Serum neurofilament light chain in early relapsing remitting MS is increased and correlates with CSF levels and with MRI measures of disease severity.

Background/objectives: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients correlate with the degree of neuronal injury. To date, little is known about NfL concentrations in the serum of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and their relationship with CSF levels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of disease severity. We aimed to validate the quantification of NfL in serum samples of RRMS, as a biofluid source easily accessible for longitudinal studies.

Laparoscopic splenectomy for medically refractory immune thrombocytopenia (ITP): a retrospective cohort study on longtime response predicting factors based on consensus criteria.

Background: Laparoscopic splenectomy has been proposed to be the standard therapy for adult patients with medically refractory immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, due to inconsistent definitions of response, variable rates of long term response have been reported. Furthermore, new medical treatment options are currently challenging the role of splenectomy.

Continuing unsafe sex: assessing the need for AIDS prevention counseling.

To assess the need for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention counseling for gay and bisexual men who were continuing to engage in unsafe sex, a nonprobability telephone survey--the data may not be generalizable to the population--was conducted in Seattle during March 1987. In a 4-week period, 141 callers phoned in response to local publicity and completed a 30-minute anonymous interview. This paper focuses on 106 male respondents who were behaviorally defined as gay (that is, sex during the past year exclusively with partners of the same sex, N = 74) or bisexual (sex with both men and women, N = 32).