Publications by authors named "Christoph Heesen"

Background: Tobacco smoking is a relevant determinant of multiple sclerosis (MS) onset, and smokers have increased risk for faster progression of MS compared to non-smokers. While the smoking prevalence is high in Germany, no smoking cessation programs have been developed specifically in MS populations to date, and only little is known about the motivators and barriers influencing smoking cessation in people with MS (pwMS) in Germany. This study aims to identify these factors to inform the design of a tailored smoking cessation intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objectives: Persons with MS (pwMSs) are often confronted with contradictory dietary advice, which is not always based on sound scientific evidence. This may lead to poor MS-specific nutrition knowledge (MSNK) and food literacy (MSFL). To date, no studies have assessed MSNK and MSFL among pwMSs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fatigue is common in multiple sclerosis (MS); it significantly impairs quality of life, and treatment options are limited. A randomized controlled trial of Elevida, a self-guided, online German fatigue intervention, showed significant benefit. We tested an English version of Elevida with people with MS in Australia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: B-cell targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, which lead to profound B-cell depletion, have been well-established in hematology-oncology. This deep B-cell depletion mechanism has prompted the exploration of their use in B-cell driven autoimmune diseases. We herein report on the manufacturing of KYV-101, a fully human anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, derived from patients who were treated across a spectrum of autoimmune diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * Therapy failures in CNS disorders are often due to limited treatment access and individual disease differences, but CAR T cells show potential to effectively target these issues directly in the CNS.
  • * Ongoing innovations in CAR T cell engineering, including targeting various antigens and enhancing T cell types, could lead to new applications for CNS diseases, including Alzheimer's, but further research and clinical trials are necessary to evaluate risks and benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This meta-analysis aimed to assess the treatment effects of immunotherapies in subgroups of adults with clinically isolated syndrome or relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the effect of potential treatment effect modifiers (TEMs).

Methods: Phase 2 and 3 RCTs with a placebo comparator were analyzed. Risk of bias was assessed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease with diverse symptomatology, significantly impacting patients' quality of life (QoL). While pharmacological therapies focus primarily on reducing inflammation and relapse rates, non-pharmacological interventions, including digital health applications, have shown promise in improving QoL among persons with MS (PwMS). Pilot studies had shown the feasibility and acceptability of levidex, a digital health application based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles, a broad set of behavior change techniques, and relevant lifestyle-change advice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: B-cell-targeting monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated safety and efficacy in multiple sclerosis or anti-aquaporin-4 IgG positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. However, these therapies do not facilitate drug-free remission, which may become possible with cell-based therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. CAR T-cell therapy holds promise for addressing other antibody-mediated CNS disorders, e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite the evidence of beneficial effects of physical activity (PA), people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are less physically active than the general population. To increase PA in pwMS, we developed a structured individually tailored PA promotion program which is conducted within clinical practice in a university-based outpatient clinic since 2016. This study serves as retrospective quality control of this program.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Educational interventions have shown potential to reduce fatigue. The aim was to systematically review the current best evidence on patient education programmes for MS-related fatigue.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are often confused by contradictory dietary advice. The purpose of this research was to explore the information needs and design a comprehensive, evidence-based nutritional information resource on diet and MS (NUTRIMS).

Methods: A mixed-methods design with three sequential phases was adopted: (1) Needs assessment and development: Two focus groups with pwMS to explore experiences, information needs and preferred support around diet.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to find out what information people who had a stroke need to prevent getting another one.
  • Researchers looked at many studies to see what these people wanted to know about treatment, causes, and life after a stroke.
  • They found that most wanted to get their information from healthcare professionals, especially about treatment and causes, and they believe more support is needed for them.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: The aim was to determine the value of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) as a therapeutic intervention for progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) based on a systematic review of the current literature.

Methods: All studies from the databases PubMed and Google Scholar published in English before February 2024 which provided individual data for PMS patients were systematically reviewed. PICO was defined as population (P), primary progressive MS and secondary progressive MS patients; intervention (I), treatment with aHSCT; comparison (C), none, disease-modifying therapy treated/relapsing-remitting MS cohorts if available; outcome (O), transplant-related mortality, progression-free survival (PFS) and no evidence of disease activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study applied the 2022 international consensus criteria for optic neuritis (ICON) to 160 patients with acute optic neuritis to assess its effectiveness in classification.
  • About 50% of the patients were classified as definite optic neuritis, while 43% were not classified as having ON, mainly due to the absence of critical symptoms like relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) and dyschromatopsia.
  • The adjusted criteria led to a higher classification of 79% of patients as having optic neuritis, highlighting the importance of thorough examinations for accurate diagnosis.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - This systematic review and meta-analysis examine the link between psychological stressors and multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly their effect on disease onset, inflammatory activity, and progression.
  • - The review analyzed 30 studies with nearly 25,000 cases, finding a weak to moderate association between psychological stress and MS, with a notably higher risk of relapses related to stress from military conflicts.
  • - Overall, while there’s some evidence supporting a connection between stress and MS-related factors, many studies had biases and limitations, indicating that the impact of psychological stressors on MS is likely minor to modest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) serves as a biomarker for tracking disease progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), although the changes in retinal layers for progressive MS remain uncertain.
  • Analyzing data from 195 RRMS, 87 secondary progressive MS (SPMS), 125 primary progressive MS (PPMS), and 98 control patients, researchers found that certain retinal layer thicknesses could predict relapses and MRI activity in various MS types.
  • However, the variability in measuring retinal thickness limits the effectiveness of longitudinal assessments for individual patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction And Objective: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is a promising treatment option for persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Patients undergoing aHSCT face unique challenges in all aspects of life. In this study, we explored the lived experiences of pwMS undergoing aHSCT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Purpose: This systematic review examines the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) on medication adherence for preventing recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Methods: MEDLINE (via PubMed), CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to 12 June 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) represents the most common inflammatory neurological disease causing disability in early adulthood. Childhood and adolescence factors might be of relevance in the development of MS. We aimed to investigate the association between various factors (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by compartmentalized smoldering neuroinflammation caused by the proliferation of immune cells residing in the central nervous system (CNS), including B cells. Although inflammatory activity can be prevented by immunomodulatory therapies during early disease, such therapies typically fail to halt disease progression. CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have revolutionized the field of hematologic malignancies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Research on driving ability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) suggests that they might be at risk for unsafe driving due to MS-related motor, visual, and cognitive impairment. Our first aim was to investigate differences in driving ability and performance between people with MS (PwMS) and those without any neurologic or psychiatric disease ("controls"). Secondly, we determined disease-related factors influencing driving ability in PwMS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) knowledge is a prerequisite for active patient engagement in medical decision-making. Treatment of relapses in MS is a clinical field with many uncertainties and each acute relapse requires decisions regarding possible options for action, indicating the need for patient involvement. However, there is no validated instrument assessing relapse knowledge in people with MS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) exhibits promising results for multiple sclerosis (MS) in the short term. We investigated the long-term outcome differences in disease progression and cognitive impairment after aHSCT and alemtuzumab treatment.

Methods: 20 patients receiving aHSCT and 21 patients treated with alemtuzumab between 2007 and 2020 were included in this monocentric observational cohort study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) might be particularly well suited to benefit from digital health applications because they are, on average, younger and less severely disabled than patients with many other chronic diseases. Many digital health applications for pwMS have been developed.

Objectives: Analysis of the evidence of digital health applications to improve health outcomes from a patient perspective.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF