The results of this indicated that (a) Elevated serum concentrations of TNF-alpha showed a positive correlation with the disease severity in patients with GBS. (b) The decrease in the serum TNF-alpha and increase in the serum soluble TNF receptors, particularly sTNF-RII showed a positive correlation with the neurological recovery in GBB patients following treatment.

No abstract

A simple immunocytochemical method was standardized for the direct demonstration of mycobacterial antigen in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM). CSF-cytospin smears were prepared from 22 patients with a clinical diagnosis of TBM and also from an equal number of patients with nontuberculous neurological diseases (disease control). Immunocytological demonstration of mycobacterial antigens in the cytoplasm of monocytoid cells was attempted, by using rabbit immunoglobulin G to Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the primary antibody. Of the 22 CSF-cytospin smears from TBM patients, 16 showed positive immunostaining, while all of the CSF-cytospin smears from the disease control showed negative immunostaining for mycobacterial antigen. The technical aspects of this immunocytological method for the demonstration of mycobacterial antigens are simple, rapid, and reproducible, as well as specific, and therefore can be applied for the early diagnosis of TBM, particularly in patients in whom bacteriological methods did not demonstrate the presence of M. tuberculosis in the CSF.

We conclude that serum TNFalpha concentrations are elevated in 57.1% of GBS patients and TNFalpha level decreases following plasma exchange.