Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS and remyelination in MS ultimately fails. Although strategies to promote myelin repair are eagerly sought, mechanisms underlying remyelination in vivo have been elusive. CXCR2 is expressed on neutrophils and oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the CNS. CXCR2-positive neutrophils facilitate inflammatory demyelination in dem...

Demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system are among the most crippling neurological diseases affecting patients at various stages of life. In the most prominent demyelinating disease, multiple sclerosis, the regeneration of myelin sheaths often fails due to a default of the resident stem/precursor cells (oligodendrocyte precursor cells) to differentiate into mature myelin forming ce...

INTRODUCTION In rare instances, demyelinating disorders manifest as tumefactive lesions that simulate brain tumors. We report a patient with a space-occupying lesion in the parietal lobe, which presented a serious diagnostic dilemma, between a rare tumefactive demyelinating disease, such as Balo concentric sclerosis and a glioma. This case report highlights important diagnostic clues in the dif...

Neuromyelitis optica is an inflammatory demyelinating disease (IDD) of the CNS, which mainly affects optic nerve and spinal cord. Autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 also known as NMO-IgG have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NMO. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of NMO-IgG assay for diagnosing NMO patients and differentiating them from MS patients and those with undifferentiat...

Tumor necrosis factor–a (TNF-a) is a well-studied proinflammatory cytokine that contributes to the pathogenesis of immune and infectious diseases. TNF-a effects are mediated by signaling through TNF-a receptors, which are present ubiquitously. Limiting the actions of TNF-a, either by blocking the receptor or inhibiting circulating (free) TNF-a, is a useful treatment strategy in autoimmune disor...

Oligodendrocyte-formed myelin sheaths allow fast synaptic transmission in the brain and their degeneration leads to demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Remyelination requires differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into mature oligodendrocytes but, chronic neurodegenerative disorders, remyelination fails due adverse environment. Therefore, a strategy prompt cell towar...

Acute optic neuritis is the most common optic neuropathy affecting young adults. Exciting developments have occurred over the past decade in understanding of optic neuritis pathophysiology, and these developments have been translated into treatment trials. In its typical form, optic neuritis presents as an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the optic nerve, which can be associated with mult...

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an uncommon disease in multiracial Malaysia. Diagnosing patients with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases has been greatly aided by the evolution in diagnostic criterion, the identification of new biomarkers, and improved accessibility to neuroimaging in the country. Objectives. To investigate the spectrum of multiple sclerosis in Malaysia. Meth...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), or Devic's syndrome, is an autoimmune central nervous system demyelinating disorder primarily affecting the spinal cord and the optic nerves. It is characterized by the presence of NMO antibodies, alongside clinical and radiological findings. NMO and NMO-spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) have been reported in autoimmune disorders, and are infrequently described as a parane...

Over the past decade, significant improvements in immunochemical and electrophoretic techniques have enabled collection of heretofore unavailable data on proteins in biological fluids, greatly increasing our understanding of protein physiology in the various body compartments and providing the foundation for clinical use of protein analysis in body fluids. The most striking advance has been in ...