Publications by authors named "LINKER R"

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system affecting approximately 2.8 million people worldwide. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, various lifestyle factors contribute to disease development and progression.

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  • Glioblastoma (GB) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with poor outcomes, and this study explored the impact of prediagnostic antibiotic use on treatment side effects and survival rates in GB patients.
  • Out of 78 patients, those who used antibiotics before diagnosis experienced significantly higher rates of loss of appetite, nausea, myelosuppression, and lymphocytopenia compared to those who didn't use antibiotics.
  • While antibiotic use was associated with increased toxicity symptoms and a potential trend towards shorter overall survival, it did not significantly affect overall or progression-free survival rates, indicating the need for further research on this relationship.
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(1) Background: Clinical aspects like sex, age, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) and psychosocial distress can affect the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and treatment satisfaction of patients with malignant isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDHwt) gliomas and caregivers. (2) Methods: We prospectively investigated the HR-QoL and patient/caregiver treatment satisfaction in a cross-sectional study with univariable and multiple regression analyses. Questionnaires were applied to investigate the HR-QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BN20) and treatment satisfaction (EORTC PATSAT-C33).

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  • The study investigates the impact of fingolimod treatment on heart rate (HR) and cardiovascular autonomic modulation in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), particularly focusing on those who initially experienced prolonged HR slowing.
  • It involves monitoring 34 patients before and after fingolimod initiation, measuring various cardiovascular parameters to assess changes in autonomic function.
  • Findings indicate that while all patients experienced HR decreases after treatment, those with initial prolonged HR slowing showed persistent differences in HR and autonomic modulation six months later compared to those without this phenomenon.
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  • Eculizumab (ECU) has shown effectiveness in preventing attacks in patients with aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-IgG seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) during a retrospective analysis in clinical settings between 2014 and 2022.
  • A total of 52 patients were studied, with 88% being attack-free during treatment, and the annualized attack rate significantly decreased from 1.0 to 0.
  • While common side effects included serious infections, five patients died from various complications, indicating a need for careful monitoring during long-term ECU therapy.
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Background: Recent studies provide increasing evidence for a relevant role of lifestyle factors including diet in the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). While the intake of saturated fatty acids and elevated salt worsen the disease outcome in the experimental model of MS by enhanced inflammatory but diminished regulatory immunological processes, sugars as additional prominent components in our daily diet have only scarcely been investigated so far. Apart from glucose and fructose, galactose is a common sugar in the so-called Western diet.

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  • Atrophy of both white and grey matter in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) occurs early and has significant clinical implications, which can be measured using MRI scans and automated software tools like "md brain."
  • This study looked at brain volumes from routine MRI scans of 53 pwMS, comparing those with higher disability scores (EDSS ≥ 3.5) and longer disease duration (≥ 10 years) to those with lower scores and shorter disease duration, as well as considering the impact of immunotherapy.
  • Results indicated that pwMS with higher EDSS scores and longer disease duration had notably smaller total brain and regional grey matter volumes, particularly in various lobes, and that those not receiving immunotherapy
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Purpose: People with primary malignant brain tumors experience serious health-related suffering caused by limited prognosis and high symptom burden. Consequently, neuro-oncological healthcare workers can be affected emotionally in a negative way. The aim of this study was to analyze the attitudes and behavior of nurses and physicians when confronted with spiritual distress in these patients.

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and spinal cord plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and monitoring of multiple sclerosis (MS). There is conclusive evidence that brain and spinal cord MRI findings in early disease stages also provide relevant insight into individual prognosis. This includes prediction of disease activity and disease progression, the accumulation of long-term disability and the conversion to secondary progressive MS.

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Genome-wide association studies identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) downstream of the transcription factor Sox8, associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Sox8 is known to influence oligodendrocyte terminal differentiation and is involved in myelin maintenance by mature oligodendrocytes. The possible link of a Sox8 related SNP and MS risk, along with the role of Sox8 in oligodendrocyte physiology prompted us to investigate its relevance during de- and remyelination using the cuprizone model.

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  • Myasthenic crisis (MC) is a serious problem for people with myasthenia gravis (MG) that sometimes needs machines to help them breathe.
  • Researchers looked at many patients (a total of 138 episodes) in Germany to see how often they had trouble getting off the breathing machine and what made it harder for them.
  • They found that older age, having multiple health problems, and other complications made it harder to breathe on their own, and they saw that some treatments worked better than others in helping patients recover.
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The recent success of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapies in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has highlighted the role of B cells in the pathogenesis of MS. In people with MS, the inflammatory characteristics of B-cell activity are elevated, leading to increased pro-inflammatory cytokine release, diminished anti-inflammatory cytokine production and an accumulation of pathogenic B cells in the cerebrospinal fluid. Rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, ublituximab and BCD-132 are anti-CD20 therapies that are either undergoing clinical development, or have been approved, for the treatment of MS.

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  • * In a study involving data from nearly 2,000 patients over up to 4 years, systemic injection-related reactions (IRRs) occurred in about 24.7% of patients, with most being mild to moderate in severity and primarily happening after the first injection.
  • * The results suggest that ofatumumab has a consistent safety profile and is well tolerated, even without the need for pre-medication, making it feasible for self-administration at home for RMS patients.
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Background: Malignant isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDHwt) gliomas impose a high symptomatic and psychological burden. Wide distances from patients' homes to cancer centers may affect the delivery of psycho-oncological care. Here, we investigated, in a large brain tumor center with a rural outreach, the initiation of psycho-oncological care depending on spatial distance and impact of psycho-oncological care on emergency visits.

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Purpose: Patients with glioblastoma are exposed to severe symptoms and organs failures (e.g., coma or acute respiratory failure), that may require intensive care unit (ICU) admission and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

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Background And Purpose: While the clinical hallmarks of transient global amnesia (TGA) are well defined, its pathophysiological causes are poorly understood. Specifically, risk factors for recurrences are yet to be determined.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed TGA cases diagnosed and treated within the TEMPiS telestroke network and a university stroke center in Germany.

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Multiple sclerosis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that leads to demyelination and neuronal cell death, resulting in functional disability. Remyelination is the natural repair process of demyelination, but it is often incomplete or fails in multiple sclerosis. Available therapies reduce the inflammatory state and prevent clinical relapses.

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Background And Objectives: Motor Neuron Diseases (MND) are rare diseases but have a high impact on affected individuals and society. This study aims to perform an economic evaluation of MND in Germany.

Methods: Primary patient-reported data were collected including individual impairment, the use of medical and non-medical resources, and self-rated Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL).

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  • Glioblastoma (GB) IDH-wildtype is a highly aggressive brain tumor that shows significant resistance to immunotherapy, with the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) playing a key role in this process.* -
  • TSPO expression in GB cells correlates with immune infiltration and resistance to T cell-mediated killing, as it regulates apoptosis pathways and is upregulated in response to cytokines from T cells.* -
  • Targeting TSPO may enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy for GB by overcoming intrinsic resistance mechanisms and improving the sensitivity of cancer cells to immune attacks.*
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  • FOXP3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for preventing autoimmune responses, and their dysfunction can lead to autoimmunity with pro-inflammatory traits.
  • High salt (HS) exposure alters Treg metabolism, mimicking features seen in autoimmune Tregs by disrupting mitochondrial function.
  • The study suggests that short-term high salt intake can lead to long-lasting negative effects on Tregs, potentially increasing the risk of autoimmune conditions, but these effects may be reversible by targeting specific metabolic pathways.
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Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) has been recognized as a rare cause of very severe encephalitis with rapid onset in central Europe. Data on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis have not yet been analyzed in detail. Here, we present the first study on CSF changes in BoDV-1 encephalitis.

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It has been over a year since people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) have been receiving vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With a negligible number of cases in which vaccination led to a relapse or new onset MS, experts around the world agree that the potential consequences of COVID-19 in pwMS by far outweigh the risks of vaccination. This article reviews the currently available types of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the immune responses they elicit in pwMS treated with different DMTs.

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Background And Purpose: Brain pseudoatrophy has been shown to play a pivotal role in the interpretation of brain atrophy measures during the first year of disease-modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis. Whether pseudoatrophy also affects the spinal cord remains unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the extent of pseudoatrophy in the upper spinal cord during the first 2 years after therapy initiation and compare this to the brain.

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