Researchers identified a genetic variant that associated with faster multiple sclerosis (MS) progression and greater brain tissue damage, according to a study that combined data on more than 12,500 patients in North America, Europe and Australia. Unlike previously detected MS-related variants linked to the immune system, this variant sits…
symptoms
Diet was found to significantly influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms among patients living in Denmark in a new real-world study. A diet rich in plant-based products was generally associated with a lower symptom burden than one high in red and processed meats. The same was true…
The sexual satisfaction of women with multiple sclerosis (MS) improved when they actively sought out ways to deal with the practical challenges related to sexuality instead of just relying on managing their emotions, a study finds. It’s therefore important for women with MS to consider a problem-focused coping strategy…
Changes in the gene activity within immune T-cells explain why women with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve during pregnancy, a study reports. Gene activity changes during and after pregnancy were highly similar between MS patients and healthy women. Many of the genes whose activity was altered during pregnancy were associated…
Altered blood levels of certain fat molecules implicated in inflammatory responses seem to correlate with disability status and markers of nerve damage in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in those with progressive forms of the disorder, a study reported. Findings highlight the potential role of these fat, or…
A microRNA called miR-548a-3p, a small molecule important for regulation of gene activity, may help to identify people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who will reach no evidence of disease activity — a status known as NEDA-3 — after treatment with Gilenya (fingolimod), a study found. Data showed that…
For most of the past six years, I’ve been suffering from that weekly journo disease known as “columnitis.” One column is finished, hurrah! Bathe in the relief of getting that one in the net. (It’s a football reference, American “Ted Lasso” finale fans.) We’ve also just had the…
Alterations in the levels of certain fat molecules in the bloodstream are significantly associated with a higher risk of relapse and a poorer disability status in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. It’s not yet clear if such alterations contribute to the inflammation…
A blood-clotting protein called fibrin can activate immune cells in the brain and contribute to inflammation and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study revealed. Because blood vessels become leaky in neurodegenerative conditions like MS, the blood can cross into the brain, which is known to activate multiple pro-inflammatory…
It’s been three decades since the first treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) was approved. In that time, the field has made substantial advances — including the approval of over two dozen medications — but there’s still a long way to go to improve care for progressive forms of…
The protein DDX39B is a master regulator of immune tolerance, or the immune system’s ability to distinguish self from potentially harmful nonself molecules, and helps to control the development of immune cells that are key for this process, a new study shows. Findings suggest that activating DDX39B with small molecules…
Engaging in physical activity may improve the quality of life for people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a link that remained even after accounting for other factors such as fatigue and disability status, a study shows.
Reductions in microglial activation have been observed in the brains of five of six patients with nonactive secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) who received treatment with Tiziana Life Science’s foralumab nasal spray. Microglia, resident immune cells in the brain, are believed to play a role in driving inflammation…
Disease-associated inflammatory activity of microglia — a type of immune cell with a central role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) — is driven in part by molecular mechanisms that are activated when microglia try to clear the corpses of dead myelin-making cells. That’s according to a new…
Physical disability, not whether patients are depressed, when they’re diagnosed with multiple sclerosis significantly influences their future disability progression, according to a recent U.K. registry study. Although patients who were depressed at the time of their diagnosis were more likely to accumulate significant disability and require an aid to…
Analyses of protein levels in the blood can be used to identify groups of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with distinct clinical features, new research shows. Given the variability of symptoms among people with MS, such groupings could help to improve individualized care for patients, according to Octave, a…
As part of last week’s World MS Day, a documentary about the life of Mathew Embry, a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient who’s been living symptom-free for more than 27 years, has premiered on national Canadian television. The critically acclaimed documentary, called “Living Proof,” premiered June 4 on The…
Since the early days of the COVID-19 vaccination program, disinformation claiming that the vaccines can induce multiple sclerosis (MS) has swirled around social media. Recently, there’s been a resurgence of this type of post, sparked by a report published on the World Health Organization (WHO) website titled “…
The European Commission has approved Briumvi (ublituximab) for the treatment of adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) who have active disease, as defined by clinical or imaging features. The approval, which covers all member states in the European Union, as well as Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein,…
Being exposed to stress as children or adults makes it more likely that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will experience more disability and/or a heavier burden from relapses, according to a new survey study of more than 700 people in the U.S. “MS is the leading cause of non-traumatic…
A detailed examination of nerve tissue isolated from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed changes to the myelin sheath before the appearance of substantial inflammatory activity and lesions, a study reported. In MS patients, normal-appearing brain regions showed a less compact, detached, and disorganized myelin composition that may make…
Ah yes, I’m starting this week’s column with a headline that’s a conundrum (that is, if the ol’ editor lets me keep it). That’s because I’m starting with a slang word. I’ve checked, and it seems that the main slang word for diarrhea both in the U.K. (where I…
The average rate of relapses for multiple sclerosis (MS) in the modern era is lower than it has been in decades past, according to a new analysis from the U.K. Scientists speculate the availability of new, more effective disease-modifying therapies may help explain why relapses appear to…
My shoelaces keep coming untied, my compression socks are bunched up, I bumped my shins with the vacuum again, and the shower was too hot this morning. Confused? Don’t be. I’m just getting in the spirit of National Wine Day by — oh, wait, I might have read…
Long-term treatment with Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) doesn’t change the diversity of T-cells — those needed to mount effective immune responses against foreign pathogens — in people with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a small study shows. Consistent with its mechanism of B-cell depletion, however, Ocrevus did reduce the molecular…
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…
Treatment with the cannabis oral spray nabiximols helped to relieve spasticity — increased muscle stiffness and spasms common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) — among participants in two MS clinical trials, according to the results of a new analysis. “In this analysis, nabiximols was shown to significantly…
A non-invasive treatment called acute intermittent hypoxia, or AIH, involving periods of oxygen deprivation, was found to ease signs and symptoms of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in a mouse model of the disease. Given during the peak of disease activity, AIH treatment — basically, periods of reduced oxygen exposure…
An updated snapshot of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. — provided by new population estimates from a study of insurance data — shows a greater prevalence of MS among white and Black people compared with other racial and ethnic groups. But overall, the neurodegenerative disorder has become more…
When the immune system launches an attack to fight off infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, immune cells can accidentally end up targeting a protein called CRYAB that’s normally expressed by healthy myelin-making cells in the brain, a study found. The findings provide further evidence that molecular similarities between distinct…