title: Two Blood Monocytic Biomarkers (CCL15 and p21) Combined with the Mini-Mental State Examination Discriminate Alzheimer's Disease Patients from Healthy Subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. In AD, monocytes migrate across the blood-brain barrier and differentiate into microglia, are linked to inflammatory responses and display age-dependent decreases in telomere lengths.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six monocyte-specific chemokines and the (telomere-associated) tumor suppressor proteins p53 and p21 were determined by multiplex immunoassay in plasma and monocyte extracts of patients with AD or mild cognitive impairment, and levels were compared between patients and controls (without cognitive impairment).
  
  
  RESULTS
  CCL15 (macrophage inflammatory protein-1δ), CXCL9 (monokine-induced by interferon-γ) and p21 levels were decreased in monocytes of AD patients compared with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of monocytic CCL15 and p21 together with the Mini-Mental State Examination enables to differentiate AD patients from controls with high specificity and sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimer's Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hochstrasser
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marksteiner
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Defrancesco
authors.forename: Eberhard A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Deisenhammer
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemmler
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Humpel