A comparison of natalizumab and ocrelizumab on disease progression in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: No direct comparisons of the effect of natalizumab and ocrelizumab on progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) and relapse-associated worsening (RAW) events are currently available. We aimed to compare the risk of achieving first 6 months confirmed PIRA and RAW events and irreversible Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 4.0 and 6.

Brain lesion microstructure in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein disease.

Background And Purpose: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) diagnosis are based on the presence of serological and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), neurites orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), and the Spherical Mean Technique (SMT) may be helpful to provide a microstructural characterization of the different types of white matter lesions and give an insight about their different pathological mechanisms. The aim of the study was to characterize microstructural differences between brain typical lesions (TLs) and nontypical lesions (nTLs).

Cognitive rehabilitation effects on grey matter volume and Go-NoGo activity in progressive multiple sclerosis: results from the CogEx trial.

Background: Research on cognitive rehabilitation (CR) and aerobic exercise (EX) to improve cognition in progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) remains limited. CogEx trial investigated the effectiveness of CR and EX in PMS: here, we present MRI substudy volumetric and task-related functional MRI (fMRI) findings.

Methods: Participants were randomised to: 'CR plus EX', 'CR plus sham EX (EX-S)', 'EX plus sham CR (CR-S)' and 'CR-S plus EX-S' and attended 12-week intervention.

Safety of anti-varicella zoster virus vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab: A case series.

The vaccination with live attenuated vaccines is generally not recommended during natalizumab (NTZ), as it is included among immunosuppressive/immunomodulating therapies. Nevertheless, considering the lack of evidence of a non-Central Nervous System (CNS) immunosuppressive effect of NTZ, after a risk/benefit evaluation, we decided to vaccinate four multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (three with an indication to switch to ocrelizumab for high-risk Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) and one for pregnancy planning). No vaccine-related adverse events of any type nor varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections were observed.

Evaluating the central vein sign in paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis: A case series study.

The central vein sign (CVS) has been proposed as a biomarker of multiple sclerosis (MS). In adult-onset MS (AOMS), 40%-threshold of CVS positive (+) lesions demonstrated high accuracy for MS diagnosis. However, CVS+ lesions' performance has not been characterized in paediatric-onset (POMS) yet.

Overexpression of both CXC chemokine receptor 4 and vascular endothelial growth factor proteins predicts early distant relapse in stage II-III colorectal cancer patients.

Purpose: CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are implicated in the metastatic process of malignant tumors. However, no data are currently available on the biological relationship between these molecules in colorectal cancer. We studied whether CXCR4 and VEGF expression could predict relapse and evaluated in vitro the contribution of CXCR4 in promoting clonogenic growth, VEGF secretion, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression of colorectal cancer cells.

Has lung cancer in the elderly different characteristics at presentation?

Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer death for males aged > or =35 years, and the second for females aged between 35 and 70 years. Elderly patients seem to have the worst performance status (PS) and earlier stage of disease at diagnosis. We analyzed data concerning 1,035 patients with lung cancer referred to the National Cancer Institute of Naples.