Hypoxia, smoking and EBV---

[cheerleader]

Perhaps researchers need to look more closely at hypoperfusion, or slowed cerebral blood flow, in MS/CCSVI. Lower levels of oxygen can affect the brain in many ways.
A recent post mortem study showed reactivated EBV cells in active MS lesions and in stroke brains.

In the seven MS patients' postmortem brain tissue studied, active MS lesions all contained Epstein-Barr virus infected cells.

Such cells weren't unique to MS, but were also detected in CNS tissue from two control patients with stroke, which the researchers pointed out is also a disease in which inflammation plays an important role.
Notably, Epstein-Barr virus-positive cells were present in much higher numbers in active MS lesions than expected in peripheral blood B cells, "which suggests that these cells are recruited to or accumulate in CNS infiltrates," Lünemann noted

http://www.everydayhealth.com/multiple- ... in-ms.aspx

What might reactivate this virus and cause it to replicate in the B cells?
Lack of oxygen reactivates EBV infection. The ischemic injury of slowed blood flow, caused be stroke or CCSVI, could reactivate EBV cells.

EBV in latent infection can be activated to lytic infection by hypoxia treatment.

http://www.journalofclinicalvirology.co ... S1386-6532(06%2900244-7/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC419879/
In fact, researchers have found a link between pwMS who smoke, and the levels of EBV antigens, or ENBA titers.

The investigators found that among patients with MS, anti-EBNA titers were much higher among smokers than among nonsmokers. In addition, the increased risk of MS associated with anti-EBNA was stronger among those who had ever smoked (odds ratio [OR], 3.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.7 – 5.7) compared with never smokers (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4 – 2.3; P value for interaction = .001).

To my knowledge, there is not a well-described causative mechanism linking smoking and MS,” she said. “Possible mechanisms, such as neurotoxicity and immunomodulatory effects, have been suggested, but there is limited data on this topic.”

Asked for comment on these findings, Lily Jung, MD, with the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, in Seattle, Washington, added that recent studies show that not only does smoking increase risk of developing MS, it also increases magnetic resonance imaging lesion volume and brain atrophy and leads to faster progression of the disease.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/720000

Smoking decreases oxygen and increases hypoxia. Hypoxia activates EBV. Seems like a potential link to me.
cheer

[Ruthless67]

Thanks Cheer,

Very interesting reading for me as I had mononucleosis as a teenager and then smoked for over 25 years.

Researchers

“the increased risk of MS associated with anti-EBNA was stronger among those who had ever smoked”

Cheer

“Seems like a potential link to me.”

ditto

Lora

[Cece]

Seems like a link to me too. It gives me the creeps too to think of EBV virus in my capillaries and brain.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/753031

An Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccine in the early phases of development may prove able to prevent infectious mononucleosis and EBV-associated cancers, without necessarily preventing the EBV infection itself. The vaccine targets the EBV glycoprotein gp350, which is the most abundant glycoprotein on the virus and on virus-infected cells.

Would getting a vaccine like this help even for people who are already infected with EBV? It's in a Phase III trial. I've posted it before, I see real potential in it.

[MrSuccess]

that's damn funny ....


MrSuccess