Specificity of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Neuromyelitis Optica in Comparison With Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Purpose The aim of this study was to describe lower urinary tract symptoms in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), and to compare these data with urinary disorders observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Methods Retrospective study of data collected from January 1997 to July 2017 using the database from a Neuro-Urology Department of a university hospital. NMO and MS patients were matched for sex, age, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) Results Twenty-six patients with NMO were included and compared with 33 MS patients. Mean age was 41.6 years (standard deviation [SD], 14,8), mostly female patients (24 vs. 2 males). Mean EDSS was 4.6 (SD, 1.8) in the 2 groups. In NMO group, 57% of the patients (n=15) had overactive bladder with urgency and urge incontinence and 38.5% (n=10) of them had nocturia. Voiding symptoms was observed in 69.2% of the patients (n=18); 42.3% of NMO patients performed self-intermittent catheterization versus 12.1% in MS patients (P=0.012). Low bladder compliance and severe urinary tract infections (pyelonephritis) were more frequent in NMO than in MS patients (respectively 15% vs. 0%, P=0.016 and 42% vs. 12%, P=0.024). Conclusions Lower urinary tract symptoms, especially overactive bladder and urinary retention, are frequent in NMO. Low bladder compliance, serious urinary infections, and high prevalence of urinary retention requiring self-intermittent catheterization are the main symptoms significantly more frequent than in MS

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Rehabilitation of balance after stroke with multisensorial training: a single-blind randomized controlled study.

International audienceOBJECTIVE: To compare 2 rehabilitation strategies to improve balance after stroke: (1) a multisensorial approach based on higher intensity of balance tasks and exercise during visual deprivation and (2) a conventional neurodevelopmentaltheory-based treatment (NDT) that used a general approach for sensorimotor rehabilitation. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group study measured outcomes with blinded assessors. Sixty-eight patients able to walk without human assistance were entered from 3 to 15 months (mean, 7 months) after a first hemispheric stroke. They received 20 sessions in 4 weeks of NDT or multisensorial rehabilitation. On day 0, day 30, and day 90, assessment included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), posturography, gait (velocity, double stance phase, climbing 10 steps, amount of walking per day), the Functional Independence Measure, and the Nottingham Health Profile. RESULTS: All subjects improved significantly in balance and walking parameters. Regarding the main dependent variable (BBS on day 30), no difference between groups was found. Analysis of secondary outcomes suggested small differences in favor of the experimental group, but the differences are not likely to be clinically relevant. CONCLUSION: No evidence was found for the superiority of a multisensorial rehabilitation program in ambulatory patients with impairments beyond the time of inpatient therapy. Additional studies are recommended

Pancreatology

BACKGROUND: PRSS1 and PRSS2 constitute the only functional copies of a tandemly-arranged five-trypsinogen-gene cluster (i.e., PRSS1, PRSS3P1, PRSS3P2, TRY7 and PRSS2) on chromosome 7q35. Variants in PRSS1 and PRSS2, including missense and copy number variants (CNVs), have been reported to predispose to or protect against chronic pancreatitis (CP). We wondered whether a common trypsinogen pseudogene deletion CNV (that removes two of the three trypsinogen pseudogenes, PRSS3P2 and TRY7) might be associated with CP causation/predisposition. METHODS: We analyzed the common PRSS3P2 and TRY7 deletion CNV in a total of 1536 CP patients and 3506 controls from France, Germany, India and Japan by means of quantitative fluorescent multiplex polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We demonstrated that the deletion CNV variant was associated with a protective effect against CP in the French, German and Japanese cohorts whilst a trend toward the same association was noted in the Indian cohort. Meta-analysis under a dominant model yielded a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.52-0.89; p = 0.005) whereas an allele-based meta-analysis yielded a pooled OR of 0.84 (95% CI 0.77-0.92; p = 0.0001). This protective effect is explicable by reference to the recent finding that the still functional PRSS3P2/TRY7 pseudogene enhancers upregulate pancreatic PRSS2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The common PRSS3P2 and TRY7 deletion CNV was associated with a reduced risk for CP. This finding provides additional support for the emerging view that dysregulated PRSS2 expression represents a discrete mechanism underlying CP predisposition or protection