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1.
Research Progress on the Effect of Epilepsy and Antiseizure Medications on PCOS Through HPO Axis.
Li, S, Zhang, L, Wei, N, Tai, Z, Yu, C, Xu, Z
Frontiers in endocrinology. 2021;:787854
Abstract
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disease that manifests as recurrent seizures. The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy in women are slightly lower than those in men. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a reproductive endocrine system disease, is a complication that women with epilepsy are susceptible to, and its total prevalence is 8%-13% in the female population and sometimes as high as 26% in female epilepsy patients. The rate of PCOS increased markedly in female patients who chose valproate (VPA), to 1.95 times higher than that of other drugs. In addition, patients receiving other anti-seizure medications (ASMs), such as lamotrigine (LTG), oxcarbazepine (OXC), and carbamazepine (CBZ), also have reproductive endocrine abnormalities. Some scholars believe that the increase in incidence is related not only to epilepsy itself but also to ASMs. Epileptiform discharges can affect the activity of the pulse generator and then interfere with the reproductive endocrine system by breaking the balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis. ASMs may also cause PCOS-like disorders of the reproductive endocrine system through the HPO axis. Moreover, other factors such as hormone metabolism and related signalling pathways also play a role in it.
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2.
Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES): An Overview of Treatment and Recent Patents.
Hon, KL, Leung, AKC, Torres, AR
Recent patents on inflammation & allergy drug discovery. 2018;(2):128-135
Abstract
BACKGROUND New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE) refers to a clinical presentation in a patient without active epilepsy or other existing relevant neurological disorder, with new onset of refractory status epilepticus in the absence of a clear acute or active structural, metabolic, or toxic cause. Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) is a subset of NORSE that requires a febrile infection between 24 hours and 2 weeks prior to the onset of refractory status epilepticus, with or without fever at the onset of status epilepticus, and with no restriction to the age of the patient. The literature on FIRES is scarce. OBJECTIVE This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical features, and various treatment modalities in the treatment of FIRES. METHODS A Medline/Pubmed search was conducted using Clinical Queries with the key terms "Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome", "FIRES", "New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus" and "NORSE". The search strategy included meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, reviews and pertinent references. Patents were searched using the key term "FIRES", "NORSE" and "Febrile Epilepsy Syndrome" from www.google.com/patents, www.uspto.gov, and www.freepatentsonline.com. RESULTS FIRES almost invariably begins with a mild nonspecific febrile illness in an otherwise healthy individual. Twenty-four hours to two weeks later, seizures begin and quickly become very frequent and worsen, becoming status epilepticus. Seizures can be simple motor, complex partial or secondary generalized. The exact etiology is not known. It is possible that the syndrome is caused by an inflammatory or autoimmune mechanism. Seizures in FIRES are notoriously very difficult to treat. Treatment modalities include, among others, various antiepileptic drugs, ketogenic diet, intravenous corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and burst-suppression coma. The outcome is poor; most children are left with significant cognitive disability and refractory epilepsy. Recent patents for the management of FIRES are discussed. CONCLUSION FIRES is a rare epilepsy syndrome of unclear etiology in which children, usually of school age, suddenly develop very frequent seizures after a mild febrile illness. Seizures in FIRES are typically difficult to treat. The prognosis is poor.
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3.
Ketogenic diet: an early option for epilepsy treatment, instead of a last choice only.
Wang, HS, Lin, KL
Biomedical journal. 2013;(1):16-7
Abstract
Ketogenic diet (KD) was usually tried as a last resort in the treatment of intractable epilepsy after failure of many antiepileptics and even epilepsy surgery. Glucose transporter-1 deficiency and pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency must be treated with KD as the first choice because of inborn errors of glucose metabolism. Infantile spasms, tuberous sclerosis complex, Rett syndrome, Doose syndrome, Dravet syndrome, etc., appear to respond to KD, and it has been suggested by the international consensus statement to use KD early. We believe that all patients with epilepsy, except those with contraindicated situations such as pyruvate carboxylase deficiency, porphyria, β-oxidation defects, primary carnitine deficiency, etc., may try KD before trying other regimens.
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4.
The clinical impact of pharmacogenetics on the treatment of epilepsy.
Löscher, W, Klotz, U, Zimprich, F, Schmidt, D
Epilepsia. 2009;(1):1-23
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Abstract
Drug treatment of epilepsy is characterized by unpredictability of efficacy, adverse drug reactions, and optimal doses in individual patients, which, at least in part, is a consequence of genetic variation. Since genetic variability in drug metabolism was reported to affect the treatment with phenytoin more than 25 years ago, the ultimate goal of pharmacogenetics is to use the genetic makeup of an individual to predict drug response and efficacy, as well as potential adverse drug events. However, determining the practical relevance of pharmacogenetic variants remains difficult, in part because of problems with study design and replication. This article reviews the published work with particular emphasis on pharmacogenetic alterations that may affect efficacy, tolerability, and safety of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including variation in genes encoding drug target (SCN1A), drug transport (ABCB1), drug metabolizing (CYP2C9, CYP2C19), and human leucocyte antigen (HLA) proteins. Although the current studies associating particular genes and their variants with seizure control or adverse events have inherent weaknesses and have not provided unifying conclusions, several results, for example that Asian patients with a particular HLA allele, HLA-B*1502, are at a higher risk for Stevens-Johnson syndrome when using carbamazepine, are helpful to increase our knowledge how genetic variation affects the treatment of epilepsy. Although genetic testing raises ethical and social issues, a better understanding of the genetic influences on epilepsy outcome is key to developing the much needed new therapeutic strategies for individuals with epilepsy.
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5.
Valproate, bipolar disorder and polycystic ovarian syndrome.
McIntyre, RS, Mancini, DA, McCann, S, Srinivasan, J, Kennedy, SH
Bipolar disorders. 2003;(1):28-35
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persons with bipolar disorder are often overweight and cluster risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Some antibipolar agents adversely impact upon weight and the lipid milieu. Recent data suggest that valproic acid, a commonly prescribed mood stabilizer, may be associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This adverse event has not been systematically studied in bipolar disorder. METHOD Thirty-eight female subjects, aged 18-50 years, meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I or II disorder, in any phase of illness were evaluated. Eighteen females received valproate (sodium valproate and valproic acid) and 20 females received lithium. Patients completed questions regarding their menstrual, reproductive and medical histories. During the follicular phase they were assessed for weight, body mass index (BMI kg/m2), and changes in the reproductive endocrine milieu that included morning estradiol, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, free testosterone, prolactin and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The blood was also analyzed for fasting metabolic parameters which included total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding-protein 1 (IGFBP-1), fasting blood glucose and morning leptin. RESULTS Nine (50%) of the valproate-treated females had menstrual abnormalities versus three (15%) of the lithium-treated females (p < 0.05). Valproate-treated females had significantly higher levels of follicular phase androgen concentrations than lithium-treated females (p < 0.05). Nine (50%) of females who were overweight (BMI > or = 25 kg/m2) and with a history of menstrual irregularities also exhibited laboratory evidence of hyperandrogenism (p < 0.05). Persons receiving valproate exhibited significant increases in fasting biochemical parameters suggestive of an adverse metabolic syndrome (p < 0.05). Leptin levels were significantly elevated in the valproate-treated females (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In this pilot, open-label cross-sectional study, valproate-treated females exhibited higher rates of menstrual abnormalities and biochemical evidence of both hyperandrogenism and adverse metabolic parameters when compared with lithium-treated females. These preliminary data suggest that valproate may, in some predisposed females, adversely impact upon the reproductive endocrine milieu and result in aspects of the metabolic syndrome.
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6.
Infantile spasms.
Zupanc, ML
Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy. 2003;(11):2039-48
Abstract
Infantile spasms is a catastrophic form of epilepsy found only in infants and young toddlers, with the peak incidence between 4 - 7 months of age. Estimated prevalence is 1 in 2000 - 6000 live births. There are many causes of infantile spasms, including tuberous sclerosis, hypoxic-ischaemic injury, congenital infectious diseases, inborn errors of metabolism, malformations of cortical development, genetic syndromes such as Aicardi's syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities. A small percentage of patients have idiopathic infantile spasms, with normal growth and development prior to the onset of infantile spasms and no known aetiology. Because of the poor prognosis of infantile spasms, treatment is usually aggressive and immediate, with the hopes of altering the natural history of the disease. The majority of patients with infantile spasms have a poor prognosis with intractable epilepsy, severe developmental delays and/or significant cognitive impairments. Of all patients with infantile spasms, 70 - 90% have mental retardation. Furthermore, 20 - 50% of patients with infantile spasms develop Lennox-Gastaut syndrome with multiple seizure types, cognitive impairments and a markedly abnormal electroencephalogram, arguably one of the most difficult epilepsy syndromes to treat. Infantile spasms are resistant to most of the standard antiepileptic drugs. Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) or oral steroids result in a significant reduction of seizures, as well as an improvement in the electroencephalogram. Some studies have indicated that infants treated with ACTH within the first month of onset have a more favourable prognosis. Vigabatrin has also been shown to be effective in the treatment, although it is not yet FDA-approved in the US. Valproate has also been used in the treatment of infantile spasms, with an efficacy of approximately 25 - 40%. However, in the very young infant, it does carry a high risk of fatal hepatotoxicity. Surgical resection may be the treatment of choice for those infants with focal cortical dysplasia and intractable infantile spasms. Emerging therapeutic possibilities include topiramate, felbamate, lamotrigine, zonisamide and perhaps levetiracetam. With the advancements in molecular biology, genetics and neuroimaging, there is the hope of novel therapies in the future.
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7.
Anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome in children: incidence, prevention and management.
Verrotti, A, Trotta, D, Salladini, C, Chiarelli, F
CNS drugs. 2002;(3):197-205
Abstract
Anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS) is a rare, but potentially fatal, adverse reaction that occurs in patients, including children, who are treated with anticonvulsants. During metabolism of the anticonvulsant, toxic arene-oxide compounds are produced. AHS is associated with both cutaneous and systemic symptoms and is associated with multiorgan involvement. Liver damage, in particular, seems to be associated with fatal outcomes. The pathophysiology of AHS is still uncertain but it may be linked to a genetically determined inability to detoxify reactive drug metabolites. The prompt recognition of the first clinical signs of AHS, and the rapid withdrawal of the anticonvulsant, often avoids the progression of symptoms. Pharmacological treatment is essentially based on systemic corticosteroids in association with enteral nutrition, intravenous fluid augmentation, pain relief and ocular care. Intravenous immunoglobulins may also have a possible therapeutic role in some cases. Diagnostic tests, such as patch tests or in vitro assays, for AHS could help to identify patients at risk of developing the syndrome and could represent a first step of primary prevention when applied to relatives of patients.
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8.
Tubulo-interstitial nephritis caused by sodium valproate.
Yoshikawa, H, Watanabe, T, Abe, T
Brain & development. 2002;(2):102-5
Abstract
A severely handicapped 14-year-old Japanese girl had epilepsy and was treated with sodium valproate (SV) from the age of 7 years. Although the epileptic seizures were well controlled, she sometimes had a fever and hypokalemia from the age of 13 years. Laboratory examinations revealed metabolic acidosis, hypouricemia, hypophosphatemia, glycosuria, proteinuria and aminoaciduria, thus suggesting Fanconi syndrome. Gallium scanning showed marked renal uptake. A renal biopsy revealed interstitial nephritis without immuno-deposition. SV was replaced since it was considered to be the most probable cause of the renal involvement. Thereafter, she showed marked improvement of the clinical symptoms and the laboratory data gradually, and she never had a fever. Although SV is an effective anti-epileptic drug, we have to pay attention to adverse renal effects such as Fanconi syndrome and interstitial nephritis.