Durvalumab and multiple sclerosis: a causal link or simple unmasking?

Non applicabile - Letter to the edito

Comparative Pigmentation Efficiency of High Dietary Levels of Apo-Ester and Marigold Extract on Quality Traits of Whole Liquid Egg of Two Strains of Laying Hens

This trial was carried out to compare the effect of the dietary supplementation of high doses of either synthetic pigment ethyl ester of β-apo-8'-carotenoic acid (apo-ester) or natural pigments, mainly lutein and zeaxanthin, extracted from Tagetes erecta, on egg quality of hens laying brown shell eggs (ISA Brown) and white shell eggs (Hy-Line White W-36). The hens of each strain were divided into 6 groups and fed a corn-soybean basal diet supplemented either with 40, 60, and 80 ppm of apo-ester (APO) or with 120,180, and 240 ppm of marigold extract (MAR). Egg pigmentation rose linearly and significantly (P < 0.01) as the dietary levels of apo-ester increased, but this did not occur when MAR supplementation was used. The amount of /3-carotene equivalents in whole liquid egg of MAR treatments was almost constant with varying pigment dietary dose and was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than in APO treatments. In both hen strains, whole liquid egg redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were higher with APO supplementation. The egg component weights were highly affected (P < 0.01) by the hen strain, with yolk:egg ratio higher in the Hy-Line. The trial confirms that in spite of the higher level of MAR supplementation, APO has a better efficiency in whole liquid egg pigmentation. The ISA Brown hens showed a better ability to absorb dietary carotenoids than did the Hy-Line White

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders associated with systemic sclerosis: a case report and literature review

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) afecting predominantly the spinal cord, brainstem, and optic nerves [1]. NMOSD may be associated with a variety of immunemediated disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, and other organ-specifc autoimmune diseases [2], though accurate information about their prevalence is not available [3]. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by vascular alterations, activation of the immune system, and tissue fbrosis [4]. Only a few cases of coexisting systemic sclerosis (SSc) and NMOSD are described [1, 5–9]. We report a case of an NMOSD AQP4-IgG antibodypositive patient associated with SSc and a review of the available evidence of the relationship between these autoimmune disease

Predictors of unemployment status in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis: a single center experience

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of nontraumatic chronic neurological disability affecting young adults during their crucial employment years. Objectives: To evaluate patients and disease related factors associated to unemployment in a cohort of relapsing–remitting (RR) MS patients. Methods: We included RRMS patients with a follow-up of at least 1&nbsp;year. We collected data about years of school education and employment status. Patients underwent a neuropsychological evaluation using the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS). Demographic and clinical predictors of unemployment were assessed through a multivariable stepwise logistic regression model. Results: We evaluated 260 consecutive RRMS patients. Employed patients were less frequently female (68.4% vs 83.3%, p = 0.006), less disabled (median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score: 2.0 (0–7.0) vs 2.5 (0–7.5), p &lt; 0.001), with more years of school education (mean ± standard deviation (SD), years: 13.74 ± 0.30 vs 10.86 ± 3.47, p &lt; 0.001). Female sex and a higher EDSS score resulted associated with a greater risk of unemployment (OR 3.510, 95% CI 1.654–7.448, p = 0.001; OR 1.366, 95% CI 1.074–1.737, p = 0.011, respectively), whereas a greater number of years of schooling and current disease-modifying therapy exposure resulted protective factors (OR 0.788, 95% CI 0.723–0.858, p &lt; 0,001; OR 0.414, 95% CI 0.217–0.790, p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions: Understanding work is pervasively influenced by consequences of MS, we confirmed the impact of demographic, physical, and cognitive factors on employment status in RRMS patients

Proteome analysis of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hA-MSCs) reveals impaired antioxidant ability, cytoskeleton and metabolic functionality in maternal obesity.

Maternal obesity increases the risk of obesity and/or obesity-related diseases in the offspring of animal models. The aim of this study was to identify metabolic dysfunctions that could represent an enhanced risk for human obesity or obesity-related diseases in newborn or in adult life, similar to what occurs in animal models. To this aim, we studied the proteome of 12 obese (Ob-) and 6 non-obese (Co-) human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hA-MSCs) obtained from women at delivery by cesarean section (pre-pregnancy body mass index [mean ± SD]: 42.7 ± 7.7 and 21.3 ± 3.3 kg/m(2), respectively). The proteome, investigated by two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry, revealed 62 differently expressed proteins in Ob- vs Co-hA-MSCs (P < 0.05), nine of which were confirmed by western blotting. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these 62 proteins are involved in several statistically significant pathways (P < 0.05), including the stress response, cytoskeleton and metabolic pathways. Oxidative stress was shown to be an early triggering factor of tissue fat accumulation and obesity-related disorders in the offspring of obese animal models. Our finding of a reduced stress response in Ob-hA-MSCs suggests that a similar mechanism could occur also in humans. Long-term follow-up studies of newborns of obese mothers are required to verify this hypothesis

Semen cryopreservation for the Mediterranean brown trout of the Biferno River (Molise-Italy): comparative study on the effects of basic extenders and cryoprotectants

This study was designed to optimize the semen freezing protocol of the native Mediterranean brown trout inhabiting the Molise rivers through two experiments: an in vitro analysis of the effects of two basic extenders combined with three cryoprotectants on post-thaw semen quality; and an in vivo test to assess the fertilization and hatching rate. Semen was diluted at a ratio of 1:3 in a freezing medium composed of a glucose extender (A) or mineral extender (B). Each basic component contained 10% dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylacetamide or methanol. The post-semen quality was evaluated considering motility, duration of motility, viability and DNA integrity. The basic extender and cryoprotectant were shown to have significant effects on these variables, and the best results were obtained using extender A or B combined with dimethylsulfoxide (P &lt; 0.05). These freezing protocols were selected for fertilization trials in vivo. Fertilization and hatching rates were significantly higher in fresh semen. No significant differences were observed in frozen semen using extender A or B, although higher percentages of eyed eggs and hatching rates were recorded using extender A. According to our in vitro and in vivo results, the glucose-based extender and dimethylsulfoxide emerged as the best combination for an effective cryopreservation protocol for semen of this trou

Longitudinal Evaluation of Serum MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG Antibodies in NMOSD by a Semiquantitative Ratiometric Method

Background and purpose: Immunoadsorption (IA) is an antibody-depleting therapy used to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) associated to antiaquaporin 4 (anti-AQP4-IgG) and antimyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (anti-MOG-IgG) serum autoantibodies. Our aim was to evaluate longitudinal changes of serum MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG antibody titer and to correlate it with the clinical status. Methods: Autoantibody titer and clinical features of two MOG-IgG+/AQP4-IgG– and two AQP4-IgG+/MOG-IgG– patients with NMOSD were collected at baseline (T0), after 6 IA courses (T1), and then 2 weeks (T2) and 6 months after treatment (T3). A fluorescent ratiometric assay was used for a quantitative detection of MOG and AQP4 antibodies, based on HEK-293 cells transfected with the full-length hMOG fused to GFP or h-AQP4-M23 isoform fused to m-cherry, respectively. We defined the antibody titer as MOG quantitative ratio (MOGqr) and AQP4 quantitative ratio (AQP4qr). Results: In Case 1, the MOGqr dropped from 0.98 at T0 to 0.14 at T3, and in Case 2, it decreased from 0.96 at T0 to undetectable at T3. In Case3, the AQP4qr remained high: 0.90 at T0 and 0.92 at T3. In Case 4, the AQP4qr decreased from 0.50 at T0 to undetectable at T3. Complete recovery was found in Cases 1, 2, and 4. Conclusions: Semiquantitative ratiometric method accurately detects even slight variation of MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG titer, suggesting it may be useful to monitor the antibody titer during the disease course and maintenance immunotherapy

Seroconversion and indolent course of COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with fingolimod and teriflunomide

Non applicale in quanto si tratta di di una Letter to the Edito

Disease-Modifying Therapies and Coronavirus Disease 2019 Severity in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: This study was undertaken to assess the impact of immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies on the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Methods: We retrospectively collected data of PwMS with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. All the patients had complete follow-up to death or recovery. Severe COVID-19 was defined by a 3-level variable: mild disease not requiring hospitalization versus pneumonia or hospitalization versus intensive care unit (ICU) admission or death. We evaluated baseline characteristics and MS therapies associated with severe COVID-19 by multivariate and propensity score (PS)-weighted ordinal logistic models. Sensitivity analyses were run to confirm the results. Results: Of 844 PwMS with suspected (n = 565) or confirmed (n = 279) COVID-19, 13 (1.54%) died; 11 of them were in a progressive MS phase, and 8 were without any therapy. Thirty-eight (4.5%) were admitted to an ICU; 99 (11.7%) had radiologically documented pneumonia; 96 (11.4%) were hospitalized. After adjusting for region, age, sex, progressive MS course, Expanded Disability Status Scale, disease duration, body mass index, comorbidities, and recent methylprednisolone use, therapy with an anti-CD20 agent (ocrelizumab or rituximab) was significantly associated (odds ratio [OR] = 2.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.18–4.74, p = 0.015) with increased risk of severe COVID-19. Recent use (&lt;1 month) of methylprednisolone was also associated with a worse outcome (OR = 5.24, 95% CI = 2.20–12.53, p = 0.001). Results were confirmed by the PS-weighted analysis and by all the sensitivity analyses. Interpretation: This study showed an acceptable level of safety of therapies with a broad array of mechanisms of action. However, some specific elements of risk emerged. These will need to be considered while the COVID-19 pandemic persists. ANN NEUROL 2021