Closing the Gap Between Self and Care

Just mention the term self-care in any conversation and you’ll soon have many different definitions. It can be medical, describing how patients with a chronic disease are taught to self-manage their illness. Or self-care can mean the pursuit of personal wellness and a healthy lifestyle. And we’ve all…

Swim training improves muscle strength and energy metabolism in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “Swim Training Modulates Mouse Skeletal Muscle Energy Metabolism and Ameliorates Reduction in Grip Strength in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was published in the International Journal…

The majority of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are excluded from participating in clinical trials, a large study has revealed. This finding raises questions on the extrapolation of trial results for this patient population. The researchers also stressed the need for individualized risk-based criterion to balance the gains in…

Harvard neuroscientists have discovered how the TDP-43 protein — previously linked to sporadic and inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases — reduces the levels of a second player, called stathmin2 (STMN2) — which is necessary for neuron growth and regeneration — making the STMN2 gene a potential new therapeutic target. The study, “…

Treatment with ultra-high-dose methylcobalamin, the physiologically active form of vitamin B12, may improve the prognosis of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who receive it a year or less after symptom onset, a…

It’s complicated. That trite, two-word sentence has become, in the age of social media, the go-to characterization of any couple whose pairing defies analysis. In the best case, after a period in which their union damages one (or both) of them, the parties agree to go their separate…

A $300,000 grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will back AcuraStem’s preclinical development of an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient-derived stem cell therapy that has the potential to treat a wide range of ALS patients. The grant will allow the biotechnology company AcuraStem to begin proof-of-concept studies of its…

Yup, it’s that time of year again — lag time! We’re in that weird space in time that’s just after all the holiday hoopla and before the “next big thing” comes along. It’s a time to catch up, reflect, and take a well-earned breather. And for those of…

The rate of weight loss from onset to diagnosis can be a significant indicator of poorer outcomes among amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, a study reports. The study, “Early weight loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: outcome relevance and clinical correlates in a population-based cohort,” was published in the…

A human-derived antibody that specifically binds to abnormal superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) improved the symptoms and delayed disease progression in a mouse model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study shows. The antibody, alpha-miSOD1, could be further developed as a candidate treatment for ALS caused by SOD1 misfolding. The study titled…