Biomechanical changes of the common carotid artery and internal jugular vein in patients with multiple sclerosis

Purpose@#Investigations of the hemodynamic changes of the venous system in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have shown contradictory results. Herein, the biomechanical parameters of the internal jugular vein (IJV) and common carotid artery (CCA) of MS patients were extracted and compared to healthy individuals. @*Methods@#B-mode and Doppler sequential ultrasound images of 64 IJVs and CCAs of women including 22 healthy individuals, 22 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients, and 20 primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) patients were recorded and processed. The biomechanical parameters of the IJV and the CCA walls during three cardiac cycles were calculated. @*Results@#The IJV maximum and minimum pressures were higher in the MS patients than in the healthy subjects, by 31% and 19% in RRMS patients and 39% and 24% in PPMS patients. The venous wall thicknesses in RRMS and PPMS patients were 51% and 60% higher than in healthy subjects, respectively. IJV distensibility in RRMS and PPMS patients was 70% and 75% lower, and compliance was 40% and 59% lower than in healthy subjects. The maximum intima-media thicknesses of the CCAs were 38% and 24%, and the minimum intima-media thicknesses were 27% and 23% higher in RRMS and PPMS patients than in healthy individuals, respectively. The shear modulus of CCA walls in RRMS and PPMS patients was 17% and 31%, and the radial elastic moduli were 47% and 9% higher than in healthy individuals. @*Conclusion@#Some physical and biomechanical parameters of the CCA and IJV showed significant differences between MS patients and healthy individuals.

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Iranian Patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and tolerability of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: Forty subjects with ALS were randomly assigned to two groups, which received either subcutaneous G-CSF (5 microg/kg/q12h) or placebo for 5 days. The subjects were then followed up for 3 months using the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), manual muscle testing, ALS Assessment Questionnaire-40, and nerve conduction studies. CD34+/CD133+ cell count and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were evaluated at baseline. RESULTS: The rate of disease progression did not differ significantly between the two groups. The reduction in ALSFRS-R scores was greater in female subjects in the G-CSF group than in their counterparts in the placebo group. There was a trend toward a positive correlation between baseline CSF MCP-1 levels and the change in ALSFRS-R scores in both groups (Spearman's rho=0.370, p=0.070). CONCLUSIONS: With the protocol implemented in this study, G-CSF is not a promising option for the treatment of ALS. Furthermore, it may accelerate disease progression in females.

Evaluation of brain and cervical MRI abnormality rates in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with or without neurological manifestations

Central nervous system [CNS] involvement has been observed in 14-80% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]. Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] is an appropriate method for evaluating CNS involvement in these patients. Clinical manifestations and MRI findings of CNS lupus should be differentiated from other mimicking diseases such as multiple sclerosis [MS]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and extent of brain and cervical cord MRI lesions of lupus patients. The relationship between neurological signs and symptoms and MRI findings were evaluated as well. Fifty SLE patients who had been referred to the rheumatology clinic of our hospital within 2009 were included in a cross sectional study. All patients fulfilled the revised 1981 American College of Rheumatology [ACR] criteria for SLE. We evaluated the neurological signs and symptoms and brain and cervical MRI findings in these patients. Forty-one patients [82%] were female and nine [18%] were male. The mean age was 30.1 +/- 9.3 years. Twenty eight [56%] patients had an abnormal brain MRI. No one showed any abnormality in the cervical MRI. The lesions in 20 patients were similar to demyelinative plaques. Seventeen patients with abnormal brain MRI were neurologically asymptomatic. There was only a significant relationship between neurological motor manifestations and brain MRI abnormal findings. Unlike the brain, cervical MRI abnormality and especially asymptomatic cord involvement in MRI is quite rare in SLE patients. This finding may be helpful to differentiate SLE from other CNS disorders such as MS

[LRP C766T polymorphism in Iranian patients with late-onset alzheimer's disease]

Low density Lipo-protein Receptor-related Protein [LRP] is the most important cholesterol receptor in neurons. It serves as a receptor for APOE protein which is the most important risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease. LRP also contributes to the ligation of lipoproteins with APOE in neurons. Association between LRP C766T and Alzheimer's disease in Iranian patients with late onset Alzheimer's disease [LOAD] was investigated in this research. 100 patients with LOAD were selected based on DSM-IV-TR and NINCDS-ADRDA diagnostic criteria and 100 normal controls without any personal and family history of Alzheimer's disease or dementia were included in this case-control study. AD patients and control subjects were matched for age and sex. PCR-RFLP was set up to detect LRP C766T polymorphism. LRP C/C genotype and C allele distribution were more frequent in AD patients than in control subjects. However, this difference was not statistically significant. When association between LRP C/C genotype and AD was categorized by the gender, in both genders, there was not any significant correlation. Our findings indicate that 766C allele of LRP gene could not significantly alter the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease in Iranian patients. Analysis of other genetic factors and environmental factors are promoted in Iranian population