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7 results on '"Mark Levine-Weinberg"'

1. Imaging Neurochemistry and Brain Structure Tracks Clinical Decline and Mechanisms of ALS in Patients

Author

Ovidiu C. Andronesi, Katharine Nicholson, Kourosh Jafari-Khouzani, Wolfgang Bogner, Jing Wang, James Chan, Eric A. Macklin, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Christopher Breen, Michael A. Schwarzschild, Merit Cudkowicz, Bruce R. Rosen, Sabrina Paganoni, and Eva-Maria Ratai

Subjects
magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), neurochemistry, glutathione (GSH), neurodegeneration, T1 relaxation in the rotating frame (T1rho), macromolecular fraction, Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system, RC346-429
Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress and protein aggregation are key mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is the most important intracellular antioxidant that protects neurons from reactive oxygen species. We hypothesized that levels of GSH measured by MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) in the motor cortex and corticospinal tract are linked to clinical trajectory of ALS patients.Objectives: Investigate the value of GSH imaging to probe clinical decline of ALS patients in combination with other neurochemical and structural parameters.Methods: Twenty-four ALS patients were imaged at 3 T with an advanced MR protocol. Mapping GSH levels in the brain is challenging, and for this purpose, we used an optimized spectral-edited 3D MRSI sequence with real-time motion and field correction to image glutathione and other brain metabolites. In addition, our imaging protocol included (i) an adiabatic T1ρ sequence to image macromolecular fraction of brain parenchyma, (ii) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for white matter tractography, and (iii) high-resolution anatomical imaging.Results: We found GSH in motor cortex (r = −0.431, p = 0.04) and corticospinal tract (r = −0.497, p = 0.016) inversely correlated with time between diagnosis and imaging. N-Acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in motor cortex inversely correlated (r = −0.416, p = 0.049), while mean water diffusivity (r = 0.437, p = 0.033) and T1ρ (r = 0.482, p = 0.019) positively correlated with disease progression measured by imputed change in revised ALS Functional Rating Scale. There is more decrease in the motor cortex than in the white matter for GSH compared to NAA, glutamate, and glutamine.Conclusions: Our study suggests that a panel of biochemical and structural imaging biomarkers defines a brain endophenotype, which can be used to time biological events and clinical progression in ALS patients. Such a quantitative brain endophenotype may stratify ALS patients into more homogeneous groups for therapeutic interventions compared to clinical criteria.

Published
2020
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2. Imaging Neurochemistry and Brain Structure Tracks Clinical Decline and Mechanisms of ALS in Patients

Author

James Chan, Kourosh Jafari-Khouzani, Eric A. Macklin, Wolfgang Bogner, Eva-Maria Ratai, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Bruce R. Rosen, Michael A. Schwarzschild, Christopher T. Breen, Sabrina Paganoni, Ovidiu C. Andronesi, Merit Cudkowicz, Jing Wang, and Katharine Nicholson

Subjects
Pathology, medicine.medical_specialty, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), macromolecular fraction, neurochemistry, T1 relaxation in the rotating frame (T1rho), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), lcsh:RC346-429, White matter, Neurochemical, medicine, Neurochemistry, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, lcsh:Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system, Original Research, business.industry, Neurodegeneration, neurodegeneration, medicine.disease, glutathione (GSH), medicine.anatomical_structure, Neurology, Corticospinal tract, Neurology (clinical), business, Diffusion MRI, Motor cortex
Abstract

Background: Oxidative stress and protein aggregation are key mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is the most important intracellular antioxidant that protects neurons from reactive oxygen species. We hypothesized that levels of GSH measured by MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) in the motor cortex and corticospinal tract are linked to clinical trajectory of ALS patients.Objectives: Investigate the value of GSH imaging to probe clinical decline of ALS patients in combination with other neurochemical and structural parameters.Methods: Twenty-four ALS patients were imaged at 3 T with an advanced MR protocol. Mapping GSH levels in the brain is challenging, and for this purpose, we used an optimized spectral-edited 3D MRSI sequence with real-time motion and field correction to image glutathione and other brain metabolites. In addition, our imaging protocol included (i) an adiabatic T1ρ sequence to image macromolecular fraction of brain parenchyma, (ii) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for white matter tractography, and (iii) high-resolution anatomical imaging.Results: We found GSH in motor cortex (r = −0.431, p = 0.04) and corticospinal tract (r = −0.497, p = 0.016) inversely correlated with time between diagnosis and imaging. N-Acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in motor cortex inversely correlated (r = −0.416, p = 0.049), while mean water diffusivity (r = 0.437, p = 0.033) and T1ρ (r = 0.482, p = 0.019) positively correlated with disease progression measured by imputed change in revised ALS Functional Rating Scale. There is more decrease in the motor cortex than in the white matter for GSH compared to NAA, glutamate, and glutamine.Conclusions: Our study suggests that a panel of biochemical and structural imaging biomarkers defines a brain endophenotype, which can be used to time biological events and clinical progression in ALS patients. Such a quantitative brain endophenotype may stratify ALS patients into more homogeneous groups for therapeutic interventions compared to clinical criteria.

Published
2020
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3. Pilot trial of inosine to elevate urate levels in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Author

Eva-Maria Ratai, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Sabrina Paganoni, Daniela L. Grasso, Eric A. Macklin, Samad Jahandideh, Ovidiu C. Andronesi, Merit Cudkowicz, Christopher T. Breen, Anne-Marie Wills, Rachit Bakshi, Albert A. Taylor, Michael A. Schwarzschild, Katharine Nicholson, James Chan, Danielle Beaulieu, and David L. Ennist

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_specialty, Neuroprotection, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Internal medicine, medicine, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Adverse effect, Inosine, Feeding tube, Research Articles, business.industry, General Neuroscience, 16. Peace & justice, medicine.disease, 3. Good health, Gout, Clinical trial, 030104 developmental biology, Tolerability, Neurology (clinical), business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Research Article, medicine.drug
Abstract

Objective To test the safety, tolerability, and urate‐elevating capability of the urate precursor inosine taken orally or by feeding tube in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods This was a pilot, open‐label trial in 25 participants with ALS. Treatment duration was 12 weeks. The dose of inosine was titrated at pre‐specified time points to elevate serum urate levels to 7–8 mg/dL. Primary outcomes were safety (as assessed by the occurrence of adverse events [AEs]) and tolerability (defined as the ability to complete the 12‐week study on study drug). Secondary outcomes included biomarkers of oxidative stress and damage. As an exploratory analysis, observed outcomes were compared with a virtual control arm built using prediction algorithms to estimate ALSFRS‐R scores. Results Twenty‐four out of 25 participants (96%) completed 12 weeks of study drug treatment. One participant was unable to comply with study visits and was lost to follow‐up. Serum urate rose to target levels in 6 weeks. No serious AEs attributed to study drug and no AEs of special concern, such as urolithiasis and gout, occurred. Selected biomarkers of oxidative stress and damage had significant changes during the study period. Observed changes in ALSFRS‐R did not differ from baseline predictions. Interpretation Inosine appeared safe, well tolerated, and effective in raising serum urate levels in people with ALS. These findings, together with epidemiological observations and preclinical data supporting a neuroprotective role of urate in ALS models, provide the rationale for larger clinical trials testing inosine as a potential disease‐modifying therapy for ALS.

Published
2018
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4. Safety and efficacy of eculizumab in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis (REGAIN): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study

Author

Kazumi Takada, Vladislav Abramov, Seiko Yoshida, Pinar Ozcelik, Carolina Miranda, Jennifer Kane, Kaitlyn McKenna, Natasha Campbell, Sharon P. Nations, Shitiz Kumar Sriwastava, Yuko Fujii, Mayumi Murata, Linda Wagemaekers, Angela Andoin, Mollie Vanderhook, Yoshinori Okubo, Martin Bilsker, Taira Uehara, Vera Bril, Julia Wanschitz, Stanislava Toncrova, Mariela Bettini, Kazumi Futono, Shachie Aranke, Yool-hee Kim, Hiroyuki Murai, Anne Nyrhinen, Vinay Chaudhry, Raffaele Iorio, Takashi Kanda, Brittany Harvey, Francisco Javier Rodriguez de Rivera, Henning Andersen, Marianne de Visser, Miwako Sato, Yasuhiro Maeda, Fabienne Deruelle, Marina Pozo, Adam Hart, Masaki Saitoh, Wladimir Bocca Vieira de Rezende Pinto, Said R. Beydoun, Lindsay Zilliox, Akihiro Mukaino, Cinzia Caserta, Mahi Jasinarachchi, Andrea M. Corse, Nikoletta Papadopoulou, JuYoung Kwon, Fernanda Carrara, Juliet Saba, Masayuki Makamori, Vittorio Frasca, Luciana Souza Duca, Hoo Nam Kang, C. Trebst, Celile Phan, Muzeyyen Ugur, Eduardo Ng, Jonathan McKinnon, Hila Bali Kuperman, David Feder, Judit Matolcsi, Jiri Pitha, Martin Stangel, Kate Beck, Gabriel Paiva, Diego Lopergolo, Katrien De Mey, Hidenori Matsuo, Lucas Eduardo Pazetto, Eugene Lai, Amanda Anderson, Ann D'Hondt, Tetsuya Akiyama, Beverly Fyfe, Bella Gross, Elisabet Arribas-Ibar, Kathy de Koning, Gulmohor Roy, Dmitry Pokhabov, Maria Johanna Keijzers, Nicholas Ventura, Tessa Marburger, John Loor, Ji Eun Lee, Alessandro Filla, Celal Tuga, Stephanie Scala, Rudy Mercelis, Marc H. De Baets, Hisako Kobayashi, Stanislav Vohanka, Ana Paula Macagnan, Ana Carolina Amaral de Andrade, Heike Arndt, Giovanni Antonini, Yumi Yamashita, Gwendal Le Masson, Sonia Garcia, Sarah Verjans, James F. Howard, Zaeem A. Siddiqi, Yuen T. So, Megumi Koga, Exuperio Diez Tejedor, Teresa Costabile, Mihoko Takada Takada, Steve Hopkins, Jonathan S. Katz, Charlene Hafer-Macko, Erica Nogueira Coelho, Hung Youl Seok, Carol Herbert, Yuriko Nagane, Didem Altiparmak, Sachiko Kamakura, Mohammad Sanjak, Caroline Moreau, Jordi Díaz-Manera, Sivakumar Sathasivam, Michael Vytopil, Amelia Evoli, Masakatsu Motomura, Ester Reggio, Guy Van den Abeele, Hélène Zéphir, Asya Yarmoschuk, Jasmine Hewlett, Amy Wilson, Sachie Fukui, Cavit Boz, Iandra Souza, Morgane Gaboreau, Ivana Jurajdova, Sonia Decressac, Yong Seo Koo, Valentina Pegoraro, Seung Min Kim, Benison Keung, Rosana Rocha, Nanna Witting, John Vissing, Elaine Weiner, Ali Malekniazi, Larisa Babenko, Amanda C. Guidon, Gal Maier, Charlotte Smetcoren, Robert M. Pascuzzi, Domenico Marco Bonifati, Yumiko Nakamura, Tamires Cristina Gomes da Silva, Takashi Murahara, Sarah Plevka, Tomoko Tsuda, John C. Kincaid, Arnaud Lacour, Ibrez Bandukwala, Alan R. Berger, Chang Nyoung Lee, Jae-Sung Lim, Vern C. Juel, Tulio E. Bertorini, Valeria Cavalcante Lino, Namie Taichi, Ju-Hong Min, Josep Gamez, Nelly Greenbereg, William S. David, Srikanth Muppidi, Husnu Efendi, Pedro Lopez Ruiz, Baki Dogan, Cansu Semiz, Natalia Julia Palacios, Sharon Downing, Paola Cudia, Daniel Jacobs, Can Ebru Bekircan-Kurt, Takayasu Fukudome, Kristen Roe, Lena Bjarbo, Nicole Kassebaum, Makoto Samukawa, Shizuka Asada, Christina Dheel, Fatima Maqsood, Eun Bi Hwang, Kevin Daniels, Sevim Erdem-Ozdamar, Olivier Stevens, Claudio Mazia, Karan Alcon, Sibel Gazioglu, Keiko Kikutake, Luis Lay, Petra Tilkin, Corrado Angelini, Derrick Blackmore, Kimiaki Utsugisawa, Despoina Charalambous, Tuula Harrison, Kristin Huynh, Huned S. Patwa, Laura Echevarria, Henrique Mohr, Christian Homedes-Pedret, Richard J. Barohn, Byung Jo Kim, Daniel DiCapua, Terry McClain, Debora Dada Martineli Torres, Maria Salvado Figueras, Ana Paula Melo, Riley Snook, Miki Ogawa, Marcelo Annes, Yuka Saito, Isabel Illa, Evanthia Bernitsas, Nicole Smalley, Molly Lindsay, Robert G. Miller, Olga Azrilin, Silvia Bonanno, Evgeniya Kosykh, Marcela Wolfova, Olivier Outteryck, Shirli Toska, Anna Kostera-Pruszczyk, HyeJin Ra, Rup Tandan, Sotirios Papagiannopoulos, Natasha Willlems, Anne Mette Ostergaard Autzen, Meinoshin Okumura, Patrick Vermersch, Sarada Sakamuri, Maria Antonia Alberti Aguilo, Shigemi Shimose, Cynthia Carter, Ira Blount, Lisa Thompson, Maurer Pereira Martins, Richard Nowak, Hyung Seok Lee, Anna Kaminska, Joan Bratton, Nazire Pinar Acar, Junichi Ogasawara, Mohamed Mahdi-Rogers, Teiichiro Mitazaki, Marek Čierny, Craig Donahue, Jaya Trivedi, Neelam Goyal, Gonzalo Vidal, Brandy Quarles, Akiko Kanzaki, Yasuko Ikeda, Tomomi Kobashikawa, Morris Brown, Daisuke Yamamoto, Michel Deneve, Denis Korobko, Beth DiSanzo, Benedikt Schoser, Heidi Boterhoven, Eri Kobayashi, Maoko Shirane, Cristiani Fernanda Butinhao, Eriko Higuchi, Takashi Hayashi, Masanori Takahashi, Anne-Cécile Wielanek-Bachelet, Benjamin Rix Brooks, Emanuela Onesti, Tahseen Mozaffar, Liang Lu, Sevasti Bostantzopoulou, Christophe Vial, Shawn J. Bird, Sandi Mumfrey-Thomas, Julie Khoury, Kara Patrick, Kenichi Tsukita, Yoshiko Sano, Hiroshi Nakazora, David P. Richman, Gavin Brown, Yoon-Ho Hong, Tomohiro Kawamura, Igor Dias Brockhausen, Ye Liu, Acary Souza Bulle Oliveira, Soichiro Funaka, Tomoya Hasuike, Frank Lin, Luis Antonio Querol Gutierrez, Namita Goyal, Elena Pinzan, Michelle Mellion, Silvia Messina, Christopher Lindberg, Csilla Rozsa, J. Chad Hoyle, Yoko Kaneko, Gustavo Duran, Francesco Patti, Arshira Seddigh, Ele Kim Perez, Jayashri Srinivasan, Michael Benatar, Philip Van Damme, Salma Akhter, Daniel Ambrosio, Maria Salvado, Floyd Jones, Mark Sivak, Anneke J. van der Kooi, Karen Callison, Catherine Nigro, Rebekah Garcia, Thomas Arnold, Hideki Arima, Brigid Crabtree, Mary Varghese, Aditya Kumar, Miri Kim, Fanny O'Brien, Naya McKinnon, Lauren Wheeler, Hong Vu, Shunsuke Yoshimura, Masatoshi Omoto, Jeffrey T. Guptill, Maria Gabriele, Francoise Bouhour, Veena Mathew, Ritsu Nakayama, Rosa Hasan, Francesco Saccà, Mohammed Salajegheh, Diana Dimitrova, Alzira Alves de Siqueira Carvalho, Maurizio Inghilleri, George Sachs, Rekha Pillai, Enrico Marano, Monika Konyane, Anh Tran, Seda Aydinlik, Kendrick Henderson, Fumie Meguro, Alexandre Guerreiro, Amaiak Chilingaryan, Tiyonnoh Cash, Jun Kawamata, Julie Steele, Helene Gervais-Bernard, Thomas Harbo, Alejandra Dalila Garcia, Musa Kazim Onar, Sabrina Sacconi, Carlos Casasnovas Pons, Nadezhda Malkova, Denis Sazonov, Mireya Fernandez-Fournier, Karin Fricke, Laurie Gutmann, Amy Saklad, Clara Schommer, Sandra Taber, Fiona Norwood, Tugce Kirbas Cavdar, Monique Miesen, Fernanda Troili, Masanori Watanabe, Ratna Bhavaraju-Sanka, Ted M. Burns, Sari Atula, Faisal Sohail, Barbora Kurkova, Brigitta Szabadosne, Luciana Renata Cubas Volpe, Jane Pedersen, Jing Jing Wang, Masashi Inoue, Antonella Di Pasquale, Megan Kramer, Magda Chmelikova, Mehran Soltani, Tuan Vu, Laura Fionda, Eliz Agopian, Susan Shin, Anthony A. Amato, Lotte Vinge, Hakan Cavus, Gil I. Wolfe, Joan Nye, Delphine Mahieu, Miguel Wilken, Markus Färkkilä, Catherine Faber, Erin Manning, Emiko Tsuda, Rami Massie, Paolo Emilio Alboini, Yasmeen Shabbir, Angela Campanella, Aikaterini Dimitriou, Marcelo Rugiero, Cynthia Bodkin, Gyorgyi Szabo, Sharon Halton, Akshay Shah, Yasuko Maeda, Hans D. Katzberg, Yagmur Caliskan, Jaimin Shah, Katsuhisa Masaki, Valentina Damato, Blanka Andersson, Aline de Cassia Santos, Masahiro Mori, Renato Mantegazza, Misa Shimpo, Joanne Nemeth, Livia Dezsi, Anna De Rosa, Doreen Ho, Julie Moutarde, Efstathia Mitropoulou, Amy Woodall, Angela Micheels, László Vécsei, Byoung Joon Kim, Lisa Smith, Tomihiro Imai, Harpreet Kaur, Lorenzo Maggi, Jane Distad, Anita Mogensen, Ericka Simpson, Anne Cooley, Eliana Reyes, Ha Young Shin, Da Yoon Koh, Stefan Gingele, Susan Strom, Ezgi Yilmaz, Manisha Chopra, Anna Melnikova, Edouard Millois, Ludwig Gutmann, Miriam Freimer, Hirokazu Shinozaki, Heena Olalde, Kerry Naunton, Shunya Nakane, Ihsan Sengun, Dimos-Dimitrios Mitsikostas, Edina Varga, Juha-Pekka Erälinna, Wolfgang Löscher, Jan De Bleecker, Elena Bravver, Ana Lazaro, Eun Bin Cho, Thomas Cochrane, Jonathan Goldstein, Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, Michaela Tyblova, Angela Marsil, J. Edward Hartmann, Miyuki Morikawa, Karen Zakalik, Claude Desnuelle, Iveta Novakova, Michiaki Koga, Melinda Horvath, Luiz Otavio Maia Gonçalves, Elena Cortes Vicente, Alejandro Tobon Gonzalez, Stanley H. Appel, Brian Minton, Daniele Orrico, Brian Droker, Jacob Kaufman, Erica Coelho, Chafic Karam, Mikko Laaksonen, Katherine Amato, Jinmyoung Seok, Natalia Prando, Pauline Lahaut, Kaori Osakada, Phillipa Lamont, Alexandros Tselis, Daiane da Cruz Pacheco, Joan Højgaard, Hirokazu Shiraishi, Josef Bednarik, Stefania Morino, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Sara-Claude Michon, Yusuke Fukuda, Michael Pulley, Koichi Narikawa, Ricardo Rojas Garcia, Betsy Mosmiller, James Gilchrist, Maria da Penha Morita Ananias, Maryanne Burdette, Shingo Konno, Janelle Butters, Stephan Wenninger, Debbie Davies, Thomas Skripuletz, Mohammad Alsharabati, Katarina Reguliova, Gabor Lovas, Yuichiro Gondo, Miju Shin, HyeLim Lee, Bruno Bezerra Rosa, Michael D. Weiss, Martha Zampaki, Andrea Caramma, Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld, Cigdem Ozen Aydin, Shara Holzberg, Hélène Merle, Olga Zapletalova, Kurt-Wolfram Suehs, Robert P. Lisak, Dale J. Lange, Albert Hietala, Sedat Sen, Elena Giacomelli, Akiyuki Uzawa, Tomás Augusto Suriane Fialho, Matteo Garibaldi, Nadia Sattar, Wai-Kuen Leong, Lindsay Kaplan, Tetsuya Kanai, Jaana Eriksson, Akiko Nagaishi, Khema Sharma, Tamar Gibson, Mohamed Kazamel, Yulia Nesterova, Sascha Alvermann, Murat Terzi, Taylor Darnell, Donna Carnes, Victor Balyazin, John T. Kissel, Waqar Waheed, Jana Junkerova, Kimberly Robeson, Nicholas Vlaikidis, Nicholas Silvestri, Fredrik Piehl, Maurício André Gheller Friedrich, Shun Shimohama, Nuria Vidal, Eleni Kasioti, H. James Jones, Michael K. Hehir, Luiz Augusto da Silva, Dave Watling, Leslie Roberts, Casey Faigle, Caroline Hourquin, Olli Oksaranta, Tomomi Imamura, Shin Hisahara, Dennis Jeffery, Marie-Hélène Soriani, M. Kawai, Chieko Yoshikawa, Roseann Keo, Angela Genge, Michelangelo Maestri Tassoni, Milvia Pleitez, Michael H. Rivner, Maki Jingu, Giorgia Puorro, Andrea Swenson, Saiju Jacob, Carolina Ortea, Shuichiro Suzuki, Marguerite Engel, Ikuko Kamegamori, SangAe Park, Guilhem Sole, Lesly Welsh, Nichole Gallatti, Jakit Gollogly, Daniel Jons, Yasuteru Sano, Takuya Matsushita, Omar Khan, Maria Cristina Gori, Thabata Veiga, Julie Agriesti, Jos Maessen, Sandra Guinrich, Francesca Bevilacqua, Laura Haar, Jordana Gonçalves Geraldo, Justin Y. Kwan, Hidekazu Suzuki, Dai Matsuse, Kelly Jia, Ozlem Tun, Lara Katzin, Yasushi Suzuki, Shannon Lucy, Carlo Antozzi, ANS - Neuroinfection & -inflammation, Neurology, Howard, James F, Utsugisawa, Kimiaki, Benatar, Michael, Murai, Hiroyuki, Barohn, Richard J, Illa, Isabel, Jacob, Saiju, Vissing, John, Burns, Ted M, Kissel, John T, Muppidi, Srikanth, Nowak, Richard J, O'Brien, Fanny, Wang, Jing-Jing, Mantegazza, Renato, Mazia, Claudio Gabriel, Wilken, Miguel, Ortea, Carolina, Saba, Juliet, Rugiero, Marcelo, Bettini, Mariela, Vidal, Gonzalo, Garcia, Alejandra Dalila, Lamont, Phillipa, Leong, Wai-Kuen, Boterhoven, Heidi, Fyfe, Beverly, Roberts, Leslie, Jasinarachchi, Mahi, Willlems, Natasha, Wanschitz, Julia, Löscher, Wolfgang, De Bleecker, Jan, Van den Abeele, Guy, de Koning, Kathy, De Mey, Katrien, Mercelis, Rudy, Wagemaekers, Linda, Mahieu, Delphine, Van Damme, Philip, Smetcoren, Charlotte, Stevens, Olivier, Verjans, Sarah, D'Hondt, Ann, Tilkin, Petra, Alves de Siqueira Carvalho, Alzira, Hasan, Rosa, Dias Brockhausen, Igor, Feder, David, Ambrosio, Daniel, Melo, Ana Paula, Rocha, Rosana, Rosa, Bruno, Veiga, Thabata, Augusto da Silva, Luiz, Gonçalves Geraldo, Jordana, da Penha Morita Ananias, Maria, Nogueira Coelho, Erica, Paiva, Gabriel, Pozo, Marina, Prando, Natalia, Dada Martineli Torres, Debora, Fernanda Butinhao, Cristiani, Coelho, Erica, Renata Cubas Volpe, Luciana, Duran, Gustavo, Gomes da Silva, Tamires Cristina, Otavio Maia Gonçalves, Luiz, Pazetto, Lucas Eduardo, Souza Duca, Luciana, Suriane Fialho, Tomás Augusto, Gheller Friedrich, Maurício André, Guerreiro, Alexandre, Mohr, Henrique, Pereira Martins, Maurer, da Cruz Pacheco, Daiane, Macagnan, Ana Paula, de Cassia Santos, Aline, Bulle Oliveira, Acary Souza, Amaral de Andrade, Ana Carolina, Annes, Marcelo, Cavalcante Lino, Valeria, Pinto, Wladimir, Miranda, Carolina, Carrara, Fernanda, Souza, Iandra, Genge, Angela, Massie, Rami, Campbell, Natasha, Bril, Vera, Katzberg, Han, Soltani, Mehran, Ng, Eduardo, Siddiqi, Zaeem, Phan, Celile, Blackmore, Derrick, Vohanka, Stanislav, Bednarik, Josef, Chmelikova, Magda, Cierny, Marek, Toncrova, Stanislava, Junkerova, Jana, Kurkova, Barbora, Reguliova, Katarina, Zapletalova, Olga, Pitha, Jiri, Novakova, Iveta, Tyblova, Michaela, Wolfova, Marcela, Jurajdova, Ivana, Andersen, Henning, Harbo, Thoma, Vinge, Lotte, Mogensen, Anita, Højgaard, Joan, Witting, Nanna, Autzen, Anne Mette, Pedersen, Jane, Färkkilä, Marku, Atula, Sari, Nyrhinen, Anne, Erälinna, Juha-Pekka, Laaksonen, Mikko, Oksaranta, Olli, Eriksson, Jaana, Harrison, Tuula, Desnuelle, Claude, Sacconi, Sabrina, Soriani, Marie-Hélène, Decressac, Sonia, Moutarde, Julie, Lahaut, Pauline, Solé, Guilhem, Le Masson, Gwendal, Wielanek-Bachelet, Anne-Cécile, Gaboreau, Morgane, Moreau, Caroline, Wilson, Amy, Vial, Christophe, Bouhour, Françoise, Gervais-Bernard, Helene, Merle, Hélène, Hourquin, Caroline, Lacour, Arnaud, Outteryck, Olivier, Vermersch, Patrick, Zephir, Hélène, Millois, Edouard, Deneve, Michel, Deruelle, Fabienne, Schoser, Benedikt, Wenninger, Stephan, Stangel, Martin, Alvermann, Sascha, Gingele, Stefan, Skripuletz, Thoma, Suehs, Kurt-Wolfram, Trebst, Corinna, Fricke, Karin, Papagiannopoulos, Sotirio, Bostantzopoulou, Sevasti, Vlaikidis, Nichola, Zampaki, Martha, Papadopoulou, Nikoletta, Mitsikostas, Dimos-Dimitrio, Kasioti, Eleni, Mitropoulou, Efstathia, Charalambous, Despoina, Rozsa, Csilla, Horvath, Melinda, Lovas, Gabor, Matolcsi, Judit, Szabo, Gyorgyi, Szabadosne, Brigitta, Vecsei, Laszlo, Dezsi, Livia, Varga, Edina, Konyane, Monika, Gross, Bella, Azrilin, Olga, Greenbereg, Nelly, Bali Kuperman, Hila, Antonini, Giovanni, Garibaldi, Matteo, Morino, Stefania, Troili, Fernanda, Di Pasquale, Antonella, Filla, Alessandro, Costabile, Teresa, Marano, Enrico, Sacca, Francesco, Marsili, Angela, Puorro, Giorgia, Maestri Tassoni, Michelangelo, De Rosa, Anna, Bonanno, Silvia, Antozzi, Carlo, Maggi, Lorenzo, Campanella, Angela, Angelini, Corrado, Cudia, Paola, Pegoraro, Valentina, Pinzan, Elena, Bevilacqua, Francesca, Orrico, Daniele, Bonifati, Domenico Marco, Evoli, Amelia, Alboini, Paolo Emilio, D'Amato, Valentina, Iorio, Raffaele, Inghilleri, Maurizio, Fionda, Laura, Frasca, Vittorio, Giacomelli, Elena, Gori, Maria, Lopergolo, Diego, Onesti, Emanuela, Gabriele, Maria, Patti, Francesco, Salvatore Caramma, Andrea, Messina, Silvia, Reggio, Ester, Caserta, Cinzia, Uzawa, Akiyuki, Kanai, Tetsuya, Mori, Masahiro, Kaneko, Yoko, Kanzaki, Akiko, Kobayashi, Eri, Masaki, Katsuhisa, Matsuse, Dai, Matsushita, Takuya, Uehara, Taira, Shimpo, Misa, Jingu, Maki, Kikutake, Keiko, Nakamura, Yumiko, Sano, Yoshiko, Nagane, Yuriko, Kamegamori, Ikuko, Fujii, Yuko, Futono, Kazumi, Tsuda, Tomoko, Saito, Yuka, Suzuki, Hidekazu, Morikawa, Miyuki, Samukawa, Makoto, Kamakura, Sachiko, Shiraishi, Hirokazu, Mitazaki, Teiichiro, Motomura, Masakatsu, Mukaino, Akihiro, Yoshimura, Shunsuke, Asada, Shizuka, Kobashikawa, Tomomi, Koga, Megumi, Maeda, Yasuko, Takada, Kazumi, Takada, Mihoko Takada, Yamashita, Yumi, Yoshida, Seiko, Suzuki, Yasushi, Akiyama, Tetsuya, Narikawa, Koichi, Tsukita, Kenichi, Meguro, Fumie, Fukuda, Yusuke, Sato, Miwako, Matsuo, Hidenori, Fukudome, Takayasu, Gondo, Yuichiro, Maeda, Yasuhiro, Nagaishi, Akiko, Nakane, Shunya, Okubo, Yoshinori, Okumura, Meinoshin, Funaka, Soichiro, Kawamura, Tomohiro, Makamori, Masayuki, Takahashi, Masanori, Hasuike, Tomoya, Higuchi, Eriko, Kobayashi, Hisako, Osakada, Kaori, Taichi, Namie, Tsuda, Emiko, Hayashi, Takashi, Hisahara, Shin, Imai, Tomihiro, Kawamata, Jun, Murahara, Takashi, Saitoh, Masaki, Shimohama, Shun, Suzuki, Shuichiro, Yamamoto, Daisuke, Konno, Shingo, Imamura, Tomomi, Inoue, Masashi, Murata, Mayumi, Nakazora, Hiroshi, Nakayama, Ritsu, Ikeda, Yasuko, Ogawa, Miki, Shirane, Maoko, Kanda, Takashi, Kawai, Motoharu, Koga, Michiaki, Ogasawara, Junichi, Omoto, Masatoshi, Sano, Yasuteru, Arima, Hideki, Fukui, Sachie, Shimose, Shigemi, Shinozaki, Hirokazu, Watanabe, Masanori, Yoshikawa, Chieko, van der Kooi, Anneke, de Visser, Marianne, Gibson, Tamar, Maessen, Jo, de Baets, Marc, Faber, Catherine, Keijzers, Maria Johanna, Miesen, Monique, Kostera-Pruszczyk, Anna, Kaminska, Anna, Kim, Byung-Jo, Lee, Chang Nyoung, Koo, Yong Seo, Seok, Hung Youl, Kang, Hoo Nam, Ra, Hyejin, Kim, Byoung Joon, Cho, Eun Bin, Lee, Hyelim, Min, Ju-Hong, Seok, Jinmyoung, Koh, Da Yoon, Kwon, Juyoung, Lee, Jieun, Park, Sangae, Hong, Yoon-Ho, Lim, Jae-Sung, Kim, Miri, Kim, Seung Min, Kim, Yool-hee, Lee, Hyung Seok, Shin, Ha Young, Hwang, Eun Bi, Shin, Miju, Sazonov, Deni, Yarmoschuk, Asya, Babenko, Larisa, Malkova, Nadezhda, Melnikova, Anna, Korobko, Deni, Kosykh, Evgeniya, Pokhabov, Dmitry, Nesterova, Yulia, Abramov, Vladislav, Balyazin, Victor, Casasnovas Pons, Carlo, Alberti Aguilo, Maria, Homedes-Pedret, Christian, Palacios, Natalia Julia, Lazaro, Ana, Diez Tejedor, Exuperio, Fernandez-Fournier, Mireya, Lopez Ruiz, Pedro, Rodriguez de Rivera, Francisco Javier, Salvado Figueras, Maria, Gamez, Josep, Salvado, Maria, Cortes Vicente, Elena, Diaz-Manera, Jordi, Querol Gutierrez, Lui, Rojas Garcia, Ricardo, Vidal, Nuria, Arribas-Ibar, Elisabet, Piehl, Fredrik, Hietala, Albert, Bjarbo, Lena, Lindberg, Christopher, Jons, Daniel, Andersson, Blanka, Sengun, Ihsan, Ozcelik, Pinar, Tuga, Celal, Ugur, Muzeyyen, Boz, Cavit, Altiparmak, Didem, Gazioglu, Sibel, Ozen Aydin, Cigdem, Erdem-Ozdamar, Sevim, Bekircan-Kurt, Can Ebru, Yilmaz, Ezgi, Acar, Nazire Pinar, Caliskan, Yagmur, Efendi, Husnu, Aydinlik, Seda, Cavus, Hakan, Semiz, Cansu, Tun, Ozlem, Terzi, Murat, Dogan, Baki, Onar, Musa Kazim, Sen, Sedat, Cavdar, Tugce Kirba, Norwood, Fiona, Dimitriou, Aikaterini, Gollogly, Jakit, Mahdi-Rogers, Mohamed, Seddigh, Arshira, Maier, Gal, Sohail, Faisal, Sathasivam, Sivakumar, Arndt, Heike, Davies, Debbie, Watling, Dave, Rivner, Michael, Hartmann, J. Edward, Quarles, Brandy, Smalley, Nicole, Amato, Anthony, Cochrane, Thoma, Salajegheh, Mohammed, Roe, Kristen, Amato, Katherine, Toska, Shirli, Wolfe, Gil, Silvestri, Nichola, Patrick, Kara, Zakalik, Karen, Katz, Jonathan, Miller, Robert, Engel, Marguerite, Bravver, Elena, Brooks, Benjamin, Plevka, Sarah, Burdette, Maryanne, Sanjak, Mohammad, Kramer, Megan, Nemeth, Joanne, Schommer, Clara, Juel, Vern, Guptill, Jeffrey, Hobson-Webb, Lisa, Beck, Kate, Carnes, Donna, Loor, John, Anderson, Amanda, Lange, Dale, Agopian, Eliz, Goldstein, Jonathan, Manning, Erin, Kaplan, Lindsay, Holzberg, Shara, Kassebaum, Nicole, Pascuzzi, Robert, Bodkin, Cynthia, Kincaid, John, Snook, Riley, Guinrich, Sandra, Micheels, Angela, Chaudhry, Vinay, Corse, Andrea, Mosmiller, Betsy, Ho, Doreen, Srinivasan, Jayashri, Vytopil, Michael, Ventura, Nichola, Scala, Stephanie, Carter, Cynthia, Donahue, Craig, Herbert, Carol, Weiner, Elaine, Mckinnon, Jonathan, Haar, Laura, Mckinnon, Naya, Alcon, Karan, Daniels, Kevin, Sattar, Nadia, Jeffery, Denni, Mckenna, Kaitlyn, Guidon, Amanda, David, William, Dheel, Christina, Levine-Weinberg, Mark, Nigro, Catherine, Simpson, Ericka, Appel, Stanley H, Lai, Eugene, Lay, Lui, Pleitez, Milvia, Halton, Sharon, Faigle, Casey, Thompson, Lisa, Sivak, Mark, Shin, Susan, Bratton, Joan, Jacobs, Daniel, Brown, Gavin, Bandukwala, Ibrez, Brown, Morri, Kane, Jennifer, Blount, Ira, Freimer, Miriam, Hoyle, J. Chad, Agriesti, Julie, Khoury, Julie, Marburger, Tessa, Kaur, Harpreet, Dimitrova, Diana, Mellion, Michelle, Sachs, George, Crabtree, Brigid, Keo, Roseann, Perez, Ele Kim, Taber, Sandra, Gilchrist, Jame, Andoin, Angela, Darnell, Taylor, Goyal, Neelam, Sakamuri, Sarada, So, Yuen T, Welsh, Lesly Welsh, Bhavaraju-Sanka, Ratna, Tobon Gonzalez, Alejandro, Jones, Floyd, Saklad, Amy, Nations, Sharon, Trivedi, Jaya, Hopkins, Steve, Kazamel, Mohamed, Alsharabati, Mohammad, Lu, Liang, Mumfrey-Thomas, Sandi, Woodall, Amy, Richman, David, Butters, Janelle, Lindsay, Molly, Mozaffar, Tahseen, Cash, Tiyonnoh, Goyal, Namita, Roy, Gulmohor, Mathew, Veena, Maqsood, Fatima, Minton, Brian, Jones, H. Jame, Rosenfeld, Jeffrey, Garcia, Rebekah, Garcia, Sonia, Echevarria, Laura, Pulley, Michael, Aranke, Shachie, Berger, Alan Ro, Shah, Jaimin, Shabbir, Yasmeen, Smith, Lisa, Varghese, Mary, Gutmann, Laurie, Gutmann, Ludwig, Swenson, Andrea, Olalde, Heena, Hafer-Macko, Charlene, Kwan, Justin, Zilliox, Lindsay, Callison, Karen, Disanzo, Beth, Naunton, Kerry, Bilsker, Martin, Sharma, Khema, Reyes, Eliana, Cooley, Anne, Michon, Sara-Claude, Steele, Julie, Karam, Chafic Karam, Chopra, Manisha, Bird, Shawn, Kaufman, Jacob, Gallatti, Nichole, Vu, Tuan, Katzin, Lara, Mcclain, Terry, Harvey, Brittany, Hart, Adam, Huynh, Kristin, Beydoun, Said, Chilingaryan, Amaiak, Droker, Brian, Lin, Frank, Shah, Akshay, Tran, Anh, Akhter, Salma, Malekniazi, Ali, Tandan, Rup, Hehir, Michael, Waheed, Waqar, Lucy, Shannon, Weiss, Michael, Distad, Jane, Downing, Sharon, Strom, Susan, Lisak, Robert, Bernitsas, Evanthia, Khan, Omar, Kumar Sriwastava, Shitiz, Tselis, Alexandro, Jia, Kelly, Bertorini, Tulio, Arnold, Thoma, Henderson, Kendrick, Pillai, Rekha, Liu, Ye, Wheeler, Lauren, Hewlett, Jasmine, Vanderhook, Mollie, Dicapua, Daniel, Keung, Benison, Kumar, Aditya, Patwa, Huned, Robeson, Kimberly, Nye, Joan, Vu, Hong, Howard, J, Utsugisawa, K, Benatar, M, Murai, H, Barohn, R, Illa, I, Jacob, S, Vissing, J, Burns, T, Kissel, J, Muppidi, S, Nowak, R, O'Brien, F, Wang, J, Mantegazza, R, and Bonanno, S

Subjects
Male, 0301 basic medicine, medicine.medical_treatment, Drug Resistance, Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized, Autoantibodies, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Myasthenia Gravis, Receptors, Cholinergic, Outcome Assessment (Health Care), Severity of Illness Index, Neurology (clinical), law.invention, Complement inhibitor, 0302 clinical medicine, Randomized controlled trial, law, Monoclonal, Receptors, Clinical endpoint, Humanized, Cholinergic, education.field_of_study, Eculizumab, Autoantibodie, Myasthenia Gravi, Settore MED/26 - NEUROLOGIA, Human, medicine.drug, Meningitides, medicine.medical_specialty, Population, Placebo, Antibodies, 03 medical and health sciences, Internal medicine, medicine, education, business.industry, Surgery, Thymectomy, 030104 developmental biology, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Background Complement is likely to have a role in refractory generalised myasthenia gravis, but no approved therapies specifically target this system. Results from a phase 2 study suggested that eculizumab, a terminal complement inhibitor, produced clinically meaningful improvements in patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis. We further assessed the efficacy and safety of eculizumab in this patient population in a phase 3 trial. Methods We did a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study (REGAIN) in 76 hospitals and specialised clinics in 17 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Eligible patients were aged at least 18 years, with a Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score of 6 or more, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) class II-IV disease, vaccination against Neisseria meningitides, and previous treatment with at least two immunosuppressive therapies or one immunosuppressive therapy and chronic intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange for 12 months without symptom control. Patients with a history of thymoma or thymic neoplasms, thymectomy within 12 months before screening, or use of intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange within 4 weeks before randomisation, or rituximab within 6 months before screening, were excluded. We randomly assigned participants (1:1) to either intravenous eculizumab or intravenous matched placebo for 26 weeks. Dosing for eculizumab was 900 mg on day 1 and at weeks 1, 2, and 3; 1200 mg at week 4; and 1200 mg given every second week thereafter as maintenance dosing. Randomisation was done centrally with an interactive voice or web-response system with patients stratified to one of four groups based on MGFA disease classification. Where possible, patients were maintained on existing myasthenia gravis therapies and rescue medication was allowed at the study physician's discretion. Patients, investigators, staff, and outcome assessors were masked to treatment assignment. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline to week 26 in MG-ADL total score measured by worst-rank ANCOVA. The efficacy population set was defined as all patients randomly assigned to treatment groups who received at least one dose of study drug, had a valid baseline MG-ADL assessment, and at least one post-baseline MG-ADL assessment. The safety analyses included all randomly assigned patients who received eculizumab or placebo. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01997229. Findings Between April 30, 2014, and Feb 19, 2016, we randomly assigned and treated 125 patients, 62 with eculizumab and 63 with placebo. The primary analysis showed no significant difference between eculizumab and placebo (least-squares mean rank 56·6 [SEM 4·5] vs 68·3 [4·5]; rank-based treatment difference -11·7, 95% CI -24·3 to 0·96; p=0·0698). No deaths or cases of meningococcal infection occurred during the study. The most common adverse events in both groups were headache and upper respiratory tract infection (ten [16%] for both events in the eculizumab group and 12 [19%] for both in the placebo group). Myasthenia gravis exacerbations were reported by six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 15 (24%) in the placebo group. Six (10%) patients in the eculizumab group and 12 (19%) in the placebo group required rescue therapy. Interpretation The change in the MG-ADL score was not statistically significant between eculizumab and placebo, as measured by the worst-rank analysis. Eculizumab was well tolerated. The use of a worst-rank analytical approach proved to be an important limitation of this study since the secondary and sensitivity analyses results were inconsistent with the primary endpoint result; further research into the role of complement is needed. Funding Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

Published
2017
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5. Loss of appetite in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is associated with weight loss and decreased calorie consumption independent of dysphagia

Author

Emily Belt, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Jamie Garry, Paige Nalipinski, Taylor Mezoian, James Chan, Christopher T. Breen, Anne-Marie Wills, Stacey Sullivan, Jane Hubbard, and Leah Miller

Subjects
0301 basic medicine, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Calorie, Physiology, media_common.quotation_subject, Nutritional Status, 030105 genetics & heredity, Gastroenterology, Feeding and Eating Disorders, 03 medical and health sciences, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, 0302 clinical medicine, Weight loss, Physiology (medical), Internal medicine, Surveys and Questionnaires, Weight Loss, Medicine, Humans, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, media_common, Aged, business.industry, Dietary intake, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Appetite, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Dysphagia, Calorie intake, Diet, Measure outcomes, Female, Neurology (clinical), medicine.symptom, business, Deglutition Disorders, Energy Intake, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

BACKGROUND Loss of appetite has been reported to affect up to half of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to be associated with weight loss. We wished to test whether loss of appetite correlates with reduced dietary intake independent of dysphagia. METHODS Appetite was measured repeatedly using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) in participants in the Electronic health Application To Measure Outcomes REmotely study. Dietary intake and weight were compared to appetite, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised total and bulbar scores (dysphagia). RESULTS The average baseline CNAQ score was 30.4 (n = 61; SD = 3.9) with 18.0% scoring

Published
2019

6. Experience with telemedicine in a multi-disciplinary ALS clinic

Author

Marc van de Rijn, Adam B. Cohen, Katharine Campbell, Amy Swartz Ellrodt, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Sabrina Paganoni, James D. Berry, Lee H. Schwamm, and Juan Estrada

Subjects
Adult, Male, 030506 rehabilitation, Telemedicine, Telehealth, computer.software_genre, Ambulatory Care Facilities, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Videoconferencing, Multidisciplinary approach, Medicine, Humans, Aged, Retrospective Studies, Aged, 80 and over, Multi disciplinary, business.industry, Data Collection, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Neurology, Female, Neurology (clinical), Medical emergency, 0305 other medical science, business, computer, Delivery of Health Care, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Telemedicine using video televisits is emerging as a means to provide care directly to patients. Here we report our experience using video televisits to provide follow-up care as a part of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Telemedicine for People with ALS (TelePALS) initiative.This was a retrospective chart review of all video televisit encounters conducted by the MGH ALS clinic between September 2014 and January 2016.A total of 97 distinct ALS patients were seen using video televisits. Twenty-four percent of these patients had more than one video televisit. The median distance of the patients' primary residence to MGH was 211 miles. The average video televisit lasted 32 min (±12). About half the patients (54%) were ambulatory at the time of their video televisit. The most commonly addressed issues were medication management (89%), discussion of goals of care (74%), research (55%) and equipment use (50%). Acute care issues were rarely discussed.Video televisits are feasible and can be a useful tool to supplement traditional clinic-based multidisciplinary ALS care.

Published
2017

7. Analysis of start-up, retention, and adherence in ALS clinical trials

Author

Jackie Szymonifka, Mark Levine-Weinberg, Padmaja Yerramilli-Rao, Jordan Shapiro, Jing Deng, Hong Yu, Eric A. Macklin, Lucia Joseph, Merit Cudkowicz, Marianne Kearney, Alexandra K. Lee, Nazem Atassi, and Daniela L. Grasso

Subjects
PubMed, medicine.medical_specialty, Protocol Deviation, Logistic regression, Article, Predictive Value of Tests, Internal medicine, Humans, Multicenter Studies as Topic, Medicine, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Retrospective Studies, Clinical Trials as Topic, business.industry, Patient Selection, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Early disease, Odds ratio, Start up, medicine.disease, Institutional review board, Clinical trial, Logistic Models, Research Design, Physical therapy, Patient Compliance, Neurology (clinical), business
Abstract

To investigate predictors of trial start-up times, high attrition, and poor protocol adherence in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) trials.Retrospective analysis of start-up times, retention, and protocol adherence was performed on 5 clinical studies conducted by the Northeast ALS Consortium and 50 ALS clinical trials identified by PubMed search. Predictors of start-up times were estimated by accelerated failure time models with random effects. Predictors of retention and protocol deviations were estimated by mixed-model logistic regression.Median times for contract execution and institutional review board (IRB) approval were 105 days and 125 days, respectively. Contract execution was faster at sites with more ongoing trials (p = 0.005), and more full-time (p = 0.006) and experienced (p0.001) coordinators. IRB approval was faster at sites with more ongoing trials (p = 0.010) and larger ALS clinics (p = 0.038). Site activation after IRB approval was faster at sites with more full-time (p = 0.038) and experienced (p0.001) coordinators. Twenty-two percent of surviving participants withdrew before completing the trial. Better participant functional score at baseline was an independent predictor of trial completion (odds ratio 1.29, p = 0.002) and fewer protocol deviations (odds ratio 0.86, p = 0.030).Delays in IRB review contribute the most to prolonged trial start-up times, and these timelines are faster in sites with more experienced staff. Strategies to improve protocol adherence and participants' retention may include enrolling people at early disease stages.

Published
2013
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