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- Vergallo, A., et al.
(author)
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Association of plasma YKL-40 with brain amyloid-β levels, memory performance, and sex in subjective memory complainers
- 2020
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In: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580. ; 96, s. 22-32
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Neuroinflammation, a key early pathomechanistic alteration of Alzheimer's disease, may represent either a detrimental or a compensatory mechanism or both (according to the disease stage). YKL-40, a glycoprotein highly expressed in differentiated glial cells, is a candidate biomarker for in vivo tracking neuroinflammation in humans. We performed a longitudinal study in a monocentric cohort of cognitively healthy individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease exploring whether age, sex, and the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele affect plasma YKL-40 concentrations. We investigated whether YKL-40 is associated with brain amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, neuronal activity, and neurodegeneration as assessed via neuroimaging biomarkers. Finally, we investigated whether YKL-40 may predict cognitive performance. We found an age-associated increase of YKL-40 and observed that men display higher concentrations than women, indicating a potential sexual dimorphism. Moreover, YKL-40 was positively associated with memory performance and negatively associated with brain Aβ deposition (but not with metabolic signal). Consistent with translational studies, our results suggest a potentially protective effect of glia on incipient brain Aβ accumulation and neuronal homeostasis. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
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- Vergallo, A., et al.
(author)
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Plasma amyloid beta 40/42 ratio predicts cerebral amyloidosis in cognitively normal individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease
- 2019
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In: Alzheimers & Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 15:6, s. 764-775
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Blood-based biomarkers of pathophysiological brain amyloid beta (A beta) accumulation, particularly for preclinical target and large-scale interventions, are warranted to effectively enrich Alzheimer's disease clinical trials and management. Methods: We investigated whether plasma concentrations of the A beta(1-40)/A beta(1-42) ratio, assessed using the single-molecule array (Simoa) immunoassay, may predict brain A beta positron emission tomography status in a large-scale longitudinal monocentric cohort (N = 276) of older individuals with subjective memory complaints. We performed a hypothesis-driven investigation followed by a no-apriori hypothesis study using machine learning. Results: The receiver operating characteristic curve and machine learning showed a balanced accuracy of 76.5% and 81%, respectively, for the plasma A beta(1-40)/A beta(1-42) ratio. The accuracy is not affected by the apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon 4 allele, sex, or age. Discussion: Our results encourage an independent validation cohort study to confirm the indication that the plasma A beta(1-40)/A beta(1-42) ratio, assessed via Simoa, may improve future standard of care and clinical trial design. (C) 2019 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Gray, E., et al.
(author)
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A multi-center study of neurofilament assay reliability and inter-laboratory variability
- 2020
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In: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2167-8421 .- 2167-9223. ; 21:5-6, s. 452-458
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: Significantly elevated levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) have been described in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analytical performance of different neurofilament assays in a round robin with 10 centers across Europe/U.S.Methods: Serum, plasma and CSF samples from a group of five ALS and five neurological control patients were distributed across 10 international specialist neurochemical laboratories for analysis by a range of commercial and in-house neurofilament assays. The performance of all assays was evaluated for their ability to differentiate between the groups. The inter-assay coefficient of variation was calculated where appropriate from sample measurements performed across multiple laboratories using the same assay.Results:All assays could differentiate ALS patients from controls in CSF. Inter-assay coefficient of variation of analytical platforms performed across multiple laboratories varied between 6.5% and 41.9%.Conclusions:This study is encouraging for the growing momentum toward integration of neurofilament measurement into the specialized ALS clinic. It demonstrates the importance of 'round robin' studies necessary to ensure the analytical quality required for translation to the routine clinical setting. A standardized neurofilament probe is needed which can be used as international benchmark for analytical performance in ALS.
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- Nava, C, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of the chromosome X exome in patients with autism spectrum disorders identified novel candidate genes, including TMLHE.
- 2012
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In: Translational psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2158-3188. ; 2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The striking excess of affected males in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggests that genes located on chromosome X contribute to the etiology of these disorders. To identify new X-linked genes associated with ASD, we analyzed the entire chromosome X exome by next-generation sequencing in 12 unrelated families with two affected males. Thirty-six possibly deleterious variants in 33 candidate genes were found, including PHF8 and HUWE1, previously implicated in intellectual disability (ID). A nonsense mutation in TMLHE, which encodes the ɛ-N-trimethyllysine hydroxylase catalyzing the first step of carnitine biosynthesis, was identified in two brothers with autism and ID. By screening the TMLHE coding sequence in 501 male patients with ASD, we identified two additional missense substitutions not found in controls and not reported in databases. Functional analyses confirmed that the mutations were associated with a loss-of-function and led to an increase in trimethyllysine, the precursor of carnitine biosynthesis, in the plasma of patients. This study supports the hypothesis that rare variants on the X chromosome are involved in the etiology of ASD and contribute to the sex-ratio disequilibrium.
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