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Study Underscores Power of Placebo Effect

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, Jan. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A new study -- this one involving patients with Parkinson's disease -- adds another layer of insight to the well-known "placebo effect." That's the phenomenon in which people's symptoms improve after taking an inactive substance simply because they believe the treatment will work. The small study, involving 12 people, suggests that Parkinson's patients seem to feel better -- and their brains may actually change -- if they think they're taking a costly medication. On average, patients had bigger short-term improvements in symptoms like tremor and muscle stiffness when they were told they were getting the costlier of two drugs. In reality, both "drugs" were nothing more than saline, given by injection. But the study patients were told that one drug was a new medication priced at $1,500 a dose, while the other cost just $100 -- though, the researchers assured them, the medications were expected to have similar effects. Yet, when patients' movement symptoms were evaluated in the hours after receiving the fake drugs, they showed greater improvements with the pricey placebo. What's more, MRI scans showed differences in the patients' brain activity, depending on which placebo they'd … Continue reading →

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Price has an effect on placebo

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Parkinson's Disease patients secretly treated with a placebo instead of their regular medication performed better when told they were receiving a more expensive version of the "drug," researchers reported in an unprecedented study that involved real patients. The research shows that the well-documented "placebo effect" actual symptom relief brought about by a sham treatment or medication can be enhanced by adding information about cost, according to the lead author of the study. It is the first time that concept has been demonstrated using people with a real illness, in this case Parkinson's, a progressive neurological disease that has no cure, according to an expert not involved in the study. "The potentially large benefit of placebo, with or without price manipulations, is waiting to be untapped for patients with [Parkinson's Disease], as well as those with other neurologic and medical diseases," the authors wrote in a study published online in the journal Neurology. But deceiving actual patients in a research study raised ethical questions about violating the trust involved in a doctor-patient relationship. Most studies in which researchers conceal their true aims or other information from subjects are conducted with healthy volunteers. This one was subjected to a lengthy review before … Continue reading →

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Kent and Sussex Courier published Brave High Brooms toddler has operation to help him take first…

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

George Randell with classmates at his nursery A TODDLER from High Brooms was due to have life-changing surgery today in London which will help him to walk for the first time. Three-year-old George Randell, who has cerebral palsy, was due to have the operation in March but it was rescheduled for January 23. Georges mum Emily said the family have been thrown into a state of panic by the change of date, but George is excited about the trip to Great Ormond Street Hospital and will be given a goodbye party by his friends at Tunbridge Wells Busy Bees Nursery, which he attends with his two-and-a-half-year-old sister Molly, as it may be six weeks before he next sees them. Panic has set in Im packing two suitcases as we are going to be away for three-and-a-half-weeks, said Mrs Randell. Her husband Gary and their three daughters will be staying at home in Great Brooms Road but will visit the hospital regularly. It will be life-changing for all of us. George is very excited he cant stop looking at all his things in the suitcase and he knows hes having an operation. The family have raised 6,500 to pay for physiotherapy … Continue reading →

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Health News: Fracking support, hope for MS, & Golden Rice benefits – Video

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Health News: Fracking support, hope for MS, Golden Rice benefits The latest in health news: The Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency releases review on low-risk fracking, a stem cell transplant method provides new ... By: ACSHonTV … Continue reading →

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Genuine MS clinical trial approved for Manitobans

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION By: Mary Agnes Welch Posted: 3:00 AM | Comments: | Last Modified: 7:36 AM | Updates HANDOUT / THE CANADIAN PRESS Enlarge Image Dr. Mark Freedman of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Two Canadian research centres are gearing up for a clinical trial to determine whether a type of stem cell can help alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. In the aftermath of controversy over a costly overseas stem-cell treatment touted by a Winnipeg businessman, 20 Manitobans with multiple sclerosis can now take part in a genuine clinical trial, launched Thursday. The $4.2-million study, the first of its kind in Canada, is being funded by the MS Society at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre. It comes after revelations about a local medical researcher, Doug Broeska, whose company Regenetek charged about 70 MS and ALS patients as much as $45,000 for stem-cell treatment at a hospital in India. Earlier this month, controversy erupted over Broeska's credentials, the ethics approvals his research received, promises he made about the treatment's effects and the lack of followup care provided to patients. Broeska, who has been successfully sued several times in relation to past business ventures, claimed to have a … Continue reading →

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MS Society to announce clinical trials for stem cell treatment

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION By: Mary Agnes Welch Posted: 01/29/2015 8:55 AM | Comments: | Last Modified: 01/29/2015 7:49 PM | Updates In the wake of controversy over a costly overseas stem cell treatment touted by a Winnipeg businessman, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is launching a genuine clinical trial open to MS patients in Winnipeg and Ottawa. The MS Society has earmarked $4.2 million for the two-year study. The clinical trial is limited to 20 people in Manitoba and 20 at the Ottawa site. The clinical trial, the first of its kind in Canada, comes after revelations about a local medical researcher, Doug Broeska, who charged about 70 MS and ALS patients as much as $45,000 for stem cell treatment at a hospital in India. Controversy has swirled about his credentials, the ethics approvals his research received, promises he made about the treatments effects and the follow-up care provided to patients. Broeska, who has been successfully sued several times in relation to past business ventures, claimed to have a PhD from the University of Manitoba, which is inaccurate. He later claimed to have a PhD from Brightland University, which charges $3,600 for a PhD certificate available … Continue reading →

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Reata enrolls first patient in Phase II/III MOXIe study of RTA 408 in friedreich's ataxia patients

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Published 30 January 2015 Reata announces enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 2 dose-ranging study examining the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of RTA 408 Oral Capsules versus placebo for the treatment of patients with Friedreich's ataxia. MOXIe (A two-part, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 Study of the Safety, Efficacy, and Pharmacodynamics of RTA 408 in the Treatment of Friedreich's Ataxia) is a multi-center study in approximately 52 patients and is designed to support a potential NDA submission. Part 1 of the study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety of RTA 408 at 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg in patients with Friedreich's ataxia. Part 2 of the study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacodynamics of up to 2 dose levels of RTA 408. The study is designed to evaluate a variety of clinical, and biochemical endpoints, including exercise capacity and quality of life measures. Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is an inherited disorder caused by defects in the gene for frataxin, a protein that regulates iron levels in the mitochondria. Defects in frataxin result in mitochondrial iron overload, causing impaired metabolism, oxidative stress, and damage to mitochondrial … Continue reading →

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Johns Hopkins University – President’s Frontier Award – Video

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Johns Hopkins University - President's Frontier Award Sharon Gerecht's stem cell research has benefitted from innovative thinking across disciplines as diverse as materials chemistry, engineering, and cell biology. Today, she was encouraged... By: Johns Hopkins … Continue reading →

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Functioning brain tissue grown in 3-D structure

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan have succeeded in inducing human embryonic stem cells to self-organize into a three-dimensional structure similar to the cerebellum, providing tantalizing clues in the quest to recreate neural structures in the laboratory. One of the primary goals of stem-cell research is to be able to replace damaged body parts with tissues grown from undifferentiated stem cells. For the nervous system, this is a particular challenge because not only do specific neurons need to be generated, but they must also be coaxed into connecting to each other in very specific ways. RIKEN researchers have taken up this challenge, and the work published in Cell Reports details how sequentially applying several signaling molecules to three-dimensional cultures of human embryotic stem cells prompts the cells to differentiate into functioning cerebellar neurons that self-organize to form the proper dorsal/ventral patterning and multi-layer structure found in the natural developing cerebellum. Expanding from their previous studies with mice, the researchers first established that under specific conditions, culturing human embryonic stem cells with fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) leads to neural differentiation particular to the midbrain/hindbrain region -- the location of the cerebellum -- within three weeks, and … Continue reading →

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What Is Personalized Medicine And Why Is Obama Supporting It With A $215 Million Pledge?

Posted: Published on January 30th, 2015

The Obama administration is proposing to create a large database of patient information, including genetic profiles and medical histories, to further research into precision medicine, which aims to create customized treatments based on a patients genetic makeup and lifestyle choices. Precision, or personalized, medicine works much the same way that an eyeglass prescription or a blood transfusion is prescribed, based on a patient's exam results or blood type, and proponents believe this line of thinking may be extended to many more areas of medicine. Jo Handelsman, associate director for science at the White House Office of Science and Technology, has called the $215 million budget allocation for the Precision Medicine Initiative in Obamas proposed 2016 budget a move away from the one-size-fits-all approach to medicine. Obama's proposal grants $130 million to the National Institutes of Health to launch a national long-term study that will collect biological samples, genetic profiles and electronic health records from at least a million Americans. Researchers may use an app to track the calorie consumption or environmental health impacts of participants through their smartphones and the database could include everything from their laboratory test results to MRI scans. Patient data will be anonymized and participation is … Continue reading →

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