Diagnostic utility of NMO/AQP4-IgG in evaluating CNS inflammatory disease in Thai patients. Apiwattanakul M, Asawavichienjinda T, Pulkes T, Tantirittisak T, Hemachudha T, Horta ES, Jenkins SM, Pittock SJ. Source Department of Neurology, Prasat Neurological Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
PURPOSE: To better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neuromyelitis optica (NMO), we developed a proteomics platform for biomarker discovery in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with NMO.
Background: Recent studies conducted in arthritis, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease suggest that chitinases are important in inflammatory processes and tissue remodeling. Objective: To investigate the role of chitinases in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
Background: Chitinases are a family of hydrolases characterized by the ability to cleave the environmental polysaccharide chitin. Although mammals do not synthesize chitin, they do synthesize chitinases, and chitinase-like proteins (CLPs)