Neurology
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The nosologic relationship between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD) is continuously being debated. We conducted a study using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to explore the pattern of cortical atrophy in DLB and PDD. ⋯ We found that despite a similar severity of dementia, patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) had more cortical atrophy than patients with Parkinson disease with dementia (PDD), indicating different brain substrates underlying dementia in the two syndromes. Together with previous studies reporting subtle clinical and neurobiologic differences between DLB and PDD, our findings support the hypothesis that PDD and DLB are not identical entities, but rather represent two subtypes of a spectrum of Lewy body disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Phase II/III randomized trial of TCH346 in patients with ALS.
TCH346 exerts antiapoptotic effects by binding to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and blocking the apoptotic pathway in which GAPDH is involved. Apoptosis is considered to be a key pathogenic mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases including ALS. ⋯ The trial revealed no evidence of a beneficial effect of TCH346 on disease progression in patients with ALS.
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Daclizumab is an interleukin 2 receptor alpha chain specific humanized monoclonal antibody that has shown promising therapeutic effects in multiple sclerosis (MS). Daclizumab treatment in patients with relapsing and remitting MS was administered to determine effects on MRI and clinical outcomes. ⋯ Daclizumab was effective in reducing contrast enhancing lesions and improving clinical scores in patients with relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis with active disease not controlled by interferon therapy. These results provide evidence for long-term efficacy and support further clinical development of daclizumab.