Self-reported scores on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) from patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) were correlated with physicians’ scores on the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) (r =.934; P <.001), as published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. “Patients’ self-reported NRS score had a good correlation with clinician-evaluated MAS score…
The presence of anti-Sjögren’s syndrome A/Ro (anti-SSA/Ro) antibodies may be associated with disease activity and more severe disability in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to results of a study published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. The researchers showed that patients with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies were more likely to be positive (89.2% vs…
Take our quick quiz on the complications of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and how to manage them.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred in 11% of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) during an acute flareup, according to a new study published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Risk factors for developing a VTE during acute episodes included transverse myelitis, immobilization, advanced age, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment, the authors said. For the…
Researchers found that ethoxymethyl ether salvinorin B (EOM SalB), a salvinorin A analog, is effective in 2 different preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS), as published in Frontiers in Neurology. This finding supports kappa opioid receptor agonists as being a promising therapeutic target for demyelinating diseases. Salvinorin A is the main active psychotropic found in…
Researchers presented a new method of embedding electronic health records onto a biomedical knowledge graph to obtain high-dimensional health status profiles that can be used to identify people at risk of developing a chronic disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS), as published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Using their new method,…
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with interferon beta-1a (IFN) demonstrated significantly increased humoral responses to the Pfizer mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, according to new study results published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. In contrast, patients with MS taking cladribine (CLAD), fingolimod (FTY), and ocrelizumab (OCRE) showed a weakened humoral response. Patients on CLAD,…
Researchers suggest that epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) may represent a distinct relapse phenotype, as published in Clinical Neurology & Neurosurgery. The case report was of a 35-year-old woman who presented with continuous left-hand jerking, which was compatible with EPC. Her past medical history revealed a diagnosis of RRMS and 2…
Researchers discovered that rituximab demonstrated sufficient efficiency and safety for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), as published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders. This makes it a suitable candidate for the first-line treatment of NMOSD. Rituximab was accepted to treat NMOSD in 2005 because it therapeutically targets antibody-producing B cells and the…
Optic neuritis is a common first manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children, as published in the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology. The new study analyzed a Serbian population of 52 patients with the disease aged 7 to 17 years. “The present study is the largest series of pediatric multiple sclerosis in [the] Western Balkan…
