Available immunomodulatory and conventional steroid treatment options for patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) only provide limited symptomatic benefit. We performed an open trial on the short-term and long-term efficacy and safety of repeated intrathecal application of the sustained release steroid triamcinolone acetonide (TCA) in 36 progressive MS patients. Six TCA administration...

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) is frequently restricted in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and aiming to enhance PA is considered beneficial in this population. We here aimed to explore two standard methods (subjective plus objective) to assess PA reduction in PwMS and to describe the relation of PA to health-related quality of life (hrQoL). METHODS PA was objectively measured over a...

There is evidence that body fat is inversely associated with cognitive functioning in adults from the general population, and this has been associated with systemic inflammation. The association between body fat and cognition might further be augmented in the presence of an immune-mediated, inflammatory disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS). This cross-sectional study investigated the associa...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab (TCZ), in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). METHODS Seven patients with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab)-positive NMO or NMO spectrum disorders were recruited on the basis of their limited responsiveness to their current treatment. They were given a monthly injection of TC...

Although our understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) has grown exponentially in the past century and a half, there is still some divergence between physicians' perceptions of effects of MS on patients and those of the patients themselves. This article examines current practices in MS assessment and clinical trial design, highlighting certain deficiencies associated with commonly used measureme...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the practical application and psychometric properties of three health utility measures in a sample of MS patients with a broad range of neurological disability as measured by the Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS). METHODS Patients randomly selected from two MS clinic registries were assessed using standard clinical methods and completed three generic measures of h...

evidence were extracted. Results: Our search identified 19 submissions, all of which included a placebo-controlled trial, and all except dimethyl fumarate also included a head-to-head trial against one of the beta-interferons but not any other therapies. Indirect comparisons against old and newer DMTs were also included in the submissions. Approximately 90% of appraisals received positive recom...

BACKGROUND Daclizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody specific for the interleukin 2 receptor α chain, reduces clinical and magnetic resonance imaging disease activity in patients with adult-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) as monotherapy or add-on therapy with interferon. OBJECTIVE To report the use of daclizumab in pediatric-onset MS. DESIGN Case series. SETTING Two comprehensive pediatri...

BACKGROUND Quantitative measures derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been widely investigated as non-invasive biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the correlation of single measures with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is poor, especially for studies with large population samples. OBJECTIVE To explore the correlation of MRI-derived measures with EDSS through ...

The neurodegenerative aspects of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) have received increasing attention in recent years, since anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatment strategies have largely failed. However, successful neuroprotection and/or neuroregeneration in MS have not been demonstrated yet. Encouraged by the multifaceted neuroprotective effects of recombinant human eryth...