Joyce Are you out there?
2007-07-31 21:20:43The Joyce from ASMS newsgroup.
Jayne
Fw: Can a Vaccine Treat Cancer?
2007-07-31 12:40:19-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Health Newsletter <weekly@...
Sent: Dec 9, 2003 1:05 PM
To: jayneadler@...
Subject: Can a Vaccine Treat Cancer?
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recent developments in scientists� understanding of both genetics and the
immune system are making cancer vaccines a reality. Join us as we feature a
program about research on a vaccine for non-Hodgkin�s lymphoma.<BR
<BR
Also in this week�s newsletter: Finding a test for endometriosis,
participating in stroke rehab, reducing risk of premature birth, and choosing
the best mattress for your back.<BR
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Work?</a
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against infectious diseases. Learn how cancer researchers are now developing
vaccines for non-Hodgkin�s lymphoma.</td
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Endometriosis</a
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familiar with cramping and bloating, women with endometriosis tend to experience
pain that can interfere with their relationships and everyday
activities.</td
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Done?</a
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working hard with a variety of specialists can be the key to gaining back your
life. Find out what you can do to win that battle.</td
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that of a tiny premature baby hooked up to a web of plastic medical tubing.
Although more and more of these babies will survive, many will have
disabilities. And the only way to prevent these lifelong problems is to prevent
premature birth.</td
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Just Right</a
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firm mattress to their back patients. But a new Spanish study suggests that a
medium-firm mattress might be the best choice for the many people who suffer
from low-back pain.</td
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patient-centered resource on lymphoma for patients, their families and health
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Lymphoma</a
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Fw: [bostoncure.org] Approval, New Faces, Party Pictures, Free Offer, Appeal
2007-07-31 11:24:10-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Art Mellor <art@...
Sent: Dec 9, 2003 11:11 AM
To: bcp-announce@...
Subject: [bostoncure.org] Approval, New Faces, Party Pictures, Free Offer,
Appeal
Hello Everyone,
We've got a lot to announce this time:
1. Our protocol has been approved by the BIDMC IRB with only minor
changes to the consent form! This means we can go forward with
negotiating a contract with the hospital to begin collection of
samples. This will probably take a number of weeks, but we'll
announce progress as it happens. We'll make our documentation for
the study available on the web as soon as it is in final form.
2. We'd like to welcome our 2 newest Directors: Charlie Namias and
Jacqui McCoy. We have also hired a new Operations Manager to take
Andii's place - Meghan Maxfield - who will start 12/15. Bios for
them will be on the site soon.
3. Pictures from the 3rd Annual Boston Cure Party (which was a huge
success and lots of fun) are available here:
http://www.bostoncure.org/events/eventpages/20031122_bcp_party.php#Start
4. One of our volunteers, Rosalind Joffe, is making this offer to our
consituency:
Do you deliver the bare minimum at work because your chronic
illness limits you? Do you want more from yourself but you're
stuck? Sign up for my FREE WEEKLY TELE SEMINAR SERIES: Living with
Chronic Illness in the Workplace They'll help you identify the
issues, give you the tactics and build a community of support.
Rosalind Joffe For more info: http://www.CIcoach.com
5. End of the year is coming soon - for your tax exempt philanthropic
giving you can contribute by check, credit card, or
stock. Information on how to give is here:
http://www.bostoncure.org/about/contribute.php
Make checks payable to:
Boston Cure Project, Inc.
13 Belton Street
Arlington, MA 02474
781/788-0880
Our Tax ID is 04-3555864
--
...............................................................................
Art Mellor : HTTP
art@... : * Donate Online * : for Multiple Sclerosis
Cell
A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents
and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents
eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with
it. -- Max Planck
Fw: FUNDING FOR NIH RESEARCH
2007-07-31 10:57:39-----Forwarded Message-----
From: FEDERAL UPDATE <federalupdate@...
Sent: Dec 10, 2003 12:17 PM
To: nmss_list@...
Subject: FUNDING FOR NIH RESEARCH
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<P
measure includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
appropriations bill that provides funding for biomedical research at the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although the Senate plans to vote on this
appropriations package in late January, there is virtually no opportunity for
change since a House-Senate conference committee already approved the bill. </p
<P
monitoring NIH expenditures on MS research projects. Currently, NIH spends
about $100 million on MS-related research. To ensure NIH prioritizes MS
research, the Society advocated for MS-specific congressional "report language"
- detailed instructions to agencies accompanying final legislation. With
support from Representative Oxley (R-OH), Chairman Regula (R-OH) and Chairman
Specter (R-PA), appropriations conference committee members included our MS
report language in the FY'04 omnibus appropriations bill. </p
<P
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to "increase its overall investment in
MS research" - with special emphasis on imaging, biological markers and clinical
trials for new therapeutics. The language also calls for furthering MS genetics
research and increasing other collaborative activities related to MS. NIH is
expected to report to Congress on its efforts to expand its commitment to MS
research by September 30, 2004. </p
<P
minimal funding increases. Society advocates had been calling on Congress to
maintain the momentum of doubling the NIH budget (FY'99 - FY'03) by funding the
agency at $30 billion in FY'04. However, this bill provides $27.98 billion for
NIH. This amount includes $1.51 billion in funding for NINDS and $4.34 billion
for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - the two
institutes that conduct or fund a majority of MS research at NIH. <BR
overall FY'04 NIH funding increase is lower than it has been in the past. At
this time, there are varying reports concerning the exact increase level. After
the Senate passes this bill and estimates are finalized, we will provide more
detail. Our sincere thanks to advocates who contacted their legislators in
support of NIH funding this year.</p
<P align=center
COVERAGE</strong
<P align=left
legislation into law - representing the broadest reform in the program's 38-year
history. The Senate passed this bill on November 25th, 54-44, and the House
passed the legislation, 220-215, three days earlier. </p
<P
demonstration project to provide coverage for all four self-injectable MS
therapies, beginning in 2004, in any setting. It is a limited demonstration,
and as we learn more about implementation from the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, we will keep everyone informed. For additional details
concerning the overall Medicare Rx bill and the demonstration project, please
see our summary at: <A
href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Federal-Fall2003.asp"
color=#0033ff
ONT color=#0033ff
<P align=center
<P align=left
the House pushing for a vote on the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2003.
Unfortunately, only the Senate has passed the measure. We will continue to urge
House members to support discharging the Senate-passed version of this
legislation when Congress returns in January. For more information on the
Lifespan Respite Care Act, please visit our website at: <A
href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Issues-Lifespan.asp"
ssociety.org/Issues-Lifespan.asp</a
<P align=left
hear ADA Case</strong
Society recently joined other patient and disability organizations in a "friend
of the court" (amicus curae) brief. This brief supports George Lane and Beverly
Jones' case against the state of Tennessee for violations of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination against
people with disabilities by state and local government agencies. The Plaintiffs
sued Tennessee for failing to ensure that courthouses are accessible to
individuals with disabilities. At issue is whether Congress had the
constitutional authority to require states to pay monetary damages for Title II
violations. A Court ruling suggesting that Congress did not have the power to
apply many of the core provisions of the ADA to state and local governments
might further erode ADA protections. This case has not yet been scheduled on
the Supreme Court docket. For more information visit the Bazelon Center for
Mental Health Law's website at: <A
href="http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/11-12-03tenn_v_lane.htm"
n.org/newsroom/11-12-03tenn_v_lane.htm</a
<P
joined its coalition partner, the Independent Sector, and many other nonprofit
organizations in support of legislation that would provide tax incentives for
charitable contributions (H.R. 7 and S. 476). Both the Senate and House of
Representatives have passed charitable giving bills. However, a Senate-House
conference committee must reconcile the differences in the two bills before
final legislation is <BR
provisions and exclusion of Democrats from conference negotiations have stalled
the bill in the Senate. To promote consideration and passage of the charitable
giving Act, the Society joined an Independent Sector letter to Senate
leadership. For more information on charitable giving legislation, visit the
Independent Sector's website at: <A
href="http://www.independentsector.org/programs/gr/CAREAct2003.html"
independentsector.org/programs/gr/CAREAct2003.html</a
<P
October 15th, the Senate passed the "Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
of 2003" (S. 1053) by a role call vote of 95-0. The Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act establishes protections to prevent genetic discrimination
in employment and health insurance. Supporters of S. 1053 are seeking House
passage next year, and the Society will continue to work with partner
organizations to support passage during the second session of the 108th
Congress.</p
<P
href="http://www.nationalmssociety.org/advocacy.asp"
color=#0033ff
nt
email. <BR
happy holiday season from the Society's Advocacy Programs
Department.</strong
<br /
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visiting <a href="http://capwiz.com/nmss/lmx/u/?jobid=29722530"
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ASMS & me
2007-07-31 02:06:11Years ago I began posting to the ASMS newsgroup
(alt.support-mult.sclerosis newsgroup) as "Jayne@..." in the
hopes that the email traffic so generated would have some ecological
impact, a vote as it were for ecologic sustainability. (One can dream.
; ) ) Others may know me as "jayneadler@..." or as
"lemmoncake@...". Formerly I was "lemmoncake@...".
All are me, Jayne.
Highlights From the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Associatio
2007-07-30 17:23:50Highlights From the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological
Association
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/464102
November 18, 2003
Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery 5(2), 2003
Rohit Bakshi, MD
Rohit Bakshi, MD, http://www.drbakshi.com, neurologist and research
scientist at the Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, Massachusetts
Introduction
The American Neurological Association held its 128th annual meeting in
San Francisco. From October 19-22, approximately 900 top-level
clinicians and scientists came together to share the latest research
data in the field of neurology and neuroscience. Abstracts based on
these presentations were published in a special supplement issue of
the Annals of Neurology (registration required).
[Multiple Sclerosis section]
Fabry's Disease
Fabry's disease (FD) is an X chromosome-linked disorder of fat storage
caused by a deficiency of ceramidetrihexosidase (also called
alpha-galactosidase A), an enzyme used in the degradation of lipids.
The mother of the affected individual must be a carrier to produce the
disease in a child. Affected individuals typically develop a range of
multiorgan-related symptoms, including burning and pain in the hands
and feet, a spotted dark red skin rash (angiokeratomas), reduced
ability to perspire, gastrointestinal hypermotility, and corneal
changes. Symptoms of cardiac and renal involvement typically occur in
middle age. Ringing of the ears (tinnitus) is common, and hearing
defects also have been reported. Treatment for FD typically has been
limited to symptomatic therapy. The disease is chronic and progressive
in most cases.
Hajioff and colleagues[1] enrolled 15 male patients with FD in a
randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of enzyme
replacement therapy (ERT) using agalsidase alfa 0.2 mg/kg for 6
months, followed by a 2-year open-label treatment extension in 10 of
the patients. High frequency sensorineural hearing loss (HF-SNHL) was
present in 12 of 15 patients (80%) at the outset of the study. After 6
months, HF-SNHL progressed similarly in both groups. However, in the
open-label ERT phase, HF-SNHL improved by 2.1 dB at 18 months (P =
.02) and by 4.9 dB at 30 months (P = .004), compared with baseline.
These data suggest that ERT leads to delayed (but significant)
progressive improvements in high frequency hearing function for
patients with FD. The presenting investigator stated, "The improvement
we saw was marginal yet significant. If this progressive improvement
is sustained beyond the period we studied, this might have a
significant impact on patients over the long-term." Regarding
tolerability and safety of ERT, the presenter noted, "We did not
observe any significant side effects in this study. However, the
long-term effects of ERT are not known."
Dementia
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurologic disorder
characterized by memory loss, confusion, personality changes, impaired
judgment, and language dysfunction. The prevalence of this dementing
illness continues to rise. In the United States, approximately 10% of
individuals older than age 65 years and nearly half of individuals who
are in the ninth decade of life have AD, contributing to a total
prevalence of 4 million individuals. AD is expected to affect 22
million people worldwide by 2025. The cause of AD is unknown and
treatments are limited. One of the keys to disentangling the mystery
of AD is to understand the difference between the disease and normal
aging. Through a better understanding of normal aging, clues should
emerge about the underlying pathophysiology of neurodegeneration.
Bartzokis and colleagues[2] studied the structural integrity of myelin
sheaths during normal aging by evaluating the genu of the corpus
callosum (Gcc) and the splenium of the corpus callosum (Scc) in 252
normal adults (age range,19-82 years) and in 34 subjects with AD (age
range, 59-85 years). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was
performed to derive transverse relaxation rate (R2), a marker of white
matter structural integrity. An inverted U-curve best represented the
relationship between age and R2 in the Gcc, whereas R2 in the Scc
declined in a linear fashion with aging. In AD, R2 was significantly
lower in both regions, compared with age-matched controls.
This study illustrates the differential effect of aging on compact
white matter tracts and the increased vulnerability of the Gcc to this
process. By contrast, patients with AD show an accelerated pattern of
myelin breakdown. These findings provide important normative data and
a potentially new surrogate marker of AD that should be tested in
longitudinal studies.
Intracranial Hypotension
Intracranial hypotension (IH) is a treatable disorder of cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) circulation typified clinically by postural bilateral
headaches that are worse when the person is upright. Patients also may
develop a variety of associated symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting,
dizziness, photophobia, and hearing disturbances. IH is usually caused
by a meningeal defect and CSF leak (eg, spinal cyst, lumbar puncture,
trauma/surgery, or ventricular shunts). The disorder also may occur
without an identifiable cause and is then known as spontaneous IH
(SIH). Postcontrast brain MRI showing diffuse, intense, symmetric,
contiguous dural-meningeal (pachymeningeal) enhancement of the
intracranial dura with expansion of other extra-axial structures, such
as the venous sinuses and pituitary gland, is helpful in diagnosing
IH. One the most commonly recommended treatment modalities for IH is
an epidural blood patch.
Diaz[3] described a series of 22 cases of SIH. The mean age of this
cohort was 43 years, with a female to male ratio of 3.4 to 1.0. Women
with SIH were significantly younger than men with SIH. Men were more
likely to present with cranial nerve palsies and tinnitus, whereas
women typically presented with postural headache and nausea. Eight
patients were treated with an epidural blood patch, which led to
short-term improvement of headache in 5 patients; the patch had no
effect in3 patients.
This well-characterized series suggests that headaches associated with
SIH are more common in women than in men and are less responsive to
epidural blood patch than are nonspontaneous IH-related headaches. In
addition, SIH seems to present with myriad neurologic symptoms,
perhaps more commonly than described in nonspontaneous IH. This study
raises the need to develop better methods of treating SIH and the need
for vigilance in detecting the protean manifestations of the disorder.
Migraine
More than 28 million people in the United States suffer from migraine,
with a 3 times greater incidence in women than in men. Although
migraine is treatable through a variety of pharmacologic and
nonpharmacologic methods, the condition often goes unrecognized by
patients and caregivers, as well as by physicians.
Screening for Migraine
Cady and colleagues[4] reported on a study using a simple screening
tool designed to improve the ability to diagnose migraine.
Investigators administered the tool, a 3-question Headache Screen
about disability, headache duration, and change in headache character,
to 3014 patients (age range, 18- 72 years) with a known diagnosis of
migraine. Approximately three fourths of the patients had a positive
Headache Screen (overall sensitivity, 77%). The sensitivity of the
Headache Screen was not related to headache frequency or to whether
the physician administering the screen was a neurologist or a primary
care physician.
This screening tool provides another important step toward improving
the recognition of migraine in the general population. Further studies
are needed to determine the specificity of this tool, especially the
false positives obtained in patients with tension, sinus, or secondary
headaches. The tool also should be tested in children, in whom
migraine often goes unrecognized but can have a major impact on school
performance.
Migraine in Children
Because of the high prevalence, severity and duration of symptoms, and
peak age of onset, migraine is associated with significant costs to
society in terms of medical care and loss of productivity. In a
population-based study, Pesa and Lage[5] evaluated the medical costs
associated with migraine in children, including the impact of comorbid
conditions. Patients were divided into 3 groups: migraine only,
migraine with psychological comorbidity (ie, anxiety and/or
depression), or healthy nonmigraine. Investigators assessed the direct
medical costs of inpatient or outpatient medical care and use of
prescription drugs. After adjusting for the effect of age and sex,
children with migraine bore significantly higher outpatient,
prescription drug, and total medical costs than did nonmigraineurs (P
= .0001). Psychological overlay with migraine contributed
significantly to higher costs (6-fold), compared with healthy
controls, whereas migraine without depression/anxiety led to only
2-fold greater costs. The difference between costs for migraine only
versus migraine with depression/anxiety was significant (P = .0001).
This study emphasizes the important role of psychological comorbid
conditions in patients with migraine. In addition to the obvious
impairment in quality of life associated with depression/anxiety,
these factors increase the cost of medical care in the migraine
population. It is likely that psychological issues in migraineurs also
contribute to reduced productivity, and in children, to adverse
effects on learning . Thus, all patients with migraine should be
screened for comorbid psychological conditions that are treatable and
that likely require specific assessment and therapy.
Multiple Sclerosis
Central Nervous System Atrophy in Multiple Sclerosis
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved 5 injectable
immunomodulatory treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS): weekly
intramuscular interferon beta-1a (Avonex; Biogen, Inc; Cambridge,
Massachusetts), thrice-weekly subcutaneous interferon beta-1a (Rebif;
Serono; Rockland, Massachusetts), every-other-day subcutaneous
interferon beta-1b (Betaseron; Berlex; Montville, New Jersey), daily
subcutaneous glatiramer acetate (Copaxone; Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries Ltd; Petach Tikva, Israel), and intravenous mitoxantrone
(Novantrone; Amgen Inc; Thousand Oaks, California). However, although
these agents provide a partial benefit in limiting clinical relapses
and volume of MRI lesions, many patients continue to experience
disease progression while being treated.
One of the most intractable aspects of the disease process is the
relentless transection of axons, loss of central nervous system (CNS)
tissue, and atrophy of the brain and spinal cord commonly associated
with MS. Although a few studies have suggested a partial benefit of
therapy on limiting CNS atrophy, most studies have reported little or
no effect. Finding ways to prevent CNS atrophy is a major challenge
facing the MS scientific community because atrophy has shown a close
association with (and predictive value for) neurologic and
neuropsychological impairments related to MS.[6]
The sites involved in brain atrophy and the extent to which atrophy
affects various stages of the disease have not been clear. Dalton and
colleagues[7] conducted a 3-year longitudinal study of normalized
brain volume in 58 patients with a first attack of demyelinating
disease (ie, clinically isolated syndrome [CIS]). Brain atrophy was
separated into the involvement of gray vs white matter compartments.
Patients were subdivided into 3 groups: those who ultimately developed
MS (n = 31), those who developed CIS with MRI lesions (n = 13), and
those with CIS without MRI lesions (n = 14) at 3 years. Patients
converting to MS experienced a significant loss of gray matter volume
(P = .037), but not white matter volume or overall brain volume,
compared with CIS patients without lesions. Gray matter atrophy during
the 3-year period correlated moderately with changes in T2 lesion load
(r = 0.41).
This study indicates that selective gray matter atrophy occurs at the
very earliest stage of MS, adding more evidence to the growing body of
literature on MS as a gray matter disease.[8] Further studies are
warranted to determine the clinical relevance and predictive value of
gray matter damage and the extent to which the mechanisms of gray
matter disease provide a new window into pathogenesis.[8]
Late-Onset MS
MS symptoms typically begin between the ages of 20 and 40 years.
However, disease onset also occurs in younger and older individuals,
although less commonly. Given the chronic progressive nature of MS and
the availability of effective therapies, it is important to recognize
the unusual manifestations of the disease, including late onset.
Berlit and colleagues[9] presented clinical, CSF, and MRI data on 52
patients with first symptoms of MS at age 50 years or older (mean age
of onset, 57.6 years). The oldest patient was 83 years old. The most
common presenting sign was paraparesis or quadriparesis (90%; n = 47),
followed by sensory symptoms (71%; n = 37) and gait dysfunction (56%;
n = 29). Ocular dysmotility (23%; n = 12) and optic neuritis (10%; n =
5) were infrequent. A primary progressive disease course was present
in a large majority of patients (90%; n = 47). MRI showed typical
multifocal supratentorial (94%; n = 49) and infratentorial (42%; n =
22) lesions. Of particular interest, spinal lesions were very common
(81%; n = 24), much more common than is typically seen in younger MS
cohorts, especially in those with relapsing-remitting MS.
Gadolinium-enhancing lesions were present initially in 8 patients
only. CSF analysis revealed oligoclonal banding in 89.8% of patients
and a pleocytosis in 1 case only. A transient response of symptoms to
high-dose glucocorticoids was seen in 32 patients (62%).
This study provides valuable data on individuals who develop MS in
late adulthood, an interesting subgroup of the MS population. The most
striking feature is that the course of the disease, including the
attendant clinical and MRI changes, is typically similar to that of
primary progressive MS. Vigilance is necessary in recognizing MS in
this subpopulation because of its relatively unique presentation.
Wilson's Disease
Wilson's disease (WD), also known as hepatolenticular degeneration, is
an autosomal recessive inherited disorder typified by copper
deposition in multiple organs, particularly in the brain and the
liver, resulting in an extrapyramidal and neurobehavioral neurologic
syndrome. The disease is characterized systemically by low
ceruloplasmin and elevated urinary excretion of copper. MRI scans of
the brain commonly show symmetric lesions in the caudate, putamen,
thalamus, midbrain, globus pallidus, and less commonly, in the pons,
substantia nigra, and cerebellar and subcortical white matter.
Reich and O'Hearn[10] reported an interesting pitfall that may
influence the diagnosis of WD. A 32-year-old man developed choreiform
perioral movements during treatment with risperidone for
schizoaffective disorder. He was found to have reduced ceruloplasmin
(15 mg/dL), but normal 24-hour urine copper level (10.1 mg/L). No
evidence of copper deposition was seen by slit-lamp examination. Brain
MRI was normal. Although he was diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia, he
was found to be a heterozygote for WD. The presenters also reported a
second similar case. A 32-year-old woman developed dystonia of the
head. Her ceruloplasmin level was decreased (16 mg/dL), but her
24-hour urinary copper level was normal (8 mg/L). No evidence of
copper deposition was seen by slit-lamp examination. She was
heterozygous for WD.
This study indicates that patients who are heterozygous for WD may
carry low serum ceruloplasmin levels, which could lead to diagnostic
confusion in the work-up of a movement disorder. Caution should be
exercised in interpreting results of serum ceruloplasmin levels.
Carriers of WD do not seem to show evidence of systemic copper
overload. The diagnosis of WD should rest on other findings and not
abnormal ceruloplasmin alone. Genetic testing may be helpful in
sorting out these usual circumstances.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic condition that often strikes in childhood or in
young adulthood and leads to impairment of overall quality of life. In
addition to treating the underlying causes of the condition and using
anticonvulsants to limit seizure activity, comorbid conditions also
should be addressed in the care of patients. Cramer and colleagues[11]
surveyed a nationwide community sample about seizures and depression,
using the Seizure Severity Questionnaire and the Centers for
Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Patients with current major
(n = 166), mild-moderate (n = 74), or no depression (n = 443) differed
significantly in both partial and generalized seizure severity (all
cases, P < .0001). Increased seizure activity was clearly associated
with higher levels of depression. Cognitive, emotional, and physical
components of recovery from seizures also were related to depression
(all cases, P < .05). These data urge the need for carefully screening
all patients with epilepsy for depression, because this seems to be a
common and disabling, yet treatable, comorbid condition in people with
epilepsy.
Disclosure:
Rohit Bakshi, MD, has disclosed that he has served as a speaker for
Biogen. Dr. Bakshi has reported that he does not discuss any
investigational or unlabeled uses of commercial products in this activity.
References
1. Hajioff D, Quiney RE, Zuckerman J, et al. Hearing loss in
Fabry's disease: the effect of galactosidase A replacement therapy.
Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S26-S27.
2. Bartzokis G, Cummings JL, Sultzer D, et al. Heterogeneous
age-related breakdown of white matter structural integrity:
Implications for "disconnection" in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Ann
Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S29-30.
3. Diaz JH. Epidemiology and headache management in spontaneous
intracranial hypotension. Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S32.
4. Cady RK, Borchert LD, Spalding W. Diagnosing migraine with a
simple and efficient three-question headache screen. Ann Neurol.
2003;54(suppl 7):S33.
5. Pesa JA, Lage MJ. The economic impact of migraine and comorbid
anxiety and depression in children: Results from a case-control study.
Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S33-34.
6. Zivadinov R, Bakshi R. Role of MRI in multiple sclerosis. II.
Brain and spinal cord atrophy [review]. Front Biosci. 2004;9:647-664.
7. Dalton CM, Chard DT, Brex PA, et al. Progressive gray matter
atrophy occurs in the earliest clinical stages of relapse onset
multiple sclerosis. Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S38.
8. Minagar A. Gray matter involvement in multiple sclerosis: a new
window into pathogenesis. J Neuroimaging. 2003;13:291-292.
9. Berlit PD, Rumberg B, Kis B. Multiple sclerosis of late onset:
Clinical and MRI findings. Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S59.
10. Reich SG, O'Hearn E. Low ceruloplasmin in heterozygotes for
Wilson's disease: a copper herring. Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S42.
11. Cramer J, Epilepsy Impact Project. The influence of comorbid
depression on seizure severity. Ann Neurol. 2003;54(suppl 7):S55-56.
Copyright © 2003, Medscape
Side effects of MS drugs do not include depression, study finds
2007-07-30 09:46:29Side effects of MS drugs do not include depression, study finds
12/11/2003
Treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) with an interferon beta or
glatiramer acetate does not appear to increase the risk of depression
among patients with the disease, new research showed.
Such MS drugs are marketed as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s
Copaxone (glatiramer acetate), Berlex Laboratories Inc.'s Betaseron
(interferon beta-1b), Serono SA's Rebif (interferon beta-1a) and
Biogen Inc.'s Avonex (interferon beta-1a).
Although previous studies have failed to confirm that depression is a
possible side effect of MS treatment, the current trial evaluated the
risk of depression among 163 patients who were taking an MS drug.
Data on the patients, all of whom had either applied for or were
receiving reimbursement from the state for MS therapies, were obtained
from a Canadian clinic database. The database also included the
patients' scores on a depression rating scale. Investigators used the
information to analyze whether the depression ratings were associated
with disease-modifying treatments.
The analysis showed that overall, there were no differences between
patients who chose to take an interferon beta and those who received
treatment with Copaxone. Additionally, neither the frequency of
depression or the scores from the depression rating scale appeared to
be different between the treatment groups.
"The failure to identify higher rates of depression both in previous
intervention studies and the current observational study provides
confirmation that these drugs are not substantially associated with
the occurrence of depression," the study authors concluded.
The findings appear in the Dec. 1 edition of the journal Multiple
Sclerosis.
LDN - a simple explanation
2007-07-30 06:29:15now that I found where this came from.... http://www.thisisms.com/modules.php?name=Encyclopedia&op=content&tid=1
Reminder - "Challengers' MS Support Group Mtg
2007-07-29 20:25:33We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
"Challengers' MS Support Group Mtg
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Time: 11:30AM - 2:00PM EST (GMT-05:00)
This MS Support Group meets every other Wednesday in the
basement of St. William the Abbot RC church at 2000 Jackson Ave
in Seaford, NY
Fwd: A Different Prayer
2007-07-29 20:15:53From: Helen Aull helenaull@...
A Different Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress is savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us judge not lest we be judged, and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.
Are you out there Helene Hines?
2007-07-29 09:39:13Would you give me your new addy (street & email)
&phone no., please?
Jayne
Reminder - Caroline Kemper's birthday
2007-07-29 05:58:18We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
Caroline Kemper's birthday
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Time: All Day
Caroline's email addy is
yellowbird@...
BBC E-mail: Test 'pinpoints MS progression'
2007-07-29 00:05:59Jayne saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you
should see it.
** Message **
Thought this'd be of interest.
** Test 'pinpoints MS progression' **
Scientists have developed a way to measure the severity of a patient's multiple
sclerosis.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/health/3256544.stm
** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all
in one daily e-mail
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/
** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this
e-mail, and anything said in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect
the BBC's views.
If you don't wish to receive such mails in the future, please e-mail
webmasters@... making sure you include the following text: I do
not want to receive "E-mail a friend" mailings.
Fw: Encourage senators to vote for critical health funding
2007-07-28 13:22:45-----Forwarded Message-----
From: John Friedman <jfriedman@...
Sent: Dec 4, 2003 12:10 PM
To: ram_list@...
Subject: Encourage senators to vote for critical health funding
<html
<head
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"
<title
funding</title
</head
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<div align="center"
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<tr
<td align="center"
border="0" width="316" height="103" /
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/
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<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
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<td
funding</b
<td rowspan="2" valign="top"
href="http://capwiz.com/ram/issues/alert/?alertid=4392181" target="_new"
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The Senate will have the opportunity to vote on the conference report
accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2673) in the near
future. Failure of the Senate to pass the bill will disrupt programs across the
U.S. Without this bill, the government will operate under a continuing
resolution. This means that health and medical research programs will operate
at last year's (2003) budget levels.
<br /
<br /
<br /
<br /
Institutes of Health
<br /
<br /
containing emerging infectious diseases
<br /
<br /
million) and $160 million to help in the global fight against AIDS.
<br /
<br /
that provide critical health care services to underserved and uninsured
populations throughout the U.S.
<br /
<br /
nation's commitment to the health and well-being of all its citizens.
<br /
<br /
</td
</tr
</table
<br /
</font
</td
<tr
<td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"
<b
href="http://capwiz.com/ram/lmx/u/?jobid=29295199"
<br /
<div align="center"
<img src="http://capwiz.com/img/capwizlogo.gif"
</div
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from Jayne
2007-07-28 12:02:53Still trying to extract myself from my cyberhell.
Meanwhile I missed still more birthdays.:(
Happy birthday to Eliz & Debra!
Jayne
Whole Grain Foods May Help Women Control Weight
2007-07-28 04:33:29Whole-grain foods may help women control weight
12/03/2003
Middle-aged women who consume more fiber-rich grains, including
oatmeal, bran, whole-grain cereals and brown rice, may be less likely
to gain weight as they age, new research showed.
Data was analyzed from more than 74,000 female nurses in a large,
long-running U.S. study. The women, all of whom who were between 38
and 63 years old in 1984, provided information about their diet and
weight over a 12-year period.
The findings revealed that women whose diets consisted of more
fiber-rich grains gained less weight than those who ate the least
amount of fiber. Even at the start of the study, women who ate more
fiber-rich whole-grain foods tended to weigh less than women who ate
more refined grains.
Additionally, women with the highest fiber intake were 49 percent less
likely to become obese over 12 years as women with the lowest fiber
intake, the data showed.
Researchers explained that whole grains might help to control weight
since they are more filling than highly processed grains. As a result,
people who prefer fiber-rich grains may consume fewer calories.
Additionally, whole grains might release sugar into the blood at a
slower, more sustained pace than refined grains. High-fiber products
might have a beneficial effect on metabolism and fat storage, the
researchers suggested.
The study authors reported that most people in the United States
consume grain products that are highly processed and low in fiber. The
findings underscore the importance of distinguishing fiber-rich whole
grain products from refined grains, they said.
The study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition.
US not ready for outbreaks of new flu viruses
2007-07-28 01:56:54United States is not ready for outbreaks of new flu viruses, data reveal
12/04/2003
With new strains of the influenza virus rapidly evolving fast enough
to pose a serious threat to humans, new research shows the United
States is not adequately prepared for a worldwide flu epidemic.
Furthermore, an outbreak of flu might be significantly worse than
previous outbreaks caused by SARS and the West Nile virus,
investigators from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital said.
According to the findings, fatal infections from two different
outbreaks of flu were transmitted from birds to humans this year. The
viruses, which were unheard of before 1997, caused fatalities in
humans from infection. These bird-to-human transmissions suggest
certain flu strains are evolving at an extremely fast rate and could
potentially be a serious health risk, the researchers noted.
In addition, U.S. facilities do not have the resources to produce
vaccines against the flu strains and the supply of antiviral drugs is
limited.
A considerable amount of time is needed to develop and manufacture a
vaccine for a large population, the researchers said. The process of
creating a vaccine involves mixing viral genes inside chicken eggs
that contain genes from a virus known to be safe in humans.
Using this process to develop a vaccine against specific flu strains
for mass production would be too slow and too dependent on a steady
supply of eggs to be feasible, said study co-author Robert Webster.
While new techniques have recently been developed to produce new
vaccines faster, the researchers said testing and obtaining approval
to distribute the new vaccines would still require a significant
amount of time.
The findings appear in the Nov. 28 edition of Science.
COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) Product Information
© 2003, Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
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Expert Chat December 16!
2007-07-27 21:57:13Expert Chat December 16!
12/03/2003
Join us for an Expert Chat Tuesday, December 16, 2003!
Topic: Fatigue and Stress Management
Location: MSWatch.com Expert Chat Room
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern (6pm central, 5pm mountain, 4pm Pacific)
Length: 1 hour
Experts:
MS Expert: Karen Theriot, MD,
Psychologist: Dave Engstrom, Ph.D
Physical Therapist: Brian Hutchinson, PT
A summary of this chat will be posted in The Heuga Center Corner,
located on the MSWatch Library page a few weeks after the chat. The
Heuga Center Corner is a section of MSWatch that contains many
articles covering a variety of health related topics. To read more
articles like this and previous chat summaries please click on the
Library button at the top of your screen then go to Previous Heuga
Center Corner Articles to read more.
This chat was organized with the help of The Heuga Center. For more
information on The Heuga Center please see their web site at
www.heuga.org.
Chat Directions:
1. From the Home page here in MSWatch, scroll down until you see the
Chat section on the left side of the page - just under the Discussion
Boards link.
2. Click the Start Chatting button
3. Choose the type of chat (Java light, etc.)
4. Choose the room - for the expert chat it will be the Expert Chat room
5. Click the Start Chatting button
6. Wait for the chat software to load
7. Watch the Expert chat!
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© 2003, Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
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COPAXONE® is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
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Copaxone Treatment May Provide Significant Benefit for RRMS Paients
2007-07-27 17:26:48Copaxone treatment may provide significant benefit for RRMS
patients, study shows
12/03/2003
Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients treated with
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s Copaxone (glatiramer acetate)
may have significantly lower relapse rates as compared with untreated
RRMS patients, a new study suggested.
Futhermore, the data showed that a higher percentage of RRMS patients
treated with Copaxone were relapse-free compared with an untreated group.
The trial included 134 RRMS patients who were assigned to one of five
treatment groups that received Copaxone, Serano AG and Pfizer Inc.'s
Rebif (interferon beta-1a), Biogen Inc.'s Avonex (interferon beta-1a),
Schering AG's Betaseron (interferon beta-1b) or no treatment.
Results showed that patients administered Copaxone experienced an 81
percent decrease in annual relapse rate, while a 66 percent relapse
rate reduction was observed among those treated with Rebif. The
Betaseron treatment group experienced a 65 percent decrease in the
rate and patients who received Avonex demonstrated a 49 percent
relapse rate reduction.
Additionally, the data found that Copaxone-treated patients had a
significantly higher percentage of relapse-free patients than patients
in the non-treatment group.
Among patients in the Copaxone treatment arm, 83 percent were
relapse-free. The proportion of relapse-free patients was 65 percent
among those who received Avonex, 60 percent among patients in the
Rebif treatment arm, 60 percent among Betaseron-treated patients and
37 percent among patients who did not receive any treatment.
"It is clear that immunomodulatory therapy is beneficial in the
long-term treatment of relapsing-remitting patients compared to no
treatment," said lead study author Dr. Adriana Carra.
The findings appear in the November issue of the European Journal of
Neurology.
COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) Product Information
© 2003, Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
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COPAXONE® is a registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Shared Solutions®, MS University, Shared Perspectives® and MSWatch®
are trademarks of Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
Fw: Voice Your Support for Therapeutic Cloning to the United Nations Before a December 8 Vote
2007-07-27 11:37:53-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research <camresearch@...
Sent: Dec 3, 2003 12:48 PM
To: "jayneadler@..." <jayneadler@...
Subject: Voice Your Support for Therapeutic Cloning to the United Nations Before
a December 8 Vote
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"
<html
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<H1 align=center
Garamond"
<H1 align=center
Garamond"
December 8th</span
<H1 align=center
Garamond"
FONT-FAMILY: Garamond"
Research:</span
Garamond"
<P
all forms of cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic. You may recall a
Committee of the UN voted on November 6th to set aside a vote on cloning for two
years to allow more deliberation and for scientifically valid research to go
forward.</span
<P
the vote taken in committee, and is a prime sponsor of the resolution that would
ban both reproductive and therapeutic cloning around the world.</span
<P
tell the UN to ban reproductive cloning but allow for therapeutic cloning. We
are concerned about the very real possibility that the UN will call for a
worldwide ban on all forms of cloning. Your input will help express the large
number of individuals who support cutting edge medical research to cure and
alleviate disease.</p
<P
the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.</p
<P
href="http://www.camradvocacy.org/"
support somatic cell nuclear transfer. For your review, we have included a
letter below that was sent to the General Assembly from the Coalition for the
Advancement of Medical Research.</p
<P align=center
of SCNT known!!!!!</span
<p
<p
<P
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 3.5in; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify"
<P
<P
<P
million Americans with life-threatening diseases and conditions, I write to
express our grave concern over a proposed ban on all forms of human cloning,
which would include therapeutic cloning for medical research purposes. The
Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, (CAMR) is a
nationally-recognized U.S. based organization comprised of 80 leading patient
groups, universities, and scientific societies. CAMR has led the charge to
support well-regulated U.S. federal funding of stem cell research and the
efforts opposing a U.S. ban on therapeutic cloning.</p
<P
on all forms of human cloning. Therapeutic cloning (more correctly called
somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT), is about saving and improving lives. It
is fundamentally different from human reproductive cloning; SCNT produces stem
cells, not babies.</p
<P
cloning only, we were heartened to see that the United Nations would, with a
two-year postponement of a cloning decision, give more thorough consideration to
this very complex medical research issue. We are concerned therefore, that a
vote on December 8<SUP
serious mistake.</p
<P
nucleus of a patients own cells, including skin, heart, and nerve cells which
are called somatic cells. The goal of SCNT is to develop stem cells that will
not be rejected or destroyed by the patients immune system. It is critical to
understand that no sperm is used in this procedure. The cells are not
transplanted into a womb. SCNT aims to treat or cure patients by creating
tailor-made, genetically identical stem cells that their bodies wont reject. In
other words, SCNT could allow patients to be cured using their own DNA.</p
<P
scientists as experts that you may call upon for questions about therapeutic
cloning. Our goal is to ensure that an agreement can be reached on a global
treaty to ban human reproductive cloning, but still allow scientists and
researchers around the world to freely pursue therapeutic cloning, within strict
ethical guidelines, so that cures to lifes most debilitating diseases can be
found.</p
<P
consideration.</p
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 3.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"
truly,</p
<P
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 3.5in; TEXT-ALIGN:
justify"
<br
<img src="http://online.democracydirect.com/O/1147695.gif"
</html
Fw: HIGHLIGHTS OF 2003 STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCACY
2007-07-27 01:35:22-----Forwarded Message-----
From: State Legislative Trends <statelegislativetrends@...
Sent: Dec 3, 2003 1:20 PM
To: nmss_list@...
Subject: HIGHLIGHTS OF 2003 STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCACY
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<P align=center
ACTIVITY</strong
<P align=left
an impressive 134 successes in 2003. Across the country, chapter staff and
volunteers made over 1300 contacts with important policymakers. This level of
activity and number of successes is particularly significant in a year in which
state legislatures were preoccupied with state Medicaid and budget deficits.</p
<P align=left
insurance and prescription drug issues, succeeding in preventing or mitigating
the effects of cuts to state Medicaid programs, maintaining or expanding access
to MS therapies, and ensuring the availability of health insurance in 45
instances. A few of particular note are highlighted below.</p
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
Medicaid in many states, the persistent efforts of <EM
Chapter</em
pharmacy assistance program, to hundreds of people with MS who would otherwise
be unable to afford the disease modifying therapies. Qualifying participants
purchase pharmaceutical assistance coverage at a minimal cost and receive
prescription medications at a reduced rate. An estimated 500 letters were sent
to the Governor in a successful effort to ensure funding for the program was not
vetoed.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
convinced Caremark to modify a decision to include only Copaxone and Rebif on
the preferred drug list, subjecting those on Avonex and Betaserone to higher
co-payments. Ultimately, Caremark decided to delay implementation of any change
until September, 2003, to "grandfather" those currently taking Avonex or
Betaserone so they would not be subject to the increased co-payments and that
co-payments for future covered individuals would be limited to no more than
$10-$15 higher than for the preferred drugs. Efforts to include all the
disease-modifying therapies on the preferred drug list continue.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
information to a gubernatorial appointed task force charged with developing
recommendations for reducing the numbers of uninsured individuals. The task
force ultimately recommended the creation of a high-risk insurance pool. During
a special called session of the South Dakota legislature, legislation
establishing a high-risk insurance pool was passed and signed by the Governor.
The pool will provide an important safety net for those with chronic, expensive
health conditions such as MS who cannot otherwise access health insurance. The
chapter contacted every member of the legislature encouraging their support for
a high-risk pool, secured media coverage, and issued action alerts. Continued
chapter involvement will help ensure the pool is structured to include
comprehensive coverage, reasonable annual and lifetime limits and deductibles
and premiums that are not cost prohibitive.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
Missouri legislature to increase Medicaid eligibility to 100% of the federal
poverty level (FPL) over a three-year period with completion scheduled for
fiscal year 2005. <EM
conjunction with multiple statewide disability organizations prevented the
rollback of Medicaid eligibility to 74% of FPL and kept the scheduled fiscal
year 2004 increase to 90% of FPL on track.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
state's high risk pool insurance program, the <EM
closely with Consumer's Union to support a bill that would have saved these
individuals $150 or more on their monthly insurance premiums. Working with the
House sponsor, the chapter employed sophisticated tactics to send the bill to
conference committee for additional consideration. Ultimately, they were unable
to overcome insurance industry opposition and the Governor notified the sponsor
that a bill including a premium reduction would be vetoed.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
with the Coalition for Quality Health Care and Statewide Legal Services, is
closely monitoring the implementation of co-pays and prior authorization
procedures (all drugs in excess of $500, early refills, and for brand name if
generic exists) for prescription drugs in both the Medicaid and state-funded
pharmacy assistance program, ConnPACE. The chapter has distributed a
wallet-sized card developed by Statewide Legal Services for clients to present
to pharmacies indicating they can not be denied their prescription if they are
unable to make the $1.00 co-payment and has published information about the
changes in the chapter newsletter.</div
<P align=left
quality health care increased again this year as chapters continue to move
beyond patient protection provisions, now enacted in most states, to other
quality health care issues such as staffing shortages, provider regulation, and
MS education and awareness. Chapters worked on a total of 29 quality health
care related issues, achieving 12 successes.</p
<UL
<LI
Department of Health and Family Services to "conduct a multiple sclerosis
education program to raise public awareness concerning causes and nature of MS
and options for diagnosing and treating MS", the <EM
convinced the legislature to provide $60,000 in funding for diagnostic services
for women with symptoms of MS. Screening and diagnostic services will be
provided through the state's Well Women Program, which provides health care to
uninsured low-income women at no cost. Securing funding for the program was a
focus of the chapter's first ever Legislative Affairs Day during which 75
volunteer advocates visited one half of the members of the State Senate and one
third of the State Assembly. </li
<UL
<LI
and Senate to secure introduction and passage of a bill establishing a National
MS Society license plate. In addition to raising awareness of MS and the
National MS Society, proceeds from the sale of the license plates will fund MS
research in New York State. A media event promoting the license plate and
recognizing the bill's sponsors is planned for early January when the plates
will be available for purchase. </li
<UL
<LI
invited to participate in a Center for Disease Control grant-funded task force
-- Health Promotions for People with Disabilities. Chapter staff serves as the
chairperson for the Access to Healthcare Committee charged with developing a
statewide plan for health promotion and prevention of secondary conditions among
people with disabilities. </li
<P align=left
continues to focus on preserving existing Medicaid funded community-based
services, influencing Olmstead implementation and expanding the availability of
respite services. Chapters were successful on 32 of the 72 long-term care
issues they pursued.</p
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
contact with key legislative committee members overcame a gubernatorial veto for
the second time in the history of the MS PASS program. The chapter had decided
the deficit budget environment would preclude a successful attempt to restore
state funding for the MS PASS program, a statewide program previously
administered by the Department of Public Health's Office on Health and
Disability. Rather, the Board of Trustees set aside $200,000 in funds to
establish a care coordination program, effectively replacing lost state funds.
During the session, the chapter was approached by a State Senator interested in
securing a stable source of revenue for the program. The Senator later offered
an ultimately successful amendment to the budget bill allocating $163,000
directly to the chapter for the MS PASS program. The chapter committed to
matching the state appropriation, creating an innovative public/private
partnership that will provide care management and financial assistance to people
with MS across the state. </div
<UL
<LI
protected MiChoice, Michigan's Home and Community-based Medicaid waiver from
funding reductions in fiscal years 2003 and 2004. Closed to new enrollment
since October 2001 due to fiscal constraints, the program was reopened May 29th,
2003, providing services to an additional 1,800 waiver participants in 2003 and
another 1,200 individuals in 2004. People with MS are the largest group of
waiver participants following the elderly.</li
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
California's Supplemental Security Income (SSI)/State Supplementary Payment
(SSP) program would have resulted in overwhelming hardship for individuals with
multiple sclerosis. Many rely on the monthly SSI/SSP grant to provide them the
means to live independently and eligibility for the grant is their link to
no-cost Medi-Cal and In-Home Supportive Services. The <EM
Cal-Neuro Alliance organizations visited all members of the Senate and Assembly
Budget subcommittees on Health and Human Services, successfully preventing
reduction in this vital support to approximately 14,500 people statewide.
</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
Secretary of the Department of Public Welfare to the executive committee of the
Community Living Advisory Committee and serves as Co-Chair of the Home and
Community-Based Services stakeholder planning team. These efforts are focused
on planning for and implementing expansion of community based services and
supports for people with disabilities.</div
<P align=left
transportation, housing and employment opportunities dominated the chapters'
work in the disability rights arena. Chapters tackled a total of 100 disability
rights related issues at the state and local levels, succeeding in 53 cases.</p
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
with Department of Human Services staff and House Health and Human Services
Committee members in developing a compromise to lessen the effect of proposed
gubernatorial reductions in the state's Medicaid buy-in program. The Governor
proposed requiring all buy-in participants to pay a portion of their Medicare
Part B premium but through the chapter's efforts, only those with incomes in
excess of 200% of FPL will be required to do so. Additionally, a premium
payment of only 1/2 percent on unearned income, such as Social Security, will
be required as opposed to the 5 percent originally proposed by the
Governor.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
continued perseverance through three legislative sessions - the third time is a
charm - paid off. A bill directing the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
to consult with the Maryland Coalition for Work Incentives Improvement in
developing eligibility criteria for a Medicaid buy-in program was signed by the
Governor on May 22nd, 2003. The buy-in must be implemented by July 1,
2005.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
15 percent "disability discounts" in the fees for entrance to Salt Lake County
Recreation Centers, discounts previously available only to seniors. Working
through a contact in the Mayor's office, with the County Recreation Director,
and the Utah Sports Advisory Council, the chapter plans to collect data on the
use of the facilities by people with disabilities and push to make comparable
discounts available statewide.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
for the Minnesota Twin Cities was in jeopardy. Proposed reductions in services
included fare hikes, reduced service areas and reduced hours including no
weekend service. <EM
to a planning meeting to prioritize various options for reductions. Ultimately,
more than 200 people with disabilities submitted comments to the Metropolitan
Council, successfully mitigating the effects of the proposed cuts. Half of
weekend service was restored, and fares were increased by only .25 cents rather
than the proposed peak fare increase of $1.00.</div
<UL
<LI
<DIV align=left
Individuals with Disabilities, successfully advocated for revisions to laws
dealing with child protection. These revisions grant a parent with a disability
involved in a matter of child custody, child protection, termination of parental
rights, adoption or guardianship the right to present evidence and information
regarding the manner in which the use of adaptive equipment and supportive
services will enable the parent to carry out the responsibilities of parenting a
child.</div
<P align=left
<br
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visiting <a href="http://capwiz.com/nmss/lmx/u/?jobid=29265284"
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Reminder - Debs' birthday!
2007-07-26 15:31:11We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
Debs' birthday!
Date: Thursday, December 4, 2003
Time: All Day
Debs' email addy is
Debalas@...
LDN Website Update - December 2003
2007-07-26 12:43:09Mine is the 5th comment (3rd MS comment) in the Featured Comments.
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/others.htm
50 years of Mystery
2007-07-26 08:00:5750 years on are we closer to unlocking the
mystery of MS?
http://www.mssociety.org.uk/Convention_2003/Compston%20October%2024%202003%=
20MS%20Society%20-MM.pdf
ad been scotched and the condition was recognised as an important
physical disorder of the central nervous system, in need of some good
research and a few lucky breaks. In 2003 there is no shortage of new
information and opinion relating to the cause, mechanisms, natural
history and treatment of multiple sclerosis. But is it possible to
sort the fact from the fiction, and are we nearer a solution to this
difficult disease?
Building on the pioneering work of John Kurtzke, reasons for the
geography of multiple sclerosis are keenly argued - the rival theories
being that the illness tracks the distribution of Northern European
genes (sometimes dressed up as the Viking hypothesis) or, based on
evidence for epidemics and from migrant groups, that multiple
sclerosis is acquired because of exposure to a germ.
Clearly multiple sclerosis is a moving target. For some
epidemiologists, the factors being distributed are genes, for others
they are germs. Both are probably right - multiple sclerosis resulting
both from nature and nurture through the interplay of genetic and
environmental factors. A great deal of work has gone into unravelling
the genetics of multiple sclerosis. Real progress has been made
although the genes are still undiscovered. The problem is like trying
to find an unknown number of needles in one or more of twenty-three
haystacks. But as a result of candidate and whole genome screens, and
the application of knowledge gained through the Human Genome Project,
some of the needles are definitely glinting and the search is down to
a few bales not the whole farmyard. Finding the germ is proving even
more difficult. The current best guesses include human herpes virus 6,
Epstein Barr virus or Chlamydia pneumoniae. Importantly, it may not be
the fact that one particular germ can cause multiple sclerosis but,
rather, to whom this happens and when. Perhaps everyone is exposed at
some point but the process is triggered only in those at increased
risk for genetic reasons, and at a particular time of life.
Medical scientists working in the 19th century devoted their efforts
to descriptions of multiple sclerosis. These included a full account
of the symptoms and signs, and the appearance of affected tissue to
the naked eye and under the microscope. The pioneers were Robert
Caswell, Jean Cruvielhier, Jean-Martin Charcot and James Dawson, and
later Russell Brain and Douglas McAlpine and colleagues. Their work
was completed 50 years ago but there has since been a systematic
update in knowledge on the natural history seeking to illustrate the
complete experience of multiple sclerosis in the population. No longer
is this knowledge coloured by the experiences of a few or dominated by
descriptions of those who got interested in one particular feature of
the illness losing sight of the wood through over preoccupation with
the trees. Now, the series of natural history studies from London
(Ontario: George Ebers and colleagues), Gothenberg (Sweden: Oluf
Andersen and colleagues) and Lyon (France: Christian Confavreux and
colleagues) tell the whole story of what it is to have multiple
sclerosis, and for the entire spectrum of affected persons. In
parallel, the natural history of the lesions in multiple sclerosis has
been revealed through the use of magnetic resonance imaging and
spectroscopy (acknowledged through award to the inventors, Paul
Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield, of the 2003 Nobel prize for
Medicine). Its application to multiple sclerosis is to the credit of
Ian McDonald and the MS Society (especially John Walford and the late
Dr Reginald Kelly). The team at the Institute of Neurology (especially
David Miller and Alan Thompson) and Paul Matthews (Oxford) have since
charted the natural history of individual lesions in multiple
sclerosis the large but submerged part of the disease iceberg and
in many clinical settings. Other laboratory methods were introduced,
also primarily to advance, make more accurate and predict the
diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in people with suspicious symptoms.
But knowledge gained from these laboratory tests spinal fluid
analysis (by Ed Thompson and the late John Whitaker, in the modern
era) evoked potentials (George Dawson, Martin Halliday and Ian
McDonald) and magnetic resonance imaging served the double purpose
of shoring up the inflammatory doctrine of tissue injury (oligoclonal
bands in the cerebrospinal fluid) and the effect of demyelination on
normal workings of the brain and spinal cord (evoked potentials).
Doctors and people with multiple sclerosis now have plenty to think
about when trying to see the big picture on how things go wrong - the
pathogenesis - and suggesting ways of putting a spanner in the works.
The headlines of where we were 50 years ago is that multiple sclerosis
is due to patches of demyelination disseminated throughout the brain
and spinal cord (but nowhere else) each interfering with the normal
electrical workings of the nervous system and ending up as hard scars
due to overgrowth of astrocytes the underlying nerve fibres
remaining intact, and everything driven by the process of inflammation
following the arrival of immune cells from the bloodstream. A few old
lessons had been forgotten but the gist of the story seemed right. As
much through a sense of frustration that more rapid progress has not
subsequently been made, and with insights gained from new knowledge,
that story has intermittently been challenged but, for most informed
commentators, not replaced. What have been the milestones that mark
the consolidation of knowledge over the last 50 years?
First, a series of landmark studies (from John Prineas, Cedric Raine,
Hans Lassmann, Hugh Perry, Margaret Esiri, Bruce Trapp and Claudia
Luchinetti, amongst others) have used new methods to describe the core
features and variations of the pathological process. They have shown
that the inflammatory process is invariable; that, in addition to loss
of myelin, nerve fibres are caught up in the acute phase of tissue
injury; that remyelination is a routine feature of injury and repair
in multiple sclerosis but it seems not to last; and that a rather
different sequence of events may occur in some people in short, that
there is disease heterogeneity. Second, the consequences of injury to
axons and myelin have been described starting with the original
experimental and applied work of Ian McDonald and Tom Sears, and with
major contributions by many of their students, notably Ken Smith. They
have helped us to understand the mechanism of many previously
mysterious symptoms of the illness and to understand the clinical
course typically a phase of episodes with full recovery, then
relapses with persistent symptoms and signs, and finally slow
progression. Here, the message is that the inflammatory process can
interfere with the workings (function) of the nervous system without
at first necessarily damaging the structure. But if that inflammation
does not immediately settle, the window of safety is lost and a
cascade of further events then inevitably follows which interferes
with salutatory conduction in the central nervous system and
increasingly damages axons. Third, has been the increase in
understanding of how the nervous system is built and might be
re-constructed after injury of the type that occurs in multiple
sclerosis. With the definitive description of axon-glial arrangements
by Richard and Mary Bunge in the 1960s, building on the earlier
descriptions of glial subtypes by del Rio Hortega, a new era in
experimental neurobiology began with description of the glial
progenitor by Martin Raff in 1983. This allowed an exponential
increase in knowledge relating to the cellular architecture and
catastrophes of tissue destruction in multiple sclerosis, and provided
a framework for thinking about repair. Now that work is widely
distributed especially in the laboratories of Richard Reynolds,
Robin Franklin and Neil Scolding. Once, remyelination was seen as a
nice addition to treatment - perhaps contributing something to the
restoration of function - but very much a luxury. Now, current ideas
on the pathogenesis put the neuroprotective role of remyelination
centre-stage making this an essential component of any comprehensive
strategy for stabilising tissue injury and limiting the accumulation
of disability and progression in multiple sclerosis. And at a time
when individuals and society question the need and dividend from
animal experiments, it is appropriate to confirm the extent to which
knowledge on how different cells and structures interact has been
assembled through the work (in this country) of Bill Blakemore, Robin
Franklin and Ken Smith using animal models to explain one aspect or
another of the complex processes that make for tissue injury and
repair in multiple sclerosis.
In 1953, the treatment of multiple sclerosis included artificial
pyrexia, arsenic and drugs that dilate blood vessels. Corticosteroids
had been introduced in the previous year for the treatment of relapse.
Although general measures aimed at improving health were available and
recommended, the principles of clinical trials had only just been
described and none yet carried out in the context of multiple
sclerosis. Although the therapeutic era had begun, the story to date
was of clinical charisma and the exploitation of vulnerable patients
littering the historical highways and by-ways of therapeutic endeavour
in multiple sclerosis. It had not been an altogether golden road. Now,
the issue of treatment dominates the clinical research field although,
through the initiatives of Alan Thompson and Jeremy Hobart (amongst
others), the important contribution of rehabilitation is not
neglected. Things started to change with the pioneering work of the
late Larry Jacobs and the last ten years has seen the completion of
clinical trials leading to identification of drugs that modestly
influence the natural history of multiple sclerosis, leading to drug
licences in many parts of the world. Everyone recognises that these
advances in treatment represent only a start in improving prospects
for the individual with multiple sclerosis. It is significant that
only one treatment that may help people with multiple sclerosis has
been developed in the United Kingdom (by Herman Waldmann, Greg Winter
and Geoff Hale). The rest come from elsewhere. But it is important to
remember that treatments can do more than make people with multiple
sclerosis better. For example, the work of Alasdair Coles has
indicated why results to date have been disappointing and how
strategies might be improved by selecting treatment on the basis of
the process that drives tissue injury at each step in the cascade, and
timing these in the individual patient to the most appropriate stage
of his/her natural history.
Uncertainty breeds speculation and multiple sclerosis has attracted
more than its fair share of wacky ideas. Not all can be dismissed as
the idle thoughts of ill-informed amateurs. Several come from the
mouths and pens of qualified medical scientists. This is no less true
in 2003 than it was in 1953. Those who develop these hypotheses
exercise the luxury of picking from the entire corpus of knowledge on
multiple sclerosis, facts which decorate their particular
interpretation without necessarily having to stir from the theoretical
armchair and test their ideas experimentally. Although often a
harmless enough exercise, occasionally the ideas have caused distress,
undermined mainstream doctrines on the aetiology and mechanisms of
tissue injury in multiple sclerosis, required time spent dealing with
spurious media interest provoked by the more provocative claims, and
distracted from serious research.
So what have we learned? Multiple sclerosis results from the interplay
of genetic and environmental factors. Thus, the aetiology depends on
race and place, on nature and nurture. The genes are several exerting
independent and interacting effects. The germs are enigmatic
probably several and unavoidable. The problem is not "if" but "who"
and "when" the infection occurs. They trigger an immunological
response in the body as a whole that settles on the brain and spinal
cord. Inflammation drives that process. It causes acute injury of
axons and myelin. Remyelination happens but is not tough enough to put
right all the problems. And it is undermined by successive waves of
inflammation and more tissue injury. In some people and in some
lesions, there is more inflammation, in others less; in some more
antibody formation and complement deposition, in others less; in some
more oligodendrocyte damage, in others less. In short, there is
pathological heterogeneity. But whatever the route, the consequence is
persistent demyelination, axonal loss and failure of sustained
remyelination. Then, the permanent loss of myelin begins to tell and
nerve fibres start to disappear from loss of the myelin that normally
coats their surface and evidently keeps them healthy. With the loss of
myelin and axons, the permanently injured tissue scars by overgrowth
of astrocytes and the hard sclerotic plaque is formed. Treatment
modestly reduces the frequency of inflammatory episodes in the
relapsing-remitting phase. It does rather little to reverse existing
disabilities or halt progression. But if this sounds gloomy, the
insight provides hope and a way forward. Rather than treat people with
drugs that cannot rewrite neurological history and put back together
tissue that is irretrievably injured, we need to target treatments to
that stage of the illness when they can do most. If disability and
progression cannot easily be treated, they should be prevented so as
to head off the trouble that might otherwise lie ahead. It is, to use
a nursery metaphor, the difference between putting Humpty Dumpty back
on the wall versus stopping him from falling off in the first place.
Ahead lies more research based on an improved understanding of the
cause and mechanisms of tissue injury in multiple sclerosis, building
on these achievements and providing treatments that limit and repair
the damage - reliably, predictably and safely for the affected
individual facing an otherwise uncertain neurological future. In 50
years from now, we will not be holding conferences with lectures
entitled "are we closer to unlocking the mystery of MS?"
Copyright © 2003, Multiple Sclerosis Society
Reminder - Stella's birthday!
2007-07-25 20:23:33We would like to remind you of this upcoming event.
Stella's birthday!
Date: Monday, December 1, 2003
Time: All Day
Stella is SZaffa@...
Stealth Moderator?
2007-07-25 17:34:17I feel like I've become the stealth moderator of the MS_Community.
I hope to ge back to you all shortly . . . but I've been saying that
for awhile now. I think things should be set in th new year. At least
I hope it will be so. I still read all you write & I hope to resume
chatting by January.
Jayne
Hemp, Hemp, Hooray? No Way, Says DEA
2007-07-25 15:32:01Durham -- Durham's Gale Glenn could rightly be called the hemp lady. No, not
that kind
of hemp, she says; it's the kind that can be harvested to make clothes, paper
and other
textile products, the kind that produces the longest and strongest natural
fibers in
the world. But because it's in the cannabis family, along with marijuana, it's
illegal.
As a former Kentucky tobacco farmer, Glenn sees industrial hemp as the perfect
money-making alternative crop. From her Durham home, she has been lobbying
Congress,
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House for years.
"It's an illegal crop, even though it's grown in 35 Western countries ...
because the
DEA is convinced it is a stalking horse for illegal marijuana. We've been
working in a
concerted effort for about eight years to legalize it as an alternative crop,"
said
Glenn, who is vice chairwoman of the North American Industrial Hemp Council.
"I feel like I'm watching a goose dancing around on hot coals looking for a
place to
lay the golden egg," she said. "I really think there's going to be some hemp
millionaires in the future."
The issue has acquired renewed vigor because several state legislatures have
passed
resolutions to push for the crop's legalization. Recently, a bipartisan group of
state
lawmakers from Hawaii sent President George W. Bush a letter urging that a legal
distinction be made between a crop grown as an illegal drug and an industrial
crop
grown for textile manufacturing.
'A kind crop for farmers'
With the decline in tobacco production, empty warehouses and the continuous
search for
alternative crops, hemp makes sense, Glenn and others say.
She points out that the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science
at N.C.
State University sponsored the International Hemp Forum in November 2001, and
several
NCSU professors recently sent a grant proposal to the Golden LEAF Foundation,
which
spends tobacco settlement economic development money.
The proposal was rejected.
Hemp is "biodegradable; it's a very kind crop for farmers. As a matter of fact,
it's a
farmer's dream crop -- you just drill in the seed and some fertilizer. It can
grow any
place you can grow corn, so it's a universal type of crop," she said. "It's an
ideal
rotation crop. You just need a little bit of fertilizer, no chemicals, and very
low
labor. Four months later, you can go back into the field and cut it and bale it.
It's
very useful for manufacturing.
"It seems to me that because it's so useful in so many industries to make so
many
products ... it'd be ideal for North Carolina, because we have all of these
empty
warehouses," she said.
Hemp as an industrial product has its high-profile supporters, including
longtime
consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who said the
crop had
seen a resurgence around the world.
"In recent years, industrial hemp has experienced a renaissance. Farmers
throughout the
world are growing hemp in countries, such as France, that have never banned its
cultivation, and in countries, such as Canada, that strictly regulate hemp
production
to guard against even the most remote possibility of illicit marijuana
production,"
Nader wrote. "The United States, on the other hand, lags far behind. Due to
bureaucratic red tape and overzealousness on the part of the Drug Enforcement
Agency,
industrial hemp cannot be commercially grown in the United States."
The DEA also is waging a battle against any form of imported hemp in the
marketplace,
including seeds, oil and other food products.
In 2001, the agency ordered a ban on hemp-derived foods, saying they ran afoul
of the
federal Controlled Substances Act. A lower-level federal court stayed the
directive,
and the battle continues in higher-level courts. Supporters, such as Glenn, say
food
products and other uses should be exempt from federal substance control laws,
just as
poppy seeds found on bagels are exempt.
Poppy plants are the basis for heroin production.
DEA spokesman Ed Childress said that because the fight over hemp's food uses is
still
in the courts, he could not comment. But he said the DEA's position is that
because
hemp is illegal, it cannot be grown in the United States.
"There's really no differentiation between hemp and marijuana. It is a
controlled
substance at this time, and until such time as the law changes, it will be
enforced,"
he said. "The FDA, Health and Human Services and the DEA do studies and they get
back
together and they decide on a policy. It's all based on science. It's not based
on
opinions or politics, unless you're talking about the other side.
"The DEA is so demonized, and all we're doing is enforcing the law," he said.
Hemp, Hemp, Hooray? No Way, Says DEA By Christopher Kirkpatrick
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread17883.shtml
Source: Herald-Sun November 29, 2003
Contact: letters@...
Website: http://www.herald-sun.com
CannabisNews Hemp Archives
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/hemp.shtml
Cannabis News Hemp Links
http://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htm
"All we are doing is enforcing the law." ????????
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/taxact.htm
The history of how the Marihuana Tax Act came to be the law of the land.
For more background on the history of, and reasons for the Marihuana Tax Act,
see also
these related documents:
The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States - a speech by
Professor Charles Whitebread to the California Judge's Conference - This
contains a
short history of the marijuana laws.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/whiteb1.htm
The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge, by Professors Richard Bonnie and
Charles
Whitebread - This is a more extended history of the origins of the marijuana
laws.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/studies/vlr/vlrtoc.htm
Unraveling an American Dilemma: The Demonization of Marihuana - by John C.
Lupien --
This is the best exploration I have seen of the background of the supposed
Anslinger-Hearst-DuPont conspiracy to outlaw marijuana in order to remove hemp
as a
possible competitor to their products.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history/conspiracy.htm
Correspondence about the legal status of hemp 1930-1938
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/taxact.htm#Correspondence
Marihuana Tax Act - The full text of the Marihuana Tax Act, as passed in 1937
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/mjtaxact.htm
Conference on Cannabis Sativa L. January 14, 1937 -- Room 81 Treasury Building,
10:30
AM
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/taxact/canncon.htm
The Drug War Gravy Train By Daniel Forbes
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X25632155
"Arbitrary and capricious" is legal language that was used by DEA Administrative
Law
Judge Francis Young in 1988 to conclude that DEA was obligated under the
Controlled
Substances Act to reschedule marijuana as a prescription medicine. DEA Chief
Administrator Robert Bonner proceeded to arbitrarily and capriciously disregard
Judge
Young's well researched and reasoned decision, which the Act allowed him to do.
http://www.cognitiveliber
Cannabis Hemp: The Invisible Prohibition Revealed By R. William Davis
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/invpro.html
(The Elkhorn Manifesto)
SHADOW OF THE SWASTIKA: By R. William Davis
The Real Reason the Government Won't Debate
Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Re-legalization
An Open Letter to All Americans
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html
Urgent Warning about Industrial Hemp...
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z34261265
Drug Czar Seeks To Ban All Hemp Products
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P55221265
Pine Ridge 8
http://www.cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Pine+Ridge&H=40&SM=on&T=B
U.S. law enforcement spends $7.5 to $10 billion annually enforcing marijuana
laws.
According to the FBI, 720,000 Americans were arrested on marijuana charges in
2001.
Keith Stroup, (NORML) http://www.norml.org
Annual Ditchweed Eradication Boondoggle Underway Again
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/194.html#ditchweed
FEDERAL MARIJUANA ERADICATION PROGRAM SEIZES NOTHING BUT DITCHWEED,
STATE AUDITOR'S REPORT SAYS
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/041.html#ditchweed
99.28% ditchweed
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z21221265
Ditchweed Update: DEA Numbers
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/195.html#ditchweednumbers
State patrol/DEAth/FBI all on the persuit of the dangerous schedule#1
narcotic heathern devil weed....NON-PSYCHOACTIVE ROPE?
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F12212265
Spraying Ditchweed Devastate Midwest Game Birds
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E53223265
State Patrol on prowl for ditchweed harvesters
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F12212265
Genetic fungus
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H42C25B45
Spraying Misery
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread9468.shtml
WoD on the Environment
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread9115.shtml
Hemp vs Dioxins
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Y23D21B45
Hemp vs Chemical Cotton
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P21931295
Fear in the fields: How hazardous wastes become fertilizer
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M23C12B45
Poison Pot
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X20225265
CannabisNews Articles - Forfeiture
http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=forfeiture
'Coerced' Contribution Returned
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1846/a08.html?397
ALABAMA BENEFITS FROM MILLIONS IN DRUG FORFEITURES
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1846/a07.html?397
Seizures By Police Help Fund Drug War
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread10223.shtml
Government Property Seizures out of Control
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/6/27/191414.shtml
Seizure Out of Control
http://www.erowid.org/freedom/law/forfeiture/forfeiture_media5.shtml
Erowid: Forfeiture
http://www.erowid.org/freedom/law/forfeiture
Examples of Unjust Forfeiture
http://www.erowid.org/freedom/law/forfeiture/forfeiture_info1.shtml
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights
http://www.fear.org
An analysis of U.S. asset forfeiture laws, with extensive legal citations, can
be found
in the book "Your House Is Under Arrest," by Brenda Grantland, one of America's
leading
asset defense attorneys. Copies are available from ISIL, 707/726-8796
http://www.isil.org
Prison Growth Report, Twisted Badge Racial Profiling Series,
Chicago Tribune on Prohibition and the Drug War
http://www.drcnet.org/wol/194.html#mediascan
The Official Story Debunking Gutter Science
http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/15/ECH15_00.HTM
Cannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n572/a11.html?1979
FDA-Approved Medical Marijuana Research Blocked
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T1A726E75
D.E.A. Confirms Grounds To Remove Cannabis from Sch#1
http://makeashorterlink.com/?M23665DA6
The Drugczar--in effect if not by design has encouraged HHS
not to process the rescheduling petition in a timely manner as required by law.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D23832286
Drug Czar Manipulating Data in a Report to Congress
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1242/a08.html?397
CONGRESS IS MISLED AND LIED TO BY GOVERNMENTAL ADDICTION EXPERTS
http://www.nvo.com/hypoism/21congressmisledandliedtobyniaaa
White House Budget Office Flunks the DEA
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004/pma/dea.pdf
http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/culture/media/4/4237.gif
Slave Labor Means Big Bucks For U.S. Corporations
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I2A023806
UNICORE
http://www.unicor.gov
America's Private Gulags
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P2D512DA6
What the WHO doesn't want you to know about cannabis
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/marijuana/news.jsp
Ganja/hemp lnfolinx
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S11B23B45
Hemp Products NOT grown in the US
http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/binaries/29/29799.gif
Brief Summary of the Uses of Hemp
http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/02/ECH02_00.HTM
Practical, inexpensive fire-resistant construction material, with excellent
thermal and
sound-insulating qualities, is made by heating and compressing plant fibers to
creat
strong construction paneling, replacing dry wall and plywood. William B. Conde
of
Conde's Redwood Lumber, Inc. near Eugene, Oregon, in conjunction with Washington
State
University (1991-1993), has demonstrated the superior strength, flexibility, and
economy of hemp composite building materials compared to wood fiber, even as
beams.
Isochanvre, a rediscovered French building material made from hemp hurds mixed
with
lime, actually petrifies into a mineral state and lasts for many centuries.
Archeologists have found a bridge in the south of France, from the Merovingian
period
(500-751 A.D.), built with this process. (See Chenevotte habitat of Rene, France
in
Appendix I.)
Hemp has been used throughout history for carpet backing. Hemp fiber has
potential in
the manufacture of strong, rot resistant carpeting - eliminating the poisonous
fumes of
burning synthetic materials in a house or commercial fire, along with allergic
reactions associated with new synthetic carpeting.
Plastic plumbing pipe (PVC pipes) can be manufactured using renewable hemp
cellulose as
the chemical feedstocks, replacing non-renewable coal or petroleum-based
chemical
feedstocks.
Overview of the History of Cannabis Hemp
http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EINDEX.HTM
* Many Essential Nutrients Found in Hemp Seed July 27, 2000
By Nancy Ross Ryan - Chicago Tribune
Source: Spokane.net http://www.spokane.net http://www.cannabisnews.com
According to the latest research, there are about 45 nutrients that humans can't
live
without and which their bodies can't manufacture: 21 minerals, 13 vitamins,
eight amino
acids and two essential fatty acids. No single food has them all. But when a
food is
discovered that is a rich source of several essential nutrients, such as hemp
seed, it
makes nutrition news. Its promoters bill hemp seed as the soybean of the new
millennium. In addition to containing vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron,
thiamine,
niacin and riboflavin), hemp seed, like the soybean, is a vegetable source of
complete
protein, having all eight amino acids. Hemp oil (pressed from the hemp seed)
is,
according to many, the best source of the two essential fatty acids (or EFAs) we
can't
live without: omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid and omega 6 linoleic acid.
In 1992 a consortium of 20 British farmers requested permission to grow
industrial
hemp, a crop that had been banned since 1971. Home Office Minister Michael Jack
saw no
reason to oppose the request since industrial hemp had been grown for years on
the
Continent "without any problems". The farmers received licenses to cultivate
1500
acres. In 1993 a consortium of 10 Canadian farmers requested permission to grow
hemp,
a crop that had been banned since 1923. The federal government informed them
the law
would have to be changed before commercial plots could be harvested. However,
seeing
that "farmers in Canada are very interested in it", Health Minister Diane
Marleau
issued a permit for 18 acres of experimental plots. The next year Parliament
enabled
commercial harvests.
HEMP SEED: THE MOST NUTRITIONALLY COMPLETE FOOD SOURCE IN THE WORLD
Part One by Lynn Osburn
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed1.html
Part II, Hempseed Oils and the Flow of Life Force
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/hempseed2.html
HEMP, THE PREMIER RENEWABLE RESOURCE
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/index.html
Energy Farming in America
http://www.ratical.org/renewables/eFarming.html
Osburn Defense Fund
http://www.osburndefensefund.com
Hemp Seed, The Royal Grain, by Chris Bennett
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq1.htm
Traditional Uses of Culinary Hemp Seed by Dr. Alexander Sumach
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq2.htm
Centuries of Safe Consumption of Hemp Foods by Cynthia Thielen
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq3.htm
Essential Fatty Acids Can Affect Your Baby's Intelligence! by Hempola, Inc.
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq4.htm
Nutritional Analysis of Hempseed and Hempseed Oil by The Ohio Hempery
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq5.htm
Nutritional Analysis of HempNut Hulled Hempseed by Richard Rose
http://www.thehia.org/faqs/faq5.htm