ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Assessing patients' disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) requires time-consuming batteries of hospital tests. MSCopilot is a software medical device for the self-assessment of patients with MS (PwMS), combining four tests: walking, dexterity, cognition and low contrast vision. The objective was to validate MSCopilot versus the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC). METHODS: This multicentre, open-label, randomized, controlled, crossover study enrolled 141 PwMS and 76 healthy controls (HCs). All participants performed MSCopilot and MSFC tests at day 0. To assess reproducibility, 46 PwMS performed the same tests at day 30 ± 3. The primary end-point was the validation of MSCopilot versus MSFC for the identification of PwMS against HCs, quantified using the area under the curve (AUC). The main secondary end-point was the correlation of MSCopilot z-scores with MSFC z-scores. RESULTS: In all, 116 PwMS and 69 HCs were analysed. The primary end-point was achieved: MSCopilot performance was non-inferior to that of MSFC (AUC 0.92 and 0.89 respectively; P = 0.3). MSCopilot and MSFC discriminated PwMS and HCs with 81% and 76% sensitivity and 82% and 88% specificity respectively. Digital and standard test scores were highly correlated (r = 0.81; P < 0.001). The test-retest study demonstrated the good reproducibility of MSCopilot. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the reliability of MSCopilot and its usability in clinical practice for the monitoring of MS-related disability.
Subject(s)
Cognition/physiology , Diagnostic Self Evaluation , Disability Evaluation , Motor Skills/physiology , Multiple Sclerosis/diagnosis , Vision, Ocular/physiology , Walking/physiology , Adult , Aged , Cross-Over Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Sclerosis/physiopathology , Reference Standards , Reproducibility of Results , Symptom Assessment , Young AdultABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Winter is a good time for viral. Some plants and probiotic strains could give a better protection to our organism by strengthening the immune system. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this preliminary survey was to evaluate the possible preventive effect against infections of Cupressus sempervirens/Echinacea purpurea combination (plants known for their immune and anti-viral effects) in association with probiotics during the winter season. METHODS: It's a declarative survey by questionnaire. The objective was to compare the occurrence of winter infections in two populations aged 18-65 years old in good health which used this complementation for at least 3 months period during winter period or not. RESULTS: The rate of incidence of flu (P = 0.012), common cold (P = 0.002) and throat infection (P = 0.0017) decreased in the group that took complementation compared to the group that didn't take complementation. The occurrence of colds was also significantly reduced in a subgroup of subjects that are more sensitive to infections during winter and took the complementation compared to the same subgroup of subjects that didn't take the complementation (36 vs 78% of colds, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that consumption of both products for 3 months or more is associated to a lesser incidence of winter infections such as flu, cold and throat infection. It might be interesting to conduct a larger prospective study to determine the exact role of Lactibiane® and Phytostandard® of Cypressus-Echinacea in the prevention of these winter infections.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a probiotic combination on symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: We investigated the efficiency of a probiotic dietary supplement, containing four strains of lactic acid bacteria, on symptoms of IBS. One hundred and sixteen patients with IBS fulfilling the Rome II criteria were randomized in a parallel group, double-blind study to receive a placebo or a probiotic combination (1 x 10(10) cfu once daily) for four weeks. The symptoms that were monitored weekly included discomfort, abdominal pain, and stool frequency and quality. Quality of life was assessed before and at the end of the treatment using the SF36 and FDD-quality-of-life questionnaires. RESULTS: One hundred subjects completed the study (48 probiotic combination, 52 placebo). The probiotic combination was not superior to the placebo in relieving symptoms of IBS (42.6 versus 42.3% improvement). However, the decrease of abdominal pain between the first and the fourth week of treatment was significantly higher in probiotic treated patients (-41.9 versus -24.2%, P=0.048). Interesting findings from the IBS sub-groups were also observed such as a lower pain score at end point in patients with alternating bowel habits (P=0.023) and an increase of stool frequency in the constipated sub-group from the first week of probiotic treatment (P=0.043). CONCLUSIONS: The probiotic combination was not significantly superior to the placebo in relieving symptoms of IBS. Despite the apparent high placebo response, interesting findings from IBS sub-groups were observed in the field of abdominal pain and stool frequency.
