** Stu's Views & M.S. News **: 1/1/10

ABOUT this BLOG and How to use it

WELCOME to Stu's Views & MS News. A product of MS Views and News, a Not-for-Profit [501c3] organization that was founded in 2008, that provides educational Multiple Sclerosis information via live seminars and via the internet.

Our Mission is dedicated to the global collection and distribution of current information concerning Multiple Sclerosis via the Internet and Live Seminars.

Key-Notes: Our live seminars average approx 60 people per educational program. Our blog is visited over 2900 times per week and our website is visited by thousands each month.

Register at our website to receive our globally transmitted Multiple Sclerosis e-newsletter, currently being received in (88) Countries.

On the left side of this page find: Blog Directory, Blog Archives, Recent Blog Posts (most recent blogged titles). Use the Blog Search box (to enter a keyword). Find Resources (LOTS of resources), See our Facebook information AND Links to other MS Organizations / bloggers. .. At the Bottom of this page, find: Resourceful informational videos and some for fun.

Please SCROLL through this entire blog site to see all that we provide to keep those affected by MS (Patients and Caregivers), up-to-date and informed with information, education and resources.

========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mobility in the workplace

Found in this months' MSFYi newsletter:

In a Harris Interactive survey of people with MS, 64 percent reported difficulty walking, loss of balance at least twice a week when walking, or inability to walk.

Among those who experienced difficulty walking, 44 percent had to take days off from work and two-thirds of those indicated this impairment was the most challenging aspect of their MS. The difficulty with walking was disruptive or very disruptive to their overall daily life, negatively impacted their ability to carry out daily tasks, and negatively affected their emotional health.

Yet 39 percent of those surveyed indicated they rarely or never discussed mobility issues with their physician. These impairments can affect quality of life in all areas, but especially in the workplace.

In the November 2009 issue of the International Journal of MS Care, many strategies to improving mobility in the workplace are given.

Exercise is one of the best methods of improving mobility, and it can be done in the workplace as well as at home. Simple exercises that can be done at work include:

Corner stretching (bracing forearms against corner walls and leaning into the corner) to stretch chest muscles that have tightened from prolonged sitting.

Standing at the desk area and leaning forward, or stretching at the restroom sink during breaks. This is good for spasticity.

Maintain good posture by keeping the chin level and gently pulling the chin straight in so the ears are directly over the shoulders, aligning the spine and posture.

Sitting and standing repeatedly, knee bends, raising the heels to stand on the toes and then back on the heels. These are good strengthening exercises.

######################

.
Keep Informed with News and Information regarding Multiple Sclerosis. If not yet receiving the "Stu's Views and MS Related News", weekly M.S. e-newsletter, then please take 20 seconds to register at: http://www.msviewsandnews.org . - Thank you
.

============================================

Mothers with MS Adapt to Parenting with Fatigue

From the MSFYi Newsletter

Mothers with MS may be managing fatigue in vastly different ways than well mothers or those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), say researchers at East Carolina University. Debilitating fatigue is a common experience for people with MS, yet the fatigue that mothers with MS experience was not associated with their parenting.

In a study published in the December 2009 issue of Families, Systems, & Health, the impact of fatigue on mothers with MS was compared to mothers with RA, and well mothers in regard to three components: dealing with the typical daily hassles of parenting (e.g., children ignoring parental requests, struggles surrounding bedtime, or lack of privacy for parents), discipline styles (i.e., being lax or over-reactive in discipline), and monitoring the whereabouts of children.

“Since mothers with MS reported significantly more fatigue than well mothers and those with RA, we expected that fatigue would play a big role in the frequency and intensity of parenting daily hassles for mothers with MS, but we actually found that fatigue plays a small role for those we surveyed,” said Carmel White, one of the study’s authors.

The researchers surmise from this study and other studies that mothers with MS have learned to function in their role as a mother while experiencing regular fatigue by adjusting their expectations about parenting and/or their own parenting. For example, as observed in another research study, mothers with MS reported using more social support ( their partners or their parents), more self-preservation parenting (letting a child play by herself while the mother rests in the same room), and higher expectations of mature behavior from their children (explaining to their children that they are too tired to do an activity) to cope with fatigue while parenting.

Carmel White said, “Other studies with older children and mothers with chronic fatigue tell us that because fatigue is so prevalent in women with MS, many children can easily spot the symptom in their mother and, thus, may adjust their behavior to create less hassles for her. It might also be with these women that they have worked out an arrangement of sorts with their children centering on their level of fatigue.” It also appears that adequate sleep plays a critical role in managing parenting stress for mothers with MS.

######################

I Still Dream Big: Stories of Teens Living with Chronic Illness

For the benefit of Pediatric MS, I wanted to share the information found below, that may effect a Teen with MS. -

############################################

One day you’re hanging out with friends, at the mall, playing basketball at school, dreaming about your latest crush, and the next you’re in a hospital hooked up to tubes and wondering if you’ll ever feel normal again. Getting sick is never a part of the plan.

I Still Dream Big: Stories of Teens Living with Chronic Illness shares the stories of seventeen young people living with different chronic illnesses. Lupus. Diabetes. Multiple Sclerosis. Crohn’s. Rheumatoid Arthritis. No matter what the diagnosis, these young people share an important thing in common—their lives have been changed dramatically by illness. In their own words, these young people share their feelings about things like friendship, dating, independence, coping with medications, and their concerns and hopes for the future. Everyday issues—made more complicated by a chronic illness.

The voices of the teens in this book are filled with tenacity and optimism despite the very real challenges they face. As eighteen-year-old Jamie says, “You define yourself, not something written in a medical chart.” I Still Dream Big is a celebration of life and a reminder to all of us to hold onto our own dreams for the future—and to remember to DREAM BIG.

The book is available for purchase at www.amazon.com, at the publisher’s site, www.authorhouse.com , and at all major book outlets.

######################

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Multiple Sclerosis risk, changes with the seasons

Highs and Lows of when MS with the seasons .. Is this what they are now saying?

Washington, Jan 30 : A new study has revealed that the risk of developing multiple sclerosis changes with the season.

Lead researchers Emmanuelle Waubant and Ellen Mowry revealed that this seasonal effect is mediated by gene HLA-DRB1.

In many European populations, the HLA-DRB1*15 allele of this gene is associated with an increased risk of MS, and the large-scale study of MS patients from Canada, Sweden and Norway now shows that this allele is more common among patients born in the spring.

The researchers said the study was "unique in its attempt to understand how genes and environment interact in MS".

They said Vitamin D appears to influence the expression of the HLA-DRB1*15 allele.

Since vitamin D production fluctuates with the seasons, a vitamin D deficit in pregnant mothers could be related to the increased risk of MS among spring births.

However, further studies are required.

Waubant and Mowry said that understanding the environmental risks and their interaction with relevant genotypes might pave way for new treatments.

Study author Dr Sreeram Ramagopalan said that taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may reduce the risk of a child developing MS in later life.

Government guidelines also recommend that childrenunder five take daily vitamin D supplements.

The findings appear in journal Neurology.
--ANI

Article source: newKerala.com

######################

Friday, January 29, 2010

Could stem cells reverse MS?

January 28th, 2010

(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologist Tom Lane and a team of UCI researchers are leading an effort to determine whether a stem-cell-based treatment can repair neurological damage caused by multiple sclerosis.

More than eight years ago, Tom Lane helped discover a potential way to prevent multiple sclerosis from affecting the central nervous system. Now he’s leading an effort at UC Irvine to determine whether a stem-cell-based treatment can repair neurological damage caused by the chronic disease.

Lane, a molecular biology & biochemistry professor, is among 15 U.S. researchers who recently received five-year Collaborative MS Research Center Awards from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. With the $742,500 in funding, he has assembled a team to investigate the use of cell-replacement therapy to regenerate MS-ravaged nerve tissue.

In people with MS, immune-system T cells attack myelin, the protective coating of nerves, and eventually the nerve fibers themselves. Symptoms may be mild, such as intermittent numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. There is no cure for MS, and current treatments mainly try to limit immune-system response.

“The promise of cell-replacement strategies to treat MS is significant,” Lane says. “Imagine being able to infuse people with cells that could make new myelin or transform into healthy nerve cells. That’s the focus of our effort.”

Continue to read by clicking here

######################

Benefits of Tysabri far outweigh risks, European watchdog group says about Multiple Sclerosis drug

Tysabri is given by infusion

NMMS

January 26, 9:43 PMMultiple Sclerosis ExaminerMike Szymanski

A drug watchdog group in Europe has offered a thumbs-up for the Multiple Sclerosis drug Tysabri, as Europeans consider restricting the medication.

A short-term review of the drug by the European Medicines Agency noted that the benefits of the medication, usually given by infusion, is far better than the risk of the brain disease,progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). The rare brain infection has been noted in patients taking the drug more than two years.

The European distributors of the medication are considering stronger warning labels for people taking Tysabri.

The latest reports note that 31 patients on Tysabri have contracted a rare brain disease, 23 of them were on the medication for more than two years, and that puts the risk rate at 1 in 1,000.

The committee report notes that after two years, the risk of Tysabri increases, but it is still minimal for people with active relapsing-remitting MS.

Link to article at the Examiner.com

######################

Biologist launches stem cell test to cure Multiple Sclerosis symptoms

January 28, 5:46 PM

Multiple Sclerosis Examiner

Mike Szymanski

A California biologist is launching a study to see how stem cells may reverse the effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

The hope by molecular biologist Thomas E. Lane and the University of California at Irvine scientific team, is that the stem-cell treatment can repair damage to the myelin and nerves that are damaged by the neurological disease.

"The promise of cell-replacement strategies to treat MS is significant," Lane is quoted in a UC Irvine press release issued Thursday (Jan. 28). "Imagine being able to infuse people with cells that could make new myelin or transform into healthy nerve cells. That's the focus of our effort."

He is one of 15 scientists who won a grant of $742,500 funding from the Collaborative MS Research Center Awards from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Lane discovered a way to prevent the illness from damaging the central nervous system, and now he is working with stem cells.

With MS, the T-cells in the immune system of the body attack the myelin, which is the protective coating of the nerves. The T-cells also attack the nerve fibers and results in numbness of the limbs, paralysis, loss of vision and other symptoms.

A number of other studies at UC Irvine are also being funded to help study MS.

"With the knowledge acquired from these studies, we believe we’ll lay the foundation for the creation of safe and effective treatments to improve quality of life for people with MS," Lane says. "UCI has long been a leader in MS research and patient care, and it’s exciting to be part of the significant impact our researchers and clinicians make in this field."

Article Source: CLICK

######################

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Italian group offers $4.5M to fund new MS research on CCSVI ("Chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency")

Avis Favaro, CTV Medical Specialist

Date: Wednesday Jan. 27, 2010 5:53 PM ET

The Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation today announced it will allocate up to $4.5 million to fund ongoing research into CCSVI, a condition linked to Multiple Sclerosis.

The foundation says it is accepting research proposals until March 8 from scientists interested in studying "chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency," a newly-discovered condition uncovered by a team at the University of Ferrara in Italy and lead scientist Dr. Paolo Zamboni.

“We await proposals from groups of Italian researchers, in particular by the research groups that are already active with Prof. Zamboni,” the foundation said in an Italian news release.

Zamboni's team believes that CCSVI causes veins in the neck and upper chest to twist, narrow or become blocked; in some cases, these veins never form at all. The result is poor blood drainage from the brain. Zamboni has found that more than 90 per cent of patients with MS have these malformed veins, and improper blood flow from the brain.

Roberta Amaedo, president of the Italian Association for Multiple Sclerosis, said in the release: "We need certainty about the relationship between MS and CCSVI and on the clinical course that this can cause, and on that, clinical trials will make an important contribution.”

The association also cautioned patients against seeking endovascular or surgical procedures to open these blocked veins outside of controlled research studies.

Continue reading a watch a video by clicking here

######################

"Su Vida Con Esclerosis Múltiple" (Living with MS)- a Spanish MS Education Program in Miami-

Invites You to our First MS Education Program

........

Su Vida Con Esclerosis Múltiple

(Living with MS)

........

This is a "Spanish Language" program
.Your RSVP IS REQUIRED (see below).

With Guest Speaker: Dr. Angel Chinea

– Director of the MS Center in San Juan, P.R.-

..Discussions Include:

An MS Overview, Treatment Options and Symptom Management

.When: Saturday, February 6, 2010
.Time: 10:30 am – Registration

11:00 am – Program and Lunch

.

Place: InterContinental-West (Hotel)

2505 NW 87^th Ave. – Miami, Fl. 33172

Google Map

Just North of 836 on NW 87^th Ave
.

Your RSVP IS REQUIRED as seating is limited

To obtain a confirmation Number:
Reply by email to: Stuart@msviewsandnews.org
or call (954) 684-1683

.........FREE Raffle Prizes.

Program Sponsored with an Education Grant from Biogen-Idec

----------------------------------------------------------------------

============================================

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Problems Swallowing as a Symptom of Multiple Sclerosis

BEING this is one of my Symptoms, I had to provide it to you after receiving it from: about.com_MS

It's a good thing my wife knows the Hiemlich maneuver. She has unfortunately needed to use it on me a couple of scary times... Yes,, a very scary ordeal..

Dysphagia Can Be Subtle, But Dangerous

It seems like swallowing would just be second nature, not something we have to think about in order to do safely. However, swallowing is a complicated process that involves all sorts of muscle coordination and feedback to and from the brain through certain nerves and neural pathways. Multiple sclerosis (MS) can damage any of these nerves as well as the area of the brain responsible for coordinating swallowing, the brainstem. This can lead to swallowing difficulties, called dysphagia.

What do MS-Related Swallowing Problems Feel Like ?

Dysphagia includes many different problems with the swallowing process, even those that don't seem directly related to swallowing food, including:

Difficulty chewing
Coughing while eating or immediately afterwards
Excessive saliva or drooling
Choking
Food sticking in the throat
A weak, soft voice
Feeling that it is hard to swallow food or move it to the back of the mouth
Aspiration, meaning food or drink is going down the windpipe into the lungs
Vomiting food back up

How Common Are MS Related Swallowing Problems?

Between 30 and 40 percent of people with MS experience swallowing problems at some time. However, for many people with MS-related dysphagia, these changes are so subtle that they may not be aware of them, besides experiencing the occasional coughing fit after something “goes down the wrong way.”

What Causes MS Related Swallowing Problems?

Several different factors can contribute to swallowing problems, but the main cause of dysphagia are

lesions

in the part of the brain that controls swallowing (primarily the brainstem) or the nerves that provide feedback to the brain.

Dysphagia can also be caused or made worse by lack of saliva or dry mouth. Some medications used to control MS symptoms can cause a dry mouth, including:

Anticholinergics, prescribed for bladder dysfunction or diarrhea, including: propantheline, (Norpanth, Pro-Banthine) and dicyclomine (Bentyl)
Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep), desipramine (Norpramin),doxepin (Sinequan), (Tofranil-PM), nortriptyline (Pamelor).
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), including fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and paroxetine (Paxil).
Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors, a newer class of antidepressants, which includes venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine hydrochloride (Cymbalta).

Continue to read this from about.com:MS

######################

Biogen Starts Human Trial For Drug That Could Repair MS Damage

Info for this article provided to me by Rusty...

By Thomas Gryta and Jon Kamp, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) has begin human testing of an experimental drug, dubbed BIIB033, that it hopes will take the revolutionary step of repairing some of the damage done by multiple sclerosis.

Although it is a major step to begin testing in humans, drug development is always risky and it will take years to measure the drug's effectiveness and potential side effects.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic, inflammatory condition that occurs when the body attacks its own myelin, the protective insulation surrounding the nerve fibers, or axons, in the central nervous system. The debilitating disease affects an estimated 400,000 people in the U.S., according to the National MS Society, but current treatments only aim to slow the disease's progression and cannot help repair damage.

Research that focuses on ways to help the body regenerate myelin is growing and scientists around the world are taking several different approaches. Damage to myelin can distort or block messages carried by axons and result in a wide variety of MS symptoms such as vision problems, limb numbness and paralysis.

BIIB033 is an antibody designed to turn off Lingo-1, a molecule that the company believes prevents myelin production in adults after axons are well covered. Blocking Lingo-1 may encourage myelin regeneration, something that occurs in healthy adults, after damage from MS occurs.

The antibody has been shown to be effective in mouse models that are accepted as being useful for mimicking the properties of MS.

Continue from: The small Phase I study - on Nasdaq.com

######################

==================================