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Multiple Sclerosis in Children 261 giorni fa
 
A major new article on Multiple Sclerosis in Children has been published by the The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario Canada

You can read the complete article at MSRC: About MS : Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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Genetics studies provide new clues to why people develop MS264 giorni fa
 
New studies are deciphering the complex picture of genetic characteristics that make people susceptible to MS, thanks to international collaborations and unique population studies. Each gives important new clues about why people get MS. Additional large-scale studies, the first stages of which are already underway, promise to uncover the great majority of genes that convey risk for MS, which would pave the way for understanding the basic cause of MS and developing more rational therapies.

CD58 Gene: When it completed the largest replicated whole genome scan (scan of all the genes in the body) for MS to date, the International MS Genetics Consortium (IMSGC) identified and validated variations in two genes that help regulate the immune system as clearly increasing genetic susceptibility to MS, and preliminarily identified several other genes of newly suspected importance in MS. Philip De Jager, MD, PhD (Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston) and colleagues in the IMSGC now report on one of these other genes, CD58, which instructs the activation of T cells, major players in the immune attack on the brain and spinal cord in MS. They studied this gene in 1530 additional people with MS, and found further evidence of its association with the disease. They pinpointed a specific marker, or segment of DNA, on the gene that is associated with reduced susceptibility to MS. They also showed that the level of CD58 expression (that is, the amount of CD58 protein that is produced from the CD58 gene) is associated with remissions from MS disease activity. Manipulating CD58 is a strategy used in treat other autoimmune diseases, so this study may open up new therapeutic options for people with MS. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U S A 2009 Feb 23)........................

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : MS and Genetics Research - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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Report reveals the importance of studying Multiple Sclerosis in children 264 giorni fa
 
An article published in the Spring 2009 edition of Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report, a joint publication of United Spinal Association and the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS), reveals the importance of understanding the biological onset of Multiple Sclerosis in children as it can also lead to a greater understanding and treatment of MS in adults.

The article by Jean Marie B. Ahorro, MD and Brenda L. Banwell, MD of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario Canada, highlights some of the latest information on paediatric MS, including risk factors, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment strategies.

Presently, most care models for paediatric MS are based on protocols optimized in adults and pivotal studies of MS therapies are restricted to patients over 18 years of age. Conducting randomized control trials of paediatric MS has also been challenged by the rarity of the disease in children......................

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis Research - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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Opexa provides key quality of life data on Tovaxin® for Multiple Sclerosis265 giorni fa
 
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. announced an update on the continuing analysis of the company's Phase IIb TERMS clinical trial (Tovaxin® for Early Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis) for the treatment of MS. An analysis of the MS Quality of Life Inventory Data (MSQLI) from the 150 patient study has shown that in the complete modified intent to treat (mITT) population (n=142), patients treated with Tovaxin demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the Impact of Visual Impairment Scale scores (p=0.028) compared to those on placebo. This improvement was observed within six months of completing the full course of treatment.

Visual problems are a common, often disabling symptom in MS and according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society can affect over 40% of patients. The Impact of Visual Impairment Scale consists of 5 items that assess the extent to which various activities dependent upon vision are affected by MS-related visual problems. In the other measures defined by the Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36) there was no significant change or worsening in any of the additional ten components comprising the evaluation.

In a further analysis of the MSQLI data in patients with more active disease that comprise the prospective cohort at the center of the company?s evaluation (n=50), patients treated with Tovaxin demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey score compared to those on placebo (p=0.005). Similarly, there was no significant change or worsening in any of the other evaluable parameters within the prospective cohort......................................

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Tovaxin
- http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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Parasitic worms may lead to treatment for multiple sclerosis 266 giorni fa
 
Scientists from The University of Nottingham will study the potential health benefits of parasitic worms as part of a study investigating treatments for people with the autoimmune condition multiple sclerosis (MS).

It is thought that hookworms may play a role in damping down the immune system, which is overactive in people with MS, the most disabling neurological condition in young adults.

The £400,000, three-year project funded by the MS Society, aims to determine whether infection with a small and harmless number of the worms can lead to an improvement on the severity of MS over a 12 month period.
If the trial is successful, the worms have the potential to provide a simple, cheap, natural and controllable treatment for MS.

The WIRMS (Worms for Immune Regulation in MS) study is led by Professor Cris Constantinescu and Professor David Pritchard and is a randomised, placebo controlled, phase 2 study in people with relapsing remitting MS and will be carried out at multiple centres up and down the country.

The 25 worms are microscopic and are introduced painlessly through a patch in the arm. They are then flushed out after nine months.

Professor Constantinescu, said: "People are really interested in this form of potential therapy because it's a natural treatment. It's been tested for safety and we now need to study the potential benefits and any side effects............."

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Endo-parasites - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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Copaxone gets expanded FDA approval266 giorni fa
 
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced the Food and Drug Administration approved the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone as a preventative treatment for the condition.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that causes neurological problems, with symptoms including muscle weakness and spasms and difficulty in speech and coordination.

The drug is already approved to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, where new symptoms occur suddenly or older symptoms become worse. The expanded approval allows for the drug's use in people who have experienced a first episode of multiple sclerosis and have magnetic resonance imaging results consistent with the condition.

Copaxone is already approved for similar uses in Europe.

In 2008, global sales of the drug rose 32 percent to $2.26 billion, making up about 20 percent of company's overall revenue during the year.

http://msrcsharing.yuku.com/topic/13572

Source: Forbes.com Copyright 2008 Associated Press (04/03/09)
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Epstein-Barr virus may be associated with progression of multiple sclerosis267 giorni fa
 

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the pathogen that causes mononucleosis, appears to play a role in the neurodegeneration that occurs in persons with multiple sclerosis, researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Trieste, Italy, have shown.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that can cause major disability. There currently is no cure.
"This study is one of the first to provide evidence that a viral agent may be related to the severity of MS disease process, as measured by MRI," said Robert Zivadinov, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology in UB's Jacobs Neurological Institute (JNI) and first author on the study.

The research appears in the Online First section of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
"A growing body of experimental evidence indicates that past infection with EBV may play a role in MS," said Zivadinov, "but the relationship of EBV and the brain damage that can be seen on MRI scans had not been explored."

The study involved 135 consecutive patients diagnosed with MS at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of the University of Trieste. Evaluations of the MRI scans were carried out at the University of Trieste and at the JNI's Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC), which Zivadinov directs.................

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Other Conditions : Epstein-Barr Virus - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse...
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