We’re looking for treatment strategies to limit, heal and restore the damage caused by multiple sclerosis: JOSÉ FLORES RIVERA

• • • • investigator Director of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery attended the meeting Multiple Sclerosis: Virus?, as part of a loop low microscopecoordinated by the referee Adolfo Martinez Palomo.
      • Someone said at the meetingOr know the relationship between this condition and Virus Epstein-Barralso called human herpesvirus.
      • should be considered Multiple sclerosis is a complex multifactorial disease. nOr we could consider viruses to be the overall cause of thiscondition.

“Multiple sclerosis is one of the catastrophic demyelinating diseases, that is, its main hallmark is chronic focal damage to myelin,” said the neurologist. Jose Flores Riveraby attending meetings Multiple Sclerosis: Virus?which is part of the loop under microscopecoordinator Adolfo Martinez Palomo, member National College.

To understand its role, myelin is the insulating layer or sheath that forms around nerves. It is a white substance that covers the axons of various neurons; it acts like the sheath of an electrical cable. Because the brain is the center of the nervous system, humans are able to perform controlled movements such as walking, talking, and eating, largely due to myelin, Myelin allows nerves to transmit impulses quickly.

According to researchers at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating, autoimmune, inflammatory, neurodegenerative disease., which affects only epitopes of myelin in the central nervous system. A recent study of subjects with the disease showed that the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also known as human herpesvirus, stimulates and triggers the long-term production of T cells that recognize invading pathogens, thereby producing Permanent immune response.

“So far, multiple sclerosis does seem to be related to Epstein-Barr virus, and the evidence for this is a lot but not 100 percent, which suggests that there are other factors involved in the pathogenesis, in the triggering and perpetuation of the disease. The disease, ” said the expert.

he added Presence of Epstein-Barr virus increases risk of multiple sclerosis by 3.6 times in Mexico City. “Better hygiene increases the likelihood of exposure to the virus, and a defective response to the virus triggers an immune response against these diseases, similar to what grandmothers say about letting babies get dirty so they develop antibodies ” He emphasized that there is evidence to support a defect in the T cell response to EBV in the central nervous system.

He recalled that in a study published in the journal nation Exposure and persistence of antibodies against the EBV virus have been documented to be more frequent in subjects with multiple sclerosis. “This is what led to the boom in the origins of disease as it is understood in the world.”.

The question is how does EBV cause multiple sclerosis? The researchers answer that the first event in immune system dysregulation is EBV infection, which leads to molecular mimicry, that is, the expression of some antigens may be very similar, such as some of the proteins they express, myelin, which modulates the direction of the immune response against them. , producing damage patterns.

“This virus can directly enter the central nervous system and activate other molecules, such as endogenous retroviruses, that create an immune attack that persists and transforms into what is known as multiple sclerosis.” EBV infectious agent hits, runs, hides hands, that’s what it does.

The researchers explained Endogenous retroviruses are ancestral bacterial particles that infect human cells.have evolved, are maintained in the body and are expressed in the central nervous system. “When there are environmental factors that activate this retroviral particle and start expressing itself, our immune system recognizes it as a foreign substance and starts attacking it. The above situation means that not only EBV, but also several other members of the herpes family Viruses and some bacteria, they may activate these endogenous retroviruses and create this immune attack.”

Flores Rivera recognizes that until a few years ago, the disease had no treatment or good prognosis and left all patients with severe disabilities, “Now we are understanding the cause, understanding what is What makes this disease persist and looking for therapeutic strategies to limit it, cure it and restore the damage. The future is very promising, from using vaccines to blocking with monoclonal antibodies responsible for communicating with immune system triggers , these new treatments have transformed outcomes and extended life expectancy.

He explained that another characteristic that activates such viruses is emotion, “Therefore, multiple sclerosis must be viewed as a complex, multifactorial disease, as we cannot consider viruses to be the entire cause of the disease. “.

When the referee speaks Adolfo Martinez Palomo He assured that there are already discussions about the possibility of preventing this infectious pathogen, “as there are already vaccines against the Epstein-Barr virus being tested to prevent infectious mononucleosis and are said to prevent multiple sclerosis With the advent of the disease, these “studies must be conducted over decades rather than years, and it may be possible to develop antiviral drugs for this condition.” ”

Mexican doctors commented that an article published in 2010 showed that a study of six different viruses in the cerebrospinal fluid of 51 patients with multiple sclerosis outbreaks found no chickenpox virus and no Epstein. -Barrr, which means there are many geographical variations. “Varicella-zoster virus seropositivity is associated with multiple sclerosis only in Asian countries. “There are many issues that need to be addressed. ”

He believes the tumors that cause Epstein-Barrr may be related to multiple sclerosis. “Every tumor, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and cancer has its research group that is analyzing how viruses create tumors. Now we are interested in understanding how the chickenpox virus is related to the Epstein-Barr virus and becomes the cause of multiple sclerosis disease factors.”

“We are still filled with many questions, but great advances have been made in diagnosis thanks to laboratory procedures, especially techniques that allow visualization of the nervous system, which is crucial for understanding the progression of multiple sclerosis,” concluded the referee.

this meeting Multiple Sclerosis: Virus? low cycle microscopecoordinated by the referee Adolfo Martinez Palomo. Available On the agency’s digital platforms:

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