Objective: Neurodegeneration is now accepted as a pathologic hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS). We sought to discover whether CSF levels of neurofilament heavy chain protein (NfH(SMI35)) correlate with disability, disease activity, or specific stages of MS.
Methods: An electrochemiluminescence immunoassay was used to retrospectively measure NfH(SMI35) in CSF of patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) (n = 63), relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) (n = 39), secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) (n = 25), primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) (n = 23), or controls (n = 73). Cell count and CSF levels of immunoglobulin and albumin were also measured.
Results: CSF levels of NfH(SMI35) increased with age in controls (r(s) = 0.50, p < 0.0001) and CIS (r(s) = 0.50, p < 0.0001); this effect was less pronounced in RRMS (r(s) = 0.35, p = 0.027) and absent in SPMS/PPMS. After age correction, NfH(SMI35) levels were found to be higher in all disease stages compared to control. Relapses were associated with higher CSF NfH(SMI35) values compared with stable disease. NfH(SMI35) levels correlated with EDSS scores in patients with CIS and RRMS (r(s) = 0.33, p = 0.001), and during relapse (r(s) = 0.35, p = 0.01); the correlation was most prominent in RRMS during relapse (r(s) = 0.54, p = 0.01). This was not the case for any of the other CSF markers examined.
Conclusions: Neuronal loss is a feature of aging, and the age-dependent increase of CSF NfH(SMI35) suggests that this loss accelerates over time. For MS, increased NfH(SMI35) levels reflect the superimposed presence of further neurodegenerative processes. Evaluation of NfH(SMI35) levels is likely to provide a useful surrogate for measuring the rate of neurodegeneration in MS. Furthermore, the dissociation of NfH(SMI35) levels with biomarkers of inflammation suggests that the mechanisms responsible for their production are at least partly independent.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31821432ff | DOI Listing |
Int J MS Care
January 2025
From the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Health Sciences Research, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
Background: The quality of life (QOL) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is considerably poorer than the QOL of people with other chronic diseases. QOL management should not be restricted to only clinical aspects but also factors modifying QOL. The aim of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and clinical determinants of QOL in people with MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ginseng Res
January 2025
Department of Convergence Medical Science, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background: The non-saponin (NS) fraction is an important active component of with multifunctional pharmacological activities including neuroprotective, immune regulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. However, the effects of NSs on multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic and autoimmune demyelinating disorder, have not yet been demonstrated.
Purpose: and Methods: The goal of the present study was to demonstrate the pharmacological actions of NSs on movement dysfunctions and the related mechanisms of action using an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of MS.
Ther Adv Neurol Disord
January 2025
EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, MA, USA, an affiliate of Merck KGaA.
Background: Cladribine tablets are contraindicated during pregnancy; therefore, safety data on pregnancies exposed to this treatment are limited. CLEAR collects and describes pregnancy outcomes in this understudied population.
Objectives: To describe the main features of the CLEAR study design, including the data sources and the methodological approach, and provide a status update.
Front Cell Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Brain Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Introduction: , primary rat oligodendrocytes (OLs) are widely used for research on OL development, physiology, and pathophysiology in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Primary culture methods for OLs from rats have been developed and improved over time, but there are still multiple aspects in which efficiency can be boosted.
Methods: To make use of excess oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) from primary cultures, a cryopreservation process utilizing a commercially available serum-free cryopreservation medium was established to passage and freeze OPCs at -80°C for later use.
Front Neurol
January 2025
Biostatistics Department, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disease that mostly affects women.
Objectives: In this study we evaluated the relationship of pelvic muscle strengths with urinary incontinence and quality of life in women with MS.
Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional study 87 women with MS were recruited.
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