Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33503519›Full record

ArticleJournal of the neurological sciences2021

Detection of varicella zoster virus antigen and DNA in two cases of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Teresa Mescher, Philip J Boyer, Andrew N Bubak, James E Hassell, Maria A Nagel

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the neurological sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Varicella zoster virus infection.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
  2. Varicella zoster virus and the central nervous system.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Teresa MescherDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Electronic address: teresa.mescher@cuanschutz.edu.
Philip J BoyerDepartment of Pathology, East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27934, United States. Electronic address: boyerp14@ecu.edu.
Andrew N BubakDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Electronic address: andrew.bubak@cuanschutz.edu.
James E HassellDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Electronic address: james.hasselljr@cuanschutz.edu.
Maria A NagelDepartment of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States. Electronic address: maria.nagel@cuanschutz.edu.
University of Colorado Denver · USEast Carolina University · US

Funding

VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS VASCULOPATHY: CHANGING CLINICAL PRACTICEP01AG032958 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI NAGEL, MARIA ACENA · 2009 to 2023
$30.3M
Neurobiology of Varicella Zoster VirusR01NS093716 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI COHRS, RANDALL J. · 2015 to 2019
$2.2M
NIA NIH HHS P01 AG032958NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS093716
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveVaricella zoster virus (VZV) vasculopathy and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) have similar clinical presentations: both affect cerebrovasculature in the elderly, produce hemorrhage, and can have a protracted course of cognitive decline and other neurological deficits. The cause of CAA is unknown, but amyloid-beta (Aβ) is found within arterial walls. Recent studies show that VZV induces Aβ and amylin expression and an amyloid-promoting environment. Thus, we determined if VZV was present in CAA-affected arteries.

methodsTwo subjects with pathologically-verified CAA were identified postmortem and frontal lobes analyzed by immunohistochemistry for arteries containing VZV, Aβ, and amylin and H&E for pathological changes. VZV antigen detection was confirmed by PCR for VZV DNA in the same region.

resultsIn both CAA cases, sections with cerebral arteries containing VZV antigen with corresponding VZV DNA were identified; VZV antigen co-localized with Aβ in media of arteries with histological changes characteristic of CAA. Amylin was also seen in the intima of a VZV-positive artery in the diabetic subject. Not all Aβ-containing arteries had VZV, but all VZV-positive arteries contained Aβ.

conclusionsVZV antigen co-localized with Aβ in some affected arteries from two CAA cases, suggesting a possible association between VZV infection and CAA.

Indexed as

Cerebral Amyloid AngiopathyHerpesvirus 3, HumanAgedAmyloid beta-PeptidesCerebral ArteriesDNAHumansAmyloid beta-PeptidesDNAAmylinAmyloidAmyloid-βCerebral amyloid angiopathyVaricella zoster virusVasculopathy

Identifiers

PMID33503519
PMCPMC7935758
OpenAlexW3120141858

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.