0000000000144599
AUTHOR
Antonella Conte
Towards a validated definition of the clinical transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: A study from the Italian MS Register.
Background: Definitions for reliable identification of transition from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) to secondary progressive (SP)MS in clinical cohorts are not available. Objectives: To compare diagnostic performances of two different data-driven SPMS definitions. Methods: Data-driven SPMS definitions based on a version of Lorscheider’s algorithm (DDA) and on the EXPAND trial inclusion criteria were compared, using the neurologist’s definition (ND) as gold standard, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), Akaike information criterion (AIC) and area under the curve (AUC). Results: A cohort of 10,240 MS patients wi…
Bacterial community structure along the subtidal sandy sediment belt of a high Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard Islands)
Open fjords are subject to contrasting environmental conditions, owing to meltwater glacial inputs, terrestrial runoff, and marine water mass exchanges, which are exacerbated by anthropogenic and climate perturbations. Following a slope-dependent water circulation, the subtidal sandy sediment belt regulates the convergent transport of nutrients downward the fjord depths, and the effective entrapment of suspended particles and microorganisms. In this study, we aimed at testing how glacial and seawater inputs may influence the bacterial community structure of subtidal sand deposits in the Kongsfjorden. Through total and viable cell counting and an amplicon sequencing approach, we found releva…
Prokaryotic assemblages within permafrost active layer at Edmonson Point (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)
This study was aimed at gaining insights on the prokaryotic community (in terms of both taxonomic composition and activities) inhabiting the active layer at Edmonson Point, an ice-free area on the eastern slope at the foot of Mount Melbourne (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). Samples were collected during the thawing period, when microbial physiological activities are restored to utilize previously frozen organic substrates. Despite the very small cell sizes (600 daltons) substrates, as indicated also by the obtained rates of enzymatic hydrolytic activities over proteolytic, glycolitic and phosphoric compounds. Taxonomical composition showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmic…
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in People With Active Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Background and ObjectivesUncontrolled evidence suggests that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) can be effective in people with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). In this study, we compared the effect of AHSCT with that of other anti-inflammatory disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) on long-term disability worsening in active SPMS.MethodsWe collected data from the Italian Bone Marrow Transplantation Study Group and the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Register. Patients were considered eligible if treatment had been started after the diagnosis of SPMS. Disability worsening was assessed by the cumulative proportion of patients with a 6-month confirmed dis…
Long-term disability trajectories in relapsing multiple sclerosis patients treated with early intensive or escalation treatment strategies
Background and aims: No consensus exists on how aggressively to treat relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) nor on the timing of the treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate disability trajectories in RRMS patients treated with an early intensive treatment (EIT) or with a moderate-efficacy treatment followed by escalation to higher-efficacy disease modifying therapy (ESC). Methods: RRMS patients with ⩾5-year follow-up and ⩾3 visits after disease modifying therapy (DMT) start were selected from the Italian MS Registry. EIT group included patients who received as first DMT fingolimod, natalizumab, mitoxantrone, alemtuzumab, ocrelizumab, cladribine. ESC group patients rec…
Enrichment, isolation and biodegradation potential of psychrotolerant polychlorinated-biphenyl degrading bacteria from the Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Islands, High Arctic Norway)
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been detected in abiotic Arctic matrices: surface sediments and seawater from coastal areas in the Kongsfjorden were collected and analyzed. Levels of PCBs varied depending on the sampling site. Total PCB concentrations were between 11.63 (site C2W) and 27.69 pg l-1 (site AW). These levels were comparable to those reported previously in lake sediments from the northern Svalbard. The occurrence and biodegradation potential of cold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria in seawater and sediment along the fjord was also evaluated. After enrichment with biphenyl, 246 isolates were obtained with 45 of them that were abl…
Bacterial Diversity in a Dynamic and Extreme Sub-Arctic Watercourse (Pasvik River, Norwegian Arctic)
Microbial communities promptly respond to the environmental perturbations, especially in the Arctic and sub-Arctic systems that are highly impacted by climate change, and fluctuations in the diversity level of microbial assemblages could give insights on their expected response. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was applied to describe the bacterial community composition in water and sediment through the sub-Arctic Pasvik River. Our results showed that river water and sediment harbored distinct communities in terms of diversity and composition at genus level. The distribution of the bacterial communities was mainly affected by both salinity and temperature in sediment samples, and by oxygen…
Transition to secondary progression in relapsing-onset multiple sclerosis: Definitions and risk factors
Background: No uniform criteria for a sensitive identification of the transition from relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) to secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are available. Objective: To compare risk factors of SPMS using two definitions: one based on the neurologist judgment (ND) and an objective data-driven algorithm (DDA). Methods: Relapsing-onset MS patients ( n = 19,318) were extracted from the Italian MS Registry. Risk factors for SPMS and for reaching irreversible Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 6.0, after SP transition, were estimated using multivariable Cox regression models. Results: SPMS identified by the DDA ( n = 2343, 12.1%) were older, more disa…