Search

The presence of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) 4 genotype is associated with an earlier age of onset for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and several other neurodegenerative disorders. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of ApoE genotypes on the clinical course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).Eight hundred and fifty-two consecutive patients with sporadic ALS evaluated at a tertiary care center were investigated for the effect of ApoE genotype on age of onset, rate of motor disease progression, cognitive functioning, and survival in ALS.The frequencies of individual ApoE genotypes did not differ between patients with ALS and ALS-free Caucasian populations. Patients with different ApoE genotypes did not differ in the age of onset for ALS (years) (ApoE2 = 57.8 ± 13.7, ApoE3 = 57.3 ± 13.7, ApoE4 = 57.7 ± 13.2; P = 0.97), the rate of disease progression (Appel ALS score/month) (ApoE2 = 2.91 ± 2.66, ApoE3 = 2.67 ± 2.66, ApoE4 = 2.61 ± 2.47; P = 0.89), cognitive status (% cognitively impaired) (ApoE2 = 31.7, ApoE3 = 26.8, ApoE4 = 34.3, P = 0.28), or survival in years (ApoE2 = 3.79 ± 3.70, ApoE3 = 3.17 ± 2.27, ApoE4 = 3.05 ± 1.75; P = 0.85).Our results suggest that ApoE genotype does not modify clinical course of sporadic ALS, in stark contrast to the influence of ApoE genotype on the disease course of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The interaction of iodine cyanide and cyanide in aqueous solution has been reinvestigated and it has been confirmed that a complex cyanide ion, the dicyanoiodate(I) ion [I(CN)2]− is formed. This ion has been isolated in the solid state for the first time, as its tetraphenylarsonium, tetraphenylphosphonium and caesium salts. Infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies of these salts are reported. These spectra are fully consistent with a linear centrosymmetric (D∞h) structure for the [I(CN)2]−ion. Assignments are made for six of the seven fundamentals of the [I(CN)2]−ion in the caesium salt.

The [I2CN]− ion, previously only known in aqueous solution, has been isolated as its caesium salt; and the previously unknown [BrICN]− ions [ClICN]− have been isolated as their caesium salts. The Raman and IR vibrational spectra of these three caesium salts have been investigated in detail and indicate that the halide ions coordinate to the I atom of ICN to form linear (C∞ν) [X—I—CN]− ions (X=I, Br or Cl), contained in a centrosymmetric unit cell. This C∞ν structure is supported by a normal coordinate analysis for the [IICN]− ion.