Monthly Archives: July 2012

Parkinson's drugs can turn you into a sex addict: Nearly a fifth of patients develop strange obsessions – from …

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

By Clare Goldwin PUBLISHED: 17:45 EST, 30 July 2012 | UPDATED: 09:12 EST, 31 July 2012 When Nikki Baudains was diagnosed with Parkinsons, one of the few positive things that seemed to come out of it was a new burst of creativity. While previously the closest shed come to being an artist was face-painting children at fetes, two years ago a few months after starting a new medication she had a burning desire to paint. Suddenly, art dominated her life; she produced thousands of canvases some 2,000 in the past 18 months alone and exhibited near her home in Jersey. Compulsion: Nikki Baudains painted 12 hours a day. Her obsessive behaviour was a side-effect of the medication she was taking for Parkinson's Like many other Parkinsons sufferers, Nikkis obsessive behaviour was a side-effect of her medication. But while hers was expressed creatively, there have been other examples of Parkinsons patients developing more troubling behaviour, such as gambling or sex addictions. Those affected find themselves trapped in an almost impossible situation: their compulsions are caused by medication, but they cant stop taking it because it would leave them unable to function physically. For Nikki, 48, her obsession has come at a … Continue reading →

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Patient Share of Teva/Lundbeck’s Azilect among Recently Treated Parkinson’s Disease Patients Grew 8 Percent Year over …

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Decision Resources, one of the worlds leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that through examination of U.S. patient-level claims data, that patient share of Teva/Lundbecks Azilect among recently treated Parkinsons disease patients continues to grow, increasing 8 percent between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011. Treatment Algorithms in Parkinsons Disease examines prescription drug use for more than 23,000 diagnosed, drug-treated Parkinsons disease patients. Use of Azilect may be driven in part by its milder side effect profile compared with selegiline (Somerset Pharmaceuticals Eldepryl, generics), making Azilect a safer treatment choice among monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors. Among recently treated patients who progressed to Azilect, the majority added the agent to their preceding line of therapy rather than discontinue the preceding line. Additionally, most patients progressed to Azilect from generic levodopa-carbidopa fixed-dose combinations, with the majority of these patients adding Azilect to levodopa-carbidopa therapy. Parkinsons disease patients moving from levodopa-carbidopa treatment to Azilect or adding Azilect to their levodopa-carbidopa therapy likely need additional treatment to control motor symptoms. Azilects mild side effect profile along with data suggesting possible disease-modifying capabilities make it the preferred MAO-B inhibitor, … Continue reading →

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Highland gets SBIR grant to study Parkinson’s treatment

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

Bill Edelman, chairman, Highland Instruments Highland Instruments Inc. has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research grant over the next few years to study the use of its ElectroSonic Stimulation (ESStim) technology for the treatment of Parkinsons Disease. Bill Edelman, chairman of the board for Highland, told Mass High Tech only that the grant, through the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH-NINDS), is substantial, but did not disclose the amount. The ESStim has been in a Phase 1 trial for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain of the knee since October 2011, said Edelman. Highland, which was founded in 2007 and operates out of small Boston office, has as its main academic partner in the grant, the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospitals Laboratory of Neuromodulation in Boston, according to a statement from the company. Following years of extensive pre-clinical development, I am excited to see the potential benefits of ESStim being brought into the clinic, said Timothy Wagner, Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Highland in a statement. We hope that ESStim will overcome limitations of other reported non-invasive brain stimulation technologies. Read the original: Highland gets SBIR grant to study Parkinson’s treatment … Continue reading →

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Priority Health: Scoliosis

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

Susan asks, Can you discuss scoliosis? Do you have a link for special exercises for scoliosis? Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty. While scoliosis can be caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, the cause of most scoliosis is unknown. Signs and symptoms of scoliosis may include: Risk factors for developing the most common type of scoliosis include: Age - signs and symptoms typically begin during the growth spurt that occurs just prior to puberty. This is usually between the ages of 9 and 15 years. Sex - although both boys and girls develop mild scoliosis at about the same rate, girls have a much higher risk of the curve worsening and requiring treatment. Family history - scoliosis can run in families, but most children with scoliosis don't have a family history of the disease. Since scoliosis is a muscular skeletal problem, that is probably genetic, I am unaware of any special exercises or treatment protocols that will reverse or prevent the problems. Mild scoliosis does not require any major treatments. While it can cause some discomfort, it does not pose any major medical … Continue reading →

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Concussions and head impacts may accelerate brain aging

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

ScienceDaily (July 31, 2012) Concussions and even lesser head impacts may speed up the brain's natural aging process by causing signaling pathways in the brain to break down more quickly than they would in someone who has never suffered a brain injury or concussion. Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and the U-M Health System looked at college students with and without a history of concussion and found changes in gait, balance and in the brain's electrical activity, specifically attention and impulse control, said Steven Broglio, assistant professor of kinesiology and director of the Neurotrauma Research Laboratory. The declines were present in the brain injury group up to six years after injury, though the differences between the study groups were very subtle, and outwardly all of the participants looked and acted the same. Broglio, who is also affiliated with Michigan NeuroSport, stressed that the studies lay out a hypothesis where concussions and head impacts accelerate the brain's natural aging process. The study appears in the July issue of journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. "The last thing we want is for people to panic. Just because you've had a concussion does not mean your brain will age … Continue reading →

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Traumatic Brain Injury Infographic Released – Shulman DuBois LLC Reviews the Basics of TBI Causes, Symptoms, and …

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 31, 2012 A new traumatic brain injury infographic, released by the Portland personal injury lawyers of Shulman DuBois LLC, details important statistics and information about an increasingly prevalent health problem. Traumatic brain injuries were a problem before the NFL lawsuits, but these cases have brought a lot of public attention to this health concern, said Portland brain injury attorney Joshua Shulman, a member of the Oregon Brain Injury Association. We wanted to create this traumatic brain injury infographic to help educate everyone about the causes and signs of brain injury. Shulman said his biggest concern about TBIs is that many people dont recognize the signs, so they do not receive timely medical treatment. Signs of traumatic brain injury include: According to the CDC, there are 52,000 deaths related to TBI in the United States every year, and an estimated 1,700,000 injuries. The highest rates of TBI hospitalization and death are among adults over 75, though children 0-14 make an average of 473,947 emergency room visits every year. Causes of traumatic brain injury include: Many TBIs are also caused by sports, which is why coaches, parents, and kids need to play hard but take proper precautions, Shulman … Continue reading →

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Unity Pro MS&T Bundle Unveiled

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -07/31/12)- Unity Technologies, provider of the Unity multi-platform game engine and development tools, announced the Unity Pro MS&T Bundle. The collection of Unity tools will be the first of its kind for Unity Technologies and signifies their dedication to meeting specific needs of the MS&T development community in one package. Unity, an intuitive and powerful engine and toolset for interactive 3D development, has been used to create thousands of games for entertainment along with an ever-increasing number of serious games, computer based training, distributed learning, virtual worlds, data visualization, interactive multimedia instruction, virtual medical training and task management training applications. The Unity Pro MS&T Bundle was designed for the significant number of development studios outside of the entertainment sector, many of which are specifically devoted to simulation and training programs. JANUS Research Group, Inc., an industry leader in Serious Games and Interactive Multimedia Instruction, has been developing solutions with Unity over the past seven years. "We are very excited about the MS&T bundle offering as it includes several domain relevant features such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data Import and SCORM," said Clint Little, Serious Games Director, Engineering and Innovation Division, JANUS Research Group, Inc. "We look … Continue reading →

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Wayne State research team finds possible clue to progression of MS

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

Public release date: 31-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Julie O'Connor julie.oconnor@wayne.edu 313-577-8845 Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research DETROIT -- Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers, working with colleagues in Canada, have found that one or more substances produced by a type of immune cell in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may play a role in the disease's progression. The finding could lead to new targeted therapies for MS treatment. B cells, said Robert Lisak, M.D., professor of neurology at Wayne State and lead author of the study, are a subset of lymphocytes (a type of circulating white blood cell) that mature to become plasma cells and produce immunoglobulins, proteins that serve as antibodies. The B cells appear to have other functions, including helping to regulate other lymphocytes, particularly T cells, and helping maintain normal immune function when healthy. In patients with MS, the B cells appear to attack the brain and spinal cord, possibly because there are substances produced in the nervous system and the meninges the covering of the brain and spinal cord that attract them. Once within the meninges or central nervous system, Lisak said, the activated B … Continue reading →

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Stem cell therapies helping dogs recover from injuries

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

OKLA. CITY Each time a significant breakthrough occurs in the field of human or veterinary medicine it is followed by great excitement in both endeavors. But no prior surge has produced the impact and optimism like that created with the moderately recent introduction to the world of stem cell research and therapy. And few new medical theories have been as controversial from the human standpoint. The term stem cell probably means very little to the average layman, so let me start with a medical dictionary definition: Stem cells are one of a human or animal bodys master cells, with the ability to grow into any one of the bodys more than 200 cell types. They retain the ability to divide throughout life and give rise to cells that can become highly specialized and take the place of cells that die or are lost. Unlike mature cells, stem cells can both renew themselves as well as create new cells of whatever tissue they originally belong or to other tissue alike. Their use in veterinary medicine the past four or five years has been exciting and dynamic. In the U.S., at least, veterinary medical advancement in this area has out-distanced that of … Continue reading →

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Lame dogs brought to heal with stem cells

Posted: Published on July 31st, 2012

Stem cell injections in dogs will become routine in the next two years and will probably cost less than $1000. The first data, collated last week, into the use of the procedure where cultured cells are injected into the joints of dogs with hip dysplasia or canine osteoarthritis has shown a success rate of 96 per cent. The procedure will be made available to veterinary clinics, promoted at dog shows and possibly in a television campaign. It has been transformed in little more than a year with stem cells from one animal used to treat other dogs. Previously, an invasive procedure was necessary, with incisions to remove subcutaneous or fatty tissue from the affected dog and stem cells isolated in a laboratory before being injected back into the dog. The procedure resulted in a culture containing only about 10 per cent to 15 per cent stem cells, while the culture from a donor in a breed with a genetic line clear of arthritis can been screened to provide a culture containing 100 per cent stem cells. The figures were collected from vets by Australian Veterinary Stem Cells, which supplies stem cell treatments and has a partnership with the immunology and … Continue reading →

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