Cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has a history of being applied clinically with aborted embryos as donor source. Efficacy of the therapy under the appropriate condition has been reported. Based on this experience and the advancement of stem cell technology, clinical trials of cell therapy with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are going to start soon in several countries. In Japan a physician-initiated clinical trial of iPSC-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease has launched since 2018. This trial adopts allogeneic transplantation with a cell line from iPSC stock. This article discusses patient selection, procedure, and risk of the therapy. It also introduces the world’s current situation of the cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

We divided acute ischemic stroke patients into an oldest old group (≥90 years, n = 414) and an elderly group (75–89 years, n = 1,927), and compared the clinical characteristics between the two groups. Female sex, early admission, severe stroke on admission, atrial fibrillation, and cardioembolic stoke were significantly more frequent in the oldest-old group. On the other hand, risk factors associated with atherosclerosis were less frequent in the oldest-old group. There were no differences in hyper-acute recanalization therapy between the two groups, whereas antithrombotic therapy for secondary prevention at discharge was introduced less frequently in the oldest-old group than in the elderly group. Death prior to discharge from the acute care hospital , and death at 3 months were significantly more frequent in the oldest-old group. Moreover, in the oldest old group, severe stroke and atrial fibrillation were independent predictors for both death prior to discharge from the acute care hospital and at 3 months after onset. Oldest-old stroke patients had poor outcome, although they had received aggressive treatment as same as elderly patients. Therefore, as the number of oldest-old stroke patients is increasing, the demand for cooperation in the healthcare system is likely to grow, including acute care hospitals.

A 68-year-old man visited our hospital emergency department with consciousness disturbance. He was diagnosed as bacterial meningitis with septic shock, and initial empirical antibacterial therapy was initiated immediately. Streptococcus pneumoniae. was cultured from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain MRIs showed pyogenic ventriculitis. Even though CSF findings improved, he was still in coma and finally died with pneumonia. It is unknown how pyogenic ventriculitis affects the course of bacterial meningitis. We analyzed total 11 inpatients with bacterial meningitis associated with or without the pyogenic ventriculitis, including the present patient, in our hospital. Severity of clinical symptoms and CSF findings might determine the duration of antimicrobial administration, regardless of whether pyogenic ventriculitis existed or not.

A 52-year old woman first noted dysphagia four months before admission followed by dysarthria two months later. She then developed weakness of all limbs and became unable to walk. All these symptoms, associated with tongue atrophy, slowly progressed, leading to the initial clinical impression of a motor neuron disease, although her nerve conduction study and electromyography showed no abnormalities. Her brain MRI with T₂ weighted/diffusion weighted image (DWI)/fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) revealed a high signal lesion located at dorsal medulla oblongata. She proved positive for anti-aquaporin 4 antibody, which confirmed the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). We conclude that NMOSD may initially present with progressive bulbar palsy and pyramidal tract disorder over a few months, mimicking a motor neuron disease. Awareness of this atypical presentation helps establish an early diagnosis of this treatable entity.

A 21-year-old woman presented with a chief complaint of generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurring once a month at night since the age of 14. The patient was treated with clonazepam plus levetiracetam, but seizure frequency was not reduced. After the detailed re-examination of her history of illness, it was revealed that she has been suffering from transient and recurrent choreoathetoid attacks triggered by sudden voluntary movements since she was a junior high school student, and it recently increased in frequency. Neither she nor her family recognize that it was significant to describe to the doctors. She was diagnosed as a complex of paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC) and its related conditions. Direct sequencing of proline-rich transmembrane protein 2 (PRRT2) revealed the most frequently described gene mutation, (NM_145239.2:c.649dupC), among PRRT2-related paroxysmal disorders. PKC and seizures were readily controlled with small dose of carbamazepine. Given the broad spectrum of PRRT2-related paroxysmal disorders, assessment of potential clinical complication of paroxysmal disorders including PKC might therefore be critical.

A 73-year-old woman with Parkinson disease (PD) was admitted to our hospital because of aspiration pneumonia. She presented with recurrent episodes of loss of consciousness with bradycardia while swallowing solid foods or fluids. Upper endoscopy revealed a normal esophagus without hiatus hernia, cancer, diverticulum, stenosis, or achalasia. Balloon inflation at the cervical esophagus induced sinus arrest and bradycardia followed by a loss of consciousness. The diagnosis of swallow syncope (SS) was confirmed. Esophageal dilatation and an increase in the esophageal pressure induced by esophageal peristaltic disturbance associated with PD can cause SS by stimulating the vagal reflex. In addition, the head-up tilt test showed that she had orthostatic hypotension, and the coefficients of variations of the R-R intervals on electrocardiograms and the total number of beat-to-beat differences greater than 50 mseconds in the RR interval during a 24 hour ambulatory electrocardiogram were normal. The cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction characterized by the presence of sympathetic inhibition and a preserved parasympathetic function might be involved in the onset of SS. Permanent pacemaker implantation improved her clinical symptoms. The recognition of SS on the examination of a PD patient with loss of consciousness while eating is important, as PD patients might develop SS due to peristaltic disturbance and autonomic dysfunction caused by PD.

We analyzed 14 patients in our hospital, who underwent levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment through a percutaneous endoscopic gastrojejunostomy (PEG-J). The PEG-J related complications were observed in 10 patients (71.4%). Detailed complications are as followings: J-tube related complications such as kinking (3 cases, 21.4%), pump malfunctions (3 cases, 21.4%), skin troubles in the gastrostoma (7 cases, 50.0%), duodenal perforation, peritonitis, and ulcers (2 cases, 14.3%). These results indicated that the sufficient care for PEG-J associated complications are important in LCIG treatment.

A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) in 2014, and began gait training with the hybrid assistive limb (HAL) in 2017. We conducted 2 courses of HAL-based gait training and temporary improvement was confirmed both before and after intervention based on evaluation of the 2-minute walking distance, walking speed, and the Timed Up and Go test. HAL-based gait training may be effective for improving and maintaining walking ability in SBMA. However, long-term observation of this patient will be performed.