Fall 2012 MSConnection: Lone Star

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Botox Research Moves to Reduce Arm Tremors Botox significantly reduced arm tremor, and improved arm and fine hand movements and function, in a small study of people with MS. If confirmed in a larger study, this research may yield a new strategy to address this common and disabling symptom of MS, which is often resistant to treatment. Italian Study Finds Therapies Reduce Risk of Disease Progression Researchers who studied outcomes for 1,178 people with multiple sclerosis from three MS centers in Italy have concluded that using disease-modifying therapies significantly reduced the risk of progressing from relapsing-remitting to secondary-progressive MS. This study adds to the body of evidence suggesting that MS therapies improve future outcomes for people with

MS, having a positive effect not only on inflammation but also on the damage to nerve tissues that causes progression of disability over time. The study requires further confirmation, but it indicates the value of pursuing every novel avenue to answer questions posed by MS. Protein May Hold Key to Immune Attacks According to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers have identified a protein that may be a target of the immune attack in some people with MS. An immune response to this protein – called KIR4.1, which is found on several types of brain cells – was observed in the serum of 47 percent of people with MS who were tested. Further research is needed to confirm these findings, and to fully understand what role this protein may play in MS and its potential for developing new treatments.

Moving Toward A World Free of MS

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