Publications by authors named "R A du Pasquier"
In 2024, therapeutic and diagnostic advancements are shaping the field of neurology. Three new drugs show promise for treating myasthenia gravis and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. A new classification for Parkinson's disease has been proposed, while a neuroprosthesis is improving gait in advanced stages.
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- Elevated levels of activated complement proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are linked to increased severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlate with brain imaging and disease biomarkers.
- A study involving 239 patients analyzed various complement components and liquid biomarkers in CSF, finding specific proteins like C4a, Ba, and C3a strongly associated with accelerated brain atrophy and lesion formation.
- Results indicate that higher levels of these complement proteins are predictive of greater brain volume loss and increased development of lesions, suggesting their potential role as biomarkers for disease progression in MS.
Neurocognitive impairment (NCI) is present in around 40% of people with HIV and substantially affects everyday life, adherence to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) and overall life expectancy. Suboptimal therapy regimen, opportunistic infections, substance abuse and highly prevalent psychiatric co-morbidities contribute to NCI in people with HIV. In this review, we highlight the need for efficacious treatment of HIV-related NCI through pharmacological approaches and cognitive neurorehabilitation, discussing recent randomized controlled trials in this domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiven the association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with subjective perception of fatigue and demyelination in clinical conditions, the question about potential subclinical effects in the adult general population remains open. We investigate the association between individuals' EBV immune response and perceived fatigue in a community dwelling cohort (n = 864, age 62 ± 10 years old; 49% women) while monitoring brain tissue properties. Fatigue levels are assessed with the established fatigue severity scale, the EBNA-1 and VCA p18 immunoglobulin G (IgG) chronic response - with multiplex serology and the estimates of local brain volume, myelin content, and axonal density - using relaxometry- and multi-shell diffusion-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSerum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Neurofilament Light Chain Levels Reflect Different Mechanisms of Disease Progression under B-Cell Depleting Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis.
Ann Neurol
October 2024
Objective: To investigate the longitudinal dynamics of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) under B-cell depleting therapy (BCDT) and their capacity to prognosticate future progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) events.
Methods: A total of 362 pwMS (1,480 samples) starting BCDT in the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Cohort were included. sGFAP levels in 2,861 control persons (4,943 samples) provided normative data to calculate adjusted Z scores.