Dialectics and Implications of Natural Neurotropic Autoantibodies in Neurological Disease and Rehabilitation

The role of natural idiotypic (Id-Abs) and anti-idiotypic (AId-Abs) autoantibodies against neuro-antigens observed in different neurological disorders is not fully understood. In particular, limited experimental evidence has been provided concerning the qualitative and quantitative serological response after acute injuries of the central nervous system or during chronic mental diseases. In this study, we analyzed the specific Id-Abs and AId-Abs serological reactivities against 4 neuro-antigens in a large population of patients with ischemic stroke, schizophrenia, as well as healthy individuals. Patients with ischemic stroke were tested at different time points following the acute stroke episode and a correlation was attempted between autoantibodies response and different patterns of functional recovery. Results showed variable and detectable Id-Abs and AId-Abs in different proportions of all three populations of subjects. Among patients with different functional recovery after ischemic stroke, a difference in time-related trends of Id-Abs and AId-Abs was encountered. Our observations suggest that changes in the production of natural neurotropic Abs may engender a positive homeostatic, beside a possible pathogenic effect, in specific neurological disorders

Neurotrophic factors in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and age-related cataract. Part 2. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Purpose. To study the content of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the aqueous humor (AH), lacrimal fluid (LF), and blood serum (BS) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and age-related cataract.Material and methods. We examined 141 people (141 eyes), of them 55 patients with POAG combined with age-related cataract, 57 patients with age-related cataract, and 29 persons without ophthalmic pathology. The content of BDNF in the AH (except healthy individuals), LF and BS was studied.Results. The levels of BDNF in LF and BS did not differ in cataract patients and healthy controls. Compared to patients with cataract the concentration of BDNF in patients with cataract and POAG was significantly reduced in the AH and LF (P<0.001), and in BS (P<0.05). In the early stage of POAG there was a significant decrease in the level of BDNF in all studied biological fluids (P<0.001), particularly pronounced in the AH – by more than 2.5 times. In subsequent stages, the BDNF levels consequentially increased in comparison with the early POAG, remaining, however, lower relative to the cataract patients (the difference was significant for the AH and LF, the correlation of the content of BDNF in the AH with the perimetric index VFI was negative: correlation coefficient r=-0.404, P=0.002). The level of BDNF in the AH showed a strong correlation with its concentration in the LF (r=0.66, P<0.000). A formula is proposed for an approximate calculation of the level of BDNF in the AH by its content in the LF.Conclusion. The content of BDNF in the AH, LF and BS is significantly reduced in patients with POAG, especially in its early stage. In subsequent stages, reduction of the level of BDNF in the AH and LF is consistently less pronounced, but remains decreased. A strong correlation of the content of BDNF in the AH with its concentration in the LF is established, which opens up new opportunities for indirect assessment of the level of BDNF in the AH of patients with POAG

Fluctuation-induced phase in CsCuCl3 in transverse magnetic field: Theory

CsCuCl3 is a quantum triangular antiferromagnet, ferromagnetically stacked, with an incommensurate (IC) structure due to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Because of the classical degeneracy caused by the frustration, fluctuations in CsCuCl3 have extraordinarily large effects, such as the phase transition in longitudinal magnetic field (normal to the planes, parallel to the IC wavenumber q) and the plateau in q in transverse field (perpendicular to q). We argue that fluctuations are responsible also for the new IC phase discovered in transverse field near the Neel temperature T_N, by T. Werner et al. [Solid State Commun. 102, p.609 (1997)]. We develop and analyse the corresponding minimal Landau theory; the effects of fluctuations on the frustration are included phenomenologically, by means of a biquadratic term. The Landau theory gives two IC phases, one familiar from previous studies; properties of the new IC phase, which occupies a pocket of the temperature-field phase diagram near T_N, agree qualitatively with those of the new phase found experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, revtex, 4 postscript figures, submitted to J. Phys: Condens. Matte

Surgical outcomes in patients with drug-resistant bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy confirmed via magnetic resonance imaging

Introduction. In patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), surgical treatment is aimed to resect an epileptogenic zone (EZ) followed by seizure control. Despite complicated EZ location, surgical resection should be considered as a treatment of choice in bilateral TLE. Objective: to evaluate surgical outcomes and factors contributing to outcomes in patients with drug-resistant bilateral TLE confirmed via magnetic resonance imaging. Materials and methods. The study included patients with unilateral (n = 50) and bilateral (n = 50) temporal lobe involvement. The results of surgical treatment were evaluated according to the classification of J. Engel (1993). Results. Favorable outcomes of surgical treatment (Engel I and Engel II) in the group with unilateral temporal lobe involvement were found in 98% of patients after 12 months, in 88% after 24 months, and in 100% after 48 and 60 months after surgery. In the group with bilateral temporal lobe involvement outcomes of surgical treatment were favorable in 41% of patients after 12 months, in 50% after 24 months, in 39% after 48 months, and in 50% of patients after 60 months post-surgery. Conclusion. Early onset, burdened perinatal history, and MRI-confirmed left temporal lobe involvement contribute to the poor outcome (Engel III and Engel IV) in the bilateral TLE group. Engel I outcomes were more common in the patients with unilateral TLE while Engel IIIV outcomes were more common in the patients with bilateral TLE

Therapy of depression in patients with focal epilepsy: experience with citalopram use

Objective: to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of citalopram (pram, «Lannacher Heilmittel, Austria) used to treat depressive disorders in adult patients with symptomatic or cryptogenic (presumptively symptomatic) focal epilepsy.Subjects and methods. One hundred and twenty-one patients with symptomatic or cryptogenic (presumptively symptomatic) focal epilepsy were examined; 24 patients were found to have varying symptoms of depression. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used as a screening test for the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Citalopram was given orally for the treatment of depressive disorder. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was used to evaluate the efficiency of the performed therapy and to estimate the time course of changes in parameters. Quality of life was estimated by the special QOLIE-31 questionnaire. The duration of the follow-up was 12 weeks.Results. The study enrolled 24 patients (14 women and 10 men). Their mean age was 47.5±7.6 years; the duration of epilepsy was 9.71±3.15 years. The first visit showed a pronounced preponderance of the symptoms of anxiety according to the HADS: the mean scores for anxiety and depression were 13.38±2.15 and 11.19±3.28, respectively. After citalopram therapy, the mean scores for anxiety and depression decreased to 6.19±2.60 and 7.58±1.86, respectively. During the first visit, the mean Hamilton depression score was 21.73±3.19 and that was 14.60±2.19 and 11.18±2.33 after 30 days and 12 weeks of citaloprom therapy, respectively. Analysis of the time course of changes in quality of life indicators during citalopram therapy, by applying the QOLIE-31 scale, revealed a significant increase in their total scores 2 and 3 months following the treatment with unchanged antiepileptic therapy. There was an inverse correlation between the total QOLIE-31 score for quality of life and the degree of depression rated by HDRS (r=-0.94, p<0.05) prior to and 12 weeks after citalopram therapy ((r=-0.92, p<0.05). No increases in the number of episodes were found in any of the patients.Conclusions. By using the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram, the patients with focal epilepsy showed a regression in the symptoms of depression and anxiety and an improvement in the quality of life. At the same time none patient was found to have any increases in the number of attacks. The side effects of the therapy were few and short-time and required no drug discontinuation

Neurotrophic factors in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and age-related cataract. Part 1. Ciliary neurotrophic factor

Purpose. To study the content of the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in the aqueous humor (AH), lacrimal fluid (LF), and blood serum (BS) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and agerelated cataract.Material and methods. We examined 146 people (146 eyes), of them 55 patients with POAG combined with age-related cataract, 62 patients with age-related cataract, and 29 persons without ophthalmic pathology. The content of CNTF in the AH (except healthy individuals), LF and BS was studied.Results.The levels of CNTF in LF and BS did not differ in cataract patients and healthy controls. The concentration of CNTF in patients with cataract and POAG was significantly (on average, by more than ⅓) lower than in patients with cataract both in the AH and LF (P<0.001). The content of CNTF consistently decreased with the POAG progression (correlation coefficient with perimetric index VFI: r=0.349, P=0.011). The decrease was especially pronounced (on average more than 2 times) in patients with severe POAG (Stage 4 according to classification by Mills et al., 2006). The level of CNTF in the AH showed a strong correlation with its concentration in the LF (r=0.66, P<0.000). A formula is proposed for an approximate calculation of the level of CNTF i n the AH by its content i n the LF.Conclusion. The content of CNTF in the AH and LF is significantly reduced in patients with POAG. Reduction of the level of CNTF in the AH in patients with POAG is consistent with the progression of the disease. A strong correlation of the content of CNTF in the AH with its concentration in the LF is established, which opens up new opportunities for indirect assessment of the level of CNTF i n the AH of patients with POAG