Multiple Sclerosis News and Research

Latest Multiple Sclerosis News and Research

Zika virus may be linked to autoimmune disorder that attacks the brain's myelin

The Zika virus may be associated with an autoimmune disorder that attacks the brain's myelin similar to multiple sclerosis, according to a small study that is being released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

11 Apr 2016

Taking epilepsy drug during pregnancy may not increase risk of birth defects

Babies born to pregnant women taking the epilepsy drug lamotrigine may not be at an increased risk of birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate or clubfoot, according to a study published in the April 6, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Apr 2016

Right side of the brain reorganizes itself after stroke to help recover speech-motor functions

New research suggests that looking at structures in the right side of the brain may help predict who will better recover from language problems after a stroke, according to a study published in Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

31 Mar 2016

High out-of-pocket costs linked to lower use of specialty drugs

"Specialty drugs" have become important treatment options for many serious and chronic diseases, and in some conditions like cancer they represent the only chance for long-term survival.

29 Mar 2016

Oregon's new birth control law could improve access to all forms of contraception

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, University of Minnesota School of Public Health and George Mason University applaud Oregon's new birth control law which allows women age 18 or older to obtain some methods of hormonal contraception directly from pharmacies, without having to visit a prescribing clinician, yet note how the law could go even further to improve access to all forms of contraception, according to a viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today.

29 Mar 2016

Oral administration of cyclotide may improve symptoms of multiple sclerosis

MedUni Vienna has made a crucial development in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Together with his team and the research group led by Gernot Schabbauer, international partners from Australia, Germany and Sweden, Christian Gruber, Chief Researcher at the Center for Physiology and Pharmacology has demonstrated in an animal model that, following treatment with a specially synthesized plant peptide (cyclotide), there is no further progression of the usual clinical signs of multiple sclerosis.

29 Mar 2016

Simple tips to help parents and children lead a healthy life

Obesity is almost at epidemic proportions; it has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years nationwide. Rosa Cataldo, DO, MPH, Director of the Healthy Weight & Wellness Center at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, says that the most effective approach to addressing weight loss in children are lifestyle-based modifications that involve parents.

26 Mar 2016

Exercise slows down cognitive decline in older adults

Exercise in older people is associated with a slower rate of decline in thinking skills that occurs with aging. People who reported light to no exercise experienced a decline equal to 10 more years of aging as compared to people who reported moderate to intense exercise, according to a population-based observational study published in the March 23, 2016, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Mar 2016

Retinal thickness points to disability worsening in MS patients

The thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) may help to predict worsening disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), optical coherence tomography (OCT) ...

24 Mar 2016

Researchers use DNA sequencing technology to identify gene variants that affect susceptibility to SLE

Demonstrating the potential of precision medicine, an international study based at UT Southwestern Medical Center used next-generation DNA sequencing technology to identify more than 1,000 gene variants that affect susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

21 Mar 2016

New scaffold technology could someday help treat Parkinson's disease, other brain-related conditions

Scientists at Rutgers and Stanford universities have created a new technology that could someday help treat Parkinson's disease and other devastating brain-related conditions that affect millions of people.

18 Mar 2016

Psoriasis patients experience widespread bone loss

Researchers from the Genes, Development and Disease Group, headed by Erwin Wagner at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered that psoriasis patients experience a widespread bone loss as a result of the disease.

17 Mar 2016

Excess comorbidity flagged in MS patients

Patients with multiple sclerosis have more comorbidities than would be expected for their age, even at the time of diagnosis, say researchers.

10 Mar 2016

Merck reports record results for 2015

Merck, a leading science and technology company, reported record results for 2015, emerging stronger from the transformation process that started in 2007. Net sales and EBITDA pre exceptionals were higher than ever before in Merck’s history of nearly 350 years.

From Merck 10 Mar 2016

People newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis share risk factors of other chronic illnesses

People newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis may often have other chronic health conditions as well, according to a study published in the March 9, 2016 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Mar 2016

Added benefit of multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod not proven, says IQWiG

Since its approval in 2011, the multiple sclerosis drug fingolimod (Gilenya) has already undergone three early benefit assessments, all of which were mainly based on the approval study TRANSFORMS. After a new modification of the therapeutic indication by the regulatory authorities, the Federal Joint Committee again commissioned the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care to examine the added benefit of the drug in accordance with the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products.

9 Mar 2016

Metabolic syndrome treatment benefits MS patients

Oral antidiabetic medications have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in patients with multiple sclerosis and metabolic syndrome, providing support for a link between metabolism and autoimmunity, researchers report.

9 Mar 2016

Novel mechanism identified to protect the brain from many neurodegenerative conditions

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a novel mechanism that could be used to protect the brain from damage due to stroke and a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, including sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

8 Mar 2016

Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy linked to MS risk

Children born to mothers deficient in vitamin D during early pregnancy have an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults, researchers report.

8 Mar 2016

Kessler Foundation's Silvana L. Costa awarded Switzer Research Fellowship for research on MS

Silvana L. Costa, PhD, of Kessler Foundation has been awarded a Switzer Research Fellowship by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. The $70,000 Merit Award funds her research on "Processing Speed Deficits in Multiple Sclerosis: Exploring the Complex Sensorial Cognitive Motor Interaction."

7 Mar 2016