The clinical and pathophysiological correlates of locus coeruleus (LC) degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) could be clarified using a method to index LC integrity in vivo, neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI). We examined whether integrity of the LCnorepinephrine system, assessed with NM-MRI, is associated with stage of AD and with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), independent of cortical pathophysiology (amyloid-β and tau burden). Cognitively normal older adults (n=118), and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=44), and AD (n=28) underwent MR imaging and tau and amyloid-β positron emission tomography (with [ 18 F]MK6240 and [ 18 F]AZD4694, respectively). Integrity of the LC-norepinephrine system was assessed based on contrast-to-noise ratio of the LC on NM-MRI images. Braak stage of AD was derived from regional binding of [ 18 F]MK6240. NPS were assessed with the Mild Behavioral Impairment Checklist (MBI-C). LC signal contrast was decreased in tau-positive participants (t186=-4.00, p=0.0001) and negatively correlated to Braak stage (Spearman ρ=-0.31, p=0.00006). In tau-positive participants (n=51), higher LC signal predicted NPS severity (ρ=0.35, p=0.019) independently of tau burden, amyloid-β burden, and cortical gray matter volume. This relationship appeared to be driven by the impulse dyscontrol domain of NPS, which was highly correlated to LC signal (ρ=0.44, p=0.0027). NM-MRI reveals loss of LC integrity that correlates to severity of AD. However, LC preservation in AD may also have negative consequences by conferring risk for impulse control symptoms. NM-MRI shows promise as a practical biomarker that could have utility in predicting the risk of NPS or guiding their treatment in
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized by thrombotic microangiopathy of the glomerular microcirculation and other vascular beds. Its defining clinical phenotype is acute kidney injury (AKI), microangiopathic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. There are many etiologies of HUS including infection by Shiga toxin-producing bacterial strains, medications, viral infections, malignancy, and mutations of genes coding for proteins involved in the alternative pathway of complement. In the aggregate, although HUS is a rare disease, it is one of the most common causes of AKI in previously healthy children and accounts for a sizable number of pediatric and adult patients who progress to end stage kidney disease. There has been great progress over the past 20 years in understanding the pathophysiology of HUS and its related disorders. There has been intense focus on vascular injury in HUS as the major mechanism of disease and target for effective therapies for this acute illness. In all forms of HUS, there is evidence of both systemic and intra-glomerular inflammation and perturbations in the immune system. Renewed investigation into these aspects of HUS may prove helpful in developing new interventions that can attenuate glomerular and tubular injury and improve clinical outcomes in patients with HUS.
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