Posted on 07/29/2007 4:44:55 PM PDT by neverdem
Medical researchers have made a significant advance in understanding multiple sclerosis, a common neurological disease that causes symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to paralysis.
The disease is one in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the electrical insulation of nerve fibers. The cause is part genetic and part environmental, but researchers trying to identify the relevant genes have endured repeated frustration. Their approach has been to guess what genes might be involved and see if patients have abnormal versions.
This guesswork has produced more than 100 candidate genes in recent years, none of which could be confirmed except for long-known variants in the mechanism used by immune system to recognize proteins that are foreign to the body.
In three articles published online today in The New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Genetics, three teams of researchers say they have identified, by separate routes, new genetic variants that contribute to the disease.
One team used a new, advanced gene-hunting method called Whole Genome Association, which has racked up a string of successes with major diseases in the last few months. The other teams used the candidate gene approach, but because all three teams identified the same gene, the researchers say they are confident that have opened a new window into the cause and possible treatment of multiple sclerosis.
The gene makes a substance called the interleukin-7 receptor, a protein that enables cells of the immune system to respond to a control agent. Researchers believe the receptor is part of a biochemical pathway involving many genes; defects in any of these genes may lead to the disease. It is now possible to explore the pathway, they say, in the hope of devising treatments to correct the disease-causing process.
The new research is the product of several large teams at universities...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A FReebie from NEJM
I was going to ping you here, but you have already found this thread.
And what, pray tell, wild party is a Beta(Seron) night?
Last year, hubbie had a very debilitating stroke. Neuronal diseases really suck. Blessings on you. I hope for a quick and speedy recovery.
I’m a Beta Babe too! I write on the side of my box (odd or even) depending on what day I start in a particular month. And then I leave the box in a very visible place near my computer. So all I have to do is remember if it’s an “odd” numbered day or “even” numbered day...and that helps me remember to do the shot.
No! they can’t cure MS. I won’t have any excuse to ride my bike and raise money. It’s my excuse to exercise.
(Just kidding)
Although I’m a 12 year veteran MS Bike Tour rider, I’d be glad to quit if they found a cure. All the best to you who are affected by MS.
My wife has to take the shots every night. Makes big swelled up areas at injection site that stays sore for 2-3 days. Just about the time the site gets almost back to normal, then it it time to inject there again. She has had MS for 30 some years.
She's in a wheelchair but can walk if she has to. A cure or a shutdown of symptoms would be wonderful. We have to see it to believe it though.
Prayers for your wife, and prayers for you, too as the spouse of someone living with MS. I haven’t been dx very long, but I am surprised that Mr. S_S29 has taken all of this so far, with the stride that he has.
I’ll accept your prayers and thank you.
I won't say that I've never missed a shot...I have, at times, intentionally skipped them. My motivation though is this. I always take the shot right before bedtime, and I don't have any side effects, so I don't have to premedicate. So I get the shot out of the wrapping and prepare it...once I've done that, I might let it sit there for a little while, but it's already mixed, so I don't want to waste it, and that's how I motivate myself. Even after years on the Beta, I still have pretty significant site reactions...and they hang around for about a month before they finally fade. My husband says he could play connect the dots on my body, LOL.
I know you guys appreciate it. I’ve got an incredibly generous group of friends and co-workers who donate every year and put up with my bicycle parked in a spare cube.
I think I’ve raised about $18,000 over the past few years.
One of my highlights this year was two women standing on the side of the road behind a minivan. They were holding up big posters that just said “thanks.”
I must have gotten something on my wraparound sunglasses becaus it got kind of hard to see and breathe for a minute.
Great job on your walk! It’s a huge accomplishment. The Michigan Chapter is hoping for $1.100,000 this year. And 90% of it goes directly to patients and research.
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