Trial reportBMC neurology2006
Monthly intravenous methylprednisolone in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis - reduction of enhancing lesions, T2 lesion volume and plasma prolactin concentrations.
Trial report in BMC neurology, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03492255 (CYCLONES - CYClophosphamide LOw Dose and No Extra Steroid), which is not on this map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
CYCLONES - CYClophosphamide LOw Dose and No Extra Steroid
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medication and bone health in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2023Pooled it
- Systemic glucocorticoid therapy and adrenal insufficiency in adults: A systematic review.Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2016Pooled it
- Corticosteroids for the long-term treatment in multiple sclerosis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2008Pooled it
- Trial
- Short-Term Risk Factors for Bone Loss in Multiple Sclerosis: A Prospective Study and Literature Review.European journal of neurology · 2025Review
- Comparing Plasma Exchange to Escalated Methyl Prednisolone in Refractory Multiple Sclerosis Relapses.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Article
- Effect of Early and Prophylactic Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Flare Duration in Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: An Observational Study of Patients Followed by an Academic Community-Based Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Clinic.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2017Observational
- Slowly eroding lesions in multiple sclerosis.Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2017Article
- Risk Factors, Epidemiology and Treatment Strategies for Metabolic Bone Disease in Patients with Neurological Disease.Current osteoporosis reports · 2016Review
- Prevalence of autoimmune disease in patients with prolactinomas and non-functioning pituitary adenomas.Pituitary · 2016Article
- Relationship between Prolactin Plasma Levels and White Matter Volume in Women with Multiple Sclerosis.Mediators of inflammation · 2015Article
- Does pulse dosing of methylprednisolone have an acute effect on serum creatinine concentrations?The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy · 2014Article
- Cuprizone-induced demyelination as a tool to study remyelination and axonal protection.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2013Review
- Adaptive immune responses in CNS autoimmune disease: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2013Review
- Neuroendocrine immunoregulation in multiple sclerosis.Clinical & developmental immunology · 2013Review
- Multiple sclerosis, relapses, and the mechanism of action of adrenocorticotropic hormone.Frontiers in neurology · 2013Article
- Management of children with multiple sclerosis.Paediatric drugs · 2012Review
- Prolactin and autoimmunity: hyperprolactinemia correlates with serositis and anemia in SLE patients.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2012Article
- Bone health in multiple sclerosis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2011Review
- Multiple sclerosis attacks triggered by hyperprolactinemia.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2010Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntravenous methylprednisolone (IV-MP) is an established treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, accompanied by rapid, though transient reduction of gadolinium enhancing (Gd+) lesions on brain MRI. Intermittent IV-MP, alone or with immunomodulators, has been suggested but insufficiently studied as a strategy to prevent relapses.
methodsIn an open, single-cross-over study, nine patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) underwent cranial Gd-MRI once monthly for twelve months. From month six on, they received a single i.v.-infusion of 500 mg methylprednisolone (and oral tapering for three days) after the MRI. Primary outcome measure was the mean number of Gd+ lesions during treatment vs. baseline periods; T2 lesion volume and monthly plasma concentrations of cortisol, ACTH and prolactin were secondary outcome measures. Safety was assessed clinically, by routine laboratory and bone mineral density measurements. Soluble immune parameters (sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII, IL1-ra and sVCAM-1) and neuroendocrine tests (ACTH test, combined dexamethasone/CRH test) were additionally analyzed.
resultsComparing treatment to baseline periods, the number of Gd+ lesions/scan was reduced in eight of the nine patients, by a median of 43.8% (p = 0.013, Wilcoxon). In comparison, a pooled dataset of 83 untreated RR-MS patients from several studies, selected by the same clinical and MRI criteria, showed a non-significant decrease by a median of 14% (p = 0.32). T2 lesion volume decreased by 21% during treatment (p = 0.001). Monthly plasma prolactin showed a parallel decline (p = 0.027), with significant cross-correlation with the number of Gd+ lesions. Other hormones and immune system variables were unchanged, as were ACTH test and dexamethasone-CRH test. Treatment was well tolerated; routine laboratory and bone mineral density were unchanged.
conclusionMonthly IV-MP reduces inflammatory activity and T2 lesion volume in RR-MS.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.