title: New laboratory markers in diagnosis of alzheimer dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our work was to assess the role of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C in diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases (NDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  The levels of tau protein, beta amyloid and cystatin C were assessed in a set of 79 patients with ND (38 men and 41 women; aged 22-90 years; mean, 61.6 +/- 15.6 years) and in a control group of 79 subjects with a healthy central nervous system (38 men and 41 women; aged 20-91 years; mean, 61.5 +/- 15.1 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When compared with the subjects in the control group, a statistically significant decrease in tau protein levels was found in patients with ND, an increase in tau protein levels in patients with AD and an increase in cystatin C cerebrospinal fluid/serum index in the ND + AD group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our work only confirmed the previously reported results in part. Although tau protein seems to be a quite reliable marker of AD, the role of beta amyloid in AD diagnosis remains at the least questionable. In the case of cystatin C, our results would seem to confirm the views of certain authors that cystatin C will probably not become a new 'revolutionary' marker contributing to differential diagnostics.
authors: Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic. maresja@seznam.cz
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Mares
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Kanovsky
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Herzig
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Stejskal
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Vavrouskova
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Hlustik
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Vranova
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Burval
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Zapletalova
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Pidrman
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Obereigneru
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Suchy
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Vesely
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Podivinsky
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Urbanek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D055316:Cystatin C / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D015415:Biomarkers; D055316:Cystatin C; D016875:tau Proteins