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MS Views & News
Unique in what we do by bridging the gap amongst Multiple Sclerosis organizations to provide better Education and Resources to those Affected by MS
Shared MS Resources
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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) is a proactive and innovative charity, passionately committed to supporting anyone affected by Multiple Sclerosis through access to unbiased information and advice. Our approach is to encourage individuals to make choices that are appropriate to their daily lives, empowering them to maximise their potential.
Although MS is typically thought of as an adult-onset disease, some children and teens have been diagnosed. Children and Teens with MS: A Network for Familiesoffers educational and psychosocial support for families living with MS. The Network is a collaborative effort of the National MS Society and the MS Society of Canada. Together we recognize the unique needs of these families.
Students with MS & the Academic Setting: A Handbook for School Personnel
Students with MS & the Academic Setting: A Handbook for School Personnelis an informational guide for school staff working with children and teens with MS. The handbook includes a discussion on the issues children and teens with MS may face, recommended accommodations and modifications in the school setting, transition issues, as well as basic information on MS.
The Network currently offers the following resources specifically for this special population:
Children with MS
An activity book for children ages 5-12 with MS. The book includes educational games, activities, and age-appropriate articles to help children better understand their diagnosis.
Virtual Community for Parents
The Network connects parents through a moderated listserv where they can share concerns and information.
Information and Referral
You can receive information about MS and local resources from your chapter by calling 1-800-344-4867.
Pediatric MS: Understanding for Today, Hope for Tomorrow A 20+ minute DVD that provides an overview of pediatric MS and how the Society is addressing the needs through programs and services and the Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence. The piece includes interviews with three families with a child with MS, healthcare professionals from the six Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence, and Society staff and volunteers. The DVD is hosted by Society volunteer Channing Barker, a young adult who was diagnosed with MS in her teens.
Children with MS
An activity book for children ages 5-12 with MS. The book includes educational games, activities, and age-appropriate articles to help children better understand their diagnosis.
Virtual Community for Parents
The Network connects parents through a moderated listserv where they can share concerns and information.
Information and Referral
You can receive information about MS and local resources from your chapter by calling 1-800-344-4867.
Pediatric MS: Understanding for Today, Hope for Tomorrow A 20+ minute DVD that provides an overview of pediatric MS and how the Society is addressing the needs through programs and services and the Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence. The piece includes interviews with three families with a child with MS, healthcare professionals from the six Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence, and Society staff and volunteers. The DVD is hosted by Society volunteer Channing Barker, a young adult who was diagnosed with MS in her teens.
Good health has a lot to do with what you put on your plate at every meal. Diet is an area where a person with MS can be in control. Studies show that sensible eating habits have a dramatic impact on many aspects of health. For instance, the risks of heart disease, certain types of cancer, and obesity can all be reduced by healthy eating. But you shouldn't stress yourself out trying regimented eating plans.
We know the benefits of physical exercise: strength, stamina, and weight control. Exercise may also have a protective effect against certain cancers and stroke, and reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
But what does this all mean to a person who is constantly told to rest and not overdo it? What does this mean to a person with MS?
The first thing we need to do is change our perception of exercise.
Wellness & Complementary and Alternative Therapies
Complementary describes those that are used along with conventional medical interventions. Alternative therapies are certain therapies used instead of conventional medicine.
Remember, only FDA-approved DMDs have been proven to be effective in the treatment of MS.
Often it is the desperate, who want to believe in a Cure where none exists
21st Century Snake Oil Part 1
"60 Minutes" hidden cameras expose medical conmen who prey on dying victims by using pitches that capitalize on the promise of stem cells to cure almost any disease. Scott Pelley reports
CLICK HERE to watch this video, get informed and LEARN !!
This video might make you cry or get quite angry.
Please LEARN from what you see here!!!!
Let us applaud CBS' 60 Minutes for what they exposed !!
Low Vitamin D Levels Are Related to MS Brain Atrophy, Cognitive Function, Studies Show
Research & News Articles
Release Date: April 28, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Low vitamin D levels may be associated with more advanced physical disability and cognitive impairment in persons with multiple sclerosis, studies conducted by neurologists at the University at Buffalo have shown.
Their results, reported at the American Academy of Neurology meeting, held earlier this month, indicated that:
• The majority of MS patients and healthy controls had insufficient vitamin D levels.
• Clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images show low blood levels of total vitamin D and certain active vitamin D byproducts are associated with increased disability, brain atrophy and brain lesion load in MS patients.
• A potential association exists between cognitive impairment in MS patients and low vitamin D levels.
The MRI study involved 236 MS patients -- 208 diagnosed with the relapsing-remitting type and 28 with secondary progressive, a more destructive form of MS -- and 22 persons without MS.
All participants provided blood serum samples, which were analyzed for total vitamin D (D2 and D3) levels as well as levels of active vitamin D byproducts. MRI scans performed within three months of blood sampling were available for 163 of the MS patients.
Results showed that only seven percent of persons with secondary-progressive MS showed sufficient vitamin D, compared to 18.3 percent of patients with the less severe relapsing-remitting type.
Higher levels of vitamin D3 and vitamin D3 metabolism byproducts (analyzed as a ratio) also were associated with better scores on disability tests, results showed, and with less brain atrophy and fewer lesions on MRI scans.
Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, UB associate professor of neurology/Jacobs Neurological Institute and director of the Baird Multiple Sclerosis Center, is first author on the study. Commenting on these results, Weinstock-Guttman said: "Clinical studies are necessary to assess vitamin D supplementation and the underlying mechanism that contributes to MS disease progression."
While lower-than-normal vitamin D status is known to be associated with a higher risk of developing MS, little is known about its relationship to cognitive impairment.
Sarah A. Morrow, MD, UB assistant research professor of neurology/Jacobs Neurological Institute and lead author on the cognitive-impairment study, compared vitamin D levels in blood samples of 136 MS patients with the results of their neuropsychological assessments that tested multiple types of cognition affected by MS.
"Results showed that MS patients who were impaired on tests of executive function --critical reasoning and abstract thinking -- and the ability to plan and organize, were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D," said Morrow.
"This relationship held true when controlling for the season during which vitamin D was measured, as well as depression, which is known to be associated with lower vitamin D levels." Morrow noted there also was a suggestion that verbal fluency (word generation) and visual-spatial memory (learning and memory of shapes and figures) is more likely to be affected when vitamin D levels are not sufficient.
Morrow is continuing her research to clarify these relationships.
Contributors to the studies, all from UB, were: Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD; Murali Ramanathan, PhD; Ralph Benedict, PhD; Jun Qu, PhD; Xiaotao Duan, PhD; Barbara E. Teter, PhD; David Hojnacki, MD; Eunjin Bang, Niels Bergsland, Sara Hussein, Mariya Cherneva and Laura Willis.
For more information about AMPYRA, including patient assistance and co-pay programs, healthcare professionals and people with MS can contact AMPYRA Patient Support Services at (888) 881-1918.
AMPYRA Patient Support Services is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
For full U.S. Prescribing Information and Medication Guide,
Ampyra is formerly known as Fampridine-SR or AP-4.
AMPYRA is a prescription medicine used to help improve walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was shown by an increase in walking speed.
Last Updated on Thursday, 06 May 2010 12:29
Mayo Clinic Research Provides New Insight into Tissue Damage in Multiple Sclerosis
Research & News Articles
New study brings researchers another step closer to new therapeutic targets for MS
Press Release Source: Mayo Clinic On Thursday April 22, 2010, 12:46 pm
ROCHESTER, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A newMayo Clinic(http://www.mayoclinic.org/) study has found that the type of tissue damage changes throughout the course ofmultiple sclerosis(http://www.mayoclinic.org/multiple-sclerosis/). In early relapsing disease stages, the plaques, or areas where the nervous system is inflamed or demyelinated, are predominantly active with distinct heterogeneous patterns of myelin damage. Later in the chronic progressive phase of the disease, smoldering and inactive plaques predominate, and are characterized by a uniform pattern of tissue damage.
The study’s findings provide important information at the microscopic level regarding the dynamic changes occurring in MS white matter plaques over the course of the disease that can help inform subsequent studies that characterize the disease based on advanced imaging techniques or clinical outcomes. According to Mayo Clinic researchers, a better understanding of the pathology of MS may eventually lead to new therapeutic targets. This study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Toronto on April 14.
Mayo Clinic provides care for nearly 2,500 patients with MS each year. MS is a disease of the central nervous system that includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. MS is called a demyelinating disease because it results from damage to myelin, the insulating covering of nerve fibers. It occurs most commonly in those between the ages of 20 and 40, and is the most common cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults in North America and Europe. Approximately 330,000 people in the United States have MS. Symptoms include loss of muscle coordination, strength, vision, balance and cognition.
“We have pretty good therapies to treat and reduce the frequency of relapses in MS, but as the disease progresses and the relapses become less frequent, we need to better understand the biologic basis for that progression,” says Claudia Lucchinetti, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist and author of this study.
“This study showed us that smoldering MS plaques are more commonly found during progressive disease phases. These plaques, unlike active MS plaques, show a limited degree of ongoing demyelination that occurs at the expanding plaque border of an established MS lesion, and are characterized by a uniform pattern of myelin damage. By studying these plaques and attempting to understand the key mechanisms involved in their formation, we can begin thinking of alternative therapies that might better target the processes that contribute to disease progression.”
Dr. Lucchinetti and a team of Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators studied tissue from the autopsies of 143 individuals with multiple sclerosis. The tissue was analyzed and 2,479 plaques were classified as active (new lesion in which myelin is being stripped), smoldering (limited degree of ongoing myelin damage in an established plaque), inactive (no evidence for ongoing myelin breakdown) or shadow (evidence of remyelination). The team found that the tissue damage changes over the duration of disease. Early in the disease when relapses are common, numerous active plaques with distinct heterogeneous patterns were readily identified.
This study confirms data in previous Mayo Clinic studies that found distinct, heterogeneous patterns in which white matter plaques are formed, and that the pattern is similar among all active plaques in a given patient. According to Dr. Lucchinetti, these active plaques likely represent the pathologic basis of clinical relapses in MS, and are thought to reflect distinct immune mechanisms of demyelination operating in different subgroups of MS patients.
Pseudobulbar Affect in MS - Involuntary Crying And Laughing
Research & News Articles
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a neurologic condition of involuntary, sudden and frequent episodes of laughing or crying and is quite common in patients with underlying neurologic diseases or injuries, especially those with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Now, a new investigational treatment may help stop these involuntary outbursts. The research will be presented as part of the late-breaking science program at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010.
Continue reading byclicking here, to be re-directed to our MS Blog
MS Drugs in Research
Research & News Articles
To read about each of the medications shown below, click on each medication separately.
Biogen Seeks Test for Brain Disease (PML) Linked to MS Drug
Research & News Articles
Biogen Seeks Test for Brain Disease Linked to MS Drug (Update2) Bloomberg.com
By Elizabeth Lopatto
April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Biogen Idec Inc. wants to take the fear out of prescribing its multiple sclerosis treatment Tysabri with a test that can tell patients their odds of getting a deadly brain illness from the drug.
The screening tool could be marketed as early as 2011 if clinical trials involving 9,000 people, set to start this year, show a low rate of false findings, said Naomi Aoki , a spokeswoman for the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company. The test is designed to detect the JC virus that causes progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, a brain-cell destroyer that can lead to disability and death.
Tysabri, which generated $1.1 billion in sales in 2009, has been linked to 42 PML cases, the company has reported. While it’s approved for use only after other drugs fail, 61 percent of 285 neurologists surveyed by RBC Capital Markets in San Francisco said Tysabri’s ability to slow MS progression would make it their first choice if they could assess the risk of PML.
If the test works, it is “absolutely a game changer,” said Patricia O’Looney, vice president of biomedical research at the New York-based National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in a telephone interview. “If Biogen can validate it, that takes out the guessing game.”
Tysabri was removed from the market on Feb. 28, 2005, after three patients developed PML, and two died. A year later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed Biogen and Dublin- based Elan Corp., its marketing partner, to resume selling the treatment after an advisory panel determined it was twice as effective as other drugs in slowing MS progression.
‘Longer-Term Positive’
It’s too early to set a dollar amount on the potential gain in drug sales based on such a test until the clinical trials are completed, said Geoffrey Meacham , an analyst for J.P. Morgan in New York, in a telephone interview. A successful test that determines Tysabri is safe to use in some patients would be “a longer-term positive” for the company, he said.
Biogen rose 9 cents to $56.52 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock, which sold for $67.28 on the last trading day before Tysabri was removed from the market, plunged 43 percent on the withdrawal. The shares have fallen 16 percent since Feb. 27, 2005.
Biogen first tested their assay using blood samples taken from 11 patients who later developed PML, said Al Sandrock , senior vice president of neurology research and development. The findings from that study and research on the prevalence of JC virus will be presented next week at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Toronto.
Behind Goal
Since the therapy returned to the market in 2006, the company hasn’t reached its goal to have 100,000 patients use it by the end of 2010. Tysabri is used by about 48,800 patients as of the end of 2009, according to Biogen. The company backed away from the goal last year, after a fifth patient developed PML.
About 200 new cases of multiple sclerosis are diagnosed weekly in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health . Patients, at first diagnosis, typically are prescribed Biogen’s Avonex; Rebif, made by Darmstadt, Germany-based Merck KGaA; Betaferon, made by Bayer AG, of Leverkusen, German; and Copaxone, by Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
While less effective than Tysabri, these drugs all carry fewer side-effects, Meacham said.
Biogen plans two clinical trials to determine the rates of false positives and false negatives. For patients who test positive, the risk of PML will be about 1 in 500, said Robert Fox, a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. For those who test negative, though, the risk is “quite low,” Biogen’s Sandrock said.
MS Millions
About 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people worldwide have multiple sclerosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society , a patient group.
The disease destroys neurons, leading to blurred vision, poor balance and coordination, problems with speaking, tremors, fatigue and paralysis. The malady is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, a protective coating on nerve fibers, disrupting the brain’s communication with the body.
PML occurs when a common germ, called JC virus , mutates, then evades the body’s immune defenses and penetrates the brain, causing irreversible damage. Researchers theorize that Tysabri may subdue defenses meant to keep the virus out of the brain.
In February, the FDA updated Tysabri’s labeling to clarify its risks. The number of infections and deaths from PML remains about 1 in 1,000 overall. The rate is higher outside the U.S., with 2 of every 1,000 patients contracting the illness. The reason for the difference is unknown, the FDA said.
JC Virus
The test is designed to detect the presence of an antibody to the JC virus in the blood of patients, signaling that the patient has been infected.
With a false-negative rate of 2 percent, patients who are free of the virus would lower their risk of getting the brain disorder PML to 1 in 25,000 for the first three years of their Tysabri therapy, wrote analyst Joshua Schimmer of Leerink Swann, in a March 25 note to investors.
Since a patient may become infected with the JC virus at any time (it is passed through the air), part of Biogen’s task in its clinical trials is to determine how many patients become infected over time. This determination changes the odds that any one patient may get the disease.
Probably about 1 to 2 percent of patients will be infected yearly, Sandrock said.
Antibody Reliability
Eugene Major , a researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, said that when the NIH and others tested for the presence of the virus, rather than antibodies, they found that at least 70 percent of the population probably is infected. The company, based on antibody testing, has put that number at 50 percent.
“They’re underestimating the number of people who’ve been exposed,” Major said in a telephone interview. “We have strong evidence that the overwhelming majority, especially after the third and fourth decade, have been exposed.”
Biogen is looking at other biological signs of PML risk that may be incorporated to improve the test, Sandrock said. In those who test positive, Biogen is testing for markers to further determine which patients are at high risk, Sandrock said. Those markers may include certain genes that increase the risk of a brain infection, or viral mutation that allows JC virus to live in brain tissue.
“We know a lot about the benefits of Tysabri, and we know something about the risk,” said Sandrock. “If we can be specific about an individual’s risk versus an individual’s benefit, that would help patients make better-informed treatment decisions. Patients want to know, ‘what’s my risk?’”
To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in New York at
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.
AMPYRA (Fampridine SR) IS FIRST SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT DRUG DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY TO TREAT MS, THE FIRST ORAL MS THERAPY APPROVED FOR MS, AND THE FIRST NEW FDA APPROVED THERAPY TO COME THROUGH THE MS PIPELINE SINCE 2004
New York, NY…..The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the marketing of Ampyra™ (dalfampridine, formerly known as fampridine SR, from Acorda Therapeutics) for its ability to improve walking speed in people with any type of multiple sclerosis.
Ampyra is the first therapy specifically approved to treat a symptom of MS, and as an oral drug it represents a big step forward for many people who may benefit from its use. Ampyra is also the first new FDA approved therapy for MS since 2004. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/news/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=2586
“The FDA’s approval of Ampyra is wonderful news for many people with MS who experience problems with walking,” said John R. Richert, MD, Executive Vice President for Research & Clinical Programs at the National MS Society. “This brings a welcome symptomatic therapy that may restore some function and make a real difference in quality of life for a large number of people with different types of MS.”
Further study and clinical practice may help determine the extent to which the drug may impact other functions not measured in the clinical trials, and provide hints as to which individuals are most likely to respond.
Ampyra, formerly known as fampridine SR, is a tablet containing a sustained-release formula of 4-aminopyridine, which blocks tiny pores, or potassium channels, on the surface of nerve fibers. This blocking ability may improve the conduction of nerve signals in nerve fibers whose insulating myelin coating has been damaged by MS. The first studies of this potassium-blocking approach in people with MS were supported by the National MS Society.
A recent survey among more than 1,000 individuals with MS and many of their family members examined the impact of difficulty walking on quality of life among patients with MS and their families. Some two-thirds of patients reported difficulty walking and of these, 70% reported that such difficulty was the most challenging part of their MS, and most reported that difficulty walking restricts their daily activities significantly, including their ability to travel.(Read more about survey resultshttp://www.nationalmssociety.org/news/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=199)
Most Frequently asked Questions:
Q. What is Ampyra? (pronounced ahmPEERah)
A. Ampyra, formerly known as fampridine SR, is a tablet containing a sustained-release formula of 4-aminopyridine, which blocks tiny pores, or potassium channels, on the surface of nerve fibers. This blocking ability may improve the conduction of nerve signals in nerve fibers whose insulating myelin coating has been damaged by MS. The first studies of this potassium-blocking approach in people with MS were supported by the National MS Society
Read Many other Important Questions, by clicking HEREto be re-directed to the MS Society webpage
Last Updated on Thursday, 29 April 2010 06:57
Clinical Effect of Neutralizing Antibodies to Interferon Beta That Persist Long After Cessation of Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
Research & News Articles
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Laura F. van der Voort, MD; Francesca Gilli, PhD; Antonio Bertolotto, MD; Dirk L. Knol, PhD;
Bernard M. J. Uitdehaag, MD, PhD;Chris H. Polman, MD, PhD; Joep Killestein, MD, PhD
Arch Neurol. 2010;67(4):402-407.
Objectives To confirm that neutralizing antibodies (NAb)to interferon beta can persist after therapy withdrawal andto evaluate whether persisting NAb are associated with a worseclinical disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Design Retrospective study.
Setting Tertiary referral center in the Netherlands.
Patients A total of 71 patients with relapsing-remittingmultiple sclerosis treated with interferon beta in the past.
Main Outcome Measures Persisting NAb after therapy withdrawalwere tested using the cytopathic effect assay. Patients withand without persisting NAb were compared on several outcomes:the change in annualized relapse rate from prior to interferonbeta treatment initiation to after cessation of treatment, timeto sustained disability on the Kurtzke Expanded Disability StatusScale, and the use of disease-modifying treatments after cessationof treatment with interferon beta.
Results Seventeen of 71 patients (24%) tested NAb positiveafter a median interval of 25 months (interquartile range, 10-51months) after interferon beta treatment cessation. Eleven ofthese 17 patients (15%) were high-titer NAb positive (>150 10-foldreduction units per mL). Persisting NAb were associated withan increase in the annualized relapse rate (P = .04)and a reduction in time to reach a sustained Expanded DisabilityStatus Scale score of 6.0, ie, the need for unilateral assistanceto walk 100 m (P = .02). Moreover, NAb-positive patientswere treated with second-line therapy significantly more often,especially mitoxantrone (P = .006).
Conclusion Anti–interferon beta NAb can persistafter interferon beta treatment withdrawal and are associatedwith overt clinical disease activity. This is made apparentby an increase in relapse rate and faster disability progressionand is supported by the observed need for more aggressive therapyafter interferon beta treatment cessation. Prospective studiesare warranted to confirm these results.
Author Affiliations: Departments of Neurology (Drs van der Voort, Uitdehaag, Polman, and Killestein) and Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Drs Knol and Uitdehaag), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Centro di Riferimento Regionale Sclerosi Multipla and Neurobiologia Clinica, ASO San Luigi Gonzaga, Orbassano, Torino, Italy (Drs Gilli and Bertolotto).
April 9, 2010 — Smoking appears to be associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in individuals with high anti–Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigens (EBNA) titers but not in those with low titer levels, according to a report in the April 7 online issue of Neurology.
Claire Simon, ScD, with Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues evaluated data from 3 case-control studies involving 442 MS cases and 865 controls. The 3 studies were a nested case-control study in the Nurses’ Health Study/Nurses’ Health Study II, a Tasmanian MS study, and a Swedish MS study.
“Few studies have considered the effects of MS risk factors simultaneously,” Dr. Simon told Medscape Neurology. “Our goal was to investigate whether the observed effects of smoking, anti-EBNA antibody titers, and HLA-DR15 were independent or related, indicating the possibility of shared biological mechanisms,” she said.
The current analysis used data from 3 case-control studies, a nested case-control study in the Nurses' Health Study I and II, a Tasmanian MS study, and a Swedish MS study, including 442 subjects with MS and 865 without MS.
The investigators found that among patients with MS, anti-EBNA titers were much higher among smokers than among nonsmokers. In addition, the increased risk of MS associated with anti-EBNA was stronger among those who had ever smoked (odds ratio [OR], 3.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7 – 5.7) compared with never smokers (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4 – 2.3; P valuefor interaction = .001).
By contrast, the association between smoking and MS was not present in individuals with low anti-EBNA titer levels. In addition, the risk of MS associated with smoking did not appear to be modified by HLA-DR15 gene status.
A Common Biologic Pathway
According to Dr. Simon, the findings may be informative for generating hypotheses as to how these known risk factors are related to pathological changes that ultimately result in MS.
In the "Discussion" section of the paper, the researchers note that the findings support the hypothesis of a common biologic pathway whereby some component of cigarette smoke modulates either Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection or the host immune system’s response to EBV infection.
“Our data support a supermultiplicative effect suggesting that the association between high anti-EBNA immunoglobulin G Ab titers and MS risk is enhanced by smoking,” Dr. Simon and colleagues add.
Importance of Smoking Cessation
Dr. Simon pointed out that smoking is a modifiable factor and known to be detrimental for several health outcomes. It has been consistently associated with risk for MS and worse progression for those with MS.
“To my knowledge, there is not a well-described causative mechanism linking smoking and MS,” she said. “Possible mechanisms, such as neurotoxicity and immunomodulatory effects, have been suggested, but there is limited data on this topic.”
Asked for comment on these findings, Lily Jung, MD, with the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, in Seattle, Washington, added that recent studies show that not only does smoking increase risk of developing MS, it also increases magnetic resonance imaging lesion volume and brain atrophy and leads to faster progression of the disease.
“We should be screening our patients for their smoking history and counseling them on the importance of smoking cessation,” Dr. Jung told Medscape Neurology. “This should not just be left to the primary care providers; [MS specialists] should also be actively discouraging smoking,” she said.
Dr. Jung noted that the findings may be interpreted to mean that if a person has not been exposed to EBV, they can smoke and not risk developing MS. “However, the rate of exposure to EBV in the general population is high, so that argument is not valid.”
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Health and Research Council of Australia, the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund, and MS Australia. Dr. Simon and Dr. Jung have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Neurology. Published online April 7, 2010.
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 April 2010 07:21
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in childhood show that pediatric onset multiple sclerosis is more aggressive, and causes more brain lesions, than MS diagnosed in adulthood, researchers at the University at Buffalo have reported.
Interestingly, however, patients with pediatric-onset MS -- which comprise up to 5 percent of total MS cases -- develop disabilities at a slower pace than patients with adult-onset MS, the data showed.
"Patients with pediatric-onset MS have three times as many relapses annually than patients with adult-onset disease, which suggests there is greater disease activity in this population," said Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, associate professor of neurology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and corresponding author.
Italian Researchers Discover A Possible Onset Mechanism For Multiple Sclerosis
A non-pathogenic bacterium is capable of triggering an autoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis in the mouse, the model animal which helps to explain how human diseases work. This is what a group of researchers from the Catholic University of Rome, led by Francesco Ria (Institute of General Pathology) and Giovanni Delogu (Institute of Microbiology), have explained for the first time in a recently published article on the Journal of Immunology.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by an inflammatory reaction provoked by the immune system, leading to disruption of the coating of the nerve fibres in the Central Nervous System.
“We do not know what causes multiple sclerosis”, explains Francesco Ria, immunologist of the Catholic University. “We know that there exists a genetic factor and an environmental factor, but we do not yet possess a satisfactory theory which can explain how exactly this environmental factor works”.
Currently, there are two competing theories in the field: according to a first hypothesis, a virus hides within the brain and what causes the disease is the immunologic antiviral reaction. On the other hand, the second hypothesis states that a viral or bacterial pathogen similar to specific molecules of the Central Nervous System causes an inflammation which provokes a reaction of the immune system. This reaction ends up destroying the brain cells. The latter is called the autoimmune hypothesis.
*** Flu Vaccine and H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine Information for the 2009-2010 Season
Research & News Articles
Source: National MS Society
Sep 11, 2009
Flu Vaccine and H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine Information for 2009-2010
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Regular flu shot: As in previous years, the National MS Society recommends a regular flu shot as a safe and effective vaccination for people with MS. The flu shot—which is a de-activated or “killed” vaccine—can safely be taken by individuals who are on any of the disease-modifying medications (Avonex®, Betasero n®, Copaxone®, Rebif®, Novantrone®, or Tysabri®). . FluMist Intranasal®: In 2003, the FDA approved a flu vaccine nasal spray “for healthy children and adolescents, ages 5-17, and healthy adults, ages 18-49.” According to Dr. Aaron Miller, the Society’s Chief Medical Officer, FluMist—which is a live, weakened vaccine—is not recommended for use by people with MS, and should specifically be avoided by any person with MS who is on an immunosuppressive medication such as mitoxantrone (Novantrone®), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®), azathioprine (Imuran®), or methotrexate.
Live-virus vaccines are more likely than de-activated-virus vaccines to cause an increase in disease activity in people with MS.
A person taking an immunosuppressive medication is more susceptible to developing an infection with the vaccine strain of the virus—an infection that may be particularly severe because the person’s immune system is suppressed.
The interactions between live vaccines and the disease-modifying medications are not known.
. H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccine: The H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccine is still in production, so its safety and efficacy have not yet been established.
A comprehensive overview of strategies and medications used to manage MS symptoms, along with initial findings on many experimental treatments presently being studied
Written by Diana M. Schneider, PhD Edited by Susan Wells Courtney Reviewed by Jack Burks, MD and Randall T. Schapiro, MD
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The Symptom Management Information that can be accessed by clicking on each link found below, originates from the MSAA (Multiple Sclerosis Association of America).
If you have any questions of the information found in this posting, please contact the MSAA's toll-free helpline at (800) 532-7667 or to speak with your Doctor
It is intended to provide information on multiple sclerosis and to streamline and simplify the way those with MS may find assistance paying for their medications.
MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to the approximately 400,000 people living with MS in the United States.
Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) are programs offered by pharmaceutical companies to help those most in need gain access to their medications at no or low cost. Each program has varying financial and insurance guidelines - when in doubt, call the program. To find the specific PAP information for a specific drug click on the list below. You will then be taken to a listing of all the programs available for that medication.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and NeedyMeds neither promote nor endorse the therapies listed below nor the supporters of this page. This page is for educational purposes only.
To read this complete article, click this link,- which will re-direct you to the National MS Society's website. A topic much needed by the many affected by Multiple Sclerosis.
Information provided to you by: Stuart Schlossman of MS Views and News, Inc.
Read and Learn of other MS medications and Pharmaceutical information, click here
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 October 2009 08:33
Israel leads world in stem cell research
Research & News Articles
Published: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 . . To View this informative and extremely interesting cutting-edge technology, click on this FOX Broadcast video link . . The information found here was provided by Chad, a Facebook friend of MS Views and News. If you want to Become a Friend, click here
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MS Views and News is dedicated to the global collection and distribution of current information concerning Multiple Sclerosis. In collaboration with other organizations, MS Views and News uses state-of-the-art communication channels to provide information for those affected by, or interested in MS.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 August 2009 15:31
MS Facts Available, in (11) languages
Research & News Articles
MS Views and Related Newsnow has MS Resource FACT Linksavailable in more than (11) languages.
Click the Link (found above) to advance to our web resources. Scan the page to find the to learn and better understand in the language of your choosing.
Aside from English, we now have MS Facts and MS Information weblinks in: Spanish; French; Italian; German (Deutch); Portugues; Romanian; Japanese; Chinese; Czech; Hebrew, and Indonesian.
(If you have Multiple Sclerosis information to share in another language, please send me the URL)
Cover Story: When a Driver has MS 2009 Fall edition of Nat'l MS Society's Momentum Magazine
by Patricia Wadsley -
When Belkis Diaz was diagnosed in 2005, one of the first things she worried about was her driving. “I
had two young kids and I had to have a way to get them to school and
the doctors,” said the Skokie, Ill., wife and mother. “I knew I had to
continue driving. Then when I got pregnant with my third child, I
needed my car even more. But when my symptoms started to act up, I was
at a crossroads.”
For Diaz, and for many other people with MS, driving is a lifeline. It enables us to go to work, connect with friends, take care of our families, do errands, go to church—and, most of all, keep from being isolated. When MS enters the picture, bringing such symptoms as fatigue, memory loss, muscle weakness and poor coordination—some people wonder if they should continue to drive.
article includes assistive devices for driving with physical limitations
Last Updated on Monday, 10 August 2009 15:16
The Skinny on the Swank MS Diet
Research & News Articles
National MS Society 2009 Fall Momentum Magazine
by Marcella Durand
In the hopes of treating MS, people with the disease sometimes wonder why MS researchers seem so hesitant to endorse nutritional changes such as the Swank or McDougall low-fat diets. After all, studies have shown that eating more vegetables—and fewer deep-fried Twinkies—is good for your health. And doesn’t your health include MS?
While a low-fat diet is certainly beneficial for overall health, the specific impact of fats on MS is not as clear. Do saturated fats speed the development of brain lesions? Do unsaturated fats protect brain tissue?
And if it were to be substantially proven that saturated fat impacts the course of MS, how strict a diet would people need to follow in order to see improvement? Would an occasional slip-up, like a piece of cake at a birthday party, be OK? Or would it literally go right to your head? . To read this exceptional article found in the National MS Society's 2009 Fall Momentum magazine.. Click toView as PDF
MS Patient, Writer, Blog writer, Editor of Stu’s Views and MS Related News
and Founder of the ‘MS Views and News’ organization
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My name is Stuart Schlossman and I Have MS. Relapse Remitting to be more specific.
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I live just outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have been married since 1988 to Patrice, and have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. When I am not resting I have three dogs that keep me busy and I volunteer as a co-facilitator for the National MS Society, as well as for MS Views and News. . I was diagnosed with relapse-remitting MS in December 1998 after several years of symptoms including headaches, blurred vision, fatigue, vertigo, carpal tunnel syndrome, Bell's Palsy and leg stiffness. . Having gone through the process of checking for a brain tumor or other severe problems, MS was finally diagnosed. Although I was relieved to learn that I didn’t have a tumor, I was still dumbfounded and was severely depressed for many weeks.
. After meeting other people with MS, I felt I had to help those whose symptoms were worse than my own. I don’t see MS as a disease – for me it is an illness, one that I had to do something about. I was once in denial and then realized that I was "chosen" to have this illness. Chosen for the mouthpiece that I have and the desire to help others. . I formed an independent support group but wanted to achieve more. I contacted the National MS Society and a year later became the Committee Chair of the South Florida, Coral Gables MS Walk event. Every year my MS Walk Team, Team Hot Shots, has raised lots of money over the years. It is great to know that a part of this money is being used to fund patient programs in the local area, and a percentage is also used to fund research. For me, the Walk is both therapeutic and empowering. After Chairing the Coral Gables walk for (5) years, I went on to chair the Ft.Lauderdale walk for a couple of years. Last year, was my last, in chairing walks as I have found that with the time that my body allows, I need to concentrate on what I do best. . In 2003, with my cognitive functioning worsening, and fatigue becoming an even greater issue, I found it increasingly hard to concentrate and carry out my job as part-owner of a business and in April 2003 I stopped working. This wasn’t easy but it did mean I had time to help others with MS. . In 2005, I decided that I would like to do more so I designed and helped to organize The MS Health Expo for the National MS Society's chapter here in South Florida. This first event took place in January 2006 and has continued to help many affected by MS each year. Most beneficial is the panel of MS professionals that lead a Question and Answer (Q&A) session.
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I have co-facilitated a local MS support group since the early 2000's. This support group has become more of an Education Program and continues to meet once a month. Guest speakers are invited to discuss the issues and topics faced by the members. Topics have included a wide range of needs by the MS patient. For me, the group is about educating and empowering people with MS and their caregivers to make the most of their lives through better management of the illness. Each year, we have our holiday party and Santa (ahem) comes for a visit to put needed smiles upon those that attend this yearly function.
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Sorry to be jumping around with the context but In approx 2005 - (my memory is horrible so I really do not know if 2004 or 2005 ), I began writing archiving information in a blog calledStu's Views and MS Related News, which was later superseded by the current version, Stu's Views & M.S. News. It is the blog postings that provide most of the information found in each week's e-Newsletter.
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"Stu's Views and MS Related News", is an e-Newsletter that I began sending to just those involved with the support group in about 2001. Then more and more were learning of the information that I was sending each day and eventually I had to stop sending daily messages as the information just continued to surge (via my knowledge of the internet) and the amount of people asking to be registered climbed to such heights that it made it impossible to send the information daily. In approx 2005 I had to begin only sending the newsletter once per week as the information was clogging people's inboxes as I was one of the few, sending MS related informational e-Newsletters as that time. Now there are many organizations doing the same thing and many have coined my phrase: "e-Newsletter".
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Recently when looking at notes of mine so that I could write this profile, I noticed that back in 2007 when I was doing an interview for the MS International Federation (MSIF), I reported that 900 people were receiving my e-Newsletter. However as of today’s writing (December 16, 2009), I can say that I am now sending this e-Newsletter to e-recipients in (58) countries and upwards of 6000 are reading it directly from me, each week.
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In approx 2008 I created my website, along with my brother who is the brain behind being a webmaster. It was first called MS Views and Related News, as was the original name of the organization that I founded. Last year though, with Board Approval, we shorted the name of the organization toMS Views and News ( http://www.msviewsandnews.org).
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I and/or “MS Views and News”, can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Live Journal and Linked-In.
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Monthly, our site is viewed well in excess of 100,000 times by people from all over the globe. Oh yes, I do love the internet. My vision for this organization is for MS Views and News to globally raise the level of education and awareness to millions of people impacted by Multiple Sclerosis.
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I want to empower people with knowledge via my website, e-Newsletters, blog and by providing education programs that I know as a patient, is needed by my peers.
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For that which I have been doing, others are taking notice. Many large MS organizations, such as the National MS Society, The MS Foundation, The Heuga Ctr, (now known as Can Do MS) and others have asked and continue to ask me to post items to my blog with regards to their organizations or with regards to topic information that they want greater exposure. In reward I guess (best to say) some have done interviews of me, like the MSIF did in 2007 and the MSF has written of me a few times.
Most recently, the National MS Society added this to their website: “Ex-Salesman Uses Net to Inform, Persuade” - Posted in April 2009 to the National MS Society's website.
At one time and not too long ago, I was still extremely active. But the disease has caused me to make major modifications to my lifestyle, which I am sure that many with Multiple Sclerosis can understand. My fatigue hits hard each day and then this seems to cause secondary symptoms such as vertigo, blurred vision or the annoying tingling. I live with headaches most days and otherwise have varying pains, including skeletal pain, cramps and spasticity. I cannot type for long as my fingers cramp or ache. I cannot sit for too long or my body stiffens. I cannot stand for long or walk too much because I lose balance. Fatigue strikes everyday. Usually at about the same time, but sometimes it fools me and arrives a little earlier or a little later, depending on my activities.
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Fortunately, I do what I do, from the privacy of my home office. I stop as often as needed to take breaks, take a nap, and read or to just play with my dogs
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I have used many of the different MS medications and advocate their usage for all MS patients.
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What may good for one patient may not be for another. Hence the reason for different products such as Tylenol, Advil and Motrin. Same principal, behind this. All who have Multiple Sclerosis should be using one of the FDA approved medication to delay progression of their disease.
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My current motto is: "Why Accept Disease Progression"? Especially when there are so many choices, thanks to broadening MS research.
. I hope that one day there is a cure for all of us living with MS and then a way to be found to reverse whatever damage has been done to our bodies and minds by this illness.
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Dr. King once proclaimed "I have a dream".
Well, Stuart also has a dream. My dream is a world in which all men and women with MS can live independent of this disease (illness).
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The information found above was updated by me (Stuart Schlossman) on December 16, 2009
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Last Updated on Monday, 22 February 2010 12:57
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