A multi-centre longitudinal study analysing multiple sclerosis disease-modifying therapy prescribing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic raised concern amongst clinicians that disease-modifying therapies (DMT), particularly anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and fingolimod, could worsen COVID-19 in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). This study aimed to examine DMT prescribing trends pre- and post-pandemic onset.

Methods: A multi-centre longitudinal study with 8,771 participants from MSBase was conducted.

Seasonality and clinical characteristics of MS in an equatorial country.

Background: Month and season of birth have been associated with risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), but there is relatively little evidence regarding their influence on the timing and severity of disease at onset.

Objective: To assess whether month and season of birth influence the age and phenotype at onset of MS as well as its severity in a cohort of Colombian patients.

Methods: This study is an analysis on MS cases only, drawn from a previously published case-control study.

Multiple sclerosis functional tests and their comparability with self-administered values: A pilot study.

Introduction: Neurological impairment in multiple sclerosis is highly variable among patients and over time it is difficult to quantify. The Multiple Sclerosis Outcome Assessment Consortium established sensitive, cost-effective, clinically significant, and reproducible measures of different functional systems to measure outcomes in clinical trials. However, their use in clinical care routines is not widespread due to time and training constraints.

Fertility preferences and unmet need for family planning in women with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Most women with multiple sclerosis (MS) have childbearing potential. Although fertility and pregnancy are not affected by MS, the fertility preferences of women with MS can change due to the risk of complications for the mother and/or adverse pregnancy outcomes resulting from the disease or its treatment.

Objectives: To describe fertility preferences (FPs) and their associated factors, to estimate the Unmet Need for Family Planning (UNFP), use of contraceptives, and history of exposure to disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) during pregnancy in women with MS.

No seasonality in the risk of multiple sclerosis in an equatorial country: A case-control ecological study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis risk has been shown to have seasonal variations that are more pronounced in higher latitudes. However, this phenomenon has not been adequately studied near the Equator.

Objective: To explore the risk of multiple sclerosis associated with month, season of birth, and sunlight exposure variables in Colombia.

Humoral and Cellular Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Convalescent COVID-19 Patients With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: Information about humoral and cellular responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and antibody persistence in convalescent (COVID-19) patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is scarce. The objectives of this study were to investigate factors influencing humoral and cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2 and its persistence in convalescent COVID-19 PwMS.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of confirmed COVID-19 convalescent PwMS identified between February 2020 and May 2021 by SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on frequency of clinical visits, performance of MRI studies, and therapeutic choices in a multiple sclerosis referral centre.

Introduction: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) number of clinical visits, (2) magnetic resonance (MR) scans, and (3) treatment prescriptions in a multiple sclerosis (MS) referral centre.

Methods: Retrospective study covering January 2018 to May 2021.

Results: The monthly mean (standard deviation [SD]) of visits performed in 2020 (814[137.

Multiple sclerosis is associated with higher comorbidity and health care resource use: A population-based, case-control study in a western Mediterranean region.

Background And Purpose: Comorbidities are common in multiple sclerosis (MS), and have been associated with worse outcomes and increased health care resource usage. We studied the frequency of comorbidities and adverse health behaviors (AHBs) in MS patients in the Mediterranean region of Catalonia.

Methods: This population-based, case-control study used primary health care information covering 80% of Catalonia's population.

Delayed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in a low prevalence country.

: Early diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial to avoid future disability. The factors that influence diagnostic delay in low prevalence settings have been poorly studied.: To evaluate the factors associated with a delayed diagnosis of MS after the symptomatic onset.

COVID-19 in multiple sclerosis patients: susceptibility, severity risk factors and serological response.

Background And Purpose: Information regarding multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is scarce. The study objective was to describe the incidence and characteristics of MS patients with COVID-19, to identify susceptibility and severity risk factors and to assess the proportion of positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) serologies according to disease-modifying treatments.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of an MS cohort analysing data collected between February and May 2020.

Multiple sclerosis management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at higher risk for complications from the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic due to use of immunomodulatory disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and greater need for medical services.

Objectives: To evaluate risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and describe the pandemic's impact on healthcare delivery.

Methods: Surveys sent to MS patients at Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Vall d'Hebron-Centre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya in April and May 2020 collected information about comorbidities, DMTs, exposures, COVID-19 testing/outcomes, health behaviors, and disruptions to MS care.

Multiple sclerosis coverage in the written media of a low prevalence country.

Background: Awareness in the community is an important factor across a wide range of diseases and the communication media have an important role in its promotion. However, misinformation and misguide may take place heightening the expectations of people affected by chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). This study explores media coverage of MS in a low prevalence country.

Characterization of brain anatomical patterns by comparing region intensity distributions: Applications to the description of Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose: This work presents an automatic characterization of the Alzheimer's disease describing the illness as a multidirectional departure from a baseline defining the control state, being these directions determined by a distance between functional-equivalent anatomical regions.

Methods: After a brain parcellation, a region is described by its histogram of gray levels, and the Earth mover's distance establishes how close or far these regions are. The medoid of the control group is set as the reference and any brain is characterized by its set of distances to this medoid.

Visual, Ocular Motor, and Cochleo-Vestibular Loss in Patients With Heteroplasmic, Maternally-Inherited Diabetes Mellitus and Deafness (MIDD), 3243 Transfer RNA Mutation.

Background: Mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like symptoms (MELAS) and MIDD (maternally-inherited diabetes mellitus and deafness) are caused by A3243G transfer RNA mutations that affect mitochondrial function. Hearing loss and early onset diabetes mellitus constitute the main MIDD phenotype. Regarding the ophthalmologic manifestations of MIDD, we hypothesized that decreased vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain in patients with MIDD may contribute to impaired dynamic visual acuity.

HLA-DRB1*14 is a protective allele for multiple sclerosis in an admixed Colombian population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine ancestry informative markers, mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, and the association between HLA-DRB1 alleles and multiple sclerosis (MS) in a group of patients from Bogotá, Colombia.

Methods: In this case-control study, genomic DNA was isolated and purified from blood samples. HLA-DRB1 allele genotyping was done using PCR.