Infusions of stem cells derived from umbilical cords proved safe for people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and look to be a promising new therapy for the autoimmune disease, according to data from an early clinical trial conducted in China. In the trial, the two-year treatment, which consisted…
research
For adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), rituximab and Uplizna (inebilizumab) work equally well to prevent disease relapses, but Uplizna appears to be safer because it causes fewer infusion-related side effects. Those are the main findings of a real-world study analyzing data from more than 250 NMOSD…
Treatment with Enspryng (satralizumab) for more than two years was shown to prevent relapses in most people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in Japan. That’s according to a new study that tracked outcomes from Japanese NMOSD patients given the approved injection therapy in real-world practice. “Overall, most…
Depletion of sex hormone production by surgical removal of the ovaries significantly lessened activation of microglia — the brain’s immune cells —as well as neuroinflammation and nerve cell damage in female mice with induced neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)-like disease, a study shows. Similar effects were found in castrated…
Specific nerve damage and shrinkage in key brain regions are associated with a faster time to relapse and worsening disability among adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who test positive for antibodies against the AQP4 protein, according to a study in Italy. Researchers used advanced MRI techniques to…
Nearly a third of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) may have cognitive impairment, especially in the areas of attention/processing speed and executive function, according to a study in Brazil. Processing speed refers to a person’s ability to receive, interpret, and respond to information, while executive function refers…
Add-on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which involves breathing pure oxygen at high pressure, may help reduce inflammation in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), especially those with more overactive immune systems, a small study suggests. “HBOT may help rebalance the immune system in NMOSD,” researchers wrote, noting that…
A specific set of immune-related genes is significantly more active in the blood of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), potentially offering a new diagnostic approach for the rare disease. A study in Iran found that seven genes involved in a major inflammatory pathway, called nuclear factor kappa…
Soliris (eculizumab) is linked to a reduced relapse rate and stabilization of disability progression in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who test positive for anti-AQP4 antibodies, according to a real-world study in Turkey. “These results support [Soliris] as a valuable therapy for [AQP4-related] NMOSD, while stressing the…
A U.S.-based registry of adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) shows that most patients are receiving biologic therapies, either approved or not approved for NMOSD, in real-world care, according to a study of its first 350 participants. The registry, called SPHERES, has enrolled about half of…
Recent Posts
- My mom’s example of strength still guides me in life with NMOSD
- Short course of approved drug effective for treatment-resistant NMOSD
- How to help people in your social circle better understand chronic illness
- New NMOSD study points to silent brain changes between relapses
- Working with a pain management clinic feels like a new world of possibility