{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "MSIF News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "MSIF News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "People With MS News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "People With MS News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "Research News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "Research News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "MS Society News")}}

{{endif}}

{{if listFind(vars.channel_names, "MS Society News")}}

{{endif}}

Principles to Promote the Quality of Life of People with MS now available to download in Spanish

Following last week's announcement about the German edition, MSIF is now very pleased to announce that the professionally designed Spanish-language edition of the Principles to Promote the Quality of Life of People with Multiple Sclerosis is now available for download.

Please click here to download a copy.

The French-language edition is coming soon!

Wanted - interview with a young care-giver

Issue 9 of MS in focus, MSIF's bi-annual magazine, will focus on care-givers of people with MS. As part of the magazine, we would like to interview a young care-giver who has experienced a transition or change in their caring situation.

read more

Nicholson Award nominations deadline August 11

The deadline for nominations for the 2006 Evelyn Nicholson Award for International Caregiver of the Year is 11 August. MS Societies should forward their nominations via email to Paul Rompani.

read more

back to top

Profile of the Month : January 2008

Yasmine Rwanyindo

Country: Rwanda
Age: 38
Year of diagnosis: August 2003
Occupation: Administrative and financial manager for a project

English Spanish Italian French German

read more

back to top

Longitudinal analysis of immune cell phenotypes in early stage multiple sclerosis: distinctive patterns characterise MRI-active patients

In this study 20 patients were studied over one year from first clinical relapse, with scanning and blood tests every 45 days. 6 patients showed intense MRI activity, six patients did not display MRI activity and 8 patients had intermediate activity. Patients in each of these three groups showed significant differences in 10 lymphocyte subsets; indeed the lymphocyte profiles could be used to predict the MRI activity in individual patients with sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 87.5%.

authors: Rinaldi L, Gallo P, Calabrese M, Ranzato F, Luise D, Colavito D, Motta M, Guglielmo A, Del Giudice E, Romualdi C, Ragazzi E, D'Arrigo A, Dalle Carbonare M, Leontino B, Leon A.

source: Brain. 2006 Aug;129(Pt 8):1993-2007.

read more

Brain damage as detected by magnetization transfer imaging is less pronounced in benign than in early relapsing multiple sclerosis.

This paper describes findings on 50 subjects with benign and 50 subjects with early RR MS, who underwent conventional and magnetisation transfer imaging. Magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR), a measure of tissue damage, was lower in lesions in RRMS than benign MS, and lower in benign MS than in healthy controls. MTR was lower in normal appearing white and grey matter in RRMS, but similar to healthy controls in benign MS. These findings suggest that benign MS is a true subtype of MS where only relatively mild tissue damage is apparent.

authors: De Stefano N, Battaglini M, Stromillo ML, Zipoli V, Bartolozzi ML, Guidi L, Siracusa G, Portaccio E, Giorgio A, Sorbi S, Federico A, Amato MP.

source: Brain. 2006 Aug;129(Pt 8):2008-16. Epub 2006 Jun 30

read more

Regenerative and immunomodulatory potential of mesenchymal stem cells

This review article summarises the potential of stem cell therapy in regulating the immune system.

authors: Krampera M, Pasini A, Pizzolo G, Cosmi L, Romagnani S, Annunziato F

source: Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2006 Aug;6(4):435-41. Epub 2006 Jun 13

read more

The impact of interferon-beta treatment on the blood-brain barrier

This article emphasises the importance of stabilisation of the blood-brain barrier in treating MS, and postulates that this may be the principal mechanism of interferon.

authors: Kraus J, Oschmann P.

source: Drug Discov Today. 2006 Aug;11(15-16):755-762

read more

Natalizumab in multiple sclerosis: proceed with caution? POLMAN CH, O'CONNOR PW, HAVRDOVA E et al.: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial of natalizumab for relapsing multiple sclerosis. N. Engl. J. Med. (2006) 354:899-910, RUDICK RA, STUART WH, CALABRESI PA et al.: Natalizumab plus interferon-b(1a) for relapsing multiple sclerosis. N. Engl. J. Med. (2006) 354:911-923, and YOUSRY TA, MAJOR EO, RYSCHKEWITSCH C et al.: Evaluation of patients treated with natalizumab for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. N. Engl. J. Med. (2006) 354:924-933

In this article the author cautions that large numbers of patients should not be prescribed natalizumab until its safety has been monitored in long-term use in a clinical trial environment, due to potentially severe risks.

authors: Doggrell SA

source: Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2006 Aug;7(12):1675-8

read more

Selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib prevents experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis through COX-2-independent pathway.

This paper shows that celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, inhibited the inflammatory response in a mouse model of MS, and concludes that celecoxib may be a potential therapeutic agent in MS.

authors: Miyamoto K, Miyake S, Mizuno M, Oka N, Kusunoki S, Yamamura T.

source: Brain. 2006 Aug;129(Pt 8):1984-92. Epub 2006 Jul 10

read more

back to top

Maintaining the effects of Novantrone: a small study

source: US National MS Society

Researchers report that giving Copaxone® (glatiramer acetate) after a short course of Novantrone® (mitoxantrone) appeared to be safe and effective in an open-label, uncontrolled study involving 27 people with very active relapsing-remitting MS.

read more

Study being used worldwide to improve lives of people with MS

source: RTI International

An RTI International study, conducted by RTI for MSIF, of programmes and policies needed to enhance the quality of life for people with MS is being used around the world to benefit those with the disease.

read more

Transmitting MS to children: possible differences in men and women

source: US National MS Society

A new study shows that, in a group of 441 children with a parent with multiple sclerosis, fathers with MS were more likely to pass on the disease to children than mothers with MS.

read more

US National MS Society research highlights

The US National MS Society has recently posted their Summer/Fall 2006 issue of "Research Highlights" on their website.

read more

back to top

Tell a friend

The email you subscribed with us is {{print email}}

Within this newsletter the following options are available: MSIF News; People with MS News; Research News and MS Society News. To amend your options please login to the 'My world of MS' online community where you can also read diary entries from people affected by MS, leave your own diary entries and send messages to other users. You can also change your email address, contact details and subscribe to our free publications.

If you have an RSS News Reader you can get the latest news syndicated to you by copying the following link to your Reader: Syndicate.

If you do not want to receive future issues of this newsletter or if you have received this in error, please accept our apologies and simply unsubscribe here

Multiple Sclerosis International Federation
3rd Floor Skyline House, 200 Union Street, SE1 0LX
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7620 1911
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7620 1922
Registered Charity: 1105321
Email: info@msif.org

 Click here to learn more about the work of the Making Connections sponsor.