Author Archives: Fredricko

Arguing Against the Role of Cytomegalovirus in Immune System Aging

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There's a fair amount of evidence implicating cytomegalovirus (CMV) in immune system decline, rhe theory here being that the immune system devotes ever more of its fixed resources to dealing with the largely harmless variants of this virus that it cannot clear. Here researchers argue against that view: "Aging is accompanied by the development of low grade systemic inflammation, termed 'inflammaging', characterised by raised serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Importantly, inflammaging is implicated in the pathogenesis of several of the major age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia and is associated with increased mortality. The incidence of infection with the persistent herpes virus cytomegalovirus (CMV) also increases with age. Cross-sectional studies have proposed CMV infection as a significant driver of inflammaging, but a definitive case for CMV as a causative agent in inflammaging has not yet been made. We studied longitudinally 249 subjects (153 men, 96 women) who participated in the Hertfordshire Ageing Study at baseline (1993/5, mean age 67·5 years) and at 10 year follow up. At both times [subjects] provided blood samples for analysis of inflammatory status and CMV seropositivity. In the cohort as a whole, serum CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines [were] increased between baseline and follow up ... These changes to cytokine status over time occurred equally in the 60% of subjects who were seropositive for CMV at baseline and follow up, the 8% who were CMV negative at baseline but who became CMV positive by the 10 year follow up, and also in the 32% who were CMV seronegative throughout. We conclude that CMV infection is not a primary causative factor in the age-related increase in systemic inflammation."

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22708923

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

Parsing Geron's Stem Cell Foray: A Nature Journal Commentary

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Why did Geron "fail" in its
much ballyhooed pursuit of the first-ever human embryonic stem cell
therapy?

Christopher Scott, senior
research scholar at Stanford, and Brady Huggett,
business editor of the journal Nature, took a crack at
answering that question in a commentary in the June edition of
Nature.
Following the sudden abandonment last
fall by Geron of its hESC business and the first-ever clinical trial
of an hESC therapy, Scott and Huggett scrutinized the history of the
company. The financial numbers were impressive. They wrote,

"How did Geron’s R&D program
meet such a demise? After all, the company raised more than $583
million through 23 financings, including two venture rounds, and
plowed more than half a billion dollars into R&D (about half of
that into hESC work) through 2010. 

"There are problems with being at
the forefront of unknown territory. Of Geron’s development efforts,
the hESC trial was the most prominent, and fraught. Therapies based
on hESCs were new territory for the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), and it eyed Geron warily. The
investigational new drug application (IND), filed in 2008, was twice
put on clinical hold while more animal data were collected among
fears that nonmalignant tumors would result from stray hESCs that
escaped the purification process. Geron says it spent $45 million on
the application, and at 22,000 pages, it was reportedly the largest
the agency had ever received."

The California stem cell agency also
bet $25 million on the company just a few months before it pulled the
plug. Geron repaid all the CIRM money that it had used up to that point.
Geron suffered from a lack of revenue
despite its vaunted stem cell patent portfolio. Scott and Huggett
reported that Geron received only $69 million from 1992 to 2010 from
collaborations, license and royalties. At the same time losses were
huge – $111 million in 2010.
The Nature article noted all of that
was occurring while other biotech companies – such as Isis
and Alnylam – found ample financial support, revenue and
success.
Scott's and Huggett's directed their
final comment to Advanced Cell Technology, now the only
company in the United States with a clinical trial involving a human
embryonic stem cell therapy.

"Your technology may be
revolutionary, your team may be dedicated and you may believe. But it
does not matter if no one else will stand at your side."

Our take: The California stem cell
agency obviously has learned something from its dealings with Geron.
The company's hESC announcement was an unpleasant surprise, to put it
mildly, coming only about three months after CIRM signed the Geron
loan agreement. Today, however, the agency has embarked on more,
equally risky ventures with other biotech enterprises. Indeed, CIRM
is forging into areas that conventional investment shuns. It is all
part of mission approved by California voters in 2004.
The dream of cures from human embryonic
stem cells or even adult stem cells is alluring. And CIRM is feeling
much justifiable pressure to engage industry more closely. All the
more reason for CIRM's executives and directors to maintain a steely
determination to terminate research programs that are spinning their
wheels and instead pursue efforts that are making significant
progress in commercializing research and attracting other investors.  

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Parsing Geron’s Stem Cell Foray: A Nature Journal Commentary

Posted on by


Why did Geron "fail" in its
much ballyhooed pursuit of the first-ever human embryonic stem cell
therapy?

Christopher Scott, senior
research scholar at Stanford, and Brady Huggett,
business editor of the journal Nature, took a crack at
answering that question in a commentary in the June edition of
Nature.
Following the sudden abandonment last
fall by Geron of its hESC business and the first-ever clinical trial
of an hESC therapy, Scott and Huggett scrutinized the history of the
company. The financial numbers were impressive. They wrote,

"How did Geron’s R&D program
meet such a demise? After all, the company raised more than $583
million through 23 financings, including two venture rounds, and
plowed more than half a billion dollars into R&D (about half of
that into hESC work) through 2010. 

"There are problems with being at
the forefront of unknown territory. Of Geron’s development efforts,
the hESC trial was the most prominent, and fraught. Therapies based
on hESCs were new territory for the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), and it eyed Geron warily. The
investigational new drug application (IND), filed in 2008, was twice
put on clinical hold while more animal data were collected among
fears that nonmalignant tumors would result from stray hESCs that
escaped the purification process. Geron says it spent $45 million on
the application, and at 22,000 pages, it was reportedly the largest
the agency had ever received."

The California stem cell agency also
bet $25 million on the company just a few months before it pulled the
plug. Geron repaid all the CIRM money that it had used up to that point.
Geron suffered from a lack of revenue
despite its vaunted stem cell patent portfolio. Scott and Huggett
reported that Geron received only $69 million from 1992 to 2010 from
collaborations, license and royalties. At the same time losses were
huge – $111 million in 2010.
The Nature article noted all of that
was occurring while other biotech companies – such as Isis
and Alnylam – found ample financial support, revenue and
success.
Scott's and Huggett's directed their
final comment to Advanced Cell Technology, now the only
company in the United States with a clinical trial involving a human
embryonic stem cell therapy.

"Your technology may be
revolutionary, your team may be dedicated and you may believe. But it
does not matter if no one else will stand at your side."

Our take: The California stem cell
agency obviously has learned something from its dealings with Geron.
The company's hESC announcement was an unpleasant surprise, to put it
mildly, coming only about three months after CIRM signed the Geron
loan agreement. Today, however, the agency has embarked on more,
equally risky ventures with other biotech enterprises. Indeed, CIRM
is forging into areas that conventional investment shuns. It is all
part of mission approved by California voters in 2004.
The dream of cures from human embryonic
stem cells or even adult stem cells is alluring. And CIRM is feeling
much justifiable pressure to engage industry more closely. All the
more reason for CIRM's executives and directors to maintain a steely
determination to terminate research programs that are spinning their
wheels and instead pursue efforts that are making significant
progress in commercializing research and attracting other investors.  

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

The California Stem Cell Agency and an HIV Cure: Pushing for a Clinical Trial in 2014

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The California stem cell agency's
leading efforts to find a cure for HIV – one tied to the famous "Berlin Patient" – received a plug today in a piece in the
state capital's largest circulation newspaper, The Sacramento Bee.

The article by David Lesher focused on
a $14 million CIRM grant to the City of Hope in Los Angeles that also
involves Sangamo BioSciences of Richmond, Ca. The team hopes to
launch a clinical trial by the end of next year.
The Berlin Patient is Timothy Brown,
now of San Francisco, who is the only person in the world known to
have been cured of HIV/AIDs. It came about as a side effect of a
blood transfusion carrying a rare mutation of a gene found almost
entirely among northern Europeans. Lesher, director of governmental
affairs for the Public Policy Institute in Sacramento, wrote,

"The
possibility of curing a global pandemic like AIDS with funding from
the California bond is exactly the kind of exciting potential that
inspired voters to approve Proposition 71 by
a wide margin. But the HIV research is also a good example of the
challenge facing the state's stem cell agency
as it tries to show voters that they made a good investment. 

“None
of the research under way will reach patients until long after the 10
years of funding by the ballot measure runs out. With the HIV
project, researchers hope to be in human trials by 2014, but it is
likely to be at least 10 years before they can show it might work in
humans. And in the case of a stem cell cure
for AIDS, it would be many years after that before a treatment is
widely available.”

Jeff
Sheehy, a prominent AIDS activist and a board member at the stem
cell agency,
described the effort as "the global home run. That's not in 10
years. … But this could be the beginning of something really
amazing."
Lesher also wrote,

"Nobody
thought stem cells might
be used to cure HIV when the bond (funding for the stem cell agency)
passed. Far from the embryonic stem cell treatments
that inspired the ballot measure, the HIV research involves a new and
growing integration of stem cell and
genetic science."

Indeed,
the ballot initiative that created the $3 billion California stem
cell agency trumpeted its devotion to human embryonic stem cell
research, which had been throttled by the Bush Administration. The
agency has veered away from hESC research, which now amounts
to less than $450 million out of the $1.4 billion in grants approved
since 2004. 

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Offers Improvements in Symptoms Over Three Years

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Patients with Parkinsons disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS)a treatment in which a pacemaker-like device sends pulses to electrodes implanted in the braincan expect stable improvement in muscle symptoms for at least three years, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study appearing in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology.

VA was proud to partner with the National Institutes of Health in this research, said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. Our research on Parkinsons helps ensure we continue to provide the best care possible for Veterans with this debilitating disease.

VA cares for some 40,000 Veterans with the condition.

In DBS, surgeons implant electrodes in the brain and run thin wires under the skin to a pacemaker-like device placed at one of two locations in the brain. Electrical pulses from the battery-operated device jam the brain signals that cause muscle-related symptoms. Thousands of Americans have seen successful results from the procedure since it was first introduced in the late 1990s. But questions have remained about which stimulation site in the brain yields better outcomes, and over how many years the gains persist.

Initial results from the study appeared in 2009 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Based on the six-month outcomes of 255 patients, the researchers concluded that DBS is riskier than carefully managed drug therapybecause of the possibility of surgery complicationsbut may hold significant benefits for those with Parkinsons who no longer respond well to medication alone.

A follow-up report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, using data from 24 months of follow-up, showed that similar results could be obtained from either of the two brain sites targeted in DBS.

The new report is based on 36 months of follow-up on 159 patients from the original group. It extends the previous findings: DBS produced marked improvements in motor (movement-related) function. The gains lasted over three years and did not differ by brain site.

Patients, on average, gained four to five hours a day free of troubling motor symptoms such as shaking, slowed movement, or stiffness. The effects were greatest at six months and leveled off slightly by three years.

According to VA Chief Research and Development Officer Joel Kupersmith, MD, This rigorously conducted clinical trial offers valuable guidance for doctors and patients in VA and throughout the world. As our Veteran population and the general U.S. population grow older, this research and future studies on Parkinsons will play an important role in helping us optimize care.

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Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Offers Improvements in Symptoms Over Three Years

uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

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AMSTERDAM, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

uniQure, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today the signing of a collaborative agreement with two leading neurology experts to develop further a gene therapy incorporating uniQure's GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Professor Krystof Bankiewicz at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a world expert in GDNF gene therapy, and Professor Howard Federoff of Georgetown University, a preeminent physician-neuroscientist, have developed a product approved to start clinical trials in the U.S. using uniQure's GDNF gene incorporated into an adeno-associated virus-2 (AAV-2) delivery vector. The GDNF gene contains the information to produce a protein necessary for the development and survival of nerve cells. The positive effect of GDNF on nerve cells has already been demonstrated in early research by uniQure in collaboration with the University of Lund, Sweden.

UCSF entered into a collaboration with Dr. Russell Lonser, neurosurgeon and Chief of the Neurosurgical Branch of the NINDS, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to commence a Phase I study of the gene therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patient enrollment is expected to begin mid-2012. Collaborating on the study will be Drs. Krystof Bankiewicz of UCSF, Howard Federoff of Georgetown University and NINDS co-investigator neurologists Drs. Mark Hallett and Walter Koroshetz.

"This agreement provides uniQure with access to the data from a Parkinson's disease GDNF clinical study conducted by two of the world's leading medical researchers in the field. If successful, we intend to manufacture the vector construct ourselves and with a partner progress the product into advanced clinical studies," said Jrn Aldag, CEO of uniQure. "GDNF has been shown to be involved in several other CNS disorders so if we reach the proof of concept stage in Parkinson's, we can potentially expand product development quickly and efficiently into clinical trials for other indications, such as Huntington's and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)."

"The development of AAV2-GDNF, sponsored by both NIH and by Parkinson's foundations, has taken us 10 years to complete. We are very pleased that a path for clinical development of AAV2-GDNF as a possible treatment for PD is now in place," said Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, UCSF Principal Investigator.

Under the terms of uniQure's agreement with UCSF, uniQure holds the exclusive commercial rights to all UCSF preclinical data and to IND enabling Phase I clinical data provided to UCSF by NINDS. In the event that the Phase 1 study shows proof of concept, uniQure will use its proprietary manufacturing system for future production of the AAV construct and take responsibility for future development of the gene therapy product. uniQure holds the exclusive license to the GDNF gene from Amgen.

About uniQure

uniQure is a world leader in the development of human gene based therapies. uniQure has a product pipeline of gene therapy products in development for hemophilia B, acute intermittent porphyria, Parkinson's disease and SanfilippoB. Using adeno-associated viral (AAV) derived vectors as the delivery vehicle of choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design and validate probably the world's first stable and scalable AAV manufacturing platform. This proprietary platform can be applied to a large number of rare (orphan) diseases caused by one faulty gene and allows uniQure to pursue its strategy of focusing on this sector of the industry. Further information can be found at http://www.uniqure.com.

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for future operations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of uniQure only. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control of uniQure. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due to a number of factors and uncertainties affecting uniQure's business. uniQure expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by law.

Read more:
uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease

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AMSTERDAM, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

uniQure, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today the signing of a collaborative agreement with two leading neurology experts to develop further a gene therapy incorporating uniQure's GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Professor Krystof Bankiewicz at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a world expert in GDNF gene therapy, and Professor Howard Federoff of Georgetown University, a preeminent physician-neuroscientist, have developed a product approved to start clinical trials in the U.S. using uniQure's GDNF gene incorporated into an adeno-associated virus-2 (AAV-2) delivery vector. The GDNF gene contains the information to produce a protein necessary for the development and survival of nerve cells. The positive effect of GDNF on nerve cells has already been demonstrated in early research by uniQure in collaboration with the University of Lund, Sweden.

UCSF entered into a collaboration with Dr. Russell Lonser, neurosurgeon and Chief of the Neurosurgical Branch of the NINDS, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to commence a Phase I study of the gene therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patient enrollment is expected to begin mid-2012. Collaborating on the study will be Drs. Krystof Bankiewicz of UCSF, Howard Federoff of Georgetown University and NINDS co-investigator neurologists Drs. Mark Hallett and Walter Koroshetz.

"This agreement provides uniQure with access to the data from a Parkinson's disease GDNF clinical study conducted by two of the world's leading medical researchers in the field. If successful, we intend to manufacture the vector construct ourselves and with a partner progress the product into advanced clinical studies," said Jrn Aldag, CEO of uniQure. "GDNF has been shown to be involved in several other CNS disorders so if we reach the proof of concept stage in Parkinson's, we can potentially expand product development quickly and efficiently into clinical trials for other indications, such as Huntington's and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)."

"The development of AAV2-GDNF, sponsored by both NIH and by Parkinson's foundations, has taken us 10 years to complete. We are very pleased that a path for clinical development of AAV2-GDNF as a possible treatment for PD is now in place," said Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, UCSF Principal Investigator.

Under the terms of uniQure's agreement with UCSF, uniQure holds the exclusive commercial rights to all UCSF preclinical data and to IND enabling Phase I clinical data provided to UCSF by NINDS. In the event that the Phase 1 study shows proof of concept, uniQure will use its proprietary manufacturing system for future production of the AAV construct and take responsibility for future development of the gene therapy product. uniQure holds the exclusive license to the GDNF gene from Amgen.

About uniQure

uniQure is a world leader in the development of human gene based therapies. uniQure has a product pipeline of gene therapy products in development for hemophilia B, acute intermittent porphyria, Parkinson's disease and SanfilippoB. Using adeno-associated viral (AAV) derived vectors as the delivery vehicle of choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design and validate probably the world's first stable and scalable AAV manufacturing platform. This proprietary platform can be applied to a large number of rare (orphan) diseases caused by one faulty gene and allows uniQure to pursue its strategy of focusing on this sector of the industry. Further information can be found at http://www.uniqure.com.

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for future operations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of uniQure only. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control of uniQure. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due to a number of factors and uncertainties affecting uniQure's business. uniQure expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by law.

Read more:
uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

Device Calms Parkinson's Tremor for 3+ Years

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Quality of Life, Daily Living Did Not Improve in Study

By Denise Mann WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

June 20, 2012 -- For some people with Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation can have immediate and dramatic effects on tremors, rigidity, balance, and other motor symptoms.

Now new research shows that these benefits may last at least three years. The findings appear online in Neurology.

Deep brain stimulation uses a battery-operated device to deliver electrical impulses -- similar to a pacemaker for the heart -- to areas of the brain that control movement. The impulses are thought to block abnormal signals that cause many of the movement problems (motor symptoms) of Parkinson's. This procedure is typically reserved for individuals who no longer respond to their Parkinson's medications or who experience unacceptable side effects from them.

According to the new findings, this treatment helped with motor symptoms such as tremor, but individuals did show gradual declines over time in their quality of life, ability to perform tasks of daily living, and thinking skills.

"This study looked past the immediate 'wow effect,'" says Michele Tagliati, MD. He wrote an editorial accompanying the new study.

"Now we want to know what we can expect over the next 10 years, and this starts to make it clearer," says Tagliati, the director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"The effect on motor function is sustained," says researcher Frances M. Weaver, PhD. She is the director of the Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill. But "deep brain stimulation does not have an impact on the other symptoms of the disease, so there will be progression."

Follow this link:
Device Calms Parkinson's Tremor for 3+ Years

Device Calms Parkinson’s Tremor for 3+ Years

Posted on by

Quality of Life, Daily Living Did Not Improve in Study

By Denise Mann WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

June 20, 2012 -- For some people with Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation can have immediate and dramatic effects on tremors, rigidity, balance, and other motor symptoms.

Now new research shows that these benefits may last at least three years. The findings appear online in Neurology.

Deep brain stimulation uses a battery-operated device to deliver electrical impulses -- similar to a pacemaker for the heart -- to areas of the brain that control movement. The impulses are thought to block abnormal signals that cause many of the movement problems (motor symptoms) of Parkinson's. This procedure is typically reserved for individuals who no longer respond to their Parkinson's medications or who experience unacceptable side effects from them.

According to the new findings, this treatment helped with motor symptoms such as tremor, but individuals did show gradual declines over time in their quality of life, ability to perform tasks of daily living, and thinking skills.

"This study looked past the immediate 'wow effect,'" says Michele Tagliati, MD. He wrote an editorial accompanying the new study.

"Now we want to know what we can expect over the next 10 years, and this starts to make it clearer," says Tagliati, the director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"The effect on motor function is sustained," says researcher Frances M. Weaver, PhD. She is the director of the Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Ill. But "deep brain stimulation does not have an impact on the other symptoms of the disease, so there will be progression."

Follow this link:
Device Calms Parkinson's Tremor for 3+ Years

Treating Orthostatic Hypotension Improves Function In Parkinson's Disease Patients, According To Braintree …

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BOSTON, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A new study analyzing patient data from Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital in Braintree, Massachusetts, found that blood pressure fluctuations can worsen symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Conversely, after treating Parkinson's disease patients who experienced blood pressure drops when changing from a sitting to standing position, improvements were noted in cognitive function, balance and walking, according to the researchers at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital.

Information from the study will be presented today at the Movement Disorder Society's 16th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Dublin, Ireland. The corresponding abstract, "Treating Orthostatic Hypotension in Patients with Parkinson's and Atypical Parkinsonism Improves Function," will be published as an electronic supplement to The Movement Disorders Journal online edition at http://www.movementdisorders.org.

"This new research sheds light for better Parkinson's disease treatment, as blood pressure can be affected by the disease and problems often worsen over time," said Dr. Anna DePold Hohler, Medical Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology at Boston University Medical Center, who participated in the study. "The good news for Parkinson's disease patients is that implementing simple interventions, monitored by a physician, can significantly improve functionality."

In the United States, 1.5 million people suffer from this complex neurodegenerative disorder. For this population, blood pressure drops may occur due to a decrease in the neurotransmitter norepinepherine and as a result of medications used to treat motor symptoms.

Depending on the patient, treatment strategies might include increasing water or salt intake, use of compression stockings, and slow position changes. Specific medications may also be warranted in patients at risk for fainting.

These findings update previous work conducted at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital recently published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, 2011.

The Movement Disorders Program at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, a world-class rehabilitative care provider, allows patients to have physical, occupational and speech therapy along with medication adjustments, blood pressure adjustments, and deep brain stimulation adjustments as needed. As a result, improvements in patients are significant and a large number of individuals can be optimized to return home.

Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital is located at 250 Pond Street in Braintree, Massachusetts. For more information visit http://www.braintreerehabhospital.com, or call (781) 348-2500.

Media contact: CM Communications Lori Moretti or Meg Fitzgerald mfitzgerald@cmcommunications.com 617-536-3400

See original here:
Treating Orthostatic Hypotension Improves Function In Parkinson's Disease Patients, According To Braintree ...

Treating Orthostatic Hypotension Improves Function In Parkinson’s Disease Patients, According To Braintree …

Posted on by

BOSTON, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A new study analyzing patient data from Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital in Braintree, Massachusetts, found that blood pressure fluctuations can worsen symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Conversely, after treating Parkinson's disease patients who experienced blood pressure drops when changing from a sitting to standing position, improvements were noted in cognitive function, balance and walking, according to the researchers at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital.

Information from the study will be presented today at the Movement Disorder Society's 16th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Dublin, Ireland. The corresponding abstract, "Treating Orthostatic Hypotension in Patients with Parkinson's and Atypical Parkinsonism Improves Function," will be published as an electronic supplement to The Movement Disorders Journal online edition at http://www.movementdisorders.org.

"This new research sheds light for better Parkinson's disease treatment, as blood pressure can be affected by the disease and problems often worsen over time," said Dr. Anna DePold Hohler, Medical Director of the Movement Disorders Program at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital and Associate Professor of Neurology at Boston University Medical Center, who participated in the study. "The good news for Parkinson's disease patients is that implementing simple interventions, monitored by a physician, can significantly improve functionality."

In the United States, 1.5 million people suffer from this complex neurodegenerative disorder. For this population, blood pressure drops may occur due to a decrease in the neurotransmitter norepinepherine and as a result of medications used to treat motor symptoms.

Depending on the patient, treatment strategies might include increasing water or salt intake, use of compression stockings, and slow position changes. Specific medications may also be warranted in patients at risk for fainting.

These findings update previous work conducted at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital recently published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, 2011.

The Movement Disorders Program at Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, a world-class rehabilitative care provider, allows patients to have physical, occupational and speech therapy along with medication adjustments, blood pressure adjustments, and deep brain stimulation adjustments as needed. As a result, improvements in patients are significant and a large number of individuals can be optimized to return home.

Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital is located at 250 Pond Street in Braintree, Massachusetts. For more information visit http://www.braintreerehabhospital.com, or call (781) 348-2500.

Media contact: CM Communications Lori Moretti or Meg Fitzgerald mfitzgerald@cmcommunications.com 617-536-3400

See original here:
Treating Orthostatic Hypotension Improves Function In Parkinson's Disease Patients, According To Braintree ...

Michelle Renee: Multiple Sclerosis: What Jack Osbourne and My Daughter Have in Common

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I didn't know anything about multiple sclerosis (MS) 6.5 months ago. On Dec. 8, 2011 I got a crash course when my 18-year-old daughter had a severe sudden onset that paralyzed her on her left side, and left her blind in her left eye and unable to speak or swallow.

In hindsight, the headaches she was experiencing two days leading up to the catastrophic onset we thought were due to all the studying she was doing for her ACT test were MS-related. The tingling in her fingers that we thought was over-texting syndrome was most likely the first sign of her MS, and happened two weeks before she collapsed.

She dragged herself into my work and I knew instantly something was terribly wrong. She had been tired that day. She went home from school to nap. She missed her cheerleading training that was so important for her upcoming college tryouts. Her left leg was limp, her eyes pleading for help before she even spoke a word. "Mom, I am so scared. I can't feel my leg or my arm. It feels like it isn't attached to my body." She couldn't make it back to the car. Lifting my 18-year-old high school senior into the front seat of my SUV, my head was saying maybe it was just a pinched nerve. But my heart was aching with a knowing that it was far more serious than that.

We rushed to the emergency room. Her inability to move any part of her left side was becoming worse by the minute. By 9 p.m., she couldn't move a finger or a toe, the left side of her face was sagging, and her words were becoming muted. The stroke test was negative. The CT scan warranted an MRI. I was pacing and told the nurse I had a really bad gut feeling. At 10:36 p.m., the ER doctor came into the room that was only separated from the person next to us by a thin cotton curtain. He sat down across from me as I sat bumped right up against the gurney holding Breea's hand. She was medicated by that time and not conscious. "We have found some abnormalities on her brain. She won't be leaving the hospital, Ms. Renee. The neurologist is on his way."

The word "abnormalities" just kept echoing -- his mouth was moving but I felt like I was in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, playing the devastated parent that just got horrific news. But it wasn't a script. It was really happening. The nurse looked at with the "I am so sorry" look and I wanted to throw up, scream, grab my daughter and squeeze so tight that whatever was in her brain making her this way would somehow be gone. I grabbed my phone and called my best friend, my family, and my boss. Life as we knew it faded away in front of my eyes on a gurney in the ER.

After a battery of tests, including a brutal spinal tap, Dr. Jay Rosenberg delivered the diagnosis while we were in ICU. She had lost her ability to feel her bladder or bowels, she could not swallow or talk, and any sudden movement made her heart rate skyrocket. They had to keep her sedated and given any sort of nutrients via an IV. The diagnosis: Severe sudden onset of tumefactive multiple sclerosis, the rarest form of this mystery disease.

Over the next six months, there would be insurance issues that made getting physical therapy impossible. I became her physical therapist and occupational therapist. We used toys and gadgets, cheap supplies from Target, and anything we could find out in nature. Carving her name in the sand with a stick became a great way to learn how to hold something in her left hand again. A child's bubble wand became a very handy tool for all sorts of arm exercises, and tiny cones set up as an obstacle course so she could learn to crawl first made therapy everyday more fun than work. We never went home because there were stairs. The MS Society helped us get into a one-story apartment that was perfect for our new lifestyle, and our friends and Breea's school threw us fundraisers to help us stay afloat since we were getting nowhere with disability or in home support services.

Through it all, Breea kept not only her sense of humor but her drive to succeed, walk again, graduate and go to college just as she had planned before MS. "Feeling sorry for myself won't heal my lesions. Focusing on my dreams and having a positive attitude will give me the strength I need to live a normal life again." I love this kid.

On Friday, June 1, 2012, in her purple leg brace with butterflies on it, she walked with the class of 2012 and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. She is attending NAU in the fall, and has chosen nursing as her major. We know more than we ever thought possible about a disease that is such a mystery not only to us but to the medical community as well. We know there is no cure. We know that they are making advances in developing medications and treatments to slow the progression of this autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin in the brain and spinal cord. We know that 2.5 million people around the world have MS and that 200 more cases are reported each week. One of those new cases is Jack Osbourne.

I hope he chooses to use his celebrity to educate others about this disease. Even though his onset seems to be what is more typical in terms of symptoms and severity, probably relapsing-remitting or primary progressive in nature, it doesn't really matter. Suddenly the world became smaller in a way. Suddenly my daughter, and now Jack Osbourne, is part of the family of people battling MS, the disease that someone told me recently feels like an axe over your head that you never know if or when it will fall.

Link:
Michelle Renee: Multiple Sclerosis: What Jack Osbourne and My Daughter Have in Common

Jack Osbourne Discloses His Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis; GreenBeanBuddy Shares Basic Information About the Disease

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Dallas, TX (PRWEB) June 22, 2012

Jack Osbourne revealed earlier this week that he has Multiple Sclerosis, reported mtv.com. According to the report, the youngest son of rock icon Ozzy Osbourne and 'America's Got Talent' judge Sharon Osbourne, was diagnosed with MS just weeks after his daughter's birth in April. And to help spread awareness about the disease, GreenBeanBuddy.com shared basic information about it.

Based on the report, the 26-year old Osbourne was angry and frustrated when he was given the diagnosis. It added that his mother, Sharon Osbourne, shared with Hello magazine how she's wondering she may have contributed to Jack's illness.

However, in a separate post from mtv.com, it was said that both Ozzy and Sharon are confident that their son will overcome the said disease. Ozzy even advised his kid to get a second opinion and undergo further testing to be certain, added the report.

Here's an excerpt of the post Multiple Sclerosis, Basic Facts About the Disease That Caught Jack Osbourne by GreenBeanBuddy.com.

Angry and frustrated those were the reactions of Jack Osbourne when he was diagnosed of Multiple Sclerosis just weeks after his daughter's birth. However, his parents, rock icon Ozzy Osbourne and America's Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne, were confident that the 26-year-old will beat the disease. But what is Multiple Sceloris and how can it be treated?

Multiple Sclerosis or MS is basically an unpredictable autoimmune disease. It attacks the central nervous system by inflaming the brain and the spinal cord and with that it losses the myelin sheath around the nerves. That leads to symptoms as loss of vision, numbness, tingling, excessive fatigue and weakness.

Read more about Jack Osbourned Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at: http://www.greenbeanbuddy.com/2114/multiple-sclerosis-basic-info-disease-caught-jack-osbourne/

As related by entertainment and health news website GreenBeanBuddy.com, Multiple Sclerosis or MS is an incurable autoimmune disease. It added that the cause or causes of it are still unclear and that is one of the reasons why no cure for it has yet been discovered.

Nonetheless, there is now an array of treatments to slow down the disease's progress, shared the website. And given that Jack Osbourne got the means to get the right doctors and treatments, the site commented that he got a big chance of living a fulfilling despite having the disease.

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Jack Osbourne Discloses His Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis; GreenBeanBuddy Shares Basic Information About the Disease

Priority Health: Multiple sclerosis

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Jude wants to know the latest on MS or Multiple sclerosis. This is very timely since just this week, Jack Osborne was diagnosed with MS at age 26.

The interesting part about someone famous with a medical condition is the fact that it raises awareness of the condition. MS is one of those conditions that you think is not very common in the very young, but in reality, MS affects all age levels. The interesting abnormality with Jack Osborne having the diagnosis is the fact that he is a male. Usually, females are affected more than males.

Multiple sclerosis is the damage of nerve cells by an unknown trigger. The immune system targets the cells as potential "invaders", and attempts to destroy them. Since the body is attacking itself, this is considered an autoimmune problem. MS can be literally called "multiple scars". Since the nerves are like wires in electricity, if you damage the wires, the current does not get to the end organ appropriately. There are also some symptoms or short circuits noticed. The most common symptom is numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation or strength.

Statistics of MS:

400,000 Americans have MS

2.5 million worldwide - not a mandatory report, so it is thought to be under reported.

Women are 2x more affected than men

Caucasians are affected more than any other ethnic group, but all groups can be affected MS is not a fatal disease, but it is chronic MS is not a contagious disease

No age is spared - youngest to be diagnosed 2 years-old, oldest 75 years-old

No cure - yet

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Priority Health: Multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis patients have lower risk of cancer: UBC-VCH research

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Public release date: 21-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Melissa Ashman mashman@brain.ubc.ca 604-827-3396 University of British Columbia

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appear to have a lower cancer risk, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health.

The study, published in the current issue of the journal Brain, is the first to investigate overall cancer risk in MS patients in North America.

"Because the immune system plays important roles in both cancer and MS, we wanted to know whether the risk of cancer is different for people with MS," says Elaine Kingwell, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Brain Research Centre at UBC and VCH Research Institute. "Not only did MS patients have a lower overall cancer risk, the risk for colorectal cancer in particular was significantly lower."

The researchers compared the diagnoses of cancer in MS patients in British Columbia with those of the general population. While they found that MS patients have a lower risk in general for cancer and in particular for colorectal cancer they found that the risks for brain cancer and bladder cancer were slightly elevated (albeit not significantly). In patients with relapsing-onset MS, the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer was significantly greater.

Further studies will be needed to understand the reasons for this reduced overall cancer risk.

An unexpected finding was that for those who did develop cancer, tumour size tended to be larger at time of diagnosis. More work is needed to determine why some tumours might be caught later in people with MS.

"Because the symptoms of MS can be broad and include feelings of fatigue, it's possible the symptoms of cancer are being masked or overlooked," says Helen Tremlett, the study's senior author and an associate professor in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. She adds that, regardless of the findings, MS patients and their physicians are encouraged to follow cancer screening guidelines. Her team is planning a follow up study to determine whether death rates due to cancer are altered in MS patients.

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Multiple sclerosis patients have lower risk of cancer: UBC-VCH research

One in three dementia cases misdiagnosed

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ALMOST a third of dementia diagnoses in Australia are incorrect, a medical expert says.

A federal inquiry into early diagnosis and intervention for dementia has heard that 30 per cent of patients diagnosed with dementia are later found to be suffering from other conditions.

Dr Robert Prouse, from the Royal Australian College of Physicians, says other conditions such as depression can mimic the symptoms of dementia.

"There's a whole range of things that can present as cognitive decline that need to be tested along the way and that's where specialists come into it," Dr Prouse told the inquiry in Sydney on Friday.

"It's probably common enough to say a third of patients improve, lose their depression and have a new outlook on life."

"We've had a number of people who have had significant cognitive decline," Dr Prouse said.

"By treating their sleep apnoea and improving nocturnal oxygenation, they've come back to normal."

The inquiry by the House of Representatives Health and Ageing Committee is examining whether dementia should be made a National Health Priority Area due to its growing prevalence in communities.

Dementia in Australia is expected to triple by 2050.

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One in three dementia cases misdiagnosed

Four Children of Retired Policeman Paralyzed

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(VIVAnews/Robbi)

VIVAnews Four out of five children of a retired police officer First Sub-Lieutenant (Ret.) Sahirun and Warsini are paralyzed. It all began in 2005 when the father who had no money was forced to take his family to an old pig den.

Suddenly, his children become paralyzed, one by one. They are Musiaroh (36), Amin Muntoha (35), Musinah (27), and Riyatin (25). Meanwhile Kiswanto (30) who lived with other people was not affected.

Based on previous medical examination, the disability was caused by a genetic disorder.

A neurosurgeon of Margono Sukaryo Hospital in Purwokerto, dr Untung Gunarso, said the four people had been admitted to the hospital.

Based on the diagnosis, they suffer from muscle atrophy, he told VIVAnews, on Thursday.

The four siblings were then taken to Kariadi Hospital in Semarang. They even had their blood samples sent to Europe to be studied in a laboratory. It is concluded that the four siblings have a genetic disorder or Friedreich's ataxia syndrome.

This type of illness usually attacks 15-year-old adolescents, and may worsen when the patient reaches the age of 22.

So, in relation with the allegation of a virus attack caused by their former residence with their parents in an old pig den, its still uncertain yet, he said.

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Four Children of Retired Policeman Paralyzed

BalanceWear® Creator, Cindy Gibson-Horn, Named Finalist in San Francisco Business Times Health Care Heroes Awards

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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The very nature of a health care professional is already rendered heroic by the community and patients they serve. The San Francisco Business Times wants to make sure the true heroes in the health care profession dont go unnoticed by publishing their annual list of finalists for their Health Care Heroes Awards. This year, physical therapist, Cindy Gibson-Horn, creator of BalanceWear, has been named to the list. Gibson-Horns discovery nearly a decade ago of Balance-Based Torso-Weighting (BBTW) led to the creation of BalanceWear, a semi-custom made orthotic that has helped dramatically improve stability in patients with MS, Parkinsons disease, stroke, TBI, ataxia and other Sensory Based Motor Disorders (SBMD).

Steve Cookston, CEO of Motion Therapeutics, the company that manufactures and markets BalanceWear, has worked with Gibson-Horn the past several years to bring the BalanceWear product line to fruition and credits Gibson-Horns passion for her patients well-being as a major reason for the products success.

Cindy is committed to giving her patients freedom, says Cookston. Balance and mobility are keys to independence as well as being vital to rehabilitation. Having worked with many medical devices and products, BalanceWear is the most inspiring, often taking a patient from being dependent on others to complete liberation.

If someone had told me they were going all the way to California from the east coast to see if a vest would help with balance, I probably would have told them they were crazy. But I saw and now I believe! BalanceWear has been a miracle for my mother and our family. Even though she will be 79 on June 25, we have our mother back the way she wants to be and the way we want her to be, said Kevin Eck.

I have MS and have used the BalanceWear vest for the last four months. It has made a tremendous difference in my life as I can now walk without my cane. I am walking more than I had using my cane and so am increasing strength and decreasing my possibility for Osteoporosis. I am going places I havent in a long time and my mood has improved, said Lisa Cohen.

I have used BalanceWear on at least ten individuals with ages ranging from 2 years old to 32 years old. I find that there are immediate positive changes in my patients ability to improve static and dynamic balance, improve functional mobility, such as walking up and down stairs without holding onto the railing; the ability to take independent steps without use of an assistive device or help; the ability to run in a straight line with reciprocal arm swing; and the ability to go from sit to stand without losing their balance, said Elaine Westlake, MA, PT.

Physical Therapist, Cynthia Gibson-Horn, discovered that strategically placed small amounts of weight could counter-balance directional losses and dramatically improve stability in patients with MS, Parkinsons disease, stroke, TBI, ataxia and other Sensory Based Motor Disorders (SBMD) during clinical applications. This discovery led to the development of the patented BBTW method and BalanceWear, which has now helped hundreds of patients.

Recently, a National Institutes of Health Recovery Grant of just under $400,000 was awarded to Samuel Merritt University (SMU) Physical Therapy Professor Dr. Gail Widener, PT, and Dr. Diane Allen at San Francisco State University to continue research into Balance-Based Torso Weighting (BBTW) and its effects on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) mobility challenges. The first phase of the study validates previous research funded by the National MS Society. The research is currently in its second phase and has led to documented evidence of the efficacy of prior clinical observations.

The San Francisco Business Times award brings attention to the health care profession and the numerous advances for patients that are suffering with debilitating illnesses, says Gibson-Horn. I am so honored to be among the finalists, but I see heroes in my patients who wake up every day with balance and walking challenges that I can only witness. Perhaps it sounds clich, but this honor is shared between me and my patients. Were in the healing process together.

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BalanceWear® Creator, Cindy Gibson-Horn, Named Finalist in San Francisco Business Times Health Care Heroes Awards

A boy’s struggle with Freidreich’s ataxia

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By Jennifer Best/Contributing Writer Email this story Print this story

Lucas Appleton, 9, is struggling with the challenges of Freidreichs ataxia. A fundraising barbecue and dance concert will be held Sunday. //Phil Klein/Contributor

By anyones account, Lucas Appleton of Grover Beach is a spunky, active, 9-year-old boy. He revels in building with Lego bricks, playing with big brother William and watching SpongeBob.

Hes a charmer, thats for sure, said his mother, Casandra Appleton.

In the years to come, hell need all the spunk and charm he can muster as he struggles with the challenges of Freidreichs ataxia, or FA, a rare, crippling form of muscular dystrophy thats robbing Lucas of his mobility. Approximately 13,000 individuals have been diagnosed with FA in the United States, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Hes gone from being a very active, agile little kid to one who stumbled often to using a walker most of the time, or a wheelchair for long days, said Linda McClure, his godmother.

While there is no cure for the disease, friends and family members believe there are services that could help Lucas preserve his independence, and theyre willing to put themselves out there to help raise funds for him.

McClure, owner of American Property Services, in conjunction with Mongos Restaurant and Sports Bar, 359 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach, will hold a fundraising barbecue and dance concert from 10:30 a.m. until closing Sunday.

Big brother William Appleton will sing Amazing Grace, Anthony Salas and his band, Naughty Ruby, will perform, and Mongos will provide the DJ service and the band Smokin Gunz for late afternoon and evening entertainment. More bands are encouraged to donate their services to this event as well.

There is no cover charge for the event. Instead, funds raised from the sale of food, alcohol and raffle tickets will benefit Lucas. Only 200 tickets, at $100 each, will be sold. Prizes include a flat-screen TV, massages, a beer keg refrigerator and, for the last ticket drawn, $5,000 in cash.

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A boy’s struggle with Freidreich’s ataxia

Families of kids with autism appreciate added state funding

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Missouri is making a move to increase access to services for more children with autism. On Thursday, Gov.Jay Nixon ceremonially signed a bill that had support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Missouri Legislature this year. Even in a tight budget year, Nixon says helping Missouri families deal with autism is a priority.

Nixon signed the legislation at the Burrell Autism Center. It directs an additional $750,000 towards autism services.

We are in this for the long haul. As science moves forward and a greater number of those on the spectrum come to light, we are going to need to continue to evolve both in the care and treatment and the resources we provide for that, Nixon told reporters.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health provides autism services to 2,500 families. The services help with skill development and give training for families. The appropriations bill, HB2010, signed by Nixon extends services to about 375 more children in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

That includes families like the Opfers.

I think we noticed from the beginning something was different. We had a lot of sensory issues. We did not know what a sensory processing disorder was, said Dana Opfer.

Their son Ian, has autism.

It's important for parents to know that there is funding available for resources that are not covered by insurance,

This additional funding will shorten the waiting line for families seeking help.

Putting these additional dollars in will help families deal with the challenges of autism, the governor said.

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Families of kids with autism appreciate added state funding