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Help Inform MSIF’s Arabic Development Seminar

In 2007, MSIF made it a key priority to provide support for the development of new and existing national MS societies and has identified Arab-speaking countries for its second Development Seminar. The aims of the seminar are to encourage and facilitate the sharing of information, skills and experience and determine development projects and programmes to be established.

Neurologists, health professionals and people affected by MS involved in the provision of support and services to people with MS in the following countries are invited to participate:

Algeria; Bahrain; Comoros; Djibouti; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Mauritania; Morocco; Oman; Palestinian Authority; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; Sudan; Syria; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen

In order for the seminar to be successful, MSIF needs to determine when and where the seminar should be held and what subjects should be covered. We would therefore be most grateful if anyone interested in attending the seminar, from the countries listed above, could complete a short online questionnaire in English.

Click here to enter the survey.

The questionnaire is also available in Word format, in English and Arabic, from Zoe Burr.

All questionnaires need to be completed, and, if applicable, returned to Zoe Burr by Friday 16 May 2008.

Spring 2008 Du Pré Grant update

We are delighted to announce the final successful Spring 2008 Du Pré Grant recipients. We award Du Pré Grants twice a year, to enable young researchers to learn new skills through collaborative research projects in other countries.

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2008 Winner of the Evelyn Nicholson Award for International Caregiver

This year, we received nominations for the annual Evelyn Nicholson Award for International Caregiver from the national MS societies of Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, Spain and the USA. The award is made in recognition of the outstanding commitment and devotion of a volunteer caregiver to a person, or people, with MS.

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Profile of the Month : June 2008

Country: Indonesia
Age: 36
Occupation: Writer, Tenant Relations Officer
Type of MS: Relapsing–remitting MS
Year of Diagnosis: 2001

"Help me with empathy, not sympathy"1

English Italiano Deutsche Espanol Francais Русско

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Axonal loss in the retinal nerve fiber layer in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser polarimetry (GDx) are fast and non-invasive techniques, which provide objective data on the extent of axonal loss in people with MS. Further prospective studies are needed to assess whether they can be useful as biomarkers of disease progression and response to treatment.

authors: Pueyo V, Martin J, Fernandez J, Almarcegui C, Ara J, Egea C, Pablo L, Honrubia F.

source: Mult Scler. 2008 Apr 18 [Epub ahead of print]

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Evidence for enhanced functional activity of cervical cord in relapsing multiple sclerosis.

The authors used functional MRI to investigate cervical cord activity in people with MS, and found an abnormal pattern of activation compared with controls.

authors: Agosta F, Valsasina P, Rocca MA, Caputo D, Sala S, Judica E, Stroman PW, Filippi M.

source: Magn Reson Med. 2008 Apr 21;59(5):1035-1042 [Epub ahead of print]

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High b-value q-space diffusion-weighted MRI of the human cervical spinal cord in vivo: Feasibility and application to multiple sclerosis.

Q-Space diffusion-weighted imaging is a new imaging technique which may improve our understanding of MS . In this study the authors showed the application of this technique to to the study of white matter in the spinal cord.

authors: Farrell JA, Smith SA, Gordon-Lipkin EM, Reich DS, Calabresi PA, van Zijl PC.

source: Magn Reson Med. 2008 Apr 21;59(5):1079-1089 [Epub ahead of print]

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Reduction in magnetic resonance imaging T2 burden of disease in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: analysis of 48-week data from the EVIDENCE (EVidence of Interferon Dose-response: European North American Comparative) study.

This study compared the total volume of T2 brain lesions in people with relapsing-remitting MS on interferon (IFN) beta-1a, 44 mcg subcutaneously (sc) three times weekly (tiw) with that in people with MS on IFN beta-1a, 30 mcg intramuscularly (im) once weekly (qw). The results showed that there was a greater reduction in T2 lesion volume after 48 weeks of treatment with IFN beta-1a, 44 mcg sc tiw . No differences in total volume of T2 lesion were found between patients with or without neutralizing antibodies.

authors: Traboulsee A, Al-Sabbagh A, Bennett R, Chang P, Li DK.

source: BMC Neurol. 2008 Apr 21;8(1):11 [Epub ahead of print]

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Biological markers for axonal degeneration in CSF and blood of patients with the first event indicative for multiple sclerosis.

The authors investigated some proteins as markers for axonal damage in people with a first relapse suggesting MS. They found a low concentration of one of these markers in serum and CSF and concluded that this result was limited and that the proteins studied are not suitable as biomarkers of MS activity at the early stage of the disease.

authors: Hein Née Maier K, Köhler A, Diem R, Sättler MB, Demmer I, Lange P, Bähr M, Otto M.

source: Neurosci Lett. 2008 May 2;436(1):72-6. Epub 2008 Mar 5.

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Saudi Arabia MS Awareness Seminar Report

On 17 April, over 80 people attended the MS Awareness Meeting in Jeddah, organised by Dr. Hussein Algahtani (pictured in full article) and sponsored by the King Khalid National Guard Hospital, for the Western Region.

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Canada: record-breaking 2008 GDP events

Canadian GDP 08 hosts set a new fundraising record, planning, cooking, and entertaining family and friends for a great cause. Events were held across the country from British Colombia to Québec.

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Multiple Sclerosis International Federation
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Tel: +44 (0) 20 7620 1911
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7620 1922
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Email: info@msif.org

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