scholarly journals Association between the Endogenous Retrovirus HRES-1 and Multiple Sclerosis in the United Kingdom – Evidence of Genetically Different Disease Subsets?

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 101-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. B. Rasmussen ◽  
M. A. Kelly ◽  
D. A. Francis ◽  
J. Clausen
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Endogenous Sequence ◽  
Haplotype 1

In the present study we determined the frequencies of four haplotypes of the human T-cell lymphotropic virus-related endogenous sequence, HRES-1, in 110 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 100 healthy control subjects from the United Kingdom. We found evidence of an association between this endogenous retrovirus and MS (p < 0.01), in particular reflecting an increased frequency of HRES-1 haplotype 1 in the group of patients. There was no significant difference in the distribution of HRES-1 haplotypes between relapsing-remitting MS and the primary progressive form of the disease. The odds ratio for HRES-1 haplotype 1 and MS did not differ significantly between individuals positive for HLA-DR2 and DR2-negative individuals. Comparison of the observations from the present study with previous results implicated HRES-1 as a marker of genetic heterogeneity in MS.

Possible association between multiple sclerosis and the human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV)-related endogenous element, HRES-I

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
HB Rasmussen ◽  
A Heltberg ◽  
K Christensen ◽  
J Clausen
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Endogenous Retrovirus ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Cell Leukemia ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
T Cell Leukemia Virus

In the present study we searched for an association between the human endogenous retroviral element HRES-I and multiple sclerosis (MS). Fragments of this endogenous retrovirus were amplified for subsequent examination by single strand conformational analysis. We did not find HRES-I markers exclusively linked with MS and only the two already known polymorphisms, which define three alleles of HRES-I, were detected. However, we found a significant difference in the distribution of these alleles between a group of 87 MS patients and a control group of 158 healthy individuals (P=0.014). There were no differences in the distribution of the HRES-I allelic forms between MS patients with a relapsing-remitting course and patients with chronic progressive MS. Our results provide evidence of an association between HRES-I and MS. Possible explanations for this are discussed.

scholarly journals Listening to Slugs: Acceptability and Consumption of Molluscicide Pellets by the Grey Field Slug, Deroceras reticulatum

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 548
Author(s):  
Samantha Mirhaya de Silva ◽  
David Chesmore ◽  
Jack Smith ◽  
Gordon Port
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Active Ingredient ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Crop Plants ◽  
Deroceras Reticulatum ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Ferric Phosphate ◽  
Significant Difference

Gastropod damage to crop plants has a significant economic impact on agricultural and horticultural industries worldwide, with the Grey Field Slug (Deroceras reticulatum (Müller)) considered the main mollusc pest in the United Kingdom and in many other temperate areas. The prevailing form of crop protection is pellets containing the active ingredient, metaldehyde. Metaldehyde can cause paralysis and death in the mollusc, depending on the amount ingested. The paralysing effects may result in reduced pellet consumption. A greater understanding of metaldehyde consumption may reveal an area that can be manipulated using novel molluscicide formulations. Novel pellet types included commercial metaldehyde pellets coated so that metaldehyde is released more slowly. In both laboratory and arena trials, an audio sensor was used to record individual slugs feeding on a variety of pellet types, including commercially available toxic pellets (metaldehyde and ferric phosphate) and novel metaldehyde formulations. The sensor was used to record the length of each bite and the total number of bites. There was no significant difference in the length of bites between pellet types in laboratory trials. Novel pellets were not consumed more than commercial pellet types. Commercial pellet types did not differ in consumption.

scholarly journals Oligoclonal IgG bands in the cerebrospinal fluid of portuguese patients with multiple sclerosis: negative results indicate benign disease

2005 ◽  
Vol 63 (2b) ◽  
pp. 375-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria José Sá ◽  
Lucinda Sequeira ◽  
Maria Edite Rio ◽  
Edward J. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Benign Disease ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Oligoclonal Igg ◽  
Oligoclonal Igg Bands

We assessed the frequency of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) restricted oligoclonal IgG bands (IgG-OCB) in Portuguese multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and its relationship with outcome. Paired CSF/serum samples of 406 patients with neurological disorders were submitted to isoelectric focusing with immunodetection of IgG. Ninety-two patients had definite MS; non-MS cases were assembled in groups inflammatory/infectious diseases (ID, n=141) and other/controls (OD, n=173). We found in the MS group: mean duration, 38.9 months; clinically isolated syndromes, 24%; relapsing/remitting course (RR), 65%; in RR patients the mean EDSS was 2.1 and the mean index of progression was 0.31. Positive patterns significantly predominated in MS (82.6%; ID, 40.4%; OD, 3.5%). The sensitivity and the specificity of positive IgG-OCB for MS diagnosis was 82.6% and 79.9%, respectively. The sole statistically significant difference in the MS group was the lower progression index observed in negative cases. We conclude that the frequency of positive IgG-OCB patterns in our MS patients fits most values reported in the literature, and that negative results indicate benign disease.

scholarly journals Impact of Proactive Case Management by Multiple Sclerosis Specialist Nurses on Use of Unscheduled Care and Emergency Presentation in Multiple Sclerosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Leary ◽  
Debbie Quinn ◽  
Amy Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Care Pathway ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Emergency Presentation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Proactive Management ◽  
Bed Days ◽  
The Impact

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects approximately 100,000 people in the United Kingdom, with rising emergency admissions to the hospital. The multiple sclerosis specialist nurse plays a pivotal role in managing MS care in the United Kingdom, and there is anecdotal evidence that this role can help avoid emergency presentations and unnecessary hospital admissions. Methods: A retrospective service evaluation took place in one established MS nursing service. The impact of the introduction of proactive nurse-led management and a rapid response service on rates of emergency presentation, hospital admission, and bed use was examined. The primary intervention was the introduction of extra nursing hours (6 hours per week) and the reallocation of some routine administrative duties, which allowed the service to move to a proactive management model aimed at avoiding the need for unplanned care. In addition, a care pathway was implemented in the emergency department for patients with MS who did present. Results: Reduction in utilization was from a mean of 2700 bed-days per year (2002–2006) to a mean of 198 bed-days per year (2007–2013). Conclusions: During a 10-year period, moving from reactive management to proactive management demonstrated an increase in complex specialist nursing interventions and led to a decrease in emergency presentation and bed use at the local acute-care center.

scholarly journals Pre-existing anxiety, depression, and neurological disability are associated with long COVID: A prospective and longitudinal cohort study of the United Kingdom Multiple Sclerosis Register

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afagh Garjani ◽  
Rodden M Middleton ◽  
Richard Nicholas ◽  
Nikos Evangelou
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Cox Regression Analysis ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Recovery Status

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with developing long COVID among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition which shares the neurological and psychological symptomatology of long COVID Design: Community-based prospective and longitudinal observational study Setting: The United Kingdom (UK) MS Register (UKMSR) COVID-19 study Participants: A national cohort of MS patients with COVID-19 Main outcome measures: Participants used the online questionnaire-based platform of the UKMSR to update their COVID-19 symptoms and recovery status. Questionnaires were date-stamped for estimation of COVID-19 symptom duration. The UKMSR also holds demographic and up-to-date clinical data on participants including comorbidities, MS type, date of MS diagnosis, disease-modifying therapies, web-based Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (a measure of physical disability in MS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The association between these factors and recovery from COVID-19 was assessed using multivariable Cox regression analysis. Results: Out of 7,977 MS patients who participated in the UKMSR COVID-19 study, 599 had COVID-19 and updated their recovery status prospectively. At least 181 participants (31.1%) had long-standing COVID-19 symptoms for ≥4 weeks and 76 (13.1 %) for ≥12 weeks. Participants with higher levels of pre-COVID-19 physical disability, participants with anxiety and/or depression prior to COVID-19 onset, and women were less likely to recover from COVID-19. Conclusions: Long COVID appears to affect patients with a pre-existing chronic condition, especially those with physical disabilities or mental health problems disproportionately when compared to reports in the general population. Long COVID research and the development of post-COVID-19 rehabilitation services need to be inclusive of these at-risk populations. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04354519

Investigation of outer cortical magnetisation transfer ratio abnormalities in multiple sclerosis clinical subgroups

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 1322-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca S Samson ◽  
Manuel J Cardoso ◽  
Nils Muhlert ◽  
Varun Sethi ◽  
Claudia AM Wheeler-Kingshott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Neuronal Loss ◽  
Magnetisation Transfer ◽  
Magnetisation Transfer Ratio ◽  
Outer Cortex ◽  
Transfer Ratio ◽  
Relapsing Remitting ◽  
Healthy Control

Background: Pathological abnormalities including demyelination and neuronal loss are reported in the outer cortex in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: We investigated for in vivo evidence of outer cortical abnormalities by measuring the magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) in MS patients of different subgroups. Methods: Forty-four relapsing–remitting (RR) (mean age 41.9 years, median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 2.0), 25 secondary progressive (SP) (54.1 years, EDSS 6.5) and 19 primary progressive (PP) (53.1 years, EDSS 6.0) MS patients and 35 healthy control subjects (mean age 39.2 years) were studied. Three-dimensional (3D) 1×1×1mm3 T1-weighted images and MTR data were acquired. The cortex was segmented, then subdivided into outer and inner bands, and MTR values were calculated for each band. Results: In a pairwise analysis, mean outer cortical MTR was lower than mean inner cortical MTR in all MS groups and controls ( p<0.001). Compared with controls, outer cortical MTR was decreased in SPMS ( p<0.001) and RRMS ( p<0.01), but not PPMS. Outer cortical MTR was lower in SPMS than PPMS ( p<0.01) and RRMS ( p<0.01). Conclusions: Lower outer than inner cortical MTR in healthy controls may reflect differences in myelin content. The lowest outer cortical MTR was seen in SPMS and is consistent with more extensive outer cortical (including subpial) pathology, such as demyelination and neuronal loss, as observed in post-mortem studies of SPMS patients.

Salmonella and Campylobacter in United Kingdom Retail Raw Chicken in 2005

2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 1937-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICHARD J. MELDRUM ◽  
IAN G. WILSON
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Prevalence Rates ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Enrichment Methods

The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency commissioned a survey of Salmonella and Campylobacter in raw, whole chickens at retail in Wales and Northern Ireland between March and December 2005 to measure the baseline prevalence rates of these two significant pathogens. In total, 877 retail samples were examined for Campylobacter and Salmonella by enrichment methods. Overall contamination rates of 70.2% for Campylobacter and 4.0% for Salmonella were found. There was a statistically significant difference in Campylobacter rates between fresh and frozen samples, with fresh samples having a higher rate. There was no statistically significant difference between samples taken from retailers and butchers. Campylobacter was significantly more common in Northern Ireland than in Wales. Salmonella was significantly more common in Wales. The findings indicate the need for further investigation to explore why measures that have been successful in reducing Salmonella in the United Kingdom in recent years have failed to contribute to the control of Campylobacter. Identifying the factors responsible could lead to the introduction of more effective controls throughout the industry.

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