Elevated TNF-α Levels and CD4 Cell Counts in the Blood of Children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC)-Related Refractory Epilepsy.

This article, published in the journal Neuropediatrics, examines the potential use of inflammatory cytokines and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) populations as biomarkers for disease activity in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-related refractory epilepsy. The study found that TSC patients had varying neurocognitive phenotypes and received more antiseizure medication than the control group. Additionally, TSC patients had higher seizure frequencies and elevated levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and CD4 cell counts. The authors suggest that further research is needed to determine the role of cytokines as biomarkers for refractory TSC-related epilepsy. [Extracted from the article]