24 February 2009

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MSIF News

Profile of the Month

Research News

MS News

Making Connections

48 MS organisations now signed up to World MS Day

MSIF News


	Summaries of new MSIF activities, events, projects, programmes, resources, publications and more.

Strengthening Arabic-speaking MS societies and increasing regional collaboration

From 19 to 20 February 2009, MSIF held its first Arabic Development Seminar in Cairo, Egypt.

'Opening doors for patients with MS' - profile of Prof Alan Thompson featured in Lancet Neurology

A profile of MSIF's International Medical and Scientific Board Chairman, Prof Alan Thompson is featured in the March edition of the Lancet Neurology journal.

Final reminder for MSIF’s Evelyn Nicholson Award nominations

In 2008, Elisabeth Golding from Norway used her Evelyn Nicholson Award to enable two members of her local MS society to take a short respite break.

Final reminder for MSIF’s James D. Wolfensohn Award nominations

The 2007 James D. Wolfensohn Award winner, Ann Langley from Australia, not only attended MSIF’s biennial Council, Board and Committee Meetings in Prague, Czech Republic, but she also presented the topic of 'Daily Living' at the international Living with MS Day which followed.

Profile of the Month


	Summaries of news, views and achievements from people with MS around the world.

Profile of the Month : January 2010

Adrijana Nikolić

Country: Montenegro
Connection with MS: Mother has MS
Profession: Executive Director, Montenegro MS Association (Udruženje Multiple Skleroze Crne Gore-Podgorica)
Age: 38

After my personal experience with MS I wanted to help other people in a similar situation so I decided to set up a national MS society in Montenegro.

Deutsch English Espanol Francais Italiano Русский

Research News


	Summaries of all the latest research findings on MS selected by a team based at the Institute of Neurology, London.

Disconnection as a mechanism for cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether the disruption of specific white matter tracts could be involved in cognitive dysfunction in patients with MS. The authors found that cognitive dysfunction was strongly correlated with not only the presence of lesions in certain brain regions, but also with damage in some other areas with no lesions but with a high disorganisation, suggesting disruption of the underlying anatomical connections within the brain.

authors: Dineen RA, Vilisaar J, Hlinka J, Bradshaw CM, Morgan PS, Constantinescu CS, Auer DP

source: Brain. 2009 Jan;132(Pt 1):239-49

Expression of the multiple sclerosis-associated MHC class II Allele HLA-DRB1*1501 is regulated by vitamin D

Multiple sclerosis is a complex disease where genes and environmental factors may play a role. The means by which these two major factors could be related are unknown. The authors of this study have demonstrated specific functional interactions at the molecular level between the most important genetic regions associated with MS and vitamin D, whose metabolism is strongly influenced by the exposure to sunlight.

authors: Ramagopalan SV, Maugeri NJ, Handunnetthi L, Lincoln MR, Orton SM, Dyment DA, Deluca GC, Herrera BM, Chao MJ, Sadovnick AD, Ebers GC, Knight JC

source: PLoS Genet. 2009 Feb;5(2):e1000369

The prognostic significance of cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis

In this study the authors aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the presence of oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with MS. Despite finding some differences between groups, such as a higher prevalence of RRMS in patients with positive oligoclonal bands, there were no significant differences in terms of disease severity between patients.

authors: Siritho S, Freedman MS

source: J Neurol Sci. 2009 Jan 30

Demyelinating events in early multiple sclerosis have inherent severity and recovery

In this longitudinal study the authors looked at the factors involved in the more severe course of the disease after a first event suggestive of MS. They found that patients with a more severe presentation and poorer recovery tended to have the same pattern of severity for the following relapses, suggesting an intra-patient homogeneity of the disease.

authors: Mowry EM, Pesic M, Grimes B, Deen S, Bacchetti P, Waubant E

source: Neurology. 2009 Feb 17;72(7):602-8

MS News


	Summaries of MS news from websites around the world.

Sativex satisfies regulatory hurdle

source: UK MS Society

The makers of cannabis-based treatment Sativex have today reported the results of a trial held to establish how effective the therapy is in people with MS.

Studies on the risks of smoking and potential benefits of breast feeding released in advance of American Academy of Neurology meeting

source: US National MS Society

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) recently sent out press releases related to two studies that are among hundreds about MS that will be presented at its annual meeting to be held in late April 2009.

Discovery of way to fight rare, but deadly, side effect from drug

source: UK MS Trust

Researchers at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, USA, have developed a technique that counteracts an unusual, but serious, side effect from natalizumab (Tysabri), a drug that fights multiple sclerosis (MS).

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