Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA--(Marketwired - May 13, 2013) - NuPathe Inc. (NASDAQ: PATH) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a notice of allowance for U.S. Patent application 11/784,526 entitled "Implants for the Treatment of Dopamine Associated States." This application relates to methods for treating dopamine associated states (such as Parkinson's disease) using a biodegradable polymer implant capable of delivering a dopamine modulating compound (such as ropinirole) gradually rather than with an initial burst and maintaining an effective plasma level of the compound for a specified delivery period. Given this action, NuPathe expects the patent to issue within the next few months. Once issued, it will provide patent protection into October 2027 for NP201, NuPathe's long-term biodegradable ropinirole implant for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other dopamine associated disorders. NuPathe has additional licensed patent applications pending in the U.S. and other territories for NP201. "This represents our second recent patent allowance from the USPTO as we continue to strengthen our intellectual property position around NP201," said Armando Anido, chief executive officer of NuPathe. "Seeking development partners for this program remains a business development objective for the Company." The inventors of the allowed patent, which NuPathe … Continue reading →

TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - The University of Toledo Medical Center has created one of the top facilities for Parkinson's Disease in the nation. The nearly 6,000-square-foot Gardner/McMaster Parkinson's Center is used for research and education into Parkinson's, with a goal of one day finding a cure. University officials say the facility is very beneficial to Northwest Ohioans, providing increased access to treatment for patients and bringing specialist of Parkinson's Disease all under one roof. Parkinson's Disease is diagnosed in more than 50,000 Americans each year. Symptoms include rigid muscles, tremors, and changes in speech. Parkinson's is genetic, but the exact cause is still unknown. Dr. Lawrence Elmer, Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program, says many families struggle with the need for help in treating loved ones, but a lack of Parkinson's specialists. Elmer says that should not be the case. "Parkinson's is one of the most treatable illnesses in all of neurology right now," said Elmer. Craig Thomas takes us inside the new Parkinson's center on Your Morning.' For more information, visit utmc.utoledo.edu. Copyright 2013 Toledo News Now. All rights reserved. Excerpt from: UTMC fights Parkinson's with … Continue reading →

A high-tech surgical treatment used rarely in this area to treat movement disorders has brought hope to Parkinsons disease patients, including one Arkansas City man. In 2012, Carroll Shoup underwent two surgeries, including an initial six-hour surgery, to implant medical devices in his brain and chest for a therapy called deep brain stimulation, or DBS. Shoup, 68, was diagnosed with Parkinsons more than 15 years ago. He decided to undergo DBS, which was introduced in this country between five to 10 years ago, after the medication he was taking for the disease lost its effectiveness. I didnt have bad tremors, he said in a recent interview with the Traveler. My medications started wearing off in shorter periods of time. Theyd wear off after an hour and a half. Shoup started considering DBS therapy about two years ago after attending a neurologists presentation on the subject. At that time, he was having some problems with involuntary movements, he said. DBS involved a complex surgical procedure that would require great stamina on the part of the patient, he realized. But the results of a successful surgery were worth the cost brain stimulation to alleviate the tremors and fatigue that he was experiencing. … Continue reading →

Photo by Zachary Kaufman Helen Ramatowski, 68, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in early 2011. Then, in late 2012, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite her own health struggles, Ramatowski has devoted herself to raising money for the nonprofit Parkinson's Resources of Oregon, which also serves Southwest Washington. A neurologist diagnosed Vancouver resident Helen Ramatowski with Parkinson's disease in January 2011. She had diagnosed herself months earlier. Parkinson's Resources of Oregon For more stories, blogs and information on nutrition, fitness, health and advice on how to be healthier, visit columbian.com/livewell. After watching both her mother and brother live with the disease, Ramatowski knew her symptoms were signs of what was to come. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disease that leads to tremors and difficulty with walking, movement and coordination. There is no cure. About 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson's disease; an estimated 25,000 people with the disease live in Oregon and Southwest Washington, according to Parkinson's Resources of Oregon. Ramatowski's first sign came in early 2010 when she noticed what appeared to be a tremor in her left leg. Her physician made a note to keep an eye on her leg. Go here to see the original: Pushing … Continue reading →

Michael J. Fox left prime-time television more than a decade ago to focus on his battle with Parkinsons disease. Now hes back, with the help of drugs that keep his own shaking from the illness mostly under control. Fox, 51, will star in The Michael J. Fox Show, a comedy on Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)s NBC about a news anchor who returns to work after being diagnosed with Parkinsons, a condition that causes nerve cells to misfire, leaving patients unable to control their movements. The program will air on Thursdays when the new TV season starts, NBC said yesterday in a statement. NBC is betting the actors return to the spotlight can help it climb out of last place among the four major broadcast networks in total viewers. Fox, who disclosed his condition in 1998 and last anchored the series Spin City in 2000, has kept many of the specifics of his health struggles private. Parkinsons is different in every patient, Michael Okun, national medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, said in a phone interview. Personally I think hes being very responsible for not giving a lot of details. NBC is presenting its 2013-14 schedule to advertisers as part of … Continue reading →

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- US WorldMeds today announced the launch of a new clinical trial investigating APOKYN (apomorphine hydrochloride injection) as a rapid and reliable treatment for morning akinesia in Parkinsons disease. AM IMPAKT, short for Apokyn for Motor IMProvement of Morning AKinesia Trial, is a Phase IV, multi-center, open-label study that will enroll approximately 100 subjects at 12 study sites across the US. Stuart H. Isaacson, M.D., Associate Professor at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Director of the Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton and Research Director of the Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, is the lead investigator on the study. We are very excited to have commenced this important study, said Dr. Isaacson. We hope to show that APOKYN will provide a valuable treatment option for Parkinsons disease patients with morning akinesia due to delayed onset of levodopa by rapidly and reliably restoring their motor function and enabling them to get on with their day. We plan to have initial results available in August. Patients with morning akinesia can experience hand tremor, muscle stiffness, and difficulty in moving and walking in the morning because their first daily dose of oral … Continue reading →

The U-Step 2 Walker, a Parkinson's Therapy Aid The U-Step 2 Walking Stabilizer, designed for those with neurological conditions including: Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, ALS, MSA and PSP... By: UstepWalker … Continue reading →

Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet Article Date: 09 May 2013 - 12:00 PDT Current ratings for: Eating Foods With Nicotine Could Help Prevent Parkinson's Disease 4 (2 votes) The finding, which was published in a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, Annals of Neurology, revealed that consuming certain foods that contain nicotine, such as plants belonging to the Solanaceae family, as well as peppers and tomatoes, could help lower Parkinson's risk. The effects of nicotine on cognitive impairment have been explored before. In fact, a previous study published in Neurology found that wearing a nicotine patch may greatly help improve memory loss among older adults with mild cognitive impairment."Nicotine stimulates receptors in the brain that are important for thinking and memory and may have neuroprotective effects". This study, which was led by Dr. Susan Searles Nielsen and her colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle, included 490 patients who were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease as well as 644 "healthy" individuals (the control group). The researchers gave the participants questionnaires asking about their diet as well as tobacco use. They found that people who ate high levels … Continue reading →

Public release date: 9-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley New research reveals that Solanaceaea flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotinemay provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study appearing today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's. Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder caused by a loss of brain cells that produce dopamine. Symptoms include facial, hand, arm, and leg tremors, stiffness in the limbs, loss of balance, and slower overall movement. Nearly one million Americans have Parkinson's, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and up to ten million individuals worldwide live with this disease according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson's, but symptoms are treated with medications and procedures such as deep brain stimulation. Previous studies have found that cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco, also a Solanaceae plant, reduced relative risk of Parkinson's disease. However, experts have not confirmed if … Continue reading →

Fred and Evelyn Jennings, both 71, work out on stationary bikes. A study conducted by the Neuro Challenge Foundation shows that pedaling improved speech, gait and balance in Parkinson's patients. (Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel file) SARASOTA, fla. Inside a sweat-steamed cycling studio at the Frank G. Berlin branch of the Sarasota YMCA, members of a highly select class are pedaling their hearts out. In the narrow, dimly lit room, the cyclers seem intent on a bright screen before them that looks like something from a TV game show, with colored squares that display their first names and their real-time heart rates. Each square is green, yellow or red depending on how close that participant is to an individual, pre-set goal for sustained high-energy exercise. When the session ends, the riders dismount, beaming with exhilaration from their efforts, softly chatting and laughing with each other. Some show the off-kilter posture or slightly fluttering hand that is a hallmark of the Parkinson's disease they have in common. Others may sway their hips from side to side as they speak about the class. But all of them at an average age of 71 and 12 weeks into their experimental cycling program believe they … Continue reading →