Category Archives: MS Treatment

The volatile salts, ammonium acetate and ammonium formate are utilized in LC/MS applications to improve ionization under neutral conditions in ESI-MS, while acetic acid enhances chromatography separation under acidic conditions. These new Optima LC/MS reagents have minimal metal ion content, which limits mass adduct formation, facilitating MS interpretation. In addition, the low impurity levels, confirmed by diode array detection (LC/UV), extend column life. Purity is further enhanced by a new proprietary surface treatment applied to the HDPE bottle for acetic acid, which acts as a barrier between the bottle and acid, preventing contamination by plasticizers. Acetic acid is also available in convenient, ready to use 1mL glass ampules, ensuring the freshest additive for preparing aqueous and organic mobile phases in seconds, while safely eliminating the need to measure corrosive acids. To ensure optimum quality, product uniformity and purity, the ultrapure Optima LC/MS solvent range is manufactured in ISO 9001:2008 certified facilities. Lot-to-lot consistency and high purity across the entire Optima range, including the three new reagents, ensure consistent high standards during LC/MS applications and reproducible results with extremely low background noise. For more information on the Optima LC/MS reagents range and other Fisher Chemical products please visit http://www.acros.com or contact … Continue reading →

OTTAWA A member of an expert group advising the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) about the effectiveness of a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis has likened it to faith healing. Dr. Barry Rubin, medical director of the Toronto General Hospital's cardiac centre, and three American co-authors draw the parallel in an article entitled "The 'Liberation Procedure' for Multiple Sclerosis: Sacrificing Science at the Altar of Consumer Demand," in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Rubin sits on the CIHR's Scientific Expert Working Group, a 23-member international panel created by CIHR in 2010 to monitor and analyse research into the link between MS and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), a term coined by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni to describe blockages in the veins of the neck and spine. Zamboni's so-called "liberation treatment" involves opening the blocked veins by inserting a balloon, a procedure known as venous angioplasty. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced last month a team of researchers has been selected to conduct a clinical trial into CCSVI in about 100 MS patients. But the article by Rubin and his three co-authors says funding trials of a procedure "that has minimal basis in rational, … Continue reading →

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- After returning to Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai is blossoming with smiles, thanks to a group of people from Taiwan that have given her new perspective on life. Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, a 28-year-old Vietnamese patient struck with a rare aging disease that made her look like a 70-year-old lady, came to Taiwan for medical treatment. She began showing signs of Werner syndrome at the age of ten. But lacking the financial means to obtain medical assistance, her only option was the use of local herbs available in her home village. By the time she arrived in Taiwan, she looked and walked like a 70-year-old lady. After intensive treatment, she seems to be given a new perspective on life. It is hard to describe in words, but after seeing her transformation, all the hard work is worth it, said Mr. Walter Yeh, Vice President of Taiwan External Trade Development, while attending the press conference held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Mr. Yeh led the medical team from China Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, accompanied by Ms. Nguyens brother, back to Vietnam. Mr. Yeh expressed the importance of this occasion, … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO, May 14 (UPI) -- Smoking marijuana may be an effective treatment for spasticity -- a common and disabling symptom of multiple sclerosis, U.S. researchers suggest. Principal investigator Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, professor of neurosciences and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues randomly assigned 30 study participants to either the intervention group -- which smoked marijuana once daily for three days -- or the control group. After an 11-day interval, the participants crossed over to the other group. "We found that smoked cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing symptoms and pain in patients with treatment-resistant spasticity, or excessive muscle contractions," Corey-Bloom said in a statement. The researchers used a modified Ashford scale to grade the intensity of muscle tone by measuring such things as resistance in range of motion and rigidity. The researchers also looked at physical performance -- using a timed walk -- and cognitive function. Patients were also asked assess their feeling of "highness." The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found the marijuana was generally well tolerated, but it has mild effects on attention and concentration. The researchers noted that larger, long-term studies were needed … Continue reading →

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) just issued a warning alert that a multiple sclerosis (MS) stent treatment is both unproven and potentially deadly. Health care professionals and patients are being warned about injuries and deaths linked to use of an experimental procedure, sometimes referred to as liberation therapy or liberation procedure, used in the treatment of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). CCSVI is characterized by a narrowing (stenosis) of veins in the neck and chest; some experts believe that CCSVI is precursor or contributor to MS, impairing brain and upper spinal cord blood drainage. The experimental procedure uses balloon angioplasty devices or stents to widen narrowed chest and neck veins; however, the agency has been advised of incidents of death, stroke, stent detachment and migration, damage to the treated vein, blood clots, cranial nerve damage, and abdominal bleeding linked to the experimental procedure. Specifically, the FDA announced that at least two people died from the experimental procedure, said Reuters. Another patient is now permanently paralyzed, and others suffered bleeding in the brain, suffered strokes, blood clots, or other side effects. Stents are steel mesh coils that prop open arteries; balloon angioplasties utilize a balloon at the tip of … Continue reading →

The liberation therapy for MS targets chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. (File photo) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorities have warned that an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) called "liberation therapy" has no proven benefit and may even cause death. The FDA has issued a warning saying that using the unproven treatment for MS patients has caused death, strokes, nerve damage and abdominal bleeding. The unproven treatment targets chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) or narrowing of the veins in the head and neck that is often linked to MS. The procedure includes widening narrowed veins in the chest and neck through the use of balloon angioplasty or stents. Both of the techniques are commonly used to treat the blocked or narrowed coronary arteries of the heart. "Because there is no reliable evidence from controlled clinical trials that this procedure is effective in treating MS, FDA encourages rigorously-conducted, properly-targeted research to evaluate the relationship between CCSVI and MS, the federal agency recommended in a statement. Patients are encouraged to discuss the potential risks and benefits of this procedure with a neurologist or other physician who is familiar with MS and CCSVI, including the CCSVI procedures and their outcomes," the statement added. … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis Article Date: 11 May 2012 - 13:00 PDT Current Article Ratings: 2.75 (4 votes) The procedure, known as liberation therapy or liberation procedure, uses stents, also known as angioplasty, to widen veins in the chest and neck. Stents are small spring loaded devices placed into arteries or veins to hold them open. They have been used successfully in heart patients, although even that has its controversies. Theory has it that CCSVI is caused by poor drainage from the brain and upper spinal cord, so the procedure makes sense to some. However, the theory is just that and research into the causes of the disease, especially in terms of finding a link between MS and CCSVI, have been inconclusive. Even the criteria used to diagnose CCSVI has not been properly established. William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, confirm's the FDA's stance on the treatment : Widening the veins in the neck and chest has been associated with a variety of issues including: stroke, detachment and migration of the stents, damage to the treated vein, blood clots, cranial nerve damage, abdominal bleeding … Continue reading →

CAROLINE ALPHONSO TORONTO From Friday's Globe and Mail Published Thursday, May. 10, 2012 9:32PM EDT Last updated Friday, May. 11, 2012 8:31AM EDT In stark contrast to Canadas go-slow approach, U.S. drug regulators have issued their strongest warning yet to multiple sclerosis patients about the dangers of a controversial new treatment. The Food and Drug Administration issued its alert on Thursday after it received adverse reports connected with two patients who had the experimental therapy in the United States: One died from bleeding in the brain and another was paralyzed from a stroke. The agency said it also has heard reports of stents (sometimes used in the procedure) migrating to the heart, cranial nerve damage, blood clots and abdominal bleeding related to the procedure. The frequency of these complications is unknown. Because there is no reliable evidence from controlled clinical trials that this procedure is effective in treating MS, FDA encourages rigorously conducted, properly targeted research to evaluate the relationship between [the therapy] and MS, said William Maisel, chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Patients are encouraged to discuss the potential risks and benefits of this procedure with a neurologist … Continue reading →

Hundreds take part in local Walk MS Fundraising efforts by N.J. Metro Chapter go toward patient services, research BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer NORTH BRUNSWICK More than 400 walkers raised over $16,000 in cash during the 24th annual New Jersey Metro Chapter Walk MS, which was held at Babbage Park in North Brunswick on April 15. According to Linda Rossi, manager of grants and programs, the number will increase as online and future donations are added, working toward the sites goal of $100,000. Last year, the site brought in more than $73,500 for patient programs, support services, research initiatives and professional education. Over the past two years, the New Jersey Metro Chapter has brought in $2.5 million for research alone. Its invaluable what its going to do for people with MS and their families and caregivers, she said. Recent, newly established awareness campaigns include MS NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) to stop the diseases activity and restore function; MS Kills Connections, but Connections Kill MS to spread the word about MS; and the MS Youth Movement to engage youth through volunteer opportunities and education. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder that attacks the central nervous system, interrupting functions between the … Continue reading →

Ann Romney said Thursday that it felt like a rug being pulled from underneath you when she found out about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Romney, in a brief clip from an interview airing in full Friday on Foxs Americas Newsroom, described the time after her diagnosis in 1998 as a hard time in my life. Its like a rug being pulled out from underneath you, she said. And then what are you left with? And then you really have to evaluate. Who am I? Who am I really? Am I just what is identified as a teacher, a mother, you know, a professor, a business person? Those labels that we have that we so identify with in life. If everything is taken away from us, what are you really left with? Ann Romney credited her husband Mitt with giving her the greatest strength to cope with her new life with MS. And thats where I was, and its a struggle, she said. And it was a hard time in my life. And for Mitt, thats where he gave me the greatest strength. He was the one reminding me that it wasnt what I did why he loved me, it was … Continue reading →