Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – Secondary-progressive MS (SPMS) has been variously defined, but physicians’ determinations may substantially delay the diagnosis, according to an analysis by the MSBase group (Spelman et al. ECTRIMS 2013; abstract 125).
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MS therapies: analyses and re-analyses of phase III studies
October 4, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – ECTRIMS 2013 featured data from a number of new treatment studies. The following is a summary of new studies in CIS and RRMS.
Dietary sodium linked to increased disease activity in MS
October 4, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – A Yale University study presented earlier this year suggested that dietary sodium chloride levels may drive autoimmune diseases by induced pathogenic Th17 cells, based on results from mouse and human cell cultures (Kleinewietfeld et al. Nature 2013;496:518-522). In high-salt conditions, Th17 cells increased production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-2.
MRI measures provide reliable indication of treatment response
October 3, 2013Highlights of the 29th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), Copenhagen, DK, October 2-5, 2013 – Recent treatment optimization recommendations have emphasized the importance of monitoring both clinical (relapses, EDSS progression) and radiological (T2 or T1 lesions) changes when assessing treatment response (Freedman et al. Can J Neurol Sci 2013;40: 307-323).