Objective: To compare the respective efficiency of CSF tau (quantitative) and CSF 14-3-3
protein (qualitative) in the diagnosis of prion disease. Methods: We made measurements on
420 live subjects, who subsequently underwent a postmortem neuropathology examination,
including protein chemistry, immunohistochemistry, and histology. We performed tau by
ELISA. We detected 14-3-3 protein by Western blot. Both assays were optimized for
maximum efficiency (accuracy). Results: We found tau and 14-3-3 proteins to be closely …

Editors' Note: In this week's Writ e Click, Dr. Shang and authors Silvestrini et al. discuss the
role of transcranial Doppler (TCD)–measured vasomotor reserve (VMR) in studying carotid
stenosis and cerebral microcirculation. VMR evaluates the compensatory response of the
cerebral small vessels (autoregulation) to a stimulus. Carbon dioxide or acetazolamide is
used to stimulate vasodilation and then VMR is calculated from the measured change in
blood velocity. Vessels already dilated from decreased perfusion pressure due to carotid …