uprightdoc wrote:
Hello Joan,
Sorry I missed your post. You're welcome and thanks for the compliment.
Unfortunately, my paper on neuromyelitis optica (Devic's disease) and Asian optic spinal MS was recently rejected. It's a terrific paper. The reviewer, however, said it was seriously flawed becaused I suggest that the two conditions are part of the MS spectrum. The reviewer maintains that the discovery of the aquaporin channels and the NMO-IgG antibody, which I discuss thoroughly, proved that NMO is a distinct condition unrelated to MS. I strongly disagree. It may be distinct but that doesn't mean that it isn't related to MS. It was the same arguement and reason for rejection of my papers from reviewers thirty years ago when I linked normal pressure hydrocephalus to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and MS. The reviewers all maintained that NPH was a distinct condition unrelated to other neurodegenerative conditions.
Warm regards,
Dr. Flanagan
Time is proving your theories. Yes, the reaction may be unique to the individual-depending on epigenetics/genetics- but it appears the mechanism is related. Hypoperfusion of CSF, blood and the newly discovered (g)lymph system is present in all diseases of neurodegeneration and is a common factor.
Dr. Peter Stys, neurologist and stroke researcher at the Un. of Calgary, was given a 3.8 million dollar grant fee to look at progressive MS, and he concluded that the commonality and differences in diseases of neurodegeneration may simply come down to age of the patient when hypoperfusion can no longer be overcome, and "cytodegeneration" occurs.
The differences may be related to age: Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease present decades later than MS, and immune responsiveness wanes with age through a process of ‘immune senescence’ (REFS 21,87). Indeed, the responsiveness of T cells, which are known to be centrally involved in the immunopathogenesis of MS88, appears to be particularly altered with age87. Moreover, it is conceivable that the putative cytodegeneration involving the myelinating unit (oligodendroglia, their processes and myelin) in MS releases debris that is more antigenic35,36,66 than the debris that is shed from the mainly synaptic and neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease and other traditional neurodegenerative disorders.
http://ccsvi.org/index.php/the-basics/c ... l-diseases
I remain hopeful! Thanks for your continued efforts, and keep submitting those papers. Your life's work is helping so many people, and the craniocervical junction is finally receiving attention in TBI and neurodegenerative disease. My husband is nine years past his MS diagnosis, with remyelination of his cervical lesion, a reversal in gray matter atrophy, no MS progression-- still jogging, traveling and working full days. That's the best gift. We'll keep getting the info out to others.
Merry Christmas,
Joan
