Pregnancy outcomes in alemtuzumab treated women with multiple sclerosis: a case series.

Data on pregnancy outcome in alemtuzumab-treated women are scarce and derived from safety reports of clinical trials. We report on seven women with overall eight pregnancies during treatment with alemtuzumab in a real-world setting. All pregnancies occurred within 9 months after alemtuzumab treatment, and two of them within 4 months despite patients being informed on pregnancy prevention. We found one congenital cytomegalovirus infection, one spontaneous abortion, one elective abortion due to extrauterine pregnancy, and five live births without congenital abnormalities or birth defects.

Interplay Between Cognitive and Bowel/Bladder Function in Multiple Sclerosis / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

Purpose@#The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of bowel/bladder dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its associations with cognitive impairment. @*Methods@#We prospectively enrolled 150 MS patients. Patients were administered the Symbol Digit Modality Test (SDMT), the Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score (NBDS), and the Actionable Bladder Symptom Screening Tool (ABSST). The associations between bowel/bladder dysfunction and cognitive function were assessed through hierarchical regression models using the SDMT and clinicodemographic features as independent variables and NBDS and ABSST scores as dependent variables. @*Results@#The prevalence of bowel/bladder deficits was 44.7%, with 26 patients (17.3%) suffering from bowel deficits and 60 patients (40%) from bladder deficits. The total NBDS and ABSST scores were correlated with the SDMT (β=-0.10, P<0.001 and β=-0.03, P=0.04, respectively) after correction for demographic features and physical disability. @*Conclusions@#Bowel/bladder disorders are common in MS and are associated with both physical and cognitive disability burdens. As SDMT is embedded into routine clinical assessments, a lower score may warrant investigating bowel/bladder dysfunction due to the strong interplay of these factors.

Predictors of survival in a Huntington's disease population from southern Italy.

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of the present study was to determine the survival rates and identify predictors of disease duration in a cohort of Huntington's disease (HD) patients from Southern Italy. METHODS: All medical records of HD patients followed between 1977 and 2008 at the Department of Neurological Sciences of Federico II University in Naples were retrospectively reviewed and 135 patients were enrolled in the analysis. At the time of data collection, 41 patients were deceased (19 males and 22 females) with a mean ± SD age at death of 56.6 ± 14.9 years (range 18-83). RESULTS: The median survival time was 20 years (95% CI: 18.3-21.7). Cox regression analysis showed that the number of CAG in the expanded allele (HR 1.09 for 1 point triplet increase, p=0.002) and age of onset (HR 1.05 for 1 point year increase, p=0.002) were independent and significant predictors of lower survival rates. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that these findings are important for a better understanding of the natural history of the disease and may be relevant in designing future therapeutic trials.

A new, very sensitive method of assessment of ptaquiloside, the major bracken carcinogen in the milk of farm animals.

We describe a new method to detect trace levels of ptaquiloside (Pta), a major carcinogen of bracken fern in biological samples such as milk from farm animals. The method involves the absorption of analyte on carbograph followed by elution with solvents mixtures. The unstable analyte is then converted into Br-Pt (II), which is specific for Pta, as it is not a natural decay product of the glycoside in aqueous media. An internal standard, the Br-pterosine-d2, prepared in our laboratories has been used. Detection and quantification are possible with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in single ion monitoring mode (SIM). The detectable amount is in the range of ppb. The method allowed us to detect Pta not only in the milk from bracken fern-poisoned cattle but also, for the first time, in the milk from healthy farm animals such as sheep, goat, horse, and donkey mares.