IMPORTANCE The safety and efficacy of switching from natalizumab to fingolimod have not yet been evaluated in a large cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to our knowledge.OBJECTIVE To collect data from patients with MS switching from natalizumab to fingolimod. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThe Enquête Nationale sur l'Introduction du Fingolimod en Relais au Natalizumab (ENIGM) study, a survey-based, observational multicenter cohort study among MS tertiary referral centers. Participants were patients for whom a switch from natalizumab to fingolimod was planned. Clinical data were collected on natalizumab treatment, duration and management of the washout period (WP), and relapse or adverse events during the WP and after the initiation of fingolimod. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESOccurrence of MS relapse during the WP or during a 6-month follow-up period after the initiation of fingolimod.RESULTS Thirty-six French MS tertiary referral centers participated. In total, 333 patients with MS switched from natalizumab to fingolimod after a mean of 31 natalizumab infusions (female to male ratio, 2.36; mean age, 41 years; and Expanded Disability Status Scale score at the initiation of natalizumab, 3.6). Seventy-one percent were seropositive for the JC polyomavirus. The Expanded Disability Status Scale score remained stable for patients receiving natalizumab. Twenty-seven percent of patients relapsed during the WP. A WP shorter than 3 months was associated with a lower risk of relapse (odds ratio, 0.23; P = .001) and with less disease activity before natalizumab initiation (P = .03). Patients who stopped natalizumab because of poor tolerance or lack of efficacy also had a higher risk of relapse (odds ratio, 3.20; P = .004). Twenty percent of patients relapsed during the first 6 months of fingolimod therapy. Three percent stopped fingolimod for efficacy, tolerance, or compliance issues. In the multivariate analysis, the occurrence of relapse during the WP was the only significant prognostic factor for relapse during fingolimod therapy (odds ratio, 3.80; P = .05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this study, switching from natalizumab to fingolimod was associated with a risk of MS reactivation during the WP or shortly after fingolimod initiation. The WP should be shorter than 3 months.

No abstract

Background. Primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) is a frequent systemic autoimmune disease. In this study, we aimed to explore the cognitive impairment and the correlations with brain MRI. Methods. Twenty-five patients (mean age 55 ± 11.8 years, 21 females) with PSS were prospectively selected and tested with a French translation of the Brief Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Examination. The results were compared with the scores for 25 matched patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 25 controls. Brain lesions were assessed by brain MRI using the Wahlund classification. Results. Fifteen of the 25 PSS patients (60%) presented with cognitive disorders versus 19/25 MS patients (76%). Five patients had dementia in the PSS group. Speed of information processing, attention, immediate and long-term memory, and executive functions were frequently impaired. The mean duration of cognitive complaints was 5.6 ± 6.1 years, and the mean duration of PSS was 15.8 ± 14.0 years. A trend towards a correlation was found between the severity of cognitive impairment and the degree of white matter lesions (WML) (P = 0.03, rho = 0.43). Conclusion. Cognitive impairment—mild or dementia—exists in patients with PSS. Further MRI studies are needed to better understand the precise neural basis of cognitive impairment in PSS patients.

Protease-resistant prion protein may be found in the peripheral nervous system of some patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. However, a larger series is required to assess the incidence of peripheral nervous system involvement and to discuss the diagnostic usefulness of peripheral nerve biopsy in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

No abstract