ABSTRACT
Quantification of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been proposed to provide an indirect measure for retinal axonal loss. The aim of the present study was to determine whether interferon beta (IFNß) treatment impedes retinal axonal loss in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A total of 48 patients with MS (24 IFNß-1b-treated and 24 untreated subjects) and 12 healthy controls were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal OCT study. OCT measurements were performed for both eyes of each subject at baseline, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up examinations using a time-domain OCT. At each visit, we additionally recorded full-field visual evoked potential (VEP) responses and performed the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT), in addition to expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scoring. Generalized estimation equation (GEE) was used to account for repeated measurements and paired-data. The model-based approach predicted a monthly reduction in the RNFL thickness by 0.19 µm in the eyes of the MS subjects. The reduction was estimated to be 0.17 µm in case of IFNß-treatment and 0.16 µm in case of no treatment. Treatment duration and group allocation were not significantly associated with the RNFL thickness. Inclusion of further longitudinal data (EDSS, two and three second PASAT) in each of our models did not result in any significant association. In summary, over a period of one year no significant association between IFNß-1b treatment and RNFL thinning was identified in patients with MS.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: 1) Do easy-to-administer screening tests for anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints detect more abnormal results in medical students than in the "normal" population? 2) Can the complaints already be recognized at the beginning of university studies? 3) Do they occur more seldom in medical students who are related to doctors? METHODS: Study with 146 of 150 enrolled medical students undergoing 2 self-rating scales during the first 3 terms: "Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale" (HADS-D) and "Gießener Beschwerdebogen GBB" (GBB-24). RESULTS: 1) More abnormal values were measured than in the normal population. 2) The grades of anxiety, depression, and total somatic complaints, but not exhaustion, could be recognized at the start of the first term. 3) Students from medical families showed less anxieties and depressions. Nevertheless, the prevalence is remarkably high. CONCLUSIONS: HADS-D and GBB-24 are efficient aids to early detection of conspicuous emotional and somatic complaints of medical students who did not reduce their symptoms when not being treated.
