may be prevented in NY by seeing that BCG is available to all. We will have to send him back to Italy to be educated. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory knows everything about nothing. NY would do well to study thw work of Dr. Denise L Fautman. See eg faustmanlab.org and pubmed.org faustman dl. Andrew Cuomo will NEVER be President. He is unqualified.
A vaccine to protect against TB may help keep at-risk patients from developing MS.
Researchers
in Italy may have found a way to ward off multiple sclerosis (MS) in those at
high risk of developing the condition. According to a new
study published today in the journal
Neurology,
a vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) could play a key role in keeping those who
show early signs of the disease from progressing to MS.
“Sclerosis”
is the Latin word for “scaring,” so multiple sclerosis means “many scars” or
lesions on a person’s spinal cord and brain. According to the
MacDonald
Criteria used to diagnose MS, more than one episode—resulting
in multiple lesions or scars—is required for a definite MS diagnosis.
Patients
who have only had MS-like symptoms once are classified as having clinical
isolated syndrome (CIS). Only about half of those with CIS go on to develop MS
within two years.
Learn the Early Warning Signs of MS »
Seventy-three
volunteers with CIS took part in the study. About half of the participants
received one shot of a live vaccine called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which
is used to prevent tuberculosis in some countries.
The
rest of the volunteers received a placebo. All of the participants were given
MRI scans once a month for six months, and both groups were given the MS drug
interferon beta-1a (Avonex) for a year.
After
the first six months, those who had received the TB vaccine showed fewer
MS-like lesions on MRI scans compared to the placebo group. By the end of the
study period, 58 percent of the vaccinated volunteers had not developed MS,
compared 30 percent of those who had been given the placebo.
It Works, But Doctors Don't Know Why
While
encouraging news, why the vaccine works is unclear. “There seems to be complex
multiple effects on brain inflammation,” said study author Giovanni Ristori,
M.D., Ph.D., of Sapienza University of Rome, in an interview with Healthline.
“Other recent studies on BCG in autoimmunity point to a neuroprotective effect
produced by cytokines [which help regulate immune response] that is especially
induced by BCG.”
Even
used for its original purpose, this TB vaccine “is only effective in 50 to 60
percent of all cases,” said Ristori, but researchers were motivated to study it
further when a pilot study in patients diagnosed with MS revealed that “BGC was
safe and effective in reducing disease activity on MRI.”
“The
idea that MS is not a single disease is common among researchers,” said
Ristori, and could explain why this TB vaccine was not 100 percent effective at
preventing patients with CIS from developing MS.
Discover Treatments for Acute MS Flare-Ups »
As
with any medication or therapy, safety is as important as effectiveness. “BCG
proved to be safe in virtually all patients who took it,” said Ristori.
And
the fact that the virus is live is no cause for concern. He points out that
even the live flu vaccine has been proven safe for MS patients. “[The flu
vaccine] may be even advisable just to prevent those upper respiratory
infections that may favor MS relapses,” Ristori said.
“We
plan to design phase III studies in people with a first demyelinating episode
and possibly in subjects ‘at risk’ of MS,” said Ristori. While further studies
are needed, these preliminary results promise that a vaccine for MS could be
within reach.
A vaccine to protect against TB may help keep at-risk patients from developing MS.
Researchers
in Italy may have found a way to ward off multiple sclerosis (MS) in those at
high risk of developing the condition. According to a new
study published today in the journal
Neurology,
a vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) could play a key role in keeping those who
show early signs of the disease from progressing to MS.
“Sclerosis”
is the Latin word for “scaring,” so multiple sclerosis means “many scars” or
lesions on a person’s spinal cord and brain. According to the
MacDonald
Criteria used to diagnose MS, more than one episode—resulting
in multiple lesions or scars—is required for a definite MS diagnosis.
Patients
who have only had MS-like symptoms once are classified as having clinical
isolated syndrome (CIS). Only about half of those with CIS go on to develop MS
within two years.
Learn the Early Warning Signs of MS »
Seventy-three
volunteers with CIS took part in the study. About half of the participants
received one shot of a live vaccine called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which
is used to prevent tuberculosis in some countries.
The
rest of the volunteers received a placebo. All of the participants were given
MRI scans once a month for six months, and both groups were given the MS drug
interferon beta-1a (Avonex) for a year.
After
the first six months, those who had received the TB vaccine showed fewer
MS-like lesions on MRI scans compared to the placebo group. By the end of the
study period, 58 percent of the vaccinated volunteers had not developed MS,
compared 30 percent of those who had been given the placebo.
It Works, But Doctors Don't Know Why
While
encouraging news, why the vaccine works is unclear. “There seems to be complex
multiple effects on brain inflammation,” said study author Giovanni Ristori,
M.D., Ph.D., of Sapienza University of Rome, in an interview with Healthline.
“Other recent studies on BCG in autoimmunity point to a neuroprotective effect
produced by cytokines [which help regulate immune response] that is especially
induced by BCG.”
Even
used for its original purpose, this TB vaccine “is only effective in 50 to 60
percent of all cases,” said Ristori, but researchers were motivated to study it
further when a pilot study in patients diagnosed with MS revealed that “BGC was
safe and effective in reducing disease activity on MRI.”
“The
idea that MS is not a single disease is common among researchers,” said
Ristori, and could explain why this TB vaccine was not 100 percent effective at
preventing patients with CIS from developing MS.
Discover Treatments for Acute MS Flare-Ups »
As
with any medication or therapy, safety is as important as effectiveness. “BCG
proved to be safe in virtually all patients who took it,” said Ristori.
And
the fact that the virus is live is no cause for concern. He points out that
even the live flu vaccine has been proven safe for MS patients. “[The flu
vaccine] may be even advisable just to prevent those upper respiratory
infections that may favor MS relapses,” Ristori said.
“We
plan to design phase III studies in people with a first demyelinating episode
and possibly in subjects ‘at risk’ of MS,” said Ristori. While further studies
are needed, these preliminary results promise that a vaccine for MS could be
within reach.
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/ms-could-tb-vaccine-delay-ms-onset-120413
 |
Dear Fellow New Yorker,
In the last three years, we have put New York's fiscal house in order
by controlling spending and cutting taxes -- and the global business
community has taken notice. We are transforming New York State into a
top destination for companies from around the world to locate, invest,
and grow with initiatives like START-UP NY to provide tax-free areas and
support to businesses.
The Regional Economic Development Councils are another key part of
moving New York forward and creating jobs in every part of our state.
For the third year running, councils made of up local leaders from every
corner of our state put forward innovative economic development
projects from their region.
The Regional Councils were empowered to change the face of economic
development in their communities and the result has been better than we
could have ever imagined: we are creating new technologies, building
hospitals, and supporting innovation that will dictate the future of our
economic growth.
Today, Governor Cuomo announced that $750 million has been awarded
through Round Three of the Regional Economic Development initiative to
help fund 824 projects throughout the state.
Long Island was designated a Top Performer and awarded $83 million in REDC funding. Highlights of projects include:
- $2,000,000 to Stony Brook University to build a new Innovation and
Discovery Facility designed to enhance the business recruitment power of
START-UP NY and stimulate a public-private partnership for building
construction.
- $2,000,000 to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to renovate a
facility and establish a Therapeutics Discovery Center, which will
greatly accelerate translational research efforts at CSHL aimed at
developing new therapeutics and diagnostics for cancer and neurological
disorders.
- $2,000,000 to support high performance computing investments at
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) as well as Hofstra University.
Hofstra will create a Robotics Laboratory in the School of Engineering
to support expanded enrollment, workforce demand, and burgeoning
technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics and 3-D and 4-D
printing, while BNL will acquire new high performance computing
equipment for the benefit of scientific and industrial users across the
region and state.
- $1,340,000 for infrastructure improvements at Enterprise Park in
Calverton (EPCAL). The upgrade of the Calverton sewage treatment plant
from secondary to tertiary treatment will provide both economic
development and environmental benefits to this regionally significant
project site with immediate potential for job creation benefits.
- $1,000,000 for continued infrastructure improvements at Wyandanch
Rising, which is a comprehensive, community-based revitalization
initiative transforming the most economically distressed community on
Long Island into a model for community and economic revival, social and
environmental justice, planning and design and public-private
collaboration.
To learn more about the REDC awards, click here. To learn more about the REDC initiative, click here.
This third round of Regional Economic Development Council awards
continues the state’s commitment to these creative and groundbreaking
plans, while recognizing the immense progress that has already been made
in revitalizing our economy and putting New Yorkers back to work.
New York is rising once again.
Sincerely,
The Office of the Governor
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This is a message from the New York State Executive Chamber, State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224.
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Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The lawyer David Boies, center, in June after the Supreme Court effectively overturned a ban on same-sex marriage in California.
