| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Abu Hamdeh, Sami, et al.
(författare)
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Rapid amyloid-β oligomer and protofibril accumulation in traumatic brain injury
- 2018
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 28:4, s. 451-462
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) is central to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and associated with progressive neurodegeneration in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We analyzed predisposing factors for Aβ deposition including monomeric Aβ40, Aβ42 and Aβ oligomers/protofibrils, Aβ species with pronounced neurotoxic properties, following human TBI. Highly selective ELISAs were used to analyze N-terminally intact and truncated Aβ40 and Aβ42, as well as Aβ oligomers/protofibrils, in human brain tissue, surgically resected from severe TBI patients (n = 12; mean age 49.5 ± 19 years) due to life-threatening brain swelling/hemorrhage within one week post-injury. The TBI tissues were compared to post-mortem AD brains (n = 5), to post-mortem tissue of neurologically intact (NI) subjects (n = 4) and to cortical biopsies obtained at surgery for idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients (iNPH; n = 4). The levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 were not elevated by TBI. The levels of Aβ oligomers/protofibrils in TBI were similar to those in the significantly older AD patients and increased compared to NI and iNPH controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, TBI patients carrying the AD risk genotype Apolipoprotein E epsilon3/4 (APOE ε3/4; n = 4) had increased levels of Aβ oligomers/protofibrils (P < 0.05) and of both N-terminally intact and truncated Aβ42 (P < 0.05) compared to APOE ε3/4-negative TBI patients (n = 8). Neuropathological analysis showed insoluble Aβ aggregates (commonly referred to as Aβ plaques) in three TBI patients, all of whom were APOE ε3/4 carriers. We conclude that soluble intermediary Aβ aggregates form rapidly after TBI, especially among APOE ε3/4 carriers. Further research is needed to determine whether these aggregates aggravate the clinical short- and long-term outcome in TBI.
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| 3. |
- Aguilar-Calvo, Patricia, et al.
(författare)
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Generation of novel neuroinvasive prions following intravenous challenge
- 2018
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : WILEY. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 28:6, s. 999-1011
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prions typically spread into the central nervous system (CNS), likely via peripheral nerves. Yet prion conformers differ in their capacity to penetrate the CNS; certain fibrillar prions replicate persistently in lymphoid tissues with no CNS entry, leading to chronic silent carriers. Subclinical carriers of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob (vCJD) prions in the United Kingdom have been estimated at 1:2000, and vCJD prions have been transmitted through blood transfusion, however, the circulating prion conformers that neuroinvade remain unclear. Here we investigate how prion conformation impacts brain entry of transfused prions by challenging mice intravenously to subfibrillar and fibrillar strains. We show that most strains infiltrated the brain and caused terminal disease, however, the fibrillar prions showed reduced CNS entry in a strain-dependent manner. Strikingly, the highly fibrillar mCWD prion strain replicated in the spleen and emerged in the brain as a novel strain, indicating that a new neuroinvasive prion had been generated from a previously non-neuroinvasive strain. The new strain showed altered plaque morphology, brain regions targeted and biochemical properties and these properties were maintained upon intracerebral passage. Intracerebral passage of prion-infected spleen re-created the new strain. Splenic prions resembled the new strain biochemically and intracerebral passage of prion-infected spleen re-created the new strain, collectively suggesting splenic prion replication as a potential source. Taken together, these results indicate that intravenous exposure to prion-contaminated blood or blood products may generate novel neuroinvasive prion conformers and disease phenotypes, potentially arising from prion replication in non-neural tissues or from conformer selection.
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| 4. |
- Alafuzoff, Irina, et al.
(författare)
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Staging of neurofibrillary pathology in Alzheimer's disease : a study of the BrainNet Europe Consortium.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 18:4, s. 484-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been recognized that molecular classifications will form the basis for neuropathological diagnostic work in the future. Consequently, in order to reach a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau (HP-tau) and beta-amyloid protein in brain tissue must be unequivocal. In addition, the stepwise progression of pathology needs to be assessed. This paper deals exclusively with the regional assessment of AD-related HP-tau pathology. The objective was to provide straightforward instructions to aid in the assessment of AD-related immunohistochemically (IHC) detected HP-tau pathology and to test the concordance of assessments made by 25 independent evaluators. The assessment of progression in 7-microm-thick sections was based on assessment of IHC labeled HP-tau immunoreactive neuropil threads (NTs). Our results indicate that good agreement can be reached when the lesions are substantial, i.e., the lesions have reached isocortical structures (stage V-VI absolute agreement 91%), whereas when only mild subtle lesions were present the agreement was poorer (I-II absolute agreement 50%). Thus, in a research setting when the extent of lesions is mild, it is strongly recommended that the assessment of lesions should be carried out by at least two independent observers.
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| 10. |
- Betsholtz, Christer, et al.
(författare)
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PDGF, Pericytes and the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Basal Ganglia Calcification (IBGC)
- 2014
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 24:4, s. 387-395
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) are important mitogens for various types of mesenchymal cells, and as such, they exert critical functions during organogenesis in mammalian embryonic and early postnatal development. Increased or ectopic PDGF activity may also cause or contribute to diseases such as cancer and tissue fibrosis. Until recently, no loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in PDGF or PDGF receptor genes were reported as causally linked to a human disease. This changed in 2013 when reports appeared on presumed LOF mutations in the genes encoding PDGF-B and its receptor PDGF receptor-beta (PDGF-R) in familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC), a brain disease characterized by anatomically localized calcifications in or near the blood microvessels. Here, we review PDGF-B and PDGF-R biology with special reference to their functions in brain-blood vessel development, pericyte recruitment and the regulation of the blood-brain barrier. We also discuss various scenarios for IBGC pathogenesis suggested by observations in patients and genetically engineered animal models of the disease.
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| 11. |
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| 13. |
- Brundin, L., et al.
(författare)
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Neural stem cells : A potential source for remyelination in neuroinflammatory disease
- 2003
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 13:3, s. 322-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In multiple sclerosis, the central nervous system is lesioned through invasion of plaque-forming inflammatory cells, primarily contributing to immune attack of myelin and oligodendrocytes. In this report we address the possible activation and differentiation of central nervous system stem cells following such immunological insults in a well-characterized rat model of multiple sclerosis characterised by spinal cord pathology. Dye-labeled central nervous system stem cells, residing within the ependymal layer of the central canal responded to the multiple sclerosis-like conditions by proliferation, while some of the migrating stem cell-derived cells expressed markers typical for oligodendrocytes (04) and astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) in the demyelinated area. Our results indicate that regenerative stem cell activation following immunoactivity is different from that after trauma, exemplified by the slower time course of stem cell proliferation and migration of progeny, in addition to the ability of the stem cell-derived cells to express oligodendrocyte markers. Finally,, deleterious effects of macrophages on the stem cell population were evident and may contribute to the, depletion of the stem cell population in neuroinflammatory disorders.
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| 14. |
- Brunnström, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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A 76-year-old man with cognitive and neurological symptoms
- 2009
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1750-3639 .- 1015-6305. ; 19:4, s. 4-731
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A 76-year-old man presented with cognitive symptoms, followed by headache and weakness of the lower limbs and left arm. The clinical course was progressive but fluctuating. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a contrast-enhancing lesion 1 cm in diameter was seen in the left temporal lobe. This lesion became attenuated and a new contrast-enhancing lesion 1 x 2 cm was seen in the left frontal lobe on a subsequent MRI. Following additional tests, treatment with corticosteroids for presumptive neurosarcoidosis was started, however, he soon expired. At autopsy, there was a tumor-like mass in the left frontal lobe. Pathologic evaluation revealed a primary T-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (CNS). CNS T-cell lymphomas may be difficult to diagnose, even histologically, due to their frequent small cell morphology and lack of significant atypia.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Byman, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Brain alpha-amylase : a novel energy regulator important in Alzheimer disease?
- 2018
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305. ; 28:6, s. 920-932
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reduced glucose metabolism and formation of polyglucosan bodies (PGB) are, beside amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, well-known pathological findings associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since both glucose availability and PGB are regulated by enzymatic degradation of glycogen, we hypothesize that dysfunctional glycogen degradation is a critical event in AD progression. We therefore investigated whether alpha (α)-amylase, an enzyme known to efficiently degrade polysaccharides in the gastrointestinal tract, is expressed in the hippocampal CA1/subiculum and if the expression is altered in AD patients. Using immunohistochemical staining techniques, we show the presence of the α-amylase isotypes AMY1A and AMY2A in neuronal dendritic spines, pericytes and astrocytes. Moreover, AD patients showed reduced gene expression of α-amylase, but conversely increased protein levels of α-amylase as well as increased activity of the enzyme compared with non-demented controls. Lastly, we observed increased, albeit not significant, load of periodic acid-Schiff positive PGB in the brain of AD patients, which correlated with increased α-amylase activity. These findings show that α-amylase is expressed and active in the human brain, and suggest the enzyme to be affected, alternatively play a role, in the neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease pathology.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Craggs, Lucinda, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative vascular pathology and phenotyping familial and sporadic cerebral small vessel diseases
- 2013
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 23:5, s. 547-557
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We quantified vascular changes in the frontal lobe and basal ganglia of four inherited small vessel diseases (SVDs) including cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), pontine autosomal dominant microangiopathy and leukoencephalopathy (PADMAL), hereditary multi-infarct dementia of Swedish type (Swedish hMID), and hereditary endotheliopathy with retinopathy, nephropathy, and stroke (HERNS). Vascular pathology was most severe in CADASIL, and varied with marginally greater severity in the basal ganglia compared to the frontal lobe. The overall sclerotic index values in frontal lobe were in the order CADASIL≥HERNS>PADMAL>Swedish hMID>sporadic SVD, and in basal ganglia CADASIL>HERNS>Swedish hMID>PADMAL> sporadic SVD. The subcortical white matter was almost always more affected than any gray matter. We observed glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) protein immunoreactivities were most affected in the white matter indicating capillary degeneration whereas collagen IV (COL4) immunostaining was increased in PADMAL cases in all regions and tissue types. Overall, GLUT-1:COL4 ratios were higher in the basal ganglia indicating modifications in capillary density compared to the frontal lobe. Our study shows that the extent of microvascular degeneration varies in these genetic disorders exhibiting common end-stage pathologies but is the most aggressive in CADASIL.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- George, Sonia, et al.
(författare)
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α-Synuclein: The Long Distance Runner.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1750-3639 .- 1015-6305. ; 23:3, s. 350-357
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parkinson's disease is characterized by α-synuclein pathology in the form of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Braak et al described the spatial and temporal spread of α-synuclein pathology in Parkinson's disease. Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that α-synuclein can transfer from cell to cell. In this review, we highlight the involvement of α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease and in Braak's staging of Parkinson's disease pathology. We discuss whether a prion-like mechanism of α-synuclein spread might contribute to Parkinson's disease pathology. We describe recent studies investigating cell-to-cell transfer of α-synuclein and focus our review on the long-distance axonal transport of α-synuclein along neurons.
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| 25. |
- Gober, R., et al.
(författare)
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Microglia activation in postmortem brains with schizophrenia demonstrates distinct morphological changes between brain regions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 32:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a psychiatric disorder that can include symptoms of disorganized speech and thoughts with uncertain underlying mechanisms possibly linked to over-activated microglia. In this study, we used brain samples from sixteen donors with SCZ and thirteen control donors to assess the differential activation of microglia by quantifying density and 3D reconstruction of microglia stained with ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule-1 (Iba1). Our samples consisted of sections from the frontal, temporal, and cingulate cortical gray matter, subcortical white matter regions (SCWM), and included the anterior corpus callosum. In the first series of studies, we performed a density analysis followed by a spatial analysis to ascertain the microglial density, distribution, and soma size in SCZ brains. Second, we performed a series of morphological quantification techniques to investigate the arborization patterns of the microglia in SCZ. The results demonstrated an increase in microglia density in the cortical gray matter regions in SCZ cases, while in the SCWM, there was a significant increase in microglia density in the frontal and temporal, but not in the other brain regions of interest (ROIs). Spatial analysis using the "nearest neighbor" demonstrated that there was no effect in "clustering", but there were shorter distances between microglia seen in the SCZ cases. The morphological measures showed that there was a region-dependent increase in the microglia soma size in the SCZ cases while the Sholl analysis revealed a significant decrease in the microglia arborization in the SCZ cases across all the ROI's studied. An in-depth 3D reconstruction of microglia in Brodmann area 9 cortical region found that there was a significant association between age and reduced microglial arborization in the SCZ cases. This region-dependent age association can help determine whether longitudinal changes in microglial activation across age are brain region-dependent, which may point to potential therapeutic targets.
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| 26. |
- Gray, F, et al.
(författare)
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Neuropathology of early HIV-1 infection
- 1996
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Ingår i: Brain pathology (Zurich, Switzerland). - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 6:1, s. 1-12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Iacono, D., et al.
(författare)
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Neuropathologic Assessment of Dementia Markers in Identical and Fraternal Twins
- 2014
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 24:4, s. 317-333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Twin studies are an incomparable source of investigation to shed light on genetic and non-genetic components of neurodegenerative diseases, as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Detailed clinicopathologic correlations using twin longitudinal data and post-mortem examinations are mostly missing. We describe clinical and pathologic findings of seven monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. Our findings show good agreement between clinical and pathologic diagnoses in the majority of the twin pairs, with greater neuropathologic concordance in MZ than DZ twins. Greater neuropathologic concordance was found for -amyloid than tau pathology within the pairs. ApoE4 was associated with higher -amyloid and earlier dementia onset, and importantly, higher frequency of other co-occurring brain pathologies, regardless of the zygosity. Dementia onset, dementia duration, difference between twins in age at dementia onset and at death, did not correlate with AD pathology. These clinicopathologic correlations of older identical and fraternal twins support the relevance of genetic factors in AD, but not their sufficiency to determine the pathology, and consequently the disease, even in monozygotic twins. It is the interaction among genetic and non-genetic risks which plays a major role in influencing, or probably determining, the degeneration of those brain circuits associated with pathology and cognitive deficits in AD.
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| 30. |
- Johansson, Barbro, et al.
(författare)
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Functional recovery after brain infarction: plasticity and neural transplantation
- 1994
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1750-3639 .- 1015-6305. ; 4:1, s. 85-95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the past, little attention has been given to the role of brain plasticity for the long term functional outcome in experimental stroke although there is substantial evidence for plasticity in other experimental models of neurological disorders. Under clinical conditions, functional improvement occurs in most stroke survivors during the initial months after the ischemic incidence. Recent PET studies in stroke patients, investigated two months or later after stroke, indicate a considerable potential for functional plasticity in the adult human cerebral cortex. Research aimed at the identification of the mechanisms underlying functional recovery should be given high priority, particularly with regard to environmental factors and pharmacological interventions. Pilot experiments of environmental enrichment significantly improved the functional outcome of laboratory animals after brain infarction. Fetal neocortical tissue grafted into the infarcted area in adult rats received afferent fibres from the intact brain and responded to contralateral sensory stimulation with increased metabolic activity, indicating functional integration between neocortical grafts and host afferent systems. However, reciprocal connections from the graft to the host tissue were rare, and it remains to be shown whether grafting will be able to restore the complex cortical organization of the infarcted tissue.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Kalimo, H., et al.
(författare)
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Details of neuropathology in Arctic Alzheimer's disease
- 2010
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Ingår i: Abstracts of the XVIIth International Congress of Neuropathology (ICN 2010), Salzburg, Austria, 11-15 September 2010. - : Wiley. ; , s. 22-23
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
- Kling, Teresia, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Refinement of prognostication for IDH-mutant astrocytomas using DNA methylation-based classification
- 2024
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Ingår i: BRAIN PATHOLOGY. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) grading system of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant astrocytomas relies on histological features and the presence of homozygous deletion of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A and 2B (CDKN2A/B). DNA methylation profiling has become highly relevant in the diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) tumors including gliomas, and it has been incorporated into routine clinical diagnostics in some countries. In this study, we, therefore, examined the value of DNA methylation-based classification for prognostication of patients with IDH-mutant astrocytomas. We analyzed histopathological diagnoses, genome-wide DNA methylation array data, and chromosomal copy number alteration profiles from a cohort of 385 adult-type IDH-mutant astrocytomas, including a local cohort of 127 cases and 258 cases from public repositories. Prognosis based on WHO 2021 CNS criteria (histological grade and CDKN2A/B homozygous deletion status), other relevant chromosomal/gene alterations in IDH-mutant astrocytomas and DNA methylation-based subclassification according to the molecular neuropathology classifier were assessed. We demonstrate that DNA methylation-based classification of IDH-mutant astrocytomas can be used to predict outcome of the patients equally well as WHO 2021 CNS criteria. In addition, methylation-based subclassification enabled the identification of IDH-mutant astrocytoma patients with poor survival among patients with grade 3 tumors and patients with grade 4 tumors with a more favorable outcome. In conclusion, DNA methylation-based subclassification adds prognostic information for IDH-mutant astrocytomas that can further refine the current WHO 2021 grading scheme for these patients.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Levy, Efrat, et al.
(författare)
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The role of cystatin C in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and stroke: Cell biology and animal models : cell biology and animal models
- 2006
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1750-3639 .- 1015-6305. ; 16:1, s. 60-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A variant of the cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin C, forms amyloid deposited in the cerebral vasculature of patients with hereditary cerebral hemorrhage with amyloidosis, Icelandic type (HCHWA-I), leading to cerebral hemorrhages early in life. However, cystatin C is also implicated in neuronal degenerative diseases in which it does not form the amyloid protein, such as Alzheimer disease (AD). Accumulating data suggest involvement of cystatin C in the pathogenic processes leading to amyloid deposition in cerebral vasculature and most significantly to cerebral hemorrhage in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). This review focuses on cell culture and animal models used to study the role of cystatin C in these processes.
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| 45. |
- Miao, Qing, et al.
(författare)
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Arterioles of the lenticular nucleus in CADASIL
- 2006
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Ingår i: Stroke. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 16, s. S90-S90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Purpose-In cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) the arteriopathy leads to recurrent infarcts in cerebral white matter (WM) and deep gray matter (GM), whereas cortex is spared. To assess the pathogenesis of deep GM infarcts, we analyzed structural changes in arterioles of the lenticular nucleus (LN) in 6 CADASIL patients. Methods-Five elderly and one 32-year-old deceased CADASIL patients were studied. Seven elderly and 4 young deceased persons without cerebrovascular diseases served as controls. In addition to immunohistochemical analysis the external and luminal diameters of arterioles in the LN, cerebral cortex and WM were measured. The thickness of arteriolar wall and sclerotic index were calculated. Results-In CADASIL patients, LN arterioles were immunoreactive for the extracellular domain of Notch3 and collagen 1, whereas a-smooth muscle actin staining was irregular or negative. No major leakage of plasma fibrinogen or fibronectin was observed. Although in patients the walls of LN arterioles were significantly thicker than in controls, definite stenosis was not observed. Arteriolar lumina in the LN were not only significantly larger than in the WM, where most lacunar infarcts in CADASIL occur, but also larger than in cortical GM, where infarcts virtually never exist. Conclusions-Fibrotic thickening of the arteriolar walls without consequent stenosis occurs in the LN of CADASIL patients. The pathogenesis of lacunar infarcts in the WM and LN seem to be different, stenosis in the former and probably hemodynamic disturbances in the latter.
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- Nahar, Khayrun, et al.
(författare)
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Astrocyte-microglial association and matrix composition are common events in the natural history of primary familial brain calcification
- 2020
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Ingår i: Brain Pathology. - : Wiley. - 1015-6305 .- 1750-3639. ; 30:3, s. 446-64
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is an age-dependent and rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by microvascular calcium phosphate deposits in the deep brain regions. Known genetic causes of PFBC include loss-of-function mutations in genes involved in either of three processes-platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling, phosphate homeostasis or protein glycosylation-with unclear molecular links. To provide insight into the pathogenesis of PFBC, we analyzed murine models of PFBC for the first two of these processes in Pdgfb(ret/ret) and Slc20a2(-/-) mice with regard to the structure, molecular composition, development and distribution of perivascular calcified nodules. Analyses by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence revealed that calcified nodules in both of these models have a multilayered ultrastructure and occur in direct contact with reactive astrocytes and microglia. However, whereas nodules in Pdgfb(ret/ret) mice were large, solitary and smooth surfaced, the nodules in Slc20a2(-/-) mice were multi-lobulated and occurred in clusters. The regional distribution of nodules also differed between the two models. Proteomic analysis and immunofluorescence stainings revealed a common molecular composition of the nodules in the two models, involving proteins implicated in bone homeostasis, but also proteins not previously linked to tissue mineralization. While the brain vasculature of Pdgfb(ret/ret) mice has been reported to display reduced pericyte coverage and abnormal permeability, we found that Slc20a2(-/-) mice have a normal pericyte coverage and no overtly increased permeability. Thus, lack of pericytes and increase in permeability of the blood-brain barrier are likely not the causal triggers for PFBC pathogenesis. Instead, gene expression and spatial correlations suggest that astrocytes are intimately linked to the calcification process in PFBC.
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