Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Scientists clone human patients for stem cells

The team of South Korean scientists who cloned the first human embryo to use for research have now have used the same technology to create batches of embryonic stem cells from nine patients.

19 May 2005

Diet rich in vitamin E may protect against Parkinson's disease

In a meta-analysis to try to establish whether vitamin C, vitamin E, and carotene can lower the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), scientists have found that diets rich in vitamin E could protect against the development of PD.

18 May 2005

Parkinson's drug Mirapex accused of causing gambling addiction

A drug prescribed to millions of patients in the U.S. as a treatment for Parkinson's disease and other conditions, has allegedly turned some patients into gambling addicts.

9 May 2005

Food fried in vegetable oil contains a highly toxic compound - HNE (4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal)

University of Minnesota researchers A. Saari Csallany, a professor of food chemistry and nutritional biochemistry, and graduate student Christine Seppanen have shown that when highly unsaturated vegetable oils are heated at frying temperature (365 F) for extended periods--or even for half an hour--a highly toxic compound, HNE (4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal) forms in the oil.

2 May 2005

Clues about the causes of dementia in Huntington's disease

Scientists at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have uncovered a clue about the causes of dementia in Huntington's disease, one of the disease's symptoms, by showing that mice susceptible to Huntington's disease have problems with learning and memory before the diseases' typical movement problems appear.

27 Apr 2005

Use of positron emission tomography may eliminate more strenuous drug development trials with animals

A number of articles explore the use of positron emission tomography (PET) and small animal imaging—nonsurgical techniques that open the door to understanding and treating human diseases—in the April issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

26 Apr 2005

Researchers insert engineered human stem cells into the spinal cords of ALS-afflicted rats

Unveiling a delivery method that may one day help surgeons treat the deadly neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have inserted engineered human stem cells into the spinal cords of ALS-afflicted rats.

19 Apr 2005

Protein studies may lead to new Alzheimer's test

A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, published by IOS Press, entitled "Quantitative proteomics of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer disease," may lead to a new test for diagnosing the devastating illness. About 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, characterized by memory loss and an inability to use language.

19 Apr 2005

Breakthough in stem cell research - three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells

In an Australian first, UNSW researchers have developed three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells. The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury.

13 Apr 2005

Men who drink milk at more risk of Parkinsons disease

Korean University researchers say drinking a glass or two of milk a day may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease in middle-aged men, but the apparent link is unlikely to be due to milk's main nutritional ingredient, calcium.

7 Apr 2005

Why different tissues in the human body vary in their susceptibility to "amyloid" diseases

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute are reporting the results of a recent study that addresses why different tissues in the human body vary in their susceptibility to "amyloid" diseases, which include Alzheimer's disease and a cluster of ailments called the familial amyloidoses.

7 Apr 2005

Contrary to common wisdom, sleeping pills may not increase fall risk

In nursing homes across the country, elderly people with insomnia often go untreated, because of the perception that sleeping pills increase the risk of falls and injuries that are a bane of old age.

6 Apr 2005

Cryoablation may be safer alternative for stopping abnormal electrical patterns

Freezing abnormal electrical pathways in the hearts of young patients may be a safer alternative to zapping them with powerful radiofrequency probes in order to treat tachycardias and other arrhythmias, according to a new study in the April 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Apr 2005

Metabolic side effects of antipsychotics are known, but rarely monitored

Psychiatrists are doing a “modest” job of monitoring for weight gain, diabetes and other metabolic problems that may result from use of the newer antipsychotics for schizophrenia, researchers say.

5 Apr 2005

Potential therapeutic role for the ataxin-3 protein for Machado-Joseph disease

The repetition of three little "letters" within the gene that codes for the ataxin-3 protein is both the cause of and perhaps a solution to Machado-Joseph disease and an entire family of similar genetic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2005

Gene variations explain drug dose required to control seizures

Determining which variants of particular genes patients with epilepsy carry might enable doctors to better predict the dose of drugs necessary to control their seizures, suggest basic findings by researchers at the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) and the University College London.

28 Mar 2005

UK leads race to produce world’s first clinical grade stem cells

The University of Sheffield has received a £2.6m grant to create some of the world’s first embryonic stem cell lines that can be used for medicinal purposes.

16 Mar 2005

New computer mouse adapter that enables people who suffer from hand tremors to eliminate excessive cursor movement

IBM have announced its researchers have invented a new computer mouse adapter that enables people who suffer from hand tremors to eliminate excessive cursor movement, thereby allowing more normal use of a personal computer.

16 Mar 2005

T’ai Chi has many benefits for frail older adults

It’s no longer an ancient Chinese secret. A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher is putting a new spin on an old exercise and the outcome has many benefits for frail older adults.

15 Mar 2005

Molecule called DJ-1 is likely to be involved in the generation of human tumors

Scientists have discovered that a molecule called DJ-1 is likely to be involved in the generation of human tumors through negative regulation of the well-known tumor suppressor, PTEN. The research, published in the March issue of Cancer Cell, has important implications for determining the prognosis of some human cancers, and may prove to be a suitable target for cancer therapy.

14 Mar 2005