Expressive language and social communication abilities in children with spinal muscular atrophy type 1.

Aim: To investigate parent-reported expressive language and social communication abilities in children with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1) treated with disease-modifying therapies.

Method: This was a cross-sectional feasibility study performed at the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, London (UK), and the Centro Clinico Nemo Pediatrico, Rome (Italy), testing the use of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDIs, 8 months+) to explore vocabulary production, and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ, 4 years+) to investigate social communication.

Results: Fifteen participants completed the MB-CDIs (age range 2 years 2 months-6 years 9 months).

Do Rare Genetic Conditions Exhibit a Specific Phonotype? A Comprehensive Description of the Vocal Traits Associated with Crisponi/Cold-Induced Sweating Syndrome Type 1.

: Perceptual analysis has highlighted that the voice characteristics of patients with rare congenital genetic syndromes differ from those of normophonic subjects. In this paper, we describe the voice phenotype, also called the phonotype, of patients with Crisponi/cold-induced sweating syndrome type 1 (CS/CISS1). : We conducted an observational study at the Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Rome.

Development of the "SMA NNE," a short neonatal neurological examination for newborns with spinal muscular atrophy.

Unlabelled: The advent of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has highlighted the need for easy, quick, clinical tools to be used in infants with SMA identified in the neonatal period. We propose a new short module developed using items from the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination (HNNE) and from a module developed for floppy infants, both previously used in newborns with SMA. The new module was developed by identifying and selecting the items that were more often found to have abnormal findings in SMA newborns.

Neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in children with type I and presymptomatic spinal muscular atrophy.

The advent of disease modifying therapies in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has increased life expectancy but also raising new challenges. We aimed to explore the neurobehavioral profile in SMA type I subjects and in those identified by newborn screening (NBS). Behavioral assessment included screening questionnaires (strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), social communication questionnaire (SCQ), and sensory profile 2 (SP2)), neurobehavioral observation, CARS2 and DSM-5 criteria.

Longitudinal Assessment of 4-Year HFMSE Changes in SMA II and III Patients Treated With Nusinersen.

Background: The aim of this international retrospective study was to assess 4-year change using the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE) in individuals with type II and III spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treated with nusinersen and to establish predictors of HFMSE changes.

Methods: Individuals with type II or III SMA, and at least 4 years of nusinersen-only treatment were included. All were assessed using the HFMSE.

Cost-effectiveness of treatments for presymptomatic newborn patients with spinal muscular atrophy and two or three copies of the survival motor neuron 2 gene in Italy.

Objective: We assessed the cost effectiveness of onasemnogene abeparvovec (OA) for presymptomatic infants with two or three copies of the survival motor neuron 2 (SMN2) gene (diagnosed/treated ≤ 6 weeks old) who lack functional SMN1 gene (biallelic SMN1 mutations). This cost-utility model compared three disease-modifying treatments and best supportive care (BSC) (scenario analysis) in an Italian setting.

Methods: For a cohort of 1000 children, a Markov model simulated costs and benefits of OA (a one-time treatment), nusinersen and risdiplam (continuous lifelong treatments), and BSC.

Identification and treatment of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders in boys and adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a cohort study.

Background: Over the last few years, there has been increasing attention to the involvement of the central nervous system in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The aim of this study was to assess the spectrum of neurodevelopmental and mental disorders and possible required intervention in our cohort of 264 boys and adults with DMD.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed clinical notes and psychological assessments, including routinely performed cognitive tests and clinical observations.

Italian validation of the SMA independence scale-upper limb module.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a progressive disorder caused by SMN1 mutations. While therapies have changed its course, current motor scales often miss aspects. This study aimed to validate the Italian SMA Independence Scale (SMAIS-ULM) for reliability, applicability, and expansion across diverse SMA phenotypes.

Opinion of the Italian Association of Myology on Ataluren for the Treatment of Nonsense Mutation Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The Italian Duchenne muscular dystrophy expert clinicians, gathered in the Italian Association of Myology (AIM), intend to express a position against the suspension of the Marketing Authorization of ataluren (Translarna) for the treatment of nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The marketing authorization has been recently withdrawn by the European Commission following a recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency. This negative recommendation was based on the fact that three randomized controlled trials of ataluren in nonsense mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy (007, 020, and 041) have failed to show statistically significant differencs in favor of the treatment in the selected primary outcomes for each individual study, i.

Myostatin Levels in SMA Following Disease-Modifying Treatments: A Multi-Center Study.

Objective: This study investigated myostatin levels in SMA patients receiving disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to understand their relationship with treatment duration and functional status.

Methods: Our study includes both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of myostatin levels in treated SMA patients. The longitudinal cohort included 46 treatment-naive patients assessed at baseline and 12 months post-treatment.

Patients on treatment with risdiplam in Italy: challenges in the interpretation of the real-world data.

Aims: (i) provide a snapshot from a large cohort of Italian patients with SMA on risdiplam in the real-world setting; (ii) identify any differences in the cohorts before and after commercial drug approval considering the different eligibility access criteria (iii) describe preliminary data on adherence to treatment and reasons for shifting from nusinersen to risdiplam.

Methods: Charts from patients on risdiplam were retrospectively reviewed. Results were then compared between patients accessing the drug during an initial restricted compassionate use program (cohort 1) and those after commercial approval, with no restrictions (cohort 2).

Ultrasound-assisted and landmark-based nusinersen delivery in spinal muscular atrophy adults: A retrospective analysis.

Introduction/purpose: Nusinersen, the first treatment approved for all spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) types, is administered intrathecally through lumbar puncture. We used ultrasound assistance or a landmark-based technique to access the lumbar intrathecal space in adult SMA patients. This study aimed to evaluate the technical success and adverse events (AEs) in such patients using either technique over a long observation period.

Type I spinal muscular atrophy and disease modifying treatments: a nationwide study in children born since 2016.

Background: The advent of disease-modifying treatments (DMT) has changed natural history in 5q Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The aim of this study was to report survival and functional aspects in all the Italian type I children born since 2016.

Methods: The study included all symptomatic children with type I SMA born since January 1st, 2016, when DMTs became available in Italy.

High Expression of SMN circ4-2b-3 in SMA I Children Treated with Nusinersen is Associated with Improved Motor Outcomes.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder resulting in the loss of α-motor neurons. Nusinersen is an antisense oligonucleotide administered intrathecally to SMA patients that corrects the splicing defect of SMN2. Not all SMA patients respond equally to the therapy and work is in progress to identify biomarkers that may help stratify to SMA patients.

Association between Reported Sleep Disorders and Behavioral Issues in Children with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1-Results from a Retrospective Analysis in Italy.

Sleep disorders have been poorly described in congenital (CDM) and childhood (ChDM) myotonic dystrophy despite being highly burdensome. The aims of this study were to explore sleep disorders in a cohort of Italian CDM and ChDM and to assess their association with motor and respiratory function and disease-specific cognitive and behavioral assessments. This was an observational multicenter study.

Upper limb function changes over 12 months in untreated SMA II and III individuals: an item-level analysis using the Revised Upper Limb Module.

The Revised upper limb module (RULM) has been increasingly used in clinical trials and in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to use the 'shift analysis' to assess the patterns of lost or gained abilities for each item on the RULM in an untreated cohort, stratified by SMA type, age, SMN2 copy number, and motor functional status. The analysis was performed on 222 12-month paired assessments from 129 individuals (115 assessment from type II and 107 from type III) who had at least two assessments at yearly intervals.

Proteomics profiling and machine learning in nusinersen-treated patients with spinal muscular atrophy.

Aim: The availability of disease-modifying therapies and newborn screening programs for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has generated an urgent need for reliable prognostic biomarkers to classify patients according to disease severity. We aim to identify cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) prognostic protein biomarkers in CSF samples of SMA patients collected at baseline (T0), and to describe proteomic profile changes and biological pathways influenced by nusinersen before the sixth nusinersen infusion (T302).

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective longitudinal study, we employed an untargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based proteomic approach on CSF samples collected from 61 SMA patients treated with nusinersen (SMA1 n=19, SMA2 n=19, SMA3 n=23) at T0 at T302.