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Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) targets astrocytes and elevates the levels of astrocyte-injury markers during attacks. FAM19A5, involved in reactive gliosis, is secreted by reactive astrocytes following central nervous system (CNS) damage. Objective: To investigate the significance of serum FAM19A5 in patients with NMOSD. Methods: We collected clinical data and sera of 199 patients from 11 hospitals over 21 months. FAM19A5 levels were compared among three groups: NMOSD with positive anti-aquaporin-4 antibody (NMOSD-AQP4), other CNS demyelinating disease, and healthy controls. Results: The median serum FAM19A5 level was higher in the NMOSD-AQP4 (4.90 ng/mL (3.95, 5.79)) than in the other CNS demyelinating (2.35 ng/mL (1.83, 4.07), p < 0.001) or healthy control (1.02 ng/mL (0.92, 1.14), p < 0.001) groups. There were significant differences in the median serum FAM19A5 levels between the attack and remission periods (5.89 ng/mL (5.18, 6.98); 4.40 ng/mL (2.72, 5.13), p < 0.001) in the NMOSD-AQP4 group. Sampling during an attack (p < 0.001) and number of past attacks (p = 0.010) were independently associated with increased serum FAM19A5. Conclusion: Serum FAM19A5 was higher in patients with NMOSD-AQP4 and correlated with clinical characteristics. Thus, serum FAM19A5 may be a novel clinical biomarker for NMOSD-AQP4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the validity of the revised 2017 McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with the 2010 McDonald criteria to predict conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Methods: A total of 163 patients from seven referral hospitals in Korea, who experienced a first clinical event suggestive of MS between 2006 and 2017, were enrolled. Patients were stratified into two groups according to outcome at the last visit: CDMS converters who experienced a second clinical event and non-converters. Results: Of the 163 patients with a mean follow-up of 63 months, 60% converted to CDMS. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy were, respectively, 88.8%, 43.1%, 70.2%, 71.8% and 70.6% for the 2017 McDonald criteria and 53.1%, 69.2%, 72.2%, 49.5% and 59.5% for the 2010 McDonald criteria. After exclusion of 82 patients who received disease-modifying agents before the second attack, the specificity of the 2017 and 2010 McDonald criteria increased to 85.0% and 95.0%, but sensitivity decreased to 83.6% and 47.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The 2017 McDonald criteria afforded higher sensitivity and accuracy but lower specificity compared with the 2010 McDonald criteria for prediction of conversion to CDMS in Korean CIS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We compared validity of 2010 McDonald and newly proposed 2016 Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Multiple Sclerosis (MAGNIMS) criteria for dissemination in space (DIS) in predicting the conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Methods: Between 2006 and 2016, we enrolled 170 patients who had a first clinical event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) from seven referral hospitals in Korea. Patients were classified into two groups based on the main outcome at the last follow-up: CDMS converters, who experienced a second attack, and non-converters. Results: Of 170 patients with mean follow-up duration of 54 months, 51% converted to CDMS. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of 2010 McDonald criteria were 70.9%, 63.1%, 67.1%, 66.3%, and 67.9%, and those for 2016 MAGNIMS criteria were 88.4%, 46.4%, 67.7%, 62.8%, and 79.6%, respectively. When we excluded 80 patients who underwent disease-modifying therapy before the second clinical event, the specificity increased to 92.3% and 84.6%, but the sensitivity decreased to 58.8% and 82.4% for 2010 McDonald and 2016 MAGNIMS criteria, respectively. Conclusion: 2016 MAGNIMS magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria for DIS showed higher sensitivity but lower specificity than 2010 McDonald criteria in predicting conversion to CDMS in CIS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to give disability weights (DWs) for each of the ordinal Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) levels which are used ordinal disability scale for multiple sclerosis (MS). The study conducted the person trade-off (PTO) procedure to trigger DWs for EDSS categories and used the modified Delphi process to achieve consensus among pace. Results showed that DWs supported that EDSS is an ordinal scale with highly variable intervals.

The article focuses on the research which shows the capability of brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of helping the differentiation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disorder (NMOSD). It states the difficulty to differentiate MS from NMOSD by fulfillment of the MRI criteria for MS on brain MRI. It mentions that the characteristics morphology and enhancement pattern of brain lesions are useful for diagnosis of MS and NMOSD.

We investigated the validity of the 2005 and 2010 McDonald magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) criteria for dissemination in space (DIS) to predict the conversion of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in 94 Korean patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of the 2005, 2010 McDonald DIS criteria were comparable to those observed in the Caucasian population. This finding suggests that after careful exclusion of alternative explanations, particularly neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD), both the 2005 and 2010 McDonald DIS criteria are also useful to predict conversion to CDMS in Korean patients with CIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the clinical attributes and consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS) in South Korea. It mentions that researches were conducted in Asia without proper differentiation of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) from the autoimmune disorder. It also notes that the exclusion of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) indicated the pattern of MS similar to those in Western nations.