
Discovery of ‘Fiery’ Cell Death Mechanism May Be MS ‘Game-Changer’
Researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a process that may be responsible for destroying myelin. Better than that, they also think they have a way of limiting that process using a medication. The inhibitor, known as VX-765, is being tested in clinical trials right now as a treatment for epilepsy.
Researchers have unveiled a new cell death mechanism called pyroptosis — also known as “fiery death” — as a main factor driving neurodegeneration and loss of myelin in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
An inhibitor of pyroptosis, currently undergoing testing in human clinical trials for epilepsy, decreased central nervous system inflammation and reduced several of the neurobehavioral deficits in a mouse model of MS.
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Effectiveness of Gilenya and Tecfidera Compared in Real-World Study in Italy
I like it when medications are tested in the real world, rather than in a tightly controlled clinical study. And I like to see medications compared. Naturally, then, this story interested me.
Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) are equally effective as first-line treatments in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but Gilenya may be of slightly more benefit to those who switch from a previous injectable therapy, according to a real-world study of patients in Italy.
The study, “Fingolimod vs. dimethyl fumarate in multiple sclerosis, A real-world propensity score-matched study,” was published in the journal Neurology.
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Perceptions of Fall Risk as Important as Physical Limitations and Need Be Part of Risk Assessment, Study Says
Does it sometimes seem as if the more you worry about falling, the more likely you are to fall? It’s happened to me, and I’ll bet it’s happened to you. Researchers in this study say a psychological fall risk assessment is as important as measuring physical risks, such as gait problems. Is your neuro doing both?
For ambulatory multiple sclerosis patients with mobility problems, perceptions of being at risk of falling are as important as the risk due to their physical condition — and both should be tested when evaluating fall risk in this patient population, a study reports.