Stable clones of neural stem cells (NSCs) have been isolated from the human fetal telencephalon. These self-renewing clones give rise to all fundamental neural lineages in vitro. Following transplantation into germinal zones of the newborn mouse brain they participate in aspects of normal development, including migration along established migratory pathways to disseminated central nervous system regions, differentiation into multiple developmentally and regionally appropriate cell types, and nondisruptive interspersion with host progenitors and their progeny. These human NSCs can be genetically engineered and are capable of expressing foreign transgenes in vivo. Supporting their gene therapy potential, secretory products from NSCs can correct a prototypical genetic metabolic defect in neurons and glia in vitro. The human NSCs can also replace specific deficient neuronal populations. Cryopreservable human NSCs may be propagated by both epigenetic and genetic means that are comparably safe and effective. By analogy to rodent NSCs, these observations may allow the development of NSC transplantation for a range of disorders.

BackgroundHuntington's disease (HD) is a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disease, caused by a

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BACKGROUND Long-term trends of the incidence and outcome of cardiogenic shock (CS) patients are scarce. We analyze for the first time trends in the incidence and outcome of CS during a 20-year period in Switzerland. METHODS AND RESULTS The AMIS (Acute Myocardial Infarction in Switzerland) Plus Registry enrolls patients with acute myocardial infarction from 83 hospitals in Switzerland. We analyzed trends in the incidence, treatment, and in-hospital mortality of patients with CS enrolled between 1997 and 2017. The impact of revascularization strategy on outcome was assessed for the time period 2005 to 2017. Among 52 808 patients enrolled, 963 patients were excluded because of missing data and 51 842 (98%) patients remained for the purpose of the present analysis. Overall, 4090 patients (7.9%) with a mean age of 69.6±12.5 years experienced acute myocardial infarction complicated by CS. Overall, rates of CS declined from 8.

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), and orally bioavailable, brain penetrant and highly potent LRRK2 kinase inhibitors are in early stages of clinical testing. Detection of LRRK2 phosphorylation, as well as phosphorylation of Rab10, a LRRK2 kinase substrate, have been proposed as target engagement biomarkers for LRRK2 inhibitor clinical trials. However, these readouts do not seem able to stratify patients based on enhanced LRRK2 kinase activity. Here, we describe a robust cell biological assay based on centrosomal cohesion alterations which were observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from patients with G2019S LRRK2 mutations as compared with healthy controls, and could also be detected in a subset of sporadic PD patient samples. We suggest that LCLs may be a valuable resource for LRRK2 research, and that determination of centrosomal cohesion deficits may assist in the stratification of a subset of sporadic PD patients.

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Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (IHCP) is a rare clinical entity, characterized by a chronic inXammation causing thickening of the dura. Adequate therapeutic management is still a matter of debate. We present a patient with an IHCP, non-responsive to corticotherapy. Oral methotrexate was introduced (12.5 mg weekly) and total remission was observed after 6 weeks, both clinically and after neuro-imaging. We conclude that methotrexate can be eVective and a therapeutical option in patients with IHCP who are resistant to corticotherapy or present major side-eVects of chronic corticosteroids use.

Positron emission tomography with O-15-labeled water was used to study at rest the neurophysiological effects of bilateral external globus pallidus (GPe) deep brain stimulation in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Five patients were compared with a control group in the on and off states of the stimulator. External globus pallidus stimulation decreased neuronal activity and modulated cerebral connectivity within the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuitry, the sensorimotor, and the default-mode networks. These data indicate that GPe stimulation modulates functional integration in HD patients in accordance with the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit model.