A low-fat diet improves fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Results from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue can be a disabling multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom with no effective treatment options. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether a low-fat diet improves fatigue in people with MS (PwMS). METHODS: We conducted a 16-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) and allocated PwMS to a low-fat diet (active, total daily fat calories not exceeding 20%) or wait-list (control) group. Subjects underwent 2 weeks of baseline diet data collection (24-hour diet recalls (24HDRs)), followed by randomization. The active group received 2 weeks of nutrition counseling and underwent a 12-week low-fat diet intervention. One set of three 24HDRs at baseline and week 16 were collected. We administered a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) every 4 weeks. The control group continued their pre-study diet and received diet training during the study completion. RESULTS: We recruited 39 PwMS (20-active; 19-control). The active group decreased their daily caloric intake by 11% (95% confidence interval (CI): -18.5%, -3.0%) and the mean MFIS by 4.0 (95% CI: -12.0, 4.0) compared to the control (intent-to-treat). Sensitivity analysis strengthened the association with a mean MFIS difference of -13.9 (95% CI: -20.7, -7.2). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated a significant reduction in fatigue with a low-fat dietary intervention in PwMS.

Outpatient education reduces emergency room use by patients with epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a costly diagnosis, with emergency room (ER) visits and hospital admissions comprising a large portion of total direct cost. An educational intervention to decrease the number of ER visits was implemented on outpatients with epilepsy, using educational handouts and DVD. The number of ER visits declined significantly in the four months following intervention compared with the preceding four months. This finding supports patient education as a valuable tool to reduce ER use, which may, in turn, cut down on health-care cost.

Oligoclonal Bands in Multiple System Atrophy: Case Report and Proposed Mechanisms of Immunogenicity.

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disease with heterogeneous manifestations and is therefore difficult to diagnose definitively. Because of this, oftentimes an extensive workup for mimickers is undertaken. We herein report a case where the history and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings of oligoclonal bands suggested an inflammatory disorder. Immunomodulatory therapy failed to ameliorate symptoms or alter the trajectory of continued physical decline, prompting re-visitation of the diagnosis. Oligoclonal bands, while generally viewed as specific to multiple sclerosis or other inflammatory conditions, may be seen in other disease processes. Therefore, this finding should not exclude consideration of neurodegenerative disease.

Oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis-Emerging imaging techniques.

While conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is central to the evaluation of patients with multiple sclerosis, its role in detecting the pathophysiology underlying neurodegeneration is more limited. One of the common outcome measures for progressive multiple sclerosis trials, atrophy on brain MRI, is non-specific and reflects end-stage changes after considerable neurodegeneration has occurred. Identifying biomarkers that identify processes underlying neurodegeneration before it is irreversible and that reflect relevant neurodegenerative pathophysiology is an area of significant need. Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis. Imaging markers related to inflammation, myelination, and neuronal integrity have been areas of advancement in recent years but oxidative stress has remained an area of unrealized potential. In this article we will begin by reviewing the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. Chronic inflammation appears to be directly related to the increased production of reactive oxygen species and the effects of subsequent oxidative stress appear to be amplified by aging and accumulating disease. We will then discuss techniques in development used in the assessment of MS as well as other models of neurodegenerative disease in which oxidative stress is implicated. Multiple blood and CSF markers of oxidative stress have been evaluated in subjects with MS, but non-invasive imaging offers major upside in that it provides real-time assessment within the brain.

Elderly-Onset Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder with Pre-Existing Prednisone Allergy.

We present a case of an 82-year-old man with new-onset neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disorder, the treatment of which was complicated by a severe pre-existing prednisone allergy. His age caused much initial doubt about his diagnosis, and his corticosteroid allergy altered our management as we attempted to minimize risk to the patient. Our patient was a healthy 82-year-old, right-handed man who presented with sensory loss of the bilateral lower extremities and progressive, painless vision loss. MRI showed bilateral pre-chiasmatic optic nerve and optic chiasm enhancement, along with enhancement within the thoracic spinal cord from T3 to T7. Serum NMO-IgG was positive with a titer >1: 100,000. Due to concern of allergic reaction, our patient initially refused high-dose Solu-Medrol and opted to try plasma exchange alone, but due to worsening of his symptoms we attempted to use dexamethasone as it had a theoretically lower risk of adverse reaction with a known prednisone allergy. There are several cases of elderly-onset NMO in the literature but this is the only case we could find of NMO accompanied by a rare severe allergy to prednisone. This case demonstrates the relative safety of dexamethasone as an alternative to methylprednisolone for acute management of NMO spectrum disorder, though efficacy has not been established in major trials. Cross-reactivity between various systemic corticosteroids is not as well established as topical corticosteroids, so it is difficult to assess the probability of a reaction between prednisone and methylprednisolone.