This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

This might be old news but with my memory everything is new news
Seems interesting but I'm never sure how accurate information is after it's been disseminated by a reporter. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 105436.htm
Bob

Quote from the article:

MS is an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system, causing symptoms such as loss of balance and muscle coordination, and changes in cognitive function. The disease is marked by loss of myelin, a material that coats nerve fibers. Past studies showed that the destruction of the myelin sheath is associated with the accumulation of fibrinogen deposits in the brain of human MS patients. In this study, Akassoglou and colleagues showed that fibrinogen is not merely associated with the damage in MS, but an active participant. Fibrinogen activates macrophage cells in the brain called microglia, causing inflammation which damages myelin.

The scientists sought to design a therapeutic strategy that would block the damaging effects of fibrinogen without affecting its beneficial blood coagulation. Studying a mouse model, the researchers identified a specific receptor called Mac-1 that is expressed by microglial cells and binds to fibrinogen. Mice expressing a mutant form of fibrinogen that failed to bind Mac-1 had fewer inflammatory lesions and less severe MS symptoms. Blocking the interaction between Mac-1 and fibrinogen after the first episode of paralysis using the fibrin peptide prevented subsequent relapses. It also prevented further microglia activation and damage to myelin in the diseased mice, allowing them to survive with improved motor function.

"Importantly, this approach blocks fibrin's interaction with microglia, but not with platelets, so clotting wouldn't be impacted," said Akassoglou, adding that this potential MS therapy might also have applications to other blood-brain barrier diseases where blood leakage and microglia activation is present such as spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease or stroke.
- end of the quote

Well, round we go.
There is a perfect example how someone can manipulate with facts and misconceptions.
MS is not an inflammatory disease. Inflammation is secondary to tissue damage (any tissue, any sort of damage). Brake of BBB is a part of inherited response to treat the brain tissue damage of significant volume. When BBB brakes down, all blood components come/flood in. Fibrinogen activates macrophages, that's true, but this maybe covers only few percent in whole spectrum of activation agents on the site of destruction. Also, scar building goes not from fibrinogen ‘outsider / from the blood source’, it builds up very slowly by fibrocytes of the brain. Intensity of scar tissue depends how ‘clean’ the lesion space became after finishing up the inflammatory reaction. If there are many ‘pieces of garbage’ left – the scar will be more intense. Physiological role of scarification – to silent down, isolate from healthy tissue these toxic (in this case – very neurotoxic) residual ‘chunks’ of destroyed tissue.
There is more. The tiny vessels around the MS lesion became clogged (and fibrinogen plays the major role here, not platelets) soon after attack, why, because it is of part of precisely timed response, it has a certain timeline, up to 2 weeks only. Than the area of lesion became isolated from the body immune system (and blood stream) again. Inner repair continues up to several months.


Kind regards,
Tony

Thanks for you excellent and lucid interpretation Tony.

A question for you concerning inflammation and that is do you think the DMD's provide a level (at least for some people) of modulation that is enough to stop the damage done by the immune system but not so much that they may have a worsening affect on disability?

From time to time, I wonder if I should be on a DMD such as copaxone (wouldn't take the others). However, chances of this getting offered by the NHS are remote for me as up to now I appear to have a very benign disease course. Only 2 offical relapses in over 25 years with what appears to be complete recovery, no disability, no fatigue etc etc but obviously at the back of my mind is always the concern that it may not stay this way.

Manchester

- manchester

You're welcome.
Well, if I were you I wouldn't take anything during remission.
You're the lucky one to have such course of MS. Stay put, eat and sleep well, don't overload yourself physically and emotionally and you have a good chances be well for long time.
DMD could not protect from relapse taken during remission, the idea of using this drug 'discovery' was to fool cellular component of immune responce DURING relapse (at the beginning of drug making), and therefore to limit 'agressive attack' of T-cells. During remission cells couldn't get into the brain, it is sealed.

Actually this idea of DMD came from alternative treatment, when you eat animal brain during and after attack you will recover faster. But sheep brain is much cheaper
Teva tried to get oral version, it was 'in the air' somewhere around 2000, but they didn't.
Again, if you come up with oral version - sheep brain is more affordable.

Kind regards,
Tony

Note. Do not consider my posts as a direct medical advice, always seek profeesional help from your physician. This post is for informational purpose only.

Yikes! Not much chance of eating sheep as I am a vegetarian! That is very interesting to hear though.

I am also interested in you saying that the DMDs have no affect where people are in remission, if I am understanding this correctly then it would seem to suggest there is not much point in anyone taking a DMD unless their MS is active all the time?

Manchester

I thought that the purpose of dmd's was to help decrease the time between relapses and lessen the duration and severity of a relapse.

Manchester have you done anything in the 25 years of your ms to help it remain like that (benign)?
And do your mri's remain unchanged? I hope you don't mind me asking

Thanks

Elly

Tony - Really interesting info. Thanks for taking the time to so succintly explain the issue.

Amazingly my doctor has told my husband to eat cow brain. I am scared to death for him to try it because of mad cow. Do you eat animal brain?

Also, have you done anything else to seal up the Blood brain barrier? Supplements, etc...?

I am positive that I would rather limp forever than eat sheep or cow brain. That is just too gross to even think about.

gwa

You got it right.

-daisy
About cow brain and BSE.
You can eat it without scare, BSE does not jump over the species barrier.

I remember a documentary (2parts for 1 hour) maybe 10-12 years ago about BSE-vCJD with leading American scientists claiming that after 10 years there will be hundreds thousand of people with vCJD around the globe. Well, there are not.

Kind regards,
Tony