Active clinical trials for "Sclerosis"

This study will test whether primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affect parts of the brain responsible for thinking, planning, memory and emotion. Healthy volunteers 18 years of age and older and patients with PLS and ALS may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following procedures: Rating motor function: Subjects are asked to contract certain muscles in the face, arms and legs, to tap their finger on a keyboard rapidly, to walk 20 feet, and to read a paragraph out loud. Electroencephalography (EEG): The electrical activity of the brain (brain waves) is recorded while subjects tap their finger very slowly. For this test, electrodes are placed on the scalp using a cap or an adhesive substance. A conductive gel is used to fill the space between the electrodes and the scalp to ensure good contact. Surface electromyography (EMG): The electrical activity of the muscles is measured. Electrodes filled with a conductive gel are taped to the skin over the muscle tested. Neuropsychological testing: Testing may include questionnaires, pen-and-paper or computerized tests, and motor tasks. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of the brain. The subject lies on a table that slides into the scanner. Scanning time varies from 20 minutes to 3 hours, with most scans lasting 45-90 minutes.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is known that your etiology has genetic and environmental causes. Several viruses have been implicated as triggers as well as perpetrators of this disease. Several studies make the correlation between Endogenous Retrovirus Type W (HERV-W) and the family Herpesviridae and activity in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis. The most important characteristics of the virus implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease is the fact that they have latency periods of exacerbation and they have, as their main biological environment, the central nervous system. The HERV-W, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus, herpes virus type 6 and type 7 herpesvirus members are the most studied as causes of multiple sclerosis. It was found that these viruses are closely involved in the pathogenesis of MS, but it is believed that aren't the only responsible for its beginning. It is likely that this disease presents numerous triggers and more studies are needed to determine these interactions. In addition, a study comparing the activity of multiple sclerosis with the presence of these viruses was never realized.

Gut microbiota and multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis is a pro-inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.

The study will evaluate connectivity regardless whether patients present a clinical type that requires medical treatment. In this point, investigators will include patients with progressive evolution as well as initial forms of the disease (CIS) and properly established forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in remittent-recidivant (RR) forms. The researches will not focus on medical treatment as some of these clinical forms have no indication for disease modifying drugs.

Half the MS patients require a natural (non professional) caregiver's support for daily living activities and this level of investment increases with the degree of disability. The caregiver's role is an essential key factor in the "therapeutic alliance" between the patient and heath professionals. The impact on the natural caregivers' Quality Of Life (QOL) and their expectations for the global quality of management are not documented, notably because of the lack of adapted tools. The aim of the investigators' project is to develop, from the caregivers' point of view, a standardized questionnaire evaluating 1) their QOL as related to the disease of the assisted and 2) their expectations concerning the global quality of professional management (care, coordination, information...). 1) their quality of life (QOL) as related to the disease of the assisted and 2) their expectations concerning the global quality of professional management (care, coordination, information...). The original tool validated will complete the palette of those that the investigators are developing to evaluate the quality of care of MS patients according to different dedicated organizations (formal networks or not, focused on the patients or professionals).

This study investigates whether there is a link between disease activity/progression in patients receiving Gilenya and expression of a putative biomarker signature in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Fatigue is the most common symptom and the most disabling symptom of Multiple Sclerosis, and its inefficient management can be a source of multiple consultations (increase in health costs) and a reduction in productivity (work stoppages). Hence the need to define the most effective therapeutic strategy to reduce fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis. One of the aims of this project is to provide clinical indicators that can serve as evaluation criteria for determining the most effective fatigue management strategy in Multiple Sclerosis. The primary objective of the study is to determine the Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) and the Patient Acceptable Symptomatic State (PASS) for fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis. The source population consists of all people with Multiple Sclerosis living in Lorraine and registered in the Lorraine Registry of Multiple Sclerosis (RelSEP).

Using a technique called adaptive optics imaging applied on retina, investigators aim to gain access to vascular changes that could occur early in the course of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and which could reflect vascular changes occurring along the optic nerve of the brain parenchyma. Indeed, our team has been able to develop a quantitative method to measure the perivascular infiltrate in the retina of patients with various inflammatory retinal disease. It has been observed in MS patients that this perivascular infiltrate can also be detected in the retina. However, its distribution across MS phenotypes (relapsing or progressive MS, with and without optic neuritis) is still unknown.

A multi-center registration study of natural history and clinical characteristics of ALS in mainland China

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive and demyelinating disease that affects more than 2.5 million people in the world and is frequently seen in young adults between 20 and 40 years of age, especially in women. Although the exact MS in Turkey is not known, it is estimated as 40/100,000. According to epidemiological studies in recent years, the prevalence and incidence of MS tend to increase. The most common clinical signs and symptoms include loss of sensation in the extremities, partial or total vision loss, acute or subacute motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment, double vision and gait dysfunction. Currently, MS has no definitive cure. Progressive symptoms related to the disease need to be managed in order to increase and maintain the quality of life of individuals with MS. Pharmacological, physiotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic methods are the most effective effective methods in the management of symptoms. However, the efficacy of these methods has been demonstrated in clinical trials. The outcomes cannot be generalized to the entire MS population because of the inclusion and exclusion criteria that exist in clinical trials. In addition, clinical trials are conducted at a specified time interval (usually a short time interval is selected) and generally, short-term results are provided. In order to better understanding the course of MS, it is of utmost importance that long-term follow-up studies are carried out where as many patients are included and patients are followed from the date of initial diagnosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the change of physical, psychosocial and cognitive characteristics over time and the correlated variables. The volunteers from MS patients who attend routine control of the MS outpatient clinic of Dokuz Eylül University Hospital will participate in the study. Physical and clinical assessments will be performed by physicians and physiotherapists, and cognitive evaluations will be performed by psychologists with 6-month intervals.