Even though Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is of significant interest to the scientific community, its pathogenesis is very complicated and not well-understood. A great deal of progress has been made in AD research recently and with the advent of these new insights more therapeutic benefits may be identified that could help patients around the world. Much of the research in AD thus far has been very neuron-oriented; however, recent studies suggest that glial cells, i.e., microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (NG2 glia), are linked to the pathogenesis of AD and may offer several potential therapeutic targets against AD. In addition to a number of other functions, glial cells are responsible for maintaining homeostasis (i.e., concentration of ions, neurotransmitters, etc.) within the central nervous system (CNS) and are crucial to the structural integrity of neurons. This review explores the: (i) role of glial cells in AD pathogenesis; (ii) complex functionalities of the components involved; and (iii) potential therapeutic targets that could eventually lead to a better quality of life for AD patients.

ObjectiveTo recruit South Asian pregnant women, living in the UK, into a clinicoepidemiological study for the collection of lifestyle survey data and antenatal blood and to retain the women for the later collection of cord blood and meconium samples from their babies for biochemical analysis.DesignA longitudinal study recruiting pregnant women of South Asian and Caucasian origin living in the UK.SettingRecruitment of the participants, collection of clinical samples and survey data took place at the 2 sites within a single UK Northern Hospital Trust.ParticipantsPregnant women of South Asian origin (study group, n=98) and of Caucasian origin (comparison group, n=38) living in Leeds, UK.ResultsAmong the participants approached, 81% agreed to take part in the study while a ‘direct approach’ method was followed. The retention rate of the participants was a remarkable 93.4%. The main challenges in recruiting the ethnic minority participants were their cultural and religious conservativeness, language barrier, lack of interest and feeling of extra ‘stress’ in taking part in research. The chief investigator developed an innovative participant retention method, associated with the women's cultural and religious practices. The method proved useful in retaining the participants for about 5 months and in enabling successful collection of clinical samples from the same mother–baby pairs. The collection of clinical samples and lifestyle data exceeded the calculated sample size required to give the study sufficient power. The numbers of samples obtained were: maternal blood (n=171), cord blood (n=38), meconium (n=176), lifestyle questionnaire data (n=136) and postnatal records (n=136).ConclusionsRecruitment and retention of participants, according to the calculated sample size, ensured sufficient power and success for a clinicoepidemiological study. Results suggest that development of trust and confidence between the participant and the researcher is the key to the success of a clinical and epidemiological study involving ethnic minorities.

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The objective of the present study was to determine the acetylator status of the Bangladeshi population and to compare the findings with the acetylator status of other Asian populations. The acetylator phenotype was determined in 517 unrelated healthy Bangladeshi subjects. The phenotyping procedure was done according to Price Evans' method using the NAT2 specific probe drug--sulphadimidine. The Bangladeshi population showed a bimodal distribution of fast and slow acetylators. Of a total of 517 healthy Bangladeshi, 79.5% (n=411) were fast acetylators and the rest 20.5% (n=106) were slow acetylators. The high frequency of the fast acetylators in the population of Bangladesh was comparable to other populations in East Asia. When this acetylator status was compared with other Asian data, the Asian population showed a positive correlation between the acetylator status and the geographical longitude (r=0.919; t=7.37; p>0.001; d.f.=10). The regression line of the scatter diagram showed that the frequency of acetylating capacity increasingly occurred in the populations towards eastern Asia (regression coefficient=0.54; constant=52.36). This line was termed as the Asian fast acetylator longitude (AFAL). Thus the AFAL was able to predict the acetylator status of the Asian population by the east-west geographical longitude. The AFAL could be a useful prognosticator in the disposition for the effective and safe use of numerous drugs and xenobiotic compounds in humans.