title: High tumor necrosis factor-alpha [corrected] levels in cerebrospinal fluid of cobalamin-deficient patients.
abstract: We studied 14 patients with neurological manifestations of subacute combined degeneration (SCD) and 40 control patients not cobalamin (Cbl)-deficient. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of Cbl deficiency (Cbl and total homocysteine [tHCYS] levels) and the CSF levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were measured. Significantly higher levels of tHCYS and TNF-alpha, and significantly lower levels of Cbl and EGF were found in the SCD patients. In human CSF, as in human serum and the rat central nervous system, decreased Cbl concentrations are concomitant with an increase in TNF-alpha and a decrease in EGF-levels. Ann Neurol 2004;56:886-890.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Pathology, University of Milan, Italy. giuseppe.scalabrino@unimi.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scalabrino
authors.forename: Marinella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carpo
authors.forename: Fabrizia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bamonti
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pizzinelli
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Avino
authors.forename: Nereo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bresolin
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meucci
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Gian Carlo
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peracchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000378:metabolism; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014805:Vitamin B 12