Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disorder that is characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons or nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movements. One prominent problem for ALS patients is muscle weakness. This affects their ability to perform everyday tasks, such as walking, speaking, and eating.
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which leads to severe disability. Although there are treatments such as Rilutek and Radicava that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, they can only slow the progression of symptoms. There is great scope to…
As part of a series of profiles of people doing great things for their communities, the Obama Foundation has released a video spotlighting the efforts of a patient and his wife who want to reimagine the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Chicago couple, Brian Wallach…
Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), marketed by Novartis, is an oral medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating certain types of cancer, such as leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Gleevec also is being investigated in preclinical studies as a potential treatment for…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. ALS causes muscle stiffness, twitching, and weakness in its early stages. As the disease progresses, patients have difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing, in addition to body…
A diet monitoring app can help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients to manage their calorie intake in order to maintain or even improve their weight, and achieve better outcomes, results from a clinical trial show. The trial also found that nutritional counseling by a registered dietitian, with or without support…
The enzyme superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) forms clumps inside the cells of some people with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), making them more vulnerable to DNA damage — which may contribute to the neurodegeneration that marks the disease, an early study suggests. In other patients, SOD1 is transported…
People with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) related to the gene VAPB — known as ALS type 8 — can show subtle cognitive deficits and obvious behavioral changes, which may lead to clinically significant depression and anxiety, a Brazilian study shows. This data supports prior studies…
Using antibiotics may increase the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with a higher number of prescriptions linked to greater risk, a nationwide study in Sweden suggests. However, the researchers caution that more studies are needed to prove a direct,…
Only a minority of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients are concerned about a possible negative impact of genetic testing on their well-being and that of their family, according to the results of a small survey in the Chicago area. The survey’s findings, presented in a poster session at the…