Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

ENS, SSIF announce prestigious award to recognize excellence in medical education

Serono Symposia International Foundation (SSIF) has announced today a public competition for an Award to recognise an expert in the field of neurology who has made a significant contribution to medical education activities through research and dedication.

30 May 2011

Stem cell pluripotency depends on E-cadherin molecule

Researchers of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have discovered what enables embryonic stem cells to differentiate into diverse cell types and thus to be pluripotent. This pluripotency depends on a specific molecule - E-cadherin - hitherto primarily known for its role in mediating cell-cell adhesion as a kind of "intracellular glue".

27 May 2011

Preparticipation cardiac screening required for college athletes

Sudden cardiac death in young athletes who had not previously exhibited symptoms is a relatively rare yet tragic event. This occurs in around 60-80 young athletes annually in the United States.

27 May 2011

Switching to a newer electronic health record system reduces prescription errors

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the government is investing billions of dollars to encourage health care providers to use electronic health record systems. Many providers will probably switch from older systems to new systems to qualify for the federal incentives, but whether the upgrade improves patient care and safety has remained an open question.

27 May 2011

Researchers convert human skin cells directly into functional neurons within four to five weeks

Human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

27 May 2011

Exposure to pesticides near any workplace increases risk of Parkinson's disease

In April 2009, researchers at UCLA announced they had discovered a link between Parkinson's disease and two chemicals commonly sprayed on crops to fight pests.

27 May 2011

Researchers find mechanism of action for cancer-killing peptides

Researchers from Aalto University have found the mechanism of action for cancer-cell-killing peptides. This breakthrough is expected to lead to better medication, in particular better treatments for leukemia, skin cancer, and infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria.

27 May 2011

Neurologix presents NLX-P101 Phase 2 trial in Parkinson's disease at 10th INS World Congress

Neurologix, Inc. announced the presentation today of efficacy results through one year of follow-up in patients treated as part of the Company's successful Phase 2 clinical trial for its novel, investigational gene therapy NLX-P101 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

27 May 2011

Scientists discover protein involved in nerve cell motor-cargo mechanism

With every bodily movement-from the blink of an eye to running a marathon-nerve cells transmit signals to muscle cells. To do that, nerve cells rely on tiny molecular motors to transport chemical messengers that excite muscles cells into action. It's a complex process, which scientists are still trying to understand. A new study by Syracuse University researchers has uncovered an important piece of the puzzle.

26 May 2011

First Edition: May 25, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Most Americans oppose the House Republicans' plan to overhaul and slash funding of Medicaid, the state-federal program that covers 56 million low-income people, according to a poll being released today".

25 May 2011

Brain areas responsible for motor behavior might represent therapeutic targets for bipolar disorder

A new study by motor control and psychology researchers at Indiana University suggests that postural control problems may be a core feature of bipolar disorder, not just a random symptom, and can provide insights both into areas of the brain affected by the psychiatric disorder and new potential targets for treatment.

25 May 2011

Elan, Proteostasis create innovative drug discovery initiative for neurodegenerative disorders

Proteostasis Therapeutics and Elan Corporation today announced a strategic business relationship to advance Proteostasis' platform for the discovery and development of disease-modifying, small molecule drugs and diagnostics for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and a broad array of dementia-related diseases including Alzheimer's.

25 May 2011

New clinical research study to compare two medications for bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder may be eligible for a new clinical research study comparing two medications -- quetiapine, a widely prescribed second-generation antipsychotic mood-stabilizing medication, and lithium, the gold-standard mood stabilizer.

25 May 2011

Leukemia protein plays a role in Alzheimer's disease

After decades of studying the pathological process that wipes out large volumes of memory, scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research discovered a molecule called c-Abl that has a known role in leukemia also has a hand in Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2011

New combination therapy eradicates acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, older adults

In a significant breakthrough, investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College and the University of California, San Francisco, have been able to overcome resistance of a form of leukemia to targeted therapy, demonstrating complete eradication of the cancer in cell and animal studies.

25 May 2011

New study finds drug's side effect labeling have ballooned in size

The lists of potential side effects that accompany prescription drugs have ballooned in size, averaging 70 reactions per drug, a number that can overwhelm physicians trying to select suitable treatments for their patients, according to a new study of drug labels.

24 May 2011

Researchers discover protein switch that can trigger heart failure

Researchers at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre discovered a protein switch which can trigger a cascade of events leading to heart failure, pointing to a new direction for drug development.

24 May 2011

'Survival protein' protects brain against effects of stroke

Johns Hopkins scientists say that a newly discovered "survival protein" protects the brain against the effects of stroke in rodent brain tissue by interfering with a particular kind of cell death that's also implicated in complications from diabetes and heart attack.

24 May 2011

African-Americans with multiple sclerosis have lower vitamin D levels

African-Americans who have multiple sclerosis have lower vitamin D levels than African-Americans who don't have the disease, according to a study published in the May 24, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 May 2011

Key U.S. patents increase commercial rights and clinical indications

Australian regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB; OTC ADR: MBLTY), today announced that the company’s product development strategy has been significantly strengthened by novel composition of matter claims granted by the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) in two distinct patent families to which Mesoblast has exclusive worldwide commercial rights.

23 May 2011