversion in vitro assay, protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA), by using experimental scrapie and human prion strains as seeds and specific brain regions from mice and humans as substrates. We show here that region-specific PMCA in part reproduces the specific brain targeting observed in experimental, acquired, and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases. Furthermore, we provide evidence that, in addition to cellular prion protein, other region- and species-specific molecular factors influence the strain-dependent prion conversion process. This important step toward understanding prion strain propagation in the human brain may impact research on the molecular factors involved in protein misfolding and the development of ultrasensitive methods for diagnosing prion disease. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  18. Olfactory Receptors in Non-Chemosensory Organs: The Nervous System in Health and Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, Isidro; Garcia-Esparcia, Paula; Carmona, Margarita; Carro, Eva; Aronica, Eleonora; Kovacs, Gabor G; Grison, Alice; Gustincich, Stefano

    2016-01-01

    Olfactory receptors (ORs) and down-stream functional signaling molecules adenylyl cyclase 3 (AC3), olfactory G protein α subunit (Gαolf), OR transporters receptor transporter proteins 1 and 2 (RTP1 and RTP2), receptor expression enhancing protein 1 (REEP1), and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are expressed in neurons of the human and murine central nervous system (CNS). In vitro studies have shown that these receptors react to external stimuli and therefore are equipped to be functional. However, ORs are not directly related to the detection of odors. Several molecules delivered from the blood, cerebrospinal fluid, neighboring local neurons and glial cells, distant cells through the extracellular space, and the cells' own self-regulating internal homeostasis can be postulated as possible ligands. Moreover, a single neuron outside the olfactory epithelium expresses more than one receptor, and the mechanism of transcriptional regulation may be different in olfactory epithelia and brain neurons. OR gene expression is altered in several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) subtypes MM1 and VV2 with disease-, region- and subtype-specific patterns. Altered gene expression is also observed in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia with a major but not total influence of chlorpromazine treatment. Preliminary parallel observations have also shown the presence of taste receptors (TASRs), mainly of the bitter taste family, in the mammalian brain, whose function is not related to taste. TASRs in brain are also abnormally regulated in neurodegenerative diseases. These seminal observations point to the need for further studies on ORs and TASRs chemoreceptors in the mammalian brain.

  19. Ascertainment bias causes false signal of anticipation in genetic prion disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minikel, Eric Vallabh; Zerr, Inga; Collins, Steven J; Ponto, Claudia; Boyd, Alison; Klug, Genevieve; Karch, André; Kenny, Joanna; Collinge, John; Takada, Leonel T; Forner, Sven; Fong, Jamie C; Mead, Simon; Geschwind, Michael D

    2014-10-02

    Anticipation is the phenomenon whereby age of onset in genetic disease decreases in successive generations. Three independent reports have claimed anticipation in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) caused by the c.598G > A mutation in PRNP encoding a p.Glu200Lys (E200K) substitution in the prion protein. If confirmed, this finding would carry clear implications for genetic counseling. We analyzed pedigrees with this mutation from four prion centers worldwide (n = 217 individuals with the mutation) to analyze age of onset and death in affected and censored individuals. We show through simulation that selective ascertainment of individuals whose onset falls within the historical window since the mutation's 1989 discovery is sufficient to create robust false signals both of anticipation and of heritability of age of onset. In our data set, the number of years of anticipation observed depends upon how strictly the data are limited by the ascertainment window. Among individuals whose disease was directly observed at a study center, a 28-year difference between parent and child age of onset is observed (p = 0.002), but including individuals ascertained retrospectively through family history reduces this figure to 7 years (p = 0.005). Applying survival analysis to the most thoroughly ascertained subset of data eliminates the signal of anticipation. Moreover, even non-CJD deaths exhibit 16 years anticipation (p = 0.002), indicating that ascertainment bias can entirely explain observed anticipation. We suggest that reports of anticipation in genetic prion disease are driven entirely by ascertainment bias. Guidelines for future studies claiming statistical evidence for anticipation are suggested. Copyright © 2014 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Generalized cerebral atrophy seen on MRI in a naturally exposed animal model for creutzfeldt-jakob disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dasanu Constantin A

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Magnetic resonance imaging has been used in the diagnosis of human prion diseases such as sCJD and vCJD, but patients are scanned only when clinical signs appear, often at the late stage of disease. This study attempts to answer the questions "Could MRI detect prion diseases before clinical symptoms appear?, and if so, with what confidence?" Methods Scrapie, the prion disease of sheep, was chosen for the study because sheep can fit into a human sized MRI scanner (and there were no large animal MRI scanners at the time of this study, and because the USDA had, at the time of the study, a sizeable sample of scrapie exposed sheep, which we were able to use for this purpose. 111 genetically susceptible sheep that were naturally exposed to scrapie were used in this study. Results Our MRI findings revealed no clear, consistent hyperintense or hypointense signal changes in the brain on either clinically affected or asymptomatic positive animals on any sequence. However, in all 37 PrPSc positive sheep (28 asymptomatic and 9 symptomatic, there was a greater ventricle to cerebrum area ratio on MRI compared to 74 PrPSc negative sheep from the scrapie exposed flock and 6 control sheep from certified scrapie free flocks as defined by immunohistochemistry (IHC. Conclusions Our findings indicate that MRI imaging can detect diffuse cerebral atrophy in asymptomatic and symptomatic sheep infected with scrapie. Nine of these 37 positive sheep, including 2 one-year old animals, were PrPSc positive only in lymph tissues but PrPSc negative in the brain. This suggests either 1 that the cerebral atrophy/neuronal loss is not directly related to the accumulation of PrPSc within the brain or 2 that the amount of PrPSc in the brain is below the detectable limits of the utilized immunohistochemistry assay. The significance of these findings remains to be confirmed in human subjects with CJD.

  1. 25. juulil toimuvad kodukoha suurmehe Jakob Hurda 170. sünniaastapäeva pidustused

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Vill, Sirje

    2009-01-01

    Jakob Hurda 170. sünniaastapäeva tähistatakse traditsioonilise kultuuriretkega Jakob Hurdaga seotud paikadesse, autasustatakse õpilaste uurimustööde võitjaid ja teemaüritusel "Jakob Hurt 170" Põlva Kultuuri- ja Huvikeskuses antakse üle laureaatidele Hurda-nimelised kultuuriauhinnad

  2. Reflections on a half-century in the field of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Paul

    2009-01-01

    The subject of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy may properly be said to have begun with the experimental transmission of scrapie by Cuillé and Chelle in 1936, although Creutzfeldt and Jakob had described the disease that bears their names in 1920-21. Thirty more years passed before the human disease was also shown to be transmissible, in 1966, and the following half century has seen the field move from classical biology to molecular biology and genetics, and from 'slow virus' to host-encoded 'prion' protein. Because nothing is more important to the research scientist than the process of seeing a problem and devising ways of solving it, and because we live and die by our publications, as much care should be given to these vehicles of our work and reputations as to the research itself. Four aspects have been chosen for comment: authorship, abbreviations, data presentation, and references. In addition to the 'science of research' there are several 'para-scientific' activities that may be categorized as 'the politics of research', which include administrative duties, committees (e.g., scientific meetings, grant organizations), journal/book editing, peer reviewing, and public relations Many young scientists are either unaware or dismissive of the importance of these 'scientific distractions', but their potential for influencing the direction of a field of research becomes increasingly evident as careers unfold. They are subject to uses and abuses, and some guidance and examples are given by way of illustration, particular attention being paid to the process of manuscript review which, because of its anonymity, is the most vulnerable to abuse. As public and government interest in prions wanes in parallel with the disappearance of iatrogenic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the flow of money to sustain research is in evident jeopardy. With an uncertain future, it nevertheless seems possible that one of two things may breathe new life into the field: either

  3. Chitotriosidase (CHIT1) is increased in microglia and macrophages in spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cerebrospinal fluid levels correlate with disease severity and progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinacker, Petra; Verde, Federico; Fang, Lubin; Feneberg, Emily; Oeckl, Patrick; Roeber, Sigrun; Anderl-Straub, Sarah; Danek, Adrian; Diehl-Schmid, Janine; Fassbender, Klaus; Fliessbach, Klaus; Foerstl, Hans; Giese, Armin; Jahn, Holger; Kassubek, Jan; Kornhuber, Johannes; Landwehrmeyer, G Bernhard; Lauer, Martin; Pinkhardt, Elmar Hans; Prudlo, Johannes; Rosenbohm, Angela; Schneider, Anja; Schroeter, Matthias L; Tumani, Hayrettin; von Arnim, Christine A F; Weishaupt, Jochen; Weydt, Patrick; Ludolph, Albert C; Yilmazer Hanke, Deniz; Otto, Markus

    2018-03-01

    Neurochemical markers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that reflect underlying disease mechanisms might help in diagnosis, staging and prediction of outcome. We aimed at determining the origin and differential diagnostic and prognostic potential of the putative marker of microglial activation chitotriosidase (CHIT1). Altogether 316 patients were included, comprising patients with sporadic ALS, ALS mimics (disease controls (DCo)), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls (Con). CHIT1 and neurofilament levels were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood and analysed with regard to diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and prognostic performance. Additionally, postmortem tissue was analysed for CHIT1 expression. In ALS, CHIT1 CSF levels were higher compared with Con (pdifferential diagnosis and prediction of disease progression in ALS and, therefore, seems suitable as a supplemental marker for patient stratification in therapeutic trials. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  4. Phase I/II safety study of transfusion of prion-filtered red cell concentrates in transfusion-dependent patients.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cahill, M R

    2010-08-01

    Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) is a fatal transfusion transmissible prion infection. No test for vCJD in the donor population is currently available. Therefore, prion removal by filtration of red cell concentrate (RCC) is an attractive option for prevention.

  5. Gene knockout of tau expression does not contribute to the pathogenesis of prion disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawson, Victoria A; Klemm, Helen M; Welton, Jeremy M; Masters, Colin L; Crouch, Peter; Cappai, Roberto; Ciccotosto, Giuseppe D

    2011-11-01

    Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a group of fatal and transmissible disorders affecting the central nervous system of humans and animals. The principal agent of prion disease transmission and pathogenesis is proposed to be an abnormal protease-resistant isoform of the normal cellular prion protein. The microtubule-associated protein tau is elevated in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. To determine whether tau expression contributes to prion disease pathogenesis, tau knockout and control wild-type mice were infected with the M1000 strain of mouse-adapted human prions. Immunohistochemical analysis for total tau expression in prion-infected wild-type mice indicated tau aggregation in the cytoplasm of a subpopulation of neurons in regions associated with spongiform change. Western immunoblot analysis of brain homogenates revealed a decrease in total tau immunoreactivity and epitope-specific changes in tau phosphorylation. No significant difference in incubation period or other disease features were observed between tau knockout and wild-type mice with clinical prion disease. These results demonstrate that, in this model of prion disease, tau does not contribute to the pathogenesis of prion disease and that changes in the tau protein profile observed in mice with clinical prion disease occurs as a consequence of the prion-induced pathogenesis.

  6. Detection and partial discrimination of atypical and classical bovine spongiform encephalopathies in cattle and primates using real-time quaking-induced conversion assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levavasseur, Etienne; Biacabe, Anne-Gaëlle; Comoy, Emmanuel; Culeux, Audrey; Grznarova, Katarina; Privat, Nicolas; Simoneau, Steve; Flan, Benoit; Sazdovitch, Véronique; Seilhean, Danielle; Baron, Thierry; Haïk, Stéphane

    2017-01-01

    The transmission of classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C-BSE) through contaminated meat product consumption is responsible for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans. More recent and atypical forms of BSE (L-BSE and H-BSE) have been identified in cattle since the C-BSE epidemic. Their low incidence and advanced age of onset are compatible with a sporadic origin, as are most cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. Transmissions studies in primates and transgenic mice expressing a human prion protein (PrP) indicated that atypical forms of BSE may be associated with a higher zoonotic potential than classical BSE, and require particular attention for public health. Recently, methods designed to amplify misfolded forms of PrP have emerged as promising tools to detect prion strains and to study their diversity. Here, we validated real-time quaking-induced conversion assay for the discrimination of atypical and classical BSE strains using a large series of bovine samples encompassing all the atypical BSE cases detected by the French Centre of Reference during 10 years of exhaustive active surveillance. We obtained a 100% sensitivity and specificity for atypical BSE detection. In addition, the assay was able to discriminate atypical and classical BSE in non-human primates, and also sporadic CJD and vCJD in humans. The RT-QuIC assay appears as a practical means for a reliable detection of atypical BSE strains in a homologous or heterologous PrP context.

  7. Reaction of quinacrine with prion protein: treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zawada, Zbigniew; Šebestík, Jaroslav; Šafařík, Martin; Březinová, Anna; Bouř, Petr; Hlaváček, Jan; Stibor, Ivan

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 104, č. 11 (2010), s. 1129-1129 ISSN 0009-2770. [Pokroky v organické, bioorganické a farmaceutické chemii /45./. 20.11.2010-22.11.2010, Nymburk] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/07/1517 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : quinacrine * acridine displacement * prions * prevention of aggregation Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry

  8. Codon 129 polymorphism of prion protein gene in is not a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jerusa Smid

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Interaction of prion protein and amyloid-b oligomers has been demonstrated recently. Homozygosity at prion protein gene (PRNP codon 129 is associated with higher risk for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This polymorphism has been addressed as a possible risk factor in Alzheimer disease (AD. Objective To describe the association between codon 129 polymorphisms and AD. Methods We investigated the association of codon 129 polymorphism of PRNP in 99 AD patients and 111 controls, and the association between this polymorphism and cognitive performance. Other polymorphisms of PRNP and additive effect of apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE were evaluated. Results Codon 129 genotype distribution in AD 45.5% methionine (MM, 42.2% methionine valine (MV, 12.1% valine (VV; and 39.6% MM, 50.5% MV, 9.9% VV among controls (p>0.05. There were no differences of cognitive performance concerning codon 129. Stratification according to ApoE genotype did not reveal difference between groups. Conclusion Codon 129 polymorphism is not a risk factor for AD in Brazilian patients.

  9. A Low-Molecular-Weight Ferroxidase Is Increased in the CSF of sCJD Cases: CSF Ferroxidase and Transferrin as Diagnostic Biomarkers for sCJD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haldar, Swati; Beveridge, ’Alim J.; Wong, Joseph; Singh, Ajay; Galimberti, Daniela; Borroni, Barbara; Zhu, Xiongwei; Blevins, Janis; Greenlee, Justin; Perry, George; Mukhopadhyay, Chinmay K.; Schmotzer, Christine

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Aims: Most biomarkers used for the premortem diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are surrogate in nature, and provide suboptimal sensitivity and specificity. Results: We report that CJD-associated brain iron dyshomeostasis is reflected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), providing disease-specific diagnostic biomarkers. Analysis of 290 premortem CSF samples from confirmed cases of CJD, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias (DMs), and 52 non-DM (ND) controls revealed a significant difference in ferroxidase (Frx) activity and transferrin (Tf) levels in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) relative to other DM and ND controls. A combination of CSF Frx and Tf discriminated sCJD from other DMs with a sensitivity of 86.8%, specificity of 92.5%, accuracy of 88.9%, and area-under-the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.94. This combination provided a similar diagnostic accuracy in discriminating CJD from rapidly progressing cases who died within 6 months of sample collection. Surprisingly, ceruloplasmin and amyloid precursor protein, the major brain Frxs, displayed minimal activity in the CSF. Most of the Frx activity was concentrated in the <3-kDa fraction in normal and diseased CSF, and resisted heat and proteinase-K treatment. Innovation: (i) A combination of CSF Frx and Tf provides disease-specific premortem diagnostic biomarkers for sCJD. (ii) A novel, nonenzymatic, nonprotein Frx predominates in human CSF that is distinct from the currently known CSF Frxs. Conclusion: The underlying cause of iron imbalance is distinct in sCJD relative to other DMs associated with the brain iron imbalance. Thus, change in the CSF levels of iron-management proteins can provide disease-specific biomarkers and insight into the cause of iron imbalance in neurodegenerative conditions. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 19, 1662–1675. PMID:23379482

  10. Neprilysin-Like Activity Correlates with CSF-Tau and Phospho-Tau in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sorensen, Katrine Christa Nordskov; Simonsen, Anja Hviid; Holmetoft, Ulla Bachmann

    2013-01-01

    the level and enzyme activity of NEP in serum and CSF, using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, respectively, in patients with AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and depression. Results were correlated...... activity was seen. However, NEP concentration was lower and the specific activity was higher in FTD compared to AD. Aβ42 levels in CSF did not correlate with NEP concentration or activity in the AD, CJD, or depression groups, but NEP-like activity and Aβ42 levels correlated significantly in the FTD group....... In AD and depression, the NEP-like activity in CSF correlated with levels of p-tau, and, in the AD group, it also was correlated with t-tau levels. Our results suggest that the relation between the specific activity of NEP and t-tau and p-tau is a characteristic trait of AD. The correlation between NEP...

  11. Maillard reaction versus other nonenzymatic modifications in neurodegenerative processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamplona, Reinald; Ilieva, Ekaterina; Ayala, Victoria; Bellmunt, Maria Josep; Cacabelos, Daniel; Dalfo, Esther; Ferrer, Isidre; Portero-Otin, Manuel

    2008-04-01

    Nonenzymatic protein modifications are generated from direct oxidation of amino acid side chains and from reaction of the nucleophilic side chains of specific amino acids with reactive carbonyl species. These reactions give rise to specific markers that have been analyzed in different neurodegenerative diseases sharing protein aggregation, such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Collectively, available data demonstrate that oxidative stress homeostasis, mitochondrial function, and energy metabolism are key factors in determining the disease-specific pattern of protein molecular damage. In addition, these findings suggest the lack of a "gold marker of oxidative stress," and, consequently, they strengthen the need for a molecular dissection of the nonenzymatic reactions underlying neurodegenerative processes.

  12. Reversible dementia: The imitation game

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venugopalan Y Vishnu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Rapidly progressive dementia (RPD is an emergency in behavioural or cognitive neurology. Many rare neuroinfections like Neurosyphilis may be missed, if they are not thoroughly evaluated. We report a patient with subacute onset and progressive cognitive decline, extrapyramidal involvement and myoclonic jerks who was initially suspected as probable autoimmune encephalitis or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. Investigations revealed positive serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL. On treatment with penicillin, he developed Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction and was treated symptomatically. After two weeks of penicillin, he improved significantly and except for mild short term memory recall, he is asymptomatic for last two years.

  13. Human prion diseases in the United States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert C Holman

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Prion diseases are a family of rare, progressive, neurodegenerative disorders that affect humans and animals. The most common form of human prion disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, occurs worldwide. Variant CJD (vCJD, a recently emerged human prion disease, is a zoonotic foodborne disorder that occurs almost exclusively in countries with outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. This study describes the occurrence and epidemiology of CJD and vCJD in the United States. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Analysis of CJD and vCJD deaths using death certificates of US residents for 1979-2006, and those identified through other surveillance mechanisms during 1996-2008. Since CJD is invariably fatal and illness duration is usually less than one year, the CJD incidence is estimated as the death rate. During 1979 through 2006, an estimated 6,917 deaths with CJD as a cause of death were reported in the United States, an annual average of approximately 247 deaths (range 172-304 deaths. The average annual age-adjusted incidence for CJD was 0.97 per 1,000,000 persons. Most (61.8% of the CJD deaths occurred among persons >or=65 years of age for an average annual incidence of 4.8 per 1,000,000 persons in this population. Most deaths were among whites (94.6%; the age-adjusted incidence for whites was 2.7 times higher than that for blacks (1.04 and 0.40, respectively. Three patients who died since 2004 were reported with vCJD; epidemiologic evidence indicated that their infection was acquired outside of the United States. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Surveillance continues to show an annual CJD incidence rate of about 1 case per 1,000,000 persons and marked differences in CJD rates by age and race in the United States. Ongoing surveillance remains important for monitoring the stability of the CJD incidence rates, and detecting occurrences of vCJD and possibly other novel prion diseases in the United States.

  14. Coexistence of protease sensitive and resistant prion protein in 129VV homozygous sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodríguez-Martínez Ana B

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction The coexistence of different molecular types of classical protease-resistant prion protein in the same individual have been described, however, the simultaneous finding of these with the recently described protease-sensitive variant or variably protease-sensitive prionopathy has, to the best of our knowledge, not yet been reported. Case presentation A 74-year-old Caucasian woman showed a sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease clinical phenotype with reactive depression, followed by cognitive impairment, akinetic-rigid Parkinsonism with pseudobulbar syndrome and gait impairment with motor apraxia, visuospatial disorientation, and evident frontal dysfunction features such as grasping, palmomental reflex and brisk perioral reflexes. She died at age 77. Neuropathological findings showed: spongiform change in the patient’s cerebral cortex, striatum, thalamus and molecular layer of the cerebellum with proteinase K-sensitive synaptic-like, dot-like or target-like prion protein deposition in the cortex, thalamus and striatum; proteinase K-resistant prion protein in the same regions; and elongated plaque-like proteinase K-resistant prion protein in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Molecular analysis of prion protein after proteinase K digestion revealed decreased signal intensity in immunoblot, a ladder-like protein pattern, and a 71% reduction of PrPSc signal relative to non-digested material. Her cerebellum showed a 2A prion protein type largely resistant to proteinase K. Genotype of polymorphism at codon 129 was valine homozygous. Conclusion Molecular typing of prion protein along with clinical and neuropathological data revealed, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of the coexistence of different protease-sensitive prion proteins in the same patient in a rare case that did not fulfill the current clinical diagnostic criteria for either probable or possible sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. This highlights the

  15. Diagnosing Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Accuracy of CSF 14-3-3 Protein Test of the Spinal Fluid

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... at about age 60 years. Early symptoms include: • Memory problems • Behavior/personality changes • Loss of muscle coordination • Vision problems • Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep) • Depression • Unusual sensations As the disease progresses, the person usually develops ...

  16. Imaging dementias

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Savoiardo, M.; Grisoli, M. [Dept. of Neuroradiology, Istituto Nazionale Neurologico, Milan (Italy)

    2001-03-01

    Dementia is the progressive loss of intellectual functions due to involvement of cortical or subcortical areas. Specific involvement of certain brain areas in the different diseases leads to impairment of different functions, e. g., memory, language, visuospatial abilities, and behavior. Magnetic resonance imaging and other neuroradiological studies may indicate which structures are mainly or selectively involved in a demented patient, thus allowing clinical-radiological correlations. Clinical presentation and evolution of the disease, supported by imaging studies, may lead to a highly probable diagnosis. The most common disorders, or the most relevant from the neuroradiological point of view, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementias, dementia associated with parkinsonism, Huntington's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus, are briefly discussed. (orig.)

  17. Imaging dementias

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savoiardo, M.; Grisoli, M.

    2001-01-01

    Dementia is the progressive loss of intellectual functions due to involvement of cortical or subcortical areas. Specific involvement of certain brain areas in the different diseases leads to impairment of different functions, e. g., memory, language, visuospatial abilities, and behavior. Magnetic resonance imaging and other neuroradiological studies may indicate which structures are mainly or selectively involved in a demented patient, thus allowing clinical-radiological correlations. Clinical presentation and evolution of the disease, supported by imaging studies, may lead to a highly probable diagnosis. The most common disorders, or the most relevant from the neuroradiological point of view, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementias, dementia associated with parkinsonism, Huntington's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus, are briefly discussed. (orig.)

  18. ANÁLISE CRÍTICA DO DIREITO PENAL DO INIMIGO DE GÜNTHER JAKOBS

    OpenAIRE

    Pilati, Rachel Cardoso

    2009-01-01

    Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar criticamente o Direito Penal do inimigo, verificando sua compatibilidade com o Estado Democrático de Direito e o princípio penal do fato. A primeira parte traz um panorama da política criminal atual no Brasil, situa a teoria do Direito Penal do inimigo nesse contexto, e explica a teoria de Jakobs. No segundo tópico, a teoria de Jakobs é analisada criticamente.Palavras-chave: Direito Penal. Inimigo. Jakobs. Estado Democrático de Direito. Princípio Penal d...

  19. Orbituary : Jakob Verseveldt: The Hague, 8 February 1903 - Zwolle, 29 March 1987

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verseveldt, J.

    At the very time that the manuscript of the present paper was ready to be submitted for publication, the senior author, Dr. Jakob Verseveldt, in spite of his age, unexpectedly passed away on 29 March 1987 in his resident town, Zwolle, the Netherlands. Jakob Verseveldt was born on 8 February 1903 in

  20. What could be the role of quinacrine in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease treatment?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zawada, Zbigniew; Šebestík, Jaroslav; Šafařík, Martin; Krejčiříková, A.; Hlaváček, Jan; Stibor, Ivan; Holada, K.; Bouř, Petr

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 16, S2 (2010), s. 55-55 ISSN 1075-2617. [European Peptide Symposium /31./. 05.09.2010-09.09.2010, Copenhagen] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/07/1517 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : prion * quinacrine * thiolysis Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry

  1. [A case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob in the Mexican north-east and review of current concepts on prion disease].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calderón-Garcidueñas, A L; Sagastegui-Rodríguez, J A; Canales-Ibarra, C; Farías-García, R

    2001-01-01

    The case reported here is that of a 50-year-old man from Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, who during the previous 15 months developed a demential syndrome and myoclonia. The brain biopsy led to establish a diagnosis of spongiform encephalopathy. The EEG showed periodic sharp wave complexes over the right hemisphere. A review on about prion diseases is included.

  2. Trends in scientific activity addressing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: a bibliometric study covering the period 1973–2002

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iribarren-Maestro Isabel

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to analyse the trends in scientific research on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies by applying bibliometric tools to the scientific literature published between 1973 and 2002. Methods The data for the study were obtained from Medline database, in order to determine the volume of scientific output in the above period, the countries involved, the type of document and the trends in the subject matters addressed. The period 1973–2002 was divided in three sub-periods. Results We observed a significant growth in scientific production. The percentage of increase is 871.7 from 1973 to 2002. This is more evident since 1991 and particularly in the 1996–2001 period. The countries found to have the highest output were the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany. The evolution in the subject matters was almost constant in the three sub-periods in which the study was divided. In the first and second sub-periods, the subject matters of greatest interest were more general, i.e Nervous system or Nervous system diseases, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Scrapie, and Chemicals and Drugs, but in the last sub-period, some changes were observed because the Prion-related matters had the greatest presence. Collaboration among authors is small from 1973 to 1992, but increases notably in the third sub-period, and also the number of authors and clusters formed. Some of the authors, like Gajdusek or Prusiner, appear in the whole period. Conclusion The study reveals a very high increase in scientific production. It is related also with the beginnings of research on bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, with the establishment of progressive collaboration relationships and a reflection of public health concerns about this problem.

  3. Encefalopatías espongiformes transmisibles Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge E Delgado-Hachmeister

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Las encefalopatías espongiformes transmisibles (EET han cobrado gran importancia en los últimos años. Principalmente por el surgimiento de la encefalopatía espongiforme del bovino (EEB y la nueva variante de la ermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (nvECJ, esta última probablemente adquirida por la ingesta de carne de bovino contaminada. Hasta la fecha se ha informado de 109 casos de la nvECJ en el humano y la gran mayoría de los casos ha ocurrido en el Reino Unido. No se sabe la magnitud real que podrán tener las EET en el humano, sin embargo algunos piensan que nos encontramos en el principio de una pandemia de la nvECJ. En el presente artículo se discuten varios aspectos de las EET y métodos para la prevención de la transmisión de estas enfermedades, tanto en rumiantes como en el humano.Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE are a group of diseases which have received a lot of attention in recent years. The interest on these diseases has been stimulated by the appearance of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE and the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD; the latter is likely to be acquired by ingesting contaminated beef. Until now 109 cases of nvCJD have been reported, most of them occurring in the United Kingdom. Some experts think that this is the beginning of a nvCJD pandemic. Deep knowledge of the mechanisms of transmission of TSE is needed to prevent the emergence of a TSE pandemic in humans.We address various aspects of TSE and discuss prevention methods of TSE in ruminants and humans.

  4. Sod1 deficiency reduces incubation time in mouse models of prion disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaheen Akhtar

    Full Text Available Prion infections, causing neurodegenerative conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and kuru in humans, scrapie in sheep and BSE in cattle are characterised by prolonged and variable incubation periods that are faithfully reproduced in mouse models. Incubation time is partly determined by genetic factors including polymorphisms in the prion protein gene. Quantitative trait loci studies in mice and human genome-wide association studies have confirmed that multiple genes are involved. Candidate gene approaches have also been used and identified App, Il1-r1 and Sod1 as affecting incubation times. In this study we looked for an association between App, Il1-r1 and Sod1 representative SNPs and prion disease incubation time in the Northport heterogeneous stock of mice inoculated with the Chandler/RML prion strain. No association was seen with App, however, significant associations were seen with Il1-r1 (P = 0.02 and Sod1 (P<0.0001 suggesting that polymorphisms at these loci contribute to the natural variation observed in incubation time. Furthermore, following challenge with Chandler/RML, ME7 and MRC2 prion strains, Sod1 deficient mice showed highly significant reductions in incubation time of 20, 13 and 24%, respectively. No differences were detected in Sod1 expression or activity. Our data confirm the protective role of endogenous Sod1 in prion disease.

  5. Exosomes: vehicles for the transfer of toxic proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellingham, Shayne A; Guo, Belinda B; Coleman, Bradley M; Hill, Andrew F

    2012-01-01

    Exosomes are small membranous vesicles secreted by a number of cell types including neurons and can be isolated from conditioned cell media or bodily fluids such as urine and plasma. Exosome biogenesis involves the inward budding of endosomes to form multivesicular bodies (MVB). When fused with the plasma membrane, the MVB releases the vesicles into the extracellular environment as exosomes. Proposed functions of these vesicles include roles in cell-cell signaling, removal of unwanted proteins, and the transfer of pathogens between cells. One such pathogen which exploits this pathway is the prion, the infectious particle responsible for the transmissible neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) of humans or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle. Similarly, exosomes are also involved in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Exosomes have been shown to contain full-length APP and several distinct proteolytically cleaved products of APP, including Aβ. In addition, these fragments can be modulated using inhibitors of the proteases involved in APP cleavage. These observations provide further evidence for a novel pathway in which PrP and APP fragments are released from cells. Other proteins such as superoxide dismutase I and alpha-synuclein (involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, respectively) are also found associated with exosomes. This review will focus on the role of exosomes in neurodegenerative disorders and discuss the potential of these vesicles for the spread of neurotoxicity, therapeutics, and diagnostics for these diseases.

  6. Highly sensitive rapid fluorescence detection of protein residues on surgical instruments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovalev, Valeri I; Bartona, James S; Richardson, Patricia R; Jones, Anita C

    2006-01-01

    There is a risk of contamination of surgical instruments by infectious protein residues, in particular, prions which are the agents for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans. They are exceptionally resistant to conventional sterilization, therefore it is important to detect their presence as contaminants so that alternative cleaning procedures can be applied. We describe the development of an optimized detection system for fluorescently labelled protein, suitable for in-hospital use. We show that under optimum conditions the technique can detect ∼10 attomole/cm 2 with a scan speed of ∼3-10 cm 2 /s of the test instrument's surface. A theoretical analysis and experimental measurements will be discussed

  7. Factors determining the potential for onward transmission of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease via surgical instruments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garske, Tini; Ward, Hester J.T; Clarke, Paul; Will, Robert G; Ghani, Azra C

    2006-01-01

    While the number of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) cases continues to decline, concern has been raised that transmission could occur directly from one person to another through routes including the transfer of blood and shared use of surgical instruments. Here we firstly present data on the surgical procedures undertaken on vCJD patients prior to onset of clinical symptoms, which supports the hypothesis that cases via this route are possible. We then apply a mathematical framework to assess the potential for self-sustaining epidemics via surgical procedures. Data from hospital episode statistics on the rates of high- and medium-risk procedures in the UK were used to estimate model parameters, and sensitivity to other unknown parameters about surgically transmitted vCJD was assessed. Our results demonstrate that a key uncertainty determining the scale of an epidemic and whether it is self-sustaining is the number of times a single instrument is re-used, alongside the infectivity of contaminated instruments and the effectiveness of cleaning. A survey into the frequency of re-use of surgical instruments would help reduce these uncertainties. PMID:17015298

  8. Prion-Specific Antibodies Produced in Wild-Type Mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heegaard, Peter M. H.; Bergström, Ann-Louise; Andersen, Heidi Gertz

    2015-01-01

    Peptide-specific antibodies produced against synthetic peptides are of high value in probing protein structure and function, especially when working with challenging proteins, including not readily available, non-immunogenic, toxic, and/or pathogenic proteins. Here, we present a straightforward...... method for production of mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against peptides representing two sites of interest in the bovine prion protein (boPrP), the causative agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease") and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease (CJD) in humans, as well......-peptide antibodies, even against peptides very homologous to murine protein sequences. In general, using the strategies described here for selecting, synthesizing, and conjugating peptides and immunizing 4-5 mice with 2-3 different peptides, high-titered antibodies reacting with the target protein are routinely...

  9. African Journal of Neurological Sciences - Vol 26, No 2 (2007)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Interêt de l\\'electroencephalogramme(EEG) dans le diagnostic de la Maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob (MCJ) en Afrique. Description de trois cas en Côte D\\'Ivoire. E Aka-Diarre, T Sonan-Douayoua, B Assi, A-E Kouame-Assouan, M Doumbia, A-M Datie, F Boa Yapo, EB Kouassi. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajns.v26i2.7600 ...

  10. Rate of displacement for Jakob Type 1 lateral condyle fractures treated with a cast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zale, C; Winthrop, Z A; Hennrikus, W

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this retrospective study is to report the rate of displacement of Jakob Type 1 lateral condyle fractures that were initially treated in a cast. We performed a retrospective review of all patients that were treated for a non-displaced (Jakob Type 1 displaced and were converted to a closed pinning treatment plan with a conversion rate of 8.5%. There was a mean of 13.2 days (4 to 21) between treatment by initial casting and closed pinning. This study demonstrates an 8.5% displacement and conversion rate from cast treatment to closed pinning for initially non-displaced Jakob Type 1 lateral condyle fractures of the humerus. The internal oblique radiograph is most accurate to determine displacement. We recommend obtaining an internal oblique view at initial evaluation and at follow-up in the cast for lateral condyle fractures. To minimize movement at the fracture site, we recommend treating Jakob Type 1 lateral condyle fractures with a long arm cast with the elbow at 90° and the forearm in the supine position with a sling-loop design. IV - retrospective therapeutic study.

  11. Rapid and Quantitative Assay of Amyloid-Seeding Activity in Human Brains Affected with Prion Diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanae Takatsuki

    Full Text Available The infectious agents of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are composed of amyloidogenic prion protein, PrPSc. Real-time quaking-induced conversion can amplify very small amounts of PrPSc seeds in tissues/body fluids of patients or animals. Using this in vitro PrP-amyloid amplification assay, we quantitated the seeding activity of affected human brains. End-point assay using serially diluted brain homogenates of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients demonstrated that 50% seeding dose (SD50 is reached approximately 10(10/g brain (values varies 10(8.79-10.63/g. A genetic case (GSS-P102L yielded a similar level of seeding activity in an autopsy brain sample. The range of PrPSc concentrations in the samples, determined by dot-blot assay, was 0.6-5.4 μg/g brain; therefore, we estimated that 1 SD50 unit was equivalent to 0.06-0.27 fg of PrPSc. The SD50 values of the affected brains dropped more than three orders of magnitude after autoclaving at 121°C. This new method for quantitation of human prion activity provides a new way to reduce the risk of iatrogenic prion transmission.

  12. Highly sensitive rapid fluorescence detection of protein residues on surgical instruments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovalev, Valeri I [School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom); Bartona, James S [School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom); Richardson, Patricia R [School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JJ (United Kingdom); Jones, Anita C [School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JJ (United Kingdom)

    2006-07-15

    There is a risk of contamination of surgical instruments by infectious protein residues, in particular, prions which are the agents for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans. They are exceptionally resistant to conventional sterilization, therefore it is important to detect their presence as contaminants so that alternative cleaning procedures can be applied. We describe the development of an optimized detection system for fluorescently labelled protein, suitable for in-hospital use. We show that under optimum conditions the technique can detect {approx}10 attomole/cm{sup 2} with a scan speed of {approx}3-10 cm{sup 2}/s of the test instrument's surface. A theoretical analysis and experimental measurements will be discussed.

  13. Human growth hormone-related latrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: Search for a genetic susceptibility by analysis of the PRNP coding region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaegly, A.; Boussin, F.; Deslys, J.P. [CEA/CRSSA/DSV/DPTE, Fontenay-aux-Roses (France)] [and others

    1995-05-20

    The human PRNP gene encoding PrP is located on chromosome 20 and consists of two exons and a single intron. The open reading frame is entirely fitted into the second exon. Genetic studies indicate that all of the familial and several sporadic forms of TSSEs are associated with mutations in the PRNP 759-bp coding region. Moreover, homozygosity at codon 129, a locus harboring a polymorphism among the general population, was proposed as a genetic susceptibility marker for both sporadic and iatrogenic CJD. To assess whether additional genetic predisposition markers exist in the PRNP gene, the authors sequenced the PRNP coding region of 17 of the 32 French patients who developed a hGH-related CJD.

  14. Human prion diseases: surgical lessons learned from iatrogenic prion transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonda, David J; Manjila, Sunil; Mehndiratta, Prachi; Khan, Fahd; Miller, Benjamin R; Onwuzulike, Kaine; Puoti, Gianfranco; Cohen, Mark L; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Cali, Ignazio

    2016-07-01

    The human prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, have captivated our imaginations since their discovery in the Fore linguistic group in Papua New Guinea in the 1950s. The mysterious and poorly understood "infectious protein" has become somewhat of a household name in many regions across the globe. From bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly identified as mad cow disease, to endocannibalism, media outlets have capitalized on these devastatingly fatal neurological conditions. Interestingly, since their discovery, there have been more than 492 incidents of iatrogenic transmission of prion diseases, largely resulting from prion-contaminated growth hormone and dura mater grafts. Although fewer than 9 cases of probable iatrogenic neurosurgical cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) have been reported worldwide, the likelihood of some missed cases and the potential for prion transmission by neurosurgery create considerable concern. Laboratory studies indicate that standard decontamination and sterilization procedures may be insufficient to completely remove infectivity from prion-contaminated instruments. In this unfortunate event, the instruments may transmit the prion disease to others. Much caution therefore should be taken in the absence of strong evidence against the presence of a prion disease in a neurosurgical patient. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have devised risk assessment and decontamination protocols for the prevention of iatrogenic transmission of the prion diseases, incidents of possible exposure to prions have unfortunately occurred in the United States. In this article, the authors outline the historical discoveries that led from kuru to the identification and isolation of the pathological prion proteins in addition to providing a brief description of human prion diseases and iatrogenic forms of CJD, a brief history of prion disease nosocomial transmission

  15. Autoimmune encephalitis associated with voltage-gated potassium channels-complex and leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 antibodies - a national cohort study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Celicanin, M; Blaabjerg, Morten; Maersk-Moller, C

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe clinical and paraclinical characteristics of all Danish patients who tested positive for anti-voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKC)-complex, anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) and anti-contactin-associated protein-2...... antibodies in the serum/cerebrospinal fluid between 2009 and 2013 with follow-up interviews in 2015 and 2016. METHODS: We evaluated antibody status, symptoms leading to testing, course of disease, suspected diagnosis and time of admission as well as diagnosis and treatment. All magnetic resonance imaging......-Barré syndrome, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, neuromyotonia and anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis. Magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities were demonstrated in 69% of the LGI1-positive patients. Two patients with normal magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated temporal lobe hypermetabolism using (18...

  16. Transtentorial diachisis in stroke patients demonstrated by I-123 HIPDM brain imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shih, W.J.; DeKosky, S.; Coupal, J.J.; Clark, D.; Ryo, U.Y.; Kung, H.F.

    1988-01-01

    SPECT and planar images of 35 patients with stroke were compared with images of 26 patients with Alzheimer disease, two with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and one with schizoaffective disorder. Transtentorial diaschisis (TTD) with decreased cerebellar activity was shown in 18 patients with large infarcts of middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory and in four patients with internal capsule and basal ganglia infarcts. No TTD was shown in the 29 patients without stroke and those with small infarcts. Decreased cerebral activity contralateral to cerebral infarct due to interruption of cerebellar flow in TTD was hypothesized. The authors concluded that TTD occurs exclusively in an extensive cerebral infarct of the MCA territory, and an absent cortical perfusion abnormality with presence of TTD may indicate basal ganglia and/or internal capsule infarct

  17. Molecular Modeling of Prion Transmission to Humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Etienne Levavasseur

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Using different prion strains, such as the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent and the atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy agents, and using transgenic mice expressing human or bovine prion protein, we assessed the reliability of protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA to model interspecies and genetic barriers to prion transmission. We compared our PMCA results with in vivo transmission data characterized by attack rates, i.e., the percentage of inoculated mice that developed the disease. Using 19 seed/substrate combinations, we observed that a significant PMCA amplification was only obtained when the mouse line used as substrate is susceptible to the corresponding strain. Our results suggest that PMCA provides a useful tool to study genetic barriers to transmission and to study the zoonotic potential of emerging prion strains.

  18. Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy: A New Sporadic Disease of the Prion Protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Wen-Quan; Puoti, Gianfranco; Xiao, Xiangzhu; Yuan, Jue; Qing, Liuting; Cali, Ignazio; Shimoji, Miyuki; Langeveld, Jan P. M.; Castellani, Rudy; Notari, Silvio; Crain, Barbara; Schmidt, Robert E.; Geschwind, Michael; DeArmond, Stephen J.; Cairns, Nigel J.; Dickson, Dennis; Honig, Lawrence; Torres, Juan Maria; Mastrianni, James; Capellari, Sabina; Giaccone, Giorgio; Belay, Ermias D.; Schonberger, Lawrence B.; Cohen, Mark; Perry, George; Kong, Qingzhong; Parchi, Piero; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Gambetti, Pierluigi

    2011-01-01

    Objective The objective of the study is to report 2 new genotypic forms of protease-sensitive prionopathy (PSPr), a novel prion disease described in 2008, in 11 subjects all homozygous for valine at codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene (129VV). The 2 new PSPr forms affect individuals who are either homozygous for methionine (129MM) or heterozygous for methionine/valine (129MV). Methods Fifteen affected subjects with 129MM, 129MV, and 129VV underwent comparative evaluation at the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center for clinical, histopathologic, immunohistochemical, genotypical, and PrP characteristics. Results Disease duration (between 22 and 45 months) was significantly different in the 129VV and 129MV subjects. Most other phenotypic features along with the PrP electrophoretic profile were similar but distinguishable in the 3 129 genotypes. A major difference laid in the sensitivity to protease digestion of the disease-associated PrP, which was high in 129VV but much lower, or altogether lacking, in 129MV and 129MM. This difference prompted the substitution of the original designation with “variably protease-sensitive prionopathy” (VPSPr). None of the subjects had mutations in the PrP gene coding region. Interpretation Because all 3 129 genotypes are involved, and are associated with distinguishable phenotypes, VPSPr becomes the second sporadic prion protein disease with this feature after Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, originally reported in 1920. However, the characteristics of the abnormal prion protein suggest that VPSPr is different from typical prion diseases, and perhaps more akin to subtypes of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. PMID:20695009

  19. Anterior-posterior and lateral hemispheric alterations in cortical glucose utilization in Alzheimer's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedland, T.F.; Budinger, T.F.; Jaqust, W.J.; Yano, Y.; Huesman, R.H.; Knittel, B.; Koss, E.; Ober, B.A.

    1984-01-01

    The anatomical and chemical features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not distributed evenly throughout the brain. However, the nature of this focality has not been well established in vivo. Dynamic studies using the Donner 280-Crystal Positron Tomograph with (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose were performed in 17 subjects meeting current research criteria for AD, and in 7 healthy age-matched control subjects. Glucose metabolic rates in the temporal-parietal cortex are 27% lower in AD than in controls. Ratios of activity density reveal consistently lower metabolic rates in temporal-parietal than frontal cortex in the AD group, while healthy aged subjects have equal metabolic rates in the two areas. Similar findings have been reported by other laboratories. A major finding is a striking lateral asymmetry of cortical metabolism in AD which does not favor either hemisphere. (The asymmetry is 13% in the AD group, 3% in controls, p<.005.) This has not been previously reported in AD. The consistency with which anterior-posterior metabolic differences are found in AD suggests that the focality of the metabolic changes may be used to develop a noninvasive diagnostic test for the disorder. The metabolic asymmetry in AD may be compared to the clinical and pathological asymmetry found in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and may represent an additional link between AD and the subacute spongiform encephalopathies

  20. Benzothiazole aniline tetra(ethylene glycol) and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole inhibit neuroprotection against amyloid peptides by catalase overexpression in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chilumuri, Amrutha; Odell, Mark; Milton, Nathaniel G N

    2013-11-20

    Alzheimer's disease, Familial British dementia, Familial Danish dementia, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, plus Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are associated with amyloid fibril deposition and oxidative stress. The antioxidant enzyme catalase is a neuroprotective amyloid binding protein. Herein the effects of catalase overexpression in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells on the toxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ), amyloid-Bri (ABri), amyloid-Dan (ADan), amylin (IAPP), and prion protein (PrP) peptides were determined. Results showed catalase overexpression was neuroprotective against Aβ, ABri, ADan, IAPP, and PrP peptides. The catalase inhibitor 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) and catalase-amyloid interaction inhibitor benzothiazole aniline tetra(ethylene glycol) (BTA-EG4) significantly enhanced neurotoxicity of amyloid peptides in catalase overexpressing neuronal cells. This suggests catalase neuroprotection involves breakdown of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plus a direct binding interaction between catalase and the Aβ, ABri, ADan, IAPP, and PrP peptides. Kisspeptin 45-50 had additive neuroprotective actions against the Aβ peptide in catalase overexpressing cells. The effects of 3-AT had an intracellular site of action, while catalase-amyloid interactions had an extracellular component. These results suggest that the 3-AT and BTA-EG4 compounds may be able to inhibit endogenous catalase mediated neuroprotection. Use of BTA-EG4, or compounds that inhibit catalase binding to amyloid peptides, as potential therapeutics for Neurodegenerative diseases may therefore result in unwanted effects.

  1. Benzothiazole Aniline Tetra(ethylene glycol) and 3-Amino-1,2,4-triazole Inhibit Neuroprotection against Amyloid Peptides by Catalase Overexpression in Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Alzheimer’s disease, Familial British dementia, Familial Danish dementia, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, plus Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are associated with amyloid fibril deposition and oxidative stress. The antioxidant enzyme catalase is a neuroprotective amyloid binding protein. Herein the effects of catalase overexpression in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells on the toxicity of amyloid-β (Aβ), amyloid-Bri (ABri), amyloid-Dan (ADan), amylin (IAPP), and prion protein (PrP) peptides were determined. Results showed catalase overexpression was neuroprotective against Aβ, ABri, ADan, IAPP, and PrP peptides. The catalase inhibitor 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) and catalase-amyloid interaction inhibitor benzothiazole aniline tetra(ethylene glycol) (BTA-EG4) significantly enhanced neurotoxicity of amyloid peptides in catalase overexpressing neuronal cells. This suggests catalase neuroprotection involves breakdown of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plus a direct binding interaction between catalase and the Aβ, ABri, ADan, IAPP, and PrP peptides. Kisspeptin 45–50 had additive neuroprotective actions against the Aβ peptide in catalase overexpressing cells. The effects of 3-AT had an intracellular site of action, while catalase-amyloid interactions had an extracellular component. These results suggest that the 3-AT and BTA-EG4 compounds may be able to inhibit endogenous catalase mediated neuroprotection. Use of BTA-EG4, or compounds that inhibit catalase binding to amyloid peptides, as potential therapeutics for Neurodegenerative diseases may therefore result in unwanted effects. PMID:23968537

  2. The prion-ZIP connection: From cousins to partners in iron uptake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Neena; Asthana, Abhishek; Baksi, Shounak; Desai, Vilok; Haldar, Swati; Hari, Sahi; Tripathi, Ajai K

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Converging observations from disparate lines of inquiry are beginning to clarify the cause of brain iron dyshomeostasis in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a neurodegenerative condition associated with the conversion of prion protein (PrPC), a plasma membrane glycoprotein, from α-helical to a β-sheet rich PrP-scrapie (PrPSc) isoform. Biochemical evidence indicates that PrPC facilitates cellular iron uptake by functioning as a membrane-bound ferrireductase (FR), an activity necessary for the transport of iron across biological membranes through metal transporters. An entirely different experimental approach reveals an evolutionary link between PrPC and the Zrt, Irt-like protein (ZIP) family, a group of proteins involved in the transport of zinc, iron, and manganese across the plasma membrane. Close physical proximity of PrPC with certain members of the ZIP family on the plasma membrane and increased uptake of extracellular iron by cells that co-express PrPC and ZIP14 suggest that PrPC functions as a FR partner for certain members of this family. The connection between PrPC and ZIP proteins therefore extends beyond common ancestry to that of functional cooperation. Here, we summarize evidence supporting the facilitative role of PrPC in cellular iron uptake, and implications of this activity on iron metabolism in sCJD brains. PMID:26689487

  3. Anterior-posterior and lateral hemispheric alterations in cortical glucose utilization in Alzheimer's disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedland, T.F.; Budinger, T.F.; Jaqust, W.J.; Yano, Y.; Huesman, R.H.; Knittel, B.; Koss, E.; Ober, B.A.

    1984-01-01

    The anatomical and chemical features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not distributed evenly throughout the brain. However, the nature of this focality has not been well established in vivo. Dynamic studies using the Donner 280-Crystal Positron Tomograph with (F-18)2-fluorodeoxyglucose were performed in 17 subjects meeting current research criteria for AD, and in 7 healthy age-matched control subjects. Glucose metabolic rates in the temporal-parietal cortex are 27% lower in AD than in controls. Ratios of activity density reveal consistently lower metabolic rates in temporal-parietal than frontal cortex in the AD group, while healthy aged subjects have equal metabolic rates in the two areas. Similar findings have been reported by other laboratories. A major finding is a striking lateral asymmetry of cortical metabolism in AD which does not favor either hemisphere. (The asymmetry is 13% in the AD group, 3% in controls, p<.005.) This has not been previously reported in AD. The consistency with which anterior-posterior metabolic differences are found in AD suggests that the focality of the metabolic changes may be used to develop a noninvasive diagnostic test for the disorder. The metabolic asymmetry in AD may be compared to the clinical and pathological asymmetry found in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and may represent an additional link between AD and the subacute spongiform encephalopathies.

  4. The Role of the Mammalian Prion Protein in the Control of Sleep

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    Amber Roguski

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Sleep disruption is a prevalent clinical feature in many neurodegenerative disorders, including human prion diseases where it can be the defining dysfunction, as in the case of the “eponymous” fatal familial insomnia, or an early-stage symptom as in certain types of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It is important to establish the role of the cellular prion protein (PrPC, the key molecule involved in prion pathogenesis, within the sleep-wake system in order to understand fully the mechanisms underlying its contribution to both healthy circadian rhythmicity and sleep dysfunction during disease. Although severe disruption to the circadian rhythm and melatonin release is evident during the pathogenic phases of some prion diseases, untangling whether PrPC plays a role in circadian rhythmicity, as suggested in mice deficient for PrPC expression, is challenging given the lack of basic experimental research. We provide a short review of the small amount of direct literature focused on the role of PrPC in melatonin and circadian rhythm regulation, as well as suggesting mechanisms by which PrPC might exert influence upon noradrenergic and dopaminergic signaling and melatonin synthesis. Future research in this area should focus upon isolating the points of dysfunction within the retino-pineal pathway and further investigate PrPC mediation of pinealocyte GPCR activity.

  5. A naturally occurring variant of the human prion protein completely prevents prion disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asante, Emmanuel A; Smidak, Michelle; Grimshaw, Andrew; Houghton, Richard; Tomlinson, Andrew; Jeelani, Asif; Jakubcova, Tatiana; Hamdan, Shyma; Richard-Londt, Angela; Linehan, Jacqueline M; Brandner, Sebastian; Alpers, Michael; Whitfield, Jerome; Mead, Simon; Wadsworth, Jonathan D F; Collinge, John

    2015-06-25

    Mammalian prions, transmissible agents causing lethal neurodegenerative diseases, are composed of assemblies of misfolded cellular prion protein (PrP). A novel PrP variant, G127V, was under positive evolutionary selection during the epidemic of kuru--an acquired prion disease epidemic of the Fore population in Papua New Guinea--and appeared to provide strong protection against disease in the heterozygous state. Here we have investigated the protective role of this variant and its interaction with the common, worldwide M129V PrP polymorphism. V127 was seen exclusively on a M129 PRNP allele. We demonstrate that transgenic mice expressing both variant and wild-type human PrP are completely resistant to both kuru and classical Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) prions (which are closely similar) but can be infected with variant CJD prions, a human prion strain resulting from exposure to bovine spongiform encephalopathy prions to which the Fore were not exposed. Notably, mice expressing only PrP V127 were completely resistant to all prion strains, demonstrating a different molecular mechanism to M129V, which provides its relative protection against classical CJD and kuru in the heterozygous state. Indeed, this single amino acid substitution (G→V) at a residue invariant in vertebrate evolution is as protective as deletion of the protein. Further study in transgenic mice expressing different ratios of variant and wild-type PrP indicates that not only is PrP V127 completely refractory to prion conversion but acts as a potent dose-dependent inhibitor of wild-type prion propagation.

  6. Temporal dynamics of hippocampal neurogenesis in chronic neurodegeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzzi, Stefano; Vargas-Caballero, Mariana; Fransen, Nina L.; Al-Malki, Hussain; Cebrian-Silla, Arantxa; Garcia-Verdugo, Jose Manuel; Riecken, Kristoffer; Fehse, Boris; Perry, V. Hugh

    2014-01-01

    The study of neurogenesis during chronic neurodegeneration is crucial in order to understand the intrinsic repair mechanisms of the brain, and key to designing therapeutic strategies. In this study, using an experimental model of progressive chronic neurodegeneration, murine prion disease, we define the temporal dynamics of the generation, maturation and integration of new neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, using dual pulse-chase, multicolour γ-retroviral tracing, transmission electron microscopy and patch-clamp. We found increased neurogenesis during the progression of prion disease, which partially counteracts the effects of chronic neurodegeneration, as evidenced by blocking neurogenesis with cytosine arabinoside, and helps to preserve the hippocampal function. Evidence obtained from human post-mortem samples, of both variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Alzheimer’s disease patients, also suggests increased neurogenic activity. These results open a new avenue into the exploration of the effects and regulation of neurogenesis during chronic neurodegeneration, and offer a new model to reproduce the changes observed in human neurodegenerative diseases. PMID:24941947

  7. [Current Perspective on Voltage-gated Potassium Channel Complex Antibody Associated Diseases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Osamu

    2018-04-01

    Voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex auto-antibodies were initially identified in Isaacs' syndrome (IS), which is characterized by muscle cramps and neuromyotonia. These antibodies were subsequently identified in patients with Morvan's syndrome (MoS), which includes IS in conjunction with psychosis, insomnia, and dysautonomia. The antibodies have also been detected in a patient with limbic encephalopathy (LE) presenting with prominent amnesia and frequent seizures. Typical cases of LE have adult-onset, with frequent, brief dystonic seizures that predominantly affect the arms and ipsilateral face, and has recently been termed faciobrachial dystonic seizures. Autoantibodies against the extracellular domains of VGKC complex proteins, leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1), and contactin-associated protein-2 (Caspr2), occur in patients with IS, MoS, and LE. However, routine testing has detected VGKC complex antibodies without LGI1 or Caspr2 reactivities (double-negative) in patients with other diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Furthermore, double-negative VGKC complex antibodies are often directed against cytosolic epitopes of Kv1 subunits. Therefore, these antibodies should no longer be classified as neuronal-surface antibodies and lacking pathogenic potential. Novel information has been generated regarding autoantibody disruption of the physiological functions of target proteins. LGI1 antibodies neutralize the interaction between LGI1 and ADAM22, thereby reducing the synaptic AMPA receptors. It may be that the main action is on inhibitory neurons, explaining why the loss of AMPA receptors causes amnesia, neuronal excitability and seizures.

  8. ["Long and difficult years followed". The situation of Freud's family after their arrival in Vienna in 1859].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augusta, Georg

    2015-01-01

    New documents--notes in Viennese newspapers--have shed new light on the social circumstances of Freud's childhood. His father's arrival in Vienna can now be dated to the 23rd of December 1859. In a "reminder", issued by the commercial court of Vienna in the gazette of the Wiener Zeitung in February 1860, Jakob Freud was ordered to repay a debt to his creditor Benjamin Leisorowitz, and liquidation proceedings were initiated against him in the same month. Jakob was nevertheless able to carry on doing business, as is evidenced by further records in the gazette where he is mentioned as taking part in a salt and draft business. This information contributes to clarifying the question of how Jakob Freud managed to feed his growing family, maintain a middle class life style and finance the education of his children in Vienna. Furthermore the article provides a list of all known addresses of the family from 1859 to 1896.

  9. MM1+2C sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting as rapidly progressive nonfluent aphasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allegri, Ricardo F; Bartoloni, Leonardo; Iturry, Mónica; Romero, Carlos; Begué, Christián; Sevlever, Gustavo; Taratuto, Ana Lía

    2014-01-01

    We report a 77-year-old man, presenting with progressive aphasia as an initial symptom, who developed severe dementia over the course of 20 months. Frontal cortex PrPSc western blot was type 2 and codon 129 was MM; brain neuropathology showed cortical vacuoles with perivacuolar PrP immunostaining characteristic of MM2C. Cerebellum showed focal coarse, patchy staining in different sections of the molecular layer, diffuse fine punctuate and coarse PrP immunopositive deposits in the granule cell layer, and focal synaptic immunostaining in the molecular layer, suggestive of MM1+2C by histotyping. This clinical presentation has not yet been described in an MM1+2C subtype by histotyping.

  10. Toward unfolding the prion misfolding mystery: protein free radical chemistry in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Chiming

    2003-01-01

    Owing to the high oxygen-respiration in the brain of mammals, oxidative damage to prion protein has been suggested to be an additional factor. A large body of intriguing features of scrapie and prion diseases have provided multiple lines of indirect chemistry evidence, suggesting that the infectious agents may be putative forms of sequence-specific prion radicals (SSPR) and/or their immediate precursors in the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE). Here a molecular mechanism corresponding to the self-replication of scrapie protein mediated by prion free-radical processes, consonant with 'protein-only' hypotheses is proposed. This new theory may not only aid our understanding of the occurrence of prions, but also provides new insight into the possible chemistry principles underlying the neutrodegenerative disorders. It is anticipated that future studies based on this suggestion and chemistry principles of genetic diseases may allow us to determine an effective approach to stop mad cow disease and its human version, new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (v CJD)

  11. Preclinical deposition of pathological prion protein in muscle of experimentally infected primates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susanne Krasemann

    Full Text Available Prion diseases are transmissible fatal neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans and animals. A central step in disease progression is the accumulation of a misfolded form (PrP(Sc of the host encoded prion protein (PrP(C in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. The involvement of peripheral tissues in preclinical states increases the risk of accidental transmission. On the other hand, detection of PrP(Sc in non-neuronal easy-accessible compartments such as muscle may offer a novel diagnostic tool. Primate models have proven invaluable to investigate prion diseases. We have studied the deposition of PrP(Sc in muscle and central nervous system of rhesus monkeys challenged with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD, variant CJD (vCJD and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE in preclinical and clinical stage using biochemical and morphological methods. Here, we show the preclinical presence of PrP(Sc in muscle and central nervous system of rhesus monkeys experimentally infected with vCJD.

  12. Generation of a persistently infected MDBK cell line with natural bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongseob Tark

    Full Text Available Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE is a zoonotic transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE thought to be caused by the same prion strain as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD. Unlike scrapie and chronic wasting disease there is no cell culture model allowing the replication of proteinase K resistant BSE (PrPBSE and the further in vitro study of this disease. We have generated a cell line based on the Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK cell line over-expressing the bovine prion protein. After exposure to naturally BSE-infected bovine brain homogenate this cell line has shown to replicate and accumulate PrPBSE and maintain infection up to passage 83 after initial challenge. Collectively, we demonstrate, for the first time, that the BSE agent can infect cell lines over-expressing the bovine prion protein similar to other prion diseases. These BSE infected cells will provide a useful tool to facilitate the study of potential therapeutic agents and the diagnosis of BSE.

  13. Alte Harfe. Vollständige Sammlung alter estnischer Volkslieder : Vorrede / Jakob Hurt

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Hurt, Jakob, 1839-1907

    2005-01-01

    Eessõna rmt. : Hurt, Jakob. Vana kannel. 1. kogu : täieline kogu vanu eesti rahvalaulusid = Alte Harfe : vollständige Sammlung alter estnischen Volkslieder. Tartu, 1875-1886. - (Eesti Kirjameeste Seltsi toimetised ; 3)

  14. Lack of association between PRNP 1368 polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeong Byung-Hoon

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (PRNP at codons 129 and 219 play an important role in the susceptibility to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, and might be associated with other neurodegenerative disorders. Several recent reports indicate that polymorphisms outside the coding region of PRNP modulate the expression of prion protein and are associated with sporadic CJD, although other studies failed to show an association. These reports involved the polymorphism PRNP 1368 which is located upstream from PRNP exon 1. In a case-controlled protocol, we assessed the possible association between the PRNP 1368 polymorphism and either Alzheimer's disease (AD or vascular dementia (VaD. Methods To investigate whether the PRNP 1368 polymorphism is associated with the occurrence of AD or VaD in the Korean population, we compared the genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies of the PRNP 1368 polymorphism in 152 AD patients and 192 VaD patients with frequencies in 268 healthy Koreans. Results and conclusion Significant differences in genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies of PRNP 1368 polymorphism were not observed between AD and normal controls. There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the PRNP 1368 polymorphism between Korean VaD patients and normal controls. However, in the haplotype analysis, haplotype Ht5 was significantly over-represented in Korean VaD patients. This was the first genetic association study of a polymorphism outside the coding region of PRNP in relation to AD and VaD.

  15. Möödus 170 aastat Jakob Hurda sünnist / Sirje Semm

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Semm, Sirje, 1950-

    2009-01-01

    Juulikuu lõpupäevadel meenutati nii Tartus kui ka Põlvas 170 aastat tagasi Himmaste külas Lepa talus sündinud ja 67 aasta vanusena Peterburis surnud kirikuõpetajat ja rahvaluuleteadlast Jakob Hurta

  16. Intact protein analysis of ubiquitin in cerebrospinal fluid by multiple reaction monitoring reveals differences in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oeckl, Patrick; Steinacker, Petra; von Arnim, Christine A F; Straub, Sarah; Nagl, Magdalena; Feneberg, Emily; Weishaupt, Jochen H; Ludolph, Albert C; Otto, Markus

    2014-11-07

    The impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is thought to be an early event in neurodegeneration, and monitoring UPS alterations might serve as a disease biomarker. Our aim was to establish an alternate method to antibody-based assays for the selective measurement of free monoubiquitin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Free monoubiquitin was measured with liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Parkinson's disease (PD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The LC-MS/MS method showed excellent intra- and interassay precision (4.4-7.4% and 4.9-10.3%) and accuracy (100-107% and 100-106%). CSF ubiquitin concentration was increased compared with that of controls (33.0 ± 9.7 ng/mL) in AD (47.5 ± 13.1 ng/mL, p < 0.05) and CJD patients (171.5 ± 103.5 ng/mL, p < 0.001) but not in other neurodegenerative diseases. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis of AD vs control patients revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.832, and the specificity and sensitivity were 75 and 75%, respectively. ROC analysis of AD and FTLD patients yielded an AUC of 0.776, and the specificity and sensitivity were 53 and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, our LC-MS/MS method may facilitate ubiquitin determination to a broader community and might help to discriminate AD, CJD, and FTLD patients.

  17. Repetitive immunization enhances the susceptibility of mice to peripherally administered prions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliane Bremer

    Full Text Available The susceptibility of humans and animals to prion infections is determined by the virulence of the infectious agent, by genetic modifiers, and by hitherto unknown host and environmental risk factors. While little is known about the latter two, the activation state of the immune system was surmised to influence prion susceptibility. Here we administered prions to mice that were repeatedly immunized by two initial injections of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides followed by repeated injections of bovine serum albumin/alum. Immunization greatly reduced the required dosage of peripherally administered prion inoculum necessary to induce scrapie in 50% of mice. No difference in susceptibility was observed following intracerebral prion challenge. Due to its profound impact onto scrapie susceptibility, the host immune status may determine disease penetrance after low-dose prion exposure, including those that may give rise to iatrogenic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

  18. Effects on instruments of the World Health Organization--recommended protocols for decontamination after possible exposure to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy-contaminated tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Stanley A; Merritt, Katharine; Woods, Terry O; Busick, Deanna N

    2005-01-15

    It has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that rigorous decontamination protocols be used on surgical instruments that have been exposed to tissue possibly contaminated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This study was designed to examine the effects of these protocols on various types of surgical instruments. The most important conclusions are: (1) autoclaving in 1N NaOH will cause darkening of some instruments; (2) soaking in 1N NaOH at room temperature damages carbon steel but not stainless steel or titanium; (3) soaking in chlorine bleach will badly corrode gold-plated instruments and will damage some, but not all, stainless-steel instruments, especially welded and soldered joints. Damage became apparent after the first exposure and therefore long tests are not necessary to establish which instruments will be damaged. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. [Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen. Saksa Simplicissimuse seiklused] / Meelis Friedenthal

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Friedenthal, Meelis, 1973-

    2011-01-01

    Tutvustus: Grimmelshausen, Hans Jakob Christoffel von. Saksa Simplicissimuse seiklused, teisisõnu: ühe veidra vagabundi elulugu, kel Melchior Sternfels von Fuchshaim nimeks, et kus ja mis moel ta siia ilma sündis ning mida siin nägi, õppis, oma nahal tunda sai ja kannatas, nagu sellestki, miks ta siinsest ilmast vabatahtlikult loobub. [Tallinn] : Pegasus, c2010

  20. Early detection of abnormal prion protein in genetic human prion diseases now possible using real-time QUIC assay.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazunori Sano

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The definitive diagnosis of genetic prion diseases (gPrD requires pathological confirmation. To date, diagnosis has relied upon the finding of the biomarkers 14-3-3 protein and total tau (t-tau protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, but many researchers have reported that these markers are not sufficiently elevated in gPrD, especially in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS. We recently developed a new in vitro amplification technology, designated "real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QUIC", to detect the abnormal form of prion protein in CSF from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD patients. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the presence of biomarkers and evaluate RT-QUIC assay in patients with gPrD, as the utility of RT-QUIC as a diagnostic tool in gPrD has yet to be determined. METHOD/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 56 CSF samples were obtained from gPrD patients, including 20 cases of GSS with P102L mutation, 12 cases of fatal familial insomnia (FFI; D178N, and 24 cases of genetic CJD (gCJD, comprising 22 cases with E200K mutation and 2 with V203I mutation. We subjected all CSF samples to RT-QUIC assay, analyzed 14-3-3 protein by Western blotting, and measured t-tau protein using an ELISA kit. The detection sensitivities of RT-QUIC were as follows: GSS (78%, FFI (100%, gCJD E200K (87%, and gCJD V203I (100%. On the other hand the detection sensitivities of biomarkers were considerably lower: GSS (11%, FFI (0%, gCJD E200K (73%, and gCJD V203I (67%. Thus, RT-QUIC had a much higher detection sensitivity compared with testing for biomarkers, especially in patients with GSS and FFI. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: RT-QUIC assay is more sensitive than testing for biomarkers in gPrD patients. RT-QUIC method would thus be useful as a diagnostic tool when the patient or the patient's family does not agree to genetic testing, or to confirm the diagnosis in the presence of a positive result for genetic testing.

  1. Pin1 and neurodegeneration: a new player for prion disorders?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisa Isopi

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Pin1 is a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase that catalyzes the cis/trans conversion of phosphorylated proteins at serine or threonine residues which precede a proline. The peptidyl-prolyl isomerization induces a conformational change of the proteins involved in cell signaling process. Pin1 dysregulation has been associated with some neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Proline-directed phosphorylation is a common regulator of these pathologies and a recent work showed that it is also involved in prion disorders. In fact, prion protein phosphorylation at the Ser-43-Pro motif induces prion protein conversion into a disease-associated form. Furthermore, phosphorylation at Ser-43-Pro has been observed to increase in the cerebral spinal fluid of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease patients. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of prion disorders, suggesting Pin1 as a potential new player in the disease. In this paper, we review the mechanisms underlying Pin1 involvement in the aforementioned neurodegenerative pathologies focusing on the potential role of Pin1 in prion disorders.

  2. A novel Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease mutation defines a precursor for amyloidogenic 8 kDa PrP fragments and reveals N-terminal structural changes shared by other GSS alleles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mercer, Robert C. C.; Fu, Ze-Lin; Mays, Charles E.; Gapeshina, Hristina; Wohlgemuth, Serene L.; Acevedo-Morantes, Claudia Y.; Cashman, Neil R.; Coulthart, Michael B.; Jansen, Gerard H.; Stepanova, Maria

    2018-01-01

    To explore pathogenesis in a young Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease (GSS) patient, the corresponding mutation, an eight-residue duplication in the hydrophobic region (HR), was inserted into the wild type mouse PrP gene. Transgenic (Tg) mouse lines expressing this mutation (Tg.HRdup) developed spontaneous neurologic syndromes and brain extracts hastened disease in low-expressor Tg.HRdup mice, suggesting de novo formation of prions. While Tg.HRdup mice exhibited spongiform change, PrP aggregates and the anticipated GSS hallmark of a proteinase K (PK)-resistant 8 kDa fragment deriving from the center of PrP, the LGGLGGYV insertion also imparted alterations in PrP's unstructured N-terminus, resulting in a 16 kDa species following thermolysin exposure. This species comprises a plausible precursor to the 8 kDa PK-resistant fragment and its detection in adolescent Tg.HRdup mice suggests that an early start to accumulation could account for early disease of the index case. A 16 kDa thermolysin-resistant signature was also found in GSS patients with P102L, A117V, H187R and F198S alleles and has coordinates similar to GSS stop codon mutations. Our data suggest a novel shared pathway of GSS pathogenesis that is fundamentally distinct from that producing structural alterations in the C-terminus of PrP, as observed in other prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and scrapie. PMID:29338055

  3. Prion protein misfolding affects calcium homeostasis and sensitizes cells to endoplasmic reticulum stress.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Torres

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Prion-related disorders (PrDs are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive neuronal impairment as well as the accumulation of an abnormally folded and protease resistant form of the cellular prion protein, termed PrP(RES. Altered endoplasmic reticulum (ER homeostasis is associated with the occurrence of neurodegeneration in sporadic, infectious and familial forms of PrDs. The ER operates as a major intracellular calcium store, playing a crucial role in pathological events related to neuronal dysfunction and death. Here we investigated the possible impact of PrP misfolding on ER calcium homeostasis in infectious and familial models of PrDs. Neuro2A cells chronically infected with scrapie prions showed decreased ER-calcium content that correlated with a stronger upregulation of UPR-inducible chaperones, and a higher sensitivity to ER stress-induced cell death. Overexpression of the calcium pump SERCA stimulated calcium release and increased the neurotoxicity observed after exposure of cells to brain-derived infectious PrP(RES. Furthermore, expression of PrP mutants that cause hereditary Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or fatal familial insomnia led to accumulation of PrP(RES and their partial retention at the ER, associated with a drastic decrease of ER calcium content and higher susceptibility to ER stress. Finally, similar results were observed when a transmembrane form of PrP was expressed, which is proposed as a neurotoxic intermediate. Our results suggest that alterations in calcium homeostasis and increased susceptibility to ER stress are common pathological features of both infectious and familial PrD models.

  4. Jakob Wassermann e Kaspar Hauser : 100 anos depois

    OpenAIRE

    Krausz, Luis S.

    2007-01-01

    This article draws a parallel between Jakob Wassermann's interest in the history of Kaspar Hauser, which led him to write a novel still considered as the most eloquent literary rendering of this episode, and his own situation as an outsider in German culture. Wassermann's feeling of alienation towards his own country is expressed in his autobiography, titled “Mein Weg als Deutscher und Jude” and his “Kaspar Hauser” is seen here a kind of "estrangement novel", a term which is a counterpoint to...

  5. Distinct transmissibility features of TSE sources derived from ruminant prion diseases by the oral route in a transgenic mouse model (TgOvPrP4 overexpressing the ovine prion protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Noël Arsac

    Full Text Available Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs are a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases associated with a misfolded form of host-encoded prion protein (PrP. Some of them, such as classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle (BSE, transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME, kuru and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, are acquired by the oral route exposure to infected tissues. We investigated the possible transmission by the oral route of a panel of strains derived from ruminant prion diseases in a transgenic mouse model (TgOvPrP4 overexpressing the ovine prion protein (A136R154Q171 under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter. Sources derived from Nor98, CH1641 or 87V scrapie sources, as well as sources derived from L-type BSE or cattle-passaged TME, failed to transmit by the oral route, whereas those derived from classical BSE and classical scrapie were successfully transmitted. Apart from a possible effect of passage history of the TSE agent in the inocula, this implied the occurrence of subtle molecular changes in the protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres following oral transmission that can raises concerns about our ability to correctly identify sheep that might be orally infected by the BSE agent in the field. Our results provide proof of principle that transgenic mouse models can be used to examine the transmissibility of TSE agents by the oral route, providing novel insights regarding the pathogenesis of prion diseases.

  6. Detection of RNA in the Plasma of Patients with Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease, Gerstmann–Straüssler Syndrome and Other Non-Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Brain Disorders

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    Kazuo Tsukui

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The infectious agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE was assumed to be the aggregate of abnormal prion protein isoform (PrPsc. We observed that lowering the pH of 3% SDS-inoculated plasma or brain homogenate after PK digestion to 4.5 (acidic SDS condition enabled to precipitate proteinase K-resistant prion protein (PrPres in plasma as well as PrPres in the brain with synthetic poly-A RNA as affinity aggregate. Therefore, we determined if RNA molecules could be used for discriminating TSE patients from healthy individuals. We also examined the plasma of patients with classical Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD and other brain disorders who were not diagnosed with TSE. The results indicated that RNA approximately 1.5–2.0 kb in length was commonly observed in the plasma of patients with brain disorders but was not detected in the plasma of healthy volunteers. Enhanced expression of RNA and its protection from endogenous nucleases might occur in the former group of patients. Moreover, we speculate that the non-transmissible neuronal disorders overlap with prion diseases.

  7. N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine (IMP) brain SPECT in dementia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Momose, Toshimitsu; Kosaka, Noboru; Nishikawa, Junichi; Yoshikawa, Kohki; Ohtake, Tohru; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Iwata, Makoto; Shimizu, Teruo; Iio, Masahiro

    1988-01-01

    Six patients of Alzheimer's disease (AD), two patients of Pick disease (PD) and two patients of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were studied with N-Isopropyl I-123 p-Iodoamphetamine (IMP) with SPECT. The pattern of IMP uptake in these demented groups were compared with that in five agematched normal controls and correlated with MRI and XCT. In all AD cases, SPECT revealed focal reduction of IMP uptake in frontal (6/6), parietal (6/6) and temporal (6/6) cortex, although MRI and XCT were normal. In both PD case, SPECT showed focal reduction of IMP uptake in frontal (1/2) and temporal (2/2) cortex with moderate labor atrophy on MRI and XCT. In both CJD case, SPECT showed diffuse reduction of IMP uptake in cerebral cortex in spite of no abnormality on MRI and XCT. These findings suggest that SPECT can detect earlier diseased process of AD and CJD than MRI or XCT and that SPECT may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of non-vascular dementia. (author)

  8. N-isopropyl I-123 p-iodoamphetamine (IMP) brain SPECT in dementia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Momose, Toshimitsu; Kosaka, Noboru; Nishikawa, Junichi; Yoshikawa, Kohki; Ohtake, Tohru; Watanabe, Toshiaki; Iwata, Makoto; Shimizu, Teruo; Iio, Masahiro

    1988-12-01

    Six patients of Alzheimer's disease (AD), two patients of Pick disease (PD) and two patients of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were studied with N-Isopropyl I-123 p-Iodoamphetamine (IMP) with SPECT. The pattern of IMP uptake in these demented groups were compared with that in five agematched normal controls and correlated with MRI and XCT. In all AD cases, SPECT revealed focal reduction of IMP uptake in frontal (6/6), parietal (6/6) and temporal (6/6) cortex, although MRI and XCT were normal. In both PD case, SPECT showed focal reduction of IMP uptake in frontal (1/2) and temporal (2/2) cortex with moderate labor atrophy on MRI and XCT. In both CJD case, SPECT showed diffuse reduction of IMP uptake in cerebral cortex in spite of no abnormality on MRI and XCT. These findings suggest that SPECT can detect earlier diseased process of AD and CJD than MRI or XCT and that SPECT may be helpful for the differential diagnosis of non-vascular dementia.

  9. Reduction of prion infectivity in packed red blood cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morales, Rodrigo; Buytaert-Hoefen, Kimberley A.; Gonzalez-Romero, Dennisse; Castilla, Joaquin; Hansen, Eric T.; Hlavinka, Dennis; Goodrich, Raymond P.; Soto, Claudio

    2008-01-01

    The link between a new variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and the consumption of prion contaminated cattle meat as well as recent findings showing that vCJD can be transmitted by blood transfusion have raised public health concerns. Currently, a reliable test to identify prions in blood samples is not available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possibility to remove scrapie prion protein (PrP Sc ) and infectivity from red blood cell (RBC) suspensions by a simple washing procedure using a cell separation and washing device. The extent of prion removal was assessed by Western blot, PMCA and infectivity bioassays. Our results revealed a substantial removal of infectious prions (≥3 logs of infectivity) by all techniques used. These data suggest that a significant amount of infectivity present in RBC preparations can be removed by a simple washing procedure. This technology may lead to increased safety of blood products and reduce the risk of further propagation of prion diseases.

  10. MR imaging in the diagnosis of intracranial infections, inflammations and AIDS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henkes, H.; Schoerner, W.; Felix, R.

    1988-01-01

    At present there is limited experience with MR imaging in infectious and inflammatory diseases of the brain. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic sensitivity of MR imaging and CT in presumed or proved cases of cerebral infection, inflammation, or intracranial manifestation of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Third-generation CT scanners were used to obtain plain and Gd-DTPA-enhanced scans. A 0.5-T Magnetom MR imager was used to obtain plain and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted, T1/T2-weighted, and T2-weighted images with spin-echo and fast low-angle shot (FLASH) techniques. Group 1 (immunocompetent) included 35 patients (63 examinations), group 2 (AIDS), 78 (115 examinations). Diagnoses in both groups yielded a wide range of etiologies (e.g., group 1: sarcoidosis, herpes encephalitis, meningitis, neurocysticercosis, Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease, tuberculosis, virus encephalitis; group 2: toxoplasmosis, progressive diffuse leukoencephalopathia (PDL), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathia (PML), meningitis

  11. α-Synuclein Amyloids Hijack Prion Protein to Gain Cell Entry, Facilitate Cell-to-Cell Spreading and Block Prion Replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aulić, Suzana; Masperone, Lara; Narkiewicz, Joanna; Isopi, Elisa; Bistaffa, Edoardo; Ambrosetti, Elena; Pastore, Beatrice; De Cecco, Elena; Scaini, Denis; Zago, Paola; Moda, Fabio; Tagliavini, Fabrizio; Legname, Giuseppe

    2017-08-30

    The precise molecular mechanism of how misfolded α-synuclein (α-Syn) accumulates and spreads in synucleinopathies is still unknown. Here, we show the role of the cellular prion protein (PrP C ) in mediating the uptake and the spread of recombinant α-Syn amyloids. The in vitro data revealed that the presence of PrP C fosters the higher uptake of α-Syn amyloid fibrils, which was also confirmed in vivo in wild type (Prnp +/+ ) compared to PrP knock-out (Prnp -/- ) mice. Additionally, the presence of α-Syn amyloids blocked the replication of scrapie prions (PrP Sc ) in vitro and ex vivo, indicating a link between the two proteins. Indeed, whilst PrP C is mediating the internalization of α-Syn amyloids, PrP Sc is not able to replicate in their presence. This observation has pathological relevance, since several reported case studies show that the accumulation of α-Syn amyloid deposits in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients is accompanied by a longer disease course.

  12. [Human transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dormont, D

    1994-05-01

    Human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) are rare chronic subacute degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), Kuru, Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), and Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI). CJD can be either inherited or sporadic. All these diseases are always fatal. Neuropathological features are mainly constituted of neuronal vacuolisation, neuronal death, gliosis with hyperastrocytosis; plaques might be evidenced in kuru and GSS. Neither inflammatory syndrome nor demyelination is detectable. No virus like structure could be identified reproducibly. Human TSE are transmissible to non human primates and rodents. Iatrogenic CJD have been described after tissue grafting (cornea, dura mater), neurosurgery, electrophysiology investigation, and treatment with pituitary derived gonadotrophins and growth hormone. Molecular biochemistry of the CNS investigation revealed that a host encoded protein, the prion protein (PrP), accumulates proportionally to the infectious titer: this abnormality is the only detectable hallmark in TSE. Infectious fractions contain no detectable specific nucleic acid, and are mainly constituted of PrP under an isoform which resists to proteinase K digestion (PrP-res). The PrP gene (PRNP) is located on chromosome 20 in humans. Several mutations of this gene have been described in all inherited TSE (CJD, GSS, and IFF). No treatment is available today. Agents inducing TSE (TSA) are not known: several authors claim that TSA are only constituted of PrP-res; others support the hypothesis of a conventional agent with a specific genetic information.

  13. Implications of prion adaptation and evolution paradigm for human neurodegenerative diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabir, M Enamul; Safar, Jiri G

    2014-01-01

    There is a growing body of evidence indicating that number of human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, fronto-temporal dementias, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, propagate in the brain via prion-like intercellular induction of protein misfolding. Prions cause lethal neurodegenerative diseases in humans, the most prevalent being sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD); they self-replicate and spread by converting the cellular form of prion protein (PrP(C)) to a misfolded pathogenic conformer (PrP(Sc)). The extensive phenotypic heterogeneity of human prion diseases is determined by polymorphisms in the prion protein gene, and by prion strain-specific conformation of PrP(Sc). Remarkably, even though informative nucleic acid is absent, prions may undergo rapid adaptation and evolution in cloned cells and upon crossing the species barrier. In the course of our investigation of this process, we isolated distinct populations of PrP(Sc) particles that frequently co-exist in sCJD. The human prion particles replicate independently and undergo competitive selection of those with lower initial conformational stability. Exposed to mutant substrate, the winning PrP(Sc) conformers are subject to further evolution by natural selection of the subpopulation with the highest replication rate due to the lowest stability. Thus, the evolution and adaptation of human prions is enabled by a dynamic collection of distinct populations of particles, whose evolution is governed by the selection of progressively less stable, faster replicating PrP(Sc) conformers. This fundamental biological mechanism may explain the drug resistance that some prions gained after exposure to compounds targeting PrP(Sc). Whether the phenotypic heterogeneity of other neurodegenerative diseases caused by protein misfolding is determined by the spectrum of misfolded conformers (strains) remains to be established. However, the prospect that these conformers may evolve and

  14. Generalized periodic EEG activity in two cases of neurosyphilis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anghinah Renato

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Neurosyphilis is a recognized cause of epileptic seizures and cognitive impairment, but is not usually associated with the finding of generalized periodic activity in the EEG. We report two similar cases characterized by progressive cognitive impairment followed by partial complex seizures, in whom the EEG showed generalized periodic activity. Both cerebrospinal fluid and the response to penicillin therapy confirmed the diagnoses of neurosyphilis in the two cases. The finding of EEG generalized periodic activity in patients with cognitive or behavioral disorders is usually associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, although there are other conditions, some of them potentially reversible, which may also present this EEG abnormality. Neurosyphilis has tended not to be included among them, and our present findings support the importance of first ruling out neurosyphilis in those patients with cognitive or behavioral disorders associated with generalized periodic epileptiform discharges.

  15. Minimising the risk of prion transmission by contact tonometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, S Z; Smith, L; Luthert, P J; Cheetham, M E; Buckley, R J

    2003-11-01

    The unknown prevalence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the UK population has led to fears of horizontal transmission through routine medical procedures. The potential risk of transmission via contact tonometry was examined. The total amount of protein carried over by tonometer tips after applanation of patients was assessed. Tonometer tips had an inherent ability to carry proteinaceous material. There was a large variability in the load carried over between individual patients. Rinsing tonometer tips in water reduced protein carryover. Wiping the tonometer tips also reduced carriage, though less dramatically. There is a small theoretical risk of transmission of vCJD by contact tonometry through reuse, but this should be reduced if the prisms are washed and wiped. In the light of these findings a protocol for the management of reusable tonometer prisms is recommended.

  16. Problematica del mal de las vacas locas y consecuencias

    OpenAIRE

    Fernandez Boj, Olga

    2003-01-01

    El presente trabajo se basa en el estudio sobre una enfermedad que causa una especie de locura en los bovinos denominada encefalitis espongiforme bovina, (EEB) y que también puede afectar al hombre con el nombre de Creutzfeldt-Jakob. La EEB (enfermedad espongiforme bovina) esta vinculada con el scrapie una enfermedad también prionica que se conoce desde hace 250 años y que afecta a las ovejas. Todo comenzó 1883 cuando una vaca tenia los mismos signos clínicos que las ovejas, per...

  17. Syndromes of rapidly progressive cognitive decline-our experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadanandavalli Retnaswami Chandra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Dementias are fairly slowly progressive degenerative diseases of brain for which treatment options are very less and carry a lot of burden on family and society. A small percentage of them are rapidly progressive and mostly carry a different course outcome. However, there are no definite criteria other than the time line for these patients. Aims: The aim of this was to identify and categorize the causes and course of rapidly progressive dementias seen in our center. Settings and Design: Patients who presented with rapid deterioration of cognitive functions within weeks to 1 year between 2011 and December 2016 were evaluated. Patients and Methods: All patients underwent all mandatory tests for dementia including brain imaging. Complete vasculitis workup, autoimmune encephalitis profile including Voltage Gated Potassium Channel, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor, glutamic acid-decarboxylase, thyroid-peroxidase antibody, cerebrospinal fluid, and other special tests such as duodenal biopsy and paraneoplastic workup were done based on clinical indications. Results and Conclusions: Out of 144 patients 42 had immune-mediated encephalopathy, 18 had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, 3 had Vitamin B12 deficiency, 63 had infection with neurocysticercosis, 7 had tuberculosis, 2 had HIV, 1 had herpes simplex encephalitis, 1 had neurosyphilis, 1 Whipples disease, 1 had Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, 1 had Mass lesion, 3 had Frontotemporal dementia, and 3 had small vessel disease. Good majority of these patients have infective and immune-mediated causes and less number belong to degenerative group. Therefore, caution is needed to look for treatable cause as it carries a different treatment options and outcome.

  18. Fabry Disease in Families With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adalsteinsdottir, Berglind; Palsson, Runolfur; Desnick, Robert J

    2017-01-01

    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...... 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...

  19. Modelling the effects of penetrance and family size on rates of sporadic and familial disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Chalabi, Ammar; Lewis, Cathryn M

    2011-01-01

    Many complex diseases show a diversity of inheritance patterns ranging from familial disease, manifesting with autosomal dominant inheritance, through to simplex families in which only one person is affected, manifesting as apparently sporadic disease. The role of ascertainment bias in generating apparent patterns of inheritance is often overlooked. We therefore explored the role of two key parameters that influence ascertainment, penetrance and family size, in rates of observed familiality. We develop a mathematical model of familiality of disease, with parameters for penetrance, mutation frequency and family size, and test this in a complex disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Monogenic, high-penetrance variants can explain patterns of inheritance in complex diseases and account for a large proportion of those with no apparent family history. With current demographic trends, rates of familiality will drop further. For example, a variant with penetrance 0.5 will cause apparently sporadic disease in 12% of families of size 10, but 80% of families of size 1. A variant with penetrance 0.9 has only an 11% chance of appearing sporadic in families of a size similar to those of Ireland in the past, compared with 57% in one-child families like many in China. These findings have implications for genetic counselling, disease classification and the design of gene-hunting studies. The distinction between familial and apparently sporadic disease should be considered artificial. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  20. Cruetzfieldt Jakob Disease e sindromi correlate Il centro di riferimento Piemontese e la sua sorveglianza epidemiologica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Catapano

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available

    Le encefalopatie spongiformi trasmissibili (EST sono malattie del sistema nervoso dell’uomo, ad esito infausto. L’agente eziologico, la proteina prionica (PrP, può trasformarsi e accumularsi nella cellula nervosa causandone la morte. La scoperta negli anni ‘90 di una variante (v. Cruetzfieldt Jakob Disease, correlata all’encefalopatia spongiforme bovina, che colpisce soggetti sotto i 30 anni, ha aumentato l’interesse per le EST.

    I paesi della comunità europea hanno adottano misure di controllo della carne bovina e si sono dotati di osservatori epidemiologici. Pertanto anche in Italia si è avuta l’esigenza di doverne disporre. Si è deciso quindi di istituire anche in Piemonte un centro per la sorveglianza e la notifica delle EST tramite sorveglianza epidemiologica e diagnosi, per mezzo di indagini molecolari e neuropatologiche con la successiva costituzione di una banca dati condivisa con altri centri di riferimento regionali, per la raccolta di dati clinici e strumentali dai reparti di neurologia piemontesi con ricovero in sede dei casi di EST giunti all’osservazione.

    In sede vengono effettuati anche il prelievo, la raccolta, la conservazione di tessuti e altri materiali biologici e si svolgono successive indagini neurobiologiche quali:

     1 la ricerca della proteina 14 3 3 su liquor;

     2 determinazione genotipo del codone 129;

     3 determinazione della sequenza del gene della PrP,

     4 ricerca della PrP proteasi resistente a livello tissutale;

     5 determinazione del sottotipo di PrP. Le indagini neuropatologiche vengono effettuate in collaborazione con dipartimento di Neuroscienze dell’Università di Torino. Si intende inoltre fare promozione attiva delle attività e condivisione delle informazioni raccolte con altri centri.

  1. Small protease sensitive oligomers of PrPSc in distinct human prions determine conversion rate of PrP(C.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chae Kim

    Full Text Available The mammalian prions replicate by converting cellular prion protein (PrP(C into pathogenic conformational isoform (PrP(Sc. Variations in prions, which cause different disease phenotypes, are referred to as strains. The mechanism of high-fidelity replication of prion strains in the absence of nucleic acid remains unsolved. We investigated the impact of different conformational characteristics of PrP(Sc on conversion of PrP(C in vitro using PrP(Sc seeds from the most frequent human prion disease worldwide, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD. The conversion potency of a broad spectrum of distinct sCJD prions was governed by the level, conformation, and stability of small oligomers of the protease-sensitive (s PrP(Sc. The smallest most potent prions present in sCJD brains were composed only of∼20 monomers of PrP(Sc. The tight correlation between conversion potency of small oligomers of human sPrP(Sc observed in vitro and duration of the disease suggests that sPrP(Sc conformers are an important determinant of prion strain characteristics that control the progression rate of the disease.

  2. Large animals as potential models of human mental and behavioral disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danek, Michał; Danek, Janusz; Araszkiewicz, Aleksander

    2017-12-30

    Many animal models in different species have been developed for mental and behavioral disorders. This review presents large animals (dog, ovine, swine, horse) as potential models of this disorders. The article was based on the researches that were published in the peer-reviewed journals. Aliterature research was carried out using the PubMed database. The above issues were discussed in the several problem groups in accordance with the WHO International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10thRevision (ICD-10), in particular regarding: organic, including symptomatic, disorders; mental disorders (Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, pernicious anemia and hepatic encephalopathy, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease); behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (alcoholic intoxication, abuse of morphine); schizophrenia and other schizotypal disorders (puerperal psychosis); mood (affective) disorders (depressive episode); neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder); behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors (anxiety disorders, anorexia nervosa, narcolepsy); mental retardation (Cohen syndrome, Down syndrome, Hunter syndrome); behavioral and emotional disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). This data indicates many large animal disorders which can be models to examine the above human mental and behavioral disorders.

  3. Atom and life - History of a research issued from nuclear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griset, Pascal; Picard, Jean-Francois

    2015-01-01

    As many examples illustrate the commitment of the French CEA in biology (development of medical imagery technologies, of the first prion test for the detection of the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), this book proposes an insight into those specific researches in life sciences performed within this institution initially devoted to nuclear sciences. This history comprises researches performed in Fontenay aux Roses at the initiative of Frederic Joliot on basic physiological processes, the development of a scientific library in Saclay where physicists, chemists and biologists worked together, the building of a medical department within the Saclay hospital, research activities in Grenoble, the regrouping of biology laboratories, the increasingly important mission of the Life Sciences Directorate within the CEA in four domains (radiobiology and radio-pathology, protein engineering and structural biology, medical imagery and pharmacology, eco-physiology and vegetal ecosystems). This research field is now characterized by its international dimension

  4. Christfried Jakob's Late Views (1930-1949) on the Psychogenetic Function of the Cerebral Cortex and Its Localization: Culmination of the Neurophilosophical Thought of a Keen Brain Observer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theodoridou, Zoe D.; Triarhou, Lazaros C.

    2012-01-01

    This article follows the culmination of the scientific thought of the neurobiologist Christfried Jakob (1866-1956) during the later part of his career, based on publications from 1930 to 1949, when he was between 64 and 83 years of age. Jakob emphasized the necessity of bridging philosophy to the biological sciences, neurobiology in particular.…

  5. "Rohgem ei tiija mina teile kirjuda." Kirjavormelid ning peresuhete kajastused Jakob Ploomi sõjakirjades / Andreas Kalkun

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kalkun, Andreas, 1977-

    2015-01-01

    Sõjaaegse kirjakultuuri levimisest Võrumaalt pärit nekrut Jakob Ploomi 26 isikliku kirja põhjal, millest näeb, mismoodi paistis Suur sõda rohujuuretasandilt ning seda, mismoodi talupojad jõudsid sõja poolt peale sunnitud vajadusest tingituna suulisest maailmast kirjakultuuri

  6. In-situ spectroscopic investigation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies: application of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to a scrapie-hamster model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneipp, Janina; Lasch, Peter; Beekes, Michael; Naumann, Dieter

    2002-03-01

    Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), such as BSE in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in man are a group of fatal infectious diseases of the central nervous system that are far from being fully understood. Presuming the pathological changes to originate from small disease-specific compositional and structural modifications at the molecular level, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy can be used to achieve insight into biochemical parameters underlying pathogenesis. We have developed an FTIR microspectroscopy-based strategy which, as a combination of image reconstruction and multivariate pattern recognition methods, permitted the comparison of identical substructures in the cerebellum of healthy and TSE-infected Syrian hamsters in the terminal stage of the disease. Here we present FTIR data about the pathological changes of scrapie-infected and normal tissue of the gray matter structures stratum granulosum and stratum moleculare. IR spectroscopy was also applied to tissue pieces of the medulla oblongata of infected and control Syrian hamsters. Mapping data were analyzed with cluster analysis and imaging methods. We found variations in the spectra of the infected tissue, which are due to changes in carbohydrates, nucleic acids, phospholipids, and proteins.

  7. White blood cell-based detection of asymptomatic scrapie infection by ex vivo assays.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Halliez

    Full Text Available Prion transmission can occur by blood transfusion in human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and in experimental animal models, including sheep. Screening of blood and its derivatives for the presence of prions became therefore a major public health issue. As infectious titer in blood is reportedly low, highly sensitive and robust methods are required to detect prions in blood and blood derived products. The objectives of this study were to compare different methods--in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assays--to detect prion infectivity in cells prepared from blood samples obtained from scrapie infected sheep at different time points of the disease. Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA and bioassays in transgenic mice expressing the ovine prion protein were the most efficient methods to identify infected animals at any time of the disease (asymptomatic to terminally-ill stages. However scrapie cell and cerebellar organotypic slice culture assays designed to replicate ovine prions in culture also allowed detection of prion infectivity in blood cells from asymptomatic sheep. These findings confirm that white blood cells are appropriate targets for preclinical detection and introduce ex vivo tools to detect blood infectivity during the asymptomatic stage of the disease.

  8. Fatal degenerative neurologic illnesses in men who participated in wild game feasts--Wisconsin, 2002.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-02-21

    Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal neurologic disorder in humans. CJD is one of a group of conditions known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), or prion diseases, that are believed to be caused by abnormally configured, host-encoded prion proteins that accumulate in the central nervous tissue. CJD has an annual incidence of approximately 1 case per million population in the United States and occurs in three forms: sporadic, genetically determined, and acquired by infection. In the latter form, the incubation period is measured typically in years. Recent evidence that prion infection can cross the species barrier between humans and cattle has raised increasing public health concerns about the possible transmission to humans of a TSE among deer and elk known as chronic wasting disease (CWD). During 1993-1999, three men who participated in wild game feasts in northern Wisconsin died of degenerative neurologic illnesses. This report documents the investigation of these deaths, which was initiated in August 2002 and which confirmed the death of only one person from CJD. Although no association between CWD and CJD was found, continued surveillance of both diseases remains important to assess the possible risk for CWD transmission to humans.

  9. Dizziness and progressively poor memory for one year, combined with epilepsy, mental and behavior disorder for 19 days

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kun JIANG

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available It is well known that neurosyphilis has various brain MRI manifestations. In this report, we present a rare case with DWI lace-like high signal in cerebral cortex, which is usually seen in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD. A 50-year-old male developed dizziness, poor memory, seizures, mental and behavioral disorders, and was admitted to our Emergency Department, where he experienced sudden left hemiplegia. Rapid plasma regain (RPR and treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA was positive in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF. CSF: 14-3-3 protein (+. Brain MRI showed high FLAIR signals in the right frontal lobe, temporal lobe, insular lobe, occipital lobe and thalamus before the treatment. As for this patient, it was difficult to differentiate CJD from neurosyphilis at first. He was given penicillin treatment and responded well. Those lesions in brain MRI decreased after treatment. This case was reported to raise the awareness of early treatment of neruosyphilis and showed a special DWI lace-like image of this disease. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2015.04.016

  10. Family aggregation of cardiovascular disease mortality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Silventoinen, Karri; Hjelmborg, Jacob; Möller, Sören

    2017-01-01

    Background: Familial factors play an important role in the variation of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but less is known about how they affect the risk of death from CVD. We estimated familial aggregation of CVD mortality for twins offering the maximum level of risk due to genetic...... and other familial factors. Methods: Altogether, 132 771 twin individuals, including 65 196 complete pairs from Denmark, Finland and Sweden born in 1958 or earlier, participated in this study. During the register-based follow-up, 11 641 deaths occurred from coronary heart disease (CHD), including 6280...

  11. Disease severity in familial cases of IBD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreu, M; Márquez, L; Domènech, E; Gisbert, J P; García, V; Marín-Jiménez, I; Peñalva, M; Gomollón, F; Calvet, X; Merino, O; Garcia-Planella, E; Vázquez-Romero, N; Esteve, M; Nos, P; Gutiérrez, A; Vera, I; Cabriada, J L; Martín, M D; Cañas-Ventura, A; Panés, J

    2014-03-01

    Phenotypic traits of familial IBD relative to sporadic cases are controversial, probably related to limited statistical power of published evidence. To know if there are phenotype differences between familial and sporadic IBD, evaluating the prospective Spanish registry (ENEIDA) with 11,983 cases. 5783 patients (48.3%) had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 6200 (51.7%) Crohn's disease (CD). Cases with one or more 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree relatives affected by UC/CD were defined as familial case. In UC and CD, familial cases compared with sporadic cases had an earlier disease onset (UC: 33 years [IQR 25-44] vs 37 years [IQR 27-49]; p<0.0001); (CD: 27 years [IQR 21-35] vs 29 years [IQR 22-40]; p<0.0001), higher prevalence of extraintestinal immune-related manifestations (EIMs) (UC: 17.2% vs 14%; p=0.04); (CD: 30.1% vs 23.6%; p<0.0001). Familial CD had higher percentage of ileocolic location (42.7% vs 51.8%; p=0.0001), penetrating behavior (21% vs 17.6%; p=0.01) and perianal disease (32% vs 27.1%; p=0.003). Differences are not influenced by degree of consanguinity. When a sufficiently powered cohort is evaluated, familial aggregation in IBD is associated to an earlier disease onset, more EIMs and more severe phenotype in CD. This feature should be taken into account at establishing predictors of disease course. © 2013.

  12. A familial concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siomos Konstantinos E

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Gaucher's disease (GD is the most frequently encountered lysosomal storage disease. Here, we describe and discuss the observed concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in two siblings. Methods Presentation of a family with two siblings with Gaucher's disease. Results In a six-member family, the first son suffers from schizophrenia, while the third and fourth sons suffer from the Gaucher's disease (type 1 non-neuronopathic. The parents and the second son do not suffer from either illness. Conclusion The concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in the same family is an unusual phenomenon. The literature regarding this coincidence is limited, despite the fact that patients with Gaucher's disease have one or two mutated alleles, considered to be a risk factor leading to conditions such as Dementia, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

  13. Caregiver roles in families affected by Huntington's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Røthing, Merete; Malterud, Kirsti; Frich, Jan C

    2013-01-01

    AIM: The objective of this study was to explore family caregivers' experiences with the impact of Huntington's disease (HD) on the family structure and roles in the family. METHODOLOGY: We interviewed 15 family caregivers in families affected by HD, based on a semi-structured interview guide...... for impairments by taking on adult responsibilities, and in some families, a child had the role as main caregiver. The increasing need for care could cause conflicts between the role as family member and family caregiver. The burden of care within the family could fragment and isolate the family. CONCLUSIONS......: Huntington's disease has a major impact on family systems. Caregiver roles are shaped by impairments in the affected family member and corresponding dynamic adoption and change in roles within the family. Making assessments of the family structure and roles, professionals may understand more about how...

  14. Chronic Disease Management in Family Practice: Clinical Note.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-03-01

    disease management in the family practice selling. This paper discusses chronic disease management in the family practice selling....Chronic disease management is the process of evaluating and treating a medical condition or disease state which can not be readily cured so as to...minimize it’s negative impact on the individual. Examples of chronic disease management include the treatment of hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis

  15. Control of bovine spongiform encephalopathy by genetic engineering: possible approaches and regulatory considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gavora, J.S.; Kochhar, H.P.S.; Gifford, G.A.

    2005-01-01

    Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) include bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scrapie in sheep and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. A new CJD variant (nvCJD) is believed to be related to consumption of meat from BSE cattle. In TSE individuals, prion proteins (PrP) with approximately 250 amino acids convert to the pathogenic prion PrP Sc , leading to a dysfunction of the central neural system. Research elsewhere with mice has indicated a possible genetic engineering approach to the introduction of BSE resistance: individuals with amino acid substitutions at positions 167 or 218, inoculated with a pathogenic prion protein, did not support PrP Sc replication. This raises the possibility of producing prion-resistant cattle with a single PrP amino acid substitution. Since prion-resistant animals might still harbour acquired prion infectivity, regulatory assessment of the engineered animals would need to ascertain that such possible 'carriers' do not result in a threat to animal and human health. (author)

  16. Description and analysis of 12 years of surveillance for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Denmark, 1997 to 2008

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gubbels, S; Bacci, S; Laursen, H

    2012-01-01

    those in other countries, has a multidisciplinary approach, which is labour-intensive and time-consuming but ensures the most complete set of information possible. With this approach we think that patients with variant CJD would have been detected had they occurred in Denmark. Certain aspects of CJD...

  17. Spontaneous generation of rapidly transmissible prions in transgenic mice expressing wild-type bank vole prion protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watts, Joel C; Giles, Kurt; Stöhr, Jan; Oehler, Abby; Bhardwaj, Sumita; Grillo, Sunny K; Patel, Smita; DeArmond, Stephen J; Prusiner, Stanley B

    2012-02-28

    Currently, there are no animal models of the most common human prion disorder, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), in which prions are formed spontaneously from wild-type (WT) prion protein (PrP). Interestingly, bank voles (BV) exhibit an unprecedented promiscuity for diverse prion isolates, arguing that bank vole PrP (BVPrP) may be inherently prone to adopting misfolded conformations. Therefore, we constructed transgenic (Tg) mice expressing WT BVPrP. Tg(BVPrP) mice developed spontaneous CNS dysfunction between 108 and 340 d of age and recapitulated the hallmarks of prion disease, including spongiform degeneration, pronounced astrogliosis, and deposition of alternatively folded PrP in the brain. Brain homogenates of ill Tg(BVPrP) mice transmitted disease to Tg(BVPrP) mice in ∼35 d, to Tg mice overexpressing mouse PrP in under 100 d, and to WT mice in ∼185 d. Our studies demonstrate experimentally that WT PrP can spontaneously form infectious prions in vivo. Thus, Tg(BVPrP) mice may be useful for studying the spontaneous formation of prions, and thus may provide insight into the etiology of sporadic CJD.

  18. Amyloid Structure and Assembly: Insights from Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldsbury, C.; Wall, J.; Baxa, U.; Simon, M. N.; Steven, A. C.; Engel, A.; Aebi, U.; Muller, S. A.

    2011-01-01

    Amyloid fibrils are filamentous protein aggregates implicated in several common diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes. Similar structures are also the molecular principle of the infectious spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, and of the so-called yeast prions, inherited non-chromosomal elements found in yeast and fungi. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is often used to delineate the assembly mechanism and structural properties of amyloid aggregates. In this review we consider specifically contributions and limitations of STEM for the investigation of amyloid assembly pathways, fibril polymorphisms and structural models of amyloid fibrils. This type of microscopy provides the only method to directly measure the mass-per-length (MPL) of individual filaments. Made on both in vitro assembled and ex vivo samples, STEM mass measurements have illuminated the hierarchical relationships between amyloid fibrils and revealed that polymorphic fibrils and various globular oligomers can assemble simultaneously from a single polypeptide. The MPLs also impose strong constraints on possible packing schemes, assisting in molecular model building when combined with high-resolution methods like solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).

  19. Jakob Kelemina on Shakespeare's plays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirko Jurak

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Among Slovene scholars in English and German studies Jakob Kelemina (19 July 1882- 14 May 1957 has a very important  place. Janez Stanonik justly places him among the founding fathers of the University of Ljubljana (Stanonik 1966: 332. From 1920 Kelemina was professor of Germanic philology and between 1920 and 1957 he was also the Chair of the Deparment ofGermanic Languages and Literatures at the Faculty of Arts of this university. The major part of Kelemina's research was devoted to German and Austrian literatures,  German  philology, German-Slovene cultural relations, and literary theory; his work in these fields has already been discussed  by severa! Slovene scholars. However, in the first two decades of the twentieth century Kelemina also wrote severa! book reviews of Slovene and Croatian translations of Shakespeare's plays as well as three introductory essays to Slovene translations  of Shakespeare's plays. They are considered  as the first serious studies on Shakespeare in Slovenia (Moravec 1974: 437, and have not been analysed yet. Therefore this topic presents the core of my study, together with an evaluation  of Kelemina's contribution  to Slovene translations  of Shakespeare's plays done by Oton Župančič (1878-1949 during the first half of the twentieth century. Župančič's translations  became the criterion  for all further translations  of Shakespeare's dramatic works in Slovene. Župančič is stili one of our most important  poets and translators of this time and Kelemina's advice and criticism undoubtedly  also helped him to achieve such a high standard in his translations. In the central part of my study I also include some new material (e.g. Kelernina's letters, which is relevant for our understanding  of his co-operation with Oton Župančič  and other Slovene authors and critics. In order to put Kelemina's work into a historical perspective I present at the beginning of my study a brief survey of the

  20. Loss of anti-Bax function in Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome-associated prion protein mutants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie Jodoin

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Previously, we have shown the loss of anti-Bax function in Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD-associated prion protein (PrP mutants that are unable to generate cytosolic PrP (CyPrP. To determine if the anti-Bax function of PrP modulates the manifestation of prion diseases, we further investigated the anti-Bax function of eight familial Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Syndrome (GSS-associated PrP mutants. These PrP mutants contained their respective methionine ((M or valine ((V at codon 129. All of the mutants lost their ability to prevent Bax-mediated chromatin condensation or DNA fragmentation in primary human neurons. In the breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, the F198S(V, D202N(V, P102L(V and Q217R(V retained, whereas the P102L(M, P105L(V, Y145stop(M and Q212P(M PrP mutants lost their ability to inhibit Bax-mediated condensed chromatin. The inhibition of Bax-mediated condensed chromatin depended on the ability of the mutants to generate cytosolic PrP. However, except for the P102L(V, none of the mutants significantly inhibited Bax-mediated caspase activation. These results show that the cytosolic PrP generated from the GSS mutants is not as efficient as wild type PrP in inhibiting Bax-mediated cell death. Furthermore, these results indicate that the anti-Bax function is also disrupted in GSS-associated PrP mutants and is not associated with the difference between CJD and GSS.