BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common complex disorder, with new treatment options emerging each year. Social media is being increasingly used to investigate opinions about drugs, diseases and procedures. In this descriptive exploratory study, we sought to investigate opinions about currently available MS treatments. METHODS The Twitter resource Topsy was searched for tweets mentioni...

Over the last two decades, patients have relied on the use of self-injectable disease modifying agents for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The need for frequent injections has affected treatment up take and adherence. Fingolimod, the first oral disease modifying agent to be licensed in Europe and the United States, has been shown to be effective in reducing relapse rates in comparison to p...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and possible efficacy of IFN-beta-1a for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Twenty-two patients with active RA were enrolled in a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 30 microg IFN-beta-1a by weekly self-injection for 24 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was safety. Secondary outcomes i...

ment of ever more effective drugs for the treatment of MS. The first immunomodulatory agents to benefit from the development mentioned above, interferon(Avonex , Betaferon/Betaseron , Rebif ) and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone ), have been on the market for more than a decade now and are established, safe, yet only mildly effective treatments for MS. They reduce the frequency of new relapses by...

Tumefactive demyelinating lesion is defined as large solitary demyelinating lesion with imaging characteristics mimicking neoplasm. These atypical features include size more than 2 cm, mass effect, edema, and/or ring enhancement. Distinguishing tumefactive lesions from other etiologies of intracranial space occupying lesions is essential to avoid inadvertent surgical or toxic chemotherapeutic i...

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a lysophospholipid mediator, is generated from sphingosine by sphingosine kinases and binds five known cell surface receptors. S1P receptor 1 (S1P1) plays an essential role in lymphocyte egress from secondary lymphoid organs (SLO), as evinced by the inability of lymphocytes to exit from the SLO in mice lacking lymphocytic S1P1. Fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720) is...