Publications by authors named "Valeria Koska"
Background: This preliminary retrospective cohort study investigates the potential additive prophylactic effect of erenumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that blocks the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, in combination with ongoing onabotulinumtoxin A (onaBoNT-A) treatment in patients suffering from chronic migraine.
Methods: The study included 218 patients and investigated the effects of adding erenumab to the existing treatment regimen. The primary outcome was the MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment) score assessed 3 months after the introduction of erenumab.
Article Synopsis
- Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) serves as a biomarker for tracking disease progression in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), although the changes in retinal layers for progressive MS remain uncertain.
- Analyzing data from 195 RRMS, 87 secondary progressive MS (SPMS), 125 primary progressive MS (PPMS), and 98 control patients, researchers found that certain retinal layer thicknesses could predict relapses and MRI activity in various MS types.
- However, the variability in measuring retinal thickness limits the effectiveness of longitudinal assessments for individual patients.
Article Synopsis
- Fingolimod (FTY) is a treatment for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but can cause severe lymphopenia, leading to the need to stop the therapy to prevent serious side effects.
- Stopping FTY can result in a severe reactivation of the disease, characterized by tumefactive demyelinating lesions (TDLs), which are large lesions in the brain possibly caused by the influx of activated lymphocytes.
- A case study of a 26-year-old woman demonstrated a major rebound of TDLs after stopping FTY, requiring multiple plasmapheresis treatments and subsequent use of ocrelizumab for long-term management.
The Marburg variant of multiple sclerosis (Marburg MS) is the most aggressive form of MS, often leading to death soon after onset. Here we describe the case of a 26-year-old Marburg MS patient presenting with severe neurological deficits requiring intensive care. In spite of more than 100 gadolinium-enhancing MRI lesions, the patient recovered almost completely upon high-dose cyclophosphamide (HiCy) rescue treatment (four consecutive days with 50 mg/kg/day, cumulative absolute dose of 14 g).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic disability in multiple sclerosis is linked to neuroaxonal degeneration. 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) is used and licensed as a symptomatic treatment to ameliorate ambulatory disability in multiple sclerosis. The presumed mode of action is via blockade of axonal voltage gated potassium channels, thereby enhancing conduction in demyelinated axons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The association of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness with neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) is well established. The relationship of the adjoining inner nuclear layer (INL) with inflammatory disease activity is less well understood.
Objective: The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship of INL volume changes with inflammatory disease activity in MS.