Association between awareness and knowledge of medication-overuse headache with medication-taking behavior among adults with migraine.

Frequent use of pain relief medications among patients with migraine can result in disease worsening and medication-overuse headache (MOH), a painful and debilitating condition. We sought to conduct a cross-sectional survey among adult patients diagnosed with migraine to determine: 1) their awareness of MOH, and 2) their knowledge of the condition and its prevention, and 3) the association of these factors with actual use of pain relief medications. We recruited and interviewed 200 English-speaking adults with migraine who had a clinic visit with a neurologist or primary care provider within the past month.

Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Adults with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Family Caregivers.

Background: Cognitive impairment is a prominent feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the impact that cognitive symptoms have on daily life, and the effect this has on persons with MS and their relationships with spouses/partners, remains unclear. This qualitative study sought information on the nature of cognitive impairments experienced and the impact of cognitive impairments on the daily lives of adults with MS and their partners to gain further insights into how health care professionals can best support families.

A feasibility study of a manualized resilience-based telehealth program for persons with multiple sclerosis and their support partners.

Background: Resilience is a protective factor that emerges when individuals are faced with challenges and stressors. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that introduces a great deal of stress for the individual and his/her support partner. We designed a telehealth resilience-building dyadic program for persons with MS (PwMS) and their support partners.

Characterization of Fluid Biomarkers Reveals Lysosome Dysfunction and Neurodegeneration in Neuronopathic MPS II Patients.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) and characterized by the accumulation of the primary storage substrate, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Understanding central nervous system (CNS) pathophysiology in neuronopathic MPS II (nMPS II) has been hindered by the lack of CNS biomarkers. Characterization of fluid biomarkers has been largely focused on evaluating GAGs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the periphery; however, GAG levels alone do not accurately reflect the broad cellular dysfunction in the brains of MPS II patients.

Ocrelizumab efficacy in subgroups of patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Objective: The efficacy and safety of ocrelizumab, versus interferon (IFN) β-1a, for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) from the identically designed OPERA I (NCT01247324) and OPERA II (NCT01412333) phase III studies has been reported; here we present subgroup analyses of efficacy endpoints from the pooled OPERA I and OPERA II populations.

Methods: Patients with RMS were randomized to either ocrelizumab 600 mg administered by intravenous infusion every 24 weeks or subcutaneous IFN β-1a 44 µg three times per week throughout the 96-week treatment period. Relapse, disability, and MRI outcomes were analyzed for predefined and post hoc subgroups based on demographic and disease characteristics along with prior treatment using appropriate statistical tests to determine the treatment effect in subgroups and treatment-by-subgroup interactions.

Ocrelizumab reduces progression of upper extremity impairment in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis: Findings from the phase III randomized ORATORIO trial.

Background: Upper extremity (UE) impairment is common with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

Objective: This exploratory analysis examined the effects of ocrelizumab on confirmed progression (CP) and confirmed improvement (CI) in UE impairment in patients from ORATORIO.

Methods: Patients with PPMS received ocrelizumab 600 mg or placebo every 24 weeks for ⩾120 weeks.

Peginterferon beta-1a improves MRI measures and increases the proportion of patients with no evidence of disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: 2-year results from the ADVANCE randomized controlled trial.

Background: Subcutaneous peginterferon beta-1a has previously been shown to reduce the number of T2-hyperintense and gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesions over 2 years in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and to reduce T1-hypointense lesion formation and the proportion of patients showing evidence of disease activity, based on both clinical and radiological measures, compared with placebo over 1 year of treatment. The objectives of the current analyses were to evaluate T1 lesions and other magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures, including whole brain volume and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) of normal appearing brain tissue (NABT), and the proportions of patients with no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), over 2 years.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the ADVANCE study received continuous peginterferon beta-1a every 2 or 4 weeks for 2 years, or delayed treatment (placebo in Year 1; peginterferon beta-1a every 2 or 4 weeks in Year 2).