Prevalence study of primary dystonia in Iceland.

In Iceland, the crude prevalence for all types of primary dystonia was 37.1/10(5) (confidence interval, 30.4-44.9). Focal dystonia had the highest prevalence (31.2/10(5)), followed by segmental (3.1/10(5)), multifocal (2.4/10(5)) and generalized dystonia (0.3/10(5)). Cervical dystonia was the most common focal dystonia (11.5/10(5)), followed by limb dystonia (8.0/10(5)), laryngeal dystonia (5.9/10(5)), blepharospasm (3.1/10(5)), and oromandibular dystonia (2.8/10(5)). The male:female ratio for all patients was 1:1.9 (P=0.0007), and females outnumbered males in all subtypes except oromandibular dystonia. Mean age of onset for all patients was 42.7 years (range, 3-82 years). This prevalence of primary dystonia is higher than in most reported studies, possibly because of more complete ascertainment but the relative frequencies of dystonia subtypes is similar.     

Parietal and Occipital Lobe Epilepsy: A Review

Summary: Parietal and occipital seizures have been investigated relatively little. Recent interest in seizures of frontal lobe origin has led to a definition of several well-identifiable clinical patterns of frontal lobe seizures. A similar delineation of the clinical and EEG pattern of parietal and occipital epilepsy, using modern investigations, appears appropriate, not least because the few reported series of surgical treatment in parietal and occipital epilepsy have indicated that operation may be relevant in selected cases, not only for removal of space-occupying lesions. Such a study is currently being undertaken at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and The Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy with the aim of developing and evaluating diagnostic criteria for these seizures. From the existing literature we can conclude that precise incidence and prevalence are largely unknown. A recent community-based study of 252 subjects with partial epileptic seizures in an epileptic population of 594, showed that parietal seizures and seizures of posterior origin each comprised 6.3% and central or sensory-motor seizures comprised 32.5% of focal seizures in the 160 cases in which seizures could be subclassified (Manford et al., 1992). This incidence seems low for occipital seizures as compared with the 1953 study by Gibbs and Gibbs, who observed occipital epileptiform activity in 8% of subjects with focal epilepsy. The most prominent clinical manifestations of parietal epilepsy are elementary sensory phenomena at the beginning of seizures and elementary visual hallucinations in occipital epilepsy. These symptoms are not associated solely with posterior hemisphere epilepsy, however, and more studies are obviously needed to define how close this relation is. Scalp EEG is frequently negative or maybe misleading; further-more, spread of epileptic discharges from the parietal and occipital lobes to frontal and temporal regions may obscure seizure origin. Because of these controversial symptoms, diagnostic criteria may be difficult to define. The wide difference in clinical and EEG manifestations between reported series of parietal and occipital epilepsy also reflects a considerable problem with patient sampling. Classification of epilepsy according to the anatomic division of the brain may be arbitrary, and it may be appropriate to define epileptic syndromes such as sensorimotor seizures or occipitotemporal seizures that cross such artificial divides.     

Torsin A haplotype predisposes to idiopathic dystonia

Previous work has suggested that in many neurological diseases genetic variability in the loci predisposing subjects to autosomal dominant disease contributes to the risk of sporadic disease. Here, using a population-based sample of dystonia cases, we show an association with the torsin A haplotype and sporadic idiopathic dystonia.     

Twenty-two novel microsatellite loci for lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus)

Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus L. 1758) are widely distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. They are a commercially important species, but stock size estimates have declined since the mid-1980s in Canada, Norway and Iceland. Little is known about the biology of this species, in particular the breeding migrations and population structure which are fundamental for effective management. This paper describes the development and characterization of twenty-two polymorphic microsatellite loci using next generation sequencing. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 27 in two geographically distant North Atlantic populations, with observed and expected heterozygosities ranging between 0.0625–0.979 and 0.0618–0.946, respectively. These loci are an important resource that will allow assessment of the population genetic structure of this species, and contribute to its appropriate management.     

Isolation and characterization of thirty microsatellite loci for Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.)

Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.) is a widely distributed commercially important pelagic species. Little is known about the stock structure of this species, but it is thought to be undergoing a range extension due to environmental changes. Knowledge of the stock structure under these changing conditions is fundamental for effective management. In this paper, 30 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci developed with next generation sequencing are described. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 39 in two geographically distant populations, observed and expected heterozygosities ranged between 0.370–0.978 and 0.426–0.962, respectively. These loci are an important resource that will allow assessment of the current population genetic structure of this species, and enable monitoring of climate related changes in the species range and distribution.     

High frequency of allelic imbalance at chromosome region 16q22-23 in human breast cancer: Correlation with high pgr and low s phase

The loss of genetic material from a specific chromosome region in tumors suggests the presence of tumor-suppressor genes. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) or allelic imbalance (AI) on the long arm of chromosome 16 is a known event in sporadic breast cancer. To locate the commonly deleted regions, and therefore (a) candidate tumor-suppressor gene(s), a deletion map of chromosome 16 was made, using 10 microsatellite markers on 150 sporadic breast tumors. The 3 smallest regions of overlap (SRO) were detected on the long arm of chromosome 16. Allelic imbalance was observed with at least one marker in 67% of the tumors. One marker, D16S421, at the 16q22-23 region, showed the highest allelic imbalance, 58%. Tumors with and without AI on 16q were tested for correlation with clinico-pathological features of the tumors such as estrogen- and progesterone-receptor content (ER and PgR), age at diagnosis, tumor size, node status, histological type, S-phase fraction, AI on chromosome 3p, and ploidy. A correlation was found between AI on 16q and high PgR content, also low S-phase fraction (99% confidence limits). A comparison of tumors with and without AI at the D16S421 marker locus revealed a slight correlation with high PgR content. The survival data showed no difference between patients with AI on 16q and those with a normal allele pattern on the long arm of chromosome 16. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.