Decreased frequency of regulatory T cells and level of helios gene expression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: Evidence about the development of multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an aggressive disease characterized by central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory and demyelinating lesions. Tolerance failure is implicated in the development of several autoimmune disorders, including MS. Due to their involvement in maintaining environmental tolerance, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are regarded as efficient immune cells. We examined the frequency of Tregs in this study using CD4/CD25/forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3)/Helios markers. METHODS: Fifty participants, including 25 patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and 25 healthy controls (HCs), were enrolled in this study, and their demographic characteristics were recorded. Peripheral blood samples ranging from 5 to 6 mL were obtained, and the Ficoll technique was used to extract peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Then, the percentage of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Helios+ regulatory T lymphocytes was examined by flow cytometry in the study groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also used to assess the Helios gene expression level. RESULTS: This study showed that the percentage of Tregs with CD4 and CD25 markers did not reveal a significant difference compared with HCs despite the decrease in SPMS patients (P = 0.6). However, lymphocytes with CD4/CD25/FOXP3/Helios markers were significantly reduced in the patients (P = 0.01). Additionally, SPMS patients had statistically significantly lower Helios gene expression levels (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In SPMS patients, a decrease in the frequency of the CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Helios+ Treg population can result in an imbalanced immune system. In other words, one of the immunological mechanisms involved in this disease may be a deficiency in Tregs. Helios gene expression was also decreased in these patients, which may exacerbate functional defects in Tregs.

Late onset epilepsia partialis continua in a middle-aged patient with huge arachnoid cyst.

BACKGROUND: Arachnoid cysts are congenital or acquired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) filled intra arachnoidal lesions, included 1% of all infantile intracranial masses and were discovered incidentally in MRI or CT-scan. The vast majority of these lesions are generally asymptomatic but some patients with arachnoid cyst have headache, dizziness, seizure (or epilepsy), vestibular symptoms and cognitive impairment. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 43-year-old woman who has late onset epilepsia partialis continua and had right spastic cerebral palsy due to huge arachnoid cyst. Surprisingly without any history of seizure, her first seizure presents with sustained seizures (epilepsia partialis continua) and occur in the middle age for the first time. CONCLUSION: Most arachnoid cysts are asymptomatic and may not produce any symptoms throughout life. In our case, the late onset epilepsia partialis continua in the 5th decade of life with probably a large arachnoid cyst without any history of seizure before that is unusual. Conservative approaches usually made for the management of arachnoid cysts as patients with these cysts usually maintain the vital neurological functions.