There is increasing evidence that vitamin D (VitD) supplementation may reduce inflammation in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of VitD on selected markers of inflammation in patients with relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS). Participants were divided depending on the supplemented dose of VitD into a high-dose (2000 IU/d; HD) group and a low-dose (15,960 IU/month; LD) group (n = 23 and n = 29, respectively). The concentration of 25(OH)D and the levels of CXCL16, PTX3, ALCAM, IL-1RA, and OPG were measured initially and after six months of VitD supplementation in blood serum. A significant increase in the concentrations of CXCL16, PTX3, and OPG was observed during the study (p = 0.02, p = 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, a higher increase in PTX3 and OPG in the LD group was observed (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively). A significant positive correlation was observed between the 25(OH)D serum concentration and PTX3 (R = 0.28, p < 0.05) and OPG (R = 0.28, p < 0.05) only at the beginning of the study. In patients with RRMS, such doses of VitD might be too low to induce obvious beneficial effects on the pro-inflammatory and inflammatory balance.

Permanent inflammatory demyelinating and neurodegenerative processes lead to neurological disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin D₃ (VitD) are well established, but its role in neurodegeneration is still uncertain. The usefulness of the serum concentration of VitD as a potential biomarker in evaluating brain injury in terms of recently known smoldering MS was under consideration. Methods: We assessed the concentrations of the parameters of brain injury (NF-H, GPAF, S100B, UCHL1) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of relapsing-remitting (RRMS, n = 123) and progressive MS (PMS, n = 88) patients in the group with normal levels of VitD (VitDn) and in the VitD deficiency group (VitDd). The levels of NF-H and UCHL1 were higher in the group of VitDd compared to VitDn. The higher serum levels of VitD were correlated with lower concentrations of GFAP, NF-H and S100B in the CSF of the whole group of MS patients and in women with MS as opposed to the levels of UCHL1. In men, there were noted negative correlations between the levels of serum VitD and GFAP and NF-H in CSF but not between VitD and S100B and UCHL1. The negative correlations were observed between VitD and the selected parameters of brain injury in MS patients, in women as well as in men. The concentrations of serum VitD together with selected parameters of brain injury in CSF seem to be promising biomarkers of neurodegeneration processes in smoldering MS.

Objective: To determine the time of dementia diagnosis, symptom intensity and to assess the comorbidities. Methods: 110 patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment were enrolled in this retrospective study. The study group was divided into subgroups: patients with a maximum of three (S ≤ 3 n = 62) and four or more symptoms (S ≥ 4 n = 48). Baseline characteristics, disease duration and the number of comorbidities were analyzed. Results: The median time from the first symptoms to diagnosis [months] (FS-D) was 12.0, while from diagnosis to enrollment (D-E) was 42.66. The median time from D-E was significantly longer in S ≥ 4 and significant correlation was observed between the median time from D-E and number of symptoms [n] (R = 0.3240, p < 0.05). Significantly more patients were newly diagnosed with AF [%] [14.58 vs. 3.23, p = 0.032], Parkinson’s disease [29.17 vs. 8.06, p = 0.004] and depression [31.25 vs. 6.45, p = 0.001] in S ≥ 4 compared to S ≤ 3, respectively. Conclusions: A considerable delay in the diagnosis of dementia was confirmed. Clinical features were associated with the disease duration and the severity of symptoms. Appropriate diagnosis of AF in patients with dementia is of great importance.

To assess calcium-phosphate parameters in SPMS patients treated with mitoxantrone (MTX).Thirty eight SPMS patients eligible for MTX therapy in the Department of Neurology in Zabrze, Poland were enr...

(1) Background: Studies indicate that vitamin D (VitD) may reduce inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of the study was to assess the effect of supplementation with different doses of VitD on inflammation in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients. (2) Methods: The effect of 6-month supplementation with different doses of oral VitD (2000 IU/day) in a high-dose group (HD, n = 23) and a low-dose group (15,960 IU/month) (LD, n = 29) on selected markers of inflammation was assessed in 52 RRMS patients. (3) Results: Females constituted the majority of participants (63.46%). The median age [years] was 39.5 [34.5–49.8] and 47 [40.0–55.0] in the HD and LD groups, respectively. Significant differences were observed in age (p = 0.028), body weight (p = 0.014) and height (p = 0.001) between the study groups. Considering the BMI, statistically significant differences were not found (p = 0.496). The median 25(OH)D concentration [ng/mL] increased from 23.023 [15.578–25.76] in the HD group and 28.318 [20.644–32.232] in the LD group to 29.819 [24.937–38.064] and 30.837 [25.382–36.789], respectively (p < 0.01), and the increase was significantly higher in the HD group (p = 0.01). Hypovitaminosis D was found in most patients (71.2%) initially, and serum VitD levels were still <30.0 ng/mL in 46.2% of the participants at the follow-up. A significant increase in the levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-23 and TNF -α [pg/mL] and a decrease in IL-10 levels were reported during the study (p < 0.01). A significant positive correlation was observed between 25(OH)D serum levels and sCD40L (R = 0.33; p < 0.05) and TNF-α (R = 0.28; p < 0.05), and a significant negative correlation was reported between 25(OH)D and IL-23 (R = −0.32; p < 0.01) at the beginning of the study. (4) Conclusions: In RRMS patients, the doses of VitD were probably too low to induce beneficial effects on inflammation. Further studies are warranted to determine the effect of VitD supplementation on inflammatory markers in MS patients.

A novel research objective is to identify new molecules in more readily accessible biological fluids that could be used in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other demyelinating disorders. To compare the level of selected cytokines in tears between patients with MS or other demyelinating disorder and healthy controls. 84 patients with diagnosed MS during remission or with other demyelinating disease of the CNS and 70 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Tears were collected without any stimulation and stored till the day of assessment. The concentration of selected cytokines was measured by the Bio-Plex Pro Human cytokine screening panel 27 cytokines assay according to the manufacturer's instructions. Statistical analysis was performed with Statistica 13. IL-1b level was significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group [3,6 vs 8.71, p < 0.001]. The same pattern was observed for IL-6 [3,1 vs 5.26, p = 0.027] and IL-10 [1,7 vs 10.92, p < 0.001] (Table 1). In the study group, IL-1RA (p = 0.015), IL-5 (p = 0.04), IL-9 (p = 0.014), and IL-15 (p = 0.037) showed significant correlations with age. In the total sample, IL-1Ra (p = 0.016) and IFN-g (p = 0.041) were significantly correlated with age, while in the control group, IL-8 (p = 0.09), MIP-1a (p = 0.009), and RANTES (p = 0.031) showed significant correlations. Our results show that MS and other demyelination diseases lead to decrease in the overall level of cytokines in tears. Further research is needed to determine the role of tear fluid in the assessment of demyelinating disorders like MS.