1,721,085 research outputs found
Efficacy of immunotherapies and predictors of therapy response in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: analysis of 397 treatment years from 150 patients
No full textThe transitional phase of multiple sclerosis: Characterization and conceptual framework
No full textThe conversion of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) cannot be defined by a sharp threshold determined by event-based measures, but rather represents a gradual process. In consequence, there may exist a transitional phase between RRMS and clearly established SPMS. So far, transitional MS has been poorly characterized in terms of patient properties, course of disease and therapeutic interventions that may delay conversion to SPMS. Furthermore, the pathogenesis of transitional MS is incompletely understood, and no definitive imaging or laboratory test informs when exactly a patient has entered the transitional MS phase. Here we review the current knowledge and evidence characterizing the transitional phase of MS and propose potential designs and criteria for a prospective clinical study in patients with transitional MS
Mitoxantrone treatment in a patient with multiple sclerosis and pattern III lesions
No full textAbstract Background Brain biopsies of multiple sclerosis patients identified three intraindividually stable lesion patterns. Apart from beneficial effects of plasma exchange in patients with type II lesions, little is known about how multiple sclerosis lesion histology could guide therapeutic decisions. Case presentation Here, we report on a 53‐year‐old male patient with polysymptomatic cerebral syndrome as the first episode of multiple sclerosis. Brain biopsy showed an inflammatory demyelinating lesion with apoptotic oligodendrocytes and a loss of myelin‐associated glycoprotein, pathological features typical for pattern III lesions. High‐dose steroids and immunosuppressive treatment with mitoxantrone led to a substantial improvement of disability and long‐term clinical stability. Conclusion Mitoxantrone therapy along with steroid pulses could potentially be considered as a therapeutic option for pattern III lesions
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Explorative study of emerging blood biomarkers in progressive multiple sclerosis (EmBioProMS): Design of a prospective observational multicentre pilot study
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007458 German Multiple Sclerosis Society Federal Associationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005614 Biogenhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004334 Merckhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004336 Novartishttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008977 University of Ulmhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100005614 Biogenhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100006436 Celgenehttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004334 Merckhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004336 Novartishttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004337 Roch
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The TGF-beta inhibitor Smad7 controls t cell differentiation and susceptibility to autoimmune encephalomyelitis
No full textFailure of Natalizumab to Prevent Relapses in Neuromyelitis Optica
No full textObjective: To describe first experiences with the integrin inhibitor natalizumab, given to patients with suspected relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) who were later diagnosed with aquaporin 4-positive neuromyelitis optica (NMO). Design: Retrospective case series. Setting: Neurology departments at tertiary referral centers in Germany. Patients: Patients with NMO who tested positive for antibodies to aquaporin 4. Intervention: Treatment with natalizumab. Main Outcome Measures: Relapses and accumulation of disability. Results: We identified 5 patients (4 female; median age, 45 years) who were initially diagnosed with MS and treated with natalizumab before diagnosis of NMO was established. Natalizumab was given as escalation therapy after failure of first- or second-line immunomodulatory therapies for MS. During natalizumab therapy (median duration, 8 infusions; range, 2-11 infusions), all 5 patients displayed persisting disease activity; a total of 9 relapses occurred (median duration to relapse, 120 days; range, 45-230 days) after the start of treatment. Four patients had an accumulation of disability and 1 patient died 2 months after cessation of natalizumab treatment. Conclusions: Our results suggest that natalizumab fails to control disease activity in patients with NMO. Neuromyelitis optica should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with suspected MS who are unresponsive to natalizumab therapy
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