Multiple sclerosis treatment underutilization predicts high risk for obstructive sleep apnea in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population, which suggests MS may predispose patients to OSA. However, the relationships between MS treatment, disease activity, disease severity, fatigue, and OSA are unknown.

Objectives: To evaluate the connections between OSA risk, MS fatigue, and MS severity, controlling for well-established risk factors for OSA in the general population.

A New England COVID-19 Registry of Patients With CNS Demyelinating Disease: A Pilot Analysis.

Background And Objectives: We sought to define the risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection requiring hospitalization in patients with CNS demyelinating diseases such as MS and the factors that increase the risk for severe infection to guide decisions regarding patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A pilot cohort of 91 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection from the Northeastern United States was analyzed to characterize patient risk factors and factors associated with an increased severity of COVID-19 infection. Univariate analysis of variance was performed using the Mann-Whitney test or analysis of variance for continuous variables and the χ or Fisher exact test for nominal variables.

Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis in the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic and Effect of Multiple Sclerosis Treatment on Tuberculosis Testing.

Background: Patients with a compromised immune system are at risk for converting from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to active tuberculosis (TB) infection. Multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies may put individuals with LTBI at higher risk of TB.

Methods: Patients at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center MS Clinic were screened for TB as part of routine testing with the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay (Cellestis Ltd) from 2013 to 2017.

Brainstem lesions are associated with sleep apnea in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Studies linking MRI findings in MS patients with obstructive sleep apnea severity are limited.

Objective: We conducted a retrospective study to assess MRI abnormalities associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: We performed retrospective chart review of 65 patients with multiple sclerosis who had undergone polysomnography (PSG) for fatigue as well as brain MRI.

Anti-JC virus antibody index changes in rituximab-treated multiple sclerosis patients.

Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody to CD20, is an effective treatment for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) reducing relapse rate by at least 50% over time. Although the mechanism for this clinical benefit is unclear, rituximab depletes circulating B cells, which can perform antigen presentation and stimulation of T cells. Another anti-CD20 drug, ocrelizumab, has recently been FDA approved to treat both relapsing remitting and progressive forms of MS.

CADASIL as a Multiple Sclerosis Mimic.

[Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2017-11.asp].

Ruptured aneurysms of the intradural artery of adamkiewicz: Angiographic features and treatment options.

We present an unusual case of a 59year old male patient who presented with acute, bilateral lower extremity weakness and was found to have non-traumatic spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Diagnostic workup including MRI and angiography revealed an aneurysm of the artery of Ademkiewicz. This was managed conservatively and the patient has had marked clinical improvement.

Brucellosis among hospitalized febrile patients in northern Tanzania.

Acute and convalescent serum samples were collected from febrile inpatients identified at two hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania. Confirmed brucellosis was defined as a positive blood culture or a ≥ 4-fold increase in microagglutination test titer, and probable brucellosis was defined as a single reciprocal titer ≥ 160. Among 870 participants enrolled in the study, 455 (52.

Evolution of a malaria resistance gene in wild primates.

The ecology, behaviour and genetics of our closest living relatives, the nonhuman primates, should help us to understand the evolution of our own lineage. Although a large amount of data has been amassed on primate ecology and behaviour, much less is known about the functional and evolutionary genetic aspects of primate biology, especially in wild primates. As a result, even in well-studied populations in which nongenetic factors that influence adaptively important characteristics have been identified, we have almost no understanding of the underlying genetic basis for such traits.