Stu's Views and MS Related News

The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society, in collaboration with EMD Serono, announced a poster presentation, “MS Viewpoints: Outlook on Emerging MS Therapies,” at the 25th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The MS Viewpoints survey was conducted to evaluate the perceptions of health care professionals and people living with relapsing MS.

Key findings presented in the poster at ECTRIMS include:
· 41% of people living with relapsing MS reported feeling anxious about needles or intravenous therapy
· Nearly 20% of people with relapsing MS reported delaying prescribed therapy. Of those who delayed therapy, 29% did not start treatment for more than 1 year
· 68% of neurologists believed patients would initiate therapy sooner if an oral medication were available

Current treatment recommendations indicate that treatment should be started immediately following definitive diagnosis.1,2 Oral administration of MS treatments, MS Viewpoints found, is a desired improvement to MS therapy.

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Merck Serono Launches RebiSmart™, First Electronic Injection Device For Delivery of Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Rebif®

* RebiSmart™ is designed to improve ease of handling and usage and introduces the potential for improved treatment adherence for multiple sclerosis patients
* First launch of RebiSmart™ together with recently approved multidose cartridges of the new formulation of Rebif® in the European Union and Canada

Geneva, Switzerland, June 24, 2009 – Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today the launch of the innovative individually adjustable electronic injection device RebiSmart™ for the self-administration of Rebif® (interferon beta-1a), the company’s disease-modifying drug used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). RebiSmart™ is the first device of its kind in this indication and was specifically designed for ease of handling and use. The unique features of RebiSmart™ also introduce the potential for improved treatment adherence, helping patients receive the full benefit from their treatment.

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: biomechanical and functional outcome--a pilot study

Center for Sensorimotor Research, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximillians University, Munich, Germany.
jszecsi@nefo.med.uni-muenchen.de

summary: Rehabilitation in MS is essential to improve motor function when there is a certain degree of disability. However, rehabilitation treatment can be difficult if balance is also impaired, unless it is carried out with exercises which do not require a perfect balance, for example, with cycling. It has been shown in other neurological conditions that Functional Electric Stimulation (FES) when used during the process of rehabilitation (FES-supported exercise) can help to obtain better results. For this reason, the authors aimed to investigate whether FES-assisted cycling could help people with MS by performing a cross-over study. They found that the results obtained with FES-cycling therapy were much better than those obtained with cycling alone, not only in terms of subjective measures but also in objective outcomes, including the ability to transfer independently or the level of spasticity. The authors also found that the highest improvements were seen amongst people who had higher levels of disability.

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Written by Kate in Washington
May 2009

I'd like to thank, and share with you, a man who is devoting his life to the war on MS. A most celebrated researcher, one of international renown, a teaching professor, author whose works have appeared in Lancet, director of the new MS Clinic and Rehab Center at the University of Washington (where, in addition to turning out 8 fellows in its short existence, research is now underway to show the world that physical therapy "is still the only way to improve function in MS."), now in clinical trials with people for stem cell transplantation, CO-PI for the MSSRTC, and, among his many other achievements, the instigator behind the book that, in 1980, put fatigue on the formal MS menu, he is Dr. George Kraft, MS Neurologist and Physiatrist.

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Medical News Today

Patients Suffer As A Result Of Insurance Pricing Scheme
21 Mar 2009

Millions of patients suffering from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and certain types of cancer are at risk of incurring thousands of dollars in medical expenses due to a new pricing system being implemented by many insurance companies across the United States.

Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting this new system, commonly called Tier IV, for many of the expensive drugs used in the treatment of several diseases asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars a month for needed prescriptions. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi was one of many insurance companies to adopt this system, forcing its policyholders to shoulder 20 to 40 percent of the costs of their medication.

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An Overview of Heat Intolerance and MS

By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D., About.com - Originally Published June 26, 2008
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

For many of us with multiple sclerosis (MS), summer fills us with anxiety. Hot weather means MS symptoms and, well, suffering. As most people are going outside to enjoy the hot weather, we are drawing the blinds and resigning ourselves to cleaning out closets and reading novels. Even vacations are a challenge, as each year we look for places further from the equator or “adventures” that take place in air-conditioned coolness.

Heat intolerance in MS shows up as a "pseudoexacerbation" -- the experience of having symptoms appear or worsen due to heat exposure. This is different than a true relapse. In the case of a pseudoexacerbation, when the body’s temperature returns to normal, these symptoms disappear. No damage, such as inflammation, demyelination or new lesions, has been done during these pseudoexacerbations.

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MSTRust.org
Info provided by Sheryl in Miami



18 February 2009

Researchers at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center have developed a technique that counteracts an unusual, but serious, side effect from natalizumab (Tysabri), a drug that fights multiple sclerosis (MS).

The side effect is a brain virus called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

"This virus looks like a multiple sclerosis relapse," Dr Bhupendra Khatri says. "It rapidly destroys the white matter of the brain. Now we know exactly how to respond if this virus emerges."

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January 2009
Kollia K, Maderwald S, Putzki N, Schlamann M, Theysohn JM, Kraff O, Ladd ME, Forsting M, Wanke I.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology and Department of Neurology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; and Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Summary: This study compared conventional strength MRI to scans which used a much more powerful magnet in people with MS. It was found that the latter technique was more precise in detecting and defining brain

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Gum Diseases causes and risk factors reviews

To view Un-edited and complete article, click the above link

Periodontal disease is marked by bacterial overgrowth. However, a persistent immune response to chronic infections in the mouth is believed to play a major role in gum destruction.

Diseases Associated with Periodontal Disease

Autoimmune Diseases. Autoimmune conditions (Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, CREST syndrome) have been associated with a higher incidence of periodontal disease. Some research suggests that periodontal disease may even play some causal role. For example, one study suggested that P. gingivalis, one of the major bacteria in periodontal disease, was associated with destructive processes in the brain leading to multiple sclerosis. Still, more research is needed to determine a definitive association between these diseases.

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Posted to Stu's Views and MS News on December 24, 2008

Greeting the New Year
by: Susan Dorne, OT

Setting Personal Goals

Many people enjoy ringing in the New Year and use it as a time for reflection and a time to look toward the future. However for many, it can be a difficult time as they are faced with challenges that impact their lives and uncertainties for the future.

As we look toward the year ahead, we have a tendency to set resolutions, to look at things we can do differently to better ourselves and/or others. For me, setting resolutions was something

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