Dysfunctional neuro-muscular mechanisms explain gradual gait changes in prodromal spastic paraplegia.

Background: In Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) type 4 (SPG4) a length-dependent axonal degeneration in the cortico-spinal tract leads to progressing symptoms of hyperreflexia, muscle weakness, and spasticity of lower extremities. Even before the manifestation of spastic gait, in the prodromal phase, axonal degeneration leads to subtle gait changes. These gait changes - depicted by digital gait recording - are related to disease severity in prodromal and early-to-moderate manifest SPG4 participants.

Specific Gait Changes in Prodromal Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Type 4: preSPG4 Study.

Background: In hereditary spastic paraplegia type 4 (SPG4), subclinical gait changes might occur years before patients realize gait disturbances. The prodromal phase of neurodegenerative disease is of particular interest to halt disease progression by future interventions before impairment has manifested.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify specific movement abnormalities before the manifestation of gait impairment and quantify disease progression in the prodromal phase.

Immune response after a single dose of the 2010/11 trivalent, seasonal influenza vaccine in HIV-1-infected patients and healthy controls.

Background: Immune response rates following influenza vaccination are often lower in HIV-infected individuals. Low vitamin D levels were correlated with weak immune response in cancer patients and are known to be lower in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: Diagnostic study to determine immune response against the H1N1v component after a single, intramuscular dose of the 2010/11 seasonal, trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) in adult HIV-infected and healthy controls scheduled for influenza vaccination (ClinicalTrials.

"Trivalent influenza vaccination of healthy adults 3 years after the onset of swine-origin H1N1 pandemic: restricted immunogenicity of the new A/H1N1v constituent?".

Influenza vaccination is advised annually to reduce the burden of influenza disease. For sufficient vaccine campaigns also a continuous adoption of influenza vaccines are necessary, due to particularly high genetic variability of influenza A virus. Therefore, we evaluate the effectiveness of the trivalent influenza vaccine 2010/2011, against influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) and influenza B.