Refining the amyloid β peptide and oligomer fingerprint ambiguities in Alzheimer’s disease: Mass spectrometric molecular characterization in brain, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and plasma

Since its discovery, amyloid-β (Aβ) has been the principal target of investigation of in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Over the years however, no clear correlation was found between the Aβ plaque burden and location, and AD associated neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Instead, diagnostic potential of specific Aβ peptides and/or their ratio, was established. For instance, a selective reduction of the concentration of the aggregation-prone 42 amino acid-long Aβ peptide (Aβ42) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was put forward as reflective of Aβ peptide aggregation in the brain. With time, Aβ oligomers - the proposed toxic Aβ intermediates - have emerged as potential drivers of synaptic dysfunction and neurodegeneration in the disease process. Oligomers are commonly agreed upon to come in different shapes and sizes, and are very poorly characterized when it comes to their composition and their "toxic" properties. The concept of structural polymorphism - a diversity in conformational organization of amyloid aggregates - that depends on the Aβ peptide backbone, makes characterization of Aβ aggregates and their role in AD progression challenging. In this review, we revisit the history of Aβ discovery and initial characterization and highlight the crucial role mass spectrometry (MS) has played in this process. We critically review the common knowledge gaps in the molecular identity of the Aβ peptide, and how MS is aiding characterization of higher order Aβ assemblies. Finally, we go on to presenting recent advances in MS approaches for characterization of Aβ as single peptides and oligomers, and convey our optimism, as to how MS holds a promise for paving the way for progress towards a more comprehensive understanding of Aβ in AD research

Plasma biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders: ready for prime time?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Several plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) have demonstrated clinical and technical robustness. However, are they ready for clinical implementation? This review critically appraises current evidence for and against the immediate use of plasma biomarkers in clinical care. RECENT FINDINGS: Plasma biomarkers have significantly improved our understanding of ADRD time-course, risk factors, diagnosis and prognosis. These advances are accelerating the development and in-human testing of therapeutic candidates, and the selection of individuals with subtle biological evidence of disease who fit the criteria for early therapeutic targeting. However, standardized tests and well validated cut-off values are lacking. Moreover, some assays (e.g., plasma Aβ methods) have poor robustness to withstand inevitable day-to-day technical variations. Additionally, recent reports suggest that common comorbidities of aging (e.g., kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension) can erroneously affect plasma biomarker levels, clinical utility and generalizability. Furthermore, it is unclear if health disparities can explain reported racial/ethnic differences in biomarker levels and functions. Finally, current clinically approved plasma methods are more expensive than CSF assays, questioning their cost effectiveness. SUMMARY: Plasma biomarkers have biological and clinical capacity to detect ADRD. However, their widespread use requires issues around thresholds, comorbidities and diverse populations to be addressed

General bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We derive model-independent bounds on production and detection non-standard neutrino interactions (NSI). We find that the constraints for NSI parameters are around O(10^{-2}) to O(10^{-1}). Furthermore, we review and update the constraints on matter NSI. We conclude that the bounds on production and detection NSI are generally one order of magnitude stronger than their matter counterparts.Comment: 18 pages, revtex4, 1 axodraw figure. Minor changes, matches published versio

The chitinases expression is related to Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Encephalitis (SIVE) and in HIV encephalitis (HIVE)

OBJECTIVES: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection can induce neurocognitive complications classified as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). The chitinase family is associated with innate immunity cells and many infectious diseases. METHODS: We analyzed microarray datasets obtained from NCBI in order to verify the expression of chitinase family genes in hippocampus of uninfected rhesus macaques versus those with histopathologic evidence of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Encephalitis (SIVE). Moreover, we have analysed two human microarray datasets to verify the results obtained in macaques hippocampus affected by SIVE. For these studies, we have also used the open source tools Genome-scale Integrated Analysis of gene Networks in Tissues (GIANT) to identify the chitinase genes network. RESULTS: CHIT1, CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 levels were significantly increased in SIVE hippocampus as compared to non-infected control specimens. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation between CHIA vs. Brain Viral Load (BVL). These data was confirmed partially in human brain section of HAD/HIVE subjects. Also, we showed that HIV-1 was able to modulate the expression of CHIT1, CHI3L1, CHI3L2 and CHID1 in human macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chitinase gene expression is altered in SIVE and in HAD/HIVE brain sections and call for more studies examining whether this is a protective immunological reaction or a destructive tissue response to encephalitis

New interactions: past and future experiments

In this talk I will review the present status and future perspectives of some popular extensions of the conventional three-neutrino oscillation scenario, from a purely phenomenological point of view. For concreteness I will focus only on three specific scenarios: non-standard neutrino interactions with matters, models with extra sterile neutrinos, and neutrino decay and decoherence.Comment: LaTeX file using jpconf class, 8 pages, 2 tables. Proceedings of the "XXIII International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics" (Neutrino 08), Christchurch, New Zealand, May 25-31, 200

Loop bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions

We reconsider the bounds on non-standard neutrino interactions with matter which can be derived by constraining the four-charged-lepton operators induced at the loop level. We find that these bounds are model dependent. Naturalness arguments can lead to much stronger constraints than those presented in previous studies, while no completely model-independent bounds can be derived. We will illustrate how large loop-contributions to four-charged-lepton operators are induced within a particular model that realizes gauge invariant non-standard interactions and discuss conditions to avoid these bounds. These considerations mainly affect the $\mathcal O(10^{-4})$ constraint on the non-standard coupling strength \eps_{e\mu}, which is lost. The only model-independent constraints that can be derived are $\mathcal O(10^{-1})$. However, significant cancellations are required in order to saturate this bound.Comment: Minor changes, version to be published in JHEP. 17 pages, 3 Axodraw figures, REVTeX

Genetic association of CDC2 with cerebrospinal fluid tau in Alzheimer's disease

We have recently reported that a polymorphism in the cell division cycle (CDC2) gene, designated Ex6 + 7I/D, is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The CDC2 gene is located on chromosome 10q21.1 close to the marker D10S1225 linked to AD. Active cdc2 accumulates in neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), a process that can precede the formation of NFT. Therefore, CDC2 is a promising candidate susceptibility gene for AD. We investigated the possible effects of the CDC2 polymorphism on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in AD patients. CDC2 genotypes were evaluated in relation to CSF protein levels of total tau, phospho-tau and beta-amyloid (1-42) in AD patients and control individuals, and in relation to the amount of senile plaques and NFT in the frontal cortex and in the hippocampus in patients with autopsy-proven AD and controls. The CDC2 Ex6 + 7I allele was associated with a gene dose-dependent increase of CSF total tau levels (F-2,F- 626 = 7.0, p = 0.001) and the homozygous CDC2Ex6 +7II genotype was significantly more frequent among AD patients compared to controls (p = 0.006, OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.13-2.17). Our results provide further evidence for an involvement of cdc2 in the pathogenesis of AD. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Lumbar and ventricular CSF concentrations of extracellular matrix proteins before and after shunt surgery in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a reversible CNS disease characterized by disturbed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics. Changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition might be involved in the pathophysiology of iNPH. The aim of this study was to explore possible differences between lumbar and ventricular CSF concentrations of the ECM markers brevican and neurocan, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and their relation to clinical symptoms in iNPH patients before and after shunt surgery. Methods: Paired lumbar and ventricular CSF was collected from 31 iNPH patients, before and four months after shunt surgery. CSF was analysed for concentrations of tryptic peptides originating from brevican and neurocan using a mass spectrometry-based panel, and for MMP-1, -2, -9, -10 and TIMP-1 using fluorescent or electrochemiluminescent immunoassays. Results: Brevican and neurocan peptide levels were not influenced by CSF origin, but MMP-1, -2, -10 and TIMP-1 were increased (p ≤ 0.0005), and MMP-9 decreased (p ≤ 0.0003) in lumbar CSF compared with ventricular CSF. There was a general trend of ECM proteins to increase following shunt surgery. Ventricular TIMP-1 was inversely correlated with overall symptoms (rho = − 0.62, p < 0.0001). CSF concentrations of the majority of brevican and neurocan peptides were increased in iNPH patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (p ≤ 0.001, AUC = 0.84–0.94) compared with those without. Conclusion: Levels of the CNS-specific proteins brevican and neurocan did not differ between the lumbar and ventricular CSF, whereas the increase of several CNS-unspecific MMPs and TIMP-1 in lumbar CSF suggests contribution from peripheral tissues. The increase of ECM proteins in CSF following shunt surgery could indicate disturbed ECM dynamics in iNPH that are restored by restitution of CSF dynamics

Biomarkers of neuronal damage in saturation diving-a controlled observational study

PURPOSE: A prospective and controlled observational study was performed to determine if the central nervous system injury markers glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp), neurofilament light (NfL) and tau concentrations changed in response to a saturation dive. METHODS: The intervention group consisted of 14 submariners compressed to 401 kPa in a dry hyperbaric chamber. They remained pressurized for 36 h and were then decompressed over 70 h. A control group of 12 individuals was used. Blood samples were obtained from both groups before, during and after hyperbaric exposure, and from the intervention group after a further 25-26 h. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant changes in the concentrations of GFAp, NfL and tau in the intervention group. During hyperbaric exposure, GFAp decreased in the control group (mean/median - 15.1/ - 8.9 pg·mL-1, p < 0.01) and there was a significant difference in absolute change of GFAp and NfL between the groups (17.7 pg·mL-1, p = 0.02 and 2.34 pg·mL-1, p = 0.02, respectively). Albumin decreased in the control group (mean/median - 2.74 g/L/ - 0.95 g/L, p = 0.02), but there was no statistically significant difference in albumin levels between the groups. In the intervention group, haematocrit and mean haemoglobin values were slightly increased after hyperbaric exposure (mean/median 2.3%/1.5%, p = 0.02 and 4.9 g/L, p = 0.06, respectively). CONCLUSION: Hyperbaric exposure to 401 kPa for 36 h was not associated with significant increases in GFAp, NfL or tau concentrations. Albumin levels, changes in hydration or diurnal variation were unlikely to have confounded the results. Saturation exposure to 401 kPa seems to be a procedure not harmful to the central nervous system. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03192930

Damping signatures in future neutrino oscillation experiments

We discuss the phenomenology of damping signatures in the neutrino oscillation probabilities, where either the oscillating terms or the probabilities can be damped. This approach is a possibility for tests of non-oscillation effects in future neutrino oscillation experiments, where we mainly focus on reactor and long-baseline experiments. We extensively motivate different damping signatures due to small corrections by neutrino decoherence, neutrino decay, oscillations into sterile neutrinos, or other mechanisms, and classify these signatures according to their energy (spectral) dependencies. We demonstrate, at the example of short baseline reactor experiments, that damping can severely alter the interpretation of results, e.g., it could fake a value of $\sin(2\theta_{13})$ smaller than the one provided by Nature. In addition, we demonstrate how a neutrino factory could constrain different damping models with emphasis on how these different models could be distinguished, i.e., how easily the actual non-oscillation effects could be identified. We find that the damping models cluster in different categories, which can be much better distinguished from each other than models within the same cluster.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX. Final version published in JHE