Citations

Objective Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe treatment‐resistant epilepsy. Although vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are established therapies, comparative data and the impact of dual neuromodulation remain limited. We compared seizure outcomes across VNS, DBS, and combined DBS + VNS therapy in LGS. Methods This retrospective cohort study at Mayo Clinic (2005–2024) included LGS patients treated with VNS and/or DBS . Seizure frequency was assessed at 6, 12, and 24 months post‐stimulation. Responder was defined as 50% or more seizure reduction. Results Forty patients were included (42% female, median, 150 seizures/month). Eleven patients underwent sequential VNS followed by DBS and contributed data to 2 treatment epochs, yielding 3 treatment groups: VNS alone (n = 29), DBS alone (n = 12), and DBS + VNS (n = 10). At 24 months, median seizure reduction rate was comparable between VNS (50%; 95% confidence interval [ CI], 44–75%) and the overall DBS cohort (59%, 95% CI, 33–86%) ( p = 0.54). However, a significant difference emerged when comparing the 3 treatment arms ( p = 0.027). Specifically, DBS + VNS therapy yielded significantly greater median reduction rate (81%, 95% CI, 60–99%) than DBS alone (43%, 95% CI, 0–58%) ( p adj = 0.027) or VNS alone (50%, 95% CI, 44.4–75.0%) ( p adj = 0.048). Four patients attained sustained seizure freedom above 1 year at last follow‐up. Interpretation VNS and DBS provide comparable seizure reduction in LGS over a 2‐year follow‐up period. DBS + VNS was associated with further improvements in seizure reduction in this small, retrospective dataset. This possibility warrants further investigation. ANN NEUROL 2026

ABSTRACT Objective(s) Fetal pleural effusion is a rare condition that may significantly impact fetal and neonatal outcomes. Currently, no universal standardized approach exists for diagnosing and managing primary fetal pleural effusions. This study aimed to develop structured, expert‐based clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, monitoring, management, and follow‐up care of primary fetal pleural effusion. Methods A Delphi method was employed to achieve consensus among an international panel of experts in fetal medicine. Experts were selected based on their clinical expertise, affiliations, and relevant publications. A three‐round anonymous electronic survey was sent to the full panel. In the initial two rounds, participants rated each statement on a Likert scale (1–5) and provided suggestions for modifications. Statements with a median score of five and no suggested changes were accepted as consensus. Statements with a median score below four were rejected. Statements scoring a median of four were revised according to suggestions and reconsidered in the subsequent round. In the final round, participants indicated their agreement or disagreement with the remaining statements. Consensus was defined as agreement from more than 70% of participants with no suggestions for further changes. Results A total of 101 expert clinicians accepted the invitation and completed the first round with 73 (72%) completing all three rounds. Consensus statements were achieved on aspects of diagnosis, monitoring, intervention, post‐intervention management, and delivery. Key recommendations concerning the diagnosis of primary fetal pleural effusion include the use of ultrasound as the primary modality for identifying fetal pleural effusion and excluding secondary causes through detailed genetic, infectious, and metabolic evaluations. Management strategies emphasized thoracoamniotic shunting as the preferred intervention in hydropic fetuses with primary pleural effusion. Experts reached consensus that shunt placement could be offered as early as 16 weeks. No consensus was reached for isolated effusion without hydrops, as management was considered case‐dependent. The importance of ultrasonographic monitoring of fetal status at least weekly post‐intervention was strongly endorsed. Conclusion(s) The Delphi method facilitated the development of a consensus‐based protocol for diagnosing and managing primary fetal pleural effusion. These standardized guidelines are intended to enhance clinical practice across various settings, improve perinatal outcomes, and serve as a foundation for future research for this high‐risk fetal condition.

ABSTRACT Background Diagnostic interpretation of kidney allograft biopsies using the Banff classification remains variable, but the determinants of this variability are not fully defined. We performed a global, fully digital multi-reader study to identify the principal drivers of disagreement in Banff-based assessment. Methods Thirty-six kidney transplant biopsies were independently scored by 67 renal pathologists on a standardized digital platform. Readers assessed Banff lesions on hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid–Schiff, and Jones’ silver stains; final diagnostic categories were assigned using prespecified Banff-based decision rules. Interobserver agreement was quantified with Gwet’s agreement coefficient (AC) statistics. Determinants of diagnostic agreement were evaluated using pairwise mixed-effects logistic regression, and reader similarity was examined by principal component analysis (PCA) with post hoc molecular annotation. Results Agreement for final diagnostic categories was moderate (Gwet’s AC1, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.47–0.63). Lesion-level agreement varied substantially, with lowest agreement for selected threshold-dependent inflammatory or semi-quantitative lesions, including interstitial inflammation in areas of IFTA, peritubular capillaritis and arteriolar hyalinosis. Diagnostic concordance differed markedly across biopsies, indicating strong case-level heterogeneity. In pairwise models, differences in active inflammatory and vascular lesion scoring were the strongest correlates of diagnostic disagreement; reader experience and geography contributed minimally. Principal component analysis showed reader variation was organized along two dominant axes: a rejection-calling threshold axis linked mainly to tubulointerstitial inflammatory injury, and a T cell-mediated (TCMR/TI) and antibody-mediated/microvascular (AMR/MVI) inflammation-oriented phenotypic classification axis. Conclusion Interobserver variation in Banff-based kidney transplant biopsy assessment is structured rather than random and driven mainly by how readers threshold and integrate key inflammatory lesion compartments rather than experience or geographic location.

Importance Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly used in research and clinical settings to determine the etiology of cognitive decline and eligibility for amyloid-targeting therapies. To assist with amyloid PET evaluation and to guide clinical decision-making, images can be quantified in a standardized unit called Centiloid, the interpretation of which can vary according to the method and threshold used. Objective To collect Centiloid values from available studies and determine robust positivity cutoffs using data-driven methods and correspondence with visual reads. Data Sources PubMed search (October 2024) identified studies with Centiloid values. Corresponding authors were invited to share individual participant data. Additional data were obtained through access-controlled repositories and conference outreach (July 2024-July 2025). Study Selection Studies were included if they provided Centiloids, radiotracer, age, and sex. Data Extraction and Synthesis Each study was analyzed using a unified statistical pipeline; study estimates were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) were fitted to Centiloid values for each study. In studies with a bimodal distribution (per integrated completed likelihood), single cutoffs for positivity were set as mean plus 2 SDs of the lower gaussian component. Using GMMs, a double-cutoff approach defined a lower certainty range using a 90% posterior probability cutoff for assignment to the low (amyloid-negative) vs high (amyloid-positive) component. An alternative Centiloid cutoff was derived from maximizing the correspondence (Cohen κ) with the binary visual reads when available. Results This meta-analysis included cross-sectional amyloid PET scans acquired with 5 radiotracers from 49 227 participants across 53 studies from 15 countries (mean age, 71 years; 54% female, 62% cognitively impaired). The data-driven GMM approach identified a bimodal distribution in 51 studies (n = 48 786), resulting in a single cutoff for positivity of 18 Centiloids (95% CI,16-19; I 2 = 97%). The double-cutoff approach revealed high confidence for interpreting scans as negative when Centiloid values were lower than 11 (95% CI, 9-13; I 2 = 95%) and interpreting scans as positive if Centiloid values were higher than 26 (95% CI, 24-28; I 2 = 95%). In analyses of correspondence with binary (positive or negative) visual reads of amyloid PET scans (n = 35 045; 36 studies), Centiloids were highly predictive of visual positivity (Cohen κ, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.83-0.89; I 2 = 96%) with a cutoff of 27 Centiloids (95% CI, 24-30; I 2 = 80%). Conclusions and Relevance In this individual participant data meta-analysis, positivity cutoffs converged around 18 Centiloids (data-driven) and 27 Centiloids (visual reads). Findings from a double-cutoff analysis suggest that scans in the 11 to 26 Centiloid range should be interpreted with caution depending on the context of use.

Importance In vivo biomarkers for detecting neuropathologies from repetitive head impacts (RHI), including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), are needed. Objective To evaluate the utility of plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217), assess its performance as a beta-amyloid (Aβ) biomarker in participants with RHI exposure at risk for CTE, and explore concordance with CTE neuropathology in a postmortem subsample. Design, Setting, and Participants This longitudinal, multicenter, case-control study used data from the Diagnostics, Imaging, and Genetics Network for the Objective Study and Evaluation of CTE (DIAGNOSE CTE) Research Project, collected from September 2016 to October 2023. Participants were former American football players (case participants) and asymptomatic men unexposed to RHI (control participants). A subsample had available neuropathologic data. Exposures RHI, traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) diagnoses, and levels of CTE certainty. Main Outcomes and Measures Plasma p-tau217 (classified as positive [≥0.63 pg/mL], intermediate [0.40-0.62 pg/mL], and negative [<0.40 pg/mL]), Aβ–positron emission tomography (PET; 18 F-florbetapir; with Aβ-positive defined as a standardized uptake value ratio [SUVR] ≥1.10), and tau-PET ( 18 F-flortaucipir). TES diagnoses were assigned by multidisciplinary consensus conference. Analyses of postmortem brains controlled for age, race, and APOE ε4 status. Results Among 231 participants (mean [SD] age, 57.75 [8.25] years), 177 were former football players (117 professional and 60 college) and 54 were unexposed participants. Former football players had higher baseline mean (SD) p-tau217 concentrations than unexposed participants (0.35 [0.26] pg/mL vs 0.27 [0.14] pg/mL; P = .008), although this was driven by a higher proportion of Aβ-PET–positive participants among former players. Plasma p-tau217 increased over time across the sample (B = 0.207 [95% CI, 0.117-0.298]; P < .001), with no significant time × exposure group interactions. Among football players, p-tau217 showed no time × group interactions with TES diagnosis, TES-CTE certainty, or RHI metrics. Higher p-tau217 concentration correlated with higher global Aβ-PET SUVR (B = 0.058 [95% CI, 0.053-3.501; P = .01), with a few discordant cases (5 participants were p-tau217–negative and Aβ-PET–positive; 7 participants were p-tau217–positive and Aβ-PET–negative). P-tau217 had similar areas under the curve for projecting Aβ-PET positivity as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau181/Aβ42 and CSF Aβ40/42 measures (p-tau217: AUC, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.80-0.96]; CSF p-tau181/Aβ42: AUC, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.79-1.00]; CSF Aβ40/42: AUC, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.72-0.98]). Among 9 brain donors, 6 had CTE (stages II-IV; none with Alzheimer disease). Seven had negative or intermediate p-tau217, concordant with Aβ-PET. Two p-tau217 outliers with stage III CTE had normal concentrations upon additional testing. Conclusions and Relevance The findings of this study suggest that plasma p-tau217 concentration is unlikely to be useful for the detection of CTE, but it does show utility for ruling out Aβ pathology in participants at risk for CTE.

Introduction Cognitive symptoms such as ‘brain fog’ are frequent and disabling in patients with SLE. We aimed to develop and validate the Lupus Brain Fog Severity Scale (LBFSS), the first patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for cognitive symptoms in SLE. Methods The LBFSS was developed using a multi-step international approach involving healthcare professionals and patients with SLE. Patients provided free-text descriptions of brain fog, generating candidate domains through thematic analysis (step 1). Domains were rated for relevance (step 2) and those retained converted into self-assessable items (step 3). The pilot LBFSS was iteratively refined (step 4). The finalised LBFSS was validated (step 5) in a large international SLE cohort. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency, exploratory factor analysis and assessment of construct, convergent, known-groups and criterion-related validity. Results In step 1, 147 SLE participants across 39 countries generated 21 domains for cognitive symptoms, of which 13 were retained in consensus (step 2), converted into self-assessable items (step 3) and iteratively refined using patient and physician feedback. In step 5, validation of the LBFSS instrument in 378 patients from 36 countries demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.95) and a unidimensional structure explaining 62.2% of variance. LBFSS scores were significantly higher in participants reporting brain fog (p<0.0001), confirming known-group validity. Construct validity was supported by significant correlations with functional impact and symptom severity (ρ=0.46–0.65, p<0.0001), strong convergent validity with the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire-20 (ρ=0.84, p<0.0001) while the discriminative performance for presence versus absence of self-reported brain fog was high (area under the curve=0.85). Conclusion The LBFSS is a new, valid and feasible PROM to assess brain fog and cognitive symptoms in SLE.