Thymic hyperplasia after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis: a case series.

Introduction: Reactivation of thymopoiesis in adult patients with autoimmune disorders treated with autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is supported by studies exploring immunoreconstitution. Radiological evidence of thymic hyperplasia after AHSCT was previously reported in patients with systemic sclerosis, but, to our knowledge, it has not been described in multiple sclerosis (MS), where premature thymic involution has been observed and immunosenescence might be accelerated by disease-modifying treatments (DMTs).

Participants And Methods: monocentric case series including MS patients who performed a chest CT scan for clinical purposes after having received AHSCT (BEAM/ATG regimen) for aggressive MS failing DMTs.

Challenges in Diagnosis of COVID-19 Pneumonia under Ocrelizumab and De-Risking Strategies in Multiple Sclerosis-The Elephant Is (Still) in the Room.

Severe SARS-CoV-2 infections may still be observed in people bearing risk factors, such as the use of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are adopted in several autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS). COVID-19 diagnosis is routinely based on nasopharyngeal swab testing, but suboptimal sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 detection compared to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) may lead to misdiagnosis in some cases. Such diagnostic issues were described in a few MS patients receiving anti-CD20 mAbs, including middle-aged people and lacking information on subsequent MS therapeutic management, a debated topic as no evidence-based guidance on de-risking strategies is currently available.

Uveitis: A snapshot in the MOG antibody spectrum.

Despite the commonly observed association of anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies with bilateral optic neuritis, their connection to uveitis is largely unexplored. The presented case involves a 41-year-old male with uveitis and bilateral optic neuritis, subsequently diagnosed with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). This case, characterized by bilateral optic neuritis associated to anti-MOG antibodies and the concurrent onset of unilateral anterior uveitis, provides further evidence concerning the features of intraocular inflammation in MOGAD.

Serological Markers of Clinical Improvement in MuSK Myasthenia Gravis.

Background And Objectives: In this retrospective longitudinal study, we aimed at exploring the role of (a) MuSK-immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels, (b) predominant MuSK-IgG subclasses, and (c) antibody affinity as candidate biomarkers of severity and outcomes in MuSK-MG, using and comparing different antibody testing techniques.

Methods: Total MuSK-IgGs were quantified with radioimmunoassay (RIA), ELISA, flow cytometry, and cell-based assay (CBA) serial dilutions using HEK293 cells transfected with MuSK-eGFP. MuSK-IgG subclasses were measured by flow cytometry.

Disruptions in antigen processing and presentation machinery on sarcoma.

Background: The antigen processing machinery (APM) plays a critical role in generating tumor-specific antigens that can be recognized and targeted by the immune system. Proper functioning of APM components is essential for presenting these antigens on the surface of tumor cells, enabling immune detection and destruction. In many cancers, defects in APM can lead to immune evasion, contributing to tumor progression and poor clinical outcomes.

Learning curve in retroperitoneal sarcoma surgery.

Introduction: Retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) surgery poses unique challenges. This retrospective study aimed to analyze the learning curve (LC) in RPS surgery, assessing the relationship between surgical experience and outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis was used to analyze 62 RPS surgeries performed by a single surgeon between 2016 and 2022 at our center.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Cerebellar Toxicity: Clinical Features and Comparison with Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Ataxia.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy, and the association with immune-related adverse events (irAEs) is well-established. However, cerebellar irAEs are poorly defined and their relationship with paraneoplastic disorders remains unclear. Our aim was (i) to characterize cerebellar irAE; (ii) to compare it with paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia (PCA).

Leptomeningeal enhancement in multiple sclerosis: a focus on patients treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Leptomeningeal enhancement (LME) is considered an MRI marker of leptomeningeal inflammation in inflammatory neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). To our knowledge, no disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have been demonstrated to affect LME number or morphology so far.

Methods: Monocentric study investigating the frequency and number of LME in a cohort of people with (pw)MS who performed a 3 T brain MRI with a standardized protocol (including a post-contrast FLAIR sequence), and exploring the impact of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) on this marker.

Exploring Social Bonds and Well-Being in Young Adults during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Young adults, aged between 17 and 25 years, experienced a strong impact on both their mental health and well-being due to COVID-19. Indeed, they were simultaneously faced with the normative tasks of their age and stressors associated with the long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic. This study offers further insights into the perceptions of the well-being (stress, anxiety, and depression) and social bonds in young Italian adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conventional and emerging treatments and controversies in myasthenia gravis.

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by IgG antibodies against different proteins at the neuromuscular junction. Anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) Abs are detected in the great majority of patients. MG management consists of long-term immunotherapy, based on steroids and immunosuppressants, short-term treatments and therapeutic thymectomy.

Safety and effectiveness of the booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in people with multiple sclerosis: A monocentric experience.

Background: Long-term data on the effectiveness and safety of the booster dose of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in people affected by multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are lacking, hence a retrospective monocentric study exploring these issues was undertaken.

Materials And Methods: PwMS who had received the booster dose of anti-COVID19 mRNA vaccines (either Comirnaty or Spikevax) according to the national regulation were included. The occurrence of adverse events or disease reactivation and SARS-CoV-2 infection were recorded up to last follow-up.

Immunological response after SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccines in patients with myasthenia gravis treated with Rituximab.

In this study we employed a comprehensive immune profiling approach to determine innate and adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccines in patients with myasthenia gravis receiving rituximab. By multicolour cytometry, dendritic and natural killer cells, B- and T-cell subsets, including T-cells producing IFN-γ stimulated with SARS-CoV-2 peptides, were analysed after infection and mRNA vaccination. In the same conditions, anti-spike antibodies and cytokines' levels were measured in sera.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of Autoimmune Neurological Diseases: An Update.

Over the last two decades, haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been explored as a potential therapeutic strategy for autoimmune diseases refractory to conventional treatments, including neurological disorders. Although both autologous (AHSCT) and allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT) were investigated, AHSCT was preferentially developed due to a more favourable safety profile compared to allo-HSCT. Multiple sclerosis (MS) represents the most frequent neurological indication for AHSCT, but increasing evidence on the potential effectiveness of transplant in other autoimmune neurological diseases is emerging, although with a risk-benefit ratio overall more uncertain than in MS.

Efficacy and safety of rituximab in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorders compared with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Rituximab (RTX) efficacy in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disorders (MOGADs) is still poorly understood, though it appears to be lower than in aquaporin-4-IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (AQP4-IgG+NMOSDs). The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the efficacy and safety profile of RTX in patients with MOGAD and to compare RTX efficacy between MOGAD and AQP4-IgG+NMOSD.

Methods: We searched original English-language articles published between 2012 and 2021 in MEDLINE, Cochrane, Central Register of Controlled Trials and clinicaltrials.

Long-term-video monitoring EEG and 18F-FDG-PET are useful tools to detect residual disease activity in anti-LGI1-Abs encephalitis: A case report.

Background: The use of CD20-depleting monoclonal antibodies has shown to improve the long-term outcome of patients with anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 antibodies (anti-LGI1-Abs) encephalitis after first-line immunotherapy, but currently predictive markers of treatment response and disease activity are lacking.

Case Presentation: A 75-year-old man presented cognitive impairment and faciobrachial dystonic seizures (FBDS), with mild abnormalities at electroencephalography (EEG), normal brain magnetic resonance and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. Anti-LGI1-Abs were detected in serum and CSF, and corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins were administered.

The medieval skincare routine according to the formulations of Madgistra Trotula and the Medical School of Salerno and its reflection on cosmetology of the third millennium.

Background: Officinal plants, minerals, animal derivatives, and miscellaneous have always been used to treat and improve appearance despite the different aesthetic canons of a specific historical and cultural context.

Objective: The aim of this work was to make a critical comparison between medieval and modern dermocosmetics analyzing the works of Trotula de Ruggiero, a female doctor of the 11th century teaching and working inside the illustrious "Medical School of Salerno," who devoted particular attention to the promotion of female care, beauty, and well-being.

Methods: We applied the historical-critical method analyzing the Latin text and the nglish translation of the standardized corpus of the main Trotula medieval manuscript De Ornatu Mulierum with a multidisciplinary scientific approach ranging from botany to pharmaceutical chemistry and technology, pharmacology and pathology.

Association Between a Distinctive Autoantibody-Associated Brainstem Sensory Syndrome and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

This case series investigates the association of a segmental, facial, antibody-associated brainstem sensory syndrome with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab.