People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at a higher risk of developing and dying from bladder cancer than people without the neurodegenerative disorder, according to a Canadian population-based study. However, no differences were found between MS patients and unaffected individuals in terms of their risk of breast and…
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Women who have never given birth are more likely to develop early onset of progressive multiple sclerosis, according to a new study, which also found that a woman’s number of pregnancies showed a positive effect in delaying the disease. In addition, entering menopause earlier, before the age of 46,…
A new $100-million program aims to improve the diversity of participants in U.S. clinical trials with the ultimate goal of achieving better health outcomes and parity in care for underserved patient populations. The initiative seeks to extend the reach of clinical studies to underserved populations in the nation’s urban and rural…
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have cognitive defects that cannot be detected using conventional paper-and-pen tests but that can be assessed with computer-based tests, a new study shows. The findings also indicate that people with MS may be more susceptible to cognitive impairment when the brain has to address increased…
A particular type of gut microbiota-reactive immune cells, called IgA-producing B-cells, travels to the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during relapses, where they produce anti-inflammatory molecules, a study shows. The underlying mechanisms of this event and these cells’ role in MS remain largely unclear, but these…
Lower levels of pro-inflammatory immune signaling proteins were found in the blood of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) treated with Tysabri (natalizumab) and were associated with fewer relapses and less disability, a study has found.
Typing patterns in daily smartphone use show clinically relevant changes over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), but not among healthy individuals, a study shows. Notably, these variations often coincided with clinically meaningful changes in measures of disease activity, disability, and/or fatigue in MS patients with and without…
Patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis with mild to moderate symptoms of depression performed worse on cognitive tests related to multitasking than on those focused on single tasks, a study has found. Notably, no such association was observed among healthy individuals, suggesting an MS-related link between mood,…
The nonprofit Autoimmune Registry (ARI) has published its first comprehensive list of autoimmune diseases, with information addressing more than 150 disorders, their subtypes, and prevalence in the U.S. This list was created in part to provide patients and scientists easy access to the latest peer-reviewed research, information on clinical…
Marked differences in disease characteristics are observed between male and female patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) but they are more pronounced when comparing patients across clinical subtypes, a new study finds. The analysis found that although women are more prone to…
Using a small molecule called TEPP-46 to block the non-metabolic function of the enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in T-helper (Th) immune cells did not lessen disease severity and redirected inflammation and neural damage from the spinal cord to the brain in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis…
Scientists have created myelin-producing cells, called oligodendrocytes, from pluripotent stem cells derived from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in just three weeks. They also demonstrated these lab-made oligodendrocytes were able to produce myelin — the fatty substance that normally wraps around neurons’…
Neurofilament Light Levels at First MS Event Can Predict Long-term Brain Atrophy Researchers are looking at a protein that’s released into the body’s fluids when neurons become damaged. They hope it will help them predict — as far as 10 years down the road from the first indication of…
Note: This story was updated Aug. 17, 2021, to note that T.gondii infection is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, not a protective factor. Toxoplasmosis, an infection by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, may confer a certain level of protection against multiple sclerosis (MS), according…
The other day, I was watching an arts documentary instead of another repeat of a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was about John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” of which I’m a fan. The headline for a column I’d been mulling for some time about MS mouse research…
Start2Cure Foundation is funding a research project that will investigate the potential of a gene therapy approach to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an autoimmune disease characterized by the damage and loss of myelin — the protective layer around nerve fibers, or axons, that is crucial to the…
A bone marrow transplant may be particularly useful for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who, despite treatment with high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), continue to experience relapses or show signs of new lesions, experts say. According to new recommendations from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,…
The levels of the protein neurofilament light chain (NfL) in the blood when a person experiences a first demyelinating event associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict brain atrophy up to a decade later, a new study shows. Titled “Association of Serum Neurofilament Light Levels…
A non-invasive retina imaging technique known as optical coherence tomography (OCT) provided evidence of the neuroprotective effect of ibudilast (MN-166) — an oral medication designed to reduce the body’s inflammatory responses — in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The data also…
The Israeli Innovation Authority has awarded Owlytics Healthcare a $1.3-million grant to support the company’s development of wearable artificial intelligence (AI) technology that has the potential to improve multiple sclerosis (MS) therapies and better evaluate treatment efficacy in clinical studies. The device would be able to continuously…
The brain volume of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) undergoes a dynamic cycle of enlargement and contractions, a new study shows. Patients with a lower volume (contractions) had less severe MS and a shorter disease duration, the study found. Overall, these findings suggest that frequent monitoring of the…
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), tiny sacs released from myelin-producing cells called oligodendrocytes, may help dampen the immune system’s attack against myelin, whose loss is the hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new mouse study shows. The findings suggest that oligodendrocytes-released EVs could work as an universal immunotherapy for MS…
Using a two-pronged approach, researchers were able to restore myelin on regenerated nerve fibers in a mouse model of optic nerve injury, which has implications for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other diseases associated with myelin loss, a study reported. The study, “…
A small protein isolated from beetroot is able to block the activity of an enzyme called prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), which breaks down certain hormones and signaling molecules, and is thought to control the body’s inflammatory responses. According to the researchers, the discovery of this plant-derived protein may make possible…
There may be a better way of repairing the insulation surrounding damaged neurons that could lead to new treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The data showed that blocking the protein sphingomyelin hydrolase neutral sphingomyelinase 2, or nSMase2, could improve the quality of the myelin surrounding…
A recently identified group of immune cells saved damaged nerve cells from death and promoted nervous system repair, a new study suggests. This finding may represent new promise for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “A new neutrophil…
There is no significant association between multiple sclerosis (MS) and vitiligo, a skin condition in which patches of skin lose their color, a review study has found. The study, “Association of multiple sclerosis with vitiligo: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” was published in the journal…
Suppressing pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) — an enzyme involved in cellular metabolism — in T-helper (Th) immune cells lessened myelin loss and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibers that helps speed transmission of signals between nerve cells, is damaged and lost…
A newly identified population of immune cells contributes to inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study suggests. The study, “A distinct GM-CSF+ T helper cell subset requires T-bet to adopt a TH1 phenotype and promote neuroinflammation,” was published in Science Immunology. MS is an…
The HLA-DR15 haplotype — a set of gene variants that tend to be inherited together — in the HLA-DRB1 gene plays a role in autoimmune response and, in combination with environmental factors, contributes to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study suggests. The study, “…