April 12, 2024 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Worse disease severity predicts erectile dysfunction in MS men Erectile dysfunction is more likely to occur among men with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose disease is more severe, according to a study, which noted that the ability to contract the cremaster muscle, which controls the position of the testicles, was linked with a decreased likelihood of erectile dysfunction in…
March 21, 2023 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Early MS MRI markers linked to worse disability in 10 years time MRI scans of the brain acquired early on after the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS) may help predict disease severity and disability accumulation after 10 years, a new study found. In particular, there were two MRI biomarkers ā inter-caudate diameter (ICD) and third ventricular width (TVW) ā detected…
July 29, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS No Link Between MS Severity, Vitamin D-related Mutations: Study A number of genetic variations related to vitamin D metabolism were not significantly associated with the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. The study, “Role of Multiple Vitamin D-Related Polymorphisms in Multiple Sclerosis Severity: Preliminary Findings,” was published inĀ Genes. In MS, the body’s immune…
June 1, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS New Scale May Better Assess MS Changes, Therapy Response in Mice A new scoring system might more precisely evaluate disease development, severity, and treatment response in a commonly used mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) known as the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis or EAE model, scientists report. This scoring system, called “I AM D EAE,”Ā was described in the study, “…
May 12, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Disease Severity, Brain Changes Linked to Cognitive Decline Disease severity, brain volume loss, and brain lesions are able to predict later cognitive declines in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study in China found. The study, āClinical and MRI predictors of cognitive decline in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a 2-year longitudinal study,ā…
July 27, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Targeting Ion Channel Piezo1 in T-cells Eased MS in Mice Removing an ion channel called Piezo1 from immune T-cells lessened disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS), a study showed. Notably, these beneficial effects were associated with an expansion of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) ā a type of immune cell that typically dampens immune and inflammatory responses ā…
July 20, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Strength of Exhalations May Predict Physical Ability, MS Severity The strength of the muscles used to exhale a breath may predict physical ability and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Patients in this study with weaker expiratory muscles were also those with greater physical disability and more severe disease. The study, āPulmonary…
July 16, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Isoflavone-rich Diet Boosts Gut Health, Lessening MS Severity Isoflavone-rich diets boost gut health and lessen multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, a new study in mice suggests. In the study, mice with MS that were fed a diet rich in isoflavone ā a plant-based compound ā developed diverse and abundant gut bacteria, particularly isoflavone-digesting bacteria, which produced compounds that…
March 11, 2021 News by Margarida Maia, PhD Vitamin D Supplements at Preclinical Stage Prevented MS in Mice Vitamin D, but not paricalcitol (a vitamin D analog), can be used as a preventive measure to control the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study of mice. The study, āPreclinical therapy with vitamin D3 in experimental encephalomyelitis: Efficacy and comparison with paricalcitol,ā was…
January 22, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD #ACTRIMS2021 ā Forum to Focus on Several MS-related Spectrums The upcomingĀ Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2021 Forum will focus on the spectrums of multiple sclerosis (MS), related inflammation, disease severity, and the latest findings in the field. According to an ACTRIMS press release, about 1,000 researchers and clinicians are expected to…
January 6, 2021 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Less Sunlight Means More Risk of Relapse, Disability, Studies Assert Reduced exposure to sunlight, previously reported as a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS), also seems to increase the risk for relapse and worsening disability, data from two clinical studies suggest. The beneficial effects of sunlight exposure were linked to increased levels of vitamin D, but also modulation…
October 27, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Metabolic Enzyme PKM2 a Potential Therapeutic Target for MS, Preclinical Study Suggests SuppressingĀ pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) ā an enzyme involved in cellular metabolismĀ ā in T-helper (Th) immune cells lessenedĀ myelin loss and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS). Myelin,Ā the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, isĀ damaged and lost…
July 30, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Should Be Assessed in MS Cases Clinical evaluation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients should include the assessment ofĀ lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) alongside neurological ones, according to a recent study. The study, “Lower urinary tract dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: A post-void residual analysis of 501 cases,” was published in…
March 2, 2020 News by Ana Pena PhD #ACTRIMS2020 – Vitamin D at High Dose Can Worsen MS, Early Study Says High-dose vitamin D supplements appear to aggravate inflammation and myelin loss in the brain and spinal cord, and worsen the disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in a mouse disease model reported. Excessive use of vitamin DĀ causes calcium levels to…
February 20, 2020 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc #ACTRIMS2020 ā Keynote SpeakerĀ Peter Calabresi to Discuss Link Between Genetics and MS Severity Specific mutations in genes that provide instructions to make two proteins ā Ā called C3 and C1q ā are linked to increased severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research. The new finding will be presented by Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineĀ researcher Peter Calabresi, MD, during…
February 10, 2020 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Ethnic Differences in MS Evident in Antibody-secreting Cells in Blood, US Study Suggests People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who self-identify black African or Latin American have a higher number of disease-associated antibody-secreting cells in their blood compared to those who identify as Caucasian, a U.S. study reports.Ā This difference may account for disparities related to ethnicity in MS…
January 30, 2020 News by Forest Ray PhD Multiple Factors Influence the Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in MS Patients, Study Indicates Age, gender, disease subtype, degree of disability, and more factors affect lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).Ā Also, the epidemiology of LUTS must be better understood and promptly detected and treated to improve patients’ quality of life. Those findings are detailed in a new study,Ā “…
January 7, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Probiotics Show Potential to Prevent, Delay Development of MS, Study Finds Probiotics show potential to prevent and delay the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) by changing immune and inflammatory responses, according to a review study. Data further support the link between the gutāsĀ microbial community (microbiota) and the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and neurodegenerative diseases. However, large-scale clinical…
November 26, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Problems Processing Sensory Information Linked to MS Severity, Difficulties in Daily Life, Study Finds People with multiple sclerosis (MS) ā both with and without cognitive impairments ā have trouble processing sensory information, which is linked to greater disease severity and difficulties in daily life, a study reveals. The study is one of the first to look at the consequences of sensory processing deficits…
October 21, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD GAL Gene Variant May Put MS Patients at Risk for Rapidly Progressive Disease, Study Suggests A genetic variant in theĀ galanin gene (GAL) appears to be a risk factor for more severe multiple sclerosis (MS), nearly doubling the risk of rapidly progressive disease, particularly in patients whose disease onset occurs…
October 17, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Interleukin-22 May Be Biomarker to Monitor How Well RRMS Patients Respond to Therapy The levels of the inflammatory molecule interleukin-22 (IL-22) may be used as a potential biomarker to evaluate disease severity and the effectiveness of treatments in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study shows. The study, āImpact of interferon Ī²-1b, interferon Ī²-1a and fingolimod therapies on serum…
August 16, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Dark Rimmed Brain Lesions May Be Signal of Aggressive Disease, NIH Study Says Brain lesions appearing as dark rimmed, “smoldering” spots on imaging scans, representing active inflammation, may be a hallmark of more aggressive and disabling forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at theĀ National Institutes of Health (NIH) report. Using a powerful MRI brain scanner and a 3D printer, the…
July 12, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Study Examines Gadolinium Deposits in MS Patients’ Brains, But Still Can’t Determine Relationship with Disease Severity The use of gadodiamide, a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) often used to help clinicians visualize brain structures in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, leads to the accumulation of gadolinium in certain regions ofĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ brains early in the course of the disease, a study has found.
June 7, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Obesity, Altered Fat Levels May Worsen Severity of RRMS, Study Found Obesity, altered lipid (fat) levels, and elevated leptin ā an hormone produced by fat cells ā may contribute to neuroinflammation, and worse disease severity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), research has found. A study with the findings, titled “Obesity worsens central inflammation and disability in multiple…
April 12, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Excess Body Fat Spurs Disease Progression by Impact on Immune Cells, Study Suggests A link between fat molecules calledĀ ceramides andĀ worsening disease in overweight and obese people with multiple sclerosis appears to exist, a study reports, with its findings suggesting that ceramides prompt the growth of immune cells calledĀ monocytes, which in turn spurs disease progression. These results also strengthen the likelihood thatĀ lifestyle factors, like diet and weight, can act as disease modifiers, its researchers said. High body mass index has been linked to the risk of developing MS, but for reasons that aren't clear. One idea is that weight-induced differences in lipids (fat molecules) in the blood, because they are involved in several cellular signaling processes, may affect MS and its course in people with higher BMIs. To test this hypothesis, a team led by researchers atĀ the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at The Graduate Center and at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai analyzed 54 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (MS), ages 18 to 60, and with normal or high BMIs (27 people in each group). Participants were followed for two years. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A normal BMI is defined as one between 18.5 and 24.9, while a person is considered overweight with a BMI of 25ā29.9, and obese it is 30 or higher. Researchers took blood samples, and looked for differences between the groups in terms of both immune cells and blood lipid profiles. They then validated their findings in a separate group of 91 RRMS patients. Patients with high BMIs tended to have more monocytes than those with normal BMIs. Monocytes can travel through the blood to tissues where they develop into macrophages, immune cells with various functions that are best known for "eating" invading bacteria. Monocytes can also travel to the brain and damage nerve fibers. Overweight and obese patients also had significantly higher levels of ceramides compared with normal-weight patients, and the researchers wondered if a link might exist between the two. Through a set of experiments in cells, they discovered that ceramides cause epigenetic changes in monocytes; that is, they alter the way their genomes are "read," so they alter gene activity. Specifically, ceramide-treated cells showed a type of epigenetic change called methylation ā which generally turns genes "off" ā in genes that normally help prevent cells from dividing. Conceptually, these genetic changes serve to unleash monocytes, leading them to grow more (proliferate) than they otherwise might. The researchers also found more methylation on the genomes of monocytes from high-BMI patients than those from low-BMI patients, and they noted that the overweight or obese patients also tended to have greater disease activity, worse disability progression, and more brain lesions on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans on follow-up. Finally, the researchers tested a mouse model of MS, giving one group of mice a standard diet and another a high-fat diet. Mice fed the high-fat diet were found to have greater disease severity, more brain lesions, and more monocytes, confirming the findings seen in MS patients. "This study gives us a much-needed view into the environmental influences that can affect and change the behavior of cells in an individual's body," Kamilah Castro, the study's first author, said in a press release. "Our findings suggest that increased levels of saturated fat as a result of dietary habits are one likely cause of the epigenetic changes that advance MS, which gives us a starting point for a potential intervention." According to the team, the findingsĀ support the concept of nutri-epigenomics:Ā that is, the ability of food to alter the way the genetic information is interpreted by each cell, and suggest that "weight management and dietary intervention" might affect MS prognosis. One limitation was the study's small size, its researchers noted. "While we consider our results ā¦ very exciting and mechanistic, we acknowledge that the potential consideration of ceramide levels as biomarkers for disease progression in MS would require validation ... using larger cohorts with a longitudinal and/or cross-sectional design," they concluded. "It will also be important to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary intervention (with an emphasis on the reduction of specific classes of saturated fats), as potential modulator of plasma ceramide levels and possibly of disease course in MS patients."
February 19, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Depression, Psychological Distress Symptoms Significantly Affect MS Patients’ Quality of Life, Study Finds Depression and psychological distress symptoms can have a huge effect on the way multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) patients view their well-being, a new study has found. Since depression and psychological distress symptoms can be targeted therapeutically, the study proposes focusing on mental health disorders in MS patients to considerably…
February 13, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein Early-life Antibiotic Use Disrupts Gut Microbiota and Immune System, MS Rat Study Finds Early-life use of antibiotics disrupts gut microbiota in a rat model of multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) and provokes nervous system autoimmunity, ultimately aggravating disease severity, new research shows. Results also indicate early-life antibiotic use may have unfavorable consequences on regulation of the immune system. The research article, ā…
February 5, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein MS May Raise Risk of Deep-vein Blood Clots, Possibly by Limiting Mobility, Study Says People with multiple sclerosis may be twice as likely to develop deep-vein blood clots, a condition known as venous thromboembolism, than healthy people do, a study reports. But data linking the two is limited, and its researchers say further work is needed to understand if MS is directly related to…
June 21, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #EAN2018 – Pupil Response to Light Linked to RRMS Duration and Severity in Study Measuring the response of the pupil to light stimulating the eye is a non-invasive and easy way to assess multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and progression, researchers report. A clinical study found that poor, or dysfunctional, pupil response was associated with longer disease duration and greater disease severity inĀ relapsing-remitting multiple…
April 18, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc #AAN2018 ā Levels of Protein Derived from Brain Cell Damage Can Mirror Severity of MS, Study Finds Levels of a protein stemming from brain cell damage can mirror the severity and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, an analysis of combined data from three trials showed. Researchers will present this and related findingsĀ at the annual meeting of the American Academy of NeurologyĀ in Los Angeles, April 21-27. The…