Leukemia drug gives hopes to MS sufferers
Researchers in Britain say they have found that a drug used to treat leukemia can halt and even reverse the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS).
The findings published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine will bring fresh hope to the world's millions of sufferers of the the auto-immune disease.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge in eastern England found that a drug called alemtuzumab can stop the advance of MS in its early stages.
MS causes the body's immune system to attack nerve fibres in the central nervous system.
Symptoms of the disease can include loss of sight and mobility, depression, fatigue and cognitive problems. There is no cure, and few effective treatments. Read an explainer about MS
In trials among sufferers, alemtuzumab cut the number of attacks and helped them recover lost functions. It even apparently helped repair damaged brain tissue so individuals were less disabled than at the start of the study.
Researchers also compared the effectiveness of alemtuzumab with interferon beta-1a, a leading MS treatment.
They found patients treated with alemtuzumab were 74 percent less likely to experience relapses than those taking interferon beta-1a.
"The ability of an MS drug to promote brain repair is unprecedented," said Dr. Alasdair Coles, a lecturer at Cambridge university's department of clinical neurosciences, who worked on the study.
"We are witnessing a drug which, if given early enough, might effectively stop the advancement of the disease and also restore lost function by promoting repair of the damaged brain tissue."
The MS Society, Britain's largest support charity for those affected by the condition, said the results of the trial will bring hope to many thousands of people living with the condition.
Lee Dunster, head of research at the charity, said: "The MS Society has been following this trial closely and we are delighted that it has reported such positive results.
"This is the first drug that has shown the potential to halt and even reverse the debilitating effects of MS and this news will rightly bring hope to people living with the condition day in, day out."
Despite the optimism researchers said further research must be carried out before the drug could be approved for the treatment of MS.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon
Recently, I made a commitment to run in the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon October 9, 2011. This is no doubt a divine appointment as I had been seeking God for an avenue to make a difference. I ran the Rock'n'Roll marathon last year in Seattle. My first marathon ever and quite honestly the first major running competition I had competed in since my Track & Field Days in High school. My only goal that June day was to finish the marathon, and I did! Months of training with my sister-in-law by my side had paid off and I was thrilled that I had finished! Thinking that finishing one marathon would certainly be enough in my lifetime, I hung my medal up and really didn't give another marathon much thought.
Several months had gone by when I started getting the itch to compete again. I wanted to improve my time since the last marathon; however, lacked a good training program and the thought was merely a distant goal.
In the meantime, I was seeking God for a way to make a difference in other people's lives. I was trying to find the area God was calling me to when one day I saw a flyer for Team In Training. Team In Training is an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for those suffering from Leukemia, Lymphoma and other cancers of the same sort. It was then I knew I had found my calling.
Why this cause, you may ask? This cause hits close to home. In December 2010 I found out that a dear friend I knew in High School past away (5 years earlier) after battling Burkitt's Lymphoma. This really shook me. I was completely shocked to hear that someone my age, someone I had known personally, had been a victim. I found out later that this disease is known to hit young people. People that have hope for a future like my friend that had recently gotten married, graduated and started a career in teaching. But his story has inspired me to reach out. To do my part in helping raise funds in support of further research to find a cure. Which I may add may help find cures for other cancers and other diseases such as MS that are closely related.
Not only will being a part of this team bring funds and support to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but it gives an opportunity for me to take care of myself as well and compete once again in a marathon. A marathon for life and hope!
God calls us to be a light in the darkness. Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
PS- If you would like to support me in this calling, or if you would like to learn more, please visit my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/victoria11/hmartinj6s
Thank you!
Several months had gone by when I started getting the itch to compete again. I wanted to improve my time since the last marathon; however, lacked a good training program and the thought was merely a distant goal.
In the meantime, I was seeking God for a way to make a difference in other people's lives. I was trying to find the area God was calling me to when one day I saw a flyer for Team In Training. Team In Training is an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for those suffering from Leukemia, Lymphoma and other cancers of the same sort. It was then I knew I had found my calling.
Why this cause, you may ask? This cause hits close to home. In December 2010 I found out that a dear friend I knew in High School past away (5 years earlier) after battling Burkitt's Lymphoma. This really shook me. I was completely shocked to hear that someone my age, someone I had known personally, had been a victim. I found out later that this disease is known to hit young people. People that have hope for a future like my friend that had recently gotten married, graduated and started a career in teaching. But his story has inspired me to reach out. To do my part in helping raise funds in support of further research to find a cure. Which I may add may help find cures for other cancers and other diseases such as MS that are closely related.
Not only will being a part of this team bring funds and support to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but it gives an opportunity for me to take care of myself as well and compete once again in a marathon. A marathon for life and hope!
God calls us to be a light in the darkness. Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message)14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
PS- If you would like to support me in this calling, or if you would like to learn more, please visit my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/wa/victoria11/hmartinj6s
Thank you!
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