Here are links to a few papers that some of you may find interesting
This is one for the neuros reading or anyone interested in imaging
Brain iron and disability is a theme, we have agents that block iron induced toxicity should we do try them?
Zivadinov R, Tavazzi E, Bergsland N, Hagemeier J, Lin F, Dwyer MG, Carl E, Kolb C, Hojnacki D, Ramasamy D, Durfee J, Weinstock-Guttman B, Schweser F. Brain Iron at Quantitative MRI Is Associated with Disability in Multiple Sclerosis. Radiology. 2018 Jul 17:180136. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2018180136. [Epub ahead of print].
BoTox is good for alleivating bladder problems. You know all of this already, but here is a phase III study to demonstrate it.
Tullman M, Chartier-Kastler E, Kohan A, Keppenne V, Brucker BM, Egerdie B, Mandle M, Nicandro JP, Jenkins B, Denys P. Low-dose onabotulinumtoxinA improves urinary symptoms in noncatheterizing patients with MS. Neurology. 2018 Jul 20. pii: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005991. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA 100 U in noncatheterizing patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with urinary incontinence (UI) due to neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO).
METHODS:In this randomized, double-blind phase III study, patients received onabotulinumtoxinA 100 U (n = 66) or placebo (n = 78) as intradetrusor injections via cystoscopy. Assessments included changes from baseline in urinary symptoms, urodynamics, and Incontinence-Quality of Life (I-QOL) total score. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed, including initiation of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) due to urinary retention.
RESULTS:OnabotulinumtoxinA vs placebo significantly reduced UI at week 6 (-3.3 vs -1.1, p < 0.001; primary endpoint). Significantly greater proportions of onabotulinumtoxinA-treated patients achieved 100% UI reduction (53.0% vs 10.3%, p < 0.001). Significant improvements in urodynamics (p < 0.01) were observed with onabotulinumtoxinA. Improvements in I-QOL score were significantly greater with onabotulinumtoxinA (40.4 vs 9.9, p < 0.001) and ≈3 times the minimally important difference (+11 points). The most common AE was urinary tract infection (25.8%). CIC rates were 15.2% for onabotulinumtoxinA and 2.6% for placebo.
CONCLUSION: In noncatheterizing patients with MS, onabotulinumtoxinA 100 U significantly improved UI and quality of life with lower CIC rates than previously reported with onabotulinumtoxinA 200 U
Laflamme N, Cisbani G, Préfontaine P, Srour Y, Bernier J, St-Pierre MK, Tremblay MÈ, Rivest S. mCSF-Induced Microglial Activation Prevents Myelin Loss and Promotes Its Repair in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis. Front Cell Neurosci. 2018;12:178.
A pathological hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS) is myelin loss in brain white matter accompanied by compromised remyelination. Demyelinated lesions are deeply associated with oligodendrocyte apoptosis and a robust inflammatory response. Although various studies point towards a noxious role of inflammation in MS, others emphasize a positive role for the innate immune cells in disease progression. A cytokine well-known to stimulate cell survival, proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (mCSF), was administered to mice during a 5 week-long cuprizone diet. Treated mice exhibited reduced myelin loss during the demyelination phase, together with an increased number of microglia and oligodendrocyte precursor cells in lesion sites. Tamoxifen-induced conditional deletion of the mCSF receptor in microglia from cuprizone-fed mice caused aberrant myelin debris accumulation in the corpus callosum and reduced microglial phagocytic response. mCSF therefore plays a key role in stimulating myelin clearance by the brain innate immune cells, which is a prerequisite for proper remyelination and myelin repair processes.