June 12, 2023 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Physical activity may improve life quality in newly diagnosed patients Engaging in physical activity may improve the quality of life for people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Physical activity was found to be significantly associated with the physical component of quality of life, and the link remained after accounting for other factors such as fatigue…
May 24, 2023 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Self-reported physical health may predict RRMS disability worsening People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who report better physical health are significantly more likely to see disability progression after three years, an observational study found. The findings suggest this patient-reported outcome measure may help predict long-term disability worsening in people with the condition. “Our findings…
May 15, 2023 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD More nerve damage in MS linked to increased microglia activation Increased activation of microglia, the resident immune cells in the brain that contribute to chronic inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), is significantly associated with higher levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein, indicating more nerve damage, a study found. Researchers particularly identified strong links between…
February 22, 2023 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Intermittent fasting for 8 weeks shows benefits in MS in pilot study An eight-week intermittent fasting intervention for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) led to significant improvements in cognition and manual dexterity for these patients, who also tended to have lower fatigue and pain scores at the program’s end, an exploratory study showed.
December 7, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD CXCL13 Levels May Help Predict Responses to Aubagio, Study Finds A reduction in the levels of an inflammatory molecule called chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) may serve as a biomarker of treatment response to Aubagio (teriflunomide) among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study suggests. After one year of treatment, patients with no evidence of disease activity…
December 6, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD 2-year Copaxone Treatment in RRMS Found to Slow Loss of Gray Matter Two years of treatment with the approved therapy >Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) was found to slow the loss of cerebral gray matter and whole brain volume — two markers of neurodegeneration — in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Notably, individuals on Copaxone…
November 25, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD More Inflammation Biomarkers in Spinal Fluid of PPMS Patients: Study Individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) have significantly higher concentrations of specific inflammation biomarkers in their spinal fluid than healthy people, an exploratory study shows. For most biomarkers, levels in PPMS patients were comparable to or lower than those seen in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
November 18, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD NervGen Completes Dosing Another Group With MS Candidate NVG-291 Dosing of NVG-291, NervGen Pharma’s investigational therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other nervous system diseases, was completed in the third and final group of healthy postmenopausal women in a Phase 1 clinical trial. “Completing the dosing of the final [group] of postmenopausal females in the MAD [multiple…
November 10, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Retinal Thinning in Eyes Linked to Worse Restless Legs Syndrome in MS Worse disability scores in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) were significantly associated with the thinning of a retinal layer in the eye in a new study. Overall, the study found that people with MS who experience RLS exhibit more severe disability than those…
October 25, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD IV Ofatumumab Reduces Relapses in MS, But Not Better Than Kesimpta An intravenous (into-the-vein) formulation of ofatumumab — a disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) sold under the brand name Kesimpta — resulted in a 63% reduction in relapse rates among MS patients, with about 60% remaining relapse-free over the first year of treatment, a recent study in…
October 20, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Infections Nearly 4 Times as Likely for Patients With Progressive MS People with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are nearly four times more likely to have serious infections — those leading to hospitalization — than those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), according to a large study in Germany. This higher infection risk was found despite the fact that, during…
October 19, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD 2 Biomarkers Seen as Best at Predicting Course of Relapsing MS The levels of two cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, CHI3L1 and CXCL13, were significantly elevated in people with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) relative to control groups without this disease, and are most likely to predict how relapsing MS will progress, a study reported. Higher levels of these biomarkers were also…
October 17, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Mediterranean Diet Associated With Lower Disability Risk in MS Study High adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of disability outcomes, as well as reported disease symptoms, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study shows. The data provide important information for further studies to guide clinical recommendations in MS. The study, “Mediterranean…
October 14, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Low Cholesterol May Reflect More Aggressive Disease Progression People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) have lower cholesterol levels in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, compared with those without MS, a study reports. These lower cholesterol levels might correlate with a more…
October 13, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Fewer Energy Regulatory Hormones Found in MS Patients in Study Blood levels of nesfatin-1, irisin, adropin, and preptin — all regulatory hormones known to control energy balance — are significantly reduced in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients relative to healthy people, a small study showed. While the implications of these findings remain unclear, the…
October 7, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Early Use of Tysabri Treatment Linked to Greater Benefits Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who started taking Tysabri (natalizumab) long after their diagnosis were found to have worsened disease progression. But those who began using it earlier showed less aggravated clinical and radiological outcomes of the disease than participants who started treatment later, a study showed. The study,…
October 6, 2022 News by Patricia Valerio, PhD Study: Phone App mSteps Accurately Measures Distance Walked mSteps, a new phone app, could be used to precisely measure the outdoor walking distance of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study shows. The study, “The mSteps pilot study: Analysis of the distance walked using a novel smartphone application in multiple sclerosis,” was published in…