Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Muscular Dystrophy / ALS News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/muscular_dystrophy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171186.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171186.php While previous studies have indicated a "probable" connection between smoking and ALS, a new study published in the Nov. 17, 2009 issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, states that smoking may now be considered an "established" risk factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The findings come from Baystate Medical Center neurologist Dr. Smoking / Quit Smoking Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171178.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171178.php When muscle cells need repair, they use odor-detecting tools found in the nose to start the process, researchers have discovered. The results are published online and scheduled for publication in the November issue of the journal Developmental Cell Found on the surfaces of neurons inside the nose, odorant receptors are molecules that bind and respond to substances wafting through the air. Neurology / Neuroscience Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170915.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170915.php A baby with a rare neuromuscular condition who has been on a ventilator in hospital since birth, known for legal reasons as Baby RB, has been at the centre of a legal debate between his parents - a debate which has now ended with the baby's father withdrawing his objections to the ventilator being switched off. He was born with congenital myasthenic syndrome, a muscle weakness that limits the movement of his limbs and his ability to breathe on his own. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170916.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170916.php Tesco customers are being asked to get dunking to raise at least £1,500 for children with muscle-wasting diseases. The retailer has created this limited edition biscuit exclusively to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Tesco Charity of the Year 2009. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170717.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170717.php McClatchy/The Miami Herald reports on Ian Pearl, a South Florida man born with muscular dystrophy who is drawing attention to discriminatory health insurance practices against the disabled. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170742.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170742.php A study appearing in Science Translational Medicine puts scientists one step closer to clinical trials to test a gene delivery strategy to improve muscle mass and function in patients with certain degenerative muscle disorders. Severe weakness of the quadriceps is a defining feature of several neuromuscular disorders. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170680.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170680.php Four macaque monkeys that received injections of genes for a protein called follistatin into upper leg muscles experienced pronounced and durable increases in muscle size and strength and no adverse effects, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced. The findings could have implications particularly for injured and aging people worldwide; and for tens of millions experiencing muscle loss associated with cancer, AIDs and muscle diseases. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170278.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170278.php MP Dave Anderson fought for better services for children and adults with neuromuscular conditions during a House of Commons debate when he called for "real improvements throughout the country" for patients earlier this week. Mr Anderson, the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Muscular Dystrophy also met with ministers and peers to look forward to the launch of a new investigation and subsequent report into wheelchair provision for people with muscle disease. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170189.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170189.php A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease, according to researchers at the University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169199.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169199.php The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Sam Pfaff, Ph.D. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168843.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168843.php AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII), a developer of RNA-based drugs, presented an update on preliminary safety data from its ongoing systemic Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of exon skipping AVI-4658 in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) at the 7th Annual Action Duchenne Conference in London, UK. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168489.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168489.php AVI BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVII), a developer of RNA-based drugs, announced that it will present updated preliminary safety data from its ongoing systemic Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of AVI-4658 in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) at the 7th Annual Action Duchenne Conference taking place Oct. 23-24 in London, UK. Steve Shrewsbury, M.D. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168428.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168428.php A technique called exon skipping shows great potential to increase muscle strength and prolong life in people with a severe form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). According to a study that included MDA-supported Stephen Wilton at the University of Western Australia, exon skipping improves production of a crucial muscle protein that's missing in people with DMD. For the first time, these results were observed in mice with an especially severe form of muscular dystrophy. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168317.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168317.php Johns Hopkins scientists have been awarded a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to learn more about the nerve and muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using stem cells developed from ALS patients' skin. The award, given over a two-year span, will be shared with three other laboratories, including one at Harvard University and two at Columbia University. The Johns Hopkins team, led by neurologist Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168162.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168162.php An exon skipping PPMO has demonstrated dramatic effects in the prevention and treatment of severely affected, dystrophin and utrophin-deficient mice, preventing severe deterioration of the treated animals and extending their lifespan. These findings were published online today in the journal Molecular Therapy and support the promise of this therapeutic approach for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168002.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168002.php A chemical cousin of a drug currently used to treat sepsis dramatically slows the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in mice. The results offer a bit of good news in efforts to develop a therapy to stop or slow the progression of a disease that generally kills its victims within just a few years. In a paper published online Oct. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167214.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167214.php Researchers at Lund University, Sweden, have taken a snapshot of proteins changing shape, sticking together and creating structures that are believed to trigger deadly processes in the nervous system. The discovery opens the possibility of designing drugs for a devastating neurological disease, ALS. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167183.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167183.php Dr. John England, Professor and Chairman of Neurology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, analyzed research findings and was responsible for the quality and accuracy of evidence analysis and the conclusions of the studies resulting in new guidelines for treating Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The guidelines will be published in the October 13, 2009 issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167150.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167150.php New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "While we are waiting for a cure, people need to know that a lot can be done to make life easier and longer for people with ALS," said lead guidelines author Robert G. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166908.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166908.php Premature aging of the immune system appears to play a role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to research scientists from the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166886.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166886.php The National Institutes of Health has announced a $117 million expansion of its Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, adding 14 research consortia, or groups, to the Network's second phase and will continue funding the five original groups. Having long recognized the research challenges for communities affected by rare disorders, the National Institutes of Health established the Office of Rare Disease Research in 1993 to ensure an increased focus on rare disorder treatment discovery. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165735.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165735.php Inhibiting the protein Hsp70 rapidly reduces brain levels of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease when it builds up abnormally inside nerve cells affecting memory, neuroscientists at the University of South Florida found. The study is reported online today in the Journal of Neuroscience. Alzheimer's / Dementia Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165528.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165528.php The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the first clinical trial to test a new stem cell treatment for the fatal neurodegenerative disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) this month (ALS) can go ahead. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165470.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165470.php UCLA scientists have identified two chemicals that convince cells to ignore premature signals to stop producing important proteins. Published in the Sept. 28 edition of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, the findings could lead to new medications for genetic diseases, such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, that are sparked by missing proteins. Genetics Mon, 21 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164596.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164596.php Manchester Withington MP John Leech this week added his support to families with rare illnesses from across the North West. The MP met with families who are all part of a new campaigning network focussed on improving access to essential care for the estimated 6,500 people living with severe muscle-wasting conditions in the region. A new petition was launched at the meeting to enable families to gather support in the fight for improved services in the region. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS