Until my relapse last summer, multiple sclerosis (MS) hadn’t really affected my daily life in nine years, so the recent MS Awareness Month made me pause. Living with the disease sometimes at the forefront and sometimes in the background has shown me how much the meaning of “awareness” can change. When I was diagnosed with…
Studies show why some nerve cells in brain are vulnerable in MS
A pair of studies showed that a group of nerve cells essential for cognition may be particularly vulnerable to damage in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers found that CUX2 neurons — specialized cells in the brain’s cortex, which governs complex thinking — are especially prone to DNA damage driven by inflammation in MS. This susceptibility appears to…
Wim Hof method, lifestyle changes reduce inflammation in new MS study
A 12-week intervention combining breathing exercises, cold exposure, and meditation — known as the Wim Hof Method (WHM) — or a lifestyle intervention aimed at improving physical activity and dietary habits may help reduce inflammation linked to disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a pilot study suggests. While neither approach affected markers of…
Natalizumab-Antibodies
Tweet This study looks at anti-drug antibodies against natalizumab and suggests that loss of efficacy is one of the better predictors of the response, but suggests that looking for ADA after a suspicious event is better than routine testing. They did this study because of a case of severe disease activity after 10 infusions of…
Prof Angray Kang End of an Era
Tweet I guess this blog is about celebrating research, but sadly research is a loser today and it comes with great sadness to report the passing of ProfAngry (1960-2026) who has been one of our research buddies for many years. Angray Kang was a Professor of Immunotechnology and was an ardent Fan of Derby County…
Scientists zero in on CD29 protein marker as key driver of MS in new study
In multiple sclerosis (MS), certain disease-driving immune cells carry a protein marker called CD29, which helps them move into the brain and trigger inflammation. That is the key finding of a new study by researchers in the Netherlands, who zeroed in on the protein as a driver of MS. “We identified CD29 as a characteristic…
Is ScandiLand Ready for Generic Cladribine?
Tweet The post below has very little to do with the title of my post but it looks at what happens after rituximab and they recon that cladribine is the next most cost effective drug. People getting rituximab switch after side effects such as infections related to loss of circulating antibody or because of breakthrough…
Wrinkley Risk Factor
Tweet I have a bit of a laugh at the risk factor for MS of the week,which surfaces in this or that rag each week, This week we had a new risk factor and that is food processed but here in another one and that is facial aging ….. what next anal bleaching:-)? I did…
Making sense of moments you can’t fully explain with MS
The other day, I walked into a room and stopped. Not because I needed something but because I couldn’t remember why I was there. Does this ever happen to you? Just a moment in the kitchen trying to remember what we thought we said we wanted to make for dinner. Moments like that—those little lapses…
EBV infections and Cancer/Autoimmunity
Tweet Immune response to EBV may control what the outcome is in relation to the infection, whether it is cancer or autoimmunity. I am sorry I don’t have the time or inclination to break this down further. Kamitaki N, Tang D, McCarroll SA, Loh PR. The DNA virome varies with human genes and environments. Nature….