Dr. Richard L. Bruno rants on why “Most research submitted to journals is [...]
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Harris Interactive polls 1,011 people living with MS and 317 care partners to determine impact on quality of [...] The spinal cord’s ability to process sensory information after a complete injury could play a key role in the development of new robotic rehabilitative devices. By Tom Scott The human body can function under extremely adverse conditions. This is becoming more evident in the field of spinal cord injuries (SCI), where researchers are uncovering the spinal cord’s ability to adapt to injury and the need for advanced robotic-assisted locomotor training devices to aid in recovery. The Brain-Spinal Cord Connection During a symposium at the New York Academy of Sciences, Reggie Edgerton, professor of Physiological Sciences at UCLA, presented his team’s research [...] Cutting edge hope for patients with chronic neurological disorders. By Tom Scott Viruses are ideal vectors for gene therapy. What is Gene Therapy? Gene therapy is the experimental treatment process of inserting a “corrected” or therapeutic gene into an individual’s cells and tissues to replace an “abnormal” disease-causing gene in order to treat a disease, or to use a gene to treat a disease, just like a medicine. Although gene therapy is still in its infancy, it has shown great potential in correcting and replacing defective genes behind many diseases, including cancer. Researchers in the US and Italy are investigating whether the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone, in a low dose, can relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis. By Ronald Hoffman, MD, and Skip Lenz, Pharm D, FASCP Last month, Action looked at a new use of the drug naltrexone, which was invented to combat addictions to heroin and other opiods, that has the potential to treat a range of neurological and other conditions when taken at a low-dose. (That article, “Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and MS,” is available here). This month we will look at three studies around the world that are testing the ability [...] What we know about multiple sclerosis now, and what we have yet to discover. By Tom Scott Jean-Martin Charcot, professor of Neurology at the University of Paris, was the first to complete a detailed study of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. In 1868, Charcot analyzed some unusual symptoms in a young female patient—tremor, slurred speech, and abnormal eye movements—comparing them to other patients with similar symptoms. He documented his observations and wrote a clinical-pathological defi nition of MS that is still accurate today. The three major signs of MS—diplopia (double vision), ataxia (disturbances of balance [...] Naltrexone, in a low dose, can boost the immune system – potentially helping those with central nervous system disorders like multiple sclerosis. By Ronald Hoffman, MD, and Skip Lenz, Pharm D FASCP “LDN may well be the most important therapeutic breakthrough in over fi fty years,” says David Gluck, MD, editor of www.ldninfo.org, a Web site detailing the uses of low-dose Naltrexone (LDN). “It provides a new method of medical treatment by mobilizing the natural defenses of one’s own immune system.” Naltrexone was approved by the FDA in 1984 in a 50 mg dose for the purpose of helping heroin or opium [...] What are the prospects for “curing” spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and related injuries of the central nervous system? By Lakshmi Bangalore, PhD The spinal cord is the only bridge that connects the brain to a vast majority of the body. The cables of wire-like nerve fibers within the bridge provide the path for millions of electrical signals that exert the brain’s control on the many organs and organ-systems, allowing them to perform their respective functions. When such a bridge is broken or damaged, there are important consequences. Paralysis, the inability to consciously move, is one of the most severe and devastating [...] Dr. Wise Young says SCI therapies abound. Clinical trials are key. By Rob Ingraham Recently returned from a year abroad where he helped organize the first, and largest, clinical trial network for spinal cord injury (SCI) therapies in China, Dr. Wise Young gave a ringing endorsement of the burgeoning therapeutic possibilities in development overseas and a plea for getting more clinical trials underway in the United States. Young, who holds the Richard H. Shindall Chair in Neuroscience in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University in New Jersey, delivered the Tri-Association Keynote Address at a plenary session of [...] By Tom Scott Cooling Therapy and a Buffalo Bill In football, injuries are expected and Kevin Everett, 25, has had his share throughout his career. During his stint at the University of Miami, a shoulder injury required surgery and in 2005, a torn knee ligament during the fi rst day of the Buffalo Bills minicamp sidelined him for the season. But the injury he sustained during the 2007 season’s home opener on September 9 against the Denver Broncos at the Bills’ Ralph Wilson stadium was much worse, one that every player in the League fears. While attempting to tackle [...] North Carolina high school senior Amanda Crowe is gathering recipes for a unique new cookbook as part of a graduation project and she needs your help. Amanda’s cookbook will be a compilation of recipes solicited exclusively from individuals with spinal cord injuries, family members, caregivers, therapists, or anyone involved with SCI. All proceeds from the sale of this innovative new cookbook will be donated to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. As Amanda says: “We all have two things in common: We all either know someone who has a SCI or have SCI ourselves AND we all want a cure for paralysis. Am [...] A researcher explains why he is optimistic about medical research-and why he thinks you should be too. By William Bauman, MD Have you ever appreciated medical care you received? If so, you know that medicine can make the difference between a good outcome and a bad one, and in the most dramatic instance, between life and death. Did you ever feel that a physician could only do so much to treat a friend or loved one? When this happens, one feels hopeless, but concrete action can still be taken. A disease is like a puzzle, and it can be “solved.” Even if [...] Part 1 of a 3-part series on understanding and coping with spasticity. By Rob Ingraham Spasticity, the sudden, involuntary muscle contractions characteristic of many people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI), is a complex secondary condition that, paradoxically, is a debilitating, painful burden for some, but an unexpected advantage for negotiating activities of daily living for others. “Some folks welcome spasticity; for others it is the bane of their existence,” said Dr. David R. Gater, chief of Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Gater presented an overview of the [...] Degeneration Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently discovered that a specific form of estrogen can prevent degeneration (a process by which a tissue deteriorates, loses functional activity, and may become converted into or replaced by other kinds of tissue) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) without increasing their risks of developing estrogen-induced cancers. Although there are numerous anti-inflammatory drugs on the market that help prevent MS flare-ups and physical symptoms such as loss of coordination and numbness, there are none that specifically combat degeneration of the brain and spinal cord. In a recent article published in UCLA Today, [...] HO is a devastating condition that turns soft tissue into hardened bone. By Tiffiny Carlson It had been six years since the accident that resulted in my becoming a C-6 quadriplegic. And it was one of the most bizarre things I had ever experienced. I realized something wasn’t quite right when I woke up one morning to find that the skin covering my entire right hip- area and right femur was red, blotchy, and warm. After closer examination, it was pretty clear that the muscles underneath the skin were also inflamed. Over time, after developing into a harder form of bone matter, [...] Neuralstem’s Cells Restore Motor Function in Spinal Ischemia-Paralyzed Rat Three rats paralyzed due to spinal ischemia returned to near normal ambulatory function six weeks after having received human spinal stem cells (hSSCs) developed by Neuralstem, Inc. (OTC BB:NRLS), researchers reported online in the journal, Neuroscience (www. neuroscience-ibro.com/). Three other rats, while not able to stand up two months after treatment, showed significant improvement in the mobility of all three lower extremity joints and increased muscle tone. In all the grafted animals, the majority of transplanted hSSCs cells survived and became mature neurons. The study was conducted at the University of California at San [...] Acorda Enrolls First Patient in Phase 3 MS Study Acorda Therapeutics recently announced that it has begun a second Phase 3 clinical study of Fampridine-SR in multiple sclerosis (MS), with the randomization of its first patient into the treatment phase of the study. The study is expected to enroll approximately 200 patients at 35 leading MS clinical centers in the United States and Canada. Fifteen centers have been initiated and are in the process of screening subjects for the trial. The MS-F204 study, which is conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will evaluate [...] Five Times More Seniors with Spinal Cord Injuries Now than 30 Years Ago The number of spinal cord injuries among senior citizens (age 70 and above) has grown fivefold in the past 30 years, as compared with younger spinal cord injury patients, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson’s Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of the Delaware Valley recently reported. As the population within the United States ages, it is estimated that 20% of its population will be older than 65 by 2040, and this aging of the population will likely have an impact on medicine and spinal cord rehabilitation centers as these [...] Stem Cell Bill Passes Senate On April 11, 2007, the Senate passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S.5) by a vote of 63 to 34. Research using embryonic stem cells is enormously promising for finding cures for spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) and many other conditions. This bill would lift the federal ban on using federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. President Bush is expected to veto this bill. Lead sponsors Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) noted that if one more senator can be persuaded to vote for it later this year, there will be [...] |
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