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Figuring Out Who Will Benefit Most From A New Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis
In a recent phase II clinical trial, the drug alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) was found to be a highly effective treatment for individuals with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. However, a substantial proportion of the patients treated (30%) went on to develop another autoimmune disease, mostly thyroid autoimmunity. Now, Joanne Jones and colleagues, at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, have determined that individuals with higher levels of the soluble factor IL-21 in their blood prior to alemtuzumab treatment were those that went on to develop an autoimmune disease. Further analysis identified a mechanism by which IL-21 contributes to the development of autoimmunity and determined that in some patients the higher levels of IL-21 were genetically predetermined. The authors therefore suggest that measuring levels of IL-21 in the blood of individuals with early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis might identify those that would be at greatest risk of developing autoimmunity if treated with alemtuzumab. Terri Laufer and Gregory Wu, at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, further discuss the importance of this in an accompanying commentary, noting that determining one reason why some patients succumb to autoimmune disease after alemtuzumab treatment, while others do not, is likely to increase enthusiasm for this new therapeutic.
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Discovery Of Tiny Protein-Activator Responsible For Brain Cell Damage In Huntington Disease
Johns Hopkins brain scientists have figured out why a faulty protein accumulates in cells everywhere in the bodies of people with Huntington"s disease (HD), but only kills cells in the part of the brain that controls movement, causing negligible damage to tissues elsewhere. The answer, reported this week in Science, lies in one tiny protein called "Rhes" that"s found only in the part of the brain that controls movement. The findings, according to the Hopkins scientists, explain the unique pattern of brain damage in HD and its symptoms, as well as offer a strategy for new therapy.
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Victorian Invention A Watchful Approach To Parkinson's
Victorian researchers have developed a wristwatch that continuously monitors the health status of people with Parkinson"s disease to help doctors manage their treatment, Victorian Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings said today.
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Laughter - The Best Medicine? Spain Hosts The Most Renowned International Symposium On Sense Of Humor And Its Applications

Spain hosts this week, for the first time in history, this event, the most renowned international symposium on humour and laughter, where scientists and experts from four continents will discuss the latest advances and research of this field of study. The ninth occasion of the "International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter: Theory, Research and Applications" is being hosted by the University of Granada, and they will analyse the relationship between sense of humour and different fields such as anthropology, sociology, medicine or philosophy. According to the Professor of the University of Granada Hugo Carretero de Dios, local coordinator of the event, the interest for both research and applications of humour has increased in the last decade. "This is a dimension consubstantial to human beings which has traditionally attracted the attention of researchers of different research fields", says the UGR Professor. Annual meeting since 2001 Since 2001, the "International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter" is held every year in a different place of the world; the purpose of the meeting is to update the theoretical-conceptual contents about the sense of humour, and deal with the methodological particularities which must be considered when it comes to working on that field. This event also intends to assure that "those people who are doing research into the field of humour work on up-to-date information and tools with scientific support". The last edition of the International School was held in Rumania. Hugo Carretero highlights that the meeting consists of theoretical sessions and practical workshops and will put together first-level scientists in the field of laughter study and humour applications such as Willibald Ruch, Christie Davies, Irina Falkenberg or Gil Greengross. The IX "International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter: Theory, Research and Applications" is taking place the 29 June - 4 July at the University of Granada and has been supported by the Mediterranean Centre of the UGR and the Health Department of the Andalusian Council. Hugo Carretero Dios University of Granada


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