OBJECTIVE To evaluate balance control with Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRU™) posturography in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHOD A cross controlled study was performed including 39 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients with scores less than or equal to 4 in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and a homogeneous control group consisting of 65 healthy individuals, ...

BACKGROUND A possible method of finding physiological markers of multiple sclerosis (MS) is the application of EEG quantification (QEEG) of brain activity when the subject is stressed by the demands of a cognitive task. In particular, modulations of the spectral content that take place in the EEG of patients with multiple sclerosis remitting-relapsing (RRMS) and benign multiple sclerosis (BMS) ...

AIM The aims of this study were to determine the reliability, responsiveness and minimally important change score of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS)-29 physical using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) as an anchor measure. METHODS 214 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) (EDSS 0-8.5) had concurrent MSIS-29 and EDSS assessments at baseline and at up to 4 years of follow-u...

Wind is a promising sustainable energy resource that can help in reducing the dependence on fossil fuels. Models and tools can be effectively used to assess the resource availability, the possible exploitation, and the environmental impact. The aim of this work is to propose an Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) for the sustainable design of wind power plants both in terms of the site...

INTRODUCTION Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease that causes severe disability in younger patients. Many epidemiology studies have confirmed a variable prevalence. The objective of this study was to analyse the prevalence of this disease in La Rioja (Spain), using such variables as age and sex; type of progression, initial form of the disease, EDSS and number of relapses; disease-modi...

BACKGROUND Extensive research on both healthy subjects and patients with central nervous damage has elucidated a crucial role of postural adjustment reactions and central sensory integration processes in generating and "shaping" locomotor function, respectively. Whether robotic-assisted gait devices might improve these functions in Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is not fully investigated in l...

BACKGROUND/AIMS In adults, plasma exchange (PE) has been shown to be an efficient treatment for severe relapses of acute inflammatory CNS demyelinating diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this treatment in pediatric patients. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed a single-center cohort of pediatric patients with inflammatory CNS demyelinating disorders who...

Sustained progression on the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) is a common outcome measure of disease progression in clinical studies of MS. Unfortunately, this outcome may not accurately measure long-term and irreversible disease progression. To assess the performance of definitions of sustained progression, patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) or a clinically isolated syndrome wi...

UNLABELLED There are no published studies on the characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients from the south of Brazil. OBJECTIVE To identify the clinical features of a series of MS patients and to compare to other Brazilian series. METHOD Retrospective study with 67 patients followed in The MS Reference Center - RS, Brazil during the year of 2008. We analyzed demographic and clinica...

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...