Unusual anatomic variation: The posterior inferior cerebellar artery arising from the middle meningeal artery.

An adult patient was admitted to our emergency department for a first episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging showed a temporal intracranial hemorrhage and parenchymal edema caused by a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), whose angioarchitecture was better understood through the DSA which showed as intriguing and rare vascular anomaly the origin of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) from the middle meningeal artery (MMA). The endovascular treatment of the DAVF was then successfully performed.

Gut-oriented interventions in patients with multiple sclerosis: fact or fiction?

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, demyelinating, disimmune disease of the central nervous system whose etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood, due to its complex and multifactorial nature. Evidence of a bidirectional connection linking the gut microbiome with the intestinal barrier and the immune system (the gut-brain axis) may have implications for the pathogenesis of inflammatory demyelinating diseases such as MS. This narrative review summarizes the evidence for the gut-brain axis involvement in the pathogenesis of MS and examines the role of gut-oriented interventions in MS.

Gender differences in safety issues during Fingolimod therapy: Evidence from a real-life Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis cohort.

Objective: Benefits and risks of new therapies in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) must be balanced carefully and tailored to patients. We aimed to describe our experience with Fingolimod (FTY), correlating demographics, clinical and hematological features of the Relapsing MS (RMS) cohort with the occurring Adverse Events (AEs).

Material And Methods: Pretreatment screening tests, cardiological observation, and safety follow-up data were analyzed in 225 RMS patients.

Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light levels mark grey matter volume in clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Brain atrophy is a known marker of irreversible tissue damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) osteopontin (OPN) and neurofilament light chain (NF-L) have been proposed as candidate surrogate markers of inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes in MS.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between CSF NF-L and OPN levels and brain grey and white matter volumes in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS.

Lymphocyte subsets as biomarkers of therapeutic response in Fingolimod treated Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis patients.

We investigated, lymphocyte count (LC) and lymphocyte subpopulations (LS) in a real life setting of Fingolimod (FTY) treated Relapsing MS (RMS) patients. Peripheral blood counts with LS, relapses and MRI scans were recorded in a cohort of 119 FTY patients, during one year of treatment. Simple and multivariate logistic regression models, were performed.

The Cost of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients Who Develop Neutralizing Antibodies during Interferon Beta Therapy.

Background: Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with interferon beta (IFN beta) can develop neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that reduce treatment efficacy. Several clinical studies explored the association of NAb+ status with increased disease activity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of RRMS patients who develop NAbs while treated with IFN beta by the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS) and the Italian Society perspectives.

Exploratory analysis of predictors of patient adherence to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a in multiple sclerosis: TRACER study.

Objective: The TRACER multicenter retrospective study aimed to collect data on treatment adherence in a real-life setting, in order to identify predictors of adherence at baseline.

Methods: We recruited 384 relapsing-remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis patients with at least 12 months of use of RebiSmart®. This electronic device records the performed injections and assesses adherence as the percentage of 'not missing doses', through the connection to the iMed database.

Long-Term Data of Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability in a Real-Life Setting of THC/CBD Oromucosal Spray-Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray was approved as add-on therapy for spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We show our 40-week postmarketing experience regarding efficacy and safety of THC/CBD spray in an Italian cohort of 102 MS patients. Patients were evaluated using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for spasticity, the Ambulation Index (AI), and Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25-FW) at the beginning of treatment and then every 3 months.

Long-term cardiac safety and tolerability of fingolimod in multiple sclerosis: A postmarketing study.

Fingolimod is the first oral disease-modifying therapy approved for multiple sclerosis (MS). The risks associated with the use of fingolimod include cardiovascular adverse events (AEs). First-dose observation (FDO) is required for all patients for at least 6 hours.

Conversion from clinically isolated syndrome to multiple sclerosis: A large multicentre study.

Background And Objective: We explored which clinical and biochemical variables predict conversion from clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in a large international cohort.

Methods: Thirty-three centres provided serum samples from 1047 CIS cases with at least two years' follow-up. Age, sex, clinical presentation, T2-hyperintense lesions, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oligoclonal bands (OCBs), CSF IgG index, CSF cell count, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D), cotinine and IgG titres against Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1) and cytomegalovirus were tested for association with risk of CDMS.

Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament tracks fMRI correlates of attention at the first attack of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Identifying markers of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) is extremely challenging since it means supplying potential biomarkers for neuroprotective therapeutic strategies.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between fMRI correlates of attention performance and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light chain (NFL) levels in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS.

Methods: Twenty-one untreated, cognitively preserved CIS patients underwent BOLD-fMRI while performing the Variable Attentional Control (VAC) task, a cognitive paradigm requiring increasing levels of attentional control processing.

Proteomic profiling in multiple sclerosis clinical courses reveals potential biomarkers of neurodegeneration.

The aim of our project was to perform an exploratory analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteomic profiles of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, collected in different phases of their clinical course, in order to investigate the existence of peculiar profiles characterizing the different MS phenotypes. The study was carried out on 24 Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS), 16 Relapsing Remitting (RR) MS, 11 Progressive (Pr) MS patients. The CSF samples were analysed using the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer in linear mode geometry and in delayed extraction mode (m/z range: 1000-25000 Da).

The impact of neutralizing antibodies on the risk of disease worsening in interferon β-treated relapsing multiple sclerosis: a 5 year post-marketing study.

The impact of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) on interferon β (IFNβ) efficacy in MS patients is still an object of controversy. To evaluate the clinical response to IFNβ during NAb-positive (NAb+) and NAb-negative (NAb-) statuses on a large population of relapsing remitting (RR) MS patients were followed up to 5 years. Sera from 567 RR MS patients treated with IFNβ for 2-5 years were collected every 6-12 months and evaluated for NAb presence by a cytopathic effect assay.

Load-dependent dysfunction of the putamen during attentional processing in patients with clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Load-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) abnormalities of brain activity during performance of attention tasks have been described in definite multiple sclerosis (MS). No data are available in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of MS.

Objectives: The objective of this research is to evaluate in CIS patients the fMRI pattern of brain activation during an attention task and to explore the effect of increasing task load demand on neurofunctional modifications.

Geographical variations in sex ratio trends over time in multiple sclerosis.

Background: A female/male (F/M) ratio increase over time in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was demonstrated in many countries around the world. So far, a direct comparison of sex ratio time-trends among MS populations from different geographical areas was not carried out.

Objective: In this paper we assessed and compared sex ratio trends, over a 60-year span, in MS populations belonging to different latitudinal areas.

Low serum urate levels are associated to female gender in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: Urate is a natural antioxidant and may prevent CNS tissue damage and the clinical manifestations of experimental autoimmune encephalitis. Results from clinical studies are conflicting and the contribution of urate to the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains uncertain.

Objective: To evaluate serum urate levels in MS patients and their relationships with clinical, demographic and MRI variables.

Impact of natalizumab on cognitive performances and fatigue in relapsing multiple sclerosis: a prospective, open-label, two years observational study.

Background And Objectives: Natalizumab reduces the relapse rate and magnetic resonance imaging activity in patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). So far the influence of natalizumab on cognitive functions and fatigue in MS remains uncertain. The aim of this prospective, open-label, observational study was to evaluate the possible effects of natalizumab on cognition and fatigue measures in RRMS patients treated for up to two years.

Elevated plasma homocysteine levels in patients with multiple sclerosis are associated with male gender.

Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels exert several neurotoxic actions and vascular dysfunctions that may be involved in pathogenesis and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The effective role of Hcy in MS however remains to be determined. The aim of this work was to compare plasma Hcy levels in MS patients and neurological disease controls (NDC) and to evaluate their relationships with clinical and demographic variables.

Serum and CSF N-acetyl aspartate levels differ in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica.

Background: The identification of biomarkers able to improve the differential diagnosis between multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is challenging because of a different prognosis and response to treatment. Growing evidence indicates that brain and CSF N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) concentration is a useful marker for characterising different phases of axonal pathology in demyelinating diseases, and preliminary studies suggest that increased serum NAA levels may be a telltale sign of acute neuronal damage or defective NAA metabolism in oligodendrocytes.

Objective: To evaluate whether serum and CSF NAA concentration differs in patients with MS and NMO.

Review of interferon beta-1b in the treatment of early and relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common autoimmune illness of the central nervous system. For many years the inflammatory manifestations of MS were treated using only corticosteroids. Since the 1990s the results of several clinical trials with immunomodulatory agents have changed the therapeutic approach to this disease.