Serum neurofilament light chain in distinct phenotypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A longitudinal, multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in clinical phenotypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: In 2949 ALS patients at 16 ALS centers in Germany and Austria, clinical characteristics and sNfL were assessed. Phenotypes were differentiated for two anatomical determinants: (1) upper and/or lower motor involvement (typical, typMN; upper/lower motor neuron predominant, UMNp/LMNp; primary lateral sclerosis, PLS) and (2) region of onset and propagation of motor neuron dysfunction (bulbar, limb, flail-arm, flail-leg, thoracic onset). Phenotypes were correlated to sNfL, progression, and survival. RESULTS: Mean sNfL was - compared to typMN (75.7 pg/mL, n = 1791) - significantly lower in LMNp (45.1 pg/mL, n = 413), UMNp (58.7 pg/mL n = 206), and PLS (37.6 pg/mL, n = 84). Also, sNfL significantly differed in the bulbar (92.7 pg/mL, n = 669), limb (64.1 pg/mL, n = 1305), flail-arm (46.4 pg/mL, n = 283), flail-leg (53.6 pg/mL, n = 141), and thoracic (74.5 pg/mL, n = 96) phenotypes. Binary logistic regression analysis showed highest contribution to sNfL elevation for faster progression (odds ratio [OR] 3.24) and for the bulbar onset phenotype (OR 1.94). In contrast, PLS (OR 0.20), LMNp (OR 0.45), and thoracic onset (OR 0.43) showed reduced contributions to sNfL. Longitudinal sNfL (median 12 months, n = 2862) showed minor monthly changes (<0.2%) across all phenotypes. Correlation of sNfL with survival was confirmed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study underscored the correlation of ALS phenotypes - differentiated for motor neuron involvement and region of onset/propagation - with sNfL, progression, and survival. These phenotypes demonstrated a significant effect on sNfL and should be recognized as independent confounders of sNfL analyses in ALS trials and clinical practice.

Neurofilament light-chain response during therapy with antisense oligonucleotide tofersen in SOD1-related ALS: Treatment experience in clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutations (SOD1-ALS), the antisense oligonucleotide tofersen had been investigated in a phase III study (VALOR) and subsequently introduced in an expanded access program. In this study we assess neurofilament light chain (NfL) before and during tofersen treatment. METHODS: In six SOD1-ALS patients treated with tofersen at three specialized ALS centers in Germany, NfL in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF-NfL) and/or serum (sNfL) were investigated using the ALS Functional Rating Scale Revised (ALSFRS-R) and ALS progression rate (ALS-PR), defined by monthly decline of ALSFRS-R. RESULTS: Three of the six SOD1-ALS patients reported a negative family history. Three patients harbored a homozygous c.272A > C, p.(Asp91Ala) mutation. These and two other patients showed slower progressing ALS (defined by ALS-PR <0.9), whereas one patient demonstrated rapidly progressing ALS (ALS-PR = 2.66). Mean treatment duration was 6.5 (range 5 to 8) months. In all patients, NfL decreased (mean CSF-NfL: -66%, range -52% to -86%; mean sNfL: -62%, range -36% to -84%). sNfL after 5 months of tofersen treatment was significantly reduced compared with the nearest pretreatment measurement (P = .017). ALS-PR decreased in two patients, whereas no changes in ALSFRS-R were observed in four participants who had very low ALS-PR or ALSFRS-R values before treatment. DISCUSSION: In this case series, the significant NfL decline after tofersen treatment confirmed its value as response biomarker in an expanded clinical spectrum of SOD1-ALS. Given the previously reported strong correlation between sNfL and ALS progression, the NfL treatment response supports the notion of tofersen having disease-modifying activity.

Performance of serum neurofilament light chain in a wide spectrum of clinical courses of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-a cross-sectional multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The objective was to assess the performance of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a wide range of disease courses, in terms of progression, duration and tracheostomy invasive ventilation (TIV). METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study at 12 ALS centers in Germany was performed. sNfL concentrations were age adjusted using sNfL Z scores expressing the number of standard deviations from the mean of a control reference database and correlated to ALS duration and ALS progression rate (ALS-PR), defined by the decline of the ALS Functional Rating Scale. RESULTS: In the total ALS cohort (n = 1378) the sNfL Z score was elevated (3.04; 2.46-3.43; 99.88th percentile). There was a strong correlation of sNfL Z score with ALS-PR (p < 0.001). In patients with long (5-10 years, n = 167) or very long ALS duration (>10 years, n = 94) the sNfL Z score was significantly lower compared to the typical ALS duration of <5 years (n = 1059) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with TIV, decreasing sNfL Z scores were found in correlation with TIV duration and ALS-PR (p = 0.002; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of moderate sNfL elevation in patients with long ALS duration underlined the favorable prognosis of low sNfL. The strong correlation of sNfL Z score with ALS-PR strengthened its value as progression marker in clinical management and research. The lowering of sNfL in correlation with long TIV duration could reflect a reduction either in disease activity or in the neuroaxonal substrate of biomarker formation during the protracted course of ALS.

DNA cleavage, antimicrobial studies and a DFT-based QSAR study of new antimony(III) complexes as glutathione reductase inhibitor.

New antimony(III) complexes, [Sb(2-aminopyridine)2Cl3] (1a), [Sb(2-aminopyridine)2Br3] (1b), [Sb(5-methyl-2-aminopyridine)2Cl3] (2a), [Sb(5-methyl-2-aminopyridine)2Br3] (2b), [Sb(2-aminopyrimidine)2Cl3] (3a), [Sb(2-aminopyrimidine)2Br3] (3b), [Sb(4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine)2Cl3] (4a), [Sb(4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine)2Br3] (4b), [Sb(2-amino-1,3,5-triazine)2Cl3] (5a), [Sb(2-amino-1,3,5-triazine)2Br3] (5b), [Sb(2-guanidinobenzimidazole) Cl3] (6a), [Sb(2-guanidinobenzimidazole)Br3] (6b) [Sb(2- benzyl-2-thiopseudeourea)2Cl3] (7a) and [Sb(2- benzyl-2-thiopseudeourea)2Br3] (7b) were synthesized. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, molecular conductivity, FT-IR, (1)H NMR, LC-MS techniques. Glutathione reductase inhibitor activity, antimicrobial activity and DNA cleavage studies of the complexes were determined. The geometrical structures of the complexes were optimized by DFT/B3LYP method with LANL2DZ as basis set. Calculation results indicated that the equilibrium geometries of all complexes have square pyramidal shape. About 350 molecular descriptors (constitutional, topological, geometrical, electrostatic and quantum chemical parameters) of the complexes were calculated by DFT/B3LYP/LANL2DZ method with CODESSA software. Calculated molecular parameters were correlated to glutathione reductase inhibitory activity values (pIC50) of all complexes by Best Multi-Linear Regression (BMLR) method. Obtained two-parameter QSAR equation shows that increase in "maximum partial charge for a H atom" and decrease in HOMO-LUMO gap would be favorable for the glutathione reductase inhibitory activity.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms that affect homocysteine levels in Turkish population.

In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in homocysteine metabolism such as CT replacement in the 677th nucleotide in 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme; 68-bp insertion in the 844th nucleotide of cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) enzyme; 6-bp insertion/deletion in the region of 3'UTR in thymidylate synthase (TYMS) enzyme and 19-bp deletion in dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) enzyme were investigated. The effects of these mutations on homocysteine levels were studied. As a result; we found that TT genotype of MTHFR 677 CT is an influencing factor on homocysteine levels in Turkish population. Furthermore, there seems to be another MTHFR 677 TT haplotype, which does not have an effect on homocysteine levels. Our data revealed that other SNPs did not have any influence on homocysteine levels.

SLC26A4 mutations are associated with a specific inner ear malformation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Inner ear anomalies have been reported in approximately 30% of children with early onset deafness. Identification of causative genetic factors in a large proportion of these patients was not successful. Mutations in the SLC26A4 gene have been detected in individuals with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) or Mondini dysplasia. We aimed to characterize the inner ear anomalies associated with SLC26A4 mutations. METHODS: The SLC26A4 gene has been screened for mutations in 16 subjects from 14 unrelated Turkish families with a variety of inner ear anomalies ranging from Michel aplasia to incomplete partition-II and EVA. None of the patients was diagnosed to have a recognizable genetic syndrome. Additional four patients with Pendred syndrome from three families were included. RESULTS: Only one patient with EVA was found to have a heterozygous mutation (c.1586delT) in SLC26A4. All patients with Pendred syndrome had homozygous mutations and were noted to have either EVA or EVA associated with incomplete partition-II on the computed tomography of the temporal bone. CONCLUSION: SLC26A4 mutations are not associated with a large spectrum of inner ear anomalies. They, instead, result in a specific morphological appearance consistent with EVA or incomplete partition-II.

Quantitative 3D mapping of fluidic temperatures within microchannel networks using fluorescence lifetime imaging.

We describe a novel method for quantitatively mapping fluidic temperature with high spatial resolution within microchannels using fluorescence lifetime imaging in an optically sectioning microscope. Unlike intensity-based measurements, this approach is independent of experimental parameters, such as dye concentration and excitation/detection efficiency, thereby facilitating quantitative temperature mapping. Micrometer spatial resolution of 3D temperature distributions is readily achieved with an optical sectioning approach based on two-photon excitation. We demonstrate this technique for mapping of temperature variations across a microfluidic chip under different heating profiles and for mapping of the 3D temperature distribution across a single microchannel under applied flow conditions. This technique allows optimization of the chip design for miniaturized processes, such as on-chip PCR, for which precise temperature control is important.