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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease linked with the loss of dopaminer-gic neurons in the brain region called substantia nigra and caused by unknown pathogenic mecha-nisms. Two currently recognized prominent features of PD are an inflammatory response manifested by glial reaction and T-cell infiltration, as well as the presence of various toxic mediators derived from activated glial cells. PD or parkinsonism has been described after infection with several different viruses and it has therefore been hypothesized that a viral infection might play a role in the pathogen-esis of the disease. We investigated formalin-fixed post-mortem brain tissue from 9 patients with Parkinson’s disease and 11 controls for the presence of Ljungan virus (LV) antigen using a polyclonal antibody against the capsid protein of this recently identified picornavirus with neurotropic proper-ties, suspected of being both a human and an animal pathogen. Evidence of viral antigen was found in 7 out of 9 Parkinson’s disease cases and in only 1 out of 11 controls (p = 0.005). The picornavirus antigen was present in dopamine-containing neurons of the substantia nigra. We propose that LV or an LV-related virus initiates the pathological process underlying sporadic PD. LV-related picornavirus antigen has also been reported in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Potentially successful antiviral treatment in Alzheimer’s disease suggests a similar treatment for Parkinson's disease. Amanta-dine, originally developed as an antiviral drug against influenza infection, has also been used for symptomatic treatment of patients with PD for more than 50 years and is still commonly used by neurologists today. The fact that amantadine also has an antiviral effect on picornaviruses opens the question of this drug being re-evaluated as potential PD therapy in combination with other antiviral compounds directed against picornaviruses.

Introduction. Daytime sleepiness is a common nonmotor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) which is associated with decreased quality of life and perceived health. However, experiences of daytime sleepiness in people with PD have not been explored. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore experiences of daytime sleepiness in people with PD. Materials and Methods. Five women and seven men (42-82 years) with PD for 1.5 to 21 years and excessive daytime sleepiness (i.e., a score of >10 on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale) participated in the study. Data were collected through individual, semistructured, face-to-face interviews and analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results Three themes of the experience of daytime sleepiness were revealed: (1) not an isolated phenomenon, (2) something to struggle against or accept, and (3) something beyond sleepiness. Conclusion. Daytime sleepiness is a complex nonmotor symptom in PD which manifests itself in several ways. Some experiences are similar, for instance, the attribution of daytime sleepiness to PD and its medical treatment. Differences depend on how sleepiness manifests itself, affects the person, and impacts daily life, as well as whether it causes feelings of embarrassment. Some participants needed to struggle against daytime sleepiness most of the time, and others had found a way to handle it, for example, with physical activity. However, sleepiness may also be used to benefit the person, for example, if they allow themselves to take a power nap to regain energy. The health care professionals can easily underestimate or misinterpret the prevalence and burden of daytime sleepiness because people with PD may describe daytime sleepiness as tiredness, drowsiness, or feeling exhausted, not as sleepiness.

Background Non-motor fluctuations are a major concern in Parkinson's disease (PD), and they have been categorized into neuropsychiatric, autonomic and sensory fluctuations. However, this categorization does not include sleep and sleep-related features, and the association between daytime sleepiness and other motor and/or non-motor fluctuations in PD remains to be elucidated. Objective To investigate the relationship between daytime sleepiness and other non-motor and motor fluctuations in people with PD. Methods A three-day home diary recording daytime sleepiness, mood, anxiety, and motor symptoms was used along with the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and 6 days of accelerometer (Parkinson's KinetiGraph (TM); PKG (TM)) registration to detect motor fluctuations among people with a DaTSCAN verified clinical PD diagnosis (32 men; mean PD duration, 8.2 years). Participants were categorized as motor fluctuators or non-fluctuators according to the UPDRS part IV and/or the presence of motor and non-motor fluctuations. Results Fifty-two people with PD participated. Daytime sleepiness correlated significantly with motor symptoms, mood and anxiety among those classified as motor fluctuators (n = 28). Motor fluctuators showed stronger correlations between the individual mean level of all diary variables (daytime sleepiness, anxiety, mood and motor symptoms) when compared to the non-fluctuators (n = 24). Stronger positive within-individual correlations were found among fluctuators in comparison to non-fluctuators. In general, PKG data did not correlate with diary data. Conclusion Episodes of daytime sleepiness, as reported by home diaries, were associated with other self-reported non-motor and motor fluctuations, but were not supported by PKG data.

Objective Novel, highly effective disease-modifying therapies have revolutionized multiple sclerosis (MS) care. However, evidence from large comparative studies on important safety outcomes, such as cancer, is still lacking. Methods In this nationwide register-based cohort study, we linked data from the Swedish MS register to the Swedish Cancer Register and other national health care and census registers. We included 4,187 first-ever initiations of rituximab, 1,620 of fingolimod, and 1,670 of natalizumab in 6,136 MS patients matched for age, sex, and location to 37,801 non-MS general population subjects. Primary outcome was time to first invasive cancer. Results We identified 78 invasive cancers among treated patients: rituximab 33 (incidence rate [IR] per 10,000 person-years = 34.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 23.7-48.3), fingolimod 28 (IR = 44.0, 95% CI = 29.2-63.5), and natalizumab 17 (IR = 26.0, 95% CI = 15.1-41.6). The general population IR was 31.0 (95% CI = 27.8-34.4). Adjusting for baseline characteristics, we found no difference in risk of invasive cancer between rituximab, natalizumab, and the general population but a possibly higher risk with fingolimod compared to the general population (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.53, 95% CI = 0.98-2.38) and rituximab (HR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.00-2.84). Interpretation In this first large comparative study of 3 highly effective MS disease-modifying therapies, no increased risk of invasive cancer was seen with rituximab and natalizumab, compared to the general population. However, there was a borderline-significant increased risk with fingolimod, compared to both the general population and rituximab. It was not possible to attribute this increased risk to any specific type of cancer, and further studies are warranted to validate these findings. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:688-699, QC 20200528

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is essential for multiple sclerosis diagnostics but is conventionally not specific to demyelination. Myelin imaging is often hampered by long scanning times, complex postprocessing, or lack of clinical approval. This study aimed to assess the specificity, robustness, and clinical value of Rapid Estimation of Myelin for Diagnostic Imaging, a new myelin imaging technique based on time-efficient simultaneous T1/T2 relaxometry and proton density mapping in multiple sclerosis. Methods Rapid myelin imaging was applied using 3T MRI ex vivo in 3 multiple sclerosis brain samples and in vivo in a prospective cohort of 71 multiple sclerosis patients and 21 age/sex-matched healthy controls, with scan–rescan repeatability in a subcohort. Disability in patients was assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Results Rapid myelin imaging correlated with myelin-related stains (proteolipid protein immunostaining and Luxol fast blue) and demonstrated good precision. Multiple sclerosis patients had, relative to controls, lower normalized whole-brain and normal-appearing white matter myelin fractions, which correlated with baseline cognitive and physical disability. Longitudinally, these myelin fractions correlated with follow-up physical disability, even with correction for baseline disability. Interpretation Rapid Estimation of Myelin for Diagnostic Imaging provides robust myelin quantification that detects diffuse demyelination in normal-appearing tissue in multiple sclerosis, which is associated with both cognitive and clinical disability. Because the technique is fast, with automatic postprocessing and US Food and Drug Administration/CE clinical approval, it can be a clinically feasible biomarker that may be suitable to monitor myelin dynamics and evaluate treatments aiming at remyelination. ANN NEUROL 2020;87:710–724

Introduction. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) over time and in relation to other PD symptoms among people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods. Thirty participants younger than 65 years with PD were randomly selected. At inclusion, mean (SD) disease duration was 6.2 (4.8) years and median (min-max) severity of PD was classified as stage II (stages I-III) according to Hoehn and Yahr. Participants were followed annually for 10 years with clinical assessments of their PD status, medications, comorbidities, and a standardized interview about their sleep habits and occurrence of daytime sleepiness. EDS was assessed by the self-reported Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Seventeen participants completed the 10-year longitudinal follow-up. Results. Fifteen of 30 persons were classified to suffer from EDS (ESS > 10) at baseline. At the group level, EDS remained stable over 10 years and did not deteriorate in parallel with worsening of motor symptoms. Furthermore, EDS was associated with sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and axial/postural/gait impairments. Conclusions. EDS did not worsen over 10 years, although other PD aspects did. EDS in PD seems to be a complex nonmotor symptom that is unrelated to deterioration of motor symptoms in PD.

BACKGROUND: Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a viable option for treatment of aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS). No randomised controlled trial has been performed, and thus, experiences from systematic and sustained follow-up of treated patients constitute important information about safety and efficacy. In this observational study, we describe the characteristics and outcome of the Swedish patients treated with HSCT for MS. METHODS: Neurologists from the major hospitals in Sweden filled out a follow-up form with prospectively collected data. Fifty-two patients were identified in total; 48 were included in the study and evaluated for safety and side effects; 41 patients had at least 1 year of follow-up and were further analysed for clinical and radiological outcome. In this cohort, 34 patients (83%) had relapsing-remitting MS, and mean follow-up time was 47 months. RESULTS: At 5 years, relapse-free survival was 87%; MRI event-free survival 85%; expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score progression-free survival 77%; and disease-free survival (no relapses, no new MRI lesions and no EDSS progression) 68%. Presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions prior to HSCT was associated with a favourable outcome (disease-free survival 79% vs 46%, p=0.028). There was no mortality. The most common long-term side effects were herpes zoster reactivation (15%) and thyroid disease (8.4%). CONCLUSIONS: HSCT is a very effective treatment of inflammatory active MS and can be performed with a high degree of safety at experienced centres.

Objective: To investigate potential predictors of Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and explore how EDS relates to other motor and non-motor PD features. Background: EDS is common in Parkinson’s disease, but its role and relation to other PD features is less well understood. Methods: 118 consecutive persons with PD (54% men; mean age, 64) were assessed regarding EDS using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and a range of motor and non-motor symptoms. Variables significantly associated with ESS scores in bivariate analyses were used in multiple regression analyses with ESS scores as the dependent variable. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to explore the interrelationships between ESS scores and other motor and non-motor PD aspects. Results: Among 114 persons with complete ESS data, significant independent associations were found between ESS scores and axial/postural/gait impairment, depressive symptoms, and pain (R2, 0.199). ESS scores did not load significantly together with any other PD features in the PCA. Conclusions: Only a limited proportion of the variation in EDS could be accounted for by other symptoms, and EDS did not cluster together with any other PD features in PCAs. This suggests that EDS is a separate manifestation differing from e.g. poor sleep quality and fatigue.

[The Swedish Neurological Association: The number of neurologists need to double over the next decade].

BackgroundTherapy with either recombinant beta-1a or beta-1b interferons (IFNs) is worldwide approved for Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). A major unanswered question is whether this treatment is able to safely reverse or retard the progressive phase of the disease.Objectives The main objective was to verify whether IFNs treatment in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) is more effective than placebo in reducing the number of patients who experience disability progression.Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis Group's Trials Register (1995 to 15 February 2011), the reference lists of relevant articles and conference proceedings. Regulatory agencies were used as additional sources of information.Selection criteriaWe included all randomised, double or single blind, placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy of IFNs versus placebo in SPMS patients.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors independently assessed all reports retrieved from the search. They independently extracted clinical, safety andMRI data, using a predefined data extraction form, resolving disagreements after discussion with a third reviewer. Risk of bias was evaluated to assess the quality of the studies. Treatment effect was measured using Risk Ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the binary outcomes and Standard Mean Difference with 95% CI for the continuous outcomes.Main resultsFive RCTs met the inclusion criteria, from which 3122 (1829 IFN and 1293 placebo) treated patients contributed to the analysis. Included population was heterogeneous in terms of baseline clinical characteristics of the disease, in particular the percentage of patients affected by secondary progression with superimposed relapse ranging from 72% to 44%. IFN beta 1a and 1b did not decrease the risk of progression sustained at 6 months (RR, 95% CI: 0.98, [ 0.82-1.16]) after three years of treatment. A significant decrease of the risk of progression sust

Kunskap om hur grundutbildningen på läkarprogrammet tillfredsställer de krav som en utexaminerad läkare ställs inför under AT-tjänstgöringen är grundläggande för utformning och utvärdering av kursprogrammet. Syftet med vår studie var att utvärdera AT-läkares tillfreds­ställelse med neurologiundervisningen på läkarprogrammet vid samtliga universitetsorter i Sverige, efter att ha prövat sina kunskaper i kliniskt arbete. En enkät skickades till 1 628 nylegitimerade läkare som fått sin legitimation mellan 1 januari 2005 och 9 oktober 2007. 65 procent besvarade enkäten. Merparten ansåg att kvaliteten på den teoretiska och praktiska undervisningen under grundutbildningen i neurologi var bra eller mycket bra. Läkare med kortare sammanhållen grundutbildningstid i neurologi angav i högre grad att undervisningstiden varit för kort. Neurologiska frågeställningar angavs vara vanliga under AT. En majoritet angav att mängden neurologisk undervisning under AT varit för liten. Resultaten ger god återkoppling för fortsatt utveckling av neurologiundervisningen. Liknande studier bör kunna genomföras även för andra områden inom läkarutbildningen.

To obtain knowledge if basic medical education satisfies the demands the medical graduates face during internship is a basis for the design and evaluation of teaching.The aim of the study was to evaluate the physicians’ satisfaction with the teaching of neurology at universities in Sweden subsequent to having tested the obtained skills in the 21 months internship needed for Swedish physician licence.A questionnaire with 23 questions was sent in 2007 to 1628 newly licensed doctors who received their cards between 2005-01-01 and 2007-10-09, after completing Swedish internship.Onethousand-fiftyone physicians (65%) answered the questionnaire. Most felt that the quality of the theoretical and practical education in neurology obtained at the university was good or very good. Physicians with less coherent university neurology teaching time indicated to a greater degree that teaching time at the undergraduate level was too short. The physicians indicated that neurological issues are common during the internship. A majority indicated that that they had received too little training in neurology during their internship. The results give a good feedback for further development of neurology teaching. Similar studies could be carried out also for other areas of graduate medical education.

Kunskap om hur grundutbildningen på läkarprogrammet tillfredsställer de krav som en utexaminerad läkare ställs inför under AT-tjänstgöringen är grundläggande för utformning och utvärdering av kursprogrammet. Syftet med vår studie var att utvärdera AT-läkares tillfreds­ställelse med neurologiundervisningen på läkarprogrammet vid samtliga universitetsorter i Sverige, efter att ha prövat sina kunskaper i kliniskt arbete. En enkät skickades till 1 628 nylegitimerade läkare som fått sin legitimation mellan 1 januari 2005 och 9 oktober 2007. 65 procent besvarade enkäten. Merparten ansåg att kvaliteten på den teoretiska och praktiska undervisningen under grundutbildningen i neurologi var bra eller mycket bra. Läkare med kortare sammanhållen grundutbildningstid i neurologi angav i högre grad att undervisningstiden varit för kort. Neurologiska frågeställningar angavs vara vanliga under AT. En majoritet angav att mängden neurologisk undervisning under AT varit för liten. Resultaten ger god återkoppling för fortsatt utveckling av neurologiundervisningen. Liknande studier bör kunna genomföras även för andra områden inom läkarutbildningen.

BACKGROUND Glatiramer acetate (GA) and interferon-beta (INFb) are first-line disease modifying drugs for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Treatment with INFb is associated with a significant increase in health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in the first 12 months. It is not known whether HR-QoL increases during treatment with GA. METHODS 197 RRMS patients, 106 without and 91 with prior immunomodulation/immunosuppression, were studied for HR-QoL (Leeds Multiple Sclerosis-QoL [LMS-QoL] scale, score range 0 - 32), fatigue (Fatigue Impact Scale [FIS]) and depressed mood (Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form [BDI-SF]) at baseline and 6 and 12 months after start of GA treatment. RESULTS At 6 and 12 months mean LMS-QoL scores were significantly increased in the treatment-naive patient group (p textless 0.001), not in the pre-treated group. At month 12 43% of treatment-naïve patients had improved HR-QoL (increase LMS-QoL score 3 or more points) (p textless 0.001). Likewise, mean FIS scores were decreased at months 6 and 12 in the treatment-naïve group (p textless 0.01), not in the pre-treated group. In both groups mean BDI-SF scores did not change. No demographic or clinical baseline factor was predictive of HR-QoL increase. HR-QoL changes were zero to negative for patients who had discontinued GA before month 12 (28.4% of patients). CONCLUSIONS In RRMS patients without prior immunomodulation/immunosuppression treatment with GA was associated with an increase in HR-QoL in the first 6 months, that was sustained at 12 months. In 4 out of 10 patients HR-QoL improved. Increase in HR-QoL was associated with decrease in fatigue., + ID der Publikation: unilu_29634 + Sprache: Englisch + Letzte Aktualisierung: 2021-02-22 13:04:58

The personal diary of Sir Augustus dEst,, born 1794 grandson of King George III of England, reveals a medical history strongly suggesting that Augustus suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS). It could well be the first record of a person having this disease. Charcot coined the term scl,rose en plaques 20 years after the death of this patient in 1848. The onset of this mans MS seems to have been in 1822 with bilateral optic neuritis, the disease gradually developing in the classic manner with bouts derived from different loci in the central nervous system and eventually a secondary progressive form with paraparesis, sphincter incontinence, urinary problems and impotence. In 1941, Firth highlighted the case of Augustus dEst, and later wrote a description of the pathology including a discussion on the aetiology of MS. No previous medical records have given such a characteristic picture of MS as this.