A global immune deficit in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment disclosed by a novel data mining process.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, while mild cognitive impairment (MCI) causes a slight but measurable decline in cognitive abilities. A person with MCI has an increased risk of developing AD or another dementia. Thus, it is of medical interest to develop predictive tools to assess this risk.

Oxidative stress is differentially present in multiple sclerosis courses, early evident, and unrelated to treatment.

Background: Oxidative stress is well documented in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, but its correspondence at peripheral level is still controversial. Objective. To evaluate peripheral oxidative stress markers in MS patients.

The process and criteria for diagnosing specific learning disorders: indications from the Consensus Conference promoted by the Italian National Institute of Health.

A Consensus Conference on Specific Learning Disorders has been promoted by the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS). The Consensus Conference consisted in a systematic review of the international literature addressing the issues of diagnosis, risk factors and prognosis, treatment, service delivery and organizational models for Specific Learning Disorders (reading, spelling/writing, calculation). Selected papers were examined by a group of Evaluators and then discussed by a Scientific and Technical Committee, whose conclusions were examined and approved by a Jury Panel.

Distinct cytokine patterns associated with different forms of chronic dysimmune neuropathy.

To better understand the presumed immune system dysregulation of chronic dysimmune neuropathy (CDN) patients, we designed a study to evaluate the levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the most common forms of CDN: chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), and anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG)-related polyneuropathy (MAGnp). Sixteen patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for CIDP, 14 were diagnosed with MAGnp, and 36 were classified as exhibiting "chronic idiopathic polyneuropathy" (CIP). Cytokine production in mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was analyzed by flow cytometry.

Prevalence and risk determinants of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections in pregnant women in Bissau.

Objectives: To analyse the risk determinants of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections in pregnant women in Bissau.

Methods: Pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of Bissau between January 2002 and June 2006 were consecutively tested unless they opted out.

Results: Among 23,869 tested women the overall prevalence of HIV-1 was 5.