26th June 2012 - News release

LCIG CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Levodopa-carbidopa is administered in gel form, directly into the small intestine via a procedurally-implanted tube connected to a portable pump that delivers continuous supply of LCIG during waking hours. LCIG is currently approved in 40 countries. In the U.S.A., LCIG is an investigational therapy that is currently being evaluated in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease in additional Phase 3 clinical trials. Abbott have announced results from five abstracts evaluating levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG), concerning a 54 week open-label safety and tolerability study of people with advanced Parkinson's disease. The efficacy of LCIG was compared to that of standard levodopa-carbidopa immediate release, which is the same as Sinemet. There was nearly 2 hours less off time with LCIG.

The most common adverse events were complication of device insertion (33%), abdominal pain (30%), procedural pain (21%) and nausea (16%). The most common serious adverse events were complication of device insertion (6%), abdominal pain (3%) peritonitis (3%) and polyneuropathy (3%). 7% of patients withdrew due to at least one adverse event. In another trial the most common adverse events were complication of device insertion (51%), abdominal pain (42%), procedural pain (32%), nausea (25%), constipation (21%), orthostatic hypotension (18%), post-operative wound infection (17%), and incision site erythema (16&).

For the full details go to the News release  For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here. 

23rd June 2012 - New research

SLEEP BENEFIT EXPERIENCED IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Journal of Parkinson's Disease  [2012] DOI 10.3233/JPD-2012-12087 (Merrel van Gilst, Maartje Louter, Christian Baumann, Bastiaan Bloem, Sebastiaan Overeem) Complete study

A new study has confirmed that sleep improves the symptoms of nearly half (47%) of people with Parkinson's Disease. Typically their motor functioning seems to be better in the morning just after they have woken up.  There did not seem to be a difference in the quality of rest experienced by people who experienced the sleep benefit and those who did not. About a third of the study participants experienced a sleep benefit even after taking a nap. Researchers came up with several possible reasons for the finding, though they noted that they do not know the mechanism. When somebody lacks sleep they produce melatonin. Melatonin reduces the levels of dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here. 

20th June 2012 - New guidelines

GUIDELINES ON PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Parkinsons Society Canada have issued free guidelines concerning Parkinson's Disease. The Canadian Guidelines on Parkinson’s Disease will provide health care professionals with a detailed understanding of Parkinson’s Disease.

The Guidelines are intended for a broad range of health professionals including: family physicians, neurologists, nurses, movement disorders specialists, allied health professionals (e.g. occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech language pathologists) and other specialists. It is suggested that The Clinical Guidelines, published for the first time in 2012, will increase knowledge and will guide the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s. For the guidelines go to Parkinsons Society Canada. For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here. 

16th June 2012 - New research

ALCOHOL AND THE RISK OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2012] Jun 19 [Epub ahead of print] (Palacios N, Gao X, O'Reilly E, Schwarzschild M, McCullough ML, Mayo T, Gapstur SM, Ascherio AA.) Complete abstract

Addictive behaviours, such as cigarette smoking and coffee drinking, have been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's Disease. Whether alcohol consumption is also associated with Parkinson's Disease risk is less certain. A study has shown that alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with the risk of Parkinson's Disease. The likelihood of Parkinson's Disease was only slightly elevated at 1.29 times the normal likelihood in men consuming the greatest quantity of alcohol, but it was 0.77 times the normal likelihood in women consuming the greatest quantity of alcohol. Overall, consumption of beer, wine, or spirits was not associated with Parkinson's Disease. For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here. 

7th June 2012 - News release

FIRST VACCINE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

The first clinical trial for the development of a Parkinson’s Disease vaccine has been started by AFFiRiS AG. The vaccine called PD01A is directed against alpha-Synuclein, a protein considered by AFFiRis to cause the onset and progression of Parkinson's Disease. The vaccination aims to educate the immune system to generate antibodies directed against alpha-Synuclein. They believe that a reduction of the brain’s alpha-Synuclein aggregates will have a beneficial impact on the progress of Parkinson's Disease. PD01A aims to accomplish that by the induction of antibodies that are targeting alpha-Synuclein, in order to neutralize its toxic impact.

The vaccine is currently being tested on people with Parkinson’s Disease in a Phase I trial. The clinical trial is taking place in Vienna and involves up to 32 patients. The primary purpose is to assess the safety and tolerability of PD01A. For more information go to AFFiRis.

The weakness in the theory on which the method is reliant is that a lot of people with Parkinson's Disease do not accumulate alpha-Synuclein. So there is none to get rid of. Most people that have an accumulation of alpha-Synuclein in the brain do not have Parkinson's Disease either, thereby proving that alpha-Synuclein is not the cause of Parkinson's Disease. For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here. 

4th June 2012 - New technology

PARKINSON'S KINETIGRAPH

The Parkinson's KinetiGraph has been devised to significantly improve the treatment available to people with Parkinson’s Disease by allowing accurate measurements of exactly how the Parkinson's Disease is affecting them.

The Parkinson’s KinetiGraph system was commercialised by Global Kinetics Corporation. It consists of a sensor that is worn around the wrist of the patient to record data about their symptoms, and a computer unit which receives that data and analyses it. The device remotely records data about a person’s movement and via algorithms, provides a report for the their neurologist showing an objective measure of the presence and severity of bradykinesia and dyskinesia, the two key disabling symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. The device also reminds the person when to take their Parkinson’s Disease drugs as prescribed by their medical practitioner.

For more information go to Parkinson's KinetiGraph. For a printable version of this article click here.  In order to refer to this article on its own click here.