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FC Barcelona stars support World MS Day

Lionel Andrés Messi and Josep Guardiola from FC Barcelona have just announced their support for World MS Day.

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Profile of the Month : January 2010

Mandi Kingsbury

Nationality: New Zealand
Age: 37
Profession: Fashion stylist and designer
Type of MS: Relapsing remitting
Year of diagnosis: 2003


I have no intention of slowing down or stopping my career. I protest my MS every day and I would like people to do the same in a positive way. You can’t predict what is going to happen with MS and I’d hate it to take away anything from my life.


Deutsch English Español Français Italiano Русский

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Effects of levetiracetam on chronic pain in multiple sclerosis: results of a pilot, randomized, placebo-controlled study

Mild to severe pain may exist in a high proportion of people with MS. It is called neuropathic pain and its treatment is still quite unsatisfactory. The authors of this randomised, placebo-controlled, 3-month study aimed to investigate the efficacy of levetiracetam, a drug frequently used with anti-epileptic purposes, for neuropathic pain in MS. They found that levetiracetam was safe and effective against chronic neuropathic pain in people with MS, and suggest that more studies are needed to confirm such efficacy.

authors: Rossi S, Mataluni G, Codecà C, Fiore S, Buttari F, Musella A, Castelli M, Bernardi G, Centonze D

source: Eur J Neurol. 2009 Mar;16(3):360-6

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Effect of anti-CD25 antibody daclizumab in the inhibition of inflammation and stabilization of disease progression in multiple sclerosis

Since MS is an immune-mediated disease, most of the treatments currently available are modulators of the immune system (immunomodulatory treatments). Two years ago the daclizumab phase II trial in people with relapsing-remitting MS was published, showing that daclizumab, in combination with IFN, was effective in people with active disease. In this study the authors confirm what was found in that clinical trial and also highlight that daclizumab given in monotherapy may be enough to control disease activity in most people with MS. Moreover, they suggest some biological markers, which reflect changes in specific immune cells, as potential tools to predict treatment response.

authors: Bielekova B, Howard T, Packer AN, Richert N, Blevins G, Ohayon J, Waldmann TA, McFarland HF, Martin R

source: Arch Neurol. 2009 Apr;66(4):483-9

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Thalamic involvement and its impact on clinical disability in patients with multiple sclerosis: a diffusion tensor imaging study at 3T

MS is an inflammatory-demyelinating disease which mainly affects the white matter. However, there is increasing evidence that the grey matter is also involved and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the disease. On the other hand, conventional imaging techniques are not the best tools to investigate damage to the grey matter. In this article the authors have shown damage to the thalamus, which is an important grey matter nucleus of the brain, in a group of people with MS by means of a new imaging technique called DTI. More interestingly, the degree of damage to the thalamus correlated with clinical impairment.

authors: Tovar-Moll F, Evangelou IE, Chiu AW, Richert ND, Ostuni JL, Ohayon JM, Auh S, Ehrmantraut M, Talagala SL, McFarland HF, Bagnato F

source: AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2009 Apr 15

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The clinical and urodynamic results of a 3-month percutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis-related neurogenic bladder dysfunction

Bladder symptoms in MS are common. Among them there is the bladder overactivity, which can be very distressing. The authors of this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of percutaneous posterior tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) treatment in people with MS and bladder overactivity. Since the results were encouraging, the authors suggest that this treatment may be promising in clinical practice in the future.

authors: Kabay S, Kabay SC, Yucel M, Ozden H, Yilmaz Z, Aras O, Aras B

source: Neurourol Urodyn. 2009 Apr 16

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Smoking is associated with progressive disease course and increased progression in clinical disability in a prospective cohort of people with multiple sclerosis

In this study, where 200 people with MS were followed for almost 3 years, the authors found that smoking was positively associated with the progression of clinical disability. These findings suggest that further works are needed in order to understand better the mechanisms underlying smoking and MS, and develop further treatments.

authors: Pittas F, Ponsonby AL, van der Mei IA, Taylor BV, Blizzard L, Groom P, Ukoumunne OC, Dwyer T

source: J Neurol. 2009 Apr 9

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Climbing Mount Everest with MS - update

source: www.wendybooker.net and www.empowermentthroughadventure.com

Two women with MS from the USA, Lori Schneider and Wendy Booker, are currently climbing Mount Everest.

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Childhood MS under the spotlight at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, UK

source: UK MS Society

The first major UK study into MS in children, funded by the UK MS Society and Action Medical Research, was launched on 18 April 2009.

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Genetic hope for MS and cancer patients

source: UK MS Trust

Scottish scientists have discovered genetic "brakes" which could slow down or stop diseases such as MS and cancer.

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Family raises €129,000 for MS in Ireland

source: MS Ireland

The fundraising efforts of the Sweetman family were celebrated at a ceremony in the MS Care Centre in Rathgar, Ireland.

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