OBJECTIVE To perform systematic transcriptomic analysis of multiple sclerosis (MS) risk genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of subjects with distinct MS stages and describe the pathways characterized by dysregulated gene expressions. METHODS We monitored gene expression levels in PBMCs from 3 independent cohorts for a total of 297 cases (including clinically isolated syndromes...

Background. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has facilitated characterisation of retinal alterations in MS patients. Only scarce and in part conflicting data exists on different MS subtypes. Objective. To analyse patterns of retinal changes in different subtypes of MS with latest spectral-domain technology. Methods. In a three-centre cross-sectional study 414 MS patients and 94 healthy contro...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of unknown etiology that affects the CNS. While current therapies are primarily directed against the immune system, the new challenge is to address progressive MS with remyelinating and neuroprotective strategies. Here, we develop a highly reproducible protocol to efficiently derive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) and mature oli...

OBJECTIVE Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with various psychological problems, including depression and anxiety. Whilst MS support groups are intended to improve mental health, this goal is not always achieved. Taking a social identity approach, we hypothesise that it is the level of subjective identification with a support group (rather than simply support group membership per se) that p...

The concurrence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) is extremely rare. We reported the case of a 33-year-old woman with a past history of paresthesias at the right hand, who developed progressive quadriparesis with muscular atrophy of limbs and, finally, bulbar signs and dyspnea. Clinical and neurophysiologic investigations revealed upper and lower motor neuron si...

Ten to fifteen percent of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a condition that is progressive from onset without a preceding relapsing-remitting phase: this is known as primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Patients with PPMS tend to be older, often present with motor symptoms and, in contrast to relapsing MS, are as likely to be male as female. The conventional magnetic resonan...

UNLABELLED Cognitive impairment is a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Different clinical forms of multiple sclerosis have different cognitive profiles, according to findings of previous studies which used extensive batteries of neuropsychological tests. OBJECTIVE To investigate cognitive profiles of Brazilian patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary progressi...

The aim of this study was to investigate the selected indicators of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Herzegovina (Western Herzegovina Canton and Herzegovina-Neretva Canton). By using all available health and medical sources in the studied area and using McDonald's criteria, a total of 96 patients were identified in the period from 1996 to 2006. Results of the study show that the crude prevalence of M...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety and efficacy of rituximab in multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS In this retrospective uncontrolled observational multicenter study, off-label rituximab-treated patients with MS were identified through the Swedish MS register. Outcome data were collected from the MS register and medical charts. Adverse events (AEs) grades 2-5 according to the Common Terminolog...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to broadly evaluate the expression of HERV core (GAG) and envelope (ENV) genes in diseased brain white matter samples from MS patients compared to normal controls. METHODS Twenty-eight HERV GAG and 88 ENV gene sequences were retr...