The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark conducted a study of adding methylprednisolone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

The study involved patients with relapsing-remitting MS and who had the disease for an average of three years. The treatment group received both interferon and methylprednisolone, while the control group received the interferon drug and a placebo. The study lasted for three years and the participants were only seen every three months.

The researchers measured the size of the brain lesions at the initial phase and again after a period of three years. They found that those in the treatment group, their lesions either stayed the same size or it shrunk while the lesions grew in size for those in the control group. The sign of disease activity is measured primarily by the size of the lesion in the brain.

Furthermore, those who received both drugs have fewer incidences of relapses while those receiving interferon only have a 38% higher rate of relapse. In terms of MS disability tests, the treatment group improved slightly higher than the control or placebo group.

These results might be an indication that there is a synergy between the two drugs which can provide more benefits than interferon alone.

According to Science Daily:

“These results indicate that these two drugs may have a synergy when taken together and provide a more beneficial effect on the disease activity,” said study author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. “This is a promising finding, as the benefit from interferon is only moderate and not everyone responds fully to the treatment, so anything we can do to boost those results is positive.”

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Steroids help to reduce inflammation, but University of Illinois scientists suggest they also could be used to reverse a loss of myelin – a major problem in multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases and injuries associated with the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Treatment of MS already includes the use of steroids, because they relieve inflammation and speed remission. However, new findings indicate that the steroids dexamethasone and progesterone actually signal the initiation and dramatically increase the rate of myelin synthesis.

From Bio-Medicine:

“I think this work is very important in that it helps clarify the signals that are responsible for the synthesis of myelin,” said Jonah R. Chan, a doctoral student in the department of biochemistry and neuroscience program at the University of Illinois.

Myelin is a white substance made of fat and proteins that form in a protective spiral sheath around the axon of nerve fibers. The sheath is a vital component of the body’s efficient and rapid nerve-communication system.

“Steroids seem to be very important in regulating the initiation and synthesis,” said Michael Glaser, professor of biochemistry and lead investigator of the project. “They had been implicated as having a role in the overall process, but not for enhancing the actual synthesis. It is our hope that this line of work will lead to a line of treatment for nerve injuries and demyelinating diseases.”

Their findings provided the first live look at the signals initiating myelin formation in live cells, Glaser said.

What causes a loss of myelin – demyelination – in MS cases is not known, but is believed to be the result of an abnormal immune response to bacteria and viruses. When myelin fails to form, it jeopardizes nerve communications leading to altered sensations and other complications. Demyelination is a focal point of research around the world.

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According to a new study conducted by researchers from the Ohio State University Medical Center, a substance created by the immune cells play a pivotal role in disease progression in animals, closely mimicking multiple sclerosis. The study found out that blockage of this molecule known as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) can effectively prevent disease progression.

Though MIF may be considered of less importance for MS initiation, it is imperative for the progression of multiple sclerosis, as per principal investigator Caroline C. Whitacre, Professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Our results suggest that MIF may be less important for initiating MS, but that it may be necessary for MS progression,” says principal investigator Caroline C. Whitacre, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics.

“These findings indicate that in the future we can perhaps use MIF levels to predict the onset of a relapse. But more importantly, perhaps this study will lead to drugs that can halt the course of MS by blocking the action of MIF.”

The findings clearly suggested that MIF levels can be used for predicting the onset of a relapse. Most importantly, the study is believed to create new roadways for halting the course of MS by blocking MIF activities.

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As per a recently concluded study, a combination of steroids and multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs to treat MS can minimize the amount of disease activity more than a MS drug alone. This study was a part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting that was conducted in Seattle, Washington from April 25 – May 2, 2009.

Multiple Sclerosis, also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata, is an autoimmune condition in which the human body’s immune system poses an attack to the central nervous system. Such an attack leads to demyelination (damage of myelin sheath of neurons). Impairments of movement, cognition, and sensation are some of the possible ailments after a demyelinating disease.

From ScienceDaily:

At the beginning of the study and again after three years, the researchers measured the size of lesions in the brain that are a sign of disease activity. For those receiving both drugs, the lesions stayed the same size or shrunk, while the size of the lesions grew for those taking only interferon.

“These results indicate that these two drugs may have a synergy when taken together and provide a more beneficial effect on the disease activity,” said study author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. “This is a promising finding, as the benefit from interferon is only moderate and not everyone responds fully to the treatment, so anything we can do to boost those results is positive.”

The study was supported by Biogen Idec.

This means that the steroid drug methylprednisolone can now be used as an ongoing treatment along with being used to treat acute MS attacks. The above statements also suggest that a combination of steroids and multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs to treat MS offers a more beneficial effect on the disease activity than what can be offered by a MS drug alone.

These findings are expected to offer a sigh of relief to all those patients who were fighting a lone battle against Multiple Sclerosis.

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Extensive studies have showed that using steroid is a better treatment for multiple sclerosis rather than just being dependent on the drug named interferon beta-1a. The steroid – methylprednisolone when added to the treatment along with interferon gives a 38% more improvement than the one undergoing just with the drug.

This combination is generally advised if the patient is suffering from acute case of multiple sclerosis. This reduces the activity of disease to spread at a lower rate. They also improved on the MS disability test and placebo scores were also decreased. During the evaluation of studies, the participants were seen every three months for some improvement.

From science daily:

Using a steroid drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) in addition to an MS drug may reduce the amount of disease activity more than using the MS drug alone, according to a study that will be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle.

“These results indicate that these two drugs may have a synergy when taken together and provide a more beneficial effect on the disease activity,” said study author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

During the process of undergoing treatment it was seen that the lesions in the brain were smaller in size as compared to the patients who were just under the effect of interferon. The combination of steroid and drug was working. After many clinical trials it was proved to be beneficial in many ways. As stated by author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, “The steroids and the drug work together in a synergistic manner and gave favorable result.”

Also to make a much more effective dose for curing multiple sclerosis, this combination was prepared since interferon does not fully respond to everyone an effectual manner.

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Findings from a study recently announced that a steroid drug can now be used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) in addition to the usually prescribed MS drugs. This finding was part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, held in April 25 – May 2, 2009.

From Science Daily:

Using a steroid drug for multiple sclerosis (MS) in addition to an MS drug may reduce the amount of disease activity more than using the MS drug alone, according to a study that will be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 – May 2, 2009.

At the beginning of the study and again after three years, the researchers measured the size of lesions in the brain that are a sign of disease activity. For those receiving both drugs, the lesions stayed the same size or shrunk, while the size of the lesions grew for those taking only interferon.

“These results indicate that these two drugs may have a synergy when taken together and provide a more beneficial effect on the disease activity,” said study author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

In the study, 341 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) participated. Half of the participants were given both steroid drug methylprednisolone, plus the regular weekly treatment with the drug interferon beta-1a. Meanwhile, the other 50% of the participants were administered with the interferon drug plus a placebo. The participants who were administered with both drugs had 38 percent fewer relapses than those who were only given interferon drug.

These results showed that interfon work only moderate and not everyone responds fully to the treatment, but when combined with steroid drug methylprednisolone, more beneficial effects of controlling multiple sclerosis attacks.

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