Multiple Sclerosis: This Year, Get Your Friends in Gear, too! Bike MS: Tour de Farms Participant

Current Treatments
BETASERON® (interferon beta-1b) is indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis

AVONEX® (Interferon beta-1a) is a 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of AVONEX® is identical to that of natural human interferon beta.

COPAXONE is the brand name for glatiramer acetate (formerly known as copolymer-1). Glatiramer acetate, the active ingredient of COPAXONE, consists of the acetate salts of synthetic polypeptides, containing four naturally occurring amino acids: L-glutamic acid, L-alanine, L-tyrosine, and L-lysine with an average molar fraction of 0.141, 0.427, 0.095, and 0.338, respectively. The average molecular weight of glatiramer acetate is 5,000 – 9,000 daltons. Glatiramer acetate is identified by specific antibodies.

Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) is a purified 166 amino acid glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 22,500 daltons. It is produced by recombinant DNA technology using genetically engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary cells into which the human interferon beta gene has been introduced. The amino acid sequence of Rebif® is identical to that of natural fibroblast derived human interferon beta. Natural interferon beta and interferon beta-1a (Rebif®) are glycosylated with each containing a single N-linked complex carbohydrate moiety.

Tysabri is a monoclonal antibody that affects the actions of the body's immune system. Monoclonal antibodies are made to target and destroy only certain cells in the body. This may help to protect healthy cells from damage. Tysabri is used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

Gilenya™ is a new class of medication called a phingosine 1-phosphate receptormodulator, which is thought to act by retaining certain white blood cells (lympohcytes) in the lymph nodes, thereby preventing those cells from crossing the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS). Preventing the entry of these cells into the CNS reduces inflammatory damage to nerve cells.

Early Symptoms
The most common early symptoms of MS include:
* Tingling * Numbness
* Loss of balance
* Weakness in one or more limbs
* Blurred or double vision

Less common symptoms of MS may include
* Slurred speech
* Sudden onset of paralysis
* Lack of coordination
* Cognitive difficulties

Listed above, the early symptoms. I tend to be a poster child for these. The symptoms that occur later on are too numerous just to list. There will be a link included that will get you to a site where these symptoms are listed and explained. Keep in mind that someone may have some of these or many of these, there is no way to tell.

Multiple sclerosis statistics show that approximately 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. The life expectancy for people with multiple sclerosis is nearly the same as for those without MS. Because of this, multiple sclerosis statistics place the annual cost of MS in the United States in the billions of dollars. MS is five times more prevalent in temperate climates -- such as those found in the northern United States, Canada, and Europe -- than in tropical regions. Furthermore, the age of 15 seems to be significant in terms of risk for developing the disease. Some studies indicate that a person moving from a high-risk (temperate) to a low-risk (tropical) area before the age of 15 tends to adopt the risk (in this case, low) of the new area and vice versa. Other studies suggest that people moving after age 15 maintain the risk of the area where they grew up.

The National MS Society

Thursday, January 6, 2011

This Year, Get Your Friends in Gear, too! Bike MS: Tour de Farms Participant

We know it's cold outside, but now is not the time to hibernate — it's time to reflect on the past and resolve to make the year ahead even better. At the Greater Illinois Chapter, we remember and appreciate individuals like you who, through the funds and awareness you raised as a Bike MS: Tour de Farms participant, have given so much to the more than 20,000 people in Illinois affected by MS.

For 2011, we're also excited that you've already resolved to join us again, and encourage you to make it an even better year by also recruiting a friend, family member or co-worker to Join the Movement® as a teammate, individual participant or volunteer at Bike MS.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary for Bike MS in Greater Illinois, so it's bound to be more fun than ever, especially if you bring a few loved ones along! Encourage those you know to save-the-date for Bike MS June 25 & 26 in Dekalb, Ill., and get them to register now by following the steps below:

1. Have them visit bikeMSillinois.org to register.

2. Remind them to use their existing User Name and Password to log-in, if they have one. (They should have one if they've ever volunteered or donated to the chapter.)

3. They can then follow the registration prompts, and if they enter "earlybird" as a discount code, they'll even save a few bucks. Earlybird registration is only $15!
(The code is case-sensitive.)

Thanks again for your continuing participation. We look forward to seeing you in June, and to meeting your friends and family members, too!

Elle_Ullum_signature_web

--Elle Ullum, Manager
and the entire Bike MS: Tour de Farms staff
Find Bike MS: Tour de Farms online here: Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Check out our photos on Picasa

bikeMSillinois.org

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