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ABSTRACT Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is characterized by dream enactment and complex motor behaviors during rapid eye movement sleep and rapid eye movement sleep atonia loss (rapid eye movement sleep without atonia) during polysomnography. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder may be idiopathic or symptomatic and in both settings is highly associated with synucleinopathy neurodegeneration, especially Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder frequently manifests years to decades prior to overt motor, cognitive, or autonomic impairments as the presenting manifestation of synucleinopathy, along with other subtler prodromal “soft” signs of hyposmia, constipation, and orthostatic hypotension. Between 35% and 91.9% of patients initially diagnosed with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder at a sleep center later develop a defined neurodegenerative disease. Less is known about the long‐term prognosis of community‐dwelling younger patients, especially women, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder associated with antidepressant medications. Patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are frequently prone to sleep‐related injuries and should be treated to prevent injury with either melatonin 3‐12 mg or clonazepam 0.5‐2.0 mg to limit injury potential. Further evidence‐based studies about rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are greatly needed, both to enable accurate prognostic prediction of end synucleinopathy phenotypes for individual patients and to support the application of symptomatic and neuroprotective therapies. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder as a prodromal synucleinopathy represents a defined time point at which neuroprotective therapies could potentially be applied for the prevention of Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Background We previously showed that the BRCA1 variant c.5096G>A p.Arg1699Gln (R1699Q) was associated with an intermediate risk of breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC). This study aimed to assess these cancer risks for R1699Q carriers in a larger cohort, including follow-up of previously studied families, to further define cancer risks and to propose adjusted clinical management of female BRCA1*R1699Q carriers. Methods Data were collected from 129 BRCA1*R1699Q families ascertained internationally by ENIGMA (Evidence-based Network for the Interpretation of Germline Mutant Alleles) consortium members. A modified segregation analysis was used to calculate BC and OC risks. Relative risks were calculated under both monogenic model and major gene plus polygenic model assumptions. Results In this cohort the cumulative risk of BC and OC by age 70 years was 20% and 6%, respectively. The relative risk for developing cancer was higher when using a model that included the effects of both the R1699Q variant and a residual polygenic component compared with monogenic model (for BC 3.67 vs 2.83, and for OC 6.41 vs 5.83). Conclusion Our results confirm that BRCA1*R1699Q confers an intermediate risk for BC and OC. Breast surveillance for female carriers based on mammogram annually from age 40 is advised. Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy should be considered based on family history.

Heart failure (HF) patients demonstrate impaired pulmonary, circulatory, and nervous system responses to exercise. While HF demonstrates prolonged [time constant (τ)] pulmonary O2 uptake (V̇o2) on-kinetics, contributing to exercise intolerance, it is unknown whether abnormal V̇o2 kinetics couple with ventilatory and circulatory dysfunction secondary to impaired group III/IV afferents in HF. Because lower lumbar intrathecal fentanyl inhibits locomotor muscle afferents, resulting in improved exercise ventilation and hemodynamics, we tested these hypotheses: HF will demonstrate 1) rapid V̇o2 on-kinetics and 2) attenuated steady-state V̇o2 amplitude and O2 deficit (O2def) during exercise with fentanyl versus placebo. On separate visits (randomized), breath-by-breath V̇o2 was measured in HF (ejection fraction: 27 ± 6%, New York Heart Association class I–III) and age- and sex-matched controls (both n = 9, ages: 60 ± 6 vs. 63 ± 8 yr, P = 0.37) during cycling transitions at 65% peak workload (78 ± 24 vs. 115 ± 39 W, P < 0.01) with intrathecal fentanyl or placebo. Regardless of group or condition, optimal phase II (primary component) curve fits reflected a phase I period equal to 35 s (limb-to-lung timing) via single-exponential functions. Condition did not affect steady-state V̇o2, the phase II τ of V̇o2, or O2def within controls ( P > 0.05). Without differences in steady-state V̇o2, reduced O2def in fentanyl versus placebo within HF (13 ± 4 vs. 22 ± 15 ml/W, P = 0.04) was accounted for by a rapid phase II τ of V̇o2 in fentanyl versus placebo within HF (45 ± 11 vs. 57 ± 14 s, P = 0.04), respectively. In an integrative manner, these data demonstrate important effects of abnormal locomotor muscle afferents coupled to pulmonary and circulatory dysfunction in determining impaired exercise V̇o2 in HF. Effects of abnormal muscle afferents on impaired exercise V̇o2 and hence exercise intolerance may not be discernable by independently assessing steady-state V̇o2 in HF. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Inhibition of locomotor muscle afferents results in rapid primary-component O2 uptake (V̇o2) on-kinetics accounting for the decreased O2 deficit in heart failure (HF). This study revealed that abnormal musculoskeletal–neural afferents couple with pulmonary and circulatory dysfunction to provoke impaired exercise V̇o2 in HF. Steady-state V̇o2 cannot properly phenotype abnormal muscle afferent contributions to impaired exercise V̇o2 in HF.

Key Points Pembrolizumab was first shown to be clinically active in CLL patients with RT. PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in tumor microenvironment are promising biomarkers to select RT patients for PD-1 blockade.

Study Design: A multicenter, retrospective review of C5 palsy after cervical spine surgery. Objective: Postoperative C5 palsy is a known complication of cervical decompressive spinal surgery. The goal of this study was to review the incidence, patient characteristics, and outcome of C5 palsy in patients undergoing cervical spine surgery. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, retrospective review of 13 946 patients across 21 centers who received cervical spine surgery (levels C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, inclusive. P values were calculated using 2-sample t test for continuous variables and χ 2 tests or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables. Results: Of the 13 946 cases reviewed, 59 patients experienced a postoperative C5 palsy. The incidence rate across the 21 sites ranged from 0% to 2.5%. At most recent follow-up, 32 patients reported complete resolution of symptoms (54.2%), 15 had symptoms resolve with residual effects (25.4%), 10 patients did not recover (17.0%), and 2 were lost to follow-up (3.4%). Conclusion: C5 palsy occurred in all surgical approaches and across a variety of diagnoses. The majority of patients had full recovery or recovery with residual effects. This study represents the largest series of North American patients reviewed to date.

Study Design: A multicentered retrospective case series. Objective: To determine the incidence and circumstances surrounding the development of a symptomatic postoperative epidural hematoma in the cervical spine. Methods: Patients who underwent cervical spine surgery between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, at 23 institutions were reviewed, and all patients who developed an epidural hematoma were identified. Results: A total of 16 582 cervical spine surgeries were identified, and 15 patients developed a postoperative epidural hematoma, for a total incidence of 0.090%. Substantial variation between institutions was noted, with 11 sites reporting no epidural hematomas, and 1 site reporting an incidence of 0.76%. All patients initially presented with a neurologic deficit. Nine patients had complete resolution of the neurologic deficit after hematoma evacuation; however 2 of the 3 patients (66%) who had a delay in the diagnosis of the epidural hematoma had residual neurologic deficits compared to only 4 of the 12 patients (33%) who had no delay in the diagnosis or treatment ( P = .53). Additionally, the patients who experienced a postoperative epidural hematoma did not experience any significant improvement in health-related quality-of-life metrics as a result of the index procedure at final follow-up evaluation. Conclusion: This is the largest series to date to analyze the incidence of an epidural hematoma following cervical spine surgery, and this study suggest that an epidural hematoma occurs in approximately 1 out of 1000 cervical spine surgeries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment may improve the chance of making a complete neurologic recovery, but patients who develop this complication do not show improvements in the health-related quality-of-life measurements.

Background In peripartum cardiomyopathy, the prevalence of focal myocardial damage detected by late gadolinium enhancement ( LGE ) cardiovascular magnetic resonance is important to elucidate mechanisms of myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction. LGE equates irreversible myocardial injury, but LGE prevalence in peripartum cardiomyopathy is uncertain. Methods and Results Among 100 women enrolled within the Investigations of Pregnancy Associated Cardiomyopathy cohort, we recruited 40 women at 13 centers to undergo LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance, enrolled within the first 13 weeks postpartum. Follow‐up scans occurred at 6 months postpartum, and death/transplant rates at 12 months. Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly in the parent cohort according to cardiovascular magnetic resonance enrollment except for mechanical circulatory support. LGE was noted only in 2 women (5%) at baseline. While left ventricular dysfunction with enlargement was prevalent at baseline cardiovascular magnetic resonance scans (eg, ejection fraction 38% [Q1–Q3 31–50%], end diastolic volume index=108 mL/m 2 [Q1–Q3 83–134 mL/m 2 ]), most women demonstrated significant improvements at 6 months, consistent with a low prevalence of LGE . LGE was not related to baseline clinical variables, ejection fraction, New York Heart Association heart failure class, or mortality. Neither of the 2 women who died exhibited LGE . LGE was inversely associated with persistent left ventricular ejection fraction at 6 months ( P =0.006). Conclusions Factors other than focal myocardial damage detectable by LGE explain the initial transient depressions in baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, yet focal myocardial damage may contribute to persistent myocardial dysfunction and hinder recovery in a small minority. Most women exhibit favorable changes in ventricular function over 6 months. Clinical Trial Registration URL : http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT 01085955.