Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) transduce extracellular signals that regulate the initiation, duration and intensity of immune responses. However, unbridled activation of STATs by pro-inflammatory cytokines or growth factors contributes to pathogenic autoimmunity. In this review, we briefly discuss STAT pathways that promote the development and expansion of T cells th...

Abstract B cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) is a receptor that engages the cytokines BAFF and APRIL. BCMA known to play critical role in regulating proliferation, survival, differentiation into plasma cells. However, effect of on non-B cells has been understudied. We have previously shown regulates EAE, where −/−mice exacerbated disease compared +/+mice. The increased was associated with infiltra...

Cases reporting traumatic injuries to the brain and spinal cord are extended range of disorders that affect a large percentage of the world's population. But, there are only few effective treatments available for central nervous system (CNS) injuries because the CNS is refractory to axonal regeneration and relatively inaccessible to many pharmacological treatments. The use of stem cell therapy ...

Neuropsychiatric disorders (including dementia) have high personal, family, and social costs. Although many neuropsychiatric disorders share common patterns of symptoms and treatments, there are no validated biomarkers that define the underlying molecular mechanisms in the central nervous system (CNS). We hypothesize that there are early and common molecular changes in the CNS that will serve a...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to review the technical aspects and the clinical applications of intraoperative sonography of the central nervous system (CNS) as well as the characteristic appearances of brain and spine diseases. METHODS A pictorial review of cases is presented on the basis of the performance and interpretation of intraoperative sonography of the CNS from January 1998...

Homeostasis relies heavily on effective cell-to-cell communication. In the central nervous system (CNS), probably more so than in other organs, such communication is crucial to support and protect neurons especially during ageing, as well as to control inflammation, remove debris and infectious agents. Emerging evidence indicates that extracellular vesicles (EVs) including endosome-derived exos...

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays a vital role in the immunological support, structural protection and metabolic homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). CSF is a clear fluid that surrounds the entire brain and spinal cord and has a viscosity approximately that of water. It moves in an oscillatory manner, with zero net flow, in synchrony with intracranial blood pulsations. A detailed unde...

Human prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with an accumulation of PrP(Sc) in the central nervous system (CNS). Of the human prion diseases, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), which has no known origin, is the most common form while variant CJD (vCJD) is an acquired human prion disease reported to differ from other human prion diseases in its neurological, neu...

The discovery of novel autoantibodies in neurological disorders contributes to a better understanding its pathogenesis, improves the accuracy diagnosis, and leads new treatment strategies. Advances techniques for screening detection have enabled antibodies central nervous system (CNS) neuromuscular diseases. Cell-based assays using live or fixed cells overexpressing target antigens are widely u...

Gene therapy is at the cusp of a revolution for treating a large spectrum of CNS disorders by providing a durable therapeutic protein via a single administration. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene transfer is of particular interest as a therapeutic tool because of its safety profile and efficiency in transducing a wide range of cell types. The purpose of this review is to describe the ...