schoolboy with great expectations, Needs your help: MS Epigenetics Survey

Ryan Mclaughlin founder of  the Shine on Scotland campaign is helping Oxford University and Barts and the London School of  Medicine with a New MS Epigenics Survey.

Basically he need you to participate as he is trying to get the months of births of MS patients, their parents and their grandparents (in order to investigate epigenetic effects). We need to get as many patients to participate as possible in order for the results to be meaningful.

Can you help?

We have designed a web-based survey that should take less than 5 minutes for patients to complete, but it is important that patients have their parents (and if possible, grandparents) birth dates available before
starting the survey.

Please Click Here to participate.

http://www.shineonscotland.org.uk/news/2010/04/ms-epigenetics-survey/

Shine the light on MS

Should Scotland introduce a Vitamin D supplementation programme?

When Ryan McLaughlin was 14 he found himself displaying symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. Acutely aware of the condition as a result of his mother’s diagnosis two years previously, he was referred to Yorkhill hospital for tests. Hoping to learn of a cure, he sought answers on the internet and came across research from Oxford University, highlighting the link between Vitamin D deficiency and MS. 

“To be honest with you, I kind of discounted it at first, thinking it was a wee bit too simple,” says dad, Alan. “He went back upstairs and had another good read of the research and came back down and said would it not be just as easy to put the vitamins straight into the milk and then every child has protection. We thought that was a brilliant idea and that is really when we took notice.” With the help of the MS Society Scotland, Ryan, whose suffering turned out to be stress causing his body to mimic the symptoms of his mother’s condition, formed the Shine on Scotland campaign and took his proposals to the Scottish Parliament. His petition attracted over 1500 signatures and since then the Scottish Government has agreed to run an awareness campaign highlighting the links between Vitamin D, the so-called sunshine vitamin, and MS. 

However, his long-term aim remains that Vitamin D supplements be offered to every child and pregnant women. 

This goal was given a significant boost last week following the publication of an article in the Lancet Neurology journal. 

In addition to casting a spotlight on Scotland, the article also references the Shine on Scotland campaign and argues that as Vitamin D is an inexpensive supplement, the potential cost savings of such a programme are enormous. 

It continues: “In Europe, if the predicted effects of raising serum Vitamin D concentrations to 100 nmol/L are realised, the potential savings have been estimated to be €187 billion [c £160bn] per year from the direct and indirect burden of disease, set against an expenditure of €10 billion on testing and public education.” While it makes clear that trials are still needed to address questions about dosage levels and long-term implications, it nevertheless argues that given the high prevalence and incidence of MS in Scotland, as well as other diseases related to Vitamin D deficiency such as many types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, “the benefits of supplementation are likely to outweigh any potential side-effects” and so should not be seen as an impediment to beginning a supplementation programme in the near future. 

The McLaughlin family are understandably delighted with the news and argue that a supplementation programme should be introduced without delay. 

“I think there has got to be some movement on it, one way or another now,” says Alan. 

“To go to a cohort study will take five years. 

To go to a randomised control study will probably be a ten-year process and we would be looking at probably another 15 years on top before we see a result and get proper data from it and that is too long. Children are suffering. The numbers are growing for MS for children vastly and obviously, people are being diagnosed a lot younger and that means folk are suffering now. So we can’t wait 15 to 20 years to get a result and then take action.” He continues: “A large study would cost between £10-25m. Whereas the Government literally could say we go and allow fortification for certain products at a higher dosage and share some of the burden and cost of that with the food industry and what you will have is healthier kids with a built up immune system at very little cost to the Government to implement it and hopefully, you will see an instant improvement in people’s health.” Certainly, the food industry is not waiting on the Government to make up its mind, he argues. 

“There are plans afoot already by several brands on the market to start putting Vitamin D into all sorts of foods. We’ve already seen it with powdered milk - SMA and Cow & Gate have already started putting it in. Nestle have started putting it into some of their products abroad but not in the UK. They have already brought out Vitamin D in Australia in Kit Kat bars. That will happen here as well, with the right encouragement.” There is growing international recognition of the issue, says Alan, pointing out that US President Barack Obama has recently launched a task force to look at Vitamin D deficiency and Ryan has already written to First Lady Michelle Obama, who is spearheading the ‘Let’s move’ campaign to end childhood obesity to tell her about his campaign in Scotland. 

“American groups are up in arms,” Alan says, “they really want it. North America, especially. 

Australia started campaigning last week. 

Germany kicks one off in a week’s time. 

“So it has caught on and the research is there to prove the theory. 

“I think we are way by the point where people don’t believe it anymore, it is now just about taking action and seeing how much it will help.” And there is a sense that Scotland is leading the field on this issue, argues Craig Wilkie, head of policy and communications, MS Society Scotland. 

“Partly that is because some of the most significant research has been done in the UK and has been taken up in a Scottish context throughout this campaign,” he says, “and from our perspective, the Scottish Government has been very receptive to looking at that, considering that and working with us to see what some of the implications might be.” There is certainly much to consider. In March a group of international experts, health professionals, politicians and patient representatives met in Brussels to call for action to address widespread deficiency of Vitamin D in Europe. 

“Most of the experts and health professionals there were very much of the view that this is quite a significant challenge and it was described by one of the participants as the low-lying fruit of public health - the next stage that governments could and should consider,” explains Wilkie, who attended the meeting. 

Unfortunately, the meeting tended to be a little bit focused on the academic research itself rather than some of the policies that politicians and governments might look at, he says. However, he is hopeful that the summit that is being hosted by MS Society Scotland with support from the Scottish Government later this year will provide a forum for such debate. 

The summit, which had been scheduled for April but was postponed due to the volcanic ash cloud, will now be held in Scotland in September. 

“It is quite exciting for us to be able to bring these people into the same room to look at a potentially important issue,” he says. 

“One of the things that is interesting, at least to me, about Vitamin D is that even though the research and the evidence is still emerging, and some of it is still at a reasonably early stage, I think, especially in the current climate, that it is important that the options we are looking at are relatively low cost. And even if the benefit as yet is not absolutely definitive, the potential benefit is actually quite big and at the same time, the risks seem to be very low. 

“So the combination of all those factors make it potentially quite a significant area to look at in relation to public health and one that might bring a lot of benefit for not very much investment.” Backing the Lancet article’s calls for action now on supplementation, Wilkie says he would like to see the Government giving serious consideration to a programme of supplementation for at-risk groups, such as young children, pregnant women, and certain ethnic minority groups who may tend to cover up and so do not receive the same exposure to the sun. 

However, alongside this he would also like to see more co-ordination of public health messages around how to boost levels of Vitamin D naturally. 

“By and large, the message on sunscreen and so on has been quite a successful one in public health terms. But one of the implications of that in a country like Scotland is that people are actually denying themselves the opportunity to get Vitamin D from the sun, which is the most obvious and plentiful source of it. Even ten, 15 minutes in the sun prior to putting on sunscreen can make a difference. So one of the things that we’ve been talking about with the Government is how you can try and coordinate some of those messages and look at some of the unintended consequences of certain health messages around sunscreen, for example.” While he says there is still a long way to go, he says it is remarkable what the Shine on Scotland campaign has managed to achieve in a relatively short time, which he credits in no small part to Ryan’s unstinting “enthusiasm and commitment”. 

“He is always looking for new opportunities to expand the campaign or add different dimensions to it. He is quite an extraordinary young man. So it is no surprise that he is getting things done,” Wilkie says. 

Alan is also proud of what his son has achieved. “He’s done a fantastic job with it. 

He’s got his own wee style in the way he speaks to the Government and to manage to get the whole government on side, he has done really well. 

“For the last year he has just been stuck in his room, apart from when he is doing his Taekwondo, researching and annoying politicians until they give in.” And he has been right to do so, Alan says. 

“It is not as if they are giving in for any reason other than that he’s right. The research is 40 years old now. It was only last year that Oxford University found that specific gene which proved the theory, but the Vitamin D hypothesis has been there for nearly going on 40 years. So it is about time something is done about it.”

Vitamin D - Harvard Uni research strongly supports Vitamin d will slow MS progression

A recent study by Harvard University has suggested that on the basis of all current evidence over 70% of cases of Multiple sclerosis in the US and Europe could be prevented by keeping Vitamin D levels above 100nmol.


They say that the studies suggest supplementation in the order of 4,000-10,000 iu per day, for people with first episode of MS, and for people with MS could slow progression.

The researchers will give evidence at the Shine On Scotland International summit on Vitamin D hosted by MS Society Scotland in Glasgow on September 21st 2010.

McLaughlin Institute unveils $4.3 million expansion work

A $4.3 million expansion and renovation of McLaughlin Research Institute will give scientists more room to study and possibly find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

"This expansion is important to furthering the research to cure the diseases that, sad to say, affect all of us," said Leslie Oakland, chairwoman of McLaughlin's fund drive committee, at Friday's dedication of the updated facility.

Oakland's committee raised $2.3 million for the expansion. That money was matched by a $2 million grant from the Montana Department of Commerce.

The construction, which took place over the last two years, added 6,000 square feet to McLaughlin's building, located at 1520 23rd St. S., and renovated another 13,000 square feet.

The changes will make room for two new scientists, one of whom started last year, and their mice.

"Our animal space has increased at least 40 percent," said Julie Amato, McLaughlin's animal resource center manager.

The McLaughlin Research Institute moved into its current building in 1993. It didn't take long for the institute to outgrow its mice-handling areas, said George Carlson, institute director.

"This project actually came about because of the success in generating mouse models to study disease," Carlson said.

Scientists at McLaughlin insert human DNA into mice, which creates a mouse model that can be used to study human diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's.

McLaughlin currently has about 15,000 mice, Amato said. She expects that to grow to 40,000 to 50,000 mice now that there is room for them.

The additional state-of-the-art space will help the institute recruit more scientists, she added.

The remodel also will help keep the mice sterile. The building's new design features separate areas for dirty mice and supplies, and clean mice and supplies. That will help keep the mice free of pathogens, Amato said. The expansion includes two new cage washers, which increases the number of animals that staff can care for on a daily basis.

The remodel was complicated by the fact that scientists continued their research in the building throughout the construction process.

"We didn't move the mice out," Carlson said.

During the project, staff had to make sure mice were in areas where they weren't disturbed by noise and vibration from the construction.

Sletten Construction Company, the general contractor for the project, did a great job of working around the scientists and their animals, Carlson said.

Tony Preite, state director of commerce, expects the expansion to bolster the Great Falls and Montana economies because of the high-paying jobs it will add. He also noted the importance of work that could lead to cures for certain diseases.

"This is an import project not only for Great Falls, not only for Montana, but for everyone on earth," he said.

The research McLaughlin scientists do is vital, Oakland added.

"We have to have basic bio-medical research," she said. "Without that, we couldn't treat these diseases."

Reach Tribune staff writer Erin Madison at 791-1466, 800-438-6600 oremadison@greatfallstribune.com.

Ryan Mclaughlin launches ‘Fortify Scotland’s school milk’ campaign

Ryan McLaughlin launches ‘Fortify Scotland’s school milk’ campaign

15 year old Ryan McLaughlin founder of the award winning Shine on Scotland campaign has launched a new social networking campaign to gain public support for his Idea of adding vitamin D to all school milk in Scotland. The 15 year old campaigner believes that vitamin D is so important to improving the health of scottish kids and wants to ascertain how many parents agree with him, using the social platform Facebook.


Ryan is asking scottish parents to join the group and have their say on the subject.


A recent scientific review undertaken by the Lancet said if Europe adopted his idea for supplementation the result would save Europe a incredible £165 billion a year.


The World Health Organisation have advised previously that Scotland should start a national supplementation program of vitamin d.


The campaigner says ‘much work still has to be done to get the RDA of vitamin D raised significantly and I will work with the Scottish Government, SACN and the FSA to get that done, but I am positive that fortifying school milk with vitamin D offers the best solution to offering protection to all kids in Scotland’


I am proud to say that the Scottish Government have been amazing in supporting my goals, they have really listened and acted on the current evidence in support of vitamin D, as more evidence is put in place I believe that the case for fortification of school milk will increase, the Scottish government have not ruled out my proposal for fortified school milk they have said  that following advice from the FSA Scotland, the Scottish Government believes that it would not be appropriate to introduce fortified milk (or other fortified drinks) at school until such time as the evidence base is more conclusive about the impact on the population.


However this was said before new research released by the scottish government and the announcement that NHS Scotland said there was now an ‘urgent need to educate women and that all pregnant mothers and all children up to the age of 4 should be taking vitamin D everyday’.


Now that BUPA have said that they believe vitamin D could prevent cancer and Israel announced all 3% milk is to be fortified I think we need to ask the Scottish Government to look at this again as the evidence is certainly more conclusive and it can only have a healthy impact on the population .





Almost all milk in the US is fortified with vitamin D, Israel has moved to fortify all 3% milk, Jordan has agreed to fortify all bread and canada has opted for national supplementation.


http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150104079977&ref=nf

Leading the way in a global battle to beat MS

Multiple sclerosis affects far more women than men, and more Scots than any other nationality. Will new research tell us why? 

By Fiona Russell

For Surinder Saroya, even the simple tasks of filling a glass with water or chopping an onion require enormous concentration and effort. Negotiating a doorway often results in a bruise for the 38-year-old from Glasgow, while a trip to the shops or a short walk along the beach can cause such fatigue that she becomes bed-ridden for several days.

But at least Saroya now has an explanation for symptoms that she believes started in her childhood, including poor balance and coordination, tiredness, sight, hearing and respiratory problems and aching muscles and joints. Three years ago, the busy career woman was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

“The disease has had a huge affect upon my life. When I was diagnosed I thought it was the end of my life and that I was suddenly going to die,” says Saroya. “I had to have a long period of readjustment. I took a look at my life, at all the stresses, and I tried to make sensible changes.

“Despite all of this, I find I can’t travel far or cope with noisy places. I have had to stop working full-time and I have also moved to a new, more manageable house. I still do get very, very tired and sore and my lack of coordination is increasingly difficult, even with tasks like making a cup of tea or a simple meal.”

Saroya’s daily struggles are typical of thousands of people across Scotland. Figures estimate that 10,400 people – one in 500 – are affected by the progressive neurological condition MS, of which the highest proportion are women. In fact, the Scottish incidence of MS is the highest compared to every other country in the world.

But the full scale of the disease might still be revealed. Later this year, a new register will begin to collate the exact number of MS cases in Scotland. “Unlike other countries, for example Denmark and Canada, where there has always been a register of people with MS, Scotland has no such record,” says Dr Lee Dunster, head of research and information at the MS Society.

“However, scientists are now recognising that Scotland would make an extremely good case study for research into causes of the disease. It is almost the perfect capsule because the country is a manageable size and the number of cases is so high.

“By the end of the year, it is hoped that a register will begin to collate the background of every MS case. This is bound to provide invaluable research material for the future.”

For more than 60 years, scientists have been working to find a cause of MS. It is known that the illness is more prevalent in countries that are located at the furthest points from the equator, such as Canada, Scandinavia and Britain.

“Migration studies in the 1950s and 1960s also revealed that a determining factor for being affected by MS appeared to be the location of residency before the age of 15, or puberty,” says Dr Dunster. Various other theories have focused on childhood contact with dogs, hormones, viruses, geography, vitamin D deficiency and the month of birth.

“But in recent years, there has been a stronger strand of thought that points to MS being caused by two components in combination,” says Dr Dunster. “To start with, a person requires a genetic susceptibility to MS, then some environmental trigger is needed for the disease to manifest itself. This trigger is now the focus of much attention, and research is looking at, in particular, sunlight and geography.”

Curiously, two recent studies have shed new light on the gender imbalance of MS cases. While the traditional belief was that MS worldwide affects twice as many women as men, it’s now thought that the ratio could have almost doubled in the past six decades. While the figure for women has been growing since the 1940s, the proportion of men with MS has remained static.

Last month, an American study at the University of Alabama reported that the rate at which females are affected by MS compared to men is four to one, while another carried out in part by University of Oxford academics on Canadian data in 2006 concluded a ratio of 3.2 to one. For scientists this represents another vital line of research. Last week, Dr Gary Cutter, a professor of biostatistics and author of the American study, told The Herald: “We don’t yet know why more women are developing MS than men but we do need to ask questions about what women do differently to men, such as use of hair dye and use of cosmetics that may block vitamin D absorption.”

Logically, believes Professor George Ebers, co-author of the Canadian study and part of Oxford University’s department of clinical neurology, the focus of such research should be Scotland “since it is the country with the highest incidence of MS in the world”.

This point is seen as particularly poignant to Mark Hazelwood, director of MS Society Scotland. “We’ve always known that there is something going on in Scotland that causes this particularly high rate of MS, but without accurate statistics it’s difficult to explore the issue further.

“It could be, for example, that there are more cases of MS in the north of Scotland or the south, or geographic pockets where more women have MS. That’s why MS Society Scotland has been working with the NHS and neurologists across the country to set up this very important register.”

Now that Saroya has had time to come to terms with MS, she has started to question why the disease has affected her. “No-one else in my family has MS and I can only think of a few contributory factors,” she says. “I know that childhood location is important and, while I have Indian parents, I have always lived in Britain. I spent the first 12 years of my life in England before moving to Scotland. I also believe that stress has played a huge role. I have had a very stressful life and until I stopped work, that caused great stresses, too.

“It is unfortunate that Scotland records the highest number of cases of MS, but it is great news that this country could become a focus for further research into this disease. Knowing how the figures stack up, particularly among women, does make me wonder what preventive measures I could have taken.”

Multiple sclerosis: the key facts of an unpredictable illness

• MS (multiple sclerosis) is a complex disease of the central nervous system which impairs the brain’s ability to transmit instructions to the muscles. It can affect different parts of the body, to widely differing degrees. In most cases, the symptoms both increase in number and become more severe over time. There is currently no cure for MS, but research is ongoing.
• Symptoms include visual impairment, numbness, fatigue, mobility problems, muscle and joint pains, tremors, bladder problems, mood swings, respiratory problems and poor concentration.
• There are four types of MS:
  Relapsing-remitting MS
  Most people are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. This is when there are periods of relapses (a flare-up of symptoms), followed by remissions (periods of recovery). Relapses are unpredictable. They can last for days, weeks or months and vary from mild to severe. During a relapse, there could be evidence of new symptoms, or a recurrence or worsening of previous symptoms. During remission, symptoms can disappear completely, though sometimes people make only a partial recovery.
  Secondary-progressive MS
  Most people who have relapsing-remitting MS later develop a form known as secondary-progressive MS. This type of MS is identified when the condition becomes steadily worse, and the disability progresses, for a period of six months or more, whether people continue to have relapses or not.
  Benign MS
  If you have a small number of relapses followed by a complete recovery, you may be described as having benign MS. It is only possible to make a diagnosis of benign MS once you have experienced little or no disability for a period of 10 to 15 years. However, a diagnosis of benign MS does not guarantee that a person will be free of problems. A relapse may occur after many years.
  Primary-progressive MS
  With primary-progressive MS, symptoms steadily worsen, resulting in a continued progression in disability. In this case, there are no distinct relapses and remissions.
• For further information, visit www.mssocietyscotland.org.uk or call 0808 800 8000.
• http://www.heraldscotland.com/leading-the-way-in-a-global-battle-to-beat-ms-1.839957

Insufficient vitamin D tied to severe asthma attacks

(Reuters Health) – Asthmatic children with relatively low vitamin D levels in their blood may have a greater risk of suffering severe asthma attacks than those with higher levels of the vitamin, a new study suggests.

HEALTH

The study, which followed more than 1,000 children with asthma for four years, found those with vitamin-D “insufficiency” at the outset were more likely to have an asthma attack that required a trip to the hospital.

Over the four-year study, 38 percent of children with insufficient vitamin D levels went to the emergency room or were hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation. The same was true of 32 percent of children with sufficient levels of the vitamin.

When the researchers considered other factors — including the severity of the children’s asthma at the study’s start, their weight and their family income — vitamin D insufficiency itself was linked to a 50 percent increase in the risk of severe asthma attacks.

Researchers led by Dr. Augusto A. Litongua, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, report the findings in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

As it stands, people are considered to have an overt deficiency in vitamin D when blood levels drop below 11 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). But there is debate over how the optimal vitamin D level should be defined — and what the daily recommended intake of the vitamin should be for children and adults.

Some experts believe that vitamin D blood levels above 30 ng/mL are desirable for overall health, and that levels between deficiency and 30 ng/mL should be viewed as “insufficient.”

For their study, Litongua and his colleagues considered children with vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or lower to be insufficient in the vitamin.

The researchers based their findings on 1,024 children with mild-to-moderate asthma who were part of a clinical trial testing two inhaled asthma medications — budesonide and nedocromil. Using blood samples taken at the start of the trial, Litongua’s team found that 35 percent of the children had vitamin D insufficiency, and 65 percent had sufficient levels.

Overall, the researchers found no evidence that sufficient vitamin D levels protected kids from moderate asthma symptoms; in fact, children with low levels of the vitamin tended to report fewer moderate symptoms.

However, these children were at greater risk of severe asthma attacks.

While the findings point to an association between vitamin D status and asthma exacerbations, they do not prove that vitamin D is responsible — or, by extension, that taking the vitamin will prevent asthma attacks.

It is biologically plausible that vitamin D would affect the severity of asthma attacks, according to Litongua and his colleagues.

Vitamin D may be best known for its role in healthy bone development and maintenance, but it is also needed for normal nerve, muscle and immune system function. Some studies have linked low vitamin D levels to a higher risk of type 1 or “insulin-dependent” diabetes in children and, in adults, heart disease and certain cancers.

The effects of vitamin D on the immune system, which include the inflammatory response to infections, might help explain why higher levels of the vitamin were linked to a lower risk of severe asthma exacerbations, according to Litongua’s team.

They say it’s also possible that vitamin D enhances the effects of anti-inflammatory steroid hormones — both the body’s natural supply and the synthetic corticosteroids used to treat asthma.

In this study, the beneficial association between vitamin D and asthma attacks was mainly seen in children who were on budesonide, a corticosteroid.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants, children and teenagers get 400 IU of vitamin D each day. Milk, breakfast cereals and orange juice fortified with the vitamin are the main food sources, though some fatty fish naturally contain high amounts of vitamin D. Experts recommend vitamin pills for children who do not get enough of the vitamin from food.

Vitamin D is naturally synthesized in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, but long winters and sun avoidance in the summer mean that many kids may not get enough vitamin D this way. In addition, vitamin D synthesis is less efficient in people with darker skin, and African Americans are at higher risk of deficiency than whites.

Overweight children and adults also appear to be at elevated risk of deficiency because vitamin D is stored in body fat. The more vitamin D that gets sequestered into fat tissue, the less active vitamin there is in the blood.

SOURCE: here(10)00657-3/abstract

Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, online June 10, 2010.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65M5E920100623