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Background: Migraine is characterized by sudden acute episodes of pain, with a global prevalence of 18% among all age groups. It is the second leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Prophylactic treatment is important in managing migraine; however, its efficacy and safety are debated. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of desvenlafaxine in female patients with migraine. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational case study involving 10 women diagnosed with migraine who were treated with desvenlafaxine. We measured the number of migraine days per month, average headache duration in minutes, headache severity using a visual analog scale, use of acute medications, and frequency of acute medication use per week. Results: Desvenlafaxine significantly reduced the number of migraine days from 14.70 ± 3.68 at baseline to 2.50 ± 2.50 at follow-up (p < 0.05). The average headache duration dropped from 131.25 ± 32.81 min to 52.50 ± 44.64 min. Headache severity scores improved from 6.80 ± 1.49 at baseline to 0.80 ± 0.92 at follow up, the frequency of acute medication use per week reduced from 3.30 ± 1.49 at baseline to 0.80 ± 0.92, and the frequency of acute medication use decreased from 3.30 ± 1.49 times per week to 0.80 ± 0.92. Conclusions: Desvenlafaxine shows potential as an effective prophylactic therapy for migraine. Larger-scale studies are necessary to further explore its benefits.
RESUMEN
AIMS: This open-label prospective phase I/IIa clinical study used autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) followed by mesenchymal stromal cells conditioned media (MSC-CM) for the first time to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The primary goal was to assess the safety and feasibility and the secondary was efficacy. The correlation between the MSC-CM content and treatment outcome was investigated. METHODS: Ten MS patients who failed conventional therapy were enrolled. Adverse events were recorded to assess safety. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was the primary efficacy measurement, the secondary included clinical (25WFT, 9-PHT), cognitive (MMS), ophthalmology (OCT, VEP), and radiological (MRI lesion and volume) tests. The MSCs-CM concentration of 27 inflammatory biomarkers was investigated. RESULTS: The treatment protocol was well tolerated by patients. There was an overall trend of improvement in all the tests, except the lesion volume which increased significantly. A decrease of 4 and 3.5 points on the EDSS was achieved in two patients. We report a correlation between a decreased lesion number at baseline and higher IL-6, IL-8, and VEGF MSC-CM content. CONCLUSION: The used protocol was safe and feasible with possible efficacy. The addition of MSC-CM could be related to the magnitude of EDSS improvement observed.