Elisabetta Signoriello

Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli · Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche, Neurologiche, Metaboliche e dell’Invecchiamento

Introduction During the COVID-19 pandemic, ocrelizumab (OCR) infusions for MS patients were often re-scheduled because of MS center's disruption and concerns regarding immunosuppression. The aim of the present study was to assess changes in OCR schedule during the first wave of pandemic in Italy and to evaluate the effect of delayed infusion on cli...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional clinical stage prior to dementia. Patients with amnestic MCI have a high risk of progression toward Alzheimer’s disease. Both amnestic mild cognitive impairment and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease are multifactorial disorders consequential from a multifaceted cross-talk among molecular and biological p...

miRNA regulatory axes in blood of MCI patients, which includes lncRNA-SNHG16, lncRNA-H19 and lncRNA-NEAT1. Microarray investigations have demonstrated modifications in the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in blood of patients with MCI compared with control samples. This is the first study to explore lncRNA profiles in Mild Cognitive Impa...

We present the case of a 48-year-old-woman with apparently isolated central nervous system Erdheim-Chester disease characterized by brainstem involvement. Erdheim-Chester disease is extremely rare and multisystem impairment should always be sought in the suspicion of such pathology.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the need to evaluate cognitive profile via videoconferencing (teleneuropsychology, TeleNP) as a suitable alternative to face-to-face assessment (F-F). Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and the reliability of Rao's Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests (R-BRB) remote administrat...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological disease characterized by chronic inflammation and neuronal cell viability impairment. Based on previous studies reporting that adiponectin exhibits neuroprotective effects in some models of neurodegenerative diseases, we analyzed the effects of AdipoRon treatment, alone or in combina...

Background: Although two doses of Covid-19 vaccine elicited a protective humoral response in most persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS), a significant group of them treated with immunosuppressive disease modifying therapies (DMTs) showed less efficient responses. Methods: This prospective multiCenter observational study evaluates differences in...

Background: The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is the most widely used screening tool for cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, the administration and scoring procedures of the paper version are time consuming and prone to errors. Aim of our study was to develop a tablet version of BICA...

Introduction: The diagnosis of the progression phase of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is still retrospective and based on the objectivation of clinical disability accumulation. Objectives: To assess whether the Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (PROMs) scores predict the occurrence of disease progression within three years of follow-up. Methods: Ob...

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) generally signifies a transitional clinical stage prior to dementia. Cognitive working is a dynamic process where both functional decline and functional improvement are mutual. Patients with amnestic MCI have a high risk to progress toward Alzheimer’s disease. Both amnestic mild cognitive impairment and sporadic Alzh...

Background and objectives: alemtuzumab is a monoclonal anti-CD52 antibody acting on B and T cells in highly active multiple sclerosis (MS). We analyzed changes in lymphocyte subsets after alemtuzumab administration in relation to disease activity and autoimmune adverse events. Methods: lymphocyte subset counts were assessed longitudinally using...

Background: Therapeutic Plasmapheresis (TP) is an extracorporeal therapy that allows the removal of pathogens from plasma. The role of TP in immuno-mediated diseases and toxic conditions has been of interest for decades. Summary: We reviewed the recent literature on the application and the optimal choice of TP technique ranging from Plasma Excha...

Two structurally connected brain regions are more likely to interact, with the lengths of the structural bundles, their widths, myelination, and the topology of the structural connectome influencing the timing of the interactions. We introduce an in vivo approach for measuring functional delays across the whole brain in humans (of either sex) using...

Objective Assessing the risk of clinical and radiological reactivation during pregnancy and post partum in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with natalizumab (NTZ) throughout pregnancy (LONG_EXP) compared with women interrupting treatment before (NO_EXP) and within >−30 days and ≤90 days from conception (SHORT_EXP), and describing newborns...

In the COVID-19 pandemic era, safety concerns have been raised regarding the risk of severe infection following administration of ocrelizumab (OCR), a B-cell-depleting therapy. We enrolled all relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients who received maintenance doses of OCR from January 2020 to June 2021. Data were extracted in December...

Background: The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) is the most widely used screening tool for cognitive impairment in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). However, the administration and scoring procedures of the paper version are time consuming and prone to errors. Aim of our study was to develop a tablet version of BICAM...

Nociplastic pain has been introduced by the IASP as a third category of pain, distinct from nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Pathogenetically, it is considered to be a continuum of these two types of pain after becoming chronic. Repetitive peripheral painful stimulation causes a central sensitization with hypersensitivity of the corresponding spin...

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) treated with anti-CD20 or fingolimod showed a reduced humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Objective: In this study we aimed to monitor the risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in pwMS on different disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Methods: Data on the number of vaccinated patients...

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by an early prominent deficit of visual functions associated with signs and symptoms that are the expression of dysfunction of posterior brain regions. Although PCA is commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in recent years new pathological substrates have eme...

Introduction: Cladribine administration has been approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2017; thus, data on cladribine in a real-world setting are still emerging. Methods: We report on cladribine effectiveness, safety profile, and treatment response predictors in 243 patients with MS followed at eight tertia...

Background In this study we aimed to monitor the risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with MS (pwMS) under different DMTs and to identify correlates of reduced protection. Methods This is a prospective Italian multicenter cohort study, long-term clinical follow-up of the CovaXiMS (Covid-19 vaccine in Multiple Sclerosis) study. 185...

Background and Objectives To investigate the longitudinal dynamic of lymphocyte subsets during treatment with ocrelizumab (OCR) in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Methods A multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 161 PwMS starting treatment with OCR grouped in naive (naive, n = 40), switching from fingolimod (FTY, n = 52), and sw...

Pivotal trials showed the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody ocrelizumab in relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). However, data on everyday practice in MS patients and markers of treatment effectiveness are scarce. We aimed to collect real-world data from ocrelizumab-treated MS patients, relapsing-remitting (RR) and progressive M...

Background: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are small round/oval lesions seen in MRI-specific sequences. They are divided in deep and lobar according to their location. Lobar CMBs (L-CMBs) are commonly associated with amyloid angiopathy. Although CMBs have been considered clinically silent for a long time, a growing body of evidence has shown that the...

Background Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) treated with anti-CD20 or fingolimod showed a reduced humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. In this study we aimed to monitor the risk of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in pwMS on different Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT). Methods Data on number of vaccinated patients and of patients with a...

Background. Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) treated with anti-CD20 or fingolimod showed a reduced humoral response to mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, while the degree of such responses is unimpaired and similar in pwMS treated with other disease modifying therapies (DMTs), or untreated. However, the nature of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced...

Introduction Blood coagulation constituents might exert immunomodulatory functions in the CNS and may trigger neuroinflammation and demyelination. We evaluated whether particular single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), thought to be involved in fibrinogen-mediated hemostatic pathways, are overrepresented in patients with MS compared with controls....

Background Real-world data on Alemtuzumab are limited and do not provide evidence on its effectiveness after different Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs). Our aim was to provide real-world data on the impact of clinical variables and previous DMTs on clinical response to Alemtuzumab. Methods Sixteen Italian MS-centers retrospectively included pati...

Background: In patients with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) affects immune response to antigens. Therefore, post-vaccination serological assessments are needed to evaluate the effect of the vaccine on SARS-CoV-2 antibody response. Methods: We designed a prospective multicenter cohort study enrolling pwMS who were sc...

Background: The kinetics of B cell repopulation in MS patients treated with Ocrelizumab is highly variable, suggesting that a fixed dosage and time scheduling might be not optimal. We aimed to investigate whether B cell repopulation kinetics influences clinical and radiological outcomes and whether circulating immune asset at baseline affects B ce...

Two structurally connected brain regions are more likely to interact, with the lengths of the structural bundles, their widths, myelination, and the topology of the structural connectome influencing the timing of the interactions. We introduce an in vivo approach for measuring functional delays across the whole brain using magneto/electroencephalog...

Objectives To evaluate the concordance between Google Maps® application (GM®) and clinical practice measurements of ambulatory function (e.g., Ambulation Score (AS) and respective Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).Materials and methodsThis is a cross-sectional multicenter study. AS and EDSS were calcu...

Adiponectin exerts relevant actions in immunity and is modulated in several disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we characterized adiponectin expression and profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from MS patients to investigate its potential relationship with the severity and progression of the disease. Total adiponectin in CSF...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-021-02331-y

Objectives Switching between treatments is an opportunity for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to ameliorate disease control or safety. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of switching from fingolimod (FTY) or natalizumab (NTZ) to ocrelizumab (OCR) on disease activity. Methods We retrospectively enrolled 165 patients treated w...

The main aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of ocrelizumab (OCR), rituximab (RTX), and cladribine (CLA), employed as natalizumab (NTZ) exit strategies in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients at high-risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). This is a multicentre, retrospective, real-wo...

Pompe disease is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in the enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. The late-onset form of Pompe disease (LOPD) is characterized by a slowly progressing proximal muscle weakness, often involving respiratory muscles. In LOPD, the levels of GAA enzyme activity and the severity of the clinical pictures may be...

Background: The evaluation of walking activity of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) is desirable. We evaluate the power of the correlation of motor parameters detected by the accelerometer in the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch with multiple sclerosis (MS) disability measures and patient reported outcomes (PROs). Methods: We enrolled 25 relapsing...

Background To minimize the risk of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy and rebound in JCV-positive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients after 24 natalizumab doses, it has been proposed to extend the administrations interval. The objective is to evaluate the EID efficacy on MRI activity compared with the standard interval dosing (SID). Methods O...

Background Spasticity in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) is one of the most disabling symptoms on walking ability and balance. Among the systemic antispastic drugs, Nabiximols showed a good tolerability, safety profile and relevant efficacy. A few studies assessed long-term effects of this drug through clinical scales and instrumental tools,...

Objective Cladribine tablets were tested against placebo in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In this study, the effectiveness of cladribine vs other approved drugs in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) was compared by matching RCT to observational data. Methods Data from the pivotal trial assessing cladribine tablets vs placebo (CLARI...

Background/objectives Several studies supported the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) on chronic diseases. In Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the MeDi might interfere with systemic inflammatory state, gut microbiota, and comorbidities. The Med Diet Score (MDS) estimates the adherence to the MeDi and the cardiovascular (CV) risk. Aims of...

Objective: To explore, through a digital triage monitoring, the frequency of demographic and clinical characteristics suggestive for COVID-19 among two large samples of people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) and to evaluate the association between demographic and clinical characteristics of pwMS and the likelihood of being identified as COVID-19 sus...

Background The introduction of oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) changed algorithms of RRMS treatment.Objectives To compare the effectiveness of treatment with dimethyl fumarate (DMF) and teriflunomide (TRF) in a large multicentre Italian cohort of RRMS patients.Materials and Methods Patients...

Background: Pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) is involved in acute immunological responses and it is a pro-inflammatory protein and a novel biomarker of inflammatory diseases. It is demonstrated that PTX-3 is higher in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of aggressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Metabolomics, the identification of small endogenous molecules, offers a molecu...

Background: Rituximab (RTX), a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated a good efficacy as treatment in patients with resistant Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), but it is highly immunogenic due to its structure. Ocrelizumab (OCR) is a humanized anti-CD20 antibody, with higher tolerability and lower...

Background Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may help patients and clinicians in selecting disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS).Objective To evaluate PRO differences among first-line DMTs for relapsing-remitting (RR) people with MS (pwMS).Methods Multicenter study. RR pwMS on first-line DMTs completed Fatigue Severity Scale...

Objectives Ocrelizumab (OCR) is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting CD20 antigen exposed on B cells surface. Kinetic of B-cells repopulation after depletion therapy shows high intra and inter-individual variability. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of Body Mass Index (BMI) on kinetic of B-cell repopulation after treatment wi...

Background Clinicians struggle to timely diagnose secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SP-MS), with a ‘transition phase’ period of diagnostic uncertainty. We aimed at defining clinical markers predicting evolution to SP-MS. Methods : We reviewed 210 newly diagnosed MS patients experiencing at least one confirmed disability worsening (CDW). CD...

IntroductionThe approval of 9-δ-tetrahydocannabinol (THC)+cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray (Sativex®) in Italy as an add-on medication for the management of moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) has provided a new opportunity for MS patients with drug-resistant spasticity. We aimed to investigate the improvement of MS spasticit...

Background: The approval of an increasing number of disease modifying drugs for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) creates new challenges for patients and clinicians on the first treatment choice. The main aim of this study was to assess factors impacting first therapy choice in a large Italian MS cohort. Methods: Newly diagnosed relapsing-re...

Background: Fingolimod (FTY720, Gilenya) is a second line therapy to treat relapsing MS not responding to first-line treatments and/or with a high disease activity (according to Italian Regulatory authorities). Before starting Fingolimod, patients' immunity to varicella zoster virus (VZV) needs to be assessed and seronegative patients vaccinated....

Differently from the adult multiple sclerosis (MS) population, the predictive value of cognitive impairment in early-onset MS is still unknown. We aim to evaluate whether cognitive performances at disease onset predict disease progression in young people with MS. This is a retrospective study on early onset (<25 years) MS patients, who had a baseli...

Background: Posterior fossa syndrome (PFS) is a rare manifestation of ponto-mesencephalic lesions frequently reported in post-surgical pediatric tumors, rarely described as a consequence of vascular, infective or inflammatory lesions. Objective: The aim of this article is to report the clinical and neuroradiological characteristics of a patient...

Background: Dimethyl-fumarate (DMF) was effective and safe in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in randomized clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DMF and factors related to drug response in real-life setting. Methods: We analysed prospectively collected demographic and clinical data for patients treated wit...

Background A high reactivation of multiple sclerosis (MS) was reported in patients treated with alemtuzumab after fingolimod. We aimed to understand whether this shift enhanced the risk for reactivation in a real-life cohort. Methods Subjects with relapsing MS, shifting from fingolimod to alemtuzumab were enrolled. We collected the following data:...

Background Rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody leading to B lymphocyte depletion, is increasingly used as an off-label treatment option for multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective To investigate the effectiveness and safety of rituximab in relapsing–remitting (RR) and progressive MS. Methods This is a multicenter, retrospective study on consec...

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) requires multidisciplinary management. We evaluated differences in healthcare resource utilization and costs between Federico II and Vanvitelli MS Centres of Naples (Italy), representative of centralised (i.e., MS Care Unit) and local service-based models of multidisciplinary care, respectively. Methods We includ...

Extending the natalizumab interval after the 24th administration could reduce the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The objective is to evaluate the noninferiority of the efficacy of an extended interval dosing (EID) compared with the standard interval dosing (SID) of natalizumab. It is an observational, multicenter (14 Ital...

Background and purpose Adiponectin is a relevant cytokine linking energy metabolism and immune system. After being assembled, adiponectin circulates as oligomers of different molecular weight, LMW, MMW and HMW. These latter have the most potent biological effects. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of human central nervous system. The...

Background: Few studies examined the effects of combined motor and cognitive rehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present prospective, multicenter, observational study aimed to determine the efficacy of an integrated cognitive and neuromotor rehabilitation program versus a traditional neuromotor training on walking, balance,...

Background: With many options now available, first therapy choice is challenging in multiple sclerosis (MS) and depends mainly on neurologist and patient preferences. Objectives: To identify prognostic factors for early switch after first therapy choice. Methods: Newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS patients from 24 Italian centers were incl...

Objective There is debate as to whether the apparent rebound after fingolimod discontinuation is related to the discontinuation itself, or if it is due to the natural course of highly active multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to survey the prevalence of severe reactivation and rebound after discontinuation of fingolimod in a cohort of Italian patien...

Objectives: To investigate a possible association between isolated white matter lesions suggestive of demyelinating disease in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) evidence in migraine patients, with or without aura. Materials: 31 migraine patients, 28 females and 3 males, with MRI evidence of white matter lesions suggest...

Background: Fingolimod is a modulator of Central and peripheral sphingosine pathways, which is currently approved for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In animal models it reduces inflammation, but it is also able to potentiate glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity. We aimed to explore whether Fingolimod is able to modify the clin...

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a neurodegenerative disease determining progressive and relentless motor deterioration involving both upper and lower motor neurons (UMN and LMN); several variants at onset are described. Here we describe a case of MND presenting as pure spastic monoparesis in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gave a substantial c...

Objective: To assess whether the presence of concomitant diseases at multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is associated with the choice and the treatment persistence in an Italian MS cohort. Methods: We included newly diagnosed patients (2010-2016) followed in 20 MS centers and collected demographic and clinical data. We evaluated baseline factors...