Distinct influence of different vascular risk factors on white matter brain lesions in multiple sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

To determine if vascular risk factor (VRF), that is, smoking, arterial hypertension (HT), dyslipidaemia and diabetes, have an effect on multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology as measured by MS typical brain lesions, we have compared brain MRIs from patients with MS with and without VRF age-matched and sex-matched.

METHODS

Brain MRIs from five centres were scored for the presence of Dawson's fingers (DF) and juxtacortical lesions (JCL). A regression model was built to predict the effect of each individual VRF on DF and JCL, considering age and disease duration.

RESULTS

92 MS cases without VRF and 106 MS with one or more VRF (80 ever-smokers, 43 hypertensives, 25 dyslipidaemics and 10 diabetics) were included. Ever-smoking associated with a higher burden of DF (Exp(B)=1.29, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.51, p<0.01) and JCL (Exp(B)=1.38, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.57, p<0.01). No other VRF had an impact on DF. Dyslipidaemia associated with increased JCL (Exp(B)=1.30, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.56, p<0.01) but HT did not associate with any of the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Individual VRF appear to affect MS-specific lesions differently. An increase in MS lesions was mainly seen in smokers; however, this VRF is most likely to be present from onset of MS, and other VRF effects may be partly mitigated by treatment. Our findings support that treating VRF and cessation of smoking may be important in the management of MS.

Ovulation rates in a stair-step protocol with Letrozole vs clomiphene citrate in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Purpose

To compare ovulation rates between Letrozole and Clomiphene Citrate (CC) using a stair-step protocol to achieve ovulation induction in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort of predominantly Hispanic PCOS women of reproductive age who completed ovulation induction (OI) comparing women who underwent Letrozole stair-step protocol to those who underwent OI with CC stair-step. All women had a diagnosis of PCOS based on the 2003 Rotterdam criteria. For both protocols, sequentially higher doses of Letrozole or CC were given 7 days after the last dose if no dominant follicles were seen on ultrasonography. The primary outcome was ovulation rate (determined by presence of a dominant follicle) between the two treatment groups. Secondary outcomes included time to ovulation, clinical pregnancy rates and side effects.

Results

49 PCOS patients completed a Letrozole stair-step cycle and 43 completed a CC stair-step cycle for OI. Overall, demographics were comparable between both groups. Ovulation rates with the Letrozole stair-step protocol were equivalent to CC stair-step protocol (96% vs 88%, p = 0.17). Although the mean time (days) to ovulation was shorter in the Letrozole group (19.5 vs 23.1, p = 0.027), the pregnancy rates were similar for both groups.

Conclusions

This is the first study to date that has compared the efficacy of the stair-step protocol in PCOS patients using Letrozole and CC. Both Letrozole and CC can be prescribed in a stair-step fashion. Letrozole stair-step was as efficacious as CC stair-step; patients achieved comparable rates of ovulation and clinical pregnancy. Time to ovulation was shorter in the Letrozole protocol.

Harambee!: A pilot mixed methods study of integrated residential HIV testing among African-born individuals in the Seattle area

Background

African-born individuals in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by HIV yet have low HIV testing rates. We conducted a mixed methods study to assess the uptake and feasibility of a novel strategy for integrating HIV testing into residential health fairs among African-born individuals in Seattle, WA.

Methods

From April to May 2018, we held six health fairs at three apartment complexes with high numbers of African-born residents. Fairs included free point-of-care screening for glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, blood pressure, and HIV, as well as social services and health education. The health fairs were hosted in apartment complex common areas with HIV testing conducted in private rooms. Health fair participants completed a series of questionnaires to evaluate demographics, access to health services, and HIV testing history. We conducted 18 key informant interviews (KIIs) with health fair participants and community leaders to identify barriers to HIV testing among African-born individuals.

Results

Of the 111 adults who accessed at least one service at a health fair, 92 completed questionnaires. Fifty-five (61%) were female, 48 (52%) were born in Africa, and 55 (63%) had health insurance. Half of African-born participants accepted HIV testing; all tested negative. The most common reasons for declining testing were lack of perceived risk for HIV and knowledge of HIV status. We identified a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among health fair participants; among those tested, 77% (55/71) were overweight/obese, 39% (31/79) had blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg, and 30% (22/73) had total cholesterol > 200 mg/dL. KIIs identified community stigma and misinformation as major barriers to HIV testing among African-born individuals.

Conclusions

Residential health fairs are a feasible method to increase HIV testing among African-born individuals in Seattle. The high prevalence of NCDs highlights the importance of integrating general preventive services within HIV testing programs in this population.

High density placental mesenchymal stromal cells provide neuronal preservation and improve motor function following in utero treatment of ovine myelomeningocele

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether seeding density of placental mesenchymal stromal cells (PMSCs) on extracellular matrix (ECM) during in utero repair of myelomeningocele (MMC) affects motor function and neuronal preservation in the ovine model.

METHODS

MMC defects were surgically created in 33 fetuses and repaired following randomization into four treatment groups: ECM only (n = 10), PMSC-ECM (42 K cells/cm²) (n = 8), PMSC-ECM (167 K cells/cm²) (n = 7), or PMSC-ECM (250-300 K cells/cm²) (n = 8). Motor function was evaluated using the Sheep Locomotor Rating Scale (SLR). Serial sections of the lumbar spinal cord were analyzed by measuring their cross-sectional areas which were then normalized to normal lambs. Large neurons (LN, diameter 30-70 μm) were counted manually and density calculated per mm² gray matter.

RESULTS

Lambs treated with PMSCs at any density had a higher median SLR score (15 [IQR 13.5-15]) than ECM alone (6.5 [IQR 4-12.75], p = 0.036). Cross-sectional areas of spinal cord and gray matter were highest in the PMSC-ECM (167 K/cm²) group (p = 0.002 and 0.006, respectively). LN density was highest in the greatest density PMSC-ECM (250-300 K/cm²) group (p = 0.045) which positively correlated with SLR score (r = 0.807, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Fetal repair of myelomeningocele with high density PMSC-ECM resulted in increased large neuron density, which strongly correlated with improved motor function.

TYPE OF STUDY

Basic science.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

N/A.

Radiomics-Based Intracranial Thrombus Features on CT and CTA Predict Recanalization with Intravenous Alteplase in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Thrombus characteristics identified on non-contrast CT (NCCT) are potentially associated with recanalization with intravenous (IV) alteplase in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Our aim was to determine the best radiomics-based features of thrombus on NCCT and CT angiography associated with recanalization with IV alteplase in AIS patients and proximal intracranial thrombi.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With a nested case-control design, 67 patients with ICA/M1 MCA segment thrombus treated with IV alteplase were included in this analysis. Three hundred twenty-six radiomics features were extracted from each thrombus on both NCCT and CTA images. Linear discriminative analysis was applied to select features most strongly associated with early recanalization with IV alteplase. These features were then used to train a linear support vector machine classifier. Ten times 5-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate the accuracy of the trained classifier and the stability of the selected features.

RESULTS

Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that thrombus radiomics features are predictive of early recanalization with IV alteplase. The combination of radiomics features from NCCT, CTA, and radiomics changes is best associated with early recanalization with IV alteplase (area under the curve = 0.85) and was significantly better than any single feature such as thrombus length (P < .001), volume (P < .001), and permeability as measured by mean attenuation increase (P < .001), maximum attenuation in CTA (P < .001), maximum attenuation increase (P < .001), and assessment of residual flow grade (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Thrombus radiomics features derived from NCCT and CTA are more predictive of recanalization with IV alteplase in patients with acute ischemic stroke with proximal occlusion than previously known thrombus imaging features such as length, volume, and permeability.