Maria Gontika

• Neurologist PhD
• Consultant at Penteli Children's Hospital

The impact of HLA-DRB1 alleles in a Hellenic, Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis cohort: Implications on clinical and neuroimaging profile

Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS) is considered a complex disease entity and several genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors have been associated with disease pathogenesis. Linkage studies in Caucasians have consistently suggested the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms, as the genetic locus most strongly linked to MS, with the...

Interferon (INF) b-1a is a widely used medication, administered as first-line treatment in adult and pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Common adverse reactions include flu-like symptoms, skin changes, allergic reactions and depression. Interferon-induced retinopathy commonly arises in HCV patients treated with INFa, but has rarely be...

Objectives Long-term immunomodulatory therapy of pediatric onset-multiple sclerosis (POMS) is based mainly on published case series and internationally agreed guidelines. Relevant studies in the Greek population are absent from the literature. The purpose of this study is to present data on the efficacy and safety of the 1st line immunomodulatory d...

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS, POMS) accounts for 3–5% of all MS cases and is characterized by a highly inflammatory profile, often warranting treatment with high-efficacy agents. Our aim is to present real-world data of a series of 18 Hellenic POMS patients treated with natalizumab (NTZ) either as adolescents or as adults, after high dise...

Background Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis(POMS) is characterized by a highly active profile, often warranting treatment with high efficacy disease-modulating therapies (DMTs). Fingolimod, an oral sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator, is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- and European Medicines Agency (EMA)-approved DMT for the...

Background: While most studies on the association of preterm birth and cerebral palsy (CP) have focused on very preterm infants, lately, attention has been paid to moderately preterm [32 to <34 weeks gestational age (GA)] and late preterm infants (34 to <37 weeks GA). Methods: In order to report on the outcomes of a cohort of moderately and late pr...

Background: Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLA) represent the genetic loci most strongly linked to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Apart from HLA-DR and HLA-DQ, HLA-DP alleles have been previously studied regarding their role in MS pathogenesis, but to a much lesser extent. Our objective was to investigate the risk/resistance influence of HLA-DPB1 alleles in H...

Background: Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) is considered a complex disease entity with many genetic and environmental factors implicated in its pathogenesis. Linkage studies in Caucasian adult populations consistently demonstrate the major histocompatibility complex and its HLA (human leukocyte antigen) polymorphisms as the genetic locu...

Objective: Familial Multiple Sclerosis (fMS) is reported to have distinct clinical and imaging characteristics in comparison to the sporadic disease (sMS). Nevertheless, the genetic/immunogenetic profile of fMS has never been investigated in depth, so far. In this study we examined differences of HLA-DRB1 allelic frequencies between 57 fMS and 141...

Early-onset (pediatric and adolescent) multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which accounts for 3-5% of all MS cases. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) with its polymorphisms has been the genetic locus with the most robust association with adult MS, since its first dis...

Early-onset (pediatric and adolescent) multiple sclerosis (MS) is a well-established demyelinating disease that accounts for approximately 3-5% of all MS cases. Thus, identifying potential biomarkers that can reflect the pathogenic mechanisms, disease course and prognosis, and therapeutic response in such patients is of paramount importance. Myelin...

27th Meeting of Hellenic society for Neuroscience

Background: The comorbidity between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is particularly rare. Only a few cases of comorbidity of Clinically Definite(CD)-MS and HIV have been documented worldwide, while the potential beneficial role of antiretroviral therapy regarding MS activity has long been an area of debate....

Background: The comorbidity between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is particularly rare. Only a few cases of comorbidity of Clinically Definite(CD)-MS and HIV have been documented worldwide, while the potential beneficial role of antiretroviral therapy regarding MS activity has long been an area of debate....

In the light of modern molecular technologies, the understanding of the complexity of the numerous genotype–phenotype correlations regarding Dravet syndrome is mandatory. Motivated by 2 patients, whose whole-exome sequencing revealed novel mutations that exemplify the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneities associated with typical and atypical Drave...

We aimed for the first time in Greece, to investigate the oral health status of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and its relationship with clinico-laboratorian parameters and the Quality of Life (QoL) in this group. It is an ongoing study with very interesting findings so far.

Objectives: Mechanisms of angiogenesis regulate multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions' evolution, displaying both neuroprotective and harmful effects. Factors traditionally considered as purely angiogenic, like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), exert complex heterogenous actions on both neural and vascular malformation-derived tissues. Aim of t...

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder, predominantly characterized by severe optic neuritis, transverse myelitis and the high level of antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) or NMO‑immunoglobulin G (IgG). Researches trying to correlate NMO with specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles took place in a limited extend...