Latin American RAND/UCLA modified Delphi consensus recommendations for management and treatment of adult MOGAD patients in clinical practice.

Introduction: Over the last decade, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) has seen significant advancements, with new diagnostic criteria and emerging biomarkers, increased recognition of more diverse clinical phenotypes, and new insights into disease prognosis and therapeutic strategies. Consequently, the management of MOGAD patients in Latin America (LATAM) has become more complex in clinical settings. This consensus was established to assess the best practices and treatment approaches for MOGAD in LATAM, with the goal of improving long-term outcomes for these populations.

Guillain-Barré syndrome after the Zika epidemic in Colombia: A multicenter, matched case-control study.

Background: Zika produced the highest increase in the incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Latin America in the last decade. The Neuroinfections Emerging in the Americas Study (NEAS) was established in 2016 to investigate the association of emerging infectious disorders with GBS in Colombia. The present study assessed the role of preceding infections, including arboviruses and other pathogens, as risk factors for GBS.

Long-term disability in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder with a history of myelitis is associated with age at onset, delay in diagnosis/preventive treatment, MRI lesion length and presence of symptomatic brain lesions.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that preferentially targets the spinal cord and optic nerves. Increasing disability is accrued with each inflammatory attack. Disability has been shown to be an independent predictor of poor quality of life in those with NMOSD.

Vaccines and the association with relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Background: It is unknown if vaccines cause non-specific immune activation in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and no consensus on the use of vaccines exists for this population. We investigated the temporal association of vaccinations with relapses in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

Methods: This is a multi-center retrospective analysis of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder for whom immunization history and clinical records from disease onset were available.

Anti-aquaporin-4 titer is not predictive of disease course in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare autoimmune disease associated with a serological antibody to aquaporin-4 (AQP4) detectable in up to 80% of patients. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is one of the most popular methods of testing for anti-AQP4 antibodies that results with a titer in which < 3 Units/ml is negative, 3-5 is borderline and 5+ is positive. The value of the positive titer in predicting long term disease course is currently unknown.

Aquaporin-4 serostatus does not predict response to immunotherapy in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

Background: Debate exists about whether neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder seronegative disease represents the same immune-mediated attack on astrocytic aquaporin-4 as in seropositive disease.

Objective: We investigated whether response to common treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder differed by serostatus, as assessed by change in annualized relapse rate.

Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of 245 patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder who were treated with either rituximab or mycophenolate mofetil as their first-line immunosuppressive treatment for disease prevention.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome Associated with Zika Virus Infection in Colombia.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been linked to the Guillain-Barré syndrome. From November 2015 through March 2016, clusters of cases of the Guillain-Barré syndrome were observed during the outbreak of ZIKV infection in Colombia. We characterized the clinical features of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in the context of this ZIKV infection outbreak and investigated their relationship with ZIKV infection.