March 20, 2024

Your FUMS 6-Pack is Here 🥳

March 20, 2024

Hey - 

What's shaking? Oh - that's a little too real for those of us with MS, isn't it!?!? 🤪  OK - let's start again. How are you doing? *Thanks for all the love for my dog Snickers last week. I don't know why but I've never shared a picture of her here before. Clearly, that was a mistake. A LOT of you responded to Snickers. So - she's likely to make other appearances in the future. For now - she's asleep again. She has perfected that art form!

So - let's see what's "shaking" in MS news.

1.  Have you heard the news? Christina Applegate and Jami-Lynn Sigler have a new podcast about MS. It's called MeSsy. Cute name, right? I'm looking forward to listening - and I wish them the very best. Welcome to MS advocacy ladies!! Sorry to welcome you to this club. Here's where to listen:

2.  Do you know what Pseudo Bulbar Affect is?? It is yet another gift of MS!!  It is unexpected emotional outbursts: crying or laughing uncontrollably. I think I just heard several of you say "omg, that's MS???"  Yep. Learn more here: 

3.  The Polish biotechnology company 

 plans to launch Phase 2 trials testing its Tregs therapy — the T-cell-based treatment PTG-007 — in people with MS in Poland later this year. Regulatory T-cells, commonly referred to as Tregs, are a type of immune cell that work to control inflammation by keeping the activity of other immune cells in check. Tregs play an important role in immune tolerance, the mechanisms that prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own cells. Because immune tolerance is lost in autoimmune diseases like MS, leveraging the immune-suppressing power of Tregs is of significant interest in treating these conditions. Read all about it: 

4.  Using antibodies against a viral protein that’s needed for the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to invade human cells was found to successfully prevent viral infections and EBV-associated cancer in mice in a new study. By identifying sites where these antibodies bind to the viral protein — called gp42 — researchers say they’ve located areas of vulnerability that can be leveraged to develop vaccines against EBV, which is a leading cause of MS. **Did you have EBV??? Mono??  Antibodies against EBV viral protein help prevent infection in mice5.  Obesity can impact MS progression. Have you heard that in the past?? That's news to me. Over the last decade, several global studies have demonstrated that early childhood and adolescent obesity are significant risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility. According to a review published in the Journal of Neurology and Neuromedicine, this association is highly confirmed in girls and there’s mixed evidence supporting the role of obesity and risk of MS in boys.1 Additionally, research has proposed that the interaction between increased body mass index (BMI) and genetic and environmental factors may impact MS susceptibility, as there is some evidence that established a causal relationship of these factors.  Association Between Obesity and Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: Lars Alfredsson, PhD

6.  As if MS wasn't difficult enough, there seems to be a link between MS and rheumatoid arthritis.  Although MS and RA are two separate and distinct autoimmune disorders, research has suggested that there may be an association between the two. In other words, if you have one of these conditions, you may be more likely to develop the other. **Hit reply to this email and let me know if you are one of these fortunate souls with both of these f'ing diseases.  UGH.  

That's all folks. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. Otherwise, just keep saying FUMS!! 🧡

Cheers -- 

Kathy

Kathy Reagan Young

Founder

P.S. If you enjoy the humor, information, inspiration, and motivation in this newsletter, you can help support it by donating here: 

*Thanks for your support*Sometimes it helps the stress, just to say F-U-M-SGet your FUMS merch on👇🏻

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