Oct
24
Leukaemia drug can halt, reverse MS
Filed Under News, Research | Leave a Comment
LONDON AFP – Researchers at the University of Cambridge said Thursday they have found that a drug originally developed to treat leukaemia can halt and even reverse the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis MS.
In trials, alemtuzumab reduced the number of attacks in sufferers and also helped them recover lost functions, apparently allowing damaged brain tissue to repair so that individuals were less disabled than at the start of the study.
“The ability of an MS drug to promote brain repair is unprecedented,” said Dr Alasdair Coles, a lecturer at Cambridge university’s department of clinical neurosciences, who coordinated many aspects of the study.
“We are witnessing a drug which, if given early enough, might effectively stop the advancement of the disease and also restore lost function by promoting repair of the damaged brain tissue.”
The MS Society, Britain’s largest support charity for those affected by the condition, said it was “delighted” at the trial’s results, which must be followed up with more research before the drug can be licensed.
“This is the first drug that has shown the potential to halt and even reverse the debilitating effects of MS and this news will rightly bring hope to people living with the condition day in, day out,” said head of research Lee Dunster.
Read the rest:Leukaemia drug can halt, reverse MS - Yahoo News
Sep
23
Vitamin D deficiency link to multiple sclerosis in children - Times Online
Filed Under News, Research | Leave a Comment
Compelling evidence that children with early symptoms of multiple sclerosis have low levels of vitamin D has emerged from a study by scientists in Canada.
The study of children suffering the first occurrence of the disease - often eye or sight problems - has found that those with insufficient amounts of the vitamin are far more likely to develop a full-blown case of MS than those who have normal levels.
The research in Canada follows evidence, revealed in The Times last week, that Scotland’s poor health record has close links to vitamin D deficiency, which is caused by lack of exposure to sunshine. Scotland - in particular Orkney and Shetland, which get only a quarter of all available sunlight - is the world’s hotspot for MS, closely followed by Canada.
The Canadian study raises the possibility that simply by taking a supplement every day from infancy it might be possible to prevent or slow the progression of the debilitating auto-immune disease, which at present has no definitive cause and is incurable.
Read the rest: Vitamin D deficiency link to multiple sclerosis in children - Times Online
Sep
23
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 HealthDay News — Resveratrol, the compound in red wine that previous research has linked to longevity, has shown promise in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.
Mice with the MS-like condition called Wallerian degeneration slow WldS showed an initial weight gain when given resveratrol, researchers at the University of Utah reported Thursday at the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, in Montreal.
The weight gain occurred in the first two weeks of treatment. A microscopic study of nerve cell tissue at five weeks did not show any positive effect.
“They didn’t look at the tissue under the microscope in the first two weeks,” said Dr. John Richert, executive vice president for the research and clinical program of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. “Obviously, lots of things can make animals gain weight.”
But weight gain of any kind is an encouraging sign in MS treatment, Richert said. “In inflammatory animal models of MS, one of the tell-tale clinical signs of the disease is weight loss. Weight loss often goes hand in hand with loss of neurological function.”
The study “poses some questions,” Richert said. “Obviously, a lot more needs to be done to see if the weight gain shows a beneficial effect on the disease process. This is evidence that it should be studied further.”
read the rest: Red Wine Molecule Might Battle MS