31st May 2013 - New book

21st May 2013 - New research

PEPPERS REDUCE THE RISK OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Annals of Neurology [2013] May 9 [Epub ahead of print] (Nielsen SS, Franklin GM, Longstreth WT, Swanson PD, Checkoway H.)   Complete abstract

Nicotine has long been known to reduce the risk of Parkinson's Disease. So researchers assessed whether the risk of Parkinson's Disease is associated with the consumption of nicotine-containing vegetables edibles from the same botanical family as tobacco, Solanaceae, which includes peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes.

When people with Parkinson's Disease were compared with those people that did not have it, Parkinson's Disease was found to be less likely in those people that ate more peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice, and potatoes during adulthood. An association was also found for just peppers. The likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease was an average of 81% as likely, and in some people down to 65% as likely. The association was intensified when the nicotine concentration of the vegetables was higher. So it was nicotine that caused the effect. The effect largely occurred in people who had never used tobacco or who had smoked cigarettes for less than 10 years.

Consumption of other vegetables was unrelated to the likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease. For a printable version of this articlee click here. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

17th May 2013 - New research

PRELADENANT CLINICAL TRIAL RESULTS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE

Movement Disorders [2013] Apr 15 [Epub ahead of print] (S.A.Factor, K.Wolski, D.M.Togasaki, S.Huyck, M. Cantillon, T.W.Ho, R.A.Hauser, E.Pourcher) Complete abstract

Preladenant is a selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist under investigation for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. Instead of directly stimulating the formation or activity of dopamine, which is what most Parkinson's Disease drugs do, it can indirectly affect the dopamine receptors, which is what dopamine agonists affect.  Two other drugs of this type that are being investigated are istradefylline (fairly unsuccessfully) and caffeine, which is in coffee, tea and cola drinks.

Preladenant was taken in 5mg dosages twice a day alongside L-dopa for nine months. Adverse reactions caused 14% of people to cease taking it. Adverse reactions experienced by some people were dyskinesia and constipation. Preladenant provided reductions in "off" time by between 1 hour 24 minutes and 1 hour 54 minutes. "On" time increased by between 1 hour 12 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes. For a printable version of this article click here. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.

UPDATE : Merck are discontinuing Preladenant because it failed to show any benefit beyond that of a placebo in three studies concerning Preladenant. The results of these studies will be presented at a scientific meeting and will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. For more information click here.

3rd May 2013 - New research

IS GENERIC MADOPAR AS GOOD AS MADOPAR ?

BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology [2013] 14 (1) : 24 (U.E.Gasser, A.Fischer, J.P.Timmermans, I.Arnet)   Complete abstract

Madopar was compared against  seven generic versions of Madopar to see if they were as good as Madopar. Madopar, which is for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease consists of L-dopa and benserazide, which helps to prevent the breakdown of L-dopa before it is made use of. It is therefore the equivalent of Sinemet. Madopar and Sinemet differ according to which countries they are available in. For more information go to Madopar. A generic version is supposed to be interchangeable. However, generic versions are often different from the original.

Every one of the seven generic versions of Madopar had one or two parameters outside the specifications of Madopar. Deviations for the active ingredients ranged from 8% more benserazide to 7% less L-dopa in two of the tablet formulations. Degradation products were measured in marked excess (26% more) in one capsule formulation, and so could pose a safety concern. Deviations for the active ingredients may go unnoticed by a new user of the generic product but may entail clinical consequences when switching over. The results therefore suggest caution when prescribing a generic version of Madopar or any other generic.  For a printable version of this article click here. In order to refer to this article on its own click here.