Autonomic symptom burden is associated with MS-related fatigue and quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness are common in multiple sclerosis (MS), even in patients with normal exams. Little is known about the relationship of autonomic dysfunction with these symptoms and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: Assess the association of autonomic symptom burden with fatigue, clinical status and quality of life. METHODS: Subjects completed an autonomic symptom (COMPASS-31), quality of life (MSQOL-54) and fatigue (FSS) questionnaire at their routine MS clinic follow-up. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the medical record. Pearson correlations were assessed between autonomic symptoms and fatigue, quality of life, disability and disease duration. RESULTS: One-hundred subjects completed the study (mean age 48 years; 78% female; 84% relapsing-remitting), mean disease duration was 14.7 years and mean EDSS 2.5. MSQOL-54 composite scores were 58 physical and 65 mental. COMPASS-31 correlated with MSQOL-54 (Physical R= -0.60; Mental -0.54; p<0.001) and FSS (R=0.51; p<0.001). There was no relationship between COMPASS-31 and EDSS (R=0, p=0.97) or disease duration (R= -0.02, p=0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Autonomic symptom burden is correlated with decreased quality of life and increased fatigue. Autonomic symptoms are present early in the disease and at low disability and may reflect aspects of disease burden that are not well-captured by current disability measures.

Characterization of interlayer Cs+ in clay samples using secondary ion mass spectrometry with laser sample modification.

Ultraviolet laser irradiation was used to greatly enhance the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) detection of Cs(+) adsorbed to soil consisting of clay and quartz. Imaging SIMS showed that the enhancement of the Cs(+) signal was spatially heterogeneous: the intensity of the Cs(+) peak was increased by factors up to 100 for some particles but not at all for others. Analysis of standard clay samples exposed to Cs(+) showed a variable response to laser irradiation depending on the type of clay analyzed. The Cs(+) abundance was significantly enhanced when Cs(+)-exposed montmorillonite was irradiated and then analyzed using SIMS, which contrasted with the behavior of Cs(+)-exposed kaolinite, which displayed no Cs(+) enhancement. Exposed illitic clays displayed modest enhancement of Cs(+) upon laser irradiation, intermediate between that of kaolinite and montmorillonite. The results for Cs(+) were rationalized in terms of adsorption to interlayer sites within the montmorillonite, which is an expandable phyllosilicate. In these locations, Cs(+) was not initially detectable using SIMS. Upon irradiation, Cs(+) was thermally redistributed, which enabled detection using SIMS. Since neither the illite nor the kaolinite is an expandable clay, adsorption to inner-layer sites does not occur, and either modest or no laser enhancement of the Cs(+) signal is observed. Laser irradiation also produced unexpected enhancement of Ti(+) from illite and kaolinite clays that contained small quantities of Ti, which indicates the presence of microscopic titanium oxide phases in the clay materials.

Serological evidence for recent exposure to Taenia solium in Venezuelan Amerindians.

This study examined the seroprevalence and serum antibody isotype profile for Taenia solium cysticercosis in an Amerindian community in the Amazonas state of Venezuela. An antigen-trapping enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) was used to detect viable cysticercosis. Indirect ELISA (Ab-ELISA) and enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) was performed by using antigens prepared from T. solium metacestodes to detect anti-parasite antibodies. The Ag-ELISA and Ab-ELISAs revealed 64.7% and 79.0% seropositivity, respectively, in the Amerindian population. Immunoglobulin (Ig) M was the predominant antibody class, suggesting recent infection. In comparison sera from, clinically defined, hospital neurocysticercosis cases revealed only 27% seropositivity by Ag-ELISA, compared with 86-92% seropositivity by Ab-ELISA, and IgG4 was the predominant antibody subclass detected. The EITB antigen recognition patterns of the hospitalized patients were very similar to that of the Amerindians, confirming exposure to the parasite. These results, combined with the predominance of IgM antibody responses and the marked detection of secreted products of viable parasites, strongly suggest that recent exposure to T. solium had occurred in the Amerindian population.

Photometric measurement of lipoprotein-cholesterol after agarose electrophoresis: comparison with single-spin ultracentrifugal analysis.

A method is presented for the evaluation of lipoprotein-cholesterol after fractionation of 20 microliter of serum in agarose electrophoresis in a discontinuous buffer system. The prestained lipoprotein bands are separated in less tha 1 h, cut out and extracted with butanol. The cholesterol in the extract is measured by a simple colorimetric method. The recoveries of lipoprotein cholesterol were 95.3% +/- 13.0 (S.D.), and the average coefficient of variation was 8% for alphalipoprotein, 6.4% for betalipoprotein and 8.0% for pre-betalipoproteins. Lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, determined by the proposed method correlated well with those analyzed following ultracentrifugation. The method can handle up to 4 serum samples run in duplicate per day and only requires equipment available in conventional clinical laboratories, and stable reagents.

Factors modulating the interaction of LDL with an arterial lipoprotein complexing proteoglycan: the effect of HDL.

The presence of a lipoprotein complexing proteoglycan (LCP) in extracts of human arterial intima/media that forms specific complexes with low density lipoproteins (LDL) has suggested that it may play a role in the interaction of LDL with the arterial wall and the atherogenic process. The formation of insoluble LDL-LCP complexes by incubation of serum with arterial extracts appears directly related to the concentration of LDL and inversely to the content of high density lipoproteins (HDL), indicating that HDL may inhibit the interaction between LDL and LCP. This inhibition is clearly visible by addition of HDL to LCP containing extracts before their incubation with LDL. This effect is also shown by apoHDL but not by lipoprotein-free plasma. It is suggested that the HDL/LDL ratio of the plasma crossing the endothelial barrier may be an important modulator of the net accumulation of LDL in the intima/media and of its contribution to atherogenesis.