Eye Tracking Impact on Quality-of-Life of ALS Patients

Chronic neurological disorders in their advanced phase are characterized by a progressive loss of mobility (use of upper and lower limbs), speech and social life. Some of these pathologies, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis, are paradigmatic of these deficits. High technology communication instruments, such as eye tracking, can be an extremely important possibility to reintroduce these patients in their family and social life, in particular when they suffer severe disability. This paper reports and describes the results of an ongoing experimentation about Eye Tracking impact on the quality of life of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. The aim of the experimentation is to evaluate if and when eye tracking technologies have a positive impact on patients' live

Pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a population-based controlled study

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Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after 2010–2011 influenza vaccination

Influenza vaccination has been implicated in Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) although the evidence for this link is controversial. A case–control study was conducted between October 2010 and May 2011 in seven Italian Regions to explore the relation between influenza vaccination and GBS. The study included 176 GBS incident cases aged ≥18 years from 86 neurological centers. Controls were selected among patients admitted for acute conditions to the Emergency Department of the same hospital as cases. Each control was matched to a case by sex, age, Region and admission date. Two different analyses were conducted: a matched case–control analysis and a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS). Case–control analysis included 140 cases matched to 308 controls. The adjusted matched odds ratio (OR) for GBS occurrence within 6 weeks after influenza vaccination was 3.8 (95 % CI: 1.3, 10.5). A much stronger association with gastrointestinal infections (OR = 23.8; 95 % CI 7.3, 77.6) and influenza-like illness or upper respiratory tract infections (OR = 11.5; 95 % CI 5.6, 23.5) was highlighted. The SCCS analysis included all 176 GBS cases. Influenza vaccination was associated with GBS, with a relative risk of 2.1 (95 % CI 1.1, 3.9). According to these results the attributable risk in adults ranges from two to five GBS cases per 1,000,000 vaccinations

The Heritability of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Clinically Ascertained United States Research Registry

The genetic basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not entirely clear. While there are families with rare highly penetrant mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 and several other genes that cause apparent Mendelian inheritance of the disease, most ALS occurs in families without another affected individual. However, twin studies suggest that all ALS has a substantial genetic basis. Herein, we estimate the genetic contribution to ALS in a clinically ascertained case series from the United States.We used the database of the Emory ALS Center to ascertain individuals with ALS along with their family histories to determine the concordance among parents and offspring for the disease. We found that concordance for all parent-offspring pairs was low (<2%). With this concordance we found that ALS heritability, or the proportion of the disease explained by genetic factors, is between 40 and 45% for all likely estimates of ALS lifetime prevalence.We found the lifetime risk of ALS is 1.1% in first-degree relatives of those with ALS. Environmental and genetic factors appear nearly equally important for the development of ALS

Age-period-cohort analysis of trends in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis incidence

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an unknown cause. Studies have reported that the incidence rate of ALS might be changing. As ALS is an age related disease, crude incidence could increase as population structure changes and overall life expectancy improves. Age-period-cohort (APC) models are frequently used to investigate trends in demographic rates such as incidence. Age-specific incidence rate for ALS from 1996 to 2014 were taken from a population-based ALS register in Ireland. To circumvent the well-known identifiability issue in APC models, we apply the method of Partial Least Squares Regression to separate the effects of Age, Period and Cohort on ALS incidence over time. This APC analysis shows no cohort effect and the initial signs of a period effect; increasing incidence of ALS in the most recently diagnosed group. As further years of data accrue to the Irish register it will become clear if this effect emerges as a strong trend in the incidence of ALS in Ireland and replication of these analyses in other populations will show if our findings on temporal patterns in ALS incidence are shared elsewhere

MiToS and King\u27s staging as clinical outcome measures in ALS: A retrospective analysis of the FORTITUDE-ALS trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Milano-Torino staging (MiToS) and King\u27s staging systems as potential outcome measures for clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by assessing these outcomes in FORTITUDE-ALS. METHODS: This was a RESULTS: The full analysis set consisted of 456 patients randomized 3:1 ( CONCLUSION: This exploratory analysis showed the feasibility of MiToS and King\u27s staging as potential outcome measures in ALS. Additional studies of these staging systems are needed to further explore their utility in ALS clinical trials

Fattori di rischio ambientali e sclerosi laterale amiotrofica: studio caso-controllo in provincia di Novara

La Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica (SLA) è una malattia neurodegenerativa a decorso progressivo. Ad eccezione di alcune forme genetiche (mutazioni dei geni SOD1, C9orf72, FUS/TLS e TARDBP), l’eziologia rimane ignota e si ipotizza che la SLA sia una malattia multifattoriale dove fattori genetici predisponenti interagiscano con fattori ambientali, quali metalli, solventi, pesticidi e campi elettromagnetici e/o esposizioni professionali (saldatore, elettricista e agricoltore). Obiettivo di questo studio è valutare il ruolo di alcuni fattori ambientali e occupazionali sul rischio di SLA nella provincia di Novara. Nell’ambito di un disegno di studio caso-controllo sono stati identificati i nuovi casi di SLA diagnosticati tra il 2002 ed il 2012 tra i residenti nella provincia di Novara utilizzando le Schede di Dimissione Ospedaliere dei reparti di Neurologia della provincia di Novara, le schede di morte e il Registro Piemontese di SLA. I controlli sono stati selezionati in modo casuale dall’anagrafe sanitaria dell’ASL di Novara. Un questionario realizzato ad hoc per la valutazione di fattori di rischio ambientali e occupazionali è stato somministrato direttamente (o tramite i familiari) ai casi, mentre i controlli hanno ricevuto il questionario per via postale. Tramite regressione logistica non condizionata, aggiustata per età e sesso, è stato calcolato l’odds ratio (OR) con intervallo di confidenza (IC) al 95% senza cutpoints fissi di significatività. In totale sono stati raccolti 68 questionari (34 casi e 34 controlli). Le attività lavorative o esposizioni associate ad un incremento del rischio di SLA sono state: lavoro agricolo (OR 9,32; IC 95% 1,02-85,23 ; P=0,048), attività di saldatore (OR 5,89; IC 95% 0,57-60,81; P=0,136), esposizione professionale a piombo (OR 4,43; IC 95% 0,88-22,29; P=0,071) e solventi (OR 4,11; IC 95% 1,29-13,05; P=0,016), shock elettrici (OR 4,70; IC 95% 0,44-50,28; P=0,200), residenza vicino a linee elettriche a alta tensione (OR 3,28; IC 95% 0,85-12,68; P=0,085) e residenza vicino a specchi d’acqua (OR 3,09; IC 95% 0,92-10,33; P=0,067). I risultati dello studio mostrano un incremento di rischio in associazione ad alcuni fattori ambientali e occupazionali, ma a causa della limitata numerosità, non sono in grado di confermarne il ruolo eziopatogenetico nella SLA