REPORT FROM THE 25TH CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR TREATMENT AND RESEARCH IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (ECTRIMS) – AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, OCTOBER 19-22, 2011 –
An analysis of data from the phase III FREEDOMS and TRANSFORMS trials indicates that oral fingolimod produces significant reductions in the rates of relapse and disease progression in subgroups of patients with different levels of disease activity (Havrdova et al. ECTRIMS 2011; abstract P473).
A number of recent papers have focused attention on the remarkable responses seen with glutamatergic agents in major depressive disorder (MDD), raising questions about the monoamine hypothesis of psychiatric disorders that has dominated biological psychiatry for a half century (Schildkraut JJ. Am J Psychiatry 1965;122:509-522).
The impact of Alzheimer’s disease on all-cause mortality has not been extensively examined but a new nested case-control study from Finland has now looked at this issue (Lonnroos et al. J Alzheimers Dis 2012; epublished August 22, 2012).
The latest claimant to the neuroprotection crown is green tea, which provides therapeutic levels of the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). A number of animal studies have indicated that EGCG may be beneficial in a range of disorders, including arthritis, colitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and type 1 diabetes (Kim et al. J Nutr 2008;138:2111-2116; Oz et al. J Nutr Biochem 2005;16:297-304; Hsu et al. Autoimmunity 2007;40:138-147; Fu et al. Br J Nutr 2011;105:1218-1225).