0000000001055956
AUTHOR
Alessia Bianchi
Microchimerism in multiple sclerosis: The association between sex of offspring and MRI features in women with multiple sclerosis
AimsDuring pregnancy, fetal cells can migrate to the mother via blood circulation. A percentage of these cells survive in maternal tissues for decades generating a population of fetal microchimeric cells (fMCs), whose biological role is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the sex of offspring, an indirect marker of fMCs, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in women with multiple sclerosis (MS).MethodsWe recruited 26 nulliparous MS patients (NPp), 20 patients with at least one male son (XYp), and 8 patients with only daughters (XXp). Each patient underwent brain MR scan to acquire 3D-T2w FLAIR FatSat and 3D-T1w FSPGR/TFE. Lesion Segmentation To…
Differentiating Multiple Sclerosis From AQP4-Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder and MOG-Antibody Disease With Imaging.
Background and ObjectivesRelapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), aquaporin-4 antibody–positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated disease (MOGAD) may have overlapping clinical features. There is an unmet need for imaging markers that differentiate between them when serologic testing is unavailable or ambiguous. We assessed whether imaging characteristics typical of MS discriminate RRMS from AQP4-NMOSD and MOGAD, alone and in combination.MethodsAdult, nonacute patients with RRMS, APQ4-NMOSD, and MOGAD and healthy controls were prospectively recruited at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (L…
Exposure to natalizumab throughout pregnancy: effectiveness and safety in an Italian cohort of women with multiple sclerosis.
ObjectiveAssessing the risk of clinical and radiological reactivation during pregnancy and post partum in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with natalizumab (NTZ) throughout pregnancy (LONG_EXP) compared with women interrupting treatment before (NO_EXP) and within >−30 days and ≤90 days from conception (SHORT_EXP), and describing newborns’ outcomes.MethodsMaternal clinical and radiological outcomes and obstetric and fetal outcomes were retrospectively collected and compared among groups (NO_EXP, SHORT_EXP, LONG_EXP). Predictors of clinical and radiological reactivation were investigated through univariable and multivariable analysis.Results170 eligible pregnancies from 163 women…
Microchimerism and multiple sclerosis: a study on the impact of the sex of offspring on clinical, radiological, and paraclinical features of maternal disease. A new point of view for the sex differences in Neurological disease
Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterised by inflammation and neurodegeneration and representing one of the most common causes of neurologic disability among young adults. Over the last 40 years, several authors have confirmed the existence of fetal cells in maternal blood and their pregnancy-related origin, demonstrating that pregnancy may establish a long-term, low-grade chimeric state in women. The biological and clinical significance of fetal microchimeric cells (fMCs) in maternal health is largely unknown, although a role in autoimmune diseases have been hypothesised. Aims. The overarching aim of my PhD dissertation was to investigate the role o…
Extracranial Venous Drainage Pattern in Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls: Application of the 2011 Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency
The etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still largely unknown and it has been proposed that an impaired venous drainage from the central nervous system, defined as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), may play a role in this. We investigated the prevalence of extracranial venous drainage pattern alterations in a cohort of MS patients based on the 2011 revised diagnostic criteria for CCSVI. Thirty-nine MS patients and 18 healthy subjects underwent blinded extra-cranial venous echo-color Doppler sonography to reveal the presence of CCSVI. There was no statistically significant difference between MS patients and healthy controls regarding CCSVI prevalence (p value = 0.53). Th…