The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre
- Accesos al perfil: 61
- Fecha de creación: March 2009
- www.bebo.com/themsrc
- Sitio web oficial:
- http://www.msrc.co.uk
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- Multiple Sclerosis, MS, MSRC
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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.
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Early protein processes crucial to formation and layering of myelin membrane
New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect the structure of myelin, a focal point of research in multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.
The findings were central to the group's broader conclusion that a set of protein processes required in the early-stage conversion of glucose into fatty acids are critical to the proper formation and layering of myelin membrane, the researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Boston College Professor of Biology Daniel Kirschner, Senior Research Associate Hideyo Inouye, graduate student Adrienne Luoma, and undergraduate Michelle Crowther partnered with Dutch, Italian, Swiss and Japanese scientists. The research group looked at the composition of myelin lipids for clues about their role in myelin structure and stability, Kirschner said. Myelin sheaths surround the axons of neurons and are considered critical to the proper functioning of the nervous system.
"Myelin is a stack of membranes providing insulation to the axon and with that insulation comes rapid nerve conduction," said Kirschner. "If myelin becomes defective, the membranous insulator becomes leaky and the nerve doesn't conduct as well. If myelin is totally missing along part of an axon, the nerve conduction is blocked."
Using x-ray diffraction, Kirschner's group captured a view of the dynamic membrane assembly in whole nerve samples taken from mice engineered to mimic myelinic diseases. Compared to other microscopy techniques used in the study of myelinated tissue, x-ray diffraction delivers clearer, cleaner and quicker results about the structural integrity of internodal myelin, Kirschner said.
"We were able to tell that the packing of the membranes was abnormal, which could affect the electrophysical properties of myelin," said Kirschner. "We also saw that the packing of the lipids in the myelin lipid bilayers was more disordered in samples from the transgenic mice used here."
Other types of microscopy introduce chemical modifications to the tissue under study. These agents and the time involved in preparing and analyzing such samples can alter the molecular structure and mask the dynamic interactions of myelin. X-ray diffraction requires no chemical treatments and can be completed in about an hour, Kirschner said.
"The advantages of x-ray diffraction are that we can examine and analyze whole pieces of tissue and give information about the effect of the mutation on the native structure of the myelin as well as on its stability," said Kirschner.
The researchers have been focusing on genetically modified mice for approximately four years as part of research into the role of myelin degeneration in a range of diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Kirschner says his team is also exploring use of the technique in animal models of spinal cord injury and repair.
Source: Medical News Today © 2009 MediLexicon International Ltd (27/11/09)
0 comentarios 4 horas
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Multiple sclerosis 'blood blockage theory' tested
US scientists are testing a radical new theory that multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by blockages in the veins that drain the brain.
The University of Buffalo team were intrigued by the work of Italian researcher Dr Paolo Zamboni who claims 90% of MS is caused by narrowed veins.
He says the restricted drainage, visible on scans, injures the brain leading to MS.
He has already widened the blockages in a handful of patients.
The US team want to replicate his earlier work before treating patients.
Experts welcomed the research saying it was important to confirm the basic science before evaluating any therapy.
MS is a long-term inflammatory condition of the central nervous system which affects the transfer of messages from the nervous system to the rest of the body.
The Buffalo team, led by Dr Robert Zivadinov, plan to recruit 1,100 patients with MS and 600 other volunteers as controls who are either healthy or have neurological diseases other than MS.
Using Doppler ultrasound, they will scan the patients to see if they can find any blockages within the veins of the neck and brain.
If they can prove Dr Zamboni's theory of " chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency", they say it will change our understanding of MS.
Rewriting science
Margaret Paroski, who is chief medical officer at Kaleida Health, where the Buffalo researchers are based, said the work could overturn prevailing wisdom that the damage in MS is predominantly the result of abnormal immune responses.
"When I was in medical school, we thought peptic ulcer disease was due to stress. We now know that 80% of cases are due to a bacterial infection.
"Dr Zivadinov's work may lead to a whole different way of thinking about MS."
Dr Zamboni, of the University of Ferrara, believes the blockages are the cause rather than the consequence of MS and that they allow iron from the blood to leak into the brain tissue, where it causes damage.
He has performed procedures similar to angioplasty to unblock the veins and get the blood flowing normally again.
He claims this "liberation procedure" can alleviate many of the symptoms of MS and is due to publish his findings in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
In an interview with CTV News in Canada he said: "I found the evidence of narrowing - narrowing of the veins just in MS patients.
"I'm fully convinced that this is very, very important for people."
Early days
Kevin Lipp, an MS patient from the US, has been symptom-free since being treated by Dr Zamboni.
He said: "It's only been 10 months. If nothing happens in the next two to three years, we'll know it's working."
The BBC has heard anecdotally of other surgeons in Europe testing out the same treatment.
The MS Society said more research was needed to see if this was an avenue that should be explored further.
"This is not something patients can expect as a treatment now. This is experimental work and is being tested. We need to know more about its safety and effectiveness."
Helen Yates, of the MS Resource Centre (MSRC), said: "There is no doubt that this area warrants a great deal more study.
"This could represent a completely novel approach to MS research which, if proven to be relevant, could be a "sea change" in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the condition."
Source: BBC News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009 (27/11/09)
0 comentarios 5 horas
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Canadian Multiple Sclerosis specialist questions validity of CCSVI theory but his motives are questi
Research head at The Ottawa Hospital questions validity of clogged veins theory during education session.
The “liberation procedure,” a controversial new surgical procedure that appears to cure multiple sclerosis, is based on circumstantial evidence and MS sufferers should not rush into getting it.
That was the message delivered by Dr. Mark Freedman, director of the MS research unit at The Ottawa Hospital, during an education session hosted by the MS Society of Ottawa on Tuesday night. For many in the audience, his words dashed much of their newfound hope.
One of a series of education events regularly presented by the society, this meeting attracted throngs of MS patients and their loved ones, all curious about the new theory proposed by Italian researcher Dr. Paolo Zamboni. A vascular surgeon by training, Zamboni believes MS is not an autoimmune condition, as widely believed, but rather a vascular disease that can be cured with surgery.
Zamboni’s theory is that MS is caused by clogged veins, a condition he calls “chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency” (CCSVI). Zamboni first performed the angioplasty-type surgery on his wife, who suffered from MS, and her symptoms disappeared. He then tested it on a group of 65 patients with remarkable results: 73 per cent had no symptoms two years after the surgery.
However, Freedman, like many neurologists, is skeptical. During his presentation, Freedman said he confronted Zamboni at a recent meeting in Lisbon.
“He was there presenting some of his data and had a hard time answering any of the questions from the MS guys,” Freedman said. Among their concerns was Zamboni’s claim that the clogged veins are present at birth, yet no studies had been done on children. Zamboni had not done animal studies, either.
“I said, ‘Why don’t you tie off a few of the blood vessels in animals and see if they develop MS?’ His answer was, ‘I’m not a mouse researcher’,” Freedman said.
“If his observation stands up to other people being able to reproduce it,” Freedman said, “I think we’re going to have something of interest to chase, but we need to have the supporting evidence before we start reaming out blood vessels and pretending that this is going to cure the disease.”
Still, the fact that most of Freedman’s presentation was devoted to explaining the new drugs that are being developed to treat MS did not satisfy many members of the audience on Tuesday night.
“The problem I have is that you take Dr. Zamboni’s work very lightly, and, quite frankly, you haven’t done any better,” Mike Sastre said during the question-and-answer session. His wife, Linda Hume-Sastre, has lived with MS for almost seven years.
“All I want to say is give the man a chance, give the people here a chance who haven’t been helped very much by what you’re promoting,” Sastre said. “If they get better using something very simple, you lose a lot of research money, and so does the MS Society.”
Zamboni’s research has given hope to MS patients such as Dayle Baich, who uses a walker to get around.
“This I would do,” Baich said. “It’s a very simple surgery, compared to two years of chemotherapy. In three years, I have gone from being normal to now. So where am I going to be in two or three more years? I don’t have the time. Neither do most of the people here.”
The MS Society of Canada has issued an invitation for research operating grant proposals on CCSVI related to multiple sclerosis from qualified investigators based in Canadian institutions. The competition opens Dec. 9. The deadline for applications is Jan. 22.
Source: The Ottawa Citizen © The Ottawa Citizen (26/11/09)
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Multiple Sclerosis in Children
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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre
A major new article on Multiple Sclerosis in Children has been published by the The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario Canada0 respuestas 37 semanas
You can read the complete article at MSRC: About MS : Paediatric Multiple Sclerosis - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuse... -
Genetics studies provide new clues to why people develop MS
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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre
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.0 respuestas 38 semanas
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
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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre
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.0 respuestas 38 semanas
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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"MSRC is very encouraged by the early results of Dr Paulo Zamboni’s work. There is no doubt that this area warrants a great deal more study. This could represent a completely novel approach to MS research which, if proven to be relevant, could be a “sea change” in the understanding of the mechan...
The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre 0 respuestasCharity Of The Year Competition
The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre 0 respuestasMSRC has been invited to participate in the Charity of the Year Competition on http://www.optimistworld.com/ which if we are successful could bring in a very welcome cash donation.
To ensure that we move on into the second round of the competition, please g...
MaximuS Bear is MSRC's mascot and now you can own your very own MaximuS! To find out more go to MaximuS's page - http://www.securio.net/msrc/index.cf...
The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre 0 respuestasShow your support for MSRC by wearing one of our MaximuS Bear mascot or MSRC lapel badges. To find out more go to the MSRC Lape...