Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2019
Multicenter Study Observational StudyImpact of natural menopause on multiple sclerosis: a multicentre study.
To study the effect of natural menopause on multiple sclerosis clinical course. ⋯ Natural menopause seems to be a turning point to a more progressive phase of MS. Relapse rate is also reduced after menopause, but this effect could be driven most by ageing and shifting to progressive phase in patients with long-lasting disease. Cigarette smoking could speed up disability progression after menopause.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2019
CSF chitinase proteins in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
To evaluate the classifier performance, clinical and biochemical correlations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the chitinase proteins Chitotriosidase-1 (CHIT1), Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) and Chitinase-3-like protein 2 (CHI3L2) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ⋯ CSF chitinase proteins may have limited value as independent diagnostic and stratification biomarkers in ALS, but offer a window into non-autonomous mechanisms of motor neuronal loss in ALS, specifically in assessing response to therapies targeting neuroinflammatory pathways.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2019
ReviewNeuropathology of dementia in patients with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review of autopsy studies.
Dementia is a common, debilitating feature of late Parkinson's disease (PD). PD dementia (PDD) is associated with α-synuclein propagation, but coexistent Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology may coexist. Other pathologies (cerebrovascular, transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43)) may also influence cognition. We aimed to describe the neuropathology underlying dementia in PD. ⋯ While significant α-synuclein pathology is the main substrate of dementia in PD, coexistent pathologies are common. In particular, tau and amyloid-β pathologies independently contribute to the development and pattern of cognitive decline in PD. Their presence should be assessed in future clinical trials where dementia is a key outcome measure.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2019
Meta AnalysisLatitude continues to be significantly associated with the prevalence of multiple sclerosis: an updated meta-analysis.
Previous studies have demonstrated a strong latitudinal gradient in multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence. Herein, we present a meta-analysis of the latitudinal gradient of MS prevalence including studies published since our 2011 review, seeking to assess the latitudinal gradient and whether it has changed since our previous analysis. ⋯ This new meta-analysis confirms that MS prevalence is still strongly positively associated with increasing latitude and that the gradient is increasing, suggesting that potentially modifiable environmental factors, such as sun exposure, are still strongly associated with MS risk.