Introduction: Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is a rare inflammatory disease of the central nervous system which generally affecting the spinal cord and optic nerve. Damage to the optic nerve can result in the patient's dim vision or even blindness, while the spinal cord damage may lead to sensory and motor paralysis and the weakness of the lower limbs in the patient. Magnetic Reson...

Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are auto immune demyelinating disorders. Both MS and NMO patients suffer from urinary dysfunction.  Objectives: Investigation of frequency and severity of urinary symptoms in two groups of MS and NMO patients. Materials & Methods: 56 MS patients and 20 NMO patients were enrolled in this cross sectional study conducted in Isfah...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) exhibits substantial similarities to multiple sclerosis (MS) in clinical manifestations and imaging results and has long been considered a variant of MS. With the advent of a specific biomarker in NMO, known as anti-aquaporin 4, this assumption has changed; however, the differential diagnosis remains challenging and it is still not clear whether a combination of neuro...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease that primarily targets astrocytes. Autoantibodies (NMO-IgG) against the water channel protein, aquaporin 4 (AQP4), are a serologic marker in NMO patients, and they known to be responsible for pathophysiology of disease. In brain, AQP4 mainly expressed astrocytes, especially at end-feet, where form blood-brain barrier. Following interaction bet...

Many mammalian AQPs, including AQP1, AQP2, AQP4, AQP5 and AQP8, function primarily as bidirectional water-selective transporters. Cells expressing AQPs on their plasma membrane have an ~5- to 50-fold higher osmotic water permeability than membranes that do not. Water transport through single-file pores poses a biophysical limitation on the efficiency with which AQPs can transport water, so that...

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...

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...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an idiopathic inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that preferentially affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. In Asia, NMO has long been considered a subtype of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, recent clinical, pathological, immunological, and imaging studies have suggested that NMO is distinct from MS. This reconsideration of NMO was initi...

OBJECTIVE Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is caused by binding of pathogenic autoantibodies (NMO-immunoglobulin G [IgG]) to aquaporin-4 (AQP4) on astrocytes, which initiates complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and inflammation. We recently introduced mutated antibody (aquaporumab) and small-molecule blocker strategies for therapy of NMO, based on prevention of NMO-IgG binding to AQP4. Here, we i...