July 13, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Steroid Use Lowers Oxidative Stress in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Progressive MS Patients in Pilot Study A pilot study in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) found a steroid treatment of benefit by decreasing oxidative stress in the cerebrospinal fluid. The study, “One-time intrathecal triamcinolone acetonide application alters the redox potential in cerebrospinal fluid of progressive multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study,” was published in the journal …
July 12, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cognitive Skills Maintained in RRMS Patients Treated with Gilenya or Tysabri in Yearlong Study Disease-modifying therapies, a group of treatments for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), work to stabilize patients’ cognitive functions just as they do their physical symptoms. Research, conducted over the course of a year, also reported no differences between two types of DMTs, Gilenya (fingolimod) and Tysabri (natalizumab). The study, “…
July 11, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Gut Microbiota Seen to Differ in People with Relapsing MS, Especially Those with Active Disease Fecal samples from a group of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) showed evidence of a different gut microbiota than that found in healthy controls, and may be a non-genetic reason for the altered immune system responses seen in MS patients. The study, “Multiple sclerosis patients have…
July 7, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Zinbryta (Daclizumab) Approved in Europe to Treat Relapsing MS Biogen and AbbVie announced that the drug Zinbryta (daclizumab) has received marketing authorization by the European Commission, and is an approved treatment across most of Europe for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Zinbryta is a self-administered, once monthly subcutaneous injection. “Clinical data showed Zinbryta significantly reduced relapses, 24-week…
July 1, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New MRI Method Has Potential to Map MS Progression and Guide Treatment Researchers working with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often faced with a problem: an average MRI brain scan produces a considerable amount of images (around 600 megabytes), but half carry distortions that make them unreadable. These “phase images,” as they are known, are usually discarded and their insights lost. Now, the work of researchers…
June 27, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vitamin D Levels Seen to Predict Relapse Rates Only in Younger MS Patients A retrospective study of vitamin D status and disability progression in multiple sclerosis patients — using real-life, clinical data from a large and varied group — found no correlation between the two, although vitamin D levels may predict the occurrence of relapses in some patients. But these findings may have been limited by the lower doses of daily vitamin…
June 15, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD ‘Master Switch’ for Autoimmune Diseases Like MS Potentially Seen in DNA of Immune Cells Regions of DNA called super-enhancers regulate immune cell activity, including the body’s response to threats like inflammation or pathogens, and now scientists have found that they also harbor genetic variants associated with autoimmune diseases — gene variants that may be the “master switches” for these conditions. The findings were described in the study “…
June 10, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD First MS Patients in CHANGE-MS Trial Receive Novel Treatment GeNeuro, a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on novel treatments for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), announced that the first patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are under treatment with the company’s leading drug, GNbAC1, in a Phase 2b clinical trial. GNbAC1 is a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize MSRV-En, a protein…
June 9, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Familial MS Linked to Single Genetic Mutation A single genetic mutation in a gene called Nr1h3, can cause familial multiple sclerosis (MS), reported scientists from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health. The study, “Nuclear Receptor NR1H3 in Familial Multiple Sclerosis” was published in the journal Neuron. The discovery…
June 8, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Sexual Function for MS, Other Patients with Neurological Disorders Can Improve with Help Sexual dysfunction is common for patients affected by neurological disorders, but it does not have to signal the end of a satisfying sex life and intimate lovemaking, according to researchers. Appropriate measures can help patients overcome sexual dysfunction associated with disease. Scientists from around the world discussed the topic at the…
June 7, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Scientists Gather to Discuss Novel Connections Between Gut Microbiome and Brain Disorders Increasing evidence suggests that our gut microbiome is able to regulate brain processes and trigger neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists from around the world discussed these themes at the recent Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Denmark. “The gut microbiome can influence the central…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – RRMS Patients’ Five-Year Clinical Outcome Improved Through Combined Immunosuppresive Therapy, Cell Transplantation Results from a Phase 2 clinical trial showed that five-year clinical outcomes of patients with highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) are significantly improved when patients are treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy combined with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation. The study, “Five-Year Outcomes of Halt-MS: High- Dose Immunosuppressive Therapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Cell…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – STRIVE Study Confirms Tysabri (Natalizumab) Safety in Early Relapsing-Remitting MS Results from the STRIVE study support the safety of natalizumab (Tysabri) as a therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The study, “Natalizumab in Anti-JC Virus Seronegative Patients with Early Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Interim Results from the STRIVE Study,” was recently presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – Delayed-release Dimethyl Fumarate Benefits Newly Diagnosed MS Patients, According to Study Newly diagnosed patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) show significant improvements when treated with delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF), especially in terms of reduction in confirmed disability progression. The study, “Efficacy of Delayed-Release Dimethyl Fumarate in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Using a Composite Measure of Disability,” was recently presented at the…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – MS Patients at Higher Risk for Loneliness, Study Shows Researchers who looked at manifestations of loneliness found that the burden of loneliness is much higher in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients when compared to healthy people. The study, “Loneliness in Multiple Sclerosis: Putative Antecedents and Manifestations,” was recently presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) June…
June 6, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #CMSC16 – Sexual Dysfunction in Hispanic MS Patients Exists with Other Issues, Study Shows Sexual dysfunction correlates with depression and bladder dysfunction in Hispanic patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to the results of a recent study presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC). The study, “Sexual Dysfunction and Its Correlation to Depression and Bladder Dysfunction in…
June 1, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Variants of Gene Linked to MS, ANKRD55, Found in Immune Cells Associated with Disease Researchers detected the expression of the gene ANKRD55 in immune cells, a gene that has been previously linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice models of the disease. The results suggest a potential role of ANKRD55 in MS pathogenesis. The study, “Novel Insights into the Multiple Sclerosis Risk Gene ANKRD55,”…
May 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS and Young Adult-onset Hodgkin Lymphoma May Share Underlying Causes, Study Says Previous studies suggested that multiple sclerosis (MS) and Hodgkin lymphoma might share underlying causes, including exposure to microorganisms in childhood, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In the study “Multiple sclerosis and risk of young-adult-onset Hodgkin lymphoma,” published in the journal Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, researchers suggested that…
May 5, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Key Pathway in Antibody B-Cell Production Identified, Important to Diseases Like MS Scientists discovered two key players — TBK1 and ICOS — that control the effective production of antibodies and may offer new insights into potential therapies for autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis. The study, “A TRAF-like motif of the inducible costimulator ICOS controls development of germinal center TFH cells via the…
April 8, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Smoking Appears Linked to Brain Abnormalities in People with MS-related Disease, Study Suggests A team of researchers suggested that cigarette smoking is associated with adverse effects to white matter in the brain, and reported that smoking may underlie the clinical course of clinically isolated syndrome, an early and potentially predictive symptom of a progression to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Influence of cigarette smoking on white matter in patients with…
February 24, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD New Protein, Anoctamin 2, Identified as a Target of Autoantibody Production in MS Researchers identified the chloride-channel protein anoctamin 2 (ANO2) as a new target for autoantibody production in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their study, “Anoctamin 2 identified as an autoimmune target in multiple sclerosis,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Sates of…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Leptomeningeal Inflammation May Offer New Treatment Targets In Progressive Forms of MS Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore presented key findings today, Feb. 19, concerning the presence of contrast-enhancing lesions in later stages in the relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) model. The presentation was made at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, which is ongoing through…
February 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Results of New SPMS Study to Be Presented at ACTRIMS At the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2016, being held from Feb. 18–20 in New Orleans, LA, researchers have gathered to discuss “Progressive MS: Bench to Bedside and Back,” the meeting’s theme. Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is one of four types of MS, and is…
February 17, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD For MS Patients, New Guidelines for Controlling Rare Brain Infection Risk Under Tysabri Treatment The European Medicines Agency Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), responsible for assessing and monitoring safety issues for human medicines, completed a review on the risk for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with the medicine Tysabri (natalizumab). The issued guidelines have the objective of minimizing patients’ risk.
February 15, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Campaign In UK Pushing for Broader Access to Medical Marijuana A new campaign called “End our pain” is asking people to sign a petition calling on the U.K. to allow all patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) there to have access to medical cannabis as a treatment for MS symptoms, in keeping with countries such as Canada and Germany, and a number…
February 3, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Neurologist Argues for Continued Use of Natalizumab as Disease Treatment In a recent study of more than 1,200 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a research team reported that treatment with the drug natalizumab (Tysabri) could lead to a tenfold increase in the levels of blood antibodies associated with a virus causing a rare but severe brain disease known as progressive multifocal…
February 2, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Patients Under Natalizumab Treatment May Be at Risk of Rare Brain Infection Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients treated with natalizumab have an increased risk of developing high levels of antibodies associated with a virus causing a rare, but often fatal, brain infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), researchers reported. Their study, “Therapy with natalizumab is associated with high JCV seroconversion and rising JCV index values,”…
January 19, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Vitamin D’s Influence on MS Target of New Study A team of researchers recently discovered two novel multiple sclerosis (MS)-associated genes that are regulated by vitamin D levels. The study, titled “The multiple sclerosis susceptibility genes TAGAP and IL2RA are regulated by vitamin D in CD4+ T cells,” was published in the advanced online section of …
January 13, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Progression Halted Using Stem Cells Derived from Gum Tissue A new source of stem cells, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the human periodontal ligament (hPDLSCs), offers a potential treatment capable of halting multiple sclerosis (MS) progression. The study, “Alternative source of stem cells derived from human periodontal ligament: a new treatment for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis,” was published…
January 12, 2016 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD MS Study Questions Safety of Bacteria Commonly Used as Vaccine Adjuvant In a recent study, a team of researchers argued that, contrary to what has been proposed, subclinical Bordetella pertussis colonization is an important cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “The potential role of subclinical Bordetella Pertussis colonization in the etiology of multiple sclerosis,” was published in the journal…