Stem cell transplants may have long-lasting benefits for some people with aggressive cases of multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests. Italian researchers found that among 210 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received a stem cell transplant — with cells from their own blood — two-thirds saw no worsening in their disability 10 years out. That included 71% of patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. The sustained level of effectiveness is “pretty dramatic,” said Bruce Bebo, executive vice-president of research programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. At the same time, there are important caveats, said Bebo, who was not involved in the study. For one, the patients were not part of a clinical trial that directly tested stem cell transplants against standard MS medications. They all underwent transplants at various Italian medical centers between 1997 and 2019. So it’s unclear exactly how such transplants measure up against the most effective MS drugs now available. Beyond that, Bebo said there are ongoing questions about which MS patients are the best candidates for a transplant, and the optimal timing for it. Those are no small matters, since a stem cell transplant is a major undertaking, he pointed out. “And it’s not reversible, like a medication you can change when it’s not working,” Bebo said. MS is a neurological disorder caused by a…  read on >  read on >

Only a year ago, Michigan Medicine psychiatrists were trying to recruit patients to give telepsychiatry a try, with very little success. The psychiatrists worked with people by video only 26 times in six months, while 30,000 visits happened in person. But that changed quickly when the coronavirus pandemic forced closures in the area in late March. Now, not only have patients seeking help with mental health issues been working through their emotions and experiences by video and phone for months — many would like to keep those options, a new study shows. “Telepsychiatry is an interesting tool for various reasons in terms of providing early access to care, connecting patients in rural areas or who live far away from clinics to be able to get good evidence-based care,” said study author Dr. Jennifer Severe, a psychiatrist who helped launch a test of telehealth initiatives at the University of Michigan’s outpatient psychiatry clinic. “Even patients who are closer, based on life burden and expectation, they might not be able to keep up with their appointments, so telehealth actually offers a way to remain connected with care, regardless of how busy people’s lives might be,” Severe said. For the study, published recently in the journal JMIR Formative Research, researchers surveyed 244 patients or parents of minor patients in summer 2020. The patients had mental health appointments in…  read on >  read on >

Stem cell transplants may have long-lasting benefits for some people with aggressive cases of multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests. Italian researchers found that among 210 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received a stem cell transplant — with cells from their own blood — two-thirds saw no worsening in their disability 10 years out. That included 71% of patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. The sustained level of effectiveness is “pretty dramatic,” said Bruce Bebo, executive vice-president of research programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. At the same time, there are important caveats, said Bebo, who was not involved in the study. For one, the patients were not part of a clinical trial that directly tested stem cell transplants against standard MS medications. They all underwent transplants at various Italian medical centers between 1997 and 2019. So it’s unclear exactly how such transplants measure up against the most effective MS drugs now available. Beyond that, Bebo said there are ongoing questions about which MS patients are the best candidates for a transplant, and the optimal timing for it. Those are no small matters, since a stem cell transplant is a major undertaking, he pointed out. “And it’s not reversible, like a medication you can change when it’s not working,” Bebo said. MS is a neurological disorder caused by a…  read on >  read on >

Stem cell transplants may have long-lasting benefits for some people with aggressive cases of multiple sclerosis, a new study suggests. Italian researchers found that among 210 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who received a stem cell transplant — with cells from their own blood — two-thirds saw no worsening in their disability 10 years out. That included 71% of patients with relapsing-remitting MS, the most common form of the disease. The sustained level of effectiveness is “pretty dramatic,” said Bruce Bebo, executive vice-president of research programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. At the same time, there are important caveats, said Bebo, who was not involved in the study. For one, the patients were not part of a clinical trial that directly tested stem cell transplants against standard MS medications. They all underwent transplants at various Italian medical centers between 1997 and 2019. So it’s unclear exactly how such transplants measure up against the most effective MS drugs now available. Beyond that, Bebo said there are ongoing questions about which MS patients are the best candidates for a transplant, and the optimal timing for it. Those are no small matters, since a stem cell transplant is a major undertaking, he pointed out. “And it’s not reversible, like a medication you can change when it’s not working,” Bebo said. MS is a neurological disorder caused by a…  read on >  read on >

Be kind to your heart and health and turn off the news, doctors say. Northwestern University experts suggest checking in on current events a couple of times a day and no more. Constant updates can fuel anxiety and depression, they warn. “As a practicing preventive cardiologist, one of the most common risk factors for heart disease that I am seeing this year is stress,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “I know we can all agree it has been an extremely stressful year for all in every aspect of our lives, including stress related to the pandemic and associated health, financial and political events.” Constant news updates pile on layer upon layer of stress, according to Dr. Aderonke Pederson, a psychiatrist at Northwestern Medicine. “That cumulative stress can translate into increased risks of heart problems, diabetes and more,” she said. “Mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, especially when untreated, can increase your risk for chronic health conditions like diabetes, cardiac events and heart disease and can complicate symptoms of asthma. So, there’s a feedback loop of mental health conditions and physical health conditions.” The doctors offered several coping strategies, including getting a good night’s sleep and calming your mind a couple hours before bedtime with a light-hearted book, journaling, playing a game…  read on >  read on >

Cats have a long history of boosting people’s moods and brightening their days. And that’s probably true for kids on the autism spectrum as well, new research shows. The small study suggests that adopting a shelter cat may help reduce separation anxiety and improve empathy in kids with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “Cats, and companion animals in general, offer unconditional acceptance and someone to talk to that listens, and caring for an animal can help with learning responsibility,” said study author Gretchen Carlisle. She’s a research scientist at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri, in Columbia. ASD is a brain disorder that affects social skills, communication and impulse control. In the United States, it affects one child in 54, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new study included 11 families that had children with autism between the ages of 6 and 14. The families were followed for 18 weeks after adopting a shelter cat. The researchers used standardized social skills and anxiety scales to pick children who were likely to respond well to a pet. The cats were also screened for temperament. Overall, parents reported an instant bond between child and cat, and the bond remained strong over time even with the added responsibility of caring for the pet. The researchers found that the…  read on >  read on >