Browsing by Author "Tuncer, Asli"

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Citation - Scopus: 1
Comparative Efficacy of Rituximab Versus Azathioprine in the Treatment of MOG Antibody-Associated Disease (MOGAD)
(Elsevier, 2025) Sen, Sedat; Kurtuncu, Murat; Demir, Serkan; Gunduz, Tuncay; Demirel, Ezgi; Tutuncu, Melih; Tuncer, Asli
Background: Azathioprine (AZA) and rituximab (RTX) are frequently used drugs in the treatment of Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Associated Disease (MOGAD). Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety data of AZA and RTX treatments in MOGAD. Methods: Patients diagnosed according to the 2023 MOGAD diagnostic criteria and receiving AZA or RTX treatment were included in the study. Results: In 142 patients included in the study, the female/male value was 1.2. The rate of OCB positivity in MOGAD patients was 22.6 %. Patients on RTX had higher EDSS values than patients on AZA. However, the RTX group demonstrated a more pronounced improvement in disability, reflected by a greater negative trend in the Delta EDSS values. The attack-free rate was 78 % in the RTX group and 68 % in the AZA group during their treatment period. Both groups had no difference in the time of the first attack. The main factor affecting the time to first attack was having a higher EDSS at the time of treatment initiation. The survival analysis found that EDSS scores improved significantly in patients treated with RTX. Conclusion: Although survival analyses for both treatments appear to be similar, using RTX provides better EDSS scores.
Vaccination Strategies in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Delphi Methodology: A Turkish Consensus
(ASEAN Neurological Assoc, 2025) Cinar, Bilge Piri; Tuncer, Asli; Cetinkaya, Levent; Akbas, Oguz; Agalar, Canan; Aluclu, Mehmet Ufuk; Siva, Aksel
Background: Both the presence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the use of immunomodulatory therapy for this disease can change the vaccine response in individuals with MS. In this study, due to the lack of guidelines for vaccination of MS patients in our country, the aim was to create a Delphi consensus on vaccination practices and vaccine types in MS patients. Methods: The Real-time Delphi technique, a more structured and predefined version of the traditional Delphi study was used to ensure a comprehensive research process. The stages of the structured online Delphi application process, which includes repeated rounds, (three rounds) are applied. Fifteen participants are sufficient to achieve homogeneous outcomes according to expertise criteria and in this study, the group comprised 31 experts who met these criteria and participated in all stages. Results: The assessment of the level of consensus among panelists revealed that there was "almost perfect consensus" on 16 items and "significant consensus" on 12 items. When examining the items in which the panelists did not reach a consensus, it was found that there was "minor consensus (slight-1)" on 1 item, and there was "no consensus (indicate poor-0)" on 2 items. Conclusion: We wanted to share a "country" practice and our current recommendations on vaccination strategies, by making use of articles containing country-based recommendations and working-group recommendations, as well as our national experiences.