Spinal cord MRI activity in multiple sclerosis: Predictive value for relapses and impact on treatment decisions.

Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests the prognostic value of spinal cord (SC) pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the 2021 MAGNIMS-CMSC-NAIMS guidelines don't recommend routine SC MRI for disease monitoring. This study investigates the frequency of new asymptomatic and isolated SC lesions, exploring their potential to predict clinical activity and guide treatment decisions.

Effect of organic amendments obtained from different pretreatment technologies on soil microbial community.

The application of organic amendments (OAs) obtained from biological treatment technologies is a common agricultural practice to increase soil functionality and fertility. OAs and their respective pretreatment processes have been extensively studied. However, comparing the properties of OAs obtained from different pretreatment processes remains challenging.

Producing organic amendments: Physicochemical changes in biowaste used in anaerobic digestion, composting, and fermentation.

Organic amendments (OAs) produced via composting, anaerobic digestion, or lactic acid fermentation, can be used to replenish soil carbon. Not all OAs production technologies preserve C and nutrients in the same way. In this study, we compared the influence of these technologies (i.

Event-related potentials and deep grey matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis: Exploring the possible associations with cognition.

Background: Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been proposed as a neurophysiological biomarker to capture cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS). Few studies have evaluated the relationships between ERPs and brain atrophy as known marker of structural brain damage related to cognitive impairment (CI).

Objectives: To explore the relationships of brain atrophy, including of the cortex and deep grey matter, with ERP abnormalities and cognitive function, as defined using the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRBN).

The impact of modifiable risk factors on lesion burden in patients with early multiple sclerosis.

Introduction: Some studies have indicated the importance of considering smoking, vitamin D deficiency and obesity as negative prognostic factors for clinical and MRI outcomes in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of these modifiable risk factors on brain MRI lesion burden of patients with early MS, also exploring the influence on initial clinical features.

Methods: MS patients were enrolled at diagnosis time and examined for smoking, body mass index (BMI), serum level of lipids and 25(OH) vitamin D.

A cross-sectional and longitudinal study evaluating brain volumes, RNFL, and cognitive functions in MS patients and healthy controls.

Background: The principal biomarker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) is believed to be brain volume, which is associated with cognitive functions and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL). A cross-sectional and longitudinal assessment of the relationship between RNFL, cognitive functions and brain volume.

Methods: At baseline, relapsing patients and healthy controls underwent 1.

Adult brain volume in multiple sclerosis: The impact of paediatric onset.

Background: Paediatric onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is associated with reduced brain and deep grey matter volume in comparison with that in healthy controls and individuals with adult onset multiple sclerosis (AOMS). The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of POMS on adult brain volume with adjustment for other parameters, such as disease duration.

Patients And Methods: We recruited 20 POMS and 40 AOMS patients and 20 healthy controls matched for age and sex.

Autoimmune comorbidities in multiple sclerosis: what is the influence on brain volumes? A case-control MRI study.

Background: Several studies indicated that multiple sclerosis (MS) is frequently associated with other autoimmune diseases. However, it is little known if the coexistence of these conditions may influence the radiologic features of MS, and in particular the brain volumes.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of autoimmune comorbidities on brain atrophy in a large case-control MS population.

Cognition in multiple sclerosis: Between cognitive reserve and brain volume.

Background: Several correlations between cognitive impairment (CI), radiologic markers and cognitive reserve (CR) have been documented in MS.

Obiective: To evaluate correlation between CI and brain volume (BV) considering CR as possibile mitigating factor.

Methods: 195 relapsing MS patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment using BICAMS.

Brain volume in early MS patients with and without IgG oligoclonal bands in CSF.

Background: Oligoclonal bands of IgG (OB) are proposed as an early prognostic factor of the disease. Growing attention is directed towards brain volume evaluation as a possible marker of the severity of MS. Previous studies found that MS patients lacking OB have less brain atrophy.

Multiple sclerosis and HLA genotypes: A possible influence on brain atrophy.

Background: The strongest genetic determinant for multiple sclerosis (MS) is located at the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II DRB1 and DQB1 loci.

Objectives: To investigate the possible role of predisposing HLA genotypes in determining brain atrophy.

Methods: HLA genotypes were categorized as high risk (two predisposing haplotypes) or medium/low risk (one or no predisposing haplotypes).

'Timed up and go' and brain atrophy: a preliminary MRI study to assess functional mobility performance in multiple sclerosis.

Motor and cognitive disabilities are related to brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS). 'Timed up and go' (TUG) has been recently tested in MS as functional mobility test, as it is able to evaluate ambulation/coordination-related tasks, as well as cognitive function related to mobility. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between brain volumes and TUG performances.

Choice of resolution by functional trait or taxonomy affects allometric scaling in soil food webs.

Belowground organisms often display a shift in their mass-abundance scaling relationships due to environmental factors such as soil chemistry and atmospheric deposition. Here we present new empirical data that show strong differences in allometric scaling according to whether the resolution at the local scale is based on a taxonomic or a functional classification, while only slight differences arise according to soil environmental conditions. For the first time, isometry (an inverse 1:1 proportion) is recognized in mass-abundance relationships, providing a functional signal for constant biomass distribution in soil biota regardless of discrete trophic levels.

Species composition of a soil invertebrate multi-species test system determines the level of ecotoxicity.

A soil multi-species, SMS, experimental test system consisting of the natural microbial community, five collembolan species and a predatory mite along with either Enchytraeus crypticus or the earthworm Eisenia fetida were exposed to α-cypermethrin. A comparison of the performance of these two types of SMSs is given to aid the development of a standard test system. E.