Real-world comparison of lymphopenia profiles in S1P receptor modulators for multiple sclerosis: a multicenter retrospective study.

Introduction: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators, regulating the S1P/S1PR pathway, lead to lymphocyte sequestration in lymphoid organs, which results in peripheral lymphopenia. This study evaluates the degree of lymphopenia induced by S1P modulators in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Ozanimod, Siponimod, Ponesimod, and Fingolimod.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study across thirteen MS centers in Italy, including 191 MS patients (mean age 46.

Use of Transglutaminase 2 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with Radiologically Isolated Syndrome as a neuroinflammation biomarker: A preliminary study.

The calcium-dependent enzyme Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) (E.C. 2.

Clinical and MRI features contributing to the clinico-radiological dissociation in a large cohort of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: People with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) often show a mismatch between disability and T2-hyperintense white matter (WM) lesion volume (LV), that in general is referred to as the clinico-radiological paradox.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand how an extensive clinical, neuropsychological, and MRI analysis could better elucidate the clinico-radiological dissociation in a large cohort of PwMS.

Methods: Clinical scores, such as Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), 9 Hole Peg Test (9HPT), 25-foot Walking Test (25-FWT), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test at 3 s (PASAT3), Symbol digit Modalities Test (SDMT), demographics, and 3 T-MRI of 717 PwMS and 284 healthy subjects (HS) were downloaded from the INNI database.

The relationship between biological sex, cognitive reserve, and cognition in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Cognitive impairment is a common feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), and its severity may be influenced by several factors, such as biological sex and levels of cognitive reserve (CR). The relationship between sex, CR, and cognition has not yet been fully investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore sex differences in CR building and the effect of sex and CR on cognitive performance in MS.

Longitudinal assessment of cognitive function in patients with non-relapsing MOG-IgG associated disease.

Background: Non-relapsing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (nr-MOGAD) is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system that frequently affects younger populations. The longitudinal impact of nr-MOGAD on cognitive function remains poorly characterized.

Objectives: To investigate cognitive profiles and longitudinal cognitive changes in patients with nr-MOGAD compared to individuals with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (pwRRMS) and healthy controls (HCs).

Multicentre case-control study on the association between COVID-19 vaccines and neurological disorders (COVIVAX).

The COVIVAX study assessed the association between COVID-19 vaccination and the risk of common neurological disorders in a multicenter case-control design. Vaccination exposure was compared between individuals with a first diagnosis of a neurological disorder (cases) and age- and sex-matched controls. A total of 624 participants were enrolled, and after random 1:1 matching 265 cases and 265 matched controls (total 530 participants) were included in the analyses.

Cognitive reserve predicts long-term cognitive trajectories in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: The effect of cognitive reserve (CR) on cognition in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (pwRRMS) has been partially investigated.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the long-term cognitive trajectories of pwRRMS based on their CR, measured using the Vocabulary Knowledge Test (VOC).

Methods: 78 pwRRMS underwent a neuropsychological evaluation at baseline and after a mean follow-up of 6.

Methodology and clinical utility of longitudinal UBA1 tracking in VEXAS syndrome.

Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) is a haemato-inflammatory syndrome genetically defined by somatic mutations in the X-linked UBA1 gene, typically Val/Thr/Leu substitutions at the Met41 hotspot. Clinical manifestations are heterogeneous and refractory to most haemato-rheumatological treatments. To date, no guidelines exist for the management of VEXAS, and scarce is the evidence on methodology and clinical significance of longitudinal UBA1 clonal burden evaluation upon therapy.

Consensus of algorithms for lesion segmentation in brain MRI studies of multiple sclerosis.

Segmentation of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions on brain MRI scans is crucial for diagnosis, disease and treatment monitoring but is a time-consuming task. Despite several automated algorithms have been proposed, there is still no consensus on the most effective method. Here, we applied a consensus-based framework to improve lesion segmentation on T1-weighted and FLAIR scans.

Regional hippocampal atrophy reflects memory impairment in patients with early relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Research work has shown that hippocampal subfields are atrophic to varying extents in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, studies examining the functional implications of subfield-specific hippocampal damage in early MS are limited. We aim to gain insights into the relationship between hippocampal atrophy and memory function by investigating the correlation between global and regional hippocampal atrophy and memory performance in early MS patients.

Functional gradients reveal cortical hierarchy changes in multiple sclerosis.

Functional gradient (FG) analysis represents an increasingly popular methodological perspective for investigating brain hierarchical organization but whether and how network hierarchy changes concomitant with functional connectivity alterations in multiple sclerosis (MS) has remained elusive. Here, we analyzed FG components to uncover possible alterations in cortical hierarchy using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data acquired in 122 MS patients and 97 healthy control (HC) subjects. Cortical hierarchy was assessed by deriving regional FG scores from rs-fMRI connectivity matrices using a functional parcellation of the cerebral cortex.

Increased genomic instability and reshaping of tissue microenvironment underlie oncogenic properties of mutations.

Oncogenic mutations accumulating in many chromatin-associated proteins have been identified in different tumor types. With a mutation rate from 10 to 57%, has been widely considered a tumor suppressor gene. However, whether this role is mainly due to its transcriptional-related activities or its ability to preserve genome integrity is still a matter of intense debate.

Vocabulary knowledge as a reliable proxy of cognitive reserve in multiple sclerosis: a validation study.

Introduction: The present study aimed to explore the suitability of the vocabulary knowledge (VOC) test as an accurate and reliable proxy of cognitive reserve (CR) by evaluating its psychometric properties and discrimination accuracy compared with other CR measures in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Sixty-eight consecutive people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), followed at our MS outpatient clinic, completed a clinical evaluation and neuropsychological assessment including: VOC, Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (BRB-N), Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq), Beck Depression Inventory-II, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and discrimination accuracy of the VOC were assessed using educational level as reference standard.

Efficacy and safety of tixagevimab-cilgavimab (Evusheld®) in people with Multiple Sclerosis on Ocrelizumab: preliminary evidence.

Background: Evusheld (EVS) was authorized by FDA and EMA as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in people at high risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes, including people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) on B-cell depleting (BCD) therapies-such as Ocrelizumab (OCR). In this population, no data on possible adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to EVS, B-lymphocytes (CD20 +) counts pre- and post-EVS injection, and comparison of percentage increase of IgG antibodies directed against SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein (anti-TSP IgG) post-EVS and Covid-19 vaccine was available. The aim of this study was to better characterize the efficacy and safety profile of EVS in pwMS on BCD agents.

Quality of care provided by Multiple Sclerosis Centers during Covid-19 pandemic: Results of an Italian multicenter patient-centered survey.

Background: Covid-19 pandemic impacted on management of people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). Level of satisfaction of pwMS regarding the care received by the staff of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (MSCs) during the pandemic was not fully investigated. In a large patient-centered multicenter study, the therapeutic adherence and quality of care of MSCs was assessed.

Validation of an iPad version of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS).

Background: The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is the most widely used screening tool for cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, the administration and scoring procedures of the paper version are time consuming and prone to errors. Aim of our study was to develop a tablet version of BICAMS (iBICAMS), and to assess its reliability compared to the paper version.

AQP4-MOG Double-Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder: Case Report with Central and Peripheral Nervous System Involvement and Review of Literature.

(1) The co-occurrence of AQP4 and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies in patients with demyelinating disorders is extremely rare. In addition, a concomitant involvement of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) has been described either in association with AQP4 antibodies-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), or MOG-associated disease. We report on a case of NMOSD with co-occurrence of AQP4 and MOG antibodies and concomitant central and peripheral nervous system involvement.

Efficacy and safety of belantamab-mafodotin in triple-refractory multiple myeloma patients: A multicentric real-life experience.

Belantamab-mafodotin is an innovative and selective treatment for multi-refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) patients; however, available real-life experiences on efficacy and safety are limited. In this real-world multicentric retrospective study, we enrolled 28 MM patients treated in four Hematology units of Campania region, Italy, who received a median of six treatment lines prior to belantamab-mafodotin. The overall response rate (ORR) was 40% (complete remission, CR, 11%; very good partial remission, VGPR, 11%; and partial remission, PR, 18%), with a median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 3 and 8 months, respectively.

Resting-state functional MRI in multicenter studies on multiple sclerosis: a report on raw data quality and functional connectivity features from the Italian Neuroimaging Network Initiative.

The Italian Neuroimaging Network Initiative (INNI) is an expanding repository of brain MRI data from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients recruited at four Italian MRI research sites. We describe the raw data quality of resting-state functional MRI (RS-fMRI) time-series in INNI and the inter-site variability in functional connectivity (FC) features after unified automated data preprocessing. MRI datasets from 489 MS patients and 246 healthy control (HC) subjects were retrieved from the INNI database.

Prediction of the information processing speed performance in multiple sclerosis using a machine learning approach in a large multicenter magnetic resonance imaging data set.

Many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience information processing speed (IPS) deficits, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) has been recommended as a valid screening test. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has markedly improved the understanding of the mechanisms associated with cognitive deficits in MS. However, which structural MRI markers are the most closely related to cognitive performance is still unclear.

Humoral response and safety of the third booster dose of BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis treated with ocrelizumab or fingolimod.

Background: The assessment of the safety and the humoral response to a third booster dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is relevant in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) treated with Ocrelizumab (OCR) or Fingolimod (FNG).

Methods: Serum samples were collected from Healthy controls (HCs) and pwMS treated with OCR or FNG at the following time-points: before the first of two vaccine doses (T0); 8 (T1), 16 (T2), 24 (T3) weeks after the first dose; within 8 weeks before (T0b) and after (T1b) the booster dose. IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein (Anti-TSP IgG) were quantified and expressed as binding antibody units (BAU)/mL.