Evaluation of myelin content in the spinal cord of patients with multiple sclerosis: A positron emission tomography study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is divided into Relapsing-Remitting (RRMS) and Progressive (PMS) phenotypes, both associated with spinal cord (SC) damage. MS-related disability and SC atrophy are not yet fully understood and can differ across phenotypes. A combined approach using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) could provide a broader understanding of myelin changes in the cervical SC (CSC) in different MS phenotypes and the associations with disability.

Blood-Based Biomarkers for Identifying Disease Activity in AQP4-IgG-Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.

Importance: The temporal dynamics of serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) as biomarkers of disease activity for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remain underexplored.

Objective: To determine optimal timing for assessing sGFAP and sNfL, establish cutoff values differentiating between attacks and remissions in NMOSD, and evaluate these findings across independent cohorts.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective, longitudinal, multicenter cohort study was conducted among patients with aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG)-positive NMOSD.

Neurofilament Light Chain as a Discriminator of Disease Activity Status in MOG Antibody-Associated Disease.

Background And Objectives: In patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), acute disease activity is generally identified through medical history, neurologic examination, and imaging. However, these may be insufficient for detecting disease activity in specific conditions. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (sGFAP) after clinical attacks and to assess their utility in discriminating attacks from remission in patients with MOGAD.

Comparing epidemiological and clinical data from RPS patients documented in a German cancer registry to a cohort from TARPSWG reference centres.

Purpose: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare, heterogeneous tumours. Treatment recommendations are mainly derived from cohorts treated at reference centres. The applicability of data from cancer registries (CR) is controversial.

Early rituximab versus escalating therapy in neuromyelitis optica: A cost and quality of life analysis.

Introduction: Rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has shown effectiveness in reducing disease relapses and disability accrual through relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). However, its higher cost compared to oral immunosuppressants raises questions about its cost-effectiveness, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of early rituximab treatment versus escalation treatment in NMOSD patients.

Radiomic features of primary retroperitoneal sarcomas: a prognostic study.

Background: Risk-stratification of patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) relies on validated nomograms, such as Sarculator. This retrospective study investigated whether radiomic features extracted from computed tomography (CT) imaging could i) enhance the performance of Sarculator and ii) identify G3 dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) or leiomyosarcoma (LMS), which are currently consider in a randomized clinical trial testing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: Patients with primary localized RPS treated with curative-intent surgery (2011-2015) and available pre-operative CT imaging were included.

Preoperative nutritional support to tackle morbidity in multivisceral resection for retroperitoneal sarcoma. Early outcomes from a novel nutritional prehabilitation program in a prospective cohort.

Objective: Evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of the implementation of a routinely prehabilitation nutritional program (PNP) in retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) patients.

Summary Background Data: Rate of preoperative malnutrition is scarcely evaluated in RPS patients and the efficacy of a PNP in detecting and reverting malnutrition has not been studied.

Methods: Prospective study in a high-volume reference center for RPS; adult patients with primary or persistent RPS deemed surgically resectable were enrolled in a PNP.

Extent of macroscopic vascular invasion predicts distant metastasis in primary leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava.

Background: In retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma (RP LMS), the predominant issue is distant metastasis (DM). We sought to determine variables associated with this outcome and disease-specific death (DSD).

Methods: Data were retrospectively collected on patients with primary RP LMS treated at a high-volume center from 2002 to 2023.

Opportunities and Challenges in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Risk Stratification in the Era of Personalised Medicine.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare and heterogeneous group of cancers. Treatment options have changed little in the past thirty years, and the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is controversial. Accurate risk stratification is crucial in STS in order to facilitate clinical discussions around peri-operative treatment.

Surgical Outcome in Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Surgery: Accuracy of P-POSSUM, ACS-NSQIP, and Inflammatory Biomarkers Prognostic Index (IBPI) Risk-Calculators for Prediction of Severe and Overall Morbidity.

Introduction: Retroperitoneal sarcoma often requires comprehensive resection, leading to severe postoperative morbidity. The lack of disease-procedure specific tools for morbidity risk and the questionable accuracy of existing tools (ACS-NSQIP and P-POSSUM) in RPS surgery drove this study to assess these calculators' accuracy.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of primary RPS cases undergoing surgery at two sarcoma-referral centers was conducted.

Histoplasmosis in a fingolimod-treated patient: case report and scoping review.

Fingolimod is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator used to treat multiple sclerosis. While fingolimod has been associated with an increased risk of cryptococcal meningitis, its correlation with other deep mycoses remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a scoping review of fingolimod associated with histoplasmosis, based on a case report, a literature review, and data from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) as of January 24th, 2023.

Proteomic profiling improves prognostic risk stratification of the Sarculator nomogram in soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and trunk wall.

Background: High-risk soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and trunk wall (eSTS), as defined by the Sarculator nomogram, are more likely to benefit from (neo)adjuvant anthracycline-based therapy compared to low/intermediate-risk patients. The biology underpinning these differential treatment outcomes remain unknown.

Methods: We analysed proteomic profiles and clinical outcomes of 123 eSTS patients.

Survival after resection of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors: Introducing and validating a novel type-specific prognostic model.

Background: This study aimed to assess the performance of currently available risk calculators in a cohort of patients with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) and to create an MPNST-specific prognostic model including type-specific predictors for overall survival (OS).

Methods: This is a retrospective multicenter cohort study of patients with MPNST from 11 secondary or tertiary centers in The Netherlands, Italy and the United States of America. All patients diagnosed with primary MPNST who underwent macroscopically complete surgical resection from 2000 to 2019 were included in this study.

Tongue pressure is a strong predictor of recommendation for gastrostomy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Introduction/aims: Objective and practical biomarkers to determine the need for gastrostomy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are lacking. Tongue pressure (TP) is a promising biomarker because it is associated with bulbar dysfunction. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association of TP with the need for gastrostomy, and to determine its optimal cut-off value.

Clinical recommendations for treatment of localized angiosarcoma: A consensus paper by the Italian Sarcoma Group.

Angiosarcoma (AS) represents a rare and aggressive vascular sarcoma, posing distinct challenges in clinical management compared to other sarcomas. While the current European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical practice guidelines for sarcoma treatment are applicable to AS, its unique aggressiveness and diverse tumor presentations necessitate dedicated and detailed clinical recommendations, which are currently lacking. Notably, considerations regarding surgical extent, radiation therapy (RT), and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy vary significantly in localized disease, depending on each different site of onset.

Initial local resection versus early referral for spermatic cord sarcoma: Any impact on treatment timelines and oncological outcomes?

Objectives: Spermatic cord sarcomas are exceedingly rare, often misdiagnosed and subsequently improperly treated at local hospitals. This retrospective study looked at the oncological outcomes of spermatic cord sarcoma cases managed with curative intent resection at a tertiary referral sarcoma centre. We specifically studied how initial inadequate resections impact the oncologic outcomes compared to primary tumour resections at the reference centre.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for neuromyelitis optica attacks: Evidence and challenges from a real-world cohort from Brazil.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) can improve disability recovery after neuromyelitis optica spectrum disease (NMOSD) attacks, but its effectiveness and safety in Latin-American patients with access barriers and diverse ethnicity is underexplored. We carried out a retrospective cohort study with NMOSD patients that underwent TPE. 84 NMOSD attacks in 68 patients were evaluated.

Vitamin D as an add-on treatment for multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and disease progression. However, the efficacy of vitamin D as an adjuvant therapy for MS remains a controversial topic.

Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of adjunct high-dose vitamin D on clinical and radiological outcomes.

Deciding individual treatment for primary retroperitoneal sarcoma.

Introduction: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare mesenchymal tumors that account for only 0.1-0.2% of all malignancies.