(Press-News.org) Criteria used by neurologists to assess for multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults may fail to identify the illness in children with imaging suspicious for the disease, an oversight that could delay treatment of the disease at its earliest stages, according to a Rutgers study.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary tool used for diagnosis of MS, and doctors have applied various standards over the years to classify those most likely to develop the disease. The most recent standard, known as the McDonald criteria, was last updated in 2017.
In some cases, imaging suspicious for MS is found incidentally before the disease manifests, a condition known as radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS). But after reviewing the MRIs of children with RIS, researchers determined these criteria are likely insufficient for pediatric patients.
“In our study, not all patients met the McDonald or Barkhof criteria [the current standard for diagnosing adult RIS], yet some went on to develop MS,” said Vikram Bhise, director of Child Neurology and Developmental Disabilities at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and lead author of the study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. “This suggests that the criteria used to characterize RIS in adults might be insufficient for the younger population.”
To determine if children with abnormal MRI findings would develop symptoms associated with MS, and to understand how diagnostic tools used for adults apply to children, researchers examined MR images of children suspected of having demyelination, damage to the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers in the brain.
When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerve impulses slow or even stop, causing neurological issues. This damage appears as lesions – white or gray spots – on an MRI. There are many reasons for abnormal MRI findings; most don’t represent demyelination. While not all patients with MRI findings typical of demyelination go on to develop MS, a substantial number do.
Study participants were identified through the U.S. Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School databases. Patients were between 7.6 years and 17.8 years of age, and each had MRI findings that showed demyelination.
None of the children in the study had physical or neurological symptoms common to MS – such as blurred or loss of vision, vertigo or numbness or weakness in one or both legs – at the time of their initial MRI. While the database didn’t record why participants had been tested, Bhise said headaches were the most common reason.
After initial review of MRI data, patient data was assessed over a mean duration of 3.7 years to measure development of a first MS attack or new lesions. Of the 38 patients included in the study, 14 of 35 (40 percent) experienced a new clinical attack and 27 of 37 (73 percent) exhibited new MRI lesions during the review period.
When the researchers applied current MS diagnostic measures to the cohort, they found that many patients still developed MS even though they failed to meet either the McDonald or Barkhof criteria.
“Finding MS early can help a doctor knock out a whole bunch of future problems for their patients,” Bhise said. “But that can only happen with accurate diagnostic tools.”
In the U.S., an estimated 1 million people are living with MS, and about 4,000 are under the age of 18, according to MS International Federation, a global network of MS societies.
END
Children at risk of multiple sclerosis often go undetected in early stages
Rutgers study finds detection tools used for at-risk adults fail to predict the neurological disorder in young patients
2023-03-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Breakthrough in the understanding of quantum turbulence
2023-03-16
Researchers have shown how energy disappears in quantum turbulence, paving the way for a better understanding of turbulence in scales ranging from the microscopic to the planetary.
Dr Samuli Autti from Lancaster University is one of the authors of a new study of quantum wave turbulence together with researchers at Aalto University.
The team’s findings, published in Nature Physics, demonstrate a new understanding of how wave-like motion transfers energy from macroscopic to microscopic length scales, and their results confirm ...
Selwyn Rogers named associate editor of prestigious New England Journal of Medicine
2023-03-16
Renowned University of Chicago Medicine trauma surgeon Selwyn O. Rogers Jr., MD, MPH, has been named an associate editor of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), effective March 16.
The founding director of the UChicago Medicine Trauma Center, Rogers is a Professor of Surgery at UChicago and Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at its 1,296-bed academic health system based on Chicago’s South Side.
A leading public health expert whose research focuses on the healthcare needs of underserved populations — particularly those impacted by intentional violence — he is the first surgeon in more than a decade to serve as an associate editor at NEJM, ...
Perovskite solar cells from the slot die coater - a step towards industrial production
2023-03-16
Metal halide perovskites are considered to be a particularly low-cost and promising class of materials for next-generation solar modules. Perovskite solar cells can be produced with coating processes using liquid inks made from precursor materials and various solvents. After coating, the solvents evaporate and the perovskites crystallise to form a more or less homogeneous layer.
Options for upscaling
Prof. Dr. Eva Unger's team at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin has extensive expertise in solution-based processing methods and is investigating options for upscaling. "Perovskite photovoltaics is the best solution-processable PV technology available," says Eva Unger, ...
Researchers highlight nucleolar DNA damage response in fight against cancer
2023-03-16
Cancer, which affects millions every year, requires proteins to spread through the body. In a new strategy to beat the wide-ranging disease, scientists are sabotaging its protein factories.
In a new forum paper published in Trends in Biology, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte encapsulated the young field of nucleolar DNA damage response (DDR) pathways. The review highlights six mechanisms by which cells repair DNA damage, including one which was published five months ago in Nucleic Acids Research by the same authors. By attacking these mechanisms, future applied researchers will be able to ...
Food security: New tool can forecast food insecurity up to 30 days in advance
2023-03-16
A new tool that can be used to forecast the prevalence of individuals within a country that may have insufficient access to food — known as food insecurity — up to 30 days into the future is presented in a study published in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that the tool could aid decision makers in countries at risk of food insecurity and help facilitate more timely responses.
Elisa Omodei and colleagues developed the tool using food consumption data from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen — all countries that have recently ...
Study of immune ‘neighborhoods’ highlights macrophages as key players in invasive breast cancers
2023-03-16
Most immunotherapies, which aim to boost T cell activity, work poorly in treating estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Targeting a different type of immune cell called macrophages could be a more effective approach, suggests a comprehensive new analysis of invasive ER+ breast cancers led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists.
Published today in Nature Cancer, the study found that macrophages were the dominant immune cell infiltrating ER+ invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma ...
Genetic causes of three previously unexplained rare diseases identified
2023-03-16
New York, NY (March 16, 2023) – Using a new computational approach they developed to analyze large genetic datasets from rare disease cohorts, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues have discovered previously unknown genetic causes of three rare conditions: primary lymphedema (characterized by tissue swelling), thoracic aortic aneurysm disease, and congenital deafness. The work was done in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bristol, UK; KU Leuven, Belgium; the University of Tokyo; the University of Maryland; Imperial College London, and others from around the world.
An enhanced understanding of the functions ...
NYU Abu Dhabi researchers discover a new approach to harvesting aerial humidity with organic crystals
2023-03-16
Fast facts:
The global shortage of fresh water currently affects hundreds of millions of people around the world, and it is estimated that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience severe water scarcity and hunger due to loss of fertile farming lands caused by droughts.
The discovery of alternative water-harvesting technologies holds the potential to alleviate the foreseeable socioeconomic impacts of severe water scarcity.
Abu Dhabi, UAE, March 16 2023: Researchers of the Smart Materials Lab (SML) and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials (CSEM) at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have reported a novel method of harvesting water from ...
Dual immunotherapy plus chemotherapy before surgery improves patient outcomes in operable lung cancer
2023-03-16
HOUSTON ― In a Phase II trial led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, adding ipilimumab to a neoadjuvant, or pre-surgical, combination of nivolumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy, resulted in a major pathologic response (MPR) in half of all treated patients with early-stage, resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
New findings from the NEOSTAR trial, published today in Nature Medicine, provide further support for neoadjuvant immunotherapy-based treatment as an approach to reduce viable tumor at surgery and to improve outcomes in NSCLC. The combination also was associated with an increase in immune cell infiltration and a favorable gut microbiome ...
How fishermen benefit from reversing evolution of cod
2023-03-16
Leipzig. Intense fishing and overexploitation have led to evolutionary changes in fish stocks like cod, reducing both their productivity and value on the market. These changes can be reversed by more sustainable and far-sighted fisheries management. The new study by researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig University and the Institute of Marine Research in Tromsø, which was published in Nature Sustainability, shows that reversal of evolutionary change would only slightly reduce the profit of fishing, but would help regain and conserve natural genetic diversity.
The impact of global fisheries on marine ecosystems ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Insulin resistance is linked to over 30 diseases – and to early death in women, study of people in the UK finds
Innovative semaglutide hydrogel could reduce diabetes shots to once a month
Weight loss could reduce the risk of severe infections in people with diabetes, UK research suggests
Long-term exposure to air pollution and a lack of green space increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions
Better cardiovascular health in early pregnancy may offset high genetic risk
Artificial intelligence method transforms gene mutation prediction in lung cancer: DeepGEM data releases at IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer
Antibody–drug conjugate I-DXd shows clinically meaningful response in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
IASLC Global Survey on biomarker testing reveals progress and persistent barriers in lung cancer biomarker testing
Research shows pathway to developing predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors
Just how dangerous is Great Salt Lake dust? New research looks for clues
Maroulas appointed Associate Vice Chancellor, Director of AI Tennessee
New chickadee research finds cognitive skills impact lifespan
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
Terasaki Institute awarded $2.3 Million grant from NIH for organ transplantation research using organs-on-a-chip technology
Atoms on the edge
Postdoc takes multipronged approach to muon detection
Mathematical proof: Five satellites needed for precise navigation
Scalable, multi-functional device lays groundwork for advanced quantum applications
Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease
Integrating MRI and OCT for new insights into brain microstructure
Designing a normative neuroimaging library to support diagnosis of traumatic brain injury
Department of Energy announces $68 million in funding for artificial intelligence for scientific research
DOE, ORNL announce opportunity to define future of high-performance computing
Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough
Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence
Genetic studies reveal new insights into cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
Researcher develops technology to provide cleaner energy and cleaner water
Expect the unexpected: nanoscale silver unveils intrinsic self-healing abilities
nTIDE September 2024 Jobs Report: Gains in employment for people with disabilities appear to level off after reducing gaps with non-disabled workers
Wiley enhances NMR Spectral Library Collection with extensive new databases
[Press-News.org] Children at risk of multiple sclerosis often go undetected in early stagesRutgers study finds detection tools used for at-risk adults fail to predict the neurological disorder in young patients