23 June 2009

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Profile of the Month

Research News

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MSIF News


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

Prof Alan Thompson, Chairman of IMSB represents MSIF at World Health Organization meeting

Prof Alan Thompson, Chairman of MSIF’s International Medical and Scientific Board (IMSB), is attending a meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss how MS will be classified in relation to other diseases, from 22-23 June in Geneva, Switzerland.

Profile of the Month


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

Profile of the Month : January 2010

Lori Schneider

Country: USA
Age: 52
Type of MS: rapidly progressing
Year of Diagnosis: 1999

"It was an amazing feeling to go step by step by step up Mount Everest with the World MS Day flag in my pack. Each step was hard and I had to concentrate on every aspect, and I had to really convince myself to keep going. It gave me a whole new feeling for people with MS who may have a hard time walking across a room. My difficulty on the mountain was short-lived, but I realised that some people with MS experience this level of difficulty with every step they take. I encourage them not to give up hope and to keep following their dreams!"

Deutsch English Español French Italiano Русский

Research News


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

Parent-of-origin effect in multiple sclerosis. Observations from interracial matings

MS is a complex disease with a very clear geographical distribution. It is thought that both environment and genes play a role in this geographical distribution. This study involved people with MS from Canada of Caucasian-North American Aboriginal admixture. The authors found that among those siblings with MS born in families where the mother was Caucasian and the father was North American Aboriginal, the proportion of females with MS was higher than among those people with MS born from a Caucasian father and a North American Aboriginal mother. Moreover, the risk of recurrence of MS among these siblings was higher for those families where the mother was Caucasian and father was North American Aboriginal than the other way around. These findings suggest that the risk of MS conferred by one of the parents (the one of Caucasian origin) seems to be different depending on the sex of the parent that confers higher risk. This could mean that either the genetic influence on the risk of MS or the interaction between genetics and environment on the development of MS are different depending on the sex of the parent who confers the high risk for MS. This study helps us to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease, though further studies are needed.

authors: Ramagopalan SV, Yee IM, Dyment DA, Orton SM, Marrie RA, Sadovnick AD, Ebers GC; For the Canadian Collaborative Study Group

source: Neurology. 2009 Jun 10

Genome-wide association study identifies new multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci on chromosomes 12 and 20

Predisposition to MS seems to be influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Certain variations of a number of genes have been associated with a higher risk of developing MS, most of them being related to the immune system. In this study, two previously unidentified regions of the DNA, located on chromosomes 12 and 20, have been associated with the risk of developing MS. These DNA regions have also been associated with the risk of developing other autoimmune diseases.

authors: The Australia and New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium (ANZgene); Study design and management committee:, Bahlo M, Booth DR, Broadley SA, Brown MA, Foote SJ, Griffiths LR, Kilpatrick TJ, Lechner-Scott J, Moscato P, Perreau VM, Rubio JP, Scott RJ, Stankovich J, Stewart GJ, Taylor BV, Wiley J; Sample processing, data handling and genotyping:, Brown MA, Booth DR, Clarke G, Cox MB, Csurhes PA, Danoy P, Drysdale K, Field J, Foote SJ, Greer JM, Griffiths LR, Guru P, Hadler J, McMorran BJ, Jensen CJ, Johnson LJ, McCallum R, Merriman M, Merriman T, Pryce K, Scott RJ, Stewart GJ, Tajouri L, Wilkins EJ, Rubio JP; Data analysis:, Bahlo M, Brown MA, Browning BL, Browning SR, Perera D, Rubio JP, Stankovich J; Phenotyping:, Broadley S, Butzkueven H, Carroll WM, Chapman C, Kermode AG, Marriott M, Mason D, Heard RN, Pender MP, Slee M, Tubridy N, Lechner-Scott J, Taylor BV, Willoughby E, Kilpatrick TJ.

source: Nat Genet. 2009 Jun 14

Redefining functionality and treatment efficacy in multiple sclerosis

MS is a disease in which various symptoms can seriously affect the quality of life (QoL) of people affected. However, scales and measurements used in clinical practice are mostly focused on mobility and ambulatory issues. The authors of this article describe the different tools used so far to assess QoL and expose the tools' lack of sensitivity to detect many problems related to QoL. Finally they propose new definitions of functionality and efficacy and highlight the important need to assess people with MS in a more comprehensive way, looking important issues such as cognitive function, emotional status, visual acuity, fatigue and pain as well as physical disability.

authors: Foley JF, Brandes DW

source: Neurology. 2009 Jun 9;72(23 Suppl 5):S1-11

Coping strategy and anxiety evolution in multiple sclerosis patients initiating interferon-beta treatment

Different coping strategies have been described in people dealing with stressful situations. Symptoms of anxiety and depression may occur in a high percentage of people recently diagnosed with MS, especially if they are about to start treatment. In this article the authors aimed to investigate whether the levels of anxiety and depression in people recently diagnosed with MS and who were due to start disease modifying drugs were different depending on the specific coping strategy they followed. They found that most people in the study chose a coping strategy consisting of obtaining information about the stressful situation (diagnosis and treatment) and dealing directly with the stressor (task-oriented strategy). Those people that chose a task-oriented strategy exhibited lower levels of anxiety compared to people who chose an emotion-oriented strategy (controlling all emotional issues related to the stressor) or an avoidance-oriented strategy (avoiding all kinds of confrontation). The authors concluded that understanding coping strategies may help health professionals to customise support and, in this case, increase adherence to treatment.

authors: Moreau T, Schmidt N, Joyeux O, Bungener C, Souvignet V

source: Eur Neurol. 2009 Jun 12;62(2):79-85

Grip force control in individuals with multiple sclerosis

In some neurological diseases including MS, and in elderly people, the grip force used for daily activities is excessively high, provoking an unnecessary waste of energy. In this study the authors aimed to investigate in a group of people with MS whether there was also an increased grip force compared to a group of controls. The grip force was measured by using a cylindrical object containing meters to measure acceleration in the three planes of space. As expected, they found an increased grip force in people with MS compared to controls. The authors suggested that impaired sensitivity and increased safety margins when holding objects (to avoid slippage) could be playing a role. The authors also suggested that including grip force control as an endpoint in neurorehabilitation therapy in people with MS may help them to avoid trauma disorders and fatigue.

authors: Iyengar V, Santos MJ, Ko M, Aruin AS

source: Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2009 Jun 16

MS News


	Summaries of MS news from websites around the world.

Biogen reports a ninth PML case from Tysabri

source: UK MS Trust

Biogen Idec Inc. have confirmed the ninth case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in a patient taking its MS treatment Tysabri since the drug was reintroduced in July 2006.

MS Society of Argentina to hold 17th Night of the Chefs fundraising event on 2 July 2009

source: Esclerosis Múltiple Argentina

The MS Society of Argentina, Esclerosis Múltiple Argentina (EMA), will be raising funds for their activities through the 17th Night of the Chefs event in Buenos Aires on 2 July 2009.

"Mójate por la Esclerosis Múltiple" (Get wet for MS) in Spain on 12 July 2009

source: Federación Española para la Lucha contra la Esclerosis Múltiple

More than 40,000 people are expected to raise funds and MS awareness on 12 July 2009 for the Spanish MS Federation’s annual "Get wet for MS" sponsored swimming campaign.

B&Q Ireland signs two-year deal with MS Ireland

source: MS Ireland

B&Q Ireland has agreed to adopt the MS Society of Ireland as their Charity of the Year for 2009 and 2010.

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