Multiple Sclerosis Victims Research Articles

Introduction to a Debate: “Marijuana: Legalize, Decriminalize, or Leave the Status Quo in Place?”

What someone thinks of marijuana can depend on who that person is. To a botanist, marijuana is a plant known as Cannabis sativa L that traces its lineage to the first quintile of the Holocene Epoch. To a chemist, marijuana is a source of the psychoactive substance Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). To a narcotics officer, marijuana is contraband. To students of public policy, marijuana is the focus of a debate that has raged for the last fifty years. This paper is an introduction to that debate and summarizes the position taken by each side. At the center of that debate has been the issue whether marijuana has legitimate medical uses, is addictive, and is actually or potentially physically or psychologically harmful. Numerous studies and articles have examined each of those issues. Powerful arguments have been made for and against the liberalization of federal and state marijuana laws. The debate centers around three issues: (1) Does marijuana or one of its components (known as cannabinoids) have a legitimate medical use?; (2) Is marijuana or one of its components physically or psychologically harmful?; and (3) Is marijuana or one of its components physically or psychologically addictive? Advocates for liberalization of the federal and state marijuana laws argue that marijuana has legitimate medical uses, particularly when smoked, to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, to increase appetite and decrease weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS, to address the neuropathic pain and spasticity afflicting victims of multiple sclerosis, to alleviate the chronic pain in adults that over-the-counter analgesics cannot assuage, and to help with sleep disturbances attributable to several different diseases. Marijuana, they add, is no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Opponents of reform — in particular, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration — and highly respected medical organizations — the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the National Institute for Drug Abuse — maintain that today’s marijuana is not only more potent than your grandfather’s marijuana and is addictive, but it also has a number of adverse short- and long-term health effects, particularly for minors. Defenders of the status quo would also contend that there is no good reason to exempt marijuana from the approval process demanded by the drug safety laws.

Myelin basic protein in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis is not affected at the posttranslational level: Implications for demyelinating disease

The microheterogeneity of myelin basic protein, expressed as the ratio between the least cationic (C-8) charge isomer and the most cationic (C-1), was examined in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) cases. These included acute EAE of 2 months' duration induced with bovine proteolipid protein in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), chronic EAE induced with mouse spinal cord homogenate in varying doses from 0.5 to 2.0 mg in CFA, and chronic relapsing EAE of 12 months' duration induced with synthetic peptide 139–151 of the proteolipid protein sequence. The C-8/C-1 ratio was within the normal range for all groups of animals. However, the C-8/C-1 ratio was six- to sevenfold increased in a spontaneously demyelinating transgenic model, ND4, which contains 70 copies of the cDNA for DM20 (Mastronardi et al.: 1996). Since an increase in the C-8/C-1 ratio was also observed in victims of multiple sclerosis but not other neurological diseases, the ND4 model may address primary changes prior to demyelination, while the EAE model addresses the autoimmune aspects of the disease. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A Correlational Study of Disabilities, Stressors and Coping Methods in Victims of Multiple Sclerosis

Twenty multiple sclerosis (MS) patients admitted to the hospital for treatment of exacerbation of their disease were asked to identify stressors and the coping mechanisms they employed to deal with stressors. They completed the MS Stressor Scale (a twenty item Likert-type scale) and the Jalowiec Coping Scale (sixty-item Likert-type scale). Disability level was measured using the Barthel Index. Results showed an overall mean stress score of 1.49 on a scale of 1 to 3. The most stressful items identified were feeling tired, inability to walk and uncertainty about the future. The most prevalent coping theme used was self-reliance and the most prevalent individual coping responses were a sense of humor and trying to learn more. A positive correlation was found between uncertainty about the future and fatalistic coping, and a negative correlation between depression and optimistic coping. No relationship was found between degree of disability and stressors.

A Cluster-Focus of Multiple Sclerosis at Henribourg, Saskatchewan

This study presents the clinical characteristics of 8 victims of multiple sclerosis from the hamlet of Henribourg, Saskatchewan with a population of less than 75 people. A diligent victim of the disease had observed that six female classmates from the early 1940's had later developed multiple sclerosis. Two male military personnel who had also resided briefly in close proximity, during the same common exposure time, also later developed multiple sclerosis. The mean onset time of developing the disease after leaving the area was 20 years. This cluster-focus suggests a common exposure to an environmental factor or a common infective agent in the etiology of multiple sclerosis.

Elevated levels of a glycoprotein antigen (P-80) in gray and white matter of brain from victims of multiple sclerosis.

The levels of a glycoprotein reactive with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 44D10 in white and gray matter from brains of victims of several neurological diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, were compared to that of normal individuals. The concentration of antigen reactive with MAb 44D10 was elevated in both gray and white matter of all MS brains examined, but not in brains with other neurological diseases. The increase in the concentration of antigen varied amongst the MS brains, such that the levels of antigen were only slightly increased in 2 of the 6 MS brains whereas 2 to 4 fold higher levels were found in the other 4 brains. Increased levels of antigen were detected in gray matter of MS brains, whereas this antigen was either not detected or present in very low levels in gray matter homogenates prepared from age-matched normal brains. MAb Leu 1, which reacts with T lymphocytes, was not absorbed by normal and MS brain tissue suggesting the increase in antigen reactive with MAb 44D10 in MS brain homogenates was not associated with non-specific infiltration by T lymphocytes. Comparison of the purified antigen from MS gray matter and normal white matter by gel electrophoresis demonstrated that MAb 44D10 was reacting with a similar protein in both tissues with an apparent molecular weight of 80K. We have named this molecule P-80 glycoprotein.

No measles virus genetic information detected in multiple sclerosis--derived brains.

Measles virus nucleotide sequences were searched for in diseased and normal-appearing white matter from brains of four multiple sclerosis victims. At the level of sensitivity established, 2.5 to 7.8 measles virus genome-equivalents of RNA, or 4.9 genome-equivalents of putative DNA per diploid cell quantity of DNA, could have been detected. At these levels, no measles virus genetic information was found in any of the four brains.

Mineral Composition of Brains of Normal and Multiple Sclerosis Victims

AbstractElemental contents of human brain samples were determined using plasma emission spectroscopy. White matter samples from brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) victims had significantly greater concentrations of calcium, iron, manganese, and zinc, and significantly less phosphorus, as compared with controls. Whether these differences in elemental concentrations indicate an etiogenic or pathogenic relationship between these elements and MS is not known.