Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

JOIN Queensland Reds and Wallabies player, Jake Schatz, and former Australian butterfly champion living with a chronic brain disorder, Ian Findlay, for Parkinson's Queensland's fourth annual Unity Walk on Sunday, September 9 in Brisbane. To commemorate the final day of Parkinson's Awareness Week (September 2 - 9, 2012), support the 16,200 Queenslanders living with Australia's second most common neurological disorder, by strolling from New Farm Park, along the Brisbane River, to Teneriffe and back, to raise community awareness and much-needed funds for Parkinson's disease. Jake, who was named in the 30-man Wallabies squad last month, said it's a terrific way to spend Sunday morning supporting a great cause. "The event will be jam-packed with live entertainment, a sausage sizzle, face painting and balloon art for the kids," he said. >>Video - Striking a chord with complex Parkinson's Ian Findlay, Australian butterfly champion in the early 1980s and a representative at the 1992 Pan Pacific Games, will be joined by his close-knit family to walk for the cause this week. "People from all walks of life are encouraged to celebrate Parkinson's Awareness Week by joining the Parkinson's Queensland Unity Walk to support and honour those living with, or affected by Parkinson's," … Continue reading →

Tom and Carol Reid of Plum began their journey to help people with Parkinson's disease 15 years ago. Mr. Reid was an in-house attorney for Koppers Co. Inc. in Pittsburgh, when he began to have symptoms of Parkinson's, such as drooling and watering eyes. His wife said family members noticed he had developed a masklike, expressionless face, another symptom of Parkinson's. He also fell off a ladder, and he broke a rib after he couldn't stop while running downhill. "We knew something was wrong," Mrs. Reid said. Mr. Reid went to his family doctor soon after the symptoms began, but it took two years to get a diagnosis. When Mr. Reid retired, the couple moved to their former vacation home in Ligonier, where they became active in the Westmoreland County Parkinson Support Group in Greensburg and helped to start a support group at Forbes Regional Hospital. Now, the Reids will be honored for their volunteer work to help those with Parkinson's. They will receive the Local Hero Award at a symposium on Parkinson's disease Sept. 15 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. The Reids have helped to raise awareness of the National Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, volunteer … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2012) A study that used a Utahgenealogic database and a statewide cancer registry to examine the relationship between Parkinson disease (PD) and cancer suggests an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma in patients with PD and their relatives, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology, a JAMA Network publication. Neurodegenerative diseases, in particular PD, may share common pathogenic mechanisms with some cancers, according to the study background. "Identifying a genetic relationship between PD and cancer is critical to understanding underlying pathophysiologic changes in both diseases. Understanding this relationship could allow clinicians to provide proper assessment of cancer risk in patients with PD and might also have implications for the counseling of relatives of patients," the authors note in the study background. Seth A. Kareus, M.D., and colleagues from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, estimated relative risks (RRs) for cancer in individuals with PD listed on their death certificate, and in their relatives. The study identified 2,998 patients with PD listed as their cause of death from 1904 to 2008 and also included information from the Utah Cancer Registry on 100,817 patients diagnosed with cancer. To validate their observed associations, researchers … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -09/05/12)- This weekend, 14,000 Canadians from coast-to-coast will be walking in the 22nd annual Parkinson SuperWalk to raise money to support valuable education, resources, support services and research funded each year by Parkinson Society Canada. Dr. Isabelle Boileau is just one of many researchers across Canada who has received funding from Parkinson Society Canada to support her work. Dr. Boileau is working with a team at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to use state-of-the-art medical imaging technology to examine dopamine receptors in people with Parkinson's disease. "Our goal is to ultimately determine if and how current treatments for Parkinson's affect the dopamine receptors in the brain," says Dr. Boileau. "Our thought is that over time, and in specific people, these medications could in fact be changing the receptors, which could be why some people with Parkinson's develop involuntary movements known as dyskinesia." The team is hoping that this research will one day enable doctors to predict who might be at risk of developing dyskinesia as a result of their Parkinson's disease medications and customize treatment accordingly. Since Parkinson Society Canada's research program began, it has provided funding for over 400 awards, fellowships and grants to … Continue reading →

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. Produced by NewsOK.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. EDMOND Jerry Gill understands he has Parkinson's disease. And he is working hard to stay out of a rocker or from behind a walker. Jerry Gill works on his balance with Integris Health Edmond physical therapist Samantha Klepper. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN It may be a life sentence, but not a death sentence, said Gill, 2011 distinguished alumni in the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame. Gill, 67, decided two years ago when he diagnosed with the disease that sitting around wasn't for him. At first, I felt sorry for myself, said Gill, a three-year starter for the Cowboy's football team in the 1960s. I started reading literature and seeing what I could do. He has been exercising three times a week, at times yelling orange power, as part of Integris Health Edmond Jim Thorpe outpatient clinic's PWR! Up program. Samantha Klepper, Edmond's Jim Thorp lead physical therapist, said PWR! Up and Speak Out, a voice therapy program, are new programs for Parkinson's patients. Klepper is one of the few Oklahoma therapists affiliated with PWR! Up and … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD), a biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative treatments that address unmet medical needs in neurological and related central nervous system disorders, today announced the completion of enrollment in its ongoing pivotal Phase III trial with pimavanserin in patients with Parkinsons disease psychosis (PDP). Top-line results from this trial are expected to be announced by the end of November 2012. The Phase III trial, referred to as the -020 Study, is a multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and safety of pimavanserin as a treatment for patients with PDP. The -020 Study incorporates several design enhancements that were guided by previous data in ACADIAs PDP program. A total of 198 patients have been enrolled in the study and were randomized on a one-to-one basis to receive either 40 mg of pimavanserin or placebo once-daily for six weeks. The primary endpoint of the -020 Study is antipsychotic efficacy as measured using nine items from the hallucinations and delusions domains of the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, or SAPS. An independent group of centralized raters is used to assess the primary endpoint in the study. Motoric tolerability is a key secondary … Continue reading →

A Canterbury University study is believed to be the first in the world to use an advanced technique that could help identify the early onset of dementia in people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the second-most common degenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease, but many Parkinson's patients will also be diagnosed with dementia as a result of the disease. The Canterbury study, which involved 101 Parkinson's patients and 25 healthy people, used a new technique to allow researchers to look at the brain while the patient was still alive to identify cell changes in the thalamus - a part of the brain involved in all aspects of function, except smell processing. Previously, such brain changes in Parkinson's patients could be found only during the late stages of the disease. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but methods to treat the motor and cognitive symptoms could significantly improve a patient's quality of life and are more effective if started as early as possible. Canterbury PhD student Nadia Borlase, who is working with the New Zealand Brain Research Institute and the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation on the project, said the researchers used advanced neurological imaging to identify the subtle brain changes … Continue reading →

ADVANCED APPROACH: Canterbury PhD student Nadia Borlase is carrying out research on identifying dementia after the onset of Parkinson's disease. A University of Canterbury study is believed to be the first in the world to use an advanced technique that could help identify the early onset of dementia in people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the second-most common degenerative disorder, after Alzheimer's disease, but many Parkinson's patients will also be diagnosed with dementia as a result of the disease. The Canterbury study, which involved 101 Parkinson's patients and 25 healthy people, used a new technique to allow researchers to look at the brain while the patient was still alive to identify cell changes in the thalamus - a part of the brain involved in all aspects of function, except smell processing. Previously, such brain changes in Parkinson's patients could be found only during the late stages of the disease. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but methods to treat the motor and cognitive symptoms could significantly improve a patient's quality of life and are more effective if started as early as possible. Canterbury PhD student Nadia Borlase, who is working with the New Zealand Brain Research Institute and … Continue reading →

Overlook Medical Center in Summit will host the Atlantic Neuroscience Institutes inaugural Day of Hope: Living Well with Parkinsons and Alzheimers on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the hospitals Bouras auditorium. This event is for patients, care partners and community members to learn about new research and treatment options, as well as to come together and receive inspiration, entertainment and information on helpful resources. Guest speakers include: Dr. Nir Lipsman, a neurosurgeon at the University of Toronto with a specialty in Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinsons and Alzheimers Diseases. Dr. John Zeisel, president and co-founder of Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, Ltd., and author of Im Still Here: A New Philosophy on Alzheimers Disease. Stand-up comedians, Uncle Floyd Vivino and Tom Caldora, will perform a comedy act to prove laughter is indeed the best medicine. Floyd Vivino, aka. Uncle Floyd, is a television, film, and stage performer primarily known for his comedy/variety TV show The Uncle Floyd Show. The show aired in the New Jersey and New York market from 1974 to 1998. It featured slapstick comedy, puppetry, some audience participation and piano music. Caldora is a stage performer who started work as a comic in the … Continue reading →

Wockhardt gets US nod for Parkinson's disease drug The co will manufacture the extended release tablets of ropinirole at its facility in Aurangabad Press Trust of India / New Delhi Aug 28, 2012, 18:07 IST Drug maker Wockhardt today said it has received approval from US health regulator to sell generic ropinirole hydrochloride, which is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is for extended-release tablets in multiple strengths of 2mg, 4mg, 6mg, 8mg and 12mg containing ropinirole hydrochloride, the company said in a statement. Ropinirole's extended release tablet is the generic name for the brand Requip XL, marketed in the US by Glaxo SmithKline, the company said. Wockhardt will manufacture the extended release tablets of ropinirole at its facility in Aurangabad. The technology for the tablets was developed in-house, it said. Citing IMS Health data, Wockhardt said the total market for this product in the US is about USD 58 million. Commenting on the approval, Wockhardt Founder Chairman and Group CEO Habil Khorakiwala said: "This is the sixth US FDA approval for Wockhardt in the past two weeks. Three of these have been for extended-release products". Wockhardt scrips closed … Continue reading →