Thursday, March 28, 2024

Severe flu confers higher risk for neuro disorders vs. COVID

Hospitalization for influenza is linked to a greater risk for subsequent neurologic disorders including migraine, stroke, or epilepsy than hospitalization for COVID-19, according to a recent study funded by the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers used healthcare claims data to compare 77,300 people hospitalized with COVID-19 with 77,300 hospitalized with influenza.

Participants hospitalized with COVID-19 vs influenza were significantly less likely to require care in the following year for migraine (2% vs 3.2%), epilepsy (1.6% vs 2.1%), neuropathy (1.9% vs 3.6%), movement disorders (1.5% vs 2.5%), stroke (2% vs 2.4%), and dementia (2% vs 2.3%) (all P < .001). Click here to learn more. 

Simple skin test can detect Parkinson’s and other brain diseases

A simple skin biopsy test that can be done at the doctor’s office was effective in detecting Parkinson’s disease with 93 percent accuracy, according to a new study published on March 20 in JAMA. Although the special biopsy has been shown to be effective in identifying different neurological disorders, this was the first to look at the subgroup of neurodegenerative conditions known collectively as synucleinopathies, which includes Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy.

For the study, participants underwent three 3-millimeter skin punch biopsies. Researchers then searched for an abnormal protein that is seen in the brain and spinal cord of people with synucleinopathies called phosphorylated a-synuclein, or P-SYN. In people with clinically confirmed Parkinson’s disease, 93 percent demonstrated a positive skin biopsy for P-SYN that confirmed the diagnosis. Click here to learn more.

First FA patient dosed in OLE study of nomlabofusp

The first patient has been dosed in a long-term, open-label extension (OLE) of a Phase 2 dose escalation study that tested nomlabofusp, formerly CTI-1601, an investigational therapy being developed by Larimar Therapeutics for Friedreich’s ataxia. The study is open to patients who took part in the completed Phase 2 study or an earlier Phase 1 study. It’s initially testing daily 25 mg injections administered under the skin, or subcutaneously by patients or their caregivers.

The company plans to include initial data from the OLE study, expected late this year, along with data from the completed studies as part of a biologics license application (BLA) package toward nomlabofusp’s accelerated approval in the U.S. Click here to learn more.

Design Therapeutics working on therapy targeting toxic Huntington’s protein

Small molecules developed by Design Therapeutics were able to reduce the activity of the disease-causing mutant gene in preclinical models of Huntington’s disease, according to an announcement from the company.

Design’s newly unveiled Huntington’s program aims to develop an optimal small molecule that can reduce activity of the mutated HTT gene copy, thereby lowering levels of the disease-driving mutant protein and other toxic gene products. Click here to learn more.

Mitochondrial DNA fragment losses predict Parkinson's disease before symptoms appear

Patients with a sleep behavior disorder that occurs during the REM (rapid eye movement) phase known as iRBD (idiopathic rem sleep behavior disorder) can go on to develop Parkinson's disease, which is why it is thought to be an early stage of this disorders. iRBD consists of a disturbance of the deep sleep phase, characterized by a lack of muscle relaxation and the execution of abrupt and violent movements of the limbs and trunk, which are associated with aggressive dreams.

Led by researcher Margalida Puigròs, a member of the Institute of Neurosciences of the UBneuro, the study finds that patients with REM sleep behavior disorder, both those who subsequently developed Parkinson's disease and those who did not, had more mitochondrial DNA circulating in the cerebrospinal fluid with deletions than the control group. Click here to learn more.