Detection of picornavirus sequences in nervous tissue of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and control patients

AbstractThe current study aimed to evaluate whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels are elevated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and are effective in distinguishing ALS from cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). We retrospectively evaluated 45 patients with ALS, 23 with CSM, 28 controls, and 10 with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who underwent analysis of CSF NSE levels. The control group comprised patients aged above 45 years who underwent lumbar puncture because of suspected neurological disorders that were ruled out after extensive investigations. CSF NSE levels were evaluated using the electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay. The ALS group had significantly higher CSF NSE levels than the CSM and control groups (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). The CSM, control, and PD groups did not significantly differ in terms of CSF NSE levels. A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic value of CSF NSE levels in distinguishing ALS from CSM. The area under the curve for CSF NSE levels was 0.86. The optimal cutoff value was 17.7 ng/mL, with a specificity of 87% and a sensitivity of 80%. Hence, CSF NSE levels are elevated in ALS and are effective in distinguishing ALS from CSM.

Download Full-text

Functional Connectivity and Frequency Power Alterations during P300 Task as a Result of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21206801 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (20) ◽

pp. 6801

Author(s):

Claudia X. Perez-Ortiz ◽

Jose L. Gordillo ◽

Omar Mendoza-Montoya ◽

Javier M. Antelis ◽

Ricardo Caraza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Support Vector ◽

Oddball Paradigm ◽

Beta Band ◽

Als Patients ◽

And Control ◽

Insight Into ◽

Frequency Power ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most aggressive neurodegenerative diseases and is now recognized as a multisystem network disorder with impaired connectivity. Further research for the understanding of the nature of its cognitive affections is necessary to monitor and detect the disease, so this work provides insight into the neural alterations occurring in ALS patients during a cognitive task (P300 oddball paradigm) by measuring connectivity and the power and latency of the frequency-specific EEG activity of 12 ALS patients and 16 healthy subjects recorded during the use of a P300-based BCI to command a robotic arm. For ALS patients, in comparison to Controls, the results (p < 0.05) were: an increment in latency of the peak ERP in the Delta range (OZ) and Alpha range (PO7), and a decreased power in the Beta band among most electrodes; connectivity alterations among all bands, especially in the Alpha band between PO7 and the channels above the motor cortex. The evolution observed over months of an advanced-state patient backs up these findings. These results were used to compute connectivity- and power-based features to discriminate between ALS and Control groups using Support Vector Machine (SVM). Cross-validation achieved a 100% in specificity and 75% in sensitivity, with an overall 89% success.

Download Full-text

Mass spectrometry analysis of plasma from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and control subjects

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration ◽

10.1080/21678421.2018.1433689 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (5-6) ◽

pp. 362-376 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Zhouwei Xu ◽

Aven Lee ◽

Amanda Nouwens ◽

Robert David Henderson ◽

Pamela Ann McCombe

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽

Spectrometry Analysis ◽

Control Subjects ◽

And Control ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Download Full-text

Open Randomized Clinical Trial on JWSJZ Decoction for the Treatment of ALS Patients

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2013/347525 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Weidong Pan ◽

Xiaojing Su ◽

Jie Bao ◽

Jun Wang ◽

Jin Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Control Group ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Als Patients ◽

And Control ◽

Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Basic Treatment

Objective. To investigate the efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine Jiawei Sijunzi (JWSJZ) decoction for the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).Methods. Forty-eight patients with ALS were divided into a JWSJZ group (n=24) and a control group (n=24) using a randomized number method. Together with the basic treatment for ALS, JWSJZ decoction was added to the treatment regimen of patients in the JWSJZ group or Riluzole was administered to the control group for 6 months. Neurologists evaluated the treated and control patients using the ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS) before, 3 and 6 months after starting the additional treatments.Results. The ALSFRS scores in both groups were lower 3 and 6 months after treatment than before. There was a significant difference at 6 months after treatment between the subgroups of patients with ALS whose limbs were the initial site of attack. No serious adverse effects were observed in the JWSJZ group.Conclusion. JWSJZ decoction may be a safe treatment for ALS, and may have delayed the development of ALS, especially in the subgroup of patients in whom the limbs were attacked first when compared with Riluzole treatment.

Download Full-text

Measurement of cystatin C functional activity in the cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and control subjects

Fluids and Barriers of the CNS ◽

10.1186/2045-8118-10-15 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 15 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Meghan E Wilson ◽

Imene Boumaza ◽

Robert Bowser

Keyword(s):

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Cystatin C ◽

Functional Activity ◽

Control Subjects ◽

And Control ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Download Full-text

A Novel Mathematical Approach to Define the Genes/SNPs Conferring Risk or Protection in Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Based on Auto Contractive Map Neural Networks and Graph Theory

Neurology Research International ◽

10.1155/2012/478560 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Massimo Buscema ◽

Silvana Penco ◽

Enzo Grossi

Keyword(s):

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Biological Information ◽

Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Genetic Traits ◽

Data Mining Approach ◽

Contractive Map ◽

Natural Notion ◽

Artificial Neural Network Ann ◽

And Control ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Background. Complex diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) implicate phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Therefore, multiple genetic traits may show differential association with the disease. The Auto Contractive Map (AutoCM), belonging to the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture, “spatializes” the correlation among variables by constructing a suitable embedding space where a visually transparent and cognitively natural notion such as “closeness” among variables reflects accurately their associations.Results. In this pilot case-control study single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in several genes has been evaluated with a novel data mining approach based on an AutoCM. We have divided the ALS dataset into two dataset: Cases and Control dataset; we have applied to each one, independently, the AutoCM algorithm. Six genetic variants were identified which differently contributed to the complexity of the system: three of the above genes/SNPs represent protective factors, APOA4, NOS3, and LPL, since their contribution to the whole complexity resulted to be as high as 0.17. On the other hand ADRB3, LIPC, and MMP3, whose hub relevancies contribution resulted to be as high as 0.13, seem to represent susceptibility factors.Conclusion. The biological information available on these six polymorphisms is consistent with possible pathogenetic pathways related to ALS.

Download Full-text