Poorer Outcomes Likely in Those with Rapid Weight Loss Early in ALS Course, Study Suggests

People with rapid weight loss in the earlier stages of amyotophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — before invasive ventilation is needed to support breathing — are more likely to have a poorer prognosis in its later stages than those who don’t, a study reports. The study, “Body weight variation predicts…

“What? But there’s a guarantee on your website,” I told the customer service representative for the herbal company. I had requested a refund of a digestive supplement because it didn’t work for me. He repeated his scripted line: “That product is nonreturnable because it’s consumable.” “Wow!” I couldn’t believe my…

A $3.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is intended to help two scientists at Northwestern University find new treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The grant was awarded to P. Hande Ozdinler, PhD, a professor of neurology at the university’s Feinberg…

The spark of inspiration for column topics sometimes comes to me from surprising sources. Last Saturday, with my submission deadline looming, I had nothing … nada … bupkis. Fearing I would to have to forgo my weekly passion, I passed the time reading, with some music playing in…

Pharmaceutical company MSD and the Francis Crick Institute are partnering to try to learn more about what causes motor neurone disease (MND), also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), so that treatments may be developed. Funded by MSD and the Medical Research Council, the project…

A few years ago, during an ALS clinic visit, the topic of voice banking came up. I was assured that it was a way to help me to prolong my ability to communicate. Banking my voice? I’d never heard of it. So, I left with instructions to check…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to NPT520-34, an investigational anti-neuroinflammatory molecule, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Neuropore Therapies announced. “We are very pleased with receiving this orphan drug designation from the FDA’s Office of Orphan Product Development for NPT520-34…

Stem cell-derived motor neurons from people with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have mutation-specific alterations in glutamate receptors and calcium signals, which may alter nerve signaling and play a role in the disease, a study found. These findings may lead to future…

Imagine living your whole life with a painful disease so rare that only 25 others worldwide have what you have. And that you’re one of just six such people who’ve made it to adulthood. Neena Nizar doesn’t have to imagine. The 41-year-old English professor at Metro Community College in Elkhorn,…

I love learning some new skills, but not all of them. Thirteen years ago, I took a creative writing class that set me off on a journey that has included three novels, a children’s book, and now a weekly column. This week, I hope to take a…