Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analytes were evaluated in 59 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) individuals to assess neurological involvement. Glucose, total protein, cell counts, p24 antigen, CSF: serum albumin/IgG ratios, and oligoclonal bands were measured. Eighty percent of samples showed abnormalities in one or more analyte. In some patients samples, these abnormalities could mimic those of s...

Demonstration of oligoclonal bands by electrophoresis of cerebrospinal fluid is an important aid in establishing the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Electrophoretic systems vary in their effectiveness in doing so. We compared two systems in this respect. For a thin-layer agarose system, sensitivity was less (47%) than for a high-resolution agarose system (87%). Each system had good specificity...

A retrospective study of CSF and serum analysis from a total of 43 patients with sarcoidosis, 20 with systemic lupus erythematosus, and 12 with Behçet's disease with neurological involvement found local synthesis of oligoclonal IgG using isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting in 51%, 25%, and 8% respectively at some stage in their disease. Blood-brain barrier breakdown, when assessed with an a...

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IgG index, the CSF to serum albumin ratio, and electrophoresis on agarose gel of CSF and serum were evaluated retrospectively for their usefulness in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Standardized procedures were adopted for grading the intensity of oligoclonal banding and for the certainty of diagnosis of MS. One hundred and forty-nine patient...

Sera from heart-transplant patients on immunosuppressive drugs frequently exhibit pronounced oligoclonal banding patterns. There is a strong association between the appearance of these immunoglobulins and infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) in these patients. Fainter bands were seen both in patients with CMV infection and with various other infections. We saw no oligoclonal banding in electrop...