Analysis of miRNA signatures in CSF identifies upregulation of miR-21 and miR-146a/b in patients with multiple sclerosis and active lesions.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as deregulated in active brain lesions derived from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In there, these post-transcriptional regulators may elicit very important effects but proper identification of miRNA candidates as potential biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets is scarcely available. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to detect the presence of a set of candidate miRNAs in cell-free cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and to determine their association with gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesions in order to assess their value as biomarkers of MS activity. METHODS: Assessment of 28 miRNA candidates in cell-free CSF collected from 46 patients with MS (26 Gd+ and 20 Gd- patients) was performed by TaqMan assays and qPCR. Variations in their relative abundance were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test and further evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Signaling pathways and biological functions of miRNAs were analyzed using bioinformatic tools (miRTarBase, Enrichr, REVIGO, and Cytoscape softwares). RESULTS: Seven out of 28 miRNA candidates were detected in at least 75% of CSF samples. Consistent increase of miR-21 and miR-146a/b was found in Gd+ MS patients. This increase was in parallel to the number of Gd+ lesions and neurofilament light chain (NF-L) levels. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of these miRNAs are involved in biological processes of key relevance such as apoptosis, cell migration and proliferation, and in cytokine-mediated signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Levels of miR-21 and miR-146a/b in cell-free CSF may represent valuable biomarkers to identify patients with active MS lesions.

miRNAs in cerebrospinal fluid identify patients with MS and specifically those with lipid-specific oligoclonal IgM bands.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate cellular processes by controlling protein translation and mRNA degradation. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the miRNA signature of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients versus controls and the possibility that patients with lipid-specific oligolconal IgM bands (LS_OCMB), a predictor of a more severe disease course, may have a distinct profile. METHODS: An extensive profile of 754 miRNAs was evaluated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 14 women using TaqMan low-density arrays. Differentially expressed miRNAs together with others previously identified in the literature were validated in an extended sample of 86 MS patients (39 LS_OCMB+) and 55 controls. RESULTS: We detected higher levels of miR-150 in MS patients and especially in those with LS_OCMB+. Other miRNAs (miR-328, miR-30a-5p and miR-645) were up-regulated in MS patients compared to controls while miR-21, miR-199a-3p, miR-191, miR-365, miR-106a and miR-146a showed down-regulated expression. Considering only patients with LS_OCMB+, we also detected up-regulation of miR-30a-5p, miR-150 and miR-645 and down-regulation of miR-191 compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the recent findings regarding the deregulated expression of miR-150 not only with MS but also with the presence of LS_OCMB. This study highlights the potential utility of miRNAs in CSF as biomarkers for MS.

Drug use in patients with dementia: a register-based study in the health region of Girona (Catalonia/Spain).

PURPOSE: To describe the pattern of drug consumption among patients with dementia in a geographically defined general population in Catalonia (Spain), and to determine its association with age, gender, type of dementia and severity indicators. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that included 1,894 cases of dementia registered by the Registry of Dementias of Girona from 2007 to 2009. Prescribed drugs were categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. A descriptive analysis of drug consumption was stratified according to age, gender, dementia subtypes and dementia severity. Binary logistic regression models were adjusted to detect the association of these variables with drug consumption according to the ATC groups. RESULTS: The most commonly prescribed drugs were for the central nervous system (CNS) (96.4 %), cardiovascular system (79.4 %) and digestive and metabolic system categories (77.7 %). No significant differences were found between the use of nervous system drugs and age, gender, dementia subtypes or dementia severity. The use of alimentary tract and metabolism related drugs, as well as cardiovascular and blood system drugs, were positively correlated with age and secondary dementia. The prevalence of use of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal drugs was higher in women than in men (OR: 1.34; OR: 1.26 respectively). A negative association was found between the severity of dementia and the use of musculoskeletal drugs (OR: 0.71), while its use was significantly higher in the youngest patients (OR: 1.71). CONCLUSIONS: Almost all patients with dementia received a CNS drug, being at risk of inappropriate treatment. Treatment for comorbidities in patients with dementia should not be withheld on the basis of age or dementia severity, but rather on the benefit/risk ratio of its prescription. Further studies are needed to evaluate potentially inappropriate drug use and possible untreated conditions in this population.

Central nervous system drug consumption depending on the time between symptom onset and the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: an analysis by the Registry of Dementias of Girona.

AIMS: To describe central nervous system (CNS) drug consumption patterns depending on the time to diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to check whether the cases diagnosed later are associated with greater severity and consuming more CNS drugs. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using 952 cases of the Registry of Dementias of Girona. A binary logistic regression was used to detect variables associated with the use of CNS drugs depending on the time to diagnosis. RESULTS: CNS drugs were consumed by 95.8% of the AD patients. Only antipsychotics presented a statistically significant increase in the frequency of prescription to patients with longer time elapsed from symptom onset to AD diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Longer time elapsed from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis resulted in increased probability of antipsychotic consumption.

Elevated Epstein-Barr virus-encoded nuclear antigen-1 immune responses predict conversion to multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to determine the immune responses to candidate viral triggers of multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CISs), and to evaluate their potential value in predicting conversion to MS. METHODS: Immune responses to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus 6, cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and measles were determined in a cohort of 147 CIS patients with a mean follow-up of 7 years and compared with 50 demographically matched controls. RESULTS: Compared with controls, CIS patients showed increased humoral (p < 0.0001) and cellular (p = 0.007) immune responses to the EBV-encoded nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1), but not to other EBV-derived proteins. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to other virus antigens and frequencies of T cells specific for HCMV and influenza virus gene products were unchanged in CIS patients. EBNA1 was the only viral antigen with which immune responses correlated with number of T2 lesions (p = 0.006) and number of Barkhof criteria (p=0.001) at baseline, and with number of T2 lesions (p = 0.012 at both 1 and 5 years), presence of new T2 lesions (p = 0.003 and p = 0.028 at 1 and 5 years), and Expanded Disability Status Scale score (p = 0.015 and p = 0.010 at 1 and 5 years) during follow-up. In a univariate Cox regression model, increased EBNA1-specific IgG responses predicted conversion to MS based on McDonald criteria (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 2.2 [1.2-4.3]; p = 0.003). INTERPRETATION: Our results indicate that elevated immune responses toward EBNA1 are selectively increased in CIS patients and suggest that EBNA1-specific IgG titers could be used as a prognostic marker for disease conversion and disability progression.

Radiologically isolated syndrome: targeting miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers.

Aim: Some clinical and biological characteristics have been described as prognostic factors for clinical conversion into clinically definite multiple sclerosis in radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS) population. The aim of this study was to assess signatures of circulating miRNAs in those patients according to their conversion status after 5 years of follow-up. Patients & methods: OpenArray plates assessing 216 miRNA candidates were run in 15 RIS patients, and their relative abundances were analyzed. Results: A specific profile of deregulated circulating miRNAs (miR-144-3p, miR-448 and miR-653-3p in cerebrospinal fluid and miR-142-3p, miR-338-3p, miR-363-3p, miR-374b-5p, miR-424-5p, miR-483-3p in plasma) differentiated individuals who remained as RIS after 5 years of follow-up. Conclusion: Circulating miRNAs might be used as prognostic biomarkers for RIS patients.

Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines during Dementia Work-Up in a Real-World Setting: A Study from the Registry of Dementias of Girona.

BACKGROUND: There are several position statements and clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for diagnosing dementia. OBJECTIVE: Our aims were to evaluate the adherence to CPG among specialists in the 7 memory clinics included in the Registry of Dementias of Girona (ReDeGi), and to compare the results between 2007-2011 and 2012-2015. We also determined the time and number of visits required to achieve a diagnosis, the supplementary tests ordered, and the drugs prescribed according to dementia subtypes. METHODS: Medical charts of a stratified random sample of 475 ReDeGi cases were reviewed. Basic dementia work-up was evaluated using as a reference evidence-based CPG. An Index of Adherence (AI) was calculated using the following items in the medical chart: cognitive symptomatology; functional disability evaluation; physical examination; neurological examination; psychiatric examination; brief cognitive examination; activities of daily living performance examination; blood test; structural neuroimaging (CT-scan or MRI). RESULTS: The mean AI to CPG among specialists was of 8.2 points, and it improved from 7.9 points in 2007-2011 to 8.5 points in 2012-2015 (Cohen's d = 0.46). A lower adherence was detected in the most severe cases. A dementia diagnosis required 3.5 visits, regardless of the subtype of dementia, although milder cases required more time, more visits, and more supplementary tests than severe cases. CONCLUSION: The adherence to CPG in the catchment area of the ReDeGi is high, and an epidemiological surveillance system such as the ReDeGi may help in improving it. Dementia guidelines should establish procedures adapted to clinical practice, with simplified recommendations for most severe cases.

TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE) protein expression in different clinical subtypes of multiple sclerosis.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha converting enzyme (TACE, also called ADAM17) is a key sheddase that releases TNF-alpha from its inactive cell-bound precursor. TACE protein expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were measured by Western blot analysis in 20 healthy controls and 80 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients before and after treatment with IFNbeta [20 patients with primary progressive (PP) MS, 20 patients with secondary progressive (SP) MS, and 40 patients with relapsing- remitting (RR) MS (20 patients during clinical remission and 20 patients in relapse)]. TNF-alpha serum levels were also measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay in the MS patients and healthy controls. TACE protein expression levels were lower in healthy controls and PPMS patients compared with SPMS patients and RRMS patient during clinical remission. No differences in TACE protein levels were observed between RRMS patients in relapse and during remission. TACE protein levels were increased in PPMS patients treated with IFNbeta. Serum TNF-alpha levels were higher in RRMS patients in relapse compared with RRMS patients during remission, and positive and negative correlations were found between TACE protein expression and serum TNF-alpha levels in RRMS patients during relapse and during remission respectively. These findings point to different regulatory mechanisms of the TACE-TNF-alpha pathway in the clinical MS subtypes and expand the role of TACE in MS pathogenesis.

Genetic association between polymorphisms in the ADAMTS14 gene and multiple sclerosis.

ADAMTS14 is a novel member of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin type 1 modules) metalloproteinase family which processes extracellular matrix proteins. In the present study we performed a comprehensive investigation of the ADAMTS14 as a candidate gene for susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS). Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed in a case-control study of 287 patients with MS [192 with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 95 with primary-progressive MS (PPMS)], and 285 age- and sex-matched controls. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared between controls and the MS subgroups, and gene-based haplotypes were reconstructed by computational procedures. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium values (D') suggested that three locus pairs (SNPs 3 through 5) had alleles in strong disequilibrium and constituted a haplotype block spanning 14 kb. Overall comparisons of allele and genotype frequencies showed association for SNPs 3 and 6 with MS. Stratification of MS patients according to major clinical forms revealed an increased frequency of both allele C (p = 0.006) and CC homozygosity (p = 0.008) at SNP6 in RRMS patients compared with controls. PPMS was associated with allele A at SNP2 compared with RRMS (p = 0.003) and controls (p = 0.009), and with CG heterozygosity at SNP3 compared with controls (p = 0.005). Haplotype frequency comparisons showed significant association between PPMS and the AGGGC haplotype compared with controls (p = 0.0004), and negative association between RRMS and the GGAGT haplotype compared with controls (p = 0.0026). No association was detected between different genotypes and disease severity measured by the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). These findings suggest a potentially important role for the ADAMTS14 gene in predisposition to MS.

Psychotropic drugs in patients with Alzheimer's Disease: a longitudinal study by the Registry of Dementias of Girona (ReDeGi) in Catalonia, Spain.

OBJECTIVES: Psychotropic drugs are usually prescribed to deal with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, especially when nonpharmacologic approaches are not available or have limited efficacy. Poor outcomes and serious adverse events of the drugs used must be addressed, and risk-benefit ratios need to be considered. The aim of this longitudinal study was to describe the evolution of dispensation of psychotropic drugs in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to identify the associated demographic and clinical variables. METHODS: Longitudinal study using 698 cases with AD included in the Registry of Dementias of Girona in 2007 and 2008 and followed up during 3 years. Drugs were categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to detect the variables associated with the use of antipsychotics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), anxiolytics, and hypnotics. RESULTS: Of the patients, 51.2% consumed antipsychotics at least once during the three years of the study, whereas 73.3% and 58.2% consumed SSRIs and anxiolytics, respectively; 32.8% used hypnotics. Antipsychotic use was associated with a diagnosis of AD with delusions) [odds ratio (OR) = 5.7] and with increased behavior disorders (OR = 1.2). Patients with AD with depressed mood were more likely to be treated with SSRIs (OR = 3.1), while being a woman was associated with increased dispensation of anxiolytics (OR = 1.9) and SSRIs (OR = 2.2). CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of psychotropic drugs by the patients with AD registered in the Registry of Dementias of Girona is very high. Despite all the described adverse effects and recommendations of caution in their use, antipsychotics still are extensively used.

Use of antidementia drugs in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical evidence indicates that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are not efficacious to treat frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The British Association for Psychopharmacology recommends avoiding the use of AChEI and memantine in patients with FTLD. METHODS: Cross-sectional design using 1092 cases with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 64 cases with FTLD registered by the Registry of Dementias of Girona. Bivariate analyses were performed, and binary logistic regressions were used to detect variables associated with antidementia drugs consumption. RESULTS: The AChEIs were consumed by 57.6% and 42.2% of the patients with AD and FTLD, respectively. Memantine was used by 17.2% and 10.9% of patients with AD and FTLD, respectively. Binary logistic regressions yielded no associations with antidementia drugs consumption. CONCLUSIONS: There is a discrepancy regarding clinical practice and the recommendations based upon clinical evidence. The increased central nervous system drug use detected in FTLD requires multicentric studies aiming at finding the best means to treat these patients.

Interferon ß-1b for the treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis: five-year clinical trial follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate, during the 5-year period without treatment after termination of a 2-year clinical trial of interferon beta-1b for the treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis, differences in the evolution of clinical variables and magnetic resonance imaging results between trial arms and to investigate correlations between in-trial changes in Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) score and magnetic resonance imaging variables and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score evolution. DESIGN: Five-year clinical trial follow-up. SETTING: Clinical Neuroimmunology Unit, Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. Patients  Seventy-three patients received interferon beta-1b or placebo during the trial. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: After 5 years without treatment, the EDSS and MSFC measures were scored for 63 and 59 patients, respectively. Neuropsychological and magnetic resonance imaging assessments were performed for 59 and 50 patients, respectively. RESULTS: After 5 years without treatment, the interferon beta-1b group had better 9-Hole Peg Test (P = .02) and Word List Generation Test (P < .001) scores, and their magnetization transfer ratio measures in the normal-appearing white matter were significantly higher (P = .02, P = .009, and P = .03 for the mean, peak location, and peak height magnetic transfer ratios, respectively). During the entire study period (from trial baseline to assessment at 5 years without treatment), the placebo group showed a greater decrease in brain parenchymal fraction (P = .004). The in-trial increase of lesions correlated with the worsening of the EDSS score during the 5-year period without treatment (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Modest but beneficial effects of interferon beta-1b on clinical variables and brain atrophy development were observed 5 years after trial termination. Moreover, in-trial lesion activity correlated with EDSS progression after trial termination. Therefore, we provide evidence to consider immunomodulation as a sensible approach to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis.