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Copyright of Der Nervenarzt is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Der Nervenarzt is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Multiple sclerosis is a complex, autoimmune-mediated disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal/neuronal damage. The approval of various disease-modifying therapies and our increased understanding of disease mechanisms and evolution in recent years have significantly changed the prognosis and course of the disease. This update of the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Consensus Group treatment recommendation focuses on the most important recommendations for disease-modifying therapies of multiple sclerosis in 2021. Our recommendations are based on current scientific evidence and apply to those medications approved in wide parts of Europe, particularly German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Pegylation of pharmacological substances was developed in the 1970s as a way of improving their efficacy and elimination and hence reducing the dosage frequency. A prominent example is pegylation of IFNα, which revolutionized the treatment of virus hepatitis in the late 1990s. Efforts have now succeeded in producing a pegylated interferon beta (PEG-IFN-β1a) to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and the efficacy and safety have been investigated in a phase III trial called the ADVANCE study. The 1-year results of this randomized, double blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study in more than 1500 MS patients show that administration of subcutaneous PEG-IFN-β1a significantly reduces the annual relapse rate and disability progression. The safety and tolerability profile of PEG-IFN-β1a was found to be similar to that of conventional IFN-β drugs. The most common adverse events were flu-like symptoms and redness at the injection site. The results of this study underscore that PEG-IFN-β1a is an interesting new therapeutic option in the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS that combines highly effective interferon with the established tolerability and safety profile of IFN-β at a reduced dosage frequency.

Spasticity represents a common troublesome symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Treatment of spasticity remains difficult, which has prompted some patients to self-medicate with and perceive benefits from cannabis. Advances in the understanding of cannabinoid biology support these anecdotal observations. Various clinical reports as well as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have now demonstrated clinical efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity in MS patients. Sativex is a 1:1 mix of delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol and cannabidiol extracted from cloned Cannabis sativa chemovars, which recently received a label for treating MS-related spasticity in Germany. The present article reviews the current understanding of cannabinoid biology and the value of cannabinoids as a symptomatic treatment option in MS.

Interferon β-1b (IFNB-1b, Betaferon®) was the first therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) showing efficacy in a randomized controlled clinical trial. Early studies suggested a dose-dependency of the clinical efficacy of IFNB-1b. However, until recently no reliable clinical data were available to assess the potential of higher dosing to increase therapeutic efficacy. In addition, no clinical trials have been conducted to directly compare the efficacy of IFNB-1b with that of glatiramer acetate, an alternative first line treatment option for relapsing-remitting MS. Just recently, the prospective, randomized, multicenter study BEYOND was published which addressed both issues. In this review the BEYOND trial is reviewed and placed in the context of advantages and disadvantages of currently available first line therapies for MS.

Mobility limitation is a frequent clinical symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that poses a therapeutic challenge. For years results of animal experiments and clinical experience have indicated that the potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine improves axonal excitatory circuits and thus muscular strength in demyelinating diseases. A recently conducted randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial in MS patients was able to show that an oral sustained-release formulation of 4-aminopyridine (Fampridine-SR) represents a suitable agent for treatment of walking disability in MS patients.This overview presents the study data and discusses the value of 4-aminopyridine for the symptomatic treatment of MS as a neurofunctional modifier of this disabling disease.

Recent clinical studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) provide new data on the treatment of clinically isolated syndromes, on secondary progression, on direct comparison of immunomodulatory treatments and on dosing issues. All these studies have important implications for the optimized care of MS patients. The multiple sclerosis therapy consensus group (MSTCG) critically evaluated the available data and provides recommendations for the application of immunoprophylactic therapies. Initiation of treatment after the first relapse may be indicated if there is clear evidence on MRI for subclinical dissemination of disease. Recent trials show that the efficacy of interferon beta treatment is more likely if patients in the secondary progressive phase of the disease still have superimposed bouts or other indicators of inflammatory disease activity than without having them. There are now data available, which suggest a possible dose-effect relation for recombinant beta-interferons. These studies have to be interpreted with caution, as some potentially important issues in the design of these studies (e. g. maintenance of blinding in the clinical part of the study) were not adequately addressed. A meta-analysis of selected interferon trials has been published challenging the value of recombinant IFN beta in MS. The pitfalls of that report are discussed in the present review as are other issues relevant to treatment including the new definition of MS, the problem of treatment failure and the impact of cost-effectiveness analyses. The MSTCG panel recommends that the new diagnostic criteria proposed by McDonald et al. should be applied if immunoprophylactic treatment is being considered. The use of standardized clinical documentation is now generally proposed to facilitate the systematic evaluation of individual patients over time and to allow retrospective evaluations in different patient cohorts. This in turn may help in formulating recommendations for the application of innovative products to patients and to health care providers. Moreover, in long-term treated patients, secondary treatment failure should be identified by pre-planned follow-up examinations, and other treatment options should then be considered.

Background: Apoptosis is supposed to contribute to the elimination of T cells from the inflamed central nervous system in the natural disease course of multiple sclerosis (MS). In the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, T-cell apoptosis can be induced by high-dose glucocorticoid (GC) administration., Objective: To study the effects of intravenous high-dose GC therapy in MS on T-cell apoptosis ex vivo., Patients: Sixty-six patients with MS (28 with relapsing-remitting MS, 22 with secondary chronic progressive MS, and 16 with primary chronic progressive MS) and 16 control patients receiving corticosteroids for other disorders were included in the study., Methods: Blood samples were collected before and immediately after the first infusion of 500 to 1000 mg of methylprednisolone given during 2 hours in the early morning. Gradient-isolated peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) were cultured, unstimulated, with corticosteroids (positive control), the mitogen phytohemagglutinin, or anti-T-cell receptor monoclonal antibody. For investigation of apoptosis, PBLs were cultured overnight and analyzed by immunoflow cytometry using TUNEL (terminal transferase-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling) or annexin labeling in combination with CD4, CD8, CD22, CD56, or bcl-2 staining. Proliferation was measured by (3)H-thymidine incorporation. For cytokine determination, supernatants were collected after 48 hours of culture., Results: After in vivo corticosteroid treatment, apoptosis of unstimulated PBLs was markedly and significantly augmented in all 3 MS subgroups. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis showed that apoptosis affected predominantly CD4 T cells. Natural killer cells showed a relative increase after GC therapy without a change in the rate of apoptotic cells. Expression of bcl-2 in T-cell subpopulations was not significantly modified by high-dose GC therapy. Culture supernatants of T-cell receptor-stimulated PBLs after GC therapy contained lower concentrations of interleukin 2, interferon gamma, and tumor necrosis factor alpha than those from PBLs taken before pulse therapy. Similar changes in the rate of apoptosis and cytokine production were seen in controls., Conclusions: Corticosteroid pulse therapy is a strong inducer of leukocyte apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis might contribute to the down-regulation of T-cell activity and thereby terminate inflammation in the central nervous system.