The bioavailability and blood levels of low-dose rapamycin for longevity in real-world cohorts of normative aging individuals.

Rapamycin, also known as sirolimus, has demonstrated great potential for application in longevity medicine. However, the dynamics of low-dose rapamycin bioavailability, and any differences in bioavailability for different formulations (e.g.

Intracranial pressure monitoring in posterior fossa lesions-systematic review and meta-analysis.

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) with reduced cerebral perfusion pressure is a well-known cause of secondary brain injury. Previously, there have been some reports describing different supra- and infratentorial ICP measurements depending on the location of the mass effect. Therefore, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the issue of optimal ICP monitoring in the infratentorial mass lesion.

Lung Ultrasound to Diagnose Pulmonary Congestion Among Patients on Hemodialysis: Comparison of Full Versus Abbreviated Scanning Protocols.

Rationale & Objective: Pulmonary congestion contributes to morbidity and mortality in patients with kidney failure on hemodialysis, but physical assessment is an insensitive approach to its detection. Lung ultrasound is useful for assessing the presence and severity of pulmonary congestion, but the most widely validated 28-zone study is cumbersome. We sought to compare abbreviated 4-, 6-, and 8-zone studies to 28-zone studies.

Clinical feasibility of longitudinal lateral ventricular volume measurements on T2-FLAIR across MRI scanner changes.

Background: Greater brain atrophy is associated with disability progression (DP) in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). However, methodological challenges limit its routine clinical use.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of atrophy measures as markers of DP in PwMS scanned across different MRI field strengths.

Decreasing brain iron in multiple sclerosis: The difference between concentration and content in iron MRI.

Increased brain iron concentration is often reported concurrently with disease development in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is unclear whether the higher iron concentration in patients stems from an influx of iron into the tissue or a relative reduction in tissue compartments without much iron. By taking into account structural volume, we investigated tissue iron content in the deep gray matter (DGM) over 2 years, and compared findings to previously reported changes in iron concentration.

Late onset multiple sclerosis is associated with more severe ventricle expansion.

Background: Late-onset multiple sclerosis (LOMS) is associated with faster disability progression than persons with adult-onset MS (PwAOMS). The differences in brain atrophy are currently unknown.

Objectives: To determine MRI-derived atrophy rates in persons with late-onset MS (PwLOMS) and compare them to an age-matched and disease duration-matched sample of PwAOMS.

Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cerebral Microbleeds in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

We hypothesized that cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients will be detected with higher prevalence compared to healthy controls (HC) and that quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) will help remove false positives seen in susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI). A cohort of 100 relapsing remitting MS subjects scanned at 3T were used to validate a set of CMB detection guidelines specifically using QSM. A second longitudinal cohort of 112 MS and 25 HCs, also acquired at 3T, was reviewed across two time points.

Cortical and Deep Gray Matter Perfusion Associations With Physical and Cognitive Performance in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Reports suggest presence of cerebral hypoperfusion in multiple sclerosis (MS). Currently there are no studies that examine if the cerebral MS perfusion is affected by presence of cardiovascular comorbidities. To investigate associations between cerebral perfusion and disease outcomes in MS patients with and without comorbid cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Disability Improvement Is Associated with Less Brain Atrophy Development in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: It is unknown whether deceleration of brain atrophy is associated with disability improvement in patients with MS. Our aim was to investigate whether patients with MS with disability improvement develop less brain atrophy compared with those who progress in disability or remain stable.

Materials And Methods: We followed 980 patients with MS for a mean of 4.

Serum neurofilament light chain and optical coherence tomography measures in MS: A longitudinal study.

Objective: To study the association between serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and multiple optical coherence tomography (OCT) measures in patients with MS and healthy controls (HCs).

Methods: In this prospective study, 110 patients with MS were recruited, together with 52 age- and sex-matched HCs. Clinical evaluation and spectral domain OCT and sNfL were obtained at baseline and after 5.

Sex-Specific Differences in Life Span Brain Volumes in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: Numerous sex-specific differences in multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility, disease manifestation, disability progression, inflammation, and neurodegeneration have been previously reported. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown structural differences between female and male MS brain volumes. To determine sex-specific global and tissue-specific brain volume throughout the MS life span in a real-world large MRI database.

Long-standing multiple sclerosis neurodegeneration: volumetric magnetic resonance imaging comparison to Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and elderly healthy controls.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibits neurodegeneration driven disability progression. We compared the extent of neurodegeneration among 112 long-standing MS patients, 37 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, 34 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, 37 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and 184 healthy controls. 3T MRI volumes of whole brain (WBV), white matter (WMV), gray matter (GMV), cortical (CV), deep gray matter (DGM), and nuclei-specific volumes of thalamus, caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, and hippocampus were derived with SIENAX and FIRST software.

A multimodal approach to assess the validity of atrophied T2-lesion volume as an MRI marker of disease progression in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Atrophied T2-lesion volume (LV) is a novel MRI marker representing brain-lesion loss due to atrophy, able to predict long-term disability progression and conversion to secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To better characterize atrophied T2-LV via comparison with other multidisciplinary markers of MS progression.

Methods: We studied 127 MS patients (85 relapsing-remitting, RRMS and 42 progressive, PMS) and 20 clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) utilizing MRI, optical coherence tomography, and serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) at baseline and at 5-year follow-up.

Serum neurofilament light chain level associations with clinical and cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal retrospective 5-year study.

Background: A limited number of studies investigated associations between serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) and cognition in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Objective: To assess cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sNfL levels, clinical, and cognitive performance in PwMS and age-matched healthy controls (HCs).

Materials: One hundred twenty-seven PwMS (85 relapsing-remitting MS/42 progressive MS), 20 clinically isolated syndrome patients, and 52 HCs were followed for 5 years.

Targeting Iron Dyshomeostasis for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

While iron has an important role in the normal functioning of the brain owing to its involvement in several physiological processes, dyshomeostasis has been found in many neurodegenerative disorders, as evidenced by both histopathological and imaging studies. Although the exact causes have remained elusive, the fact that altered iron levels have been found in disparate diseases suggests that iron may contribute to their development and/or progression. As such, the processes involved in iron dyshomeostasis may represent novel therapeutic targets.

Atrophied Brain T2 Lesion Volume at MRI Is Associated with Disability Progression and Conversion to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Background Atrophied T2 lesion volume at MRI is an imaging measure that reflects the replacement of T2 lesions by cerebrospinal fluid spaces in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Purpose To investigate the association of atrophied T2 lesion volume and development of disability progression (DP) and conversion to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 1612 participants recruited from 2006 to 2016 and followed up for 5 years with clinical and MRI examinations.

Teriflunomide's effect on humoral response to Epstein-Barr virus and development of cortical gray matter pathology in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Teriflunomide has been shown to slow cortical gray matter (GM) atrophy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous work showed that higher levels of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are associated with greater development of cortical pathology in MS.

Objectives: To investigate whether the effect of teriflunomide on cortical volume loss in relapsing MS patients may be associated with the change in humoral response to EBV.

Serum neurofilament light chain levels associations with gray matter pathology: a 5-year longitudinal study.

Background: Gray matter (GM) pathology is closely associated with physical and cognitive impairment in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Similarly, serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels are related to MS disease activity and progression.

Objectives: To assess the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between sNfL and MRI-derived lesion and brain volume outcomes in PwMS and age-matched healthy controls (HCs).

Cholesterol and neurodegeneration: longitudinal changes in serum cholesterol biomarkers are associated with new lesions and gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis over 5 years of follow-up.

Background And Purpose: Cholesterol is an important structural component of myelin and essential for brain homeostasis. Our objective was to investigate whether longitudinal changes in cholesterol biomarkers are associated with neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: This prospective, longitudinal study (n = 154) included 41 healthy controls, 76 relapsing-remitting MS subjects and 37 progressive MS subjects.

Cumulative gadodiamide administration leads to brain gadolinium deposition in early MS.

Objective: Frequent administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents in multiple sclerosis (MS) may increase signal intensity (SI) unenhanced T1-weighted imaging MRI throughout the brain. We evaluated the association between lifetime cumulative doses of gadodiamide administration and increased SI within the dentate nucleus (DN), globus pallidus (GP), and thalamus in patients with early MS.

Methods: A total of 203 patients with MS (107 with baseline and follow-up MRI assessments) and 262 age- and sex-matched controls were included in this retrospective, longitudinal, 3T MRI-reader-blinded study.

No association between variations in extracranial venous anatomy and clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis patients over 5 years.

Background: No longitudinal, long-term, follow-up studies have explored the association between presence and severity of variations in extracranial venous anatomy, and clinical outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: This prospective 5-year follow-up study assessed the relationship of variations in extracranial venous anatomy, indicative of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) on Doppler sonography, according to the International Society for Neurovascular Disease (ISNVD) proposed consensus criteria, with clinical outcomes and disease progression in MS patients.

Methods: 90 MS patients (52 relapsing-remitting, RRMS and 38 secondary-progressive, SPMS) and 38 age- and sex-matched HIs were prospectively followed for 5.

Ventral posterior substantia nigra iron increases over 3 years in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized in part by the progressive accumulation of iron within the substantia nigra (SN); however, its spatial and temporal dynamics remain relatively poorly understood.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate spatial patterns and temporal evolution of SN iron accumulation in PD.

Methods: A total of 18 PD patients (mean disease duration = 6.

Oxysterols and apolipoproteins in multiple sclerosis: a 5 year follow-up study.

The purpose of this work was to investigate whether changes in oxysterol and apolipoprotein levels over 5 years are associated with disease course and disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study included 139 subjects [39 healthy controls (HCs), 61 relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients, and 39 progressive MS (P-MS) patients]. Oxysterols [24-hydroxycholesterol (24HC), 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), 7α-hydroxycholesterol (7αHC), and 7-ketocholesterol (7KC)] were measured at baseline and 5 years using a novel mass spectrometric method, and apolipoproteins were measured using immunoturbidometric diagnostic kits.

Aging and Brain Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: Brain atrophy accelerates at the age of 60 in healthy individuals (HI) and at disease onset in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Whether there is an exacerbating effect of aging superimposed on MS-related brain atrophy is unknown. We estimated the aging effect on lateral ventricular volume (LVV) and whole brain volume (WBV) changes in MS patients.

Marijuana Use by Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: With social attitudes about marijuana changing and patients sometimes seeking nonmainstream treatment options, the main goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, marijuana use by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Adult patients with MS (n = 521) and controls (n = 279) from a study of clinical, neuroimaging, genetic, and environmental factors in MS progression were included. Patients with MS stated whether they had ever used marijuana before MS diagnosis, after MS diagnosis, and in the preceding 3 months as part of an in-person questionnaire.