Cerebral Palsy:Early Markers of Clinical Phenotype and Functional Outcome

The Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA) has become a cornerstone assessment in early identification of cerebral palsy (CP), particularly during the fidgety movement period at 3-5 months of age. Additionally, assessment of motor repertoire, such as antigravity movements and postural patterns, which form the Motor Optimality Score (MOS), may provide insight into an infant's later motor function. This study aimed to identify early specific markers for ambulation, gross motor function (using the Gross Motor Function Classification System, GMFCS), topography (unilateral, bilateral), and type (spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, and hypotonic) of CP in a large worldwide cohort of 468 infants. We found that 95% of children with CP did not have fidgety movements, with 100% having non-optimal MOS. GMFCS level was strongly correlated to MOS. An MOS > 14 was most likely associated with GMFCS outcomes I or II, whereas GMFCS outcomes IV or V were hardly ever associated with an MOS > 8. A number of different movement patterns were associated with more severe functional impairment (GMFCS III-V), including atypical arching and persistent cramped-synchronized movements. Asymmetrical segmental movements were strongly associated with unilateral CP. Circular arm movements were associated with dyskinetic CP. This study demonstrated that use of the MOS contributes to understanding later CP prognosis, including early markers for type and severity

Association of Infants Exposed to Prenatal Zika Virus Infection With Their Clinical, Neurologic, and Developmental Status Evaluated via the General Movement Assessment Tool

Importance: There is an urgent need to assess neurodevelopment in Zika virus (ZIKV)-exposed infants. Objectives: To perform general movement assessment (GMA) at 9 to 20 weeks' postterm age and to evaluate whether the findings are associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 12 months in infants prenatally exposed to acute maternal illness with rash in Brazil during the ZIKV outbreak and in age-matched controls. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cohort study, infants prenatally exposed to acute maternal illness with rash were recruited at medical institutions in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from February 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017, while infants without any exposure to maternal illness originated from the Graz University Audiovisual Research Database for the Interdisciplinary Analysis of Neurodevelopment. Participants were 444 infants, including 76 infants without congenital microcephaly, 35 infants with microcephaly, and 333 neurotypical children matched for sex, gestational age at birth, and age at GMA. Main Outcomes and Measures: General movement assessment performed at 9 to 20 weeks' postterm age, with negative predictive value, positive predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity generated, as well as clinical, neurologic, and developmental status (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition [Bayley-III] scores) at age 12 months. Motor Optimality Scores were generated based on the overall quality of the motor repertoire. Adverse outcomes were defined as a Bayley-III score less than 2 SD in at least 1 domain, a score less than 1 SD in at least 2 domains, and/or atypical neurologic findings. Results: A total of 444 infants were enrolled, including 111 children prenatally exposed to a maternal illness with rash and 333 children without any prenatal exposure to maternal illness (57.7% male and mean [SD] age, 14 [2] weeks for both groups); 82.1% (46 of 56) of ZIKV-exposed infants without congenital microcephaly were healthy at age 12 months. Forty-four of 46 infants were correctly identified by GMA at 3 months, with a negative predictive value of 94% (95% CI, 85%-97%). Seven of 10 ZIKV-exposed children without microcephaly with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes were identified by GMA. The GMA positive predictive value was 78% (95% CI, 46%-94%), sensitivity was 70% (95% CI, 35%-93%), specificity was 96% (95% CI, 85%-99%), and accuracy was 91% (95% CI, 80%-97%). Children with microcephaly had bilateral spastic cerebral palsy; none had normal movements. The Motor Optimality Score differentiated outcomes: the median Motor Optimality Score was 23 (interquartile range [IQR], 21-26) in children with normal development, 12 (IQR, 8-19) in children with adverse outcomes, and 5 (IQR, 5-6) in children with microcephaly, a significant difference (P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that although a large proportion of ZIKV-exposed infants without microcephaly develop normally, many do not. The GMA should be incorporated into routine infant assessments to enable early entry into targeted treatment programs.</p

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) in Blood Donors in Brazil-A 10-Year Study (2007-2016).

It is unknown whether HTLV-1/2 prevalence has been stable or changing with time in Brazil. We present a 10-year (2007-2016) analysis of HTLV-1/2 infection in first-time blood donors from four blood banks in Brazil. The Brazilian blood centers participating in this multicenter Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS) are located in Recife in the Northeast and in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte located in the Southeast of the country. A previous REDS study using the same database from 2007 to 2009 showed that the prevalence per 100,000 donors was 222 in Recife, 83 in Belo Horizonte and 101 in São Paulo. From 2007 to 2016, HTLV-1/2 prevalence was calculated by year, blood center and birth cohort. Covariates included age, gender, schooling, self-reported skin color and type of donation. From 1,092,174 first-blood donations, in the general analysis, HTLV-1/2 infection predominated in females, donors over 50 years of age, black skin color and less educated. The average prevalence was 228 per 100,000 donors in Recife, 222 in Rio de Janeiro, 104 in Belo Horizonte and 103 in São Paulo. In the 10-year analysis, HTLV-1/2 prevalence was stable, but a trend was observed toward an increase in HTLV-1/2 infection among younger people (p &lt; 0.001), males (p = 0.049), those with white skin color (p &lt; 0.001), and higher education (p = 0.014). Therefore, this 10-year surveillance of the infection showed stable HTLV-1/2 prevalence overall but a trend toward increased prevalence among the younger and more educated donors despite Brazilian policies to control sexually transmitted infections being in place for more than 10 years