Dec
26
An enzyme could offer clues to a new treatment for multiple sclerosis.
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At age 30, filmmaker Jason DaSilva sees the world through a grainy, shaky lens and shuffles around his Manhattan neighborhood with the aid of a walker. DaSilva’s vision problems and weakness are symptoms of his multiple sclerosis, known as MS, a disease caused by the deterioration of brain cells and the fatty membranes that encase them.
DaSilva’s MS is the progressive form, which affects 15 to 20 percent of the 400,000 MS sufferers nationwide. Unlike acute MS, in which physical deterioration periodically starts and stops, there is no treatment for the progressive form. Although DaSilva’s disease hasn’t kept him from pursuing his passion — his films have been screened at more than 30 festivals, including Sundance — his symptoms keep getting worse.
A discovery by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., however, may open the door to new treatment options for patients like DaSilva. Scientists found that MS patients had elevated concentrations of an enzyme called Kallikrein 6, or KLK6, in their bloodstreams, and that those with the highest KLK6 levels were the most disabled by MS.
The study also found that the enzyme injured brain cells in mice. Researchers postulate that deactivating KLK6 could slow the progression of an MS-like condition in mice, and they hope to develop a similar treatment for progressive MS in humans.
read the rest via Scienceline » Preserving Nerves.
Dec
20
Hard times force difficult trade-off for chronically ill
Filed Under News, Personal Stories | Leave a Comment
HACKENSACK, N.J. — When Ruth Williams’ health plan stopped paying this past summer for the daily medication that slows her multiple sclerosis, she couldn’t afford its $1,000-a-month price tag.
It was a choice between electricity or medicine. The power company won.
Williams, 43, soon noticed her symptoms worsening. The tingling and numbness that had been confined to her fingertips after four years with multiple sclerosis climbed to her elbows. “I used to type away and then I realized I was making more mistakes than actual words,” she said.
It was the same with her feet: first, she had frozen toes, then the bottoms of her feet tightened and soon her lower legs were stiff.
“I knew I was putting myself in a position where it would be harder to do what I have to do for my family,” said Williams, who has a 10-year-old son. “I need my hands and feet. But what money I did have just went to pay the bills.”
This year’s economic woes have forced a terrible trade-off between short-term savings and long-term consequences for some people with chronic diseases. Medications are often their first cost-cutting target when it comes to medical care, because many pay a large share of their costs out-of-pocket. Some lack any coverage for drugs at all.
read the rest: The Wenatchee World Online - Hard times force difficult trade-off for chronically ill.
Dec
11
An MRI may identify the early warning signs of multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests, even in those who do not show signs of the disease.
Researchers found brain abnormalities similar to those that occur with MS in study subjects who were undergoing brain scans for other reasons, such as migraine or a head injury.
After an average of 5.4 years of follow up, 30 per cent of the 44 study participants developed MS symptoms, while another 29 per cent showed further brain abnormalities but did not have symptoms of the disease.
The findings are published in the online edition of the journal Neurology.
The researchers were able to rule out other causes for the abnormalities, which appeared on the MRI as tiny white spots on the brain.
read the rest: CTV.ca | Brain abnormalities may signal MS, study finds.