ProfG a Week in TwitterLand

ProfG has taken to twitter to comment on posts.Should we consider a feature on his comments on the blog as it is is clear many people can't we bothered with Twitter?

Gavin GiovannoniThis study suggest that the anti-JC virus antibody index will be difficult to interpret and use to risk profile MSers on rituximab or ocrelizumab as it affects antibody production.
Anti-JC virus antibody index changes in rituximab-treated multiple sclerosis patients.
Baber U, Bouley A, Egnor E, Sloane JA. J Neurol. 2018 Aug 14. doi: 10.1007/s00415-018-8996-3. [Epub ahead of print]

Gavin GiovannonAgeing is a big problem in MS. This paper suggest it contributes to falls as well as cerebellar and cognitive dysfunction in MS.
Cerebellum and cognition in multiple sclerosis: the fall status matters.Schreck LM, Ryan SPP, Monaghan PG.J Neurophysiol. 2018 Aug 15. doi: 10.1152/jn.00245.2018. [Epub ahead of print]

Gavin Giovannoni.As a community of MS stakeholders we need to take care to produce better and more practical guidelines, particularly in relation to lifestyle issues such as physical activity. A systematic critical review of physical activity aspects in clinical guidelines for multiple sclerosis. Geidl W, Gobster C, Streber R, Pfeifer K.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018 Aug 3;25:200-207.


Gavin Giovannoni MSers with hypertension and/or heart disease have a much greater loss of brain volume than MSers without these comorbid diseases. Not surprising considering what we know about hypertension and brain reserve. Do you know your blood pressure?Hypertension and heart disease are associated with development of brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis: a 5-year longitudinal study.Jakimovski D, Gandhi S, Paunkoski I, Bergsland N, Hagemeier J, Ramasamy DP, Hojnacki D, Kolb C, Benedict RH, Weinstock-Guttman B, Zivadinov R.Eur J Neurol. 2018 Aug 13. doi: 10.1111/ene.13769. [Epub ahead of print]

Gavin Giovannoni‏ Instilling a small amount of ice water into the bladder of MSers and measuring the change in pressure allows urologists to diagnosis overactivity of the detrusor muscle. Low tech but potentially useful. Ice water test in multiple sclerosis: A pilot trail.Hüsch T, Reitz A, Ulm K, Haferkamp A. nt J Urol. 2018 Aug 13. doi: 10.1111/iju.13786. [Epub ahead of print]

Gavin Giovannoni‏ Another piece of dogma bites the dust. #NeuroSpeak Visual prognosis in seronegative idiopathic optic neuritis finally elucidated: as bad as that in anti-AQP4-Ab (+) optic neuritis. Visual prognosis in seronegative idiopathic optic neuritis finally elucidated: as bad as that in anti-AQP4-Ab (+) optic neuritis. Akaishi T, Nakashima I. Eur J Neurol. 2018 Aug 13. doi: 10.1111/ene.13772. [Epub ahead of print]

Gavin Giovannoni Another depressing study showing the impact a diagnosis of MS has on young adults. Why aren't we doing more to prevent this disease. 
Young adults' adjustment to a recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: The role of identity satisfaction and self-efficacy. Calandri E, Graziano F, Borghi M, Bonino S. isabil Health J. 2018. pii: S1936-6574(18)30139-0.

Gavin Giovannoni‏  A paper showing that cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 (a recovery marker) is raised in early multiple sclerosis. Will it be down in more advanced MS?. Cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 in early multiple sclerosis. Rot U, Sandelius Å, Emeršič A, Zetterberg H, Blennow K.Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2018 4(3):2055217318792931.

Gavin Giovannoni‏ No wonder the early burden of MS is related cognitive impairment. The shredder damages connectivity in the MS brain. Are you surprised? Another reason to treat early and effectivelyMagnetic resonance markers of tissue damage related to connectivity disruption in multiple sclerosis. Solana E, Martinez-Heras E, Martinez-Lapiscina EH, Sepulveda M, Sola-Valls N, Bargalló N, Berenguer J, Blanco Y, Andorra M, Pulido-Valdeolivas I, Zubizarreta I, Saiz A, Llufriu S.Neuroimage Clin. 2018;20:161-168.

Gavin Giovannoni‏ Another elephant in the room (immunosuppression) is making things crowded. #ClinicSpeak Infectious complications of MS DMTs: implications for screening, prophylaxis, and management. Infectious Complications of Multiple Sclerosis Therapies: Implications for Screening, Prophylaxis, and Management.Epstein DJ, Dunn J, Deresinski S.Open Forum Infect Dis. 2018 ;5(8):ofy174.

Gavin Giovannoni‏ TEVA fights back and shows major physicochemical, biological, functional and toxicological differences between the European follow-on glatiramer acetate compared to Copaxone. Will this impact efficacy?Physicochemical, biological, functional and toxicological characterization of the European follow-on glatiramer acetate product as compared with Copaxone. Melamed-Gal S, Loupe P, Timan B, Weinstein V, Kolitz S, Zhang J, Funt J, Komlosh A, Ashkenazi N, Bar-Ilan O, Konya A, Beriozkin O, Laifenfeld D, Hasson T, Krispin R, Molotsky T, Papir G, Sulimani L, Zeskind B, Liu P, Nock S, Hayden MR, Gilbert A, Grossman I.eNeurologicalSci. 2018 May 30;12:19-30.

Gavin Giovannoni‏ Is creating a walled garden the way to deal with fake news in the MS space? Influencers and health-related professional participation on the Web: A pilot study on a social-network of MS
Fake news, influencers and health-related professional participation on the Web: A pilot study on a social-network of people with Multiple Sclerosis. Lavorgna L, De Stefano M, Sparaco M, Moccia M, Abbadessa G, Montella P, Buonanno D, Esposito S, Clerico M, Cenci C, Trojsi F, Lanzillo R, Rosa L, Morra VB, Ippolito D, Maniscalco G, Bisecco A, Tedeschi G, Bonavita S.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018 Jul 31;25:175-178. 

Gavin Giovannoni‏ Mental health is a big problem for MSers. Another hidden problem highlighting how large the burden of disease we are missing by focusing on the physical. Factors associated with perceived need for mental health care in multiple sclerosis. Orr J, Bernstein CN, Graff LA, Patten SB, Bolton JM, Sareen J, Marriott JJ, Fisk JD, Marrie RA; CIHR Team in Defining the Burden and Managing the Effects of Immune-mediated Inflammatory Disease.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;25:179-185
Gyllensten H, Kavaliunas A, Alexanderson K, Hillert J, Tinghög P, Friberg E. Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2018;4(3):2055217318783352.

 Gavin Giovannoni‏  MRI and CIS outcomes. Surely baseline lesion number simply indicates that CISers have had asymptomatic MS longer, hence the MS-shredder has had more time to reduce brain reserve and hence they do worse? How do we capture the time vector? Cerebrospinal fluid GAP-43 in early multiple sclerosis. Rot U, Sandelius Å, Emeršič A, Zetterberg H, Blennow K.Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2018;4(3):205521731879293

Gavin Giovannoni‏ We now have the biomarkers for microglial activation. The question is whether or not inhibiting microglia will make MS better or worse? I suspect worse. The microglial response in MS may be a positive not a negative.Comparison of two different methods of image analysis for the assessment of microglial activation in patients with multiple sclerosis using (R)-[N-methyl-carbon-11]PK11195. Kang Y, Schlyer D, Kaunzner UW, Kuceyeski A, Kothari PJ, Gauthier SA. LoS One. 2018;13(8):e0201289.

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