Researchers Halt Progression of MS
Australian researchers working with mice have found a way to halt the progressive nerve damage that makes Multiple Sclerosis (MS) such a debilitating disease. Steven Petratos, leader of the Monash University team, said he was confident that clinical trials less than a decade away would show the therapy also worked in humans. Working with colleagues [...]
Halting an Enzyme can Slow Multiple Sclerosis in Mice
Researchers studying Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have long been looking for the specific molecules in the body that cause lesions in myelin, the fatty, insulating cells that sheathe the nerves. Nearly a decade ago, a group at Mayo Clinic found a new enzyme, called Kallikrein 6, that is present in abundance in MS lesions and blood [...]
Multiple Sclerosis and Fatigue
Ever have one of those days – or several – where you wake up in the morning, do your morning regimen and are completely exhausted after an hour of being up? I mean feel like you worked back to back 14-hour shifts? For me, that’s fatigue. It’s as if something zapped the energy right out [...]
Fish Oil flops in Multiple Sclerosis, but don’t flush it yet
Fish oil doesn’t appear to be of any help in treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Norwegian researchers found. In a randomized controlled trial, supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids had no effect on the number of brain lesions seen on MRI over two years compared with placebo, Oivind Torkildsen, MD, PhD, of Haukeland University Hospital in Norway, [...]
Watchdog group wants restrictions on Gilenya (fingolimod) for MS
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is urging the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put restrictions on the use of fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), owing to post-marketing adverse event reports. “Problems of widespread toxicity that were already evident in clinical testing of fingolimod are now producing strong [...]
A New Class of Arthritis Drugs should be considered for the treatment of MS
A new class of drugs completing clinical trials soon for rheumatoid arthritis should be examined as a treatment for Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to the authors of a University of Alabama at Birmingham study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The UAB study focused on a protein called “suppressor of cytokine [...]
Gene therapy to boost brain repair for demylinating diseases
Our bodies are full of tiny superheroes – antibodies that fight foreign invaders, cells that regenerate, and structures that ensure our systems run smoothly. One such structure is myelin – a material that forms a protective, insulating cape around the axons of our nerve cells so that they can send signals quickly and efficiently. But [...]
Cloning Scientists Create Human Brain Cells
cientists in Edinburgh who pioneered cloning have made a technological breakthrough that could pave the way for better medical treatment of mental illnesses and nerve diseases The news that Edinburgh scientists had created the world’s first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep, at the university’s Roslin Institute made headlines around the world 16 years ago. Her [...]
MS is a metabolic disorder?
A controversial new study that claims Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a metabolic disorder rather than an autoimmune disease neatly addresses many puzzling aspects of the illness, including why it strikes women more than men and why cases are on the rise worldwide. The study suggests that MS is caused by faulty lipid metabolism and is [...]
Fish, coffee and alcohol may delay progression of Multiple Sclerosis, new study suggests
Regularly eating fish and drinking alcohol and coffee may help delay disease progression in patients with relapsing-onset Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. However, consumption of these food items does not seem to affect disease development in patients with progressive-onset MS, the researchers found. “Factors such as coffee and alcohol consumption could affect inflammation [...]
University of Buffalo Study: Risk Factors for CCSVI and Multiple Sclerosis Appear to be Identical
cientists have investigated the risk factors for a vascular condition called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), which has attracted global attention as possibly being correlated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). A preliminary University at Buffalo study of 252 volunteers has found an association between CCSVI and as many as three characteristics widely viewed as possible or [...]
Study of MS research too inconsistent to draw concrete conclusions
An analysis of eight studies, conducted by researchers of Canada, has found no link between blockages in veins and the occurrence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The analysis did not result in finding any accurate conclusion, leaving the mystery unraveled. The research was sponsored by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The analytical study, which has been [...]
New class of cells discovered, offers hope for spinal cord repair
The Allen Institute for Brain Science has announced the discovery of a new class of cells in the spinal cord that act like neural stem cells, offering a fresh avenue in the search for therapies to treat spinal cord injury and disease. The research team utilized the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas, a finely detailed genome-wide [...]
World MS Day is May 25 – by Dee Dean
The world comes together to raise awareness and mobilize the global movement for Multiple Sclerosis EARTH — World MS Day was launched May 27, 2009 with over 200 events in 67 countries. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness about Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and to strengthen the network of people living with MS across the world. [...]
Study is first to show reversal of long-term hind-limb paralysis – The East County Herald
By Dee Dean A UC Irvine study is the first to demonstrate that human neural stem cells can restore mobility in cases of chronic spinal cord injury, suggesting the prospect of treating a much broader population of patients. Previous breakthrough stem cell studies have focused on the acute, or early, phase of spinal cord injury, [...]
