Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

Men won't need to have numerous painful needles in their rectum to find out if they have prostate cancer anymore, Australian doctors say. Urologist Dr Les Thompson and radiographer Dr Rob Parkinson have found a new way to accurately diagnose the cancer without multiple biopsies. Their world-first study, supported by Queensland's Wesley Research Institute, used an MRI scanner to detect suspicious cell areas in the prostate. The doctors then used a crosshair to target the area with a needle which took a tiny tissue sample to be analysed in the lab. The whole process takes about 30 minutes. Until now, men have required up to 30 random needle biopsies, like stabs in the dark, which were tested to try to locate tumours. Dr Thompson says the method is both uncomfortable and less accurate, leading to men being over diagnosed. 'There's been a lot of over-treatment, men have unfortunately suffered the side-effects of those treatments like impotence and incontinence, in retrospect, unnecessarily,' he told reporters. Dr Parkinson said the new treatment provides information about the size and extent and the aggressiveness of tumours. 'This a big help for urologists in deciding what the best treatment option for the patient is,' he … Continue reading →

But Parkinson's disease and dementia are degenerative diseases of the brain, which typically take years, not weeks, to come on. How could a previously healthy 49-year-old woman develop signs of dementia and Parkinson's disease so quickly? The only abnormalities in her blood work were a high number of a white blood cell called an eosinophil and an elevated level of an enzyme usually from the liver or bones. Eosinophils usually only make up one to two percent of a patient's white blood cells, but for her almost half were eosinophils. These cells are usually elevated in allergic disease, but can also be a sign of a parasitic infection, a tumor, or an autoimmune disease. In the last several years there have been increasing reports of rapid-onset dementias due to an autoimmune process. This might explain her symptoms, but an elevated eosinophil count isn't usually found in such cases. These dementias are often associated with tumors - the tumor stimulates the body to make proteins that attack the brain, causing it to malfunction. The other abnormal blood test - the enzyme - is often elevated in diseases involving the liver or bones. She would need to be evaluated for signs of … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-Mar-2014 Contact: Kris Van der Beken kris.vanderbeken@vib.be 32-924-46611 VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) Neuroscientists Vanessa Moras and Bart De Strooper from VIB and KU Leuven have demonstrated how a defect in the gene Pink1 results in Parkinson's disease. By mapping this process at a molecular level, they have provided the ultimate proof that a deficient energy production process in cells can result in Parkinson's disease. These insights are so revolutionary that they have been published in the leading journal Science. Vanessa Moras (VIB/KU Leuven): "Having Parkinson's disease means that you can no longer tell your own body what to do. The hope of finding a solution to this has stimulated me for many years to unravel what goes wrong in the cells of Parkinson's patients. This research is an important step forwards." Bart De Strooper (VIB/KU Leuven): "Parkinson's disease is one of the research focuses in our department. It gives great satisfaction that we have unraveled a molecular process responsible for the faulty energy production process in cells of Parkinson's patients. This confirms our belief that repairing the energy production in cells is a possible therapeutic strategy." Faulty energy production forms the basis of Parkinson's disease. … Continue reading →

Illustration by Chad Hagen For Frank Donobedian, sitting still is a challenge. But on this day in early January, he has been asked to do just that for three minutes. Perched on a chair in a laboratory at Stanford University in California, he presses his hands to his sides, plants his feet on the floor and tries with limited success to lock down the trembling in his limbs a symptom of his Parkinson's disease. Only after the full 180 seconds does he relax. Other requests follow: stand still, lie still on the floor, walk across the room. Each poses a similar struggle, and all are watched closely by Helen Bronte-Stewart, the neuroscientist who runs the lab. You're making history, she reassures her patient. Everybody keeps saying that, replies the 73-year-old Donobedian, a retired schoolteacher, with a laugh. But I'm not doing anything. Well, your brain is, says Bronte-Stewart. Like thousands of people with Parkinson's before him, Donobedian is being treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS), in which an implant quiets his tremors by sending pulses of electricity into motor areas of his brain. Last October, a team of surgeons at Stanford threaded the device's two thin wires, each with four … Continue reading →

Current ratings for: Diagnosing Parkinson's earlier with ultra-high field MRI looks promising Public / Patient: 0 0 ratings Health Professionals: 0 0 ratings Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is not easy or straightforward: it can often be hard to distinguish from other diseases. Currently, clinicians have to rely on medical history and neurological examination, as there are no reliable radiologic techniques to aid in diagnosis. Now, new research suggests a special type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which shows high-resolution, detailed views of the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's, may help to detect the disease earlier. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder that results from loss of brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that helps brain cells communicate and control movement. The disease is characterized by shaking, stiffness, and impaired balance and coordination. There is currently no cure, but early diagnosis would help choose the best course of treatment quickly for many of the millions affected by the disease worldwide. In this latest study, to be published this week in the journal Radiology, Dr. Mirco Cosottini, of Italy's University of Pisa, and colleagues examined the brains of 38 people, including 17 patients with Parkinson's disease and … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9nt469/neurodegenerative) has announced the addition of the "Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to 2018 - New Product Entries in both Niche and Broader Parkinson's Disease Treatment will Boost Market Despite Patent Cliff" report to their offering. Global Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to Witness Moderate Growth The global neurodegenerative diseases market is expected to grow moderately from $8.8 billion in 2012 to $11 billion in 2018 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.8% from 2012-2015 and at a higher CAGR of 5.9% from 2015-2018. A number of competitive market entries are expected across all four indications during the forecast period, mitigating the effects of numerous patent expiries. In addition, growth in the population over the age of 65 across the seven major markets is expected to further drive this growth. The impact of these market entries is expected to present itself after 2015. Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics Account for the Majority of the Global Neurodegenerative Diseases Market Due to their comparatively low prevalence rates, Huntington's Disease (HS) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) have relatively small disease markets. Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are the two dominant indications in the overall neurodegenerative diseases market. Due … Continue reading →

hide captionFailures in ordinary care are causing widespread harm that's sometimes serious, inspectors say. On the last day of his life, Charles Caldwell was surrounded by seven members of his family. But no one thought he was dying. He was in a Dallas area nursing home, recuperating from surgery to insert a feeding tube. Caldwell had Parkinson's disease. He'd "lost his ability to swallow," explains Caldwell's son-in-law, Bill Putnam. hide captionCharles Caldwell died in a nursing home in 2008, his family says, after a nurse there mistakenly forced medicine from his feeding tube into his lungs. Things began to go wrong, Putnam says, when a licensed practical nurse gave Caldwell some medication through his feeding tube. The medicine wouldn't stay down. So, as Putnam describes it, the nurse came back with the medication in three large syringes and forced the liquid into Caldwell's stomach. Within a few minutes, he was choking. "This medication is traveling up his esophagus and then into his lungs," says Putnam, "and he can't expel it like you and I could. So, within minutes, Dad's thrashing his arms and legs for his last breath. He has no pulse. His eyes are fixed. He's not breathing." Putnam … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 3-Mar-2014 Contact: Toni Baker tbaker@gru.edu 706-721-4421 Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University Augusta, Ga. Georgia Regents Medical Center is among about a dozen centers nationally exploring the potential of a new drug that may offer relief to people with Parkinsons who have failed standard approaches to treating constipation. Constipation in Parkinsons is very prevalent, said Dr. John C. Morgan, neurologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University and Director of the National Parkinsons Foundation Center of Excellence at Georgia Regents Medical Center. In fact, its one of a handful of related problems, like an impaired sense of smell, that can actually precede a Parkinsons diagnosis by years then remain a factor as more classic symptoms, such as tremors and stiffness, progress, Morgan said. Additionally, constipation can be a side effect of the myriad of medications patients may take for Parkinsons. The new study is sponsored by Rhythm, a Boston-based biotech company exploring RM-131s potential in a variety of gastrointestinal problems. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research provided Rhythm major funding for the trial of the drug for constipation in Parkinsons. Study participants will give themselves a daily injection of an … Continue reading →

Orthopaedic surgeon Gary Fettke, from Tasmania, met Connolly in a Los Angeles hotel lobby and revealed to the comedian the possibility he may have Parkinson's. The surgeon had approached the Glasgow comedian to ask for an autograph but, after watching the way the 71-year-old was walking, he decided to tell him that he was showing early signs of Parkinson's. Loading article content Dr Fettke was in the Sportsmen's Lodge in Los Angeles, in January 2013, with his daughters' dance troupe when he saw Connolly across the lobby. They started talking after one of the girls asked Connolly for his autograph. As he was walking away Dr Fettke noticed that Connolly had a "strange gait". Dr Fettke's wife, Belinda, said: "He was such a nice guy and spoke to us for quite a while about Tasmania and the girls and his tour. "As he walked away Gary said to me he was sure Billy had Parkinson's." Dr Fettke said Connolly walked the same way as someone who had been drinking. Dr Fettke said: "I thought maybe he didn't realise he had it. It was just one human being to another human being, who happened to be Billy Connolly." Read more: Doctor: … Continue reading →

Elevated Serum Pesticide Levels Increase the Risk of Parkinson Disease A Study Shows Please like, subscribe, comment and share! ARTICLE http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=797531 To determine whether elevated levels of orga... By: Lifestyle Medicine … Continue reading →