Growth promoting substance in human mesenchymal stem cells spurs restoration of nerves Published on May 21, 2012 at 10:24 AM A substance in human mesenchymal stem cells that promotes growth appears to spur restoration of nerves and their function in rodent models of multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found.
Research Contrasting disease patterns in seropositive and seronegative neuromyelitis optica: A multicentre study of 175 patients.
Multiple sclerosis: clinical aspects Sunday, May 29, 2011, 12:00 – 13:00 Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: the importance of NMO-IgG in clinical practice M. Radaelli, V
A surprising discovery about the complex make-up of our cells could lead to the development of new types of medicines, a study suggests.
Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) exists as two major isoforms that differ in the length of the N terminus, the shorter AQP4-M23 and the longer AQP4-M1. Both isoforms form tetramers, which can further aggregate in the plasma membrane to form typical orthogonal arrays of particles (OAPs) whose dimension depends on the ratio of the M1 and M23. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the M23 isoform can be produced directly by the M1 mRNA
Since the description of the association between neuromyelitis optica (Devic’s disease) and aquaporin 4 IgG antibody (NMO-IgG), the search for this antibody has been considered a highly recommended laboratory test when centromedullary multisegmental lesions are observed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Such MRI lesions have not been confined to acute NMO because other infectious and post-infectious disorders may display a similar lesional pattern. However, NMO-IgG has not been currently searched and associated with these myelitides
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore brain MRI findings in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and to investigate specific brain lesions with respect to the localization of aquaporin-4 (AQP-4). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty admitted patients (36 women) who satisfied the 2006 criteria of Wingerchuk et al. for NMO were included in this study
Background: Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is a rare but severe disease affecting young adults with a mean age at onset of 34.5 years. The female: male ratio is 3:1 so most of patients are women of childbearing potential.
It may be possible to save money by treating multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica with lower doses of rituximab, but the result may be a shorter period of effectiveness, according to one study.
Neuromyelitis optica has not been thoroughly studied in Brazilian patients following the discovery of NMOIgG and its specific antigen aquaporin-4.
BACKGROUND: Although overt involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in myasthenia gravis (MG) is considered rare, hyperreflexia is a common and yet unexplained finding. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4), the target autoantigen in neuromyelitis optica, is expressed both in the CNS and in the neuromuscular junction
BACKGROUND: Severe visual loss is seen in both multiple sclerosis-associated optic neuritis (ON) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO)-associated ON.