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Just published: Issue 14 of our biannual magazine looks in detail at the different disease courses of MS

source: MSIF

International expert authors describe the clinical characteristics, treatment options and prognosis of the different courses, including relapsing-remitting MS, secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS, as well as other forms.

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Nicholson Award winners’ investment in the MS community

source: MSIF

The annual Evelyn Nicholson Award for International Caregiver recognises the outstanding commitment and devotion shown by caregivers throughout the world. Since 2007, winners of the award have been given UK£500 to go towards the cost of a service, product or activity of their choice.

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Profile of the Month : January 2010

Jyoti Ronghe

Country: India
Age: 47
Diagnosis Year: 1998
Type of MS: Secondary progressive
Profession: Adoption consultant

"I had three general medical practitioners in my family, but none of them had heard of MS. My parents and my husband were sure that it would be curable. When we learnt that it was incurable they were shocked."

Deutsch English Español French Italiano Русский

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Smoking is associated with increased lesion volumes and brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis

In people with MS, cigarette smoking has been associated with a higher risk of clinical progression. The authors of this study aimed to investigate the effects of cigarette smoking on the MRI scans of people with MS. They found that people who smoked at the time of their MRI scan, or who had smoked in the past, had higher lesion volumes and greater brain volume loss than those people who never smoked. To explain these results, a number of hypotheses have been proposed by the authors, but the potential mechanisms are still unclear.

authors: Zivadinov R, Weinstock-Guttman B, Hashmi K, Abdelrahman N, Stosic M, Dwyer M, Hussein S, Durfee J, Ramanathan M

source: Neurology. 2009 Aug 18;73(7):504-10

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Magnetic resonance imaging at first episode in pediatric multiple sclerosis retrospective evaluation according to KIDMUS and lesion dissemination in space criteria

About 5 to 10% of MS cases have a paediatric onset. Whilst MRI diagnostic criteria for MS after a first attack suggestive of MS in adults are well-defined, there is still some controversy for paediatric MS. At present there are two different sets of MRI criteria, one for children-onset MS (KIDMUS criteria) and another for adult-onset MS (McDonald criteria). However, it has been said that the KIDMUS criteria, when applied after a first attack, has a lower sensitivity than the McDonald criteria in detecting those people who have a higher risk of developing a second attack. The authors compared these two sets of MRI criteria in a population of children-onset MS and found that they had a very similar sensitivity to detect people at a higher risk of developing a second attack. These findings may have important consequences from the clinical practice perspective.

authors: Kurne A, Oguz KK, Oz Aksu A, Yarar C, Duman O, Hız Kurul S, Serdaroglu A, Anlar B

source: Brain Dev. 2009 Aug 12

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Gestational diabetes and multiple sclerosis

MS is a disease of unknown cause. Since the environment may play a role in its development, the authors investigated if the risk of developing MS increases in people whose mothers had gestational diabetes. They studied a group of more than 5,000 people with MS and a group of healthy controls (spousal control group). They compared the proportion of people whose mothers had diabetes during the period of pregnancy between the two groups. The authors found that in the group of people with MS, the proportion of mothers with gestational diabetes was significantly higher than the the group of healthy controls. Although the results of this study must be taken cautiously because of the limitations inherent to a retrospective analysis, they may offer insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.

authors: Ramagopalan SV, Dyment DA, Ebers GC, Sadovnick AD

source: Epidemiology. 2009 Sep;20(5):783-4

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Beneficial actions of oleanolic acid in an experimental model of multiple sclerosis: a potential therapeutic role

At present, there are six approved treatments for MS, but none of them can cure the disease. For this reason, there are a number of ongoing clinical trials underway. In this study the authors investigated the properties of oleanolic acid (OA), a molecule present in pomace olive oil, in an animal model of MS. They found that OA had beneficial effects at different levels, by promoting an anti-inflammatory environment in the central nervous system. These findings suggest that OA might be considered for future clinical trials in people with MS.

authors: Martín R, Carvalho-Tavares J, Hernández M, Arnes M, Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Nieto ML

source: Biochem Pharmacol. 2009 Aug 10

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Drug used for high blood pressure shows benefits in treating MS-like disease in mice

source: US National MS Society

Researchers funded in part by the US National MS Society have demonstrated that lisinopril – a drug commonly used to lower blood pressure – reversed symptoms in mice with MS-like disease, and stimulated the production of a type of immune cell that is thought to be capable of turning off MS immune attacks.

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New research suggests smoking may worsen MS

source: UK MS Society

Research published in the journal Neurology suggests that smoking may increase the number of lesions and reduce brain volume in people with MS.

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Molecule found in brain may help protect from damage caused by MS

source: UK MS Society

Researchers from the University of Bristol, UK, have identified a molecule that may help prevent nerve damage caused by MS.

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