…before PRL resolution or BOMS onset can be used as biomarkers of treatment success. A further concern is that any late-phase progression that occurs in BOMS patients may be attributed to age-related changes since, by definition, the MS has burned itself out and no disease activity will henceforth be detectable. This would justify discontinuing DMTs, as the study cited above concluded (McFaul 2021), but this may be premature. It is conceivable that…
…inuation and discontinuation in 1626 patients (Terman et al. Epilepsia Open 2024;9:333-344). The databases used were from the U.K. Medical Research Council study on drug withdrawal (Medical Research Council. Lancet 1991;337:1175-1180); the Akershus study (Lossius et al. Epilepsia 2008;49:455-463); and a recent retrospective chart review (Terman et al. Epilepsia Open 2023;8:371-385.). The one-year seizure risk was 32% for patients who discontinued…
…primary or secondary progressive MS (Abdelhak et al. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024;11:477-485). Mean age was 55 years; one-third of patients had no DMT exposure at the time of enrollment. Both GFAP and NfL Z scores were significantly elevated at baseline. Higher GFAP Z scores were associated with higher EDSS scores, Timed 25-Foot Walk times and 9-Hole Peg Test times. Higher NfL levels were also associated with greater disease severity. GFAP Z scores…
…vels of seven serum biomarkers were significantly different in MS patients compared to non-MS controls: osteopontin, vitamin D binding protein, complement proteins (Factor B, C5, iC3b), C-reactive protein, and NfL. The greatest differences between MS and controls were seen for serum levels of NfL (1.6-fold higher), and osteopontin (1.54-fold higher). NfL is a marker of neuroaxonal damage; serum levels have been shown to increase prior to MS diagno…
…apses in the four weeks after vaccination in NMOSD patients (Fam et al. EAN 2024;EPO-776). Data were obtained from the PREVENT trial of eculizumab and the CHAMPION-NMOSD trial of ravulizumab. In PREVENT, 3.1% in the eculizumab group and 10.6% in the placebo group had a relapse. In CHAMPION-NMOSD, the relapse rate was 2.9%. The authors noted that it has not been determined if relapses were attributable to vaccination or to an inherent risk among NM…