Category Archives: MS Treatment

IMAGE:Biologists from Boston College, Cornell University, University of Florida College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have unlocked new clues about the formation of debilitating viral reservoirs in HIV patients... view more Credit: Lee Pellegrini/Boston College CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Feb. 18, 2015) - A drug used to treat patients with Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis has helped scientists confirm how "viral reservoirs" form in patients living with HIV and also proven effective in animal trials at blocking the pathways to those reservoirs in the brain and gut, a team of researchers reported recently in the journal PLOS Pathogens. The drug, a humanized antibody called natalizumab, is produced by Biogen Idec Inc. under the brand name Tysabri and prescribed to patients suffering from Crohn's disease and relapse of multiple sclerosis. In their experiments, university researchers found the antibody effectively blocks a molecule that two types of white blood cells use to travel to the brain and the gut, where they collect in viral reserves linked to debilitating illnesses that strike people living with HIV, said Boston College Professor of Biology Ken Williams, a senior author of the report. The researchers found a three-week course of natalizumab, applied four weeks after infection, … Continue reading →

Tremendous progress has been achieved in the treatment of multiple sclerosis over the past two decades but there remains a high unmet medical need for certain areas of the disease, said Beln Garijo, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Healthcare. Building on our strong heritage in multiple sclerosis, we will continue to focus our innovation efforts on areas where we can make a difference, such as secondary progressive multiple sclerosis where there are currently very limited therapeutic options. The additional support to Opexa to further develop Tcelna (imilecleucel-T) is another sign of our long-standing and continuing commitment to improving the lives of people living with multiple sclerosis. Opexa and Merck Serono entered into the original option and license agreement for the development and commercialization of Tcelna in MS in February of 2013, at which time Opexa received a $5 million upfront payment. Pursuant to the original agreement, Merck Serono has an option to acquire an exclusive, worldwide (excluding Japan) license of Opexas Tcelna program for the treatment of MS. The option may be exercised by Merck Serono prior to or upon completion of Opexas ongoing Phase 2b Abili-T trial of Tcelna in patients with SPMS. Top-line data … Continue reading →

Feb. 19, 2015, 4 a.m. CanAssist restructure will provide the local branch with greater independence, president Gen Croaker said. SOLD: CanAssist has sold its patient accommodation facility, Jean Colvin House in Double Bay, as part of a restructure. Changes to the overall operation of CanAssist will provide the local branch with greater independence, president Gen Croaker said yesterday. Ms Croaker said CanAssist was undergoing a complete revamp. The organisations head office is downsizing by selling its patient accommodation facility, Jean Colvin House in Double Bay. Accommodation provided for support people and carers has also been sold off. Ms Croaker said the reality was that very few Bathurst patients travel to Sydney for their cancer treatment these days, with most undergoing radiation in Orange. She said community transports radiation bus transports patients from Bathurst to Orange, and then brings them back afterwards. This has alleviated much of the need to travel to Sydney, except in rare or extreme cases. Ms Croaker said the fact that fewer people need to seek treatment in Sydney was one of the factors in CanAssists decision to sell Jean Colvin House. View post: Restructure for CanAssist … Continue reading →

Source: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Facebook For a disease that affects 2.5 million people around the globe and more than 400,000 people in the United States, it's a shame that so little is known about multiple sclerosis despite the amount of money being put into research of the disease. MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 and is a progressive autoimmune disease that breaks down the myelin sheath that encapsulates a person's neurons and can negatively affect motor function.Researchers have long believed the disease triggers due to some combination of genetic and environmental factors. MS tends to have a higher incidence rate the farther you get from the equator, but no one is entirely certain why. Taking into account that there is no cure for MS, ongoing research into the disease is greatly needed. Apparently researchers are heeding this advice because for the second time in about a month new data emerged on MS that could lead to more targeted and successful treatments. Could this be game-changing news for select MS patients? According to a seven-author study published last month in the journal ASN NEURO , a discovered genetic variant found in women could be one … Continue reading →

St. Louis, MO - Washington University - infoZine - Working with mice, two research teams at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis independently linked the protein to the ability to clear debris from the brain. Such waste builds up both as a byproduct of daily mental activities and as a result of misdirected immune system attacks on brain cells. If too much debris is present in the brain for too long, it can contribute to neurological disease. In one study, appearing online Feb. 26 in Cell, scientists showed that Alzheimers brain plaques build up more slowly in mice that have a defective version of the TREM2 protein. In another, published Jan. 29 in Acta Neuropathologica, researchers showed that mice lacking the same protein had trouble cleaning up debris in the brain produced by damage to a protective coating on nerve cells. The problem is thought to occur in MS and other neurological disorders. Scientists are looking for ways to activate the protein to slow or prevent damage caused by neurological disorders. Previous studies have linked rare forms of the TREM2 gene to early-onset dementia and increased risk of Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Scientists … Continue reading →

Minister of State Kathleen Lynch says the review aims to give a stronger voice to the individual . Photograph: Alan Betson The controversial practice of administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to patients with mental health problems who refuse to consent to the treatment is to end. The move follows a major review of mental health legislation, due to be published today by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch. The expert group report contains 165 proposals which seek to strengthen patients rights, extend the remit of watchdog bodies and place a greater emphasis on childrens services. Current legislation is regarded by many campaigners as outdated given the growing emphasis on care in the community and demands for greater autonomy by patient groups. The proposals seek to move away from a paternalistic interpretation of patient rights to one where individuals have a much greater say in their own treatment. At present, the mental health Act states that ECT may be administered where a patient is unable or unwilling to give consent once it has been approved by two consultant psychiatrists. Under the proposals, it will no longer be possible to administer ECT to a person who has capacity and does not consent to the … Continue reading →

JACKSON, MS (PRWEB) March 05, 2015 At the 7th Annual Mississippi Addiction Conference The Basics and Beyond, leaders in addiction treatment met today in Jackson, Mississippi to listen to keynote speeches and updates in best clinical practices. Among the numerous respected speakers will be William S. Jacobs, Jr. M.D., who will address the role that pain medications have had in todays opiate overdose and addiction epidemic and new evidence-based treatment options. "It is hard to believe that much of the current opiate addiction epidemic has come about by overprescribing and by flooding our cities with narcotic medications, said Dr. Jacobs, Chief of Addiction Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University(GRU) and Medical Director at the Bluff Plantation in Augusta, Georgia. As a GRU Chief and triple board certified expert in addiction medicine, anesthesiology, and pain medicine, Dr. Jacobs shared best practices for evaluating and treating pain, detoxifying those addicted and monitoring patients to prevent abuse or addiction. "Once a person is abusing their medications, mixing them with other drugs or alcohol, not taking them as prescribed, a complete evaluation by an expert in addiction medicine is needed. Many times patients know that they have developed a … Continue reading →

An Alabama worker with preexisting arthritis is entitled to workers compensation benefits, but not knee replacement surgery, the Alabama Court of Appeals has ruled. Lula Durgin worked as a nursing home activities director for Fairhope, Alabama-based Fairhope Health & Rehab L.L.C., taking nursing home residents on outings to participate in various activities, court records show. On Feb. 10, 2012, Ms. Durgin twisted her right knee while climbing into the drivers seat of the company van before an outing, according to records. Even though her knee hurt, she said she went on the outing and didnt seek medical treatment for a few days. An orthopedist later diagnosed Ms. Durgin with a torn medial meniscus and found that she had preexisting arthritis in her right knee, records show. The orthopedist said it was difficult to determine how much of her meniscal tearing was preexisting and how much was caused by the 2012 injury, according to records. However, he said it was clear that the injury aggravated, accelerated, or incited Ms. Durgins knee condition. Ms. Durgins orthopedist said she reached maximum medical improvement for the work-related injury in June 2012, six weeks after undergoing an operation to remove the meniscal tear, records show. … Continue reading →

Minister of State Kathleen Lynch says the review aims to give a stronger voice to the individual . Photograph: Alan Betson problems who refuse to consent to the treatment is to end. The move follows a major review of mental health legislation, due to be published today by Minister of State Kathleen Lynch. The expert group report contains 165 proposals which seek to strengthen patients rights, extend the remit of watchdog bodies and place a greater emphasis on childrens services. Current legislation is regarded by many campaigners as outdated given the growing emphasis on care in the community and demands for greater autonomy by patient groups. The proposals seek to move away from a paternalistic interpretation of patient rights to one where individuals have a much greater say in their own treatment. At present, the mental health Act states that ECT may be administered where a patient is unable or unwilling to give consent once it has been approved by two consultant psychiatrists. Under the proposals, it will no longer be possible to administer ECT to a person who has capacity and does not consent to the treatment. Ms Lynch has confirmed she intends to change legislation shortly to reflect … Continue reading →

March 3, 2015, 10:30 p.m. Labor's plan to scrap the chemotherapy co-payment has been welcomed by the Cancer Council. State Labor's plan to scrap the chemotherapy co-payment has been welcomed by Cancer Council NSW South Region spokeswoman Tina Hunt. Ms Hunt said abolishing the co-payment was one of five issues Cancer Council NSW had identified in its statewide campaign, Saving Life: Vision for Change. She welcomed Keira MP Ryan Park's announcement on Monday that the co-payment for the life-saving treatment would be abolished if Labor won this month's state election. The shadow minister for the Illawarra said a Labor government would provide $6.2 million to ensure that chemotherapy was free to all cancer patients in NSW public hospitals. "It is heartening to see political parties acknowledge the financial burden on cancer patients, and recognise the role that state government can play in helping patients and carers at a difficult time in their lives," Ms Hunt said. "We know that some cancer patients can pay up to $180 in co-payment fees for their initial chemotherapy treatment and may be charged even more for further treatment. "Removing this financial cost will help ease the burden for cancer patients and their families." Ms … Continue reading →