View clinical trials related to Multiple Sclerosis.
Filter by:Balance disorder is common in people with MS. As the disease worsens, it is associated with impaired balance, difficulty walking, decreased mobility, and an increased risk of falling. Given the prevalence and clinical significance of balance dysfunction in individuals with MS, the assessment of balance has become an important focus in MS clinical practice and research. The Four Square Step Test is a standard clinical measure used to assess dynamic standing balance. It is a timed test in which the individual is instructed to step rapidly forward, backward, and to the right and left over a low obstacle (a cane). The test assesses the ability to quickly change direction of movement and is a timed test involving the use of assistive devices. In the modified four-square stepping test, the floor is divided into four equal squares with tape instead of a cane. Performing the test with tape, instead of patients at risk of being stuck with a cane, will ensure its applicability to a wider patient population. The aim of the study is to examine the validity and reliability of the modified four-frame stepping test in MS patients.
This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral arbaclofen ER tablets in MS patients with spasticity. Arbaclofen ER will be compared with placebo.
The primary aim of this project is to determine whether there are differences in access to, efficacy and tolerability of Ocrelizumab in men and women of different racial and ethnic origins and socio-economic backgrounds with RRMS and PPMS in two large academic MS Centers with a high volume of patients on Ocrelizumab. The study is a retrospective analysis of multiple sclerosis patients cared for at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Medical Center who were treated with Ocrelizumab during the 4 year study period.
In multiple sclerosis (MS), the presence of white matter lesions surrounded by a rim of iron is suggested to signify a more severe disease course. Iron rim lesions can be detected through their appearance on susceptibility-based brain MRI at either 3-Tesla or 7-Tesla strength. We know that the formation of chronic active lesions is not uniform across MS cohorts so identifying risk factors which predispose individuals to the formation of rim lesions may provide a useful biomarker for clinical progression. One candidate set of risk factors include genetic variants which prevent some MS patients from resolving acute inflammation following their initial wave of inflammatory demyelination at lesion onset. Additionally, only small longitudinal clinical cohorts have reported the evolution of iron rim lesions many years after their initial formation, as well as their link to clinical disability or disease progression. NUH hold 7T-MRI scans of over 100 patients who received a research MRI with iron-sensitive sequences between 2008-2012. We will recruit 100 patients that received brain MRI several years ago to provide blood samples. The blood samples along with the previously acquired MRI scan will be sent to Johns Hopkins University in the US where genotyping studies will be performed to explore whether this genetic variation contributes to the accrual of chronic active rim lesions in MS. Patients who consent to provide blood samples will also have the option to consent to receive an additional 7-Tesla MRI scan which will allow us to compare how rim lesions evolve and whether their presence is correlated with disability. 30 MRI scans will initially be performed as funding for this amount is already secured. Following analysis of the pilot phase 1 data and securing additional funds, we will contact more patients who have already consented to receive the additional MRI to receive the scan
The main goal of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment is to prevent further relapses of the disease and the progression of neurological deficit. Although MS cannot yet be cured, early control of symptoms and reduction of disease progression is associated with a longer time to disability and improve long-term treatment outcomes. Currently, MS is treated using a multidisciplinary approach, which consists of treatment with so-called "disease-modifying drugs" ("DMDs"), symptomatic therapy of individual symptoms, lifestyle adjustments, psychological support, and rehabilitation interventions. According to the latest results, treatment with "DMDs" can reduce the annual incidence of relapses by 29-68% compared to placebo or an active comparator. Thus, as can be seen, even this group of modern drugs does not completely compensate for MS in many patients. For this reason, there is a need to use certain parameters to best assess the effectiveness of individual treatments in specific patients with MS in routine clinical practice. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a specific method of clinical pharmacology that has long been used to monitor therapy for a variety of diseases by measuring drug concentrations in body fluids (plasma, serum, whole blood, cerebrospinal fluid, breast milk) with subsequent interpretation by clinical pharmacologist and acceptance by the clinician. The groups of drugs for which TDM is routinely performed include selected groups of antibiotics (aminoglycosides, vancomycin, beta-lactams), immunosuppressants, digoxin, and especially drugs used in neurology and psychiatry (antiepileptics and psychotropic drugs). As far as "DMDs" is concerned, the first data on the possibility of using TDM in the therapy of MS have already appeared in the professional literature, but these are so far rare and completely insufficient. In addition, individual drugs differ not only in efficacy but also in dose, dosing schedule, and safety profile. The development of new analytical methods to determine serum or whole blood "DMDs" concentrations, together with the objectification of the relationship between measured concentrations to the patient's clinical condition and the possibility of objectifying patient adherence to treatment, could therefore significantly help individualize the dosage of "DMDs" in each individual patient.
The major part of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) experiences Low Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) secondary to neurogenic Low Urinary Tract Dysfunctions (n-LUTDs) during the course of MS, reaching almost 100% after about 10 years. N-LUTDs represent an important issue for pwMS, especially for their negative impact on Quality of Life (QoL), as they are mainly youngs in the prime of their life. Moreover n-LUTDs can lead to serious complications on the urinary tract as infections or renal failure. Therefore, the neurologist in daily clinical practice must intercept the possible presence of LUTS as soon as possible so that he can promptly initiate optimal management. To do this, it is essential to provide neurologists with validated, reproducible and sensitive tools that are, above all, easy to use in an outpatient setting. Our clinical research seeks, for the first time, to show whether pwMS get any improvement after the initial LUTS management, whether this improvement, if any, is related to the professional figure takes care about LUTS (neurologist vs urologist) and if there is an objective improvement of voiding performances on standardized measures.
The Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease characterised by the appearance of lesions, characterised by heterogeneity in their anatomopathological, clinical and radiological presentation. Its aetiology is complex and multifactorial, with genetic and environmental interactions with a predominance in women (3:1) and is the second leading cause of disability in young adults (25-30 years). It has a socio-economic impact, affecting interpersonal relationships and causing a significant reduction in quality of life. MAIN OBJECTIVE To assess the effect on spasticity of the Percutaneous Ultrasound-guided Neuromodulation (PMN) technique in patients diagnosed with MS with upper limb spasticity. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES - To assess changes in the strength parameter of the wrist flexor musculature wrist before and after the application of a PMN programme. - To assess changes in the functionality scales (modified Asworth, established for spasticity - To assess changes in the range of motion (ROM) of the joints under study. - Assess changes in the quality of life scale (MSQOL54). - To assess the adverse effects of the technique. All patients will receive a Percutaneous Echoguided Neuromodulation (PNM) in the median nerve at the elbow, medial to the brachial artery, running between the humeral and ulnar heads of the pronator teres muscle. Once the nerve is located, a needle shall be inserted in the vicinity of the nerve and is stimulated using an electrical current with a frequency of 10 Hz, with a pulse width of 250 µs and a tolerable intensity causing a visible muscle cont raction for 1.5 minutes. After assessing the correct application of ethics in the study, it was decided to use the individual's own baseline data as a control group, as simulating the technique is complex.
Main aim of this study will be the evaluation of the neurophysiological techniques of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) via electroencephalography (EEG) co-registration (TMS-EEG) with the study of TEPs (TEP: transcranial evoked potentials) as surrogates of white matter and grey matter functional integrity in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Data will be compared with those obtained from a group of healthy control subjects. Secondary aim will be the longitudinal evaluation of these neurophysiological parameters in MS patients during routine clinical and radiological evaluations, performed according to clinical practice, for 12 months. To this aim a longitudinal multicenter study will be carried out, interventional (for neurophysiological techniques) and observational (for clinical and radiological evaluations), which involves the enrollment of 64 patients diagnosed with MS. Patients will keep their usual therapeutic regimen and their usual clinical-radiological checks according to clinical practice. The control group will consist of 64 healthy subjects, enrolled with prior written informed consent, age and sex-matched with MS patients and selected among the caregivers of the patients. Healthy subjects will only undergo neurophysiological assessment at baseline. The neurophysiological evaluation will include the study of the propagation of potentials induced by stimulation. This method allows the study of cortical responses in terms of time domain and frequency, obtaining a measurement of interhemispheric connectivity and of microstructural and functional integrity of white matter. In the same way, these methods allow the assessment of grey matter integrity through the study of intracortical excitability.
The upper extremity in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) has become a more popular research topic in recent years, with the increase in studies reporting widespread involvement. The aim of our study was to evaluate the upper extremity from multiple perspectives in early stage pwMS, to identify problems by comparing them with healthy individuals, and to examine the relationship of problems with activity and participation.
Ocrelizumab (OCR) is a humanized anti-CD20 antibody approved for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS) and Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS), due to neuroprotective effects of partially unknown origin. While its mechanism of action is mainly thought to occur via B cell depletion, previous studies on rituximab, another anti-CD20 drug, showed that CD20 binding elicits several intracellular signalling pathways, also including Protein Kinase C (PKC) activation. Of interest, the β isoform of PKC is known to modulate, through the RNA-binding protein ELAV/HuR, the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a signaling protein that has been suggested to play deleterious effects in the first phases of MS. Therefore, the hypothesis is that part of the neuroprotective effects exerted by OCR may also be due to the modulation of VEGF expression via PKCβ /HuR cascade. The primary objective is to evaluate the variation of the expression of VEGF (protein and mRNA) in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) induced by OCR therapy. No additional visits will be required outside of clinical practice. Additional laboratory testing (VEGF protein expression and PKCbeta/HuR cascade) will be performed on extra blood which will be taken during the routine blood exams. This study is an observational, longitudinal, monocenter and single arm study, in patients with RMS who are newly prescribed with OCR as per clinical practice. The study consists of the following visits as per clinical practice - T0 visit: at the first dose of OCR, blood sample and clinical/radiological MS data will be collected. - T6: after 6 months of OCR treatment, blood samples and clinical MS data will be collected. - T12 visit: after 12 months of OCR treatment, blood samples and clinical MS data will be collected.