Effect of anti-interferon-γ and anti-interleukin-2 monoclonal antibody treatment on the development of actively and passively induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in the SJL/J mouse

SJL/J mice challenged with myelin basic protein (MBP) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) developed only mild chronic-relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) with very low incidence. However, treatment of challenged mice with anti-infeferonγ (IFN-γ) monoclonal antibody (mAb) determined severe disease in all cases. Similarly, in passive EAE, the addition of anti-IFN-γ to the in vitro MBP-activated cells at the time of transfer led to significant disease exacerbation in all recipients. The disease enhancing effect was observed only when the mAb was given at the time of active challenge or of passive transfer, but not at later times. Anti-interleukin-2 (IL-2) antibody had only a marginal effect in the active induction, but drastically reduced the manifestations of passive EAE, even when mixed with a disease-enhancing dose of anti-IFN-γ. These findings support the notion that IL-2 is required for disease induction whereas IFN-γ plays a disease-limiting role early in the development of EAE.     

Morphologische Veränderungen des gereizten Nerven

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Fact or Fiction? MRI of Alar Ligaments and Craniocervical Junction Joints in Whiplash Syndrome

Abstract Whiplash injury of the cervical spine is a frequent issue in medical expertises and causes enormous consequential costs for motor insurance companies. Some authors accuse posttraumatic changes of alar ligaments to be causative of consequential disturbances, although biomechanical experiments achieve contradictory results and neuropsychiatric studies do not support this thesis. MRI provides excellent visualization of alar ligaments. However, signal alterations of alar ligaments must be differentiated from common normal variants. Functional MRI provides no diagnostic yield.      

Haut- und Wasserhaushalt mit klinisch-experimentellen Beiträgen

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 7 Textabbildungen.Herrn Prof. Dr. E. Hoffmann zum 80. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Improvement in quality of life after initiation of lamotrigine therapy in patients with epilepsy in a naturalistic treatment setting.

Quality of life is impaired in patients with epilepsy and can be improved by effective therapy. Randomised clinical trials have shown that lamotrigine treatment is associated with improved quality of life. However, little information is available on quality of life or treatment effects in patients with epilepsy in the general population. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of lamotrigine on quality of life in a naturalistic treatment setting. The study included adult patients with epilepsy in whom lamotrigine therapy was initiated. Each subject completed the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE)-31 quality of life questionnaire at inclusion and at a follow-up visit in the next 4 months. Demographic information and medical history were provided by the investigator. These were evaluated as potential determinants of change in quality of life using logistic regression. Three hundred and forty-one patients were evaluated, 192 starting lamotrigine in combination with another drug, 90 as a first-line monotherapy, 45 as a switch from another drug and 14 as a reduction to monotherapy from a previous combination. Baseline scores on the QOLIE-31 ranged from 53.8 in the combination group to 69.5 in the first-line group. 34.6% of patients were considered to be responders, with no significant differences between treatment regimen. Most improvement was seen for the energy-fatigue and medication effects subscales and, for the first-line group, seizure worry. Seizure type was the only determinant of improvement of quality of life identified. In conclusion, lamotrigine treatment is associated with improved quality of life, regardless of treatment regimen.