المؤلفون: Kahila, Shahar, Zveik, Omri, Levin, Netta, Brill, Livnat, Rechtman, Ariel, Haham, Nitzan, Imbar, Tal, Vaknin-Dembinsky, Adi

المصدر: Neurological Sciences; Nov2023, Vol. 44 Issue 11, p3989-3996, 8p

مصطلحات موضوعية: MULTIPLE sclerosis, MAGNETIC resonance imaging, PREGNANCY, CLINICAL deterioration

مستخلص: Background: Pregnancy has been observed to reduce the frequency of relapses in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, but the relapse risk tends to increase during the early post-partum period. Increased pre- and post-partum disease activity may predict a poor long-term prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity during the year before pregnancy and long-term clinically meaningful worsening in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Methods: This observational, retrospective, case–control study included 141 pregnancies in 99 females with MS. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between MRI activity during the year pre-pregnancy and post-partum clinical worsening during a 5-year follow-up. Clustered logistic regression was used to investigate the predictors of 5-year clinically meaningful worsening in EDSS (lt-EDSS). Results: We found a significant correlation between an active MRI pre-pregnancy and lt-EDSS (p = 0.0006). EDSS pre-pregnancy and lt-EDSS were also significantly correlated (p = 0.043). Using a multivariate model, we predicted which females would not experience long-term clinical deterioration by a stable MRI pre-pregnancy (92.7% specificity; p = 0.004). Conclusions: An active MRI pre-conception is a strong predictor of lt-EDSS and a higher annual relapse rate during the follow-up period, regardless of whether the female had clinical evidence of disease activity prior to conception and delivery. Optimizing disease control and achieving imaging stability prior to conception may reduce the risk of long-term clinical deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

المؤلفون: Lehmann, Hillel, Zveik, Omri, Levin, Netta, Brill, Livnat, Imbar, Tal, Vaknin-Dembinsky, Adi

المصدر: Multiple Sclerosis Journal; Dec2021, Vol. 27 Issue 14, p2232-2239, 8p

مصطلحات موضوعية: MAGNETIC resonance imaging, DISEASE relapse, PREGNANCY, MEDICAL personnel

مستخلص: Background: There are fewer multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses during pregnancy, although relapse risk increases in the early post-partum period, as has been predicted by pre-pregnancy or pregnancy disease activity in some studies. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes in the year before pregnancy and the relapse rate in the year post-partum. Methods: An observational retrospective case–control study included 172 pregnancies in 118 females with MS. Statistical analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between MRI and post-partum relapses. Clustered logistic regression was used to investigate the predictors of early post-partum relapses. Results: We found a significant correlation for an active-MRI pre-pregnancy and relapses in the first 3 months post-partum (p < 0.001). Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) pre-pregnancy and relapses in the first 3 months post-partum were also significantly correlated (p = 0.009). Using a multivariate model, we predicted which women will not experience post-partum relapse by EDSS and by an active-MRI pre-pregnancy (96.7% specificity; p < 0.001). Conclusion: An active-MRI pre-pregnancy is a strong and sensitive predictor of early post-partum relapse, regardless of whether the woman had clinical evidence of disease activity prior to conception and delivery. This finding could provide clinicians with a strategy to minimize post-partum relapse risk in women with MS planning pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Multiple Sclerosis Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

المؤلفون: Petrou, Panayiota, Kassis, Ibrahim, Levin, Netta, Paul, Friedemann, Backner, Yael, Benoliel, Tal, Oertel, Frederike Cosima, Scheel, Michael, Hallimi, Michelle, Yaghmour, Nour, Hur, Tamir Ben, Ginzberg, Ariel, Levy, Yarden, Abramsky, Oded, Karussis, Dimitrios

المصدر: Brain: A Journal of Neurology; Dec2020, Vol. 143 Issue 12, p3574-3588, 15p

مصطلحات موضوعية: MESENCHYMAL stem cells, STEM cell transplantation, MULTIPLE sclerosis, OPTICAL coherence tomography, FUNCTIONAL magnetic resonance imaging, MENTAL health, MULTIPLE sclerosis treatment, BRAIN, DISEASE progression, RESEARCH, SPINAL injections, RESEARCH methodology, MAGNETIC resonance imaging, MEDICAL cooperation, EVALUATION research, NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL tests, TREATMENT effectiveness, DISEASE relapse, COMPARATIVE studies, RANDOMIZED controlled trials, BLIND experiment, WALKING, BIOLOGICAL assay, INTRAVENOUS injections, STATISTICAL sampling, LONGITUDINAL method

مستخلص: In this study (trial registration: NCT02166021), we aimed to evaluate the optimal way of administration, the safety and the clinical efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in patients with active and progressive multiple sclerosis. Forty-eight patients (28 males and 20 females) with progressive multiple sclerosis (Expanded Disability Status Scale: 3.0-6.5, mean : 5.6 ± 0.8, mean age: 47.5 ± 12.3) and evidence of either clinical worsening or activity during the previous year, were enrolled (between 2015 and 2018). Patients were randomized into three groups and treated intrathecally (IT) or intravenously (IV) with autologous MSCs (1 × 106/kg) or sham injections. After 6 months, half of the patients from the MSC-IT and MSC-IV groups were retreated with MSCs, and the other half with sham injections. Patients initially assigned to sham treatment were divided into two subgroups and treated with either MSC-IT or MSC-IV. The study duration was 14 months. No serious treatment-related safety issues were detected. Significantly fewer patients experienced treatment failure in the MSC-IT and MSC-IV groups compared with those in the sham-treated group (6.7%, 9.7%, and 41.9%, respectively, P = 0.0003 and P = 0.0008). During the 1-year follow-up, 58.6% and 40.6% of patients treated with MSC-IT and MSC-IV, respectively, exhibited no evidence of disease activity compared with 9.7% in the sham-treated group (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0048, respectively). MSC-IT transplantation induced additional benefits on the relapse rate, on the monthly changes of the T2 lesion load on MRI, and on the timed 25-foot walking test, 9-hole peg test, optical coherence tomography, functional MRI and cognitive tests. Treatment with MSCs was well-tolerated in progressive multiple sclerosis and induced short-term beneficial effects regarding the primary end points, especially in the patients with active disease. The intrathecal administration was more efficacious than the intravenous in several parameters of the disease. A phase III trial is warranted to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Brain: A Journal of Neurology is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

المؤلفون: Backner, Yael, Petrou, Panayiota, Glick-Shames, Haya, Raz, Noa, Zimmermann, Hanna, Jost, Rebecca, Scheel, Michael, Paul, Friedemann, Karussis, Dimitrios, Levin, Netta

المصدر: Frontiers in Neurology; 5/3/2019, pN.PAG-N.PAG, 8p

مصطلحات موضوعية: MULTIPLE sclerosis, OPTIC neuritis, OPTICAL coherence tomography, VISUAL evoked potentials, MAGNETIC resonance imaging

مستخلص: Background: Over the last few years there has been growing interest in use of visual measures as useful tools for multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis and tracking. Optic neuritis (ON) being a prevalent and often-presenting symptom of the disease, as well as the high occurrence rate of posterior visual system damage independent of ON (optic radiation lesions), make the visual system a prime candidate for such endeavors. However, while the visual system makes for a convenient model in early stages of MS, processes which may be true in those stages may drastically change as the disease progresses, due to accumulated disease load. Here, we examine whether vision-related tools reflect demyelinative and axonal damage of the visual pathways and may be used for assessment in the clinical setup in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, in whom disease load may alter the early stage picture. Methods: Forty-eight progressive MS patients, with and without prior optic neuritis (ON), underwent a battery of behavioral tests, visual evoked potential (VEP) tests, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and structural MRI scans, at two time-points. Data were analyzed for stability between visits and for correlation between behavioral and electrophysiological data. Results: All measures were stable between visits. Significant differences were found in all measures between the affected and fellow eyes of ON patients and in VEP latencies between the affected and non-ON eyes. Motion perception differentially correlated with latencies of both ON eyes and with the non-ON eyes. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness correlated with the latencies of non-ON eyes but not of either ON eye. No difference in lesion load was found between the ON and non-ON patients. Conclusions: ON still leaves its mark in the patient's visual system over time, with all visual measures of the affected eyes notably reduced compared to fellow eyes. Motion perception, reflecting myelination level along the visual pathway, shows its usefulness also in progressive MS. In the non-ON eyes, axonal loss appears to explain prolonged latencies, unlike in ON eyes, where demyelination appears to be the main mechanism. Lastly, the visual measures assessed herein are applicable as valid assessment tools in therapeutic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Frontiers in Neurology is the property of Frontiers Media S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)