Patients
Patients with relapsing–remitting MS (n = 16)
[1] and anti-aquaporin 4 (AQP4)
antibody-positive NMOSD (n = 16) [2] were
included in this study. Fifteen patients (nine men; six women; mean age,
61.4 years) with other neurological disorders (ONDs), including nine
patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and six with spinocerebellar
degeneration, were recruited as controls. The following patient
variables were reviewed: gender, age, disease duration,
Kurtzke’s expanded disability
status scale (EDSS) scores, the presence of serum anti-AQP4 antibody
[15], positivity for oligoclonal bands,
CSF cell counts, CSF protein, CSF/serum albumin ratio (albumin quotient,
Qalb), and immunomodulatory treatment at the time of sampling. The
ethics committee of the Chiba University School of Medicine in Chiba,
Japan, approved the study (Approved No. 842). Written informed consent
was obtained from all study subjects.