Proenkephalin Decreases in Cerebrospinal Fluid with Symptom Progression of Huntington's Disease.

Objective: Identifying molecular changes that contribute to the onset and progression of Huntington's disease (HD) is of importance for the development and evaluation of potential therapies.

Methods: We conducted an unbiased mass-spectrometry proteomic analysis on the cerebrospinal fluid of 12 manifest HD patients (ManHD), 13 pre-manifest (preHD), and 38 controls. A biologically plausible and significant possible biomarker was validated in samples from a separate cohort of patients and controls consisting of 23 ManHD patients and 23 controls.

Early hematopoiesis in multiple sclerosis patients.

Contemporary evidence supports that MS immunopathology starts in the peripheral lymphatic system. However, the site and character of crucial initiating events are unknown. We examined subsets of the first stages of blood cells in the bone marrow of 9 MS patients and 11 neurologically healthy controls using FACS analysis.

Upper Respiratory Infections and MRI Activity in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Although clinical reports have suggested a relationship between systemic infections and multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, MRI evidence supporting an association is conflicting. Here we evaluated the temporal relationship between upper respiratory infections (URIs) and MRI activity in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS.

Methods: We combined individual data on URI with data on active lesions in pre-scheduled MRI examinations performed every 4 weeks for 28 weeks in 69 patients.