Publications by authors named "Ethel Ciampi"
Introduction: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a serious condition affecting people worldwide, including Latin America (LATAM). Healthcare disparities and economic limitations make effective treatment access challenging. It is crucial to consider the best practice therapeutic decision-making, including emerging long-term preventive therapies, to ensure patients in LATAM and elsewhere can effectively manage their disease all over the world.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pain is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). The reliability of outcome measures for pain and the accuracy of screening tools are essential for treatment purposes.
Objectives: This study investigated the test-retest reliability of Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS), Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI), Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF), Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4), and painDETECT, and the accuracy of DN4 and painDETECT.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the safety and effectiveness of ocrelizumab in Hispanic/Latino individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), highlighting the need for real-world data from underrepresented populations in clinical trials.
- Out of 305 participants, the majority had relapsing-remitting MS, and the results showed minimal relapses and a significant reduction in MRI activity, with only 12.4% experiencing confirmed disability worsening.
- While the treatment was largely safe, with a low rate of serious infections and a consistent profile of outcomes, the study confirms ocrelizumab's effectiveness in this demographic at a specialized MS center.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of three questionnaires designed to assess dual-tasking difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).
- A total of 356 participants across six countries were analyzed, showing that the questionnaires had strong test-retest reliability and internal consistency, with the DIDA-Q performing the best.
- The findings indicate that these self-reported questionnaires are effective tools for measuring the impact of dual-task challenges on the daily lives of ambulatory PwMS in both research and clinical settings.
Background And Purpose: The diagnostic criteria for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-IgG)-associated disease (MOGAD) were published in 2023. We aimed to determine the performance of the new criteria in Latin American (LATAM) patients compared with the 2018 criteria and explore the significance of MOG-IgG titers in diagnosis.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of LATAM (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia) adult patients with one clinical MOGAD event and MOG-IgG positivity confirmed by cell-based assay.
Article Synopsis
- Susac syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and primary angiitis of the central nervous system often present similar symptoms, making accurate diagnosis a challenge; the study aimed to improve this through a new scoring system called the SPAMS score.
- The research involved 99 patients from South America and utilized an elastic-net model to determine important MRI features for distinguishing between these conditions.
- The SPAMS score demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, effectively differentiating SuS from MS and PACNS, highlighting the importance of specific MRI findings for timely interventions and potentially better patient outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the occurrence, duration, and severity of area postrema syndrome (APS) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) across several Latin American countries.
- A total of 116 out of 631 patients (18.3%) experienced APS, with severe symptoms being the most common, and the average symptom duration was about 10 days, often treated effectively with IV steroids.
- The research found that inflammatory activity significantly decreased after APS onset, but no specific factors were linked to the severity of the syndrome.
Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease affecting around 2.8 million people worldwide. Two-thirds are women, and the mean age at diagnosis is about 30 years old.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Anti-Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) Antibody Associated Disease (MOGAD) is an emerging disorder recognized as a clinical entity distinct from Multiple Sclerosis and Aquaporin-4-positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD-AQP4+), and its phenotypic spectrum continues to expand. Most information about its clinical course has emerged from retrospective studies, and treatment response both in acute and chronic-relapsing disease is still limited. We aimed to describe the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of monophasic and relapsing, paediatric and adult patients with MOGAD under regular clinical care in Chile, highlighting some challenging cases that are far from being considered benign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Safety and effectiveness outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients receiving different disease-modifying therapies (DMT) and different types of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are limited. Growing evidence coming mainly from Israel, Europe and North America using mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines has been published.
Objectives: To assess the safety and humoral response of inactivated virus and mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with MS.
Practical issues concerning the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis in Latin America: Discussion from 16 centres on behalf of the Foro Latam EM Study Group.
Mult Scler Relat Disord
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- Recent MAGNIMS-CMSC-NAIMS recommendations on MRI use in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been crucial for enhancing patient treatment.
- Implementation of these guidelines is inconsistent across various countries, indicating the need to tackle local challenges.
- A group of 14 MS neurologists from 16 centers in Latin America convened to evaluate MRI access, standardization of protocols, and opportunities for collaborative research in MS.
Background: Multiple sclerosis exhibits specific neuropathological phenomena driving to both global and regional brain atrophy. At the clinical level, the disease is related to functional decline in cognitive domains as the working memory, processing speed, and verbal fluency. However, the compromise of social-cognitive abilities has concentrated some interest in recent years despite the available evidence suggesting the risk of disorganization in social life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 in Latin American patients with multiple sclerosis.
Mult Scler Relat Disord
October 2021
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who present coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are of particular interest to neurologists. These patients have a neuroimmune disease and receive immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive therapies in the long-term. We present here data from 73 patients with MS and a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from five Latin American countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStatus of the neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Latin America.
Mult Scler Relat Disord
August 2021
Article Synopsis
- Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) present increasing diagnostic and treatment challenges in Latin America, with studies lacking comprehensive geographic outreach and demographic insights.
- A survey conducted by the Latin American Committee for Treatment and Research in MS gathered data from 62 experts across 21 countries, focusing on ethnic backgrounds, clinical characteristics, and diagnostic/therapeutic practices for NMOSD patients.
- The findings reveal that 2154 patients were reported, predominantly Mestizo (61.4%), with common symptoms including optic neuritis and transverse myelitis, and a high adherence (93.9%) to the 2015 International Panel for diagnosis.
Introduction: Women represent two-thirds of the MS population and are usually diagnosed during childbearing age. Collection of local information about pregnancy outcomes is fundamental to support individual decision-making.
Objective: To explore the trends in pregnancy decision making and pregnancy outcomes before (PreMS) and after (PostMS) MS diagnosis.
Background: Comorbidities are prevalent among Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Few studies have characterized their prevalence and impact in Latin American populations.
Objective: We aim to assess the prevalence of comorbidities and their impact on the risk of physical disability across different MS phenotypes.
Background: Accurate localization of the probable Epileptogenic Zone (EZ) from presurgical studies is crucial for achieving good prognosis in epilepsy surgery.
Objective: To evaluate the degree of concordance at a sublobar localization derived from noninvasive studies (video electroencephalography, EEG; magnetic resonance imaging, MRI; 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography FDG-PET, FDG-PET) and EZ estimated by stereoEEG, in forecasting seizure recurrence in a long-term cohort of patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy.
Methods: We selected patients with a full presurgical evaluation and with postsurgical outcome at least 1 yr after surgery.
Background: Fingolimod is a high-efficacy disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and was the first oral treatment approved for the disease. Adverse events include bradyarrhythmia, hypertension, macular oedema and increased risk of infections, mainly due to its main mechanism of action, the non-selective modulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor.
Methods And Results: We report the baseline characteristics, effectiveness outcomes and adverse events of a prospective cohort of 177 patients with a median treatment duration of 24 months, in which four patients (2.
Background: Multiple Sclerosis produces changes in the functional connectivity of the brain. Resting-State fMRI is a useful tool for the study of functional changes in the human brain, and its metrics can be related to clinical findings involved in clinical decline. Social cognition has focused increasing interest because patients are exposed to experiencing social disorganization during the progression of the disease.
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