Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35247022›Full record

Observational studyEuropean journal of neurology2022

Delayed B cell repopulation after rituximab treatment in multiple sclerosis patients with expanded adaptive natural killer cells.

Antía Moreira, Elvira Munteis, Andrea Vera, Adrián Macías Gómez, Bernat Bertrán Recasens, Miguel Ángel Rubio Pérez, Mireia Llop, Jose E Martínez-Rodríguez

Open access · hybridAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in European journal of neurology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Comparative Effectiveness of Rituximab in Treatment-Naïve vs. Switch Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Real-World Retrospective Study.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Antía MoreiraNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Elvira MunteisNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Andrea VeraNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Adrián Macías GómezNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Bernat Bertrán RecasensNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Miguel Ángel Rubio PérezNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Mireia LlopNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
Jose E Martínez-RodríguezNeurology Department, Neuroimmunology Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-6765-5587
Hospital Del Mar · ESHospital d'Igualada · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and purposeThe aim was to evaluate whether adaptive NKG2C+ natural killer (NK) cells, characterized by enhanced antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC), may influence time to B cell repopulation after rituximab treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

methodsThis was a prospective observational study of MS patients treated with rituximab monitoring peripheral B cells for repeated doses. B cell repopulation was defined as CD19+ cells above 2% of total lymphocytes, classifying cases according to the median time of B cell repopulation as early or late (≤9 months, >9 months, respectively). Basal NK cell immunophenotype and in vitro ADCC responses induced by rituximab were assessed by flow cytometry.

resultsB cell repopulation in 38 patients (24 relapsing-remitting MS [RRMS]; 14 progressive MS) was classified as early (≤9 months, n = 19) or late (>9 months, n = 19). RRMS patients with late B cell repopulation had higher proportions of NKG2C+ NK cells compared to those with early repopulation (24.7% ± 16.2% vs. 11.3% ± 10.4%, p < 0.05), and a direct correlation between time to B cell repopulation and percentage of NKG2C+ NK cells (R 0.45, p < 0.05) was observed. RRMS cases with late repopulation compared with early repopulation had a higher secretion of tumor necrosis factor α and interferon γ by NK cells after rituximab-dependent NK cell activation. The NK cell immunophenotype appeared unrelated to B cell repopulation in progressive MS patients.

conclusionsAdaptive NKG2C+ NK cells in RRMS may be associated with delayed B cell repopulation after rituximab, a finding probably related to enhanced depletion of B cells exerted by NK-cell-mediated ADCC, pointing to the use of personalized regimens with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy in some patients.

Indexed as

Multiple SclerosisAntibodies, MonoclonalAntibody-Dependent Cell CytotoxicityHumansKiller Cells, NaturalRituximabAntibodies, MonoclonalRituximabB cell repopulationmultiple sclerosisNK cellsrituximab

Identifiers

PMID35247022
PMCPMC9310749
OpenAlexW4221121823

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.