Browsing by Author "Ecker, D."

Thirty patients with multiple sclerosis were randomized to 500 or 2,000 mg of methylprednisolone ( MP) over 5 days. They were prospectively studied neuropsychologically before and at days 6 and 60 after onset of the therapy, using a double-blind study design. Patients showed selective deterioration of declarative memory retrieval at day 6, which was fully reversible at day 60. Although the sample size was small, these effects were independent of the administered MP dose.

The soluble form of the CD14 molecule (sCD14), a macrophage activity marker, was measured in the plasma of 17 patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and 20 patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS). In patients with PPMS, sCD14 levels were determined before and after treatment with interferon beta (IFNB). In both PPMS and in RRMS, sCD14 levels were significantly elevated compared to healthy controls. In patients with PPMS, sCD14 levels increased significantly during the first 3 months of IFNB therapy, then slightly decreased, but still remained elevated compared with levels before therapy. Therefore, the elevated sCD14 levels may be a marker in evaluating biological response to IFNB therapy. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.