- Email: [email protected]
Jan Verschuuren
In Context
Ten most wanted September, 2011 1
Autoantibodies and CNS disease (Review, August) Vincent A, Bien CG, Irani SR, Waters P. Autoantibodies associated with diseases of the CNS: new developments and future challenges. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 759–72. 2 Acute ischaemic stroke (Review, October) Shuaib A, Butcher K, Mohammad AA, et al. Collateral blood vessels in acute ischaemic stroke: a potential therapeutic target. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 909–21. 3 Critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy (Review, October) Latronico N, Bolton CF. Critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy: a major cause of muscle weakness and paralysis. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 931–41. 4 Alzheimer’s disease (Review, September) Barnes DE, Yaffe K.The projected effect of risk factor reduction on Alzheimer’s disease prevalence. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 819–28. 5 Refractory status epilepticus (Review, October) Rossetti AO, Lowenstein DH. Management of refractory status epilepticus in adults: still more questions than answers. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 922–30. 6 Multiple sclerosis (Review, August) Kappos L, Bates D, Edan G, et al. Natalizumab treatment for multiple sclerosis: updated recommendations for patient selection and monitoring. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 745–58. 7 Alzheimer’s disease (Article, September) Murray ME, Graff-Radford NR, Ross OA, et al. Neuropathologically defined subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease with distinct clinical characteristics: a retrospective study. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 785–96. 8 LRRK 2 and Parkinson’s disease (Article, August) Ross OA, Soto-Ortolaza AI, Heckman MG, et al. Association of LRRK2 exonic variants with susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease: a case-control study. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 898–908. 9 Cerebral palsy (Review, September) Aisen ML, Kerkovich D, Mast J, et al. Cerebral palsy: clinical care and neurological rehabilitation. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 844–52. 10 Treatment of epilepsy in adults (Review, May) Perucca E, Tomson T. The pharmacological treatment of epilepsy in adults. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 446–56. The top ten Lancet Neurology articles downloaded from ScienceDirect in September, 2011.
www.thelancet.com/neurology Vol 10 December 2011
Lifeline Jan Verschuuren completed his medical degree, PhD, and neurology training at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands, and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. He is Professor of neuromuscular disease at the Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands. His research focuses on myasthenic syndromes and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What has been the greatest achievement of your career? The successful start of the first clinical studies with antisense oligonucleotides in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What do you think is the most over-hyped field of science or medicine at the moment? Genome-wide association studies in large groups of clinically ill-defined patients.
See Review page 1098
And the most neglected? The research of rare diseases. Common diseases are just a combination of multiple rare diseases. What inspired you? Research is like a journey to discover unknown territories. In the “real” world it is impossible to go where no one has been before you. If you had not entered your current profession, what would you have liked to do? Space travelling, preferably at the speed of light, as I would also like to be at home for a few days a year. How do you relax? Playing field hockey with my teammates. If you wrote an autobiography, what would be the title? Look at the bright side… Who was your most influential teacher, and why? Jerome Posner because of his excellent clinical lectures. What would be your advice to a newly qualified doctor? Try to see as many patients as possible to learn the variation in disease presentations. In which other country would you like to live and why? In a sunny country with a view of the sea, as Dutch summers tend to be short and even then it often rains. If you were Bill Gates, how would you spend your fortune? On a research foundation for neuromuscular diseases. How would you improve the public’s understanding of research? By publishing a series of comic books. Which would you choose, money or power? Money (can buy you power).
1045
Ten most wanted September, 2011 1
Autoantibodies and CNS disease (Review, August) Vincent A, Bien CG, Irani SR, Waters P. Autoantibodies associated with diseases of the CNS: new developments and future challenges. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 759–72. 2 Acute ischaemic stroke (Review, October) Shuaib A, Butcher K, Mohammad AA, et al. Collateral blood vessels in acute ischaemic stroke: a potential therapeutic target. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 909–21. 3 Critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy (Review, October) Latronico N, Bolton CF. Critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy: a major cause of muscle weakness and paralysis. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 931–41. 4 Alzheimer’s disease (Review, September) Barnes DE, Yaffe K.The projected effect of risk factor reduction on Alzheimer’s disease prevalence. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 819–28. 5 Refractory status epilepticus (Review, October) Rossetti AO, Lowenstein DH. Management of refractory status epilepticus in adults: still more questions than answers. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 922–30. 6 Multiple sclerosis (Review, August) Kappos L, Bates D, Edan G, et al. Natalizumab treatment for multiple sclerosis: updated recommendations for patient selection and monitoring. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 745–58. 7 Alzheimer’s disease (Article, September) Murray ME, Graff-Radford NR, Ross OA, et al. Neuropathologically defined subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease with distinct clinical characteristics: a retrospective study. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 785–96. 8 LRRK 2 and Parkinson’s disease (Article, August) Ross OA, Soto-Ortolaza AI, Heckman MG, et al. Association of LRRK2 exonic variants with susceptibility to Parkinson’s disease: a case-control study. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 898–908. 9 Cerebral palsy (Review, September) Aisen ML, Kerkovich D, Mast J, et al. Cerebral palsy: clinical care and neurological rehabilitation. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 844–52. 10 Treatment of epilepsy in adults (Review, May) Perucca E, Tomson T. The pharmacological treatment of epilepsy in adults. Lancet Neurol 2011; 10: 446–56. The top ten Lancet Neurology articles downloaded from ScienceDirect in September, 2011.
www.thelancet.com/neurology Vol 10 December 2011
Lifeline Jan Verschuuren completed his medical degree, PhD, and neurology training at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands, and worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA. He is Professor of neuromuscular disease at the Leiden University Medical Centre, Netherlands. His research focuses on myasthenic syndromes and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What has been the greatest achievement of your career? The successful start of the first clinical studies with antisense oligonucleotides in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. What do you think is the most over-hyped field of science or medicine at the moment? Genome-wide association studies in large groups of clinically ill-defined patients.
See Review page 1098
And the most neglected? The research of rare diseases. Common diseases are just a combination of multiple rare diseases. What inspired you? Research is like a journey to discover unknown territories. In the “real” world it is impossible to go where no one has been before you. If you had not entered your current profession, what would you have liked to do? Space travelling, preferably at the speed of light, as I would also like to be at home for a few days a year. How do you relax? Playing field hockey with my teammates. If you wrote an autobiography, what would be the title? Look at the bright side… Who was your most influential teacher, and why? Jerome Posner because of his excellent clinical lectures. What would be your advice to a newly qualified doctor? Try to see as many patients as possible to learn the variation in disease presentations. In which other country would you like to live and why? In a sunny country with a view of the sea, as Dutch summers tend to be short and even then it often rains. If you were Bill Gates, how would you spend your fortune? On a research foundation for neuromuscular diseases. How would you improve the public’s understanding of research? By publishing a series of comic books. Which would you choose, money or power? Money (can buy you power).
1045