Mom's Story, A Child Learns About MS

Mom's Story, A Child Learns About MS
Available on Amazon and www.marynickum.com

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Demand Studio

I signed up on Demand Studios. Does anyone have any experience with them?

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Biomarkers Test for MS Nine Years Before Symptoms Appear

A small study analyzing the blood of healthy people who developed MS, along with the blood of those who did not, has uncovered “blood signatures” that may lead to a diagnosis of MS before symptoms appear, and consequently earlier and more effective intervention.

"We are not yet able to treat people with MS to prevent the onset of the disease but knowledge is power," says Anat Achiron, a professor of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and vice-dean of research at Sheba Medical Center. "Every time we meet a new patient exhibiting symptoms of MS, we must ask ourselves how long this has been going on. We can diagnose MS by brain MRI, but we've never been able to know how 'fresh' the disease is."

If doctors can predict the onset of MS early enough, intervention therapies using immunomodulatory drugs or beta-interferon drugs that stave off MS symptoms might be used.

Examining blood samples of twenty19-year-old Israelis who were inducted into the army as healthy soldiers, and the nine of them who later developed MS, Achiron and her team at Sheba were able to use a "high throughput analysis" using more than 12,000 gene transcripts expressions. The screening compared similarities and differences in the blood of those who developed MS and those who did not, eventually establishing biological markers.

"Those who will develop MS will show a different blood signature from those who will not," says Achiron. "When we compared the gene expression signatures, we saw a similar pattern of the same working biological processes."

These early genetic markers may now be used to test for MS up to nine years before healthy young adults start developing symptoms. And because MS is thought to have a genetic component and a tendency to be found in siblings, Achiron says the biomarkers can be used as a tool for brothers and sisters of people with MS. The goal is to learn more about the genetics of MS through this new discovery, with the hope that early intervention therapies may be more effective, and help advance medicine toward a cure, according to Achiron.

Typically by the time a person notices symptoms, significant and irreversible nerve damage is already done.

MSFoundation

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ning

I just joined a Ning. http://bookmarketing.ning.com/profile/MaryJNickum

A Ning is a social platform for an interest or passion online. Every member can reach millions of people from across the world to explore and express a particular interest, discover new outlets, and meet new people with shared pursuits.

I'm bringing the existence of a book marketing Ning to everyone's attention. Whether or not you choose to join, is your decision. I provided the link so you can check it out if you want.

As the author of a children's chapter book, I think any help with marketing is a plus. I think other authors may feel the same way.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Mom's Story, A Child Learns About MS

I will read, discuss and sign my book, Mom's Story, at Park Falls, WI Public Library on June 16th at 3:00 pm

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

With MS, am I going to end up in a wheelchair?

The natural course of MS is highly variable, and it is impossible to predict the nature, severity or timing of progression in a given patient. Some people with MS will have a more progressive disease course than others.

In some cases, the course of MS over the first five years may provide a clue to the progression of the disease over the next 10 years. Recent studies indicate that 90% of patients with minimal disability five years after onset were still ambulatory at 15 years. It is estimated that at 20 years after diagnosis, about 1/3 of people who receive no treatment may require a wheelchair or other assistive device.

With the present immunomodulatory therapies, the goal is to slow the progression of disability. Some people with MS respond quite well and may have no progression over years. For others, the treatment may slow, but not stop the progression. It is important to be proactive and work with your healthcare provider in order to obtain the most appropriate treatment, thus obtaining the highest level of benefit.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Multiple Sclerosis Question 4

Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis


Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, weakness, spasticity, balance problems, bladder and bowel problems, numbness, vision loss, tremors and depression.

Not all symptoms affect all MS patients. No two persons have the same complaints; no one develops all of the symptoms.

Symptoms may be persistent or may cease from time to time. Most patients have episodic patterns of attacks and remissions throughout the disease course. Symptoms may remit completely, leaving no residual damage, or partially leaving degrees of permanent impairment.


Because the symptoms that define the clinical picture of MS are the result of nerve lesions causing disturbances in electrical conduction in one or more areas of the CNS, the nature of the symptoms that occur is determined by the location of the lesion. For example: an optic nerve lesion may cause blurred vision; a brain stem lesion may cause dizziness or double vision; a spinal cord lesion may cause coordination/balance problems.