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Drug 'may slow down Parkinson's'
Early use of medication may be able to slow down progression of Parkinson's disease, preliminary research suggests.
Patients who took the drug rasagiline soon after diagnosis had a less aggressive form of Parkinson's than those who did not take it until later.
The international study involved more than 1,000 patients, but doctors stress it could be 10 to 15 years before the long-term benefits become clear.
Details were presented at a neurological conference in Madrid.
More than 120,000 people in the UK have Parkinson's and around 10,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
Symptoms of the progressive neurological disorder include shakes, memory loss and stiffening of the muscles.
Rasagiline, also known as Azilect, is already approved for use by the NHS to ease symptoms of Parkinson's.
However, some doctors are reluctant to prescribe medication at an early stage, due to concern that the effect can wane with time.
The latest study, presented at the European Federation of Neurological Societies Congress, involved patients from the UK, US and Europe.
It found that patients who took rasagiline immediately after diagnosis were in better shape after 18 months than those whose treatment with the drug was delayed by nine months.
The researchers believe that the drug could work by creating a long lasting protection for brain cells.
However, they stressed that many patients had been taking part in the study for just 18 months, and much more work was required to pin down the long-term impact.
'Exciting' results
Professor David Burn, from the University of Newcastle, one of the researchers who took part in the study described the results as "exciting".
He said: "The data show that early treatment can result in a slowing of clinical progression. These data are also consistent with an earlier trial with rasagiline which showed a similar outcome.
"This may offer real benefit to patients who are treated promptly after diagnosis."
Dr Kieran Breen, director of research for the Parkinson's Disease Society, said: "There is a feeling among doctors that you should not put somebody on a drug until you really, really have to, but this work suggests that giving drugs at an early stage has an effect over and above what you would expect."
However, Dr Breen said it was unclear whether the effect of early medication was specific to rasagiline, or a general phenomenon also associated with other drugs for the condition.
He said the research showed that the effect of the drug was very subtle. Patients given a regular 1mg dose of rasagline showed benefit, but not those given a higher dose of the drug. Early use of medication may be able to slow down progression of Parkinson's disease, preliminary research suggests. ... more -
Drug gives normal life back to boy with Parkinson’s disease
Andrew Carnegie, who recently turned 12, is something of a Guitar Hero.
Even playing on the video game's next-to-impossible expert level, the seventh grader can shred like Joe Perry.
But a couple of months ago, Andrew would have been lucky to make it through half of his favourite song, Aerosmith's Walk This Way.
Every morning, Andrew woke up in a sweat, his head pounding and his body stiff. The muscles along the left side of his body cramped constantly. Eating was torturous. He lost his balance easily, crashing down the stairs at home with enough force to break the railing.
After two years of endless doctors' appointments, Andrew was diagnosed with Parkinsonism in May.
Parkinsonism is often caused by Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of the cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between the nerves and the brain. Symptoms include muscular stiffness, shaking, impaired balance and slow movement.
It's extremely rare for children to be diagnosed with Parkinson's.
"The average age is about 56," said Ray Williams, executive director of the Parkinson's Society of Alberta, which has been providing support to the Carnegies since Andrew's diagnosis. "But 11 years old, and he has Parkinsonism - that's the youngest one that we're certainly dealing with here, for sure."
Because it is so uncommon, doctors had a hard time pinpointing what was wrong with Andrew. The Carnegies were referred to a laundry list of pediatricians, neurologists and specialists, sometimes waiting months for appointments, only to be disappointed by doctors who said there was nothing they could do. All the while, Andrew's condition got worse.
"Nobody wanted to give it a name, or give it an answer," mom Deirdre said.
She and her husband, Dan, first noticed something was wrong when Andrew, 10 at the time, complained that his shoes didn't fit. They soon realized Andrew's right foot, a size 6.5, was two-and-a-half sizes larger than his left.
"And then it started this big long process," Deirdre said.
Local doctors the Carnegies were referred to could not see what was wrong with Andrew.
"What we were getting was, 'He's healthy, what are you worried about?'" said Dan. By then, the disease had begun to affect the right side of Andrew's body. His handwriting became almost illegible. He could no longer walk the three blocks to school without falling.
"He was like a decrepit old man," said Deirdre. Andrew had been a perfectly healthy, active boy who loved sports and had far too much energy. Now he had too little.
"I got fed up and I got up on the Internet, and I started researching," said Dan. He stumbled on an article about hemiparkinsonism-hemiatrophy syndrome that outlined symptoms that fit Andrew to a T.
"About the third paragraph, it says most people with this condition have two different sized feet. Bing! I think I just nailed it," Dan said. "I knew more about that particular condition than (the doctors) did."
Eventually, Andrew was referred to Parkinson's expert Dr. Ali Rajput in Saskatchewan. After a few hours of testing, Rajput confirmed what the Carnegies had figured all along - Andrew had Parkinsonism.
Even though Rajput gave him a positive assessment, concluding that his condition will be easy to manage, Andrew left in tears.
"I'm crying because I'm happy," Andrew told his parents. "Now I know I'm not crazy."
**continues, click link to read* Andrew Carnegie, who recently turned 12, is something of a Guitar Hero. ... more -
Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's and Huntington's diseases: great news in ...
Creatine is the white powder athletes use in juice, water or capsules, from the health stores, for endurance.
In scientific studies conducted at leading universities, these Creatine based compounds have been shown to significantly reduce the specific symptoms and/or to significantly delay the progression of these diseases. The company presently has compounds in Phase II or III clinical trials for the treatment of ALS, Huntington's, and Parkinson's disease.
A novel compound called C2-8 could prove a valuable lead in the drug discovery process. Researchers (from left) Jonathan Fox, Vanita Chopra, Aleksey Kazantsev, and Steven Hersch
Steven Hersch, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital
Alliances:
http://www.avicenagroup.com/about_us/research_alliances...
Participating clinicians:
http://www.avicenagroup.com/about_us/participating_clin... Creatine is the white powder athletes use in juice, water or capsules, from the health stores, for endurance. ... more -
The Traveler
Stem cell research could potentially cure numerous diseases, provide new ways of healing serious injuries and even extend our life spans.
But does it depend on unethical medical practices to succeed? Stem cell research could potentially cure numerous diseases, provide new ways of healing serious injuries and even extend our life spa... more -
Cloned cells bring hope to sufferers of Parkinsons
Cloned embryonic stem cells have been used to treat animals with Parkinsons disease for the first time, in an important step towards developing the therapy for human patients. It's the first time the technique has been used to reverse the effect of Parkinsons in animals, using cloned stem cells to replace cells in the brain damaged by the disease.
The stem cells could soon be harvested from embryo's within the patients own body eliminating the chances of rejection since the cells have the same immune system and blood type. Is this yet more evidence that embryonic stem cell research is something that needs to go ahead? Cloned embryonic stem cells have been used to treat animals with Parkinsons disease for the first time, in an important step towards d... more -
Cloning breakthrough used to treat Parkinsons
Therapeutic cloning has been successfully used to treat Parkinson's disease in mice, US researchers say. The study provides the best evidence so far that the controversial technique could one day help people with the condition.
Parkinson's disease is a condition where nerve cells in the part of the brain that controls muscle movement either die or become impaired. In therapeutic cloning, the nucleus of a cell is inserted into an egg with the nucleus removed. This cell then develops into an embryo from which stem cells can be harvested and used as a treatment.
In this study, stem cells were developed into dopamine-producing neurons the missing nerve cells in Parkinson's disease. Scientists are pursuing the use of stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease because it would allow the replacement of the dead dopamine-producing nerve cells with new, healthy cells. Therapeutic cloning has been successfully used to treat Parkinson's disease in mice, US researchers say. The study provides the b... more -
After Stem-Cell Breakthrough, the Work Begins
If stem cell researchers were oil prospectors, it could be said that they struck a gusher last week. But to realize the potential boundless riches they now must figure out how to build refineries, pipelines and gas stations.
I wish Christoper and Dana Reeve were still around to help out and benefit from this. I guess with their foundation, they still are!
http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.geIMLPOpGjF/b.89... If stem cell researchers were oil prospectors, it could be said that they struck a gusher last week. But to realize the potential boun... more
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