BioMS Medical's lead drug, dirucotide (MBP8298) for the treatment ...
Canada NewsWire (press release) - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
"Based on previous clinical results, we believe dirucotide is well-positioned to become a first-in-class treatment for secondary progressive MS patients, ...


FDA 'fast track' granted to BioMS Medical for lead drug, dirucotide for the treatment of multiple sclerosis
News-Medical-Net Thu, 04 Sep 2008 6:10 AM PDT
BioMS Medical Corp has announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has granted fast track designation for the Company's lead drug, dirucotide (MBP8298), for the treatment of secondary progressive MS (SPMS). Dirucotide (MBP8298) is currently being evaluated in a U.S. pivotal phase III trial, named MAESTRO-03, at 68 sites with approximately 510 patients.

BioMS says its lead drug has received a fast-track designation from the FDA
The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News Thu, 04 Sep 2008 7:18 AM PDT
EDMONTON - Drug developer BioMS Medical Corp. said Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had granted its lead multiple sclerosis compound "fast track" status, which may expedite the drug's review process.

MS Market Is Estimated To Be Worth Almost US$8 Billion In 2008, With A Growth Rate Of 10.6% Year-On-Year
Medical News Today Thu, 04 Sep 2008 6:12 AM PDT
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "CNS Drug Discoveries: Multiple Sclerosis Chapter" report to their offering. This chapter of CNS Drug Discoveries focuses on the multiple sclerosis market.

MS Market Is Estimated To Be Worth Almost US$8B In 2008, With A Growth Rate Of 10.6% Year-On-Year
PharmaceuticalOnline Thu, 04 Sep 2008 3:59 AM PDT
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "CNS Drug Discoveries: Multiple Sclerosis Chapter" report to their offering.

Regulatory Immune Cells Not Defective In Multiple Sclerosis
Medical News Today Thu, 04 Sep 2008 6:11 AM PDT
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes neurodegeneration, resulting in numerous physical and mental disabilities. It is thought to be caused by out of control immune cells that attack the proteins that make up the protective sheath in which nerve cells are encased.

Multiple Sclerosis - Jeffery D. Kocsis, Ph.D. And Wayne State Graduate To Receive The Da Vinci Lifetime Achievement ...
Medical News Today Wed, 03 Sep 2008 6:09 PM PDT
Dr. Jeffery D. Kocsis is to receive the da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Michigan Chapter. Dr. Kocsis received his Ph.D. in 1976 from Wayne State University and has a long history of research and publications on transplantation-based approaches for protecting and repairing nerve functions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Dr.

Opexa partners with foundation to study multiple sclerosis biomarkers
SmartBrief - Washington,DC,USA
Opexa hopes that the research will bolster the development of diagnostics and its Tovaxin -- a cellular vaccine undergoing clinical trials -- for MS ...

Multiple Sclerosis - Jeffery D. Kocsis, Ph.D. And Wayne State ...
Medical News Today (press release) - UK
Dr. Kocsis and his team from the Yale University School of Medicine have shown that injecting cells that form myelin including human bone marrow stem cells ...

Other News To Note
TMCnet - USA
Under the terms of its collaboration with Opexa, the foundation will receive and analyze patient samples and clinical data from Opexa's Phase IIb study with ...

Montel Williams MS Foundation announces recipients of 2008 ...
EurekAlert (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
3, 2008 ─ Continuing its commitment to furthering the scientific study of Multiple Sclerosis, The Montel Williams MS Foundation announces the recipients of ...

'Sharing Miracles' Television Program to Feature Emmy Award ...
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UK
Finally in 1999, Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. His prognosis at the time was not good; in this month's episode, he says the doctor ...

Clinical Briefs
U.S. Medicine - Washington,DC,USA
Trial participants included both patients new to HBV therapy (375) and patients (51) who had received prior nucleoside treatment. ...

Identifying and Addressing Safety Signals in Clinical Trials
New England Journal of Medicine (subscription) - MA,USA
... leukoencephalopathy were identified in randomized trials evaluating natalizumab (Tysabri) in patients with multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease, ...

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Symptoms and Management

Dr. Short

Medical Chair Neurorehabilitation Program QEII Health Sciences Centre
View BIO

 

Q :

I have had MS for 4 years now and have been having some issues with balance lately. Should I be seeing my Neurologist? I don't think do I just have to wait it out don’t I?

A :

If you are having any new symptoms you should always be reassessed by a physician. You could start with your family physician as there are things besides MS that can cause decreased balance. If it does seem to be you MS a visit to your neurologist would be a good idea. You may not need to change your MS treatment as far a medication but you may benefit from other therapies such as a physiotherapy program for balance and lower extremity strengthening that may help with your balance and overall mobility. The physiotherapist referral can be generated by your neurologist or family doctor or if you are followed by a physiatrist (specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation).
9/5/2008 4:41:14 AM

More answers from Dr. Christine Short

More answers in the category: Symptoms and Management

http://www.msanswers.ca/QuestionView.aspx?L=2&QID=2207

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B-Vitamin Deficiency May Cause Vascular Cognitive Impairment
A deficiency of B-vitamins may cause vascular cognitive impairment, according to a new study. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University used an experimental model to examine the metabolic, cognitive, and microvascular effects of dietary B-vitamin deficiency.

Neuroscientist Scans Brain For Clues On Best Time To Multitask
In today's fast-paced world, multitasking has become an increasingly necessary part of our daily routine. Unfortunately, multitasking also is notoriously inefficient. However, a new brain imaging study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of New Hampshire finds that there are optimal times when we are better suited to multitask.

Human Stem Cell Methods Featured In CSH Protocols
The use of human embryonic stem cells is opening new avenues for research, from the understanding of normal human development to the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. This month's issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (03 Sept 2008

New Stem Cell Tools To Aid Drug Development
Scientists have designed, developed and tested new molecular tools for stem cell research to direct the formation of certain tissue types for use in drug development programmes.A collaborative team of scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have developed two synthetic molecules which can be used to coax stem cells to 'differentiate' - that is, transform into other forms of tissue.

Healthy Minds Across America Features 48 Public Forums On Mental Health Research, Sept. 14
People concerned about the toll that mental health disorders are taking on their families and communities will have a unique opportunity to hear from world-class experts on what is known to-date about the causes, symptoms and progression of such illnesses as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia and autism, and learn about current and potential treatments.

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Is the Common Cold Becoming a Killer?

Having a cold is a nuisance, but not dangerous. Right? Wrong. Sometimes it can turn deadly. Last year, 140 people in the US were killed by the kinds of virus that usually cause nothing more serious than sniffs and sneezes. In fact, we are surprisingly ignorant about the causes of the world's most common disease. But new technologies are changing that - and turning up cold viruses that are completely new to science. We ignore them at our peril...MORE

Is the common cold becoming a killer?

• 03 September 2008
• Debora MacKenzie
• Magazine issue 2672

IN APRIL last year, Paige Villers was finishing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas when she came down with a cold. She struggled to shake it off. Then came a prolonged battle with pneumonia, followed by an immune over-reaction that killed her.

"She had symptoms that just looked like a cold or the flu," Villers's mother told reporters. "You hear of people dying of pneumonia, but it's usually older people. Not a 19-year-old in the prime of her life."

It turned out that Villers had been infected by an adenovirus, a family of viruses that normally causes no more than a common cold. But this virus was a nasty new strain called Ad14, which killed at least 140 people in the US in 2007. The real toll may well have be much higher, as the viruses behind such deaths are rarely diagnosed.

The emergence of Ad14 ...

The complete article is 1734 words long.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19926721.900?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg19926721.900

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Natural birth 'may aid baby bond'

Natural birth may make mothers more responsive

Mothers who give birth naturally are more responsive to the cry of their baby than those who choose to have a Caesarean, American research suggests.

Brain scans on 12 new mothers soon after birth found more activity in areas linked to motivation and emotions in those who had a vaginal delivery.

The Yale University team says differences in the hormones generated by birth could be the key.

The women in this study were those who elected to have a Caesarean.

There is no doubt that many women who have a caesarean turn out to be wonderful mothers.

Professor James Walker
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

The contractions which are an essential part of a natural birth trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is thought to play a key role in shaping maternal behaviour.

However, undergoing a Caesarean does not trigger the same release of hormones.

The procedure has been linked to an increased risk of post-natal depression.

The Yale team carried out brain scans on 12 women two to four weeks after they had given birth - known as the early postpartum period.

Half had a Caesarean, the other half gave birth naturally.

The differences in brain activity were found in regions that not only appeared to influence a mother's response to her child, but also to regulate her mood.

Lead researcher Dr James Swain said the study, reported in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, might help provide a better understanding of the chemistry underpinning the attachment between a mother and her baby.

"Our results support the theory that variations in delivery conditions such as with caesarean section, which alters the neurohormonal experiences of childbirth, might decrease the responsiveness of the human maternal brain in the early postpartum."

Personality factors

Professor James Walker, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "We have long recognised that people who have a caesarean section do sometimes have some problems bonding with their baby."

Women who have a Caesarean section should be encouraged to cuddle their newborn against their skin straight after birth

Belinda Phipps
National Childbirth Trust

However, Professor Walker said the reason for this was unclear. In some instances, it might be related to clinical difficulties which made a caesarean necessary in the first place.

The latest study selected only women who opted for an elective Caesarean alongside the six who gave birth naturally, but Professor Walker said there might be specific personality characteristics within the former group which made maternal bonding more difficult.

He said it was also possible that women who had a Caesarean were slightly disengaged from the birth process in comparison to those who went through a natural delivery.

Professor Walker said there were no long-term studies assessing whether mothers who had a Caesarean had longer-term problems bonding their baby.

"There is no doubt that many women who have a Caesarean turn out to be wonderful mothers," he said.

Contact

Belinda Phipps, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "Bonding between a mother and baby is highly important and responding to a new baby's cry is a key part of maternal attachment.

"Women who have a Caesarean section should be encouraged to cuddle their newborn against their skin straight after birth and be offered practical support to help them fed and care for their baby."

Between 10% and 20% of all births in the UK are now delivered by Caesarean.

There is concern that too many women opt for an elective Caesarean, a major surgical procedure, with a risk of side effects.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7594282.stm