Posts by:
Gabriella True

Therapeutic Apheresis and Immunosuppression in Immunologic Diseases: A Review and Own Observations

Bambauer R, Schiel R. Therapeutic Apheresis and Immunosuppression in Immunologic Diseases: A Review and OwnObservations. Clin Immunol Res. 2021; 5(2): 1-36. ISSN 2639-8486

“TA should be reserved for treatment of children and adolescents

who are severely affected by PANDAS. In such patients, it

appears to be safe, well-tolerated, and beneficial treatment

option [130]. Bien et al reported in 2020, besides the first-line

interventions of steroids, IVIG, and TA as second-line treatments

cyclophosphamide or rituximab [131].”

Abnormal mTOR Activity in Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric and MIA-Associated Autism Spectrum Disorders

Trifonova, E.A.; Mustafin, Z.S.; Lashin, S.A.; Kochetov, A.V. Abnormal mTOR Activity in Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric and MIA-Associated Autism Spectrum Disorders. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23020967

Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by

the early onset of communication and behavioral problems. ASD is highly heritable; however,

environmental factors also play a considerable role in this disorder. A significant part of both

syndromic and idiopathic autism cases could be attributed to disorders caused by mammalian

target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent translation deregulation. This narrative review analyzes both bioinformatic and experimental evidence that connects mTOR signaling to the maternal autoantibody-related (MAR) autism spectrum and autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders simultaneously. In addition, we reconstruct a network presenting the interactions between the mTOR signaling and eight MAR ASD genes coding for ASD-specific maternal autoantibody target proteins. The research discussed in this review demonstrates novel perspectives and validates the need for a subtyping of ASD on the grounds of pathogenic mechanisms. The utter necessity of designing ELISA-based test panels to identify all antibodies related to autism-like behavior is also considered.

Discovering prescription patterns in pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome patients
Lopez Pineda A, Pourshafeie A, Ioannidis A, Leibold CM, Chan AL, Bustamante CD, Frankovich J, Wojcik GL. Discovering prescription patterns in pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome patients. J Biomed Inform. 2021 Jan;113:103664. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2020.103664. Epub 2020 Dec 28. PMID: 33359113.
  • PANS has an inflammatory or autoimmune etiology associated with an infection.
  • Longitudinal clustering can subset patients with polypharmacy treatments.
  • Included 43 consecutive new-onset pre-pubertal patients who had at least 3 clinic visits. “We used a cut-off age of 12 years to include only pre-pubertal children, as hormones might play a role in psychiatric symptoms and behaviors.”
  • Algorithm identified six clusters with distinct medication usage history which may represent clinician’s practice of treating PANS of different severities and etiologies i.e.,
    • two most severe groups requiring high dose intravenous steroids
    • two arthritic or inflammatory groups requiring prolonged nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)
    • two mild relapsing/remitting group treated with a short course of NSAID.
  • The psychometric scores as outcomes in each cluster generally improved within the first two years.
    Diagnostics, Differential Diagnostics And The Treatment Of Pandas Syndrome – Case Description

    Diagnostics, Differential Diagnostics And The Treatment Of Pandas Syndrome – Case Description Mukhtorjonova Khusnigul Nodirbekovna, Tukhtabayeva Kamila Abrarovna, Tashkent Padiatric Medical Institute. World Bulletin of Public Health (WBPH). Volume-6, January 2022. ISSN: 2749-3644

    This article gives a case of PANDAS syndrome in an 11-year-old boy. The
    course and clinic of the disease in the form of prolonged sneezing attacks
    made it difficult to diagnose this syndrome. Conducting biochemical blood
    tests, daily video electroencephalographic monitoring (EEG monitoring) and
    magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (MRI) allowed to determine the
    condition. The appointment of antibiotic therapy and intravenous
    administration of immunoglobulin led to remission of the disease. It is
    necessary to conduct further studies to determine the effectiveness of the
    above drugs for this syndrome.

    Read case study.