Humoral immune response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in cladribine-treated multiple sclerosis patients.

Multiple sclerosis immunomodulatory treatments such as cladribine, which affects both B- and T-lymphocytes, can potentially alter the humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. This monocenter retrospective study reports on anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody response in cladribine treated MS patients and we compare the response in patients vaccinated before and after an 18-week interval after last cladribine dose. Of the 34 patients (5 patients ≤ 18 weeks and 29 patients > 18 weeks after last cladribine dose) that were included, 32 reached seropositivity (94 %).

Hallmarks of spinal cord pathology in multiple sclerosis.

A disparity exists between spinal cord and brain involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS), each independently contributing to disability. Underlying differences between brain and cord are not just anatomical in nature (volume, white/grey matter organization, vascularization), but also in barrier functions (differences in function and composition of the blood-spinal cord barrier compared to blood-brain barrier) and possibly in repair mechanisms. Also, immunological phenotypes seem to influence localization of inflammatory activity.

Effect of disease-modifying treatment on spinal cord lesion formation in multiple sclerosis: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Spinal cord lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS) are an important contributor to disability. Knowledge on the effect of disease-modifying treatment (DMT) on spinal lesion formation in MS is sparse, as cord outcome measures are seldom included in MS treatment trials. We aim to investigate whether intermediate- or high-efficacy DMTs (i/hDMT) can reduce spinal lesion formation, compared with low-efficacy DMTs (lDMT) and/or no treatment.