Patient Letters MDA/ALS
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ALS Internet Petition - Results |
ANNUAL ALS SYMPOSIUM AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Latest
ALS Findings
by Walter Bradly, D.M., F.R.C.P.
Recent years have witnessed greatly accelerated pace of clinical and
basic science research in ALS. Fifteen different genes have now been linked
to motor neuron disorders. Several animal models of ALS have been constructed
and these are currently being used to better understand the disease process
and to screen potential ALS therapies. A recent experiment with hyperbaric
oxygen therapy in one mouse model of motor neuron disease at the University
of Miami suggests some beneficial effects and we plan to undertake a small
pilot study to evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients
with ALS. Stem cell therapy has great future potential in neurodegenerative
diseases, including ALS.
Possible
Neurotoxic Causes of ALS
by Ashok Verma, M.D.
The reason motor neurons begin dying after several apparently healthy
decades in ALS continues to be a mystery. It appears that genetics, environmental
factors or both may play roles in the demise of motor neurons in ALS.
Environmental toxins have been speculated as a cause of motor neuron disease
for some time. The incidence of ALS in Gulf war veterans has been estimated
to be approximately double that of the matched population. Similarly,
greater prevalence of ALS has been reported in people working and living
in and around a large airbase in Texas. Ongoing in-depth research in these
populations may reveal if the incidence of ALS is indeed higher in these
populations and if any environmental toxin is responsible for motor neuron
disease in this group of patients.
Common Psychological Problems in ALS Patients
by Victoria Bustamante, Psy.D.
Psychological care is a core component of good palliative care and underpins
the practice of all professionals and volunteers caring for patients with
ALS. Psychological care is concerned with the psychological, emotional
and spiritual well being of the patient and their family/care-givers,
including issues of self-esteem, insight into and adaptation to the illness
and its consequences. Depression occurs frequently in patients with ALS
and is often unrecognized or under recognized.
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Speech to Speech Relay (STS) is a service mandated by the Federal Communications
Commission that enables people with a speech disability to use their own
voice, voice prosthesis, or communication device to make a phone call. The
service became available nationally March 1, 2001.
www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/sts.html
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