Posted on September 15th, 2006

Natalizumab Has Benefits on Disability and Quality of Life in 
Patients With Relapsing MS: Presented at EFNS

GLASGOW, UK

Monotherapy with  the alpha4 integrin antagonist natalizumab results in significant 
improvements in scores on health-related quality of life (QoL) 
questionnaires in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple 
sclerosis (MS), according to results of a substudy from a 
multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 
clinical trial. The findings were presented here on September 5[th at 
the 10th Congress of the European Federation of… read more »

Posted on September 15th, 2006

Cannabis-Based Treatment Effective in Neuropathic Pain and 
Spasticity: Presented at EFNS

GLASGOW, UK 

 The investigative agent Satirex®, which contains a standardised formulation of delta-9-
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), is efficacious and 
well tolerated during long-term use in patients with neuropathic pain 
(NP) of various aetiologies or with spasticity due to multiple 
sclerosis (MS), according to a placebo-controlled, clinical study. 
Mick Serpell, MBCHB, Co-Investigator and Senior Lecturer, Department 
of Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, Western Infirmary, Glasgow 
University, Glasgow, United Kingdom, presented… read more »

Posted on September 12th, 2006

Leukocytes

Learning all of these different names and the function of each cell type takes a bit of effort, but you can understand scientific articles a lot better once you get it all figured out! Here’s a quick summary to help you get all of the different cell types organized in your brain.

All white blood cells are known officially as leukocytes. White blood cells are not like normal cells in… read more »

Posted on September 12th, 2006

White Blood Cells

You are probably aware of the fact that you have “red blood cells” and “white blood cells” in your blood. The white blood cells are probably the most important part of your immune system. And it turns out that “white blood cells” are actually a whole collection of different cells that work together to destroy bacteria and viruses. Here are all of the different types, names and… read more »

Posted on September 11th, 2006

Complement System

The complement system, like antibodies, is a series of proteins. There are millions of different antibodies in your blood stream, each sensitive to a specific antigen. There are only a handful of proteins in the complement system, and they are floating freely in your blood. Complements are manufactured in the liver. The complement proteins are activated by and work with (complement) the antibodies, hence the name. They cause… read more »

Posted on September 10th, 2006

Lymph System

The lymph system is most familiar to people because doctors and mothers often check for “swollen lymph nodes” in the neck. It turns out that the lymph nodes are just one part of a system that extends throughout your body in much the same way your blood vessels do. The main difference between the blood flowing in the circulatory system and the lymph flowing in the lymph system… read more »

Posted on September 10th, 2006

Thymus

The thymus lives in your chest, between your breast bone and your heart. It is responsible for producing T-cells (see the next section), and is especially important in newborn babies – without a thymus a baby’s immune system collapses and the baby will die. The thymus seems to be much less important in adults – for example, you can remove it and an adult will live because other parts… read more »

Posted on September 10th, 2006

Components of the Immune System

One of the funny things about the immune system is that it has been working inside your body your entire life but you probably know almost nothing about it. For example, you are probably aware that inside your chest you have an organ called a “heart”. Who doesn’t know that they have a heart? You have probably also heard about the fact that you have… read more »

Posted on September 09th, 2006

Viral or Bacterial Infection

When a virus or bacteria (also known generically as a germ) invades your body and reproduces, it normally causes problems. Generally the germ’s presence produces some side effect that makes you sick. For example, the strep throat bacteria (Streptococcus) releases a toxin that causes inflammation in your throat. The polio virus releases toxins that destroy nerve cells (often leading to paralysis). Some bacteria are benign or… read more »

Posted on September 09th, 2006

Basics of the Immune System

Let’s start at the beginning. What does it mean when someone says “I feel sick today?” What is a disease? By understanding the different kinds of diseases it is possible to see what types of disease the immune system helps you handle.

When you “get sick”, your body is not able to work properly or at its full potential. There are many different ways for you… read more »