http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The development of a new cell-culture system that mimics how specific nerve cell fibers in the brain become coated with protective myelin opens up new avenues of research about multiple sclerosis. Initial findings suggest that myelin regulates a key protein involved in sending long-distance signals. http://phys.org/news230482376.html Chemistry Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:53:10 EST news230482376 Laboratory studies by chemical engineers at UC Santa Barbara may lead to new experimental methods for early detection and diagnosis -- and to possible treatments -- for pathological tissues that are precursors to multiple sclerosis and similar diseases. http://phys.org/news225385728.html Nanotechnology Mon, 23 May 2011 16:09:14 EST news225385728 Scientists have uncovered an alternative source for some of the damage associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neuroinflammatory disorder. The research, published online by Cell Press on September 23rd in the journal Immunity, reveals a direct interaction between immune cells and neurons that plays a significant role in neuronal injury and may respond to therapeutic intervention. http://phys.org/news204463620.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:40:02 EST news204463620 Biologists at the California Institute of Technology have demonstrated a connection between multiple sclerosis (MS) -- an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord -- and gut bacteria. http://phys.org/news198765070.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:00:04 EST news198765070 The proper transmission of nerve signals along body nerves requires an insulation layer, named myelin sheath. To be efficient this sheath is designed to have a certain thickness and Swiss researchers from the ETH Zurich have now discovered that proteins Dlg1 and PTEN interact to control the myelin sheath thickness. Recently published in Science their discovery improves our understanding of Charcot-Marie-Tooth neurodegenerative diseases and open a new avenue in the potential treatment of these incurable and debilitating diseases. http://phys.org/news192908075.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 May 2010 18:35:05 EST news192908075 A drug whose clinical benefit in treating multiple sclerosis was discovered at Rush University Medical Center was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on January 22 and is now available in the U.S. http://phys.org/news189693805.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:43:43 EST news189693805 Researchers at UTHealth have demonstrated in rats that transplanting genetically modified adult stem cells into an injured spinal cord can help restore the electrical pathways associated with movement. The results are published in the Feb. 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. http://phys.org/news186226834.html Medicine & Health Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:40:45 EST news186226834 Using laboratory mice that had been bred to have brain changes similar to Alzheimer's disease, scientists were able to reduce two characteristic features of the disease by modifying the mice's immune systems with a special peptide (MOG45D) related to the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells and nerve fibers. As a result, anti-inflammatory cells were recruited from the blood into the brain, dampening the local inflammatory response. http://phys.org/news182079824.html Medicine & Health Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:10:05 EST news182079824 Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in childhood show that pediatric onset multiple sclerosis is more aggressive, and causes more brain lesions, than MS diagnosed in adulthood, researchers at the University at Buffalo have reported. http://phys.org/news177610613.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:40:02 EST news177610613 It has been known for a long time that T cells can attack the body's own structures and, if they infiltrate the CNS, cause diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The T cells damage the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects the fibers of nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks messages between the brain and the body, leading to various symptoms of MS such as impaired movements. http://phys.org/news165489022.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:20:02 EST news165489022 A preliminary study on the use of stem cells obtained from a patient's own adipose tissue in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has shown promising results. The three case studies, described in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Translational Medicine support further clinical evaluation of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells in MS and other autoimmune conditions. http://phys.org/news159776574.html Medicine & Health Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:23:23 EST news159776574 Anyone with a sweet tooth knows that too much of a good thing can lead to negative consequences. The same can be said about the signals that help maintain nerve cells, as demonstrated in a new study of myelin, a protein key to efficient neuronal transmission. http://phys.org/news152773248.html Biology Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:01:21 EST news152773248