A breakthrough study looking at how the brain repairs itself could revolutionize treatments for multiple sclerosis. The research, performed on mice and tissue cultures, reveals for the first time that a type of cell involved in immune control also releases a protein that triggers regrowth of myelin. The international study - led by Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom - is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Senior author Dr. Denise Fitzgerald - of the University's Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine - describes the findings as "an important step forward in understanding how the brain and spinal cord is naturally repaired." Worldwide, more than 2.3 million people are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) - a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissue of the central nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. In MS, the immune system attacks and destroys myelin - the fatty, protective sheath that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers. As the myelin damage increases, it disrupts the signals that travel to and from the brain along the affected nerve fibers. This results in a range of symptoms that include impaired mobility, extreme fatigue, vision problems, pain, and … Continue reading →

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The University of California Riverside is launching a pilot for patients to assess if video visits are a viable stand-in for in-person consultations with neurologists. Backed by a $100,000 grant from Genentech, UC Riverside which opened its doors recently and will graduate its first class of medical students this year is aiming to enroll 100 people, with half receiving in-office visits and the other half getting the virtual visits. The home-based pilot will be conducted by a small team: just UCR professor and MS expert Elizabeth Morrison-Banks, MD, clinical assistant professor Kristyn Pellechia and a nurse practitioner. [Also:Hospital datacenters: Extinct in 5 years?] Using videoconferencing tools fromPolycom RealPresenceorVidyo,the nurse practitioner will go directly to the patients home and remotely connect with Morrison-Banks, who will perform a neurological assessment. This will involve an intake visit, a review of the patients history, discussion of lab results and neuro-imaging and treatment plans. They will compare the telemedicine intervention group with the standard visits on a number of variables including pain and fatigue levels, visual impairment, bladder and bowel control, plus mental health, sexual satisfaction and overall quality of life. What we are looking for is if telemedicine can serve as a substitute for … Continue reading →

Updated March 15, 2017 20:23:11 Two doctors who were previously diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) claim an unconventional treatment cleared them of the symptoms of the disease. They are among a growing number of MS patients who have made big lifestyle changes as part of a program, devised by Melbourne professor George Jelinek, which they say eliminated the symptoms of the disease that threatened to end their careers. Sam Gartland's future looked bleak when he was diagnosed with a relapsing remitting form of MS. His symptoms were so severe he had to quit his job as an intensive care doctor. "I couldn't actually walk from the car park to the intensive care unit," he said. A decade later, Dr Gartland spends his mornings either kickboxing or surfing on the New South Wales central coast. "I try and exercise every day," he said. "To the point where I'm sweating and my heart rate's up." MS remains the most common disabling disease among young adults. Eighty per cent of those diagnosed will be forced out of full-time work within 10 years. The Jelinek program consists of a strict regimen of exercise, meditation, low-fat diet and sun exposure to combat the condition. "If … Continue reading →