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31/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 31 out of 100. Down syndrome and Alzheimer's

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

Plain-language summary

Paired helical filaments (PHF), which constitute neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and neuritic plaque (NP) neurites, serve as a useful marker for Alzheimer disease (AD). We have isolated AD PHF in a highly purified and disaggregated form for use as an immunogen to produce a heterologous polyclonal antiserum in rabbits. One rabbit was maintained long-term for the high quality of the antiserum it produced. Through absorptions with normal brain tissue, we were able to produce a monospecific antiserum which reacts only with NFT and NP neurites in AD brain tissue sections. We further demonstrated the specificity of this antiserum by electron microscopic immunohistochemistry, gel diffusion analysis, and immunoblotting. This antiserum also showed immunoreactivity to NFT of Down syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy, and to the Pick bodies of Pick disease, but not to the Lewy bodies of idiopathic Parkinson disease. This well-characterized antiserum, all from one rabbit, offers several unique advantages to the study of the nature, origin, and interrelationships of filamentous protein abnormalities in AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

This study produced a monospecific antiserum that reacts only with neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaque neurites in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue, and also with tangles in Down syndrome and some other conditions. The antiserum is a laboratory tool intended to help study the nature and origin of filamentous protein abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, not a treatment or cure.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Sparkman, D. R., Hammon, K. M., & White, C. L. (1990). Production and characterization of a monospecific antiserum (A128) to disaggregated Alzheimer paired helical filaments. The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/38.5.2110208

Vancouver

Sparkman DR, Hammon KM, White CL. Production and characterization of a monospecific antiserum (A128) to disaggregated Alzheimer paired helical filaments. The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society. 1990. doi:10.1177/38.5.2110208. PMID: 2110208.

BibTeX

@article{sparkman1990-2110208,
  author  = {Sparkman, D. R. and Hammon, K. M. and White, C. L.},
  title   = {{Production and characterization of a monospecific antiserum (A128) to disaggregated Alzheimer paired helical filaments}},
  journal = {The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society},
  year    = {1990},
  doi     = {10.1177/38.5.2110208},
  pmid    = {2110208},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1177/38.5.2110208}
}

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How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record gives no participant count. Look for one in the original before trusting a pattern.
Effect: the record gives no effect size, so the summary above cannot say how large any difference was.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

New to reading papers? Six questions to ask of any Alzheimer’s study · how we score.

Key findings

We further demonstrated the specificity of this antiserum by electron microscopic immunohistochemistry, gel diffusion analysis, and immunoblotting.

Why it matters

Study details

Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 31/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society)
Journal's citation record	2 / 4	Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry: journal h-index 243 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	1990 — older than 20 years, still counted
Sample size	0 / 4	Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	0 / 3	Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	2 / 7	Cited 6 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.2 citations a year over 38 year(s) since 1990
Impact for its field and year	2 / 6	Cited 1.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	3 / 4	Last-listed author Charles L. White: h-index 75 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	1 / 3	The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: institution h-index 1,356 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	0 / 3	OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete)
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 2110208)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	31 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

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