Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) suffer from some comorbidities, including physical and psychiatric disorders, low quality of life (QoL), hormonal dysregulation, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of eight weeks of tele-yoga and tele-Pilates on the serum levels of prolactin and cortisol and selected physical and psychological factors. Methods: Forty-five females with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, based on age (18–65), expanded disability status scale (0–5.5), and body mass index (20–32), were randomly assigned to tele-Pilates, tele-yoga, or control groups (n = 15). Serum blood samples and validated questionnaires were collected before and after interventions. Results: Following online interventions, there was a significant increase in the serum levels of prolactin (p = 0.004) and a significant decrease in cortisol (p = 0.04) in the time × group interaction factors. In addition, significant improvements were observed in depression (p = 0.001), physical activity levels (p < 0.001), QoL (p ≤ 0.001), and the speed of walking (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that tele-yoga and tele-Pilates training could be introduced as patient-friendly, non-pharmacological, add-on therapeutic methods for increasing prolactin and decreasing cortisol serum levels and achieving clinically relevant improvements in depression, walking speed, physical activity level, and QoL in female MS patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most prevalent causes of nontraumatic neurological impairment in young adults. This review aims to determine the impact of exercise on cytokine and adipokine profile levels as inflammatory markers in MS patients across various exercise paradigms. We used specific keywords in PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and Scopus to find randomized clinical trials addressing the effects of physical activity and exercise training on inflammatory markers levels in MS patients. The majority of the research showed no considerable changes in IL-6 levels, while three studies reported declining levels after the intervention. Approximately half of the trials observed a change in TNF-α and IL-10 levels after exercise interventions, while the other half showed no meaningful changes. Other markers such as IL-17, IL-4, IL-12, adipokines, and BDNF showed fluctuations in levels. We found no universal agreement on the effects of different exercise training protocols on the serum level of inflammatory markers in patients with MS. More research is needed to fully identify the effects of exercise on cytokines in MS patients.

To evaluate the feasibility and validity of the remotely administered 30-second Sit-to-Stand (30s STS) test as a measure of lower-extremity function in a convenience sample of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Cross-sectional observational study. Remote, videoconference-based assessments conducted via Zoom. Convenience sample of adults with MS (n = 541) and healthy controls (n = 74). NA. Number of 30s STS repetitions, completion rate, and correlations of 30s STS performance with cognitive and PROM measures. The remote 30s STS test was completed by 498 participants with MS (92%) and all 74 healthy controls (100%) with no adverse events. 30s STS performance was significantly lower in the MS than in healthy controls (10.4 vs 14.0 repetitions; p<0.001; d=-0.75), and this group difference remained significant after adjusting for group differences in age, sex, and marital status. 30s STS repetitions were strongly associated with mobility disability (PDDS: r=-0.56) and walking limitations (MSWS-12: r=-0.57); moderately associated with physical health (SF-12 PCS: r=0.41) and processing speed (SDMT; r=0.34); and weakly associated with symptoms, mental status, verbal learning and memory (CVLT-II), and physical activity in MS. The remotely administered 30s STS appears to be a feasible and valid measure of lower-extremity physical function in stable, relapse-free individuals with MS and may be a useful outcome for telerehabilitation research in this population.