Editor’s Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson’s Disease Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound Article Date: 05 Oct 2012 – 8:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Brain Scan Can Predict The Course Of Parkinson’s Disease

4.25 (4 votes)

The authors explained that this brain scan can identify which Parkinson’s patients are at risk of severe disease, thus enabling doctors to better manage and treat their symptoms.

Some specialists already use the DaTscan when confirming a Parkinson’s diagnosis after a physical examination.

However, the DaTscan can only help in the diagnosis to a certain extent. It can point towards Parkinsonism, but cannot help the doctor distinguish between many similar disorders, of which classic Parkinson’s disease is one.

GE Healthcare announced the availability of DaTscan (Ioflupane I 123 Injection) in June 2011.

When using the DaTscan, the patient is injected with a small quantity of a radioactive contrast agent which binds to dopamine transporters in the brain. Then, a scanner is used to measure how much of the contrast agent there is in the brain, and where exactly it is. People with Parkinson’s have fewer neurons with dopamine transporters, thus, lower amounts of the radioactive agent appear in their brain scans, compared to “healthy” individuals.

Bernard Ravina, M.D., M.S.C.E., and team set out to determine whether the DaTscan might be used to predict the long-term progression of Parkinson’s disease. They looked at the DaTscan images of 491 individuals who had just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s – none of them had yet started on standard medications for the disease. All the patients were participants in the Longitudinal and Biomarker Study in PD (LABS-PD), a clinical trial funded in part by the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

The LABS-PD study had been a long-term one, thus the team were able to compare participants’ DaTscan results, which were taken just after diagnosis and then again 22 months later, with information from their yearly health assessments.

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Brain Scan Can Predict The Course Of Parkinson's Disease

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Pig cells will be transplanted into the brains of New Zealanders with Parkinson’s disease as part of an experimental treatment of the neurological disorder.

Kiwi scientists will undertake the clinical trial after Living Cell Technologies, which has its research and development based in this country, got the go-ahead to test the treatment in humans next year.

Government approval was given this week for the trial.

“Receiving regulatory approval to conduct clinical trials is a critical step in developing a treatment for this debilitating condition,” said the company’s chief executive Andrea Grant said in a statement.

She says pre-clinical trials suggest the treatment, known as NTCELL, can protect brain tissue which would otherwise die, potentially delaying or preventing the effects of Parkinson’s.

Only those who have been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease for at least four years will be part of the study, which will last for up to 60 weeks.

The trial will involve patients getting either the pig cells or the current gold standard of treatment – deep brain stimulation.

The leader of Auckland District Health Board’s movement disorder clinic, Barry Snow, will oversee the trial.

“This represents an exciting new potential option for patients,” Dr Snow said.

Pre-clinical studies had shown improvement in movement and neurological defects and a rise in dopamine-producing neurons within two weeks of treatment.

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Pig cell treatment for Parkinson's okayed

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Editor’s Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson’s Disease Also Included In: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy Article Date: 05 Oct 2012 – 4:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Parkinson’s Patients Benefit From Physical Therapy

3.5 (6 votes)

In the USA, the term is Physical Therapy. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australasia people say Physiotherapy.

Parkinson’s disease management has traditionally been centered on drug therapy. Recently, however, doctors have been progressively embracing rehabilitation therapies, including physical therapy as a supplement to medications and neurosurgical treatment.

Dr Claire Tomlinson and team set out to determine what effect rehabilitation therapies might have on patients with Parkinson’s disease. They gathered data from 39 randomized trials involving 1,827 people. Within those studies they assessed a wide range of physical therapy methods that were used to treat patients, including dance, treadmill training, exercises and physical therapy.

The researchers assessed 18 physical therapy outcomes, which showed clear improvements in nine areas.

They detected three especially positive outcomes from physical therapy treatment in the following areas:

Parkinson’s patients demonstrated that they were able to walk faster or maintain their balance more effectively, and without intervention, after undergoing physical therapy sessions.

Dr Tomlinson, said:

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Parkinson's Patients Benefit From Physical Therapy

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Editor’s Choice Main Category: Parkinson’s Disease Also Included In: Stem Cell Research Article Date: 04 Oct 2012 – 11:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Parkinson’s Disease Cure May Be In Stem Cell Research, But..

3.67 (3 votes)

An advanced stem cell growth solution that may potentially lead to a search for a Parkinson’s cure, according to a communiqu released today by Rainbow Biosciences. The company is working towards having such technology on the market as soon as possible.

Scientists say that ethical dilemmas and government restrictions have made stem cell research breakthrough much more difficult to achieve. Add to this the difficulty in controlling stem cell behavior in the lab, and the task seems even harder.

Rainbow Biosciences says that one way to accelerate research projects and make them advance more efficiently is to increase the availability of top-quality adult stem cells for research.

Rainbow says it is working on this. It is in discussions with Regenetech regarding acquiring a license to perform cell expansion using its Rotary Cell Culture System, which was originally developed by NASA.

Rainbow Biosciences wrote:

The company would like to bring the bioreactor to “emerging research markets” which do not face as many regulatory roadblocks. They say this will help activate “billions of dollars’ worth of research” into potential cures for Parkinson’s disease, as well as some the disorders of the nervous system.

Rainbow Biosciences says that this new addition to the stem cell research world will compete alongside industry giants, such as Amgen Inc., Celgene Corporation, Gilead Sciences Inc., and Gynzyme Corp.

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Parkinson's Disease Cure May Be In Stem Cell Research, But..

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Washington, October 6 (ANI): Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) investigators have conducted the first genome-wide evaluation of genetic variants associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

The study points to the involvement of specific genes and alterations in their expression as influencing the risk for developing PD.

Jeanne Latourelle, DSc, assistant professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study’s lead author and Richard H. Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, served as the study’s principal investigator and senior author.

A recent paper by the PD Genome Wide Association Study Consortium (PDGC) confirmed that an increased risk for PD was seen in individuals with genetic variants in or near the genes SNCA, MAPT, GAK/DGKQ, HLA and RIT2, but the mechanism behind the increased risk was not determined.

“One possible effect of the variants would be to change the manner in which a gene is expressed in the brains, leading to increased risk of PD,” said Latourelle.

To investigate the theory, the researchers examined the relationship between PD-associated genetic variants and levels of gene expression in brain samples from the frontal cortex of 26 samples with known PD and 24 neurologically healthy control samples.

Gene expression was determined using a microarray that screened effects of genetic variants on the expression of genes located very close to the variant, called cis-effects, and genes that are far from the variant, such as those on a completely different chromosome, called trans-effects.

An analysis of the cis-effects showed that several genetic variants in the MAPT region showed a significant association to the expression of multiple nearby genes, including gene LOC644246, the duplicated genes LRRC37A and LRRC37A2 and the gene DCAKD.

Significant cis-effects were also observed between variants in the HLA region on chromosome 6 and two nearby genes HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQA1. An examination of trans-effects revealed 23 DNA sequence variations that reached statistical significance involving variants from the SNCA, MAPT and RIT2 genes.

“The identification of the specific altered genes in PD opens opportunities to further study them in model organisms or cell lines with the goal of identifying drugs which may rectify the defects as treatment for PD,” said Myers.

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Genes behind Parkinson's disease identified

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Today’s most viewed articles Cyclists fighting multiple sclerosis to ride into city

PORTSMOUTH Thirty bicyclists of The MS Great 8 will ride through the city en route from Portland, Maine, to New York City, to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and generate $160,000 in funding for multiple sclerosis research and services.

The riders are scheduled to arrive Sunday afternoon in the city after riding 75 miles from the starting point in Portland. They are scheduled to leave at 7:30 a.m. Monday from the Courtyard by Marriott on Market Street, on Day 2 of their 425-mile, eight-day trek.

The MS Great 8 Foundation provides funding to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to support research and treatments to stop progression, restore function and end the disease while helping address challenges of living with its unpredictable symptoms. The foundation was founded in 2007 by Co-Presidents Mike Zimits, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 14 years ago, and Catherine Tsigakos, whose brother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 25 years ago.

The MS Great 8 ride can be followed live at http://www.msgreat8.org, where donations are also accepted. For details, e-mail Zimits and Tsigakos at cycling@msgreat8.org or visit http://www.nationalMSsociety.org.

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Cyclists' multiple sclerosis fund-raising ride passing through Portsmouth

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Washington, October 5 (ANI): In a new study, researchers have suggested a possible new mechanism to control multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study by Dr Iain Comerford from the University of Adelaide is directed towards understanding how specific enzymes in cells of the immune system regulate immune cell activation and migration.

Along with his colleagues, Professor Shaun McColl and PhD students Wendel Litchfield and Ervin Kara, he focused on a molecule known as PI3Kgamma, which is involved in the activation and movement of white blood cells.

“There’s already been worldwide interest in PI3Kgamma in relation to other human inflammatory disorders, such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, and our study links this molecule and MS,” Dr Comerford said.

Dr Comerford and his colleagues have now shown that this molecule is crucial for the development of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) in an animal model developed as a standard laboratory system for studying MS.

The team showed that a genetic alteration, which knocked out that particular molecule, resulted in a high resistance to the development of EAE and therefore protected against the nervous system damage typical of multiple sclerosis.

When the molecule is present, severe damage to the insulating myelin in the central nervous system was evident, resulting in inflammation in the spinal cord and myelin loss.

Following up on this result, the team then used an orally active drug that blocks the activity of the molecule PI3Kgamma at the first signs of disease onset. The drug even suppressed the development of EAE and reversed clinical signs of the disease.

“Our results so far have been very promising,” Comerford said.

“We’ve shown that by blocking PI3Kgamma, we can reduce the activation of self-reactive immune cells, reduce the release of inflammation-inducing molecules from immune cells, and also result in a dramatic reduction in the movement of immune cells into the central nervous system.

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Controlling inflammation in multiple sclerosis comes closer to reality

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New in-demand report “Therapy Trends: Multiple Sclerosis — KOL Insight and Consensus Outlook Modules” developed by FirstWord has been recently published by Market Publishers Ltd. The report states that the most recent clinical trials of a new multiple sclerosis therapy were launched in Canada.

London, UK (PRWEB) October 02, 2012

Besides, new therapies are invented. For instance, the most recent clinical trials of a new therapy were launched in late September 2012 in Canada.

New in-demand report “Therapy Trends: Multiple Sclerosis — KOL Insight and Consensus Outlook Modules” developed by FirstWord has been recently published by Market Publishers Ltd.

Report Details:

Title: Therapy Trends: Multiple Sclerosis — KOL Insight and Consensus Outlook Modules

Published: September, 2012

Price: US$ 7,495.00 http://marketpublishers.com/report/medicine_pharmaceuticals_biotechnology/healthcare_equipment_services/therapy-trends-multiple-sclerosis-kol-insight-n-consensus-outlook-modules.html

The report provides a comprehensive guide to trends in multiple sclerosis therapy. It covers historical sales from 2006 through 2011, market majors and drug developers. The study includes valuable data on current and late-stage pipeline drugs, comparative clinical trial results. Sales outlook to 2016, product positioning forecast, market growth expectations as well as future event mapping can also be found in the research.

Report Contents:

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Trends in Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Examined in New Insightful FirstWord Report Published at MarketPublishers.com

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Aiming for a dementia-friendly town

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Jane Honey

THE newly-formed Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance received a cash boost last week and a positive reaction to its first public meeting. The group hopes to make Tavistock the first dementia-friendly town in the country and aims to raise awareness of the condition and work to banish the stigma many associate with it. The move comes in a week when new research from Alzheimers Disease International revealed that a quarter of sufferers hide their diagnosis and even avoid going out of the home because of negative connotations surrounding dementia. Just as startling is the rapid increase in cases of dementia worldwide one new case is being diagnosed every four seconds three times as many as HIV/AIDS. This means 682 million people will live with dementia in the next 40 years significantly more than the entire population of all of North America, which stands at 542 million. Tony Parker, chairman of the Tavistock DAA, said he was delighted with the turnout at the first meeting last Thursday: There was a really good response, and quite a varied cross-section of people from solicitors to charities, the police and medical people, and people from Tavistocks memory caf. It was also very interesting to hear their views and ideas on how we can make the town more dementia-friendly, from street signs to acccessibility. Several key people have volunteered their services to form a steering group and we now have some money from Cllr Debo Sellis which will enable us to start our training and awareness packages for shops, businesses and clubs etc. Parallel with this, over the next three months we are going to concentrate on identifying the practical needs of people with dementia, and their carers. Tavistock DAA is working closely with the Rotary Club, whose REPoD movement (Rotarians Easing Problems of Dementia) started in Tavistock and is now being followed all over the UK. Geri Parlby, of Tavistock Rotary Club and a member of the new steering group, said Tavistock DAA would be officially launched at a Dementia Awareness Day event in Tavistock Town Hall on November 23, which is being organised by Senior Voice, REPoD and Tavistock Rotary Club. Geri said: The day is aimed at informing people about the services available in the area and increasing awareness. There will be displays and lots of speakers and we are hoping Angela Rippon will be our keynote guest, as shes agreed to be our honorary patron, due to her links in the area. This is a key chance for the people of Tavistock to learn more about dementia, and also perhaps for us to get more volunteers involved. Cllr Sellis, county councillor for Tavistock, has given Tavistock DAA 500 from her locality budget. She said: I think probably most families have been, or will be, touched by dementia and I think this is really good use of tax payers money. I know many people are too scared to admit to themselves, let alone their families, that they feel they may have dementia, and we really must do all we can to get rid of this stigma. Anyone who would like more information about Tavistock Dementia Action Alliance can call Tony Parker on 01364 631507 or email tavistockdaa@btinternet.com

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Aiming for a dementia-friendly town

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Care for the elderly. Residents in a care home in Norwich.; Photo: Bill Smith; Copy: Generic; Archant 2006; (01603) 772434

By BEN WOODS Friday, October 5, 2012 5:35 PM

Dementia sufferers in Norfolk and Waveney have experienced a boost in their standard of care, according to a report published today (October 5).

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The annual report from the Norfolk Joint Dementia Strategy has revealed improvements in personalised dementia care, the level of support provided to home carers, as well as a reduction in the number of people being admitted to hospital.

It comes after the introduction of dementia intensive support teams (DIST), which work in hospitals, and the community, to reduce the number of hospital admissions and the length of stays in inpatient wards.

The report, published by NHS Norfolk and Waveney and Norfolk Adult Community Services, also outlines future plans to find people with dementia earlier.

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Standards of dementia care in Norfolk and Waveney improve

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As the world’s population of older people rapidly grows in the coming years, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will become a health-care disaster.

Stephen S. Hall

Friday, October 5, 2012

William UtermohlenBlue Skies (detail), 1995 Galerie Beckel Odille Bocos

Evelyn C. Granieri is that rarest of 21st-century doctors: she still makes house calls. On a warm Thursday morning toward the end of August, the New Yorkbased geriatrician, outfitted in a tailored white suit and high heels, rang a doorbell at a seven-story red-brick apartment building in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and was buzzed in.

“You look gorgeous!” the doctor exclaimed when she greeted her patient, a 99-year-old woman with white hair and a wry smile, in the dining room of her apartment. In an hourlong conversation, Mrs. K (as we’ll call her) recalled, in moving and sometimes mischievous detail, growing up in Poland, where soldiers on horseback took her brother away; coming to America on a ship and working in her parents’ grocery story in Queens; and dealing with male colleagues in the real-estate business when they got “fresh.” But when Granieri asked how old Mrs. K was when she got married, she looked puzzled.

WHY IT MATTERS We have no effective treatments for dementia, a huge health crisis facing the world. The annual cost of care in the United States alone could reach $1 trillion by 2050.

“I can’t remember,” she said after a pause. A cloud passed over her face. “Was I married? To whom?” A framed photograph on a nearby table memorialized her 50th wedding anniversary.

Spirited and funny, her personality intact even as her memory deteriorates, Mrs. K is one of more than five million Americans with dementia. Far from the gleaming research centers where scientists parse the subtle biochemical changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of the condition, clinicians like Granieri, chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Aging at Columbia University Medical Center, confront its devastating reality every day. And, often, they talk to relatives of patients. As Granieri and two interns probed Mrs. K’s memory with small talk and measured her blood pressure, a niece called from Manhattan to see how her aunt was doing.

Almost every dementia patient has worried family members huddled in the background, and almost every story about dementia includes a moment when loved ones plead with the doctor for somethingany medicine, any intervention, anythingto forestall a relentless process that strips away identity, personality, and ultimately the basic ability to think. Unfortunately, Evelyn Granieri is the wrong person to ask. In 2010 she served on a high-level panel of experts that assessed every possible dementia intervention, from expensive cholinesterase-inhibiting drugs to cognitive exercises like crossword puzzles, for the National Institutes of Health; it found no evidence that any of the interventions could prevent the onslaught of Alzheimer’s. She canwith immense compassion, but equally immense convictionexplain the reality for now and the immediate future: “There really is nothing.” Dementia is a chronic, progressive, terminal disease, she says. “You don’t get better, ever.”

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The Dementia Plague

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Public release date: 5-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Press presse@inserm.fr INSERM (Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale)

The results from comparative analysis of this population demonstrate the risk of developing dementia increased by 50% for subjects who consumed benzodiazepines during the follow-up period, compared with those who had never used benzodiazepines. Although this study does not confirm a cause and effect relationship, as is the case for all epidemiological research, the researchers recommend increased vigilance when using these molecules, which remain useful in the treatment of insomnia and anxiety in elderly patients.

The results of this research are available online on the British Medical Journal (BMJ) website as of 28 September 2012

In France, approximately 30% of individuals over 65 are prescribed benzodiazepines to treat the symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders. The prescription of these molecules is widespread, especially in France and other countries such as Canada, Spain and Australia. Consumption of benzodiazepines is often chronic, with many people taking them over a period (often several years) that significantly exceeds recommended good practice guidelines that suggest limiting the duration to two to four weeks. The effects of benzodiazepines on cognition have been the subject of several studies with much-debated results.

On 28 September 2012, researchers from Inserm unit 657 “Pharmacoepidemiology and the assessment of the impact of health products on the population”, 897 “Inserm Research Centre into epidemiology and biostatistics” and 708 “Neuroepidemiology”, in collaboration with the Universit de Bordeaux, published on-line the sophisticated results of analyses from a cohort of elderly individuals to improve knowledge of the relationship between the use of benzodiazepines and the development of dementia.

In an attempt to counteract the bias that may have restricted the scope of previous studies, the researchers completed several comparative analyses using data from the PAQUID cohort, covering 3777 individuals from between 1897 and 1989.

The main study focused on a sample of 1063 individuals from the PAQUID cohort (mean age of 78), who were free from dementia symptoms at the beginning of the follow-up period and who had not consumed any benzodiazepines prior to the fifth year in the follow-up period (see above diagram). Out of the 1063 individuals, 95 used benzodiazepines from the fifth year onwards, thus defining two populations: those “exposed to benzodiazepines” and those “not exposed to benzodiazepines”. The annual occurrence of dementia observed in the exposed group is 4.8 individuals out of 100, compared with 3.2 individuals out of 100 for the “non-exposed” group.

“The analysis of the cases of dementia in the first population group shows that individuals who began treatment after five years during the follow-up period had an increased risk of developing dementia” states Tobias Kurth, an Inserm research director. “We wanted to check the robustness of this result by completing two additional analyses” he adds.

The second analysis consisted of creating five “small” cohorts using the sample studied previously. The researchers demonstrated that the link between benzodiazepine and dementia is robust, although the date treatment began does vary (benzodiazepine consumed from T5, T8, T10, T13, and T15).

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Benzodiazepine use and dementia in the over 65s

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Washington, October 6 (ANI): Many people over 65 are prescribed benzodiazepines to treat the symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders.

A new study, however, found that the risk of developing dementia increased by 50 percent for subjects who consumed benzodiazepines during the follow-up period, compared with those who had never used these molecules.

Although this study does not confirm a cause and effect relationship, as is the case for all epidemiological research, the researchers recommend increased vigilance when using these molecules.

The prescription of these molecules is widespread, especially in France and other countries such as Canada, Spain and Australia.

Consumption of benzodiazepines is often chronic, with many people taking them over a period (often several years) that significantly exceeds recommended good practice guidelines that suggest limiting the duration to two to four weeks.

The effects of benzodiazepines on cognition have been the subject of several studies with much-debated results.

Recently, researchers from Inserm unit 657 “Pharmacoepidemiology and the assessment of the impact of health products on the population”, 897 “Inserm Research Centre into epidemiology and biostatistics” and 708 “Neuroepidemiology”, in collaboration with the Universite de Bordeaux, analysed a cohort of elderly individuals to improve knowledge of the relationship between the use of benzodiazepines and the development of dementia.

In an attempt to counteract the bias that may have restricted the scope of previous studies, the researchers completed several comparative analyses using data from the PAQUID cohort, covering 3777 individuals from between 1897 and 1989.

The main study focused on a sample of 1063 individuals from the PAQUID cohort (mean age of 78), who were free from dementia symptoms at the beginning of the follow-up period and who had not consumed any benzodiazepines prior to the fifth year in the follow-up period.

Out of the 1063 individuals, 95 used benzodiazepines from the fifth year onwards, thus defining two populations: those “exposed to benzodiazepines” and those “not exposed to benzodiazepines”.

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Benzodiazepine use doubles dementia risk in over 65s

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http://www.longevitymedicine.tv/benzodiazepine-use-doubles-dementia-risk-in-over-65s/

Madison, Wisconsin - Ten years ago, the landmark Womens Health Initiative (WHI) revealed that women older than 65 increased their risk for memory loss if they took estrogen to relieve the symptoms of menopause.

But new research by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) suggests that estrogen given in smaller doses to younger women just entering menopause does not worsen memory and improves mood and symptoms of depression.

The School of Medicine and Public Health was a participant in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS), which was conducted and supported by the Kronos Longevity Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. KEEPS-Cog (Cognitive and Affective Study) is an ancillary study measuring cognitive and emotional outcomes, funded by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Sanjay Asthana, the lead researcher of the cognitive and affective (emotional) part of the study and professor of medicine (geriatrics) at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, presented the findings today during the North American Menopause Society annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The preliminary findings, which are not yet peer-reviewed, will be submitted for publication in a medical journal.

The KEEPS-Cog was a four-year study and involved 662 women (average age 52.7 years) of the 727 women in theKronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study cohort.

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Smaller estrogen doses improve mood without memory loss

5 October 2012 Last updated at 07:11 ET

A retirement village in Wales with an on-site dementia centre is planned for farmland in Monmouthshire.

The 33m Grove Community project at Llanfoist, near Abergavenny, would be capable of housing 100 residents and could create up to 250 jobs.

The continental-style centre would offer one-to-one care and be financed by pension funds and a Swiss bank.

Ben Jones, the man behind the venture, said it was aimed at keeping couples and families together.

We hear all the time about partners being taken from their loved ones and situated miles away, so having a dementia unit will mean a lot to a lot of people

“Should one partner develop dementia, they’ll not be that far away for the other partner to visit on a daily basis,” he said.

“We hear all the time about partners being taken from their loved ones and situated miles away, so having a dementia unit will mean a lot to a lot of people.”

Other elements of the project include a swimming pool in the barn, a restaurant alongside the lake and medical centre in the farmhouse.

Of the 225 bedrooms, flats and cottages, 100 will be sold to private individuals with the rest being offered to the state sector, including NHS patients.

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Village plan offers dementia care

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Newswise BOSTON September 16, 2012 As part of their ongoing research investigating the biology of aging, the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes and other serious diseases, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified a new factor microRNA processing in fat tissue which plays a major role in aging and stress resistance. This finding may lead to the development of treatments that increase stress resistance and longevity and improve metabolism. The findings appear in the September 5 online edition of Cell Metabolism.

Over the past several years, it has become clear that fat cells (adipocytes) are more than just repositories to store fat. Indeed, fat cells secrete a number of substances that actively influence metabolism and systemic inflammation. Previous studies have found that reducing fat mass by caloric restriction (CR) or surgical or genetic means can promote longevity and stress resistance in species from yeast to primates. However, little is known about how CR and fat reduction produce these beneficial effects. This study investigated one type of molecular mediator change in microRNAs (miRNAs) and the processing enzymes required to make them that is influenced by aging and reversed by caloric restriction. miRNAs are involved in the formation of mature RNA.

Based on studies conducted using human cells, mice and C. elegans (a microscopic worm used as a model organism for aging studies), the researchers demonstrated that levels of multiple miRNAs, decrease in fat tissue (adipose) with age in all three species. This is due to a decrease in the critical enzyme required from converted pre-miRNAs to mature miRNAs, Dicer. In the human study, which compared the miRNA levels in preadipocytes (fat cell precusors) of young, middle-aged and older people, people aged 70 and older had the lowest miRNA levels. The fact that this change occurs in humans, mice and worms points to its significance as a general and important process, says lead author C. Ronald Kahn, MD, Chief Academic Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Caloric restriction, which has been shown to prolong lifespan and improve stress resistance in both mice and worms, prevents this decline of Dicer, and in the case of the mice, restore miRNAs to levels observed in young mice. Conversely, exposure of adipocytes to major stressors associated with aging and metabolic diseases, including toxic agents, Dicer levels decreased. Mice and worms engineered to have decreased Dicer expression in fat showed increased sensitivity to stress, a sign of premature aging. By contrast, worms engineered to overexpress Dicer in the intestine (the adipose tissue equivalent in worms) had greater stress resistance and lived longer.

Overall, these studies showed that regulation of miRNA processing in adipose-related tissues plays an important role in longevity and an organisms ability to respond to age-related and environmental stress. This study points to a completely new mechanism by which fat might affect lifespan and is the first time that anyone has looked at fat and miRNAs as factors in longevity, according to co-author T. Keith Blackwell, MD, PhD, co-head of Joslin's Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.

Based on this study, Blackwell suggests that finding ways to improve miRNA processing to keep miRNA levels up during aging might have a role in protecting against the stresses of everyday life and the development of age- and stress-related disease.

Dr. Kahn and the study investigators are currently working on ways to genetically control Dicer levels in the fat tissues of mice, to create mouse models that are more or less resistant to stress. We would love to find drugs that would mimic this genetic manipulation to produce a beneficial effect, says Dr. Kahn. If we can better understand the biology of aging, we might also understand how age impacts diabetes, says Kahn.

Study co-authors include Marcelo A. Mori, Prashant Raghavan, Jeremie Boucher, Stacey Robida-Stubbs, Yazmin Macotela, Steven J. Russell, and T. Keith Blackwell of Joslin; and James L. Kirkland and Thomas Thomou of the Mayo Clinic.

About Joslin Diabetes Center

Joslin Diabetes Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the world's largest diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring that people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure. Joslin is an independent, nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

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Joslin Scientists Identify Molecular Process in Fat Cells That Influences Stress and Longevity

OMAHA The American Parkinsons Disease Association Information and Referral Center of Nebraska will host its first conference Friday, Oct. 5 in Omaha.

The event, titled, Advances with Parkinsons: Reasons for Optimism, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the DC Center, 11830 Stonegate Drive in Omaha.

Topics will include advances in treatment, disease management, nutrition, exercise and caregiving. Ten health professionals will speak, including a nationally recognized expert in Parkinsons disease, Lawrence Elmer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Neurological Disorders at the University of Toledo Medical Center.

Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Suggested donation is $20.

For more information or to register, contact Karen Anderson at (402) 559-8839, Karen.Anderson@unmc.edu or download a form online at unmc.edu. The registration deadline is Oct. 2.

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UNMC to host event on Parkinson’s disease

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Natures Elements, an online vitamin and herbal supplement retailer, has just released Reishi Mushroom (also know as Ling Zhi or Ganoderma Lucidum). This powerful Red Reishi Mushroom is often referred to as the mushroom of immortality because of all its amazing benefits.

Lindenhurst, NY (PRWEB) September 29, 2012

Reishi mushroom has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years making it one of the oldest mushrooms used medicinally as well as one of the most scientifically researched herbs on the planet. Because of all the presumed health benefits and apparent absence of side effects, Reishi Mushroom has attained the reputation of being the ultimate longevity herb.

Not all Reishi Mushroom products are created equal. As with any new product, Natures Elements strives to offer the best and most potent supplements for the consumers maximum results. This is of course true with the new Reishi Mushroom. Natures Elements continues to stress the importance of reading and understanding the supplement facts. Any product can be labeled Reishi Mushroom, but there are at least 3 things to know when buying Reishi Mushroom.

First and foremost, observe the label. Now that the benefits of what Reishi Mushroom provides is clear, it is important to check that the Reishi Mushroom being offered contains a powerful enough dosage to ensure real results. A concentrated 10:1 extract of Reishi Mushroom offers the purest and most potent form.

Secondly, make sure there is enough 10:1 extract of Reishi Mushroom in each dose. The dosage should be at least 1,000 mg, which is usually split between two 500 mg tablets. Lastly the product should have enough supply to last one month, this is important when comparing price.

Natures Elements is one of the few companies around that makes is easy for customers to feel safe and securing by knowing what they are getting. They also offer the convenience of Auto-Ship, which provides automatic monthly shipping with the advantage of receiving 20% off.

Natures Elements is committed to delivering high quality vitamin and herbal supplements and providing real results through dedicated research and superior formulas.

Marketing Department Natures Elements, Inc. 877-223-2626 Email Information

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Natures Elements Releases New Product: Reishi Mushroom - This Chinese Longevity Mushroom Has Miraculous Health Benefits

A classically trained dancer is using her expertise to raise the spirits and flexibility of people with Parkinsons disease.

Heather Waldon, of Woodside, who has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, recently started teaching therapeutic dance routines in Forest Hills for those with the degenerative disease.

I love seeing the joy of the people who have Parkinsons and seeing them do pretty sophisticated choreography, said Waldon, 41, who has taught at NYU and other universities.

The free classes, which are held on the third Friday of every month, are part of a recent expansion into Queens by the Mark Morris Dance Group and Brooklyn Parkinson Groups Dance for PD program.

We wanted to provide this resource to them in their own neighborhood, said David Leventhal, the program manager.

The class, which is meant to be more recreational than a rigorous physical therapy session, helps people with their coordination, flexibility and rhythm.

All of these seem to fit Parkinsons like a glove, he said.

The BambooMoves yoga studio on Queens Blvd., where the classes are held, donated the space to the program.

Leventhal said he hopes to grow the program into a weekly operation with multiple locations in the borough.

Early adopters of Dance for PD, which began in Forest Hills in July, said they feel empowered during the vibrant sessions.

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Using dance to deal with Parkinson’s

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New technology being developed in America analyses tremors, breathiness and other weaknesses in people’s voices which are believed to be one of the condition’s earliest symptoms.

Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claim that their computer programme can pick out Parkinson’s sufferers with 99 per cent accuracy simply by analysing their speech.

Dr Max Little, a British researcher who is leading the initiative at MIT, now hopes to determine whether the same results could be produced from a patient speaking over the telephone.

By recruiting Parkinson’s patients and health volunteers to take part in a three-minute telephone call where they will say “ah”, speak some sentences and answer a few questions, he said the system could be programmed to diagnose people remotely, allowing earlier treatment.

He said: “Science tells us voice impairment might be an early sign of Parkinson’s. It sounds counterintuitive as Parkinson’s is a movement disorder but the voice is a form of movement.

“Neurologists look at changes in the ability to move, which is done with the limbs, but we are looking in the vocal organs the sounds that come out of the mouth. We are fairly confident we can detect the disease over the telephone.”

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Parkinson's could be detected by telephone call

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