Granagard administration prolongs the survival of human mesenchymal stem cells transplanted into a mouse model of multiple sclerosis.

The clinical effect of human Mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) transplanted into EAE mice/MS patients is short lived due to poor survival of the transplanted cells. Since Granagard, a nanoformulation of pomegranate seed oil, extended the presence of Neuronal Stem cells transplanted into CJD mice brains, we tested whether this safe food supplement can also elongate the survival of hMSCs transplanted into EAE mice. Indeed, pathological studies 60 days post transplantation identified human cells only in brains of Granagard treated mice, concomitant with increased clinical activity. We conclude that Granagard may prolong the activity of stem cell transplantation in neurological diseases.

Sex-specific prediction of interferon beta therapy response in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disorder predominantly affecting young people. Currently, interferon beta (IFNß) is a common treatment for MS. Despite a large effort in recent years, valid biomarkers with predictive value for clinical outcome and response to therapy are lacking. In order to identify predictive biomarkers of response to IFNß therapy in relapsing-remitting MS patients, we analyzed expression of 526 immune-related genes with the nCounter Analysis System (NanoString Technologies, Seattle, WA, USA) on total RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 30 relapsing-remitting MS patients. We used a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to find an association between certain gene expression profiles and clinical responses to IFNß. We compared the expression profile of patients who responded to IFNß treatment (n=16) and non-responsive IFNß patients (n=14). The analysis revealed that the expression of eight genes could differentiate between responsive and non-responsive men (p⩽0.005). This differentiation was not evident in women. We analyzed results from an additional cohort of 47 treated and untreated patients to validate the results and explore whether this eight gene cluster could also predict treatment response. Analysis of the validation cohort demonstrated that three out of the eight genes remained significant in only the treated men (p⩽0.05). Our findings could be used as a basis for establishing a routine test for objective prediction of IFNß treatment response in male MS patients.

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt for intracranial hypertension in cryptococcal meningitis without hydrocephalus.

The use of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt to treat uncontrollable intracranial hypertension in patients with cryptococcal meningitis without hydrocephalus is somewhat unusual and still largely unreported. However, uncontrollable intracranial hypertension without hydrocephalus in these patients is a potentially life-threatening condition. Early diagnosis and shunt placement are essential to improve survival and neurological function. We report uncontrollable intracranial hypertension without hydrocephalus in a 23-year-old woman, which was successfully managed by VP shunt placement.