Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounds the brain and spinal column and contains small molecules, peptides, proteins etc., which play critical roles in many physiological processes in the central nervous system (CNS). CSF is considered a prime reservoir for neurological studies because the content of proteins and metabolites and the changes in their concentrations directly reflect the internal milieu of the brain: it offers a unique window to search for new biomarkers and to improve early diagnosis of neurological diseases [1-3]. However, the complexities of the brain and human neurological disorders represent a severe roadblock to identify novel neurological biomarkers. A biomarker can be defined as a biochemical, pharmacological or physiological, indicator of a specific biological state or of a defined biological stage of an organism as represented in its characteristic specific sample. Such an indicator should be measurable and possible useful for diagnostic and/or prognostic purposes such as the prediction of disease progression, disease activity and targeted therapy efficacy. The identification of specific biomarkers is essential for the realization of personalized medicine, in terms of better-estimate disease risk, personalized therapies and improve the disease outcome [4]. Fundamental to biomarker research is access to quality biospecimens that have to be carefully annotated with clinical, molecular and collection data. In fact, sample collection has to be based on well defined protocols which provide the fundamental standard operative procedures (SOPs) for workflow certification.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has recognized biobanks as essential tools for research and biomedical sciences. Large biob...
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...e been widely described to be associated with non optimal sample collection and storage [8, 9]. Several different proteins have been proposed as an index of correct storage of the sample. Bearing in mind all the literature to date, we review these proteins useful for CSF quality control [10-12]. We propose the direct assessment of sample quality (DASQ) by applying a fast MALDI-TOF-MS methodology to evaluate molecular features of sample degradation and oxidation that have been often correlated with a sub-optimal pre-analytical and storage phases of CSF. This approach will provide a direct and analytical evaluation of the proper collection and storage phases of CSF samples. Such an analysis will check for the presence of blood contamination (e.g. haemoglobin chains), molecular truncated isoforms (e.g. Cystatin C) and oxidized proteins (e.g Transthyretin) [8, 12, 13].
Wolf, Zane Robinson & Hughes, Ronda G (n.d.). Error Reporting and Disclosure. Retrieved on March 2014 from world wide web at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2652
In preparing for the quantitative test for the Bio-Rad protein assay, a spectrophotometer was switched on. Ten test tubes were used and that the known and unknown protein samples were tested duplicate. Tubes one and two were the 0.2 mg/ml protein, three and four 0.3 mg/ml protein, five and six 0.6 mg/ml protein, seven and eight 0.9 mg/ml protein, and lastly nine and ten
Neurodegeneration is used mainly for diseases that are characterised by progressive loss of structure and function of neurons. There are many neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that...
Around the world, many people are living with neurologically debilitating disorders like multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is best described as a pathological “inflammatory-mediated demyelinating disease of the human central nervous system,” and affects more than 2.5 million people globally (Trapp & Nave, 2008).
The ultimate goal of pharmacogenomics, as stated by Henig, “would be for everyone’s genome to be analyzed indi...
Research Updates. University of Rochester Medical Center. November 10, 2008. National Institutes of Health. February 6, 2009. < http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/neurology/nih-registry/research/index.cfm>.
Having completed the Human Genome Project, scientists now seek to uncover the secrets of the human proteome (Begley 1). It is "guesstimated" that the proteome, meaning all the proteins, will involve up to 1000 times more data than the genome did. But this again brings us to the question: What will the scientific and medical communities do with all this information?
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It is understood as an autoimmune disease, a condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues. In Multiple Sclerosis, the patient’s own cells & antibodies attack the fatty myelin sheath that protects and insulates nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, the two components of the CNS. This ultimately causes damage to the nerve cells and without the insulation the myelin sheath provides, nerve communication is disrupted. Hence, Multiple Sclerosis is characterized by symptoms that reflect central nervous system involvement (Luzzio, 2014).
Pawar, A. K. (2009). the diagnosis of brain death. Retrieved january 29, 2014, from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2772257/
Hydrocephalus is a genetic disorder commonly described as “water on the brain.” In actuality, this is a condition in which there is an excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear watery fluid that surrounds the space between the brain and spinal cord, in the brain. Normally, the production together with the absorption process of CSF is specifically balanced to ensure that the brain tissue remains buoyant, that nutrients can be delivered and waste removed, and that there is a compensation for changes in intracranial blood volume. Hydrocephalus blocks this balanced flow as well as absorption, and on account of CSF being produced continuously, 16 oz each day to be exact, the blocking creates a surplus of CSF resulting in the said pressure against the brain tissue. The surplus accretion of CSF additionally motivates ventricular dilation in which the gaps between the brain, known as ventricles, abnormally widen.
In 1989, molecular biologist Norton Zinder said,”Today we begin” (Begley 56). With these words, Zinder and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), formally launched a monumental effort that could rival in scope both the Manhattan Project, witch created the A-bomb, and the Apollo moon-landing program-and may exceed them in importance (Jaroff95). The Program will map the human and spell out for the world the entire message hidden in its chemical code. Robert Sinsheimer of the University of California at Santa Barbara says,”The human gene is the complete set of instructions for making a human being “(Begley57). The achievement of the project would launch a new era in medicine. They would be able to predict an individual vulnerability and could eventually develop new drugs to treat or even prevent them. Though they may not have known, thi...
Pawar, A. K. (2009). the diagnosis of brain death. Retrieved january 29, 2014, from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2772257/
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, is a neurodegenerative disease where an excess amount of tau, an abnormal protein, builds up inside of the brain. According to “A critical review of chronic traumatic encephalopathy”, the disease also creates “multiple blockages of the axonal transport to the brain cells, along with white spaces in the brain on a MRI scan.”, as
HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) is an analytical technique which separates a complex mixture of components into its specific individual components. It is a powerful tool in analysis, as it combines high speed with extreme sensitivity compared to traditional methods of chromatography because of the use of a pump which creates a high pressure and forces the mobile phase to move with the analyte in high speed. It is been used as a principle technology in various automated analyzers used for diagnostic purpose.
Nicklin, D. S. 2001. Medical Issues: The Future Impact of Biotechnology on Human Factors. [e-book] United Kingdom: pp. 1-2. Available through: science and technology organisation collaboration support centre http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public/PubFullText/RTO/MP/RTO-MP-077/MP-077-19.pdf [Accessed: 11 Apr 2014].