The Canadian Collaborative Project on Genetic Susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis cohort population structure and disease etiology.

Background: Previous genetic and epidemiological studies have examined subpopulations from the Canadian Collaborative Project on Genetic Susceptibility to Multiple Sclerosis (CCPGSMS) patient cohort, but an encompassing analysis of the study population has not yet been carried out.

Objective: This study examines patterns of multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence in 13,663 cohort members, including 4,821 patients with MS or suspected MS and 8,842 family members.

Methods: We grouped participants into epidemiologic subgroups based on age of MS onset, clinical stage at diagnosis, symptom type at disease onset, sex, proband status, disability as measured by the EDSS, and ancestry based on reported ethnicity.

Out with the old, in with the new: Could plasma exchange be used to fill a therapeutic gap in neurology?

The global tally of neurological disorders is exponentially rising and yet effective therapies for most remain evasive. There is a great deal of research into novel small molecules, immunotherapies and gene therapies to fill this therapeutic gap. We believe greater focus on plasma exchange as a research and clinical tool may provide useful insight into pathological mechanisms and effective treatment strategies.

Gram-Negative Taxa and Antimicrobial Susceptibility after Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has promising applications in reducing multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) colonization and antibiotic resistance (AR) gene abundance. However, data on clinical microbiology results after FMT are limited. We examined the changes in antimicrobial susceptibility profiles in patients with Gram-negative infections in the year before and the year after treatment with FMT for recurrent infection (RCDI).

A guide to cancer immunotherapy: from T cell basic science to clinical practice.

The T lymphocyte, especially its capacity for antigen-directed cytotoxicity, has become a central focus for engaging the immune system in the fight against cancer. Basic science discoveries elucidating the molecular and cellular biology of the T cell have led to new strategies in this fight, including checkpoint blockade, adoptive cellular therapy and cancer vaccinology. This area of immunological research has been highly active for the past 50 years and is now enjoying unprecedented bench-to-bedside clinical success.

Outcomes of whole-brain radiation with simultaneous in-field boost (SIB) for the treatment of brain metastases.

Purpose: Prospective studies have demonstrated increased local control with the addition of a radiosurgery (SRS) boost to whole-brain irradiation (WBRT) in patients with brain metastases. However, the clinical application of SRS boost can be limited by several factors, including tumor size, numbers of lesions, and high cost of care. Here, we investigate the use of WBRT with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) to visible lesions in patients with brain metastases.

Survival and failure trends of cerebrospinal fluid shunts with distal slit valves: comparative study and literature review.

Objective: The malfunction rates of and trends in various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt designs have been widely studied, but one area that has received little attention is the comparison of the peritoneal distal slit valve (DSV) shunt to other conventional valve (CV) type shunts. The literature that does exist comes from older case series that provide only indirect comparisons, and the conclusions are mixed. Here, the authors provide a direct comparison of the overall survival and failure trends of DSV shunts to those of other valve type shunts.