Standard Podcast [25:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (438)

Solutions for patients suffering from demyelination disorders

Hear these reports:

• Federal lawmakers recently formed first-ever Congressional Multiple Sclerosis caucus.
• Scientists find that the newly discovered cellular markers for multiple sclerosis – the CD39 regulatory T cells – are deficient in MS patients.
• Gene mutations/variations for the interleukin 2 and 7 receptors raise MS risk by 30%: This represents the first genetic risk factor to be discovered in almost 30 years. Key questions are: Might the ‘downstream’ effects of such gene mutations (on the IL receptors) be linked to the newly discovered decrease in CD39 regulatory T cells? What’s causing the gene mutations? Could the mutations be arising from viral or bacterial infections, and/or other environmental toxins?
• Brain lesions on MRI scans may predict MS in optic neuritis: this data may help us stratify optic neuritis patients’ risk of developing MS.

Weblinks:

• IL-2 Receptor Gene Mutation Impairs Regulatory T Cell Function and Causes Autoimmunity
• MS Link to Epstein-Barr Virus, Spirochetal Infections and Chlaymdia pneumonia infections.
• Seventy-five percent (75%) of female patients - initially presenting with optic neuritis – will eventually develop MS.
• Optic neuritis can occur during systemic viral infections, and can be caused by infections in the paranasal sinuses, and in the orbits.

Next week’s show: Seventh installment of Infection-Inflammation: Calor, Dolor, Rubor, Tumor for the 21st century Neurologist. Well report important news on influenza, and we’ll discuss news about how modeling sepsis (and other infections) is helping in our understanding of infectious disease. We’ll also present compelling information on fighting the ‘super bugs’ in hospitals, and much more.

 

 #84: Ideology for Neurology - Installment #6 [26:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (810)

Ideology for Neurology: Working toward neurological perfection.

Ideology-related Case File: ‘Why I Would Choose Neurology Again.’ Would you?

And ideally, with scientific advancements someday we’ll have highly effective diagnostics and treatments related to these news items:

• Iron Accumulation in Gray Matter Tied to Multiple Sclerosis
• New Stem Cell Legislation Introduced
• Stem Cell Therapy For Patients With Sinusitis Successful
• E-Prescribing Called ‘Win-Win’
• Alzheimer’s Programs Recognized for Excellence

Next week’s show: It’s the start of our Summer series of Rapid Fire episodes. There’s so much news to report that we’ll employ our bulleted format of news items, and strive to keep the next 6-8 shows to 15-20 minutes in length. We’ll still report the neurology news using our theme specific installments: Next week it’s our 6th installment of Neurology’s Cutting Edge - Surgery and trauma-related issues for neurology professionals:

• What two classes of medications have recently been found to lessen the deficits resulting from traumatic brain injury?

• And the “jacket” of a delicious sea creature shows great healing and biostimulant properties.

• Recent research from New York and California shows either carotid endarterectomy or stenting is superior to the other.

Weblinks:

• Iron linked to: Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Migraine.
• European Scientists’ Call For Action On Stem Cell Legislation.
• Stem Cells Effectively Treat Sinusitis
• Alzheimer’s Foundation Excellence in Care Program

Citations:

• Cohort study of relation between donating blood and risk of myocardial infarction in 2682 men in eastern Finland. British Medical Journal. 2006-12-17.
• Red blood cell aging and risk of cardiovascular diseases. Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation 18 (1998) 67-74; 67

 

 #82: Medicines with Merit - Installment #4 [36:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (945)

Medicines with Merit - Pharmaceuticals showing promise for the patient with neurological disease.

Focus: Current and emerging applications for Botox: the diluted natural protein from a highly toxic bacterium has many potential uses — maybe even for tension headaches.

And other medicines with merit:

• Ramelteon, a melatonin receptor agonist drug, is approximately 10 times more potent than natural melatonin.
• Pramipexole okayed for restless legs.
• Aspirin may reduce ischemic events in giant cell arteritis: appears to be a safe and effective adjunct in patients whose giant cell arteritis puts them at increased risk for ischemic vision loss and cerebrovascular accidents.
• Rituximab resolved severe vasculitis of the carotid and other vessels.

And last but not least: Granny…. The taser didn’t faze her. Isn’t the use of electricity to stun the body a lot more “holistic” — as a self-defense weapon with merit — than stunning it with piercing lead?

Next week’s show: Our 4th installment of Podcast for Peds - issues related to problems of the developing nervous system, and the young folks who have them. We?re pleased to have as guests Drs. Paul and Kiely Law to tell us more about the Interactive Autism Network!

Weblinks:

• Dr. Alan Scott, botox pioneer of 1980.
• Mechanism of action for botox
• Intrathecal baclofen for cerebral spasticity
• Cannabis sativa for spasticity in MS (Vanderbilt University)
• First-ever finding of genetic risk factors for restless leg syndrome
• Information on hormesis
• Botox ‘Emerging’ Applications:
  • Chronic Low Back Pain
  • Migraine and tension headache
  • BPH
  • Chronic prostatitis (= Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome, CPPS)

Reference (other): Free radical-mediated molecular damage. Mechanisms for the protective actions of melatonin in the central nervous system. Reiter R, Acunastroviejo D, Tan D, Burkhardt S (2001). Ann N Y Acad Sci 939: 200-15. PMID 11462772.

 

 #56: Destination Demyelination, Installment #2 [23:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (660)

Publication Date: Feb 9, 2007.

Show Notes: A laboratory model for Multiple Sclerosis is being used in mice to demonstrate potential therapeutic efficacy of nicotinamide (niacin, vitamin B-3) for multiple sclerosis.

And in our other report, a vaccination against a cytokine may be efficacious against MS. The chemical messenger secreted by a newly discovered type of T-helper cell has been exposed as the ‘root of all inflammatory and autoimmune evils.’ Vaccination against this cytokine presents a potential therapeutic strategy against MS, and a host of other autoimmune - ‘auto-inflammatory’ - disorders.

 

 #55: Ideology for Neurology, Installment #4 [26:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (531)

#55: Ideology for Neurology- Working toward neurological perfection Installment: #4.

Publication Date: Feb 2, 2007.

Show Notes: Some ‘alternative medicine’ approaches for treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are showing promise empirically, but controlled studies are largely lacking. If the scientific evidence of efficacy substantiates some of the treatments, it may then be time to integrate them more fully into ‘conventional medicine.’ Possible examples include omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, ginkgo biloba, cannabis sativa, bee sting therapy (’apitherapy), acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen, and maybe even someday the avoidance of dairy in select people.

A French neurologist in the early 1990s conducted a prospective study on more than 200 women with MS. He found that the MS relapse rate dropped by about 80% during pregnancy. Early this year, investigators will start enrolling women with relapsing-remitting MS in a multicenter trial designed to evaluate whether treatment with physiologic levels of estriol - comparable with levels which can be measured during pregnancy - will induce the same reductions in MS activity that have been documented during pregnancy. And MRI measures will be used to assess the MS patients’ progression.

And finally: MRI has revealed that adolescents who play violent video games have less activation in their prefrontal lobes, compared to those who played non-violent video games. The pre-frontal region is not a part of the brain we want to be less active in our young (or older) society members!

Show links: www.vitasearch.com (review of vitamin D as possible preventive and treatment for MS).