Multiple sclerosis : clinical and laboratory research
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Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
The effect of functional electrical stimulation on the physiological cost of gait in people with multiple sclerosis.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is used clinically in the management of drop foot in people suffering from neurological conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of FES, in terms of speed and physiological cost of gait, in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). ⋯ Wearing FES lead to a significant improvement in walking speed (0.49 ms(-1) and 0.43 ms(-1) with and without their FES respectively; P<0.001) and a significant reduction in the physiological cost of gait (0.41 mL min(-1) kg(-1) m(-1) and 0.46 mL min(-1) kg(-1) m(-1) with and without FES respectively; P=0.017) in pwMS. The speed of walking, oxygen uptake, and physiological cost were significantly different between pwMS and controls both at preferred and matched speeds. Although pwMS exhibit a higher physiological cost of walking, FES offers an orthotic benefit to pwMS and should be considered as a possible treatment option.
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The majority of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) respond favorably to glucocorticoids (GS) for their relapse treatment (steroid-sensitive multiple sclerosis). Unfortunately, a small subset of patients with multiple-sclerosis fails to adequately respond even to high dose of GS (steroid-resistant multiple sclerosis). Mechanism of GS therapeutic unresponsiveness is not resolved. ⋯ Molecular mechanism of GS unresponsiveness in some patients with multiple sclerosis might be related to increased presence of hsp90 in the GR cytoplasmic complex, leading to the inhibition of GR translocation to nucleus and reduction in its transcription.
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Magnetization transfer (MT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide quantitative information about the severity of tissue damage in the cervical cord of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). MT MRI-derived measures of cord damage are correlated with the severity of disease-related locomotor disability. ⋯ Cervical cord tissue damage seems to be limited to macroscopic lesions in patients with early, non-disabling RR MS. Longitudinal studies are warranted to define the dynamics of MS-related cord damage accumulation over time later on in the course of the disease.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Interferon beta therapy increases serum ferritin levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Serum ferritin levels have been found to be increased in patients with active progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). However, its levels are reported to be unchanged in stable and in active relapsing-remitting (RR) form of the disease. No research to date has assessed the influence of interferon beta (IFN-beta) on ferritin concentrations. ⋯ There were no significant differences between controls and patients under stable and untreated conditions. In patients at 12 months after the beginning of IFN-beta therapy, ferritin levels were higher in women and in men, in comparison with baseline (71.4 +/- 58.6 vs 43.4 +/- 29.9 ng/mL, P = 0.0006 and 216.0 +/- 124.3 vs 127.8 +/- 74.9 ng/mL, P = 0.0022, respectively). These results suggest that larger prospective studies are required to evaluate the role of serum ferritin in MS and its potential usefulness in monitoring responses to immunomodulatory therapies.