Effectiveness and safety of monthly versus quarterly fremanezumab for migraine prevention: An Italian, multicenter, real-life study.

Background And Purpose: Fremanezumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide for migraine prevention, is available in monthly (225 mg) and quarterly (675 mg) doses. Previous studies showed efficacy and safety for both regimens, but a real-life comparison is lacking. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of monthly and quarterly fremanezumab in a real-life setting.

Machine learning-driven diagnosis of multiple sclerosis from whole blood transcriptomics.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder characterized by immune dysregulation. It begins with a first clinical manifestation, a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which evolves to definite MS in case of further clinical and/or neuroradiological episodes. Here we evaluated the diagnostic value of transcriptional alterations in MS and CIS blood by machine learning (ML).

HPLC and flow cytometry combined approach for HbF analysis in fetomaternal haemorrhage evaluation.

Introduction: Recently, a flow cytometric (FC) based test has been developed for detection of circulating fetal cells to replace the less accurate and reproducible Kleihauer-Betke test.FC test is easier to perform, it can distinguish the origin of fetal cells, but it is expensive and available in highly specialized laboratories. We evaluated the introduction of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) approach as initial screening to identify patients who need an additional FC test to better discriminate the nature of haemoglobin-F (HbF) positive cells.

Optical coherence tomography with voxel-based morphometry: a new tool to unveil focal retinal neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis.

Neurodegeneration is the main contributor to disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis. Previous studies in neuro-ophthalmology have revealed that neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis also affects the neuro-retina. Optical coherence tomography has been used to measure thinning of retinal layers, which correlates with several other markers for axonal/neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis.

Fast but not furious: Rapid ocrelizumab infusion as a strategy to optimize multiple sclerosis patients' management.

Objectives: Multiple sclerosis clinicians are continuously challenged to be innovative in delivering therapies and there is ongoing pressure to maximize day-hospital vacancies. We describe our single-center experience with ocrelizumab (OCR) rapid infusion (OCR-RI) in patients with MS (pwMS).

Methods: For pwMS with prior exposure to OCR standard infusion (OCR-SI) for at least one year/two cycles, infusion time was reduced from 3.

Ocrelizumab extended-interval dosing in multiple sclerosis during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a real-world experience.

Background And Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, ocrelizumab administration was frequently postponed because of a lack of safety information and to favour vaccination. The clinical implications of ocrelizumab administration delay in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients were assessed.

Methods: Relapsing (RMS) and primary progressive (PPMS) MS patients receiving ocrelizumab for at least 6 months at our centre were retrospectively classified, according to the possible occurrence of a delay (≥4 weeks) in treatment administration.

Intensive Neurorehabilitation and Gait Improvement in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Clinical, Kinematic and Electromyographic Analysis.

Background: Gait deficit is a hallmark of multiple sclerosis and the walking capacity can be improved with neurorehabilitation. Technological advances in biomechanics offer opportunities to assess the effects of rehabilitation objectively.

Objective: Combining wireless surface electromyography and wearable inertial sensors to assess and monitor the gait pattern before and after an intensive multidisciplinary neurorehabilitation program (44 h/4weeks) to evaluate rehabilitation efficiency.

Optical Coherence Tomography and Visual Evoked Potentials as Prognostic and Monitoring Tools in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying progression and developing new treatments for progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) are among the major challenges in the field of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases. Over the last 10 years, also because of some technological advances, the visual pathways have emerged as a useful platform to study the processes of demyelination/remyelination and their relationship with axonal degeneration/protection. The wider availability and technological advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have allowed to add information on structural neuroretinal changes, in addition to functional information provided by visual evoked potentials (VEPs).

Beyond Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Focus on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Alexithymia.

Purpose Of Review: To deepen the comprehension of the role of specific psychological conditions in the pathogenesis and in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Specifically, the present comprehensive review aims at examining the association between SLE, alexithymia (AT)-a personality construct referring to the inability to identify, describe, and express sensations, emotions, and physical state-and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), to infer potential biological relationships between these psychopathological issues and disease course, and to draw up a research agenda on gray areas of these topics.

Recent Findings: Whereas several studies document the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with SLE, psychological distress, alexithymia, and post-traumatic manifestations are usually neglected by healthcare professionals and poorly investigated in research contexts.

Serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in multiple sclerosis patients treated with fingolimod or ocrelizumab: an initial real-life experience.

Background: Recent observations suggest a lack of humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with fingolimod or ocrelizumab OBJECTIVES: To assess serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in MS patients receiving these disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) in a real-life setting.

Methods: Retrospective clinical data collection from MS patients followed at San Raffaele Hospital MS Centre (Milan, Italy). All patients treated with fingolimod or ocrelizumab who had received a complete anti-COVID-19 vaccination course, with no clinical history suggestive of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and with an available post-vaccination serological assay obtained at least 14 days after vaccination completion were considered for the study.

Subclinical anterior optic pathway involvement in early multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndromes.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is gaining increasing relevance in the assessment of patients with multiple sclerosis. Converging evidence point to the view that neuro-retinal changes, in eyes without acute optic neuritis, reflect inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes taking place throughout the CNS. The present study aims at exploring the usefulness of OCT as a marker of inflammation and disease burden in the earliest phases of the disease.

Counseling for pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and their parents: A pilot descriptive study.

Purpose: This study aimed to: (1) to assess the Quality of Life (QoL) of pediatric patients who had undergone Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) and their parents; (2) to explore how patients and parents perceived a nurse counseling intervention; and (3) to explore how health professionals consider the nurse counselor's role.

Methods: This was a pilot descriptive study using quantitative and qualitative data.

Results: Parents' QoL was compromised in the domains of Social Functioning, Physical and Emotional roles.

Subclinical neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder revealed by optical coherence tomography.

Background: Neuroretinal atrophy is associated with whole-brain atrophy and disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent findings support that subclinical visual pathway involvement might also occur in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs).

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess retinal thinning in MS and NMOSD and its association with disease activity.

In vivo structural and functional assessment of optic nerve damage in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and multiple sclerosis.

Early detection of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), especially after optic neuritis, a presenting manifestation commonly observed also in multiple sclerosis (MS), is crucial for timely treatment and prognosis. Integrated visual pathway assessment with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) may help in this task, showing in vivo different pathophysiological backgrounds. We evaluated combined VEP and OCT in a cross-sectional, single-centre study assessing 50 consecutive NMOSD patients, 57 MS patients and 52 healthy controls.

Concurrence of NMOSD and ALS in a patient with hexanucleotide repeat expansions of C9orf72.

We describe a patient, previously known for NMOSD, who presented a rapidly progressive worsening of muscle strength, respiratory, and bulbar functions. ALS associated with cognitive impairment was diagnosed, while genetic analysis revealed a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported C9orf72-ALS patient with concurrent NMOSD.

Novel technology for microlenses for imaging applications.

Microlenses are an important functional element of a modern imaging device. Typically, they are fabricated from organic materials on top of individual pixels. Though they are widely used, they do exhibit a number of limitations.

Practices and Perceptions of Family Centered Care among Healthcare Providers: A Cross-sectional Study in a Pediatric Hospital.

Purpose: This study aimed to: (1) investigate the extent to which Family Centered Care (FCC) principles are currently applied in clinical practice by healthcare providers working in inpatient units; (2) evaluate the extent to which FCC principles are perceived as necessary; and (3) examine the associations between FCC principles and socio-demographic and job characteristics of participants. Design and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at a large pediatric hospital using the Italian version of the FCC Questionnaire Revised (FCCQ-R). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Visual Evoked Potentials as a Biomarker in Multiple Sclerosis and Associated Optic Neuritis.

: ABSTRACT:: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by progressive neurological decline over time. The need for better "biomarkers" to more precisely capture and track the effects of demyelination, remyelination, and associated neuroaxonal injury is a well-recognized challenge in the field of MS. To this end, visual evoked potentials (VEPs) have a role in assessing the extent of demyelination along the optic nerve, as a functionally eloquent CNS region.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and multiple sclerosis in a Sardinian family.

The coexistence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in the same family is a rare event. We report a familial case originating from Sardinia of two siblings: one with NMOSD and one with MS. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing showed that the two affected siblings were HLA-identical, sharing risk-increasing alleles, while a younger unaffected sister was haploidentical to her siblings but she also carried protective alleles.

Assessing the role of innovative therapeutic paradigm on multiple sclerosis treatment response.

Objective: Within the last decade, many changes have been made to the management of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of our study was to investigate the global impact of all these changes on the disease's course.

Materials And Methods: This single-centre study was carried out on patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) who started treatment with first-line disease-modifying therapies.

Progressive visual function impairment as the predominant symptom of the transition phase to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: A case report.

Background: No reliable indicators of the transition to the progressive course in multiple sclerosis (MS) have been identified so far. The main clinical feature of the progressive phase of MS is usually impairment of walking. Magnetic resonance imaging and optical coherence tomography have emerged recently as promising tools to assess increasing neurodegeneration and axonal loss in disease progression in MS.