Twin Study Deepens Multiple Sclerosis Mystery

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Specializes in Too many to list.

i have three friends with ms. i have always wondered why this happened to them. i hope that someday, we will have an answer.

on the surface the story in wired made perfect sense: twin study deepens multiple sclerosis mystery. it is about a new study from the national center for genome resources that compared the genetic endowments of three sets of identical twins, one each of which contracted multiple sclerosis (ms), the other didn't. this was a full bore effort that wound up costing $1.5 million over a year and a half to sequence 2.8 billion base pairs in each twin, determine if they come from the mother or father and then -- and this is the amazing part -- determine the entire epigenome of the cd4 cell, one of the white cells in the immune system that plays a central part in ms. ms is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the patient aberrantly makes antibodies to his or her own nerve tissues. the epigenome consists in additional modifications to the genome that are acquired throughout life that don't involve the underlying sequence. they often involve attaching other small molecular groups, like the methyl group, onto the basic sequence without altering it. twins have identical genomes but their epigenomes might diverge as they age and they encounter different environmental influences. so looking for the answer in the epigenome made a lot of sense. but the answer wasn't there. there was no difference in either the genomes (expected) or the epigenomes, or, for that matter, in the transcriptomes, the repertoire of what genes are actually expressed. each twin looked the same but only one had ms.

as i say, that this surprise made sense on one level. it was a reasonable place to look. but i found another aspect of the story quite striking:

it's still possible that some as-yet-unknown genetic factor, undetectable by even the most advanced tools, may explain the discordance in the study. however, [lead author and geneticist stephen] kingsmore thinks the culprit is probably an unknown environmental influence. "there must be a nongenetic factor, probably environmental," that combines with known genetic and environmental risks, he said. (brandon keim, wired)

more at: multiple sclerosis and the curmudgeon trait : effect measure

the editors of effect measure are senior public health scientists and practitioners. paul revere was a member of the first local board of health in the united states (boston, 1799). the editors sign their posts "revere" to recognize the public service of a professional forerunner better known for other things.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I actually have twin aunts who both have MS

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Specializes in Too many to list.

Now that is very interesting. Perhaps they were both exposed to the same mysterious something in the environment that triggered the disease? So frustrating and heartbreaking that we don't know the answers yet.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I'm not sure they actually live in different areas (Michigan and Florida) and have since they were quite young...the 1 was in the army or military since she was 20-ish. They actually had tried to sign up for the twin study (that one or a different one) cause 1 aunt got it a while before the other. Apparently they were called for it years later and by that time the 2nd aunt had it. (They are identical by the way just like the study)

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Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

Thanks for posting. My dad died from Parkinsons disease, and I am always interested to read any neuro research related to genetics and environmental influences, specifically relating to Parkinsons, MS, and ALS.

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Thanks for posting this. I have an identical twin sister with MS but have never shown any symptoms myself. I used to try to keep up to date on all the latest research but lately haven't been.

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As of now what I am about to type is merely anecdotal but maybe in a few years there will be some hard proof. First of all we as a society dump tons and tons of chemicals into the air, land and water. We humans then breathe, eat and absorb through our skin and mucus membranes these very same chemicals.

Then there is the issue of cell phones. Some studies say yes, some studies say no as to the dangers of prolonged exposure to the radiation produced by cell phones. A massive new study has just begun and it will be interesting to see te results.

I am a budding scientist and under the guidance of some very prominent scientists. They readily admit that science has not escaped the corruption of money. It is certainly possible to design studies and experiments in ways that produce a DESIRED outcome.

Anyway I guess my point is, the make up we wear, the air freshener that we pollute our houses with, the deodorant we wear, perfume, pesticides, food preservatives....folks, it cant be a good thing.

Trouble is, the horse is out of the barn and there is no way we will ever live in a chemical free world......I guess all we can do is try to limit our exposure.......

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Did I read correctly and they only studied 6 people? If that is the case this study was a waste of time and money, imo. I've done a lot of MS research and while I'm not convinced it is only one disease and remain open to environmental causes or triggers to an extent really I believe there is sufficient evidence to show that MS very definitely does have familial implications which is even further increased if you include autoimmune diseases in general. Thankfully the National MS Society has started adding this to their literature. I think this is extremely important considering the largest group diagnosed with MS is women of childbearing age. Years ago even doctors minimized the risks of passing it on and I think that is irresponsible.

Here is a blurb from the NMSS website: "MS is not directly inherited, but genetics play an important role in who gets the disease. While the risk of developing MS in the general population is 1/750, the risk rises to 1/40 in anyone who has a close relative (parent, sibling, child) with the disease. Even though identical twins share the same genetic makeup, the risk for an identical twin is only 1/4--which means that some factor(s) other than genetics are involved."

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/who-gets-ms/index.aspx

The risk of 1/40 for relatives and 1/4 in identical twins sure sounds significant to me. :crying2:

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Specializes in Too many to list.
...the largest group diagnosed with MS is women of childbearing age. Years ago even doctors minimized the risks of passing it on and I think that is irresponsible.

Now there is a frightening thought...I hope that you are wrong but fear that it may be true. Come to think of it. One of my friends has a brother, not a twin, I think, that is also diagnosed.

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Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

Then there is the issue of cell phones. Some studies say yes, some studies say no as to the dangers of prolonged exposure to the radiation produced by cell phones. A massive new study has just begun and it will be interesting to see te results.

To the "budding scientist" that is under the instruction of "prominent scientists" ....cell phones do not produce radiation. Neither do microwave ovens. That is science 101.

I happened to know one of the researchers who, for many years did research as to whether power lines had any effect on disease states. The studies were well designed studies, with all sorts of advanced statistical methods built in to control for bias, etc. Yes, as some high level research scams have shown us (think Korea and stem cells), money and lack of integrity can influence scientific studies. But, most have rigorous scientific and statistical methods as part of the design.

That said, I also believe the environment provides multiple factors that can trigger a disease in a person who has a genetic susceptability. I just believe that there is something more, something that is ubiquitous that we have not zeroed in on yet. We are missing the triggers. Remember in pharmacology....the drug Pondamin? Benign by itself, but as part of the combo "Phen-Phen" diet, it was quite serious. There is certainly no one thing that would point to why my father developed Parkinsons disease, and you find that in most neuro research, whether in MS, ALS, or Parkinsons. And if you like research methodology, and you want to read something that is entertaining and about statistical research that is "pure statistics" and unencumbered by what is politically correct, read Freakonomics (if you have not already). It is a good lesson learned for budding researchers.

Sorry..got a bit off topic.

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Then there is the issue of cell phones. Some studies say yes, some studies say no as to the dangers of prolonged exposure to the radiation produced by cell phones. A massive new study has just begun and it will be interesting to see te results.

To the "budding scientist" that is under the instruction of "prominent scientists" ....cell phones do not produce radiation. Neither do microwave ovens. That is science 101.

I happened to know one of the researchers who, for many years did research as to whether power lines had any effect on disease states. The studies were well designed studies, with all sorts of advanced statistical methods built in to control for bias, etc. Yes, as some high level research scams have shown us (think Korea and stem cells), money and lack of integrity can influence scientific studies. But, most have rigorous scientific and statistical methods as part of the design.

That said, I also believe the environment provides multiple factors that can trigger a disease in a person who has a genetic susceptability. I just believe that there is something more, something that is ubiquitous that we have not zeroed in on yet. We are missing the triggers. Remember in pharmacology....the drug Pondamin? Benign by itself, but as part of the combo "Phen-Phen" diet, it was quite serious. There is certainly no one thing that would point to why my father developed Parkinsons disease, and you find that in most neuro research, whether in MS, ALS, or Parkinsons. And if you like research methodology, and you want to read something that is entertaining and about statistical research that is "pure statistics" and unencumbered by what is politically correct, read Freakonomics (if you have not already). It is a good lesson learned for budding researchers.

Sorry..got a bit off topic.

Just wow.

You my dear have just shown the world your ignorance in science. A quick perusal of a number of repuutable websites says I am correct and you are wrong. Here is one example:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cellphones

So why dont you post a few links telling me I am wrong. There are many types of radiation, its a generalized term. And I promise you radiation does come from cell phones, microwave ovens as well as high voltage power lines.

Normally I dont waste time replying to ninnies but in this case I felt compelled to set the record straight as I was personally attacked. I have no more time to waste and will not be replying further

You my dear are the type of nurse that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Callous, all knowing, and generally stuck up and abrasive.

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yeah I said I would not post anymore but I could not resist.

Just wanted to post a few more links.

Here is one about Microwave ovens.

http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/ResourcesforYouRadiationEmittingProducts/Consumers/ucm142616.htm

Here is one about high voltage power lines.

http://www.hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/radiofrequencyqa.html

Please do a little research before going off half-cocked eh?

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