The EVIDENCE trial demonstrated that interferon (IFN) beta-1a, 44 mcg subcutaneously (sc) three times weekly (tiw) (Rebif), was significantly more effective than IFN beta-1a, 30 mcg intramuscularly (im) once weekly (qw) (Avonex), in reducing relapses and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at both 24 ...

The concentration in plasma of the brain-specific cholesterol metabolite cerebrosterol has been proposed as a biomarker of neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. It is unknown, however, which pathophysiological process in MS best accounts for variations in plasma cerebrosterol. In this study, we related plasma cerebrosterol concentrations ...

Detailed studies of the natural history of untreated multiple sclerosis (MS) have been carried out in London, Ontario, Canada, over the past generation. There are now some 25,000 patient-years of follow-up in a cohort of slightly more than 1,000 individuals. From the data, it is clear that a number of ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Corpus callosum lesions are of specific interest in the evaluation of suspected multiple sclerosis in brain MR imaging. Using thin-section sagittal fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, researchers have shown that the finding of "subcallosal striations" correlates significantly with the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Using the same MR imaging ...

Gray matter magnetic resonance imaging T2 hypointensity, a marker of iron deposition, is associated with clinical impairment and brain atrophy in cross-sectional studies of multiple sclerosis. Treatment with intramuscular interferon beta-1a limits brain atrophy in the second year of treatment. To test whether T2 hypointensity predicts brain atrophy and whether ...

We investigated the distribution of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-measured response to glatiramer acetate (GA) treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) using data from a clinical trial of relapsing-remitting (RR) MS. A fixed and a random effects model were used to quantify the between-patient heterogeneity in treatment response, expressed as new ...

We investigated if monthly gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can assist the clinician in anticipating the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the very first few months following a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). A consecutive series of CIS patients with > or = 3 T2-weighted (T2W) hyperintense brain MRI ...

Cyclophosphamide has been widely studied for the treatment of MS and the effective stabilization of selected patients on therapy has been suggested in several studies. This drug has selective effects on the immune response, such as suppression of helper Th1 activity and enhancement of helper Th2 responses; both of these ...

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is involved in blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in active multiple sclerosis (MS), while MMP-2 seems to be associated with the chronic progressive phase of the disease. Recombinant interferon beta-1a (rIFNbeta-1a) is effective in restoring the BBB. We studied the relationships between serum MMP-9, MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 ...

There is much evidence of the importance of the preclinical phase of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, apart from a recent report of the incidental discovery of a case of primary progressive MS, there are no data on the sequential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up of patients before the clinical phase. ...

OBJECTIVE: To measure white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) atrophy and lesion load in a large population of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using a fully automated, operator-independent, multiparametric segmentation method. METHODS: The study population consisted of 597 patients with MS and 104 control subjects. The MRI parameters were ...

The McDonald criteria include MRI evidence for dissemination in space and dissemination in time for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in young adult patients who present with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) typical of the disease. Although a major advance, the criteria have limited sensitivity for making an early diagnosis. To ...

Postmortem MRI-guided tissue sampling significantly enhances the yield of MS lesions in autopsy material, but so far it is unknown whether abnormalities concur with blood-brain barrier alterations. Here we sampled MS lesions with focal and diffuse abnormalities (diffusely abnormal white matter; DAWM) on MRI; both were coupled to the presence ...

Whereas the effect of interferons (IFNs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcome measures in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been convincingly shown, little work has been done to define the between-patient heterogeneity of treatment response. Our aim was to assess the distribution of the effect of IFNbeta-1b in terms ...

Although the coincidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and central nervous system (CNS) tumors has been reported in over 30 cases in English literature, meningioma growth was associated with interferon-beta (INF-b) treated MS only in two of them. We report the case of a 19-year-old woman with clinically possible, laboratory supported ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether noninvasive planimetry of the mitral valve area (MVA) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is feasible and reliable in patients with mitral stenosis (MS). BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of MVA is particularly important for the management of patients with valvular stenosis. Current standard techniques for assessing ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Perfusion measurement in multiple sclerosis (MS) may cast light on the disease pathogenesis and lesion development since vascular pathology is frequently demonstrated in the disease. This study was performed to investigate the perfusion characteristics in MS lesions using dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging (DSC-MRI) to better understand ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present article reviews the currently ongoing scientific debate on the specific characteristics of primary progressive multiple sclerosis. RECENT FINDINGS: The most important observations come from the studies using magnetic resonance imaging showing involvement of the normal-appearing brain tissue and also from the clinical and magnetic-resonance-imaging descriptions ...

PURPOSE: To review the relation of optic neuritis to multiple sclerosis (MS) and the indications, modalities, and results of therapy for optic neuritis, for both visual and general neurologic function. DESIGN: Literature review and author's experience. METHODS: Analysis of both laboratory and clinical evidence supporting the use of corticosteroids, immunomodulation ...

Trigeminal involvement detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is usually associated with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) or painless paraesthesia in the trigeminal distribution. Our aim is to review the incidence of trigeminal involvement on MRI in a series of patients with MS at our institution, with ...

New criteria for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) were published as the result of an internationally formed committee. To increase the specificity of diagnosis and to minimize the number of false diagnoses, the committee recommended the use of both clinical and paraclinical criteria, the latter involving information obtained from ...

We report the case of a patient with multiple sclerosis with congruent visual and auditory hallucinations of deceased familiar persons that lasted continuously for several days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an isolated, predominantly left-sided lesion in the periaqueductal segment of the mesencephalon. We propose that these hallucinations represent a bimodal ...

The revision of MEDLINE from 1966 to 2003 did not report any association between multiple sclerosis (MS) and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS). This is a case report of a 51-year-old woman, with history of four recurrent Bell's palsies. In 1999 she developed a right facial paralysis due to a supranuclear pyramidal ...

Two relatively new techniques purport to give measures of the myelin content of brain tissue. These measures are the myelin water fraction from multicompartmental T(2) analysis, and the semisolid proton fraction from analysis of magnetization transfer (MT). The myelin water fraction is the fraction of signal with a T(2) of ...

While there is now evidence for thalamic abnormality in established secondary progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), it remains unclear when such abnormality begins. This study investigated the emergence of thalamic abnormality in relapsing-remitting MS by assessing the thalamic magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) in a cohort with clinically early disease. ...

Neuromyelitis optica (Devic's syndrome) is an uncommon, idiopathic, demyelinating syndrome of the central nervous system that preferentially affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. It frequently is misdiagnosed as severe multiple sclerosis, but usually is readily distinguished from multiple sclerosis in fully developed cases because of its severity, typical magnetic ...

MRI provides multiple uses and applications in multiple sclerosis(MS). The basic features of the MRI-detected lesions, including the underlying pathology, are discussed. MRI allows assessment of the normal-appearing white and gray matter, and neuronal tract and functional system disturbances. An overview of the clinical significance of these MRI measures is ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions show differing degrees of demyelination and remyelination. Changes in myelin content are associated with changes in magnetization transfer on MRI. Since acute inflammation and demyelination are spatially and temporally inhomogeneous, we hypothesized that local magnetic transfer ratio (MTR) heterogeneity might be predictive of subsequent changes in ...

We report an 8-year-old boy who developed dystrophic calcinosis cutis that occurred following trauma. Multiple abrasions were observed in the inguinal folds after a soccer game. Subsequently, multiple papules with soft centers and white particles appeared in the same area. A biopsy specimen showed calcinosis cutis with transepidermal elimination of ...

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that the inducible kinin B(1) receptor is expressed on T lymphocytes during relapses and progression in multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between the expression of B1 receptor on peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from patients who have multiple sclerosis with serial, clinical magnetic ...

MRI T2 hypointensity in multiple sclerosis (MS) gray matter, suggesting iron deposition, is associated with physical disability, disease course, lesion load, and brain atrophy. Ambulatory dysfunction limits quality of life; however correlation with conventional MRI remains poor. Normalized intensity on T2-weighted images was obtained in the basal ganglia, thalamus, red ...

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and measures of brain volume have been extensively applied in large-scale studies to assess disease activity and irreversible tissue damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Although histopathological studies of MS demonstrated that axonal transection occurs at sites of inflammatory changes, the correlation between brain tissue loss ...

Atrophy is one of the hallmarks in multiple sclerosis (MS), especially in the advanced stage. Modern magnetic resonance (MR) techniques can reliably measure brain volume and changes therein. Depending on the technique used, changes of about 1% may be detected. Clinicoradiological studies show good correlation between atrophy measures, both in ...

Recent MR studies have emphasised the importance of neuronal and axonal damage in multiple sclerosis. In this respect, proton MR spectroscopy (by monitoring levels of N-acetylaspartate, a putative marker of axonal integrity) has been particularly illuminating by showing indirect evidence of neurodegeneration in both lesional and non-lesional brain tissues from ...

In addition to demyelination and damage to oligodendrocytes, axonal injury and neuronal cell death are dominating histopathological characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS). Still little is known about the cause of the damage. Extracellular accumulation of glutamate contributes to excitotoxic injury of neurons and glial cells, suggesting that the maintenance of ...

The assessment of brain volume changes on serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can provide an objective measure of progressive atrophy reflecting the neurodegenerative aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. The present article reviews the results of studies assessing the effect of glatiramer acetate (GA) treatment in preventing MS-related, MRI-measurable ...

Common marmosets, a Neotropical monkey species, are protected against clinical and neuropathological consequences of experimentally induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by prophylactic treatment with ch5D12, a humanized antagonist antibody against human CD40. In the current study we have tested whether ch5D12 acts therapeutically against the enlargement and inflammatory activity of existing ...

We have recently reported brain atrophy in the early stages of primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), affecting both grey and white matter (GM and WM). However, to date no clinical or radiological predictors of GM and WM atrophy have been identified. The aim was to investigate short-term changes in GM ...

Multiple sclerosis in Asia and the Middle East shares many similarities with the disease seen in Caucasian populations, but there are notable and important differences. These need to be characterized and defined to enable correct diagnosis. Classifying and diagnosing MS in Asian and Middle Eastern populations were themes of the ...

We conducted an open-label pilot clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding oral azathioprine to the treatment regimen of 15 multiple sclerosis patients breaking through monotherapy with interferon beta-1b. There were no serious adverse events. Gastrointestinal side effects and leukopenia were the most common adverse events and ...

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the present study were to assess brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during different disease stages and to investigate by PET and [11C]PK11195, a marker of microglial activation, the relationship between inflammation, atrophy and clinically relevant measures. METHODS: Eight healthy subjects and 22 MS patients ...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an ever-expanding role in the evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS). This includes its sensitivity for the diagnosis of the disease and its role in identifying patients at high risk for conversion to MS after a first presentation with selected clinically isolated syndromes. In addition, MRI ...

The aim of our study was to determine whether T2-weighted (T2w) MRI of the brain could be performed immediately after the administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine (gadolinium DTPA) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) without a loss in image quality or diagnostic reliability. Sixteen patients with clinically diagnosed MS were included ...

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT MRI) has the potential to provide in vivo information about tissue microstructure. In multiple sclerosis (MS), DT MRI has disclosed the presence of occult structural damage in the normal-appearing brain tissues. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether DT MRI is sensitive to longitudinal changes of ...

A 35-year-old woman with a history of indeterminate colitis developed symptoms of multiple sclerosis after treatment with infliximab. Neurologic examination confirmed upper and lower extremity motor and sensory deficits. MRI showed multiple enhancing white matter lesions distributed throughout her brain as well as her thoracic spine. There may be a ...

The new McDonald diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) incorporate detailed criteria for the interpretation and classification of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, but, in contrast, provide no instructions for the interpretation of clinical findings. Because MS according to the McDonald criteria is one of the primary endpoints in a ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cortical lesions constitute a substantial part of the total lesion load in multiple sclerosis (MS) brain. They have been related to neuropsychological deficits, epilepsy, and depression. However, the proportion of purely cortical lesions visible on MR images is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine ...

New diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) were developed by an International Panel in 2001 and have had wide distribution and discussion since publication. These provided the first formal incorporation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a diagnosis work-up for patients suspected of having MS. The so-called McDonald criteria have ...

Optic neuritis presentations are thought to have a better prognosis. The aim of our study was to compare conversion to multiple sclerosis on the different topographies of CISs. We prospectively evaluated 320 patients with CISs (123 with optic neuritis, 78 with brainstem syndromes, 89 with spinal cord syndromes, and 30 ...

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) has become a valuable tool to address a broad range of questions in many areas of biomedical research. One such application allows spectra to be obtained directly from intact tissues, termed "profiling" (low resolution) and "imaging" (high resolution). In light of the ...