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Dr Shiv Saidha wins MSIF Young Researcher Award

Dr Shiv Saidha from Ireland and of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA, was awarded the MSIF prize of €1000 for the best presentation of a translational project in the ECTRIMS 2010 Young Researchers Session.

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Predictive factors for multiple sclerosis in patients with clinically isolated spinal cord syndrome

The authors aimed to examine the predictive value for conversion to MS of clinical, magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) variables in 114 patients with acute partial myelitis.

MS was diagnosed in 78 patients during 4.0 ± 1.9 years of follow-up. The diagnosis of isolated myelitis was maintained for 36 patients, following a comparable follow up period to the MS patients.

Multivariate logistic analysis identified three predictors of MS diagnosis: age ≤40 years, inflammatory CSF and ≥3 periventricular lesions on brain MRI. The authors concluded that two out of three baseline factors (age, periventricular lesions and inflammatory CSF) might predict conversion to MS with better accuracy than the revised McDonald criteria for dissemination in space.

authors: Ruet A, Deloire MS, Ouallet JC, Molinier S, Brochet B.

source: Mult Scler. 2010 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]

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Spinal cord ring enhancement in multiple sclerosis

Ring enhancement is a recognised radiological feature of MS lesions. However it is more commonly associated with other pathologies and its presence often results in additional investigation for patients. The authors attempted to categorise the specific features of ring enhancing lesions in the spinal cord of patients with MS by conducting a retrospective analysis of 322 spinal cord scans performed over a three year period.

Ring enhancement was seen in 20 patients with spinal cord enhancement, most commonly in the cervical cord. Incomplete or "open" ring enhancement was the dominant pattern in 19 of the 20 patients (95%). Concurrent enhancing brain lesions were present in 14 patients, 8 of which (57%) exhibited a ring pattern of enhancement.

The authors concluded that as the most common pattern of enhancement seem was incomplete ring enhancement in the cervical spinal cord, recognition of this pattern may improve and expedite the diagnosis of MS and preclude the need for invasive diagnostic interventions.

authors: Klawiter EC, Benzinger T, Roy A, Naismith RT, Parks BJ, Cross AH.

source: Arch Neurol. 2010 Nov;67(11):1395-8.

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Assessing neuronal metabolism in vivo by modeling imaging measures.

N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) is an abundant neuronal metabolite which reflects axonal structural integrity and has been suggested to reflect mitochondrial metabolism. The authors from London modelled NAA with imaging measures of axonal structural integrity (axial diffusivity and cord cross-sectional area). The authors found that lower residual variance in NAA, was associated with greater clinical disability in MS. These changes were independent of structural damage. The authors conclude that changes in NAA might reflect reduced mitochondrial metabolism which is thought to be important in the pathogenesis of MS.

authors: Ciccarelli O, Toosy AT, De Stefano N, Wheeler-Kingshott CA, Miller DH, Thompson AJ.

source: J Neurosci. 2010 Nov 10;30(45):15030-3.

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