Sample records for drug induced parkinsonism

  1. Drug-induced parkinsonism following chronic methamphetamine use by a patient on haloperidol decanoate.

    PubMed

    Matthew, Binoj J; Gedzior, Joanna S

    2015-01-01

    This report attempts to highlight that use of an antipsychotic and concurrent chronic use of methamphetamine can cause drug-induced parkinsonism. Methamphetamine is usually not encountered in the list of agents that induce drug-induced parkinsonism and so its consideration particularly during chronic use by a patient who is also on an antipsychotic is worthwhile because of its popularity as an illegal narcotic. This case report describes just such a case of drug-induced parkinsonism which is a subacute syndrome that mimics Parkinson's disease. Although less alarming than dystonia, it is more common, more difficult to treat and can be the cause of significant disability during maintenance treatment especially in the elderly. In most cases, symptoms are reversible in days or weeks, but occasionally, especially in the elderly, or if long-acting injectable antipsychotics are used-as in this case-symptoms may last for weeks or months. The report also illustrates the neuronal workings due to chronic methamphetamine-use and the additive effects of dopamine blockade by antipsychotics such as haloperidol. © The Author(s) 2015.

  2. Tremor pattern differentiates drug-induced resting tremor from Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Nisticò, R; Fratto, A; Vescio, B; Arabia, G; Sciacca, G; Morelli, M; Labate, A; Salsone, M; Novellino, F; Nicoletti, A; Petralia, A; Gambardella, A; Zappia, M; Quattrone, A

    2016-04-01

    DAT-SPECT, is a well-established procedure for distinguishing drug-induced parkinsonism from Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the usefulness of blink reflex recovery cycle (BRrc) and of electromyographic parameters of resting tremor for the differentiation of patients with drug-induced parkinsonism with resting tremor (rDIP) from those with resting tremor due to PD. This was a cross-sectional study. In 16 patients with rDIP and 18 patients with PD we analysed electrophysiological parameters (amplitude, duration, burst and pattern) of resting tremor. BRrc at interstimulus intervals (ISI) of 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 750 msec was also analysed in patients with rDIP, patients with PD and healthy controls. All patients and controls underwent DAT-SPECT. Rest tremor amplitude was higher in PD patients than in rDIP patients (p < 0.001), while frequency and burst duration were higher in rDIP than in PD (p < 0.001, p < 0.003, respectively). Resting tremor showed a synchronous pattern in all patients with rDIP, whereas it had an alternating pattern in all PD patients (p < 0.001). DAT-SPECT was normal in rDIP patients while it was markedly abnormal in patients with PD. In the absence of DAT-SPECT, the pattern of resting tremor can be considered a useful investigation for differentiating rDIP from PD. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. S4. ASYMMETRIC DRUG-INDUCED PARKINSONISM IS RELATED TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

    PubMed Central

    Pieters, Lydia; Bakker, P Roberto; Van Harten, Peter N

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Background Drug-Induced Parkinsonism (DIP) is the most common movement disorder induced by antipsychotics. The prevalence of DIP in chronic psychiatric populations ranges between 17 and 72% (1–3). Although, DIP is mostly symmetric, asymmetric DIP is reported in 18 to 54% of the patients. (4). There are no studies to the clinical relevance of asymmetric DIP. We investigated the prevalence of motor asymmetry in DIP and its relationship to the severity of psychopathology in a prospective study. Methods In a cohort study of 207 long-stay psychiatric inpatients the prevalence of DIP was assessed at least two times (mean follow-up 1.1 year) in each patient (5). DIP was assessed with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the prevalence of persistent DIP was 56.2%. Patients with at least one time parkinsonism in the upper/lower limb(s) were included for analyses. Asymmetry of parkinsonism was calculated with the symmetry index (Figure 1). A cut-off value of ≥ 0,20 was used for the definition of asymmetric DIP. Multilevel mixed models were built to explore the relationship between asymmetry in DIP and the severity of psychopathology, measured on the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia scale severity index (CGI-SCH SI). Results In a cohort study of 207 long-stay psychiatric inpatients the prevalence of DIP was assessed at least two times (mean follow-up 1.1 year) in each patient (5). DIP was assessed with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the prevalence of persistent DIP was 56.2%. Patients with at least one time parkinsonism in the upper/lower limb(s) were included for analyses. Asymmetry of parkinsonism was calculated with the symmetry index (Figure 1). A cut-off value of ≥ 0,20 was used for the definition of asymmetric DIP. Multilevel mixed models were built to explore the relationship between asymmetry in DIP and the severity of psychopathology, measured on the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia scale

  4. Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction in Patients with Drug-Induced Parkinsonism

    PubMed Central

    Ryu, Dong-Woo; Oh, Ju-Hee; Lee, Yang-Hyun; Park, Sung-Jin; Jeon, Kipyung; Lee, Jong-Yun; Ho, Seong Hee; So, Jungmin; Im, Jin Hee; Lee, Kwang-Soo

    2017-01-01

    Background and Purpose Recent studies have shown that several nonmotor symptoms differ between Parkinson's disease (PD) and drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP). However, there have been no reports on cardiovascular autonomic function in DIP, and so this study investigated whether cardiovascular autonomic function differs between PD and DIP patients. Methods This study consecutively enrolled 20 DIP patients, 99 drug-naïve PD patients, and 25 age-matched healthy controls who underwent head-up tilt-table testing and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Results Orthostatic hypotension was more frequent in patients with PD or DIP than in healthy controls. In DIP, orthostatic hypotension was associated with the underlying psychiatric diseases and neuroleptics use, whereas prokinetics were not related to orthostatic hypotension. The supine blood pressure, nighttime blood pressure, and nocturnal blood pressure dipping did not differ significantly between the DIP and control groups. Supine hypertension and nocturnal hypertension were more frequent in PD patients than in controls. Conclusions The included DIP patients frequently exhibited orthostatic hypotension that was associated with the underlying diseases as well as the nature of and exposure time to the offending drugs. Clinicians should individualize the manifestations of DIP according to underlying diseases as well as the action mechanism of and exposure time to each offending drug. PMID:27730767

  5. Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side-Effect Rating Scale (LUNSERS) as a subjective measure of drug-induced parkinsonism and akathisia.

    PubMed

    Jung, Hee-Yeon; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Ahn, Yong-Min; Kim, Seong-Chan; Hwang, Samuel S; Kim, Yong-Sik

    2005-01-01

    The Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side-Effect Rating Scale (LUNSERS) was examined for its usefulness as a subjective measure of drug-induced parkinsonism and akathisia. Eighty-three subjects were assessed using the LUNSERS, the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) and the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS), before and after a 6-week treatment with olanzapine. Significant correlations were found between the changes in scores of parkinsonism items of LUNSERS and SAS. The changes in scores of akathisia item (restlessness), extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) subscale and psychic side-effects subscale of LUNSERS were significantly correlated with those of the BARS. 'Shakiness', one item of the EPS subscale of LUNSERS, correctly classified between parkinsonism and non-parkinsonism groups with 81.0% accuracy. A combination of four items included in EPS and psychic side-effect subscales of LUNSERS identified akathisia and non-akathisia groups with 76.2% accuracy. These results suggest that the EPS and psychic side-effect subscales of LUNSERS may be useful in screening for drug-induced parkinsonism and akathisia. Copyright (c) 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Use of Fall-Risk Inducing Drugs in Patients Using Anti-Parkinson Drugs (APD): A Swedish Register-Based Study.

    PubMed

    Haasum, Ylva; Fastbom, Johan; Johnell, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    Many drugs increase the risk of falls in old age. Although persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at increased risk of experiencing falls and fractures, the use of fall-risk inducing drugs (FRIDs) in this population has not previously been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the burden of use of FRIDs in older persons treated with anti-Parkinson drugs (APD; used as a proxy for PD), compared to persons without APD. We analyzed individual data on age, sex, type of housing and drug use in 1 346 709 persons aged ≥ 65 years in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register on the date of 30 September 2008. Main outcome measure was the use of FRIDs. FRIDs were used by 79% of persons with APD and 75% of persons without APD. Persons with APD were more likely to use ≥ 1 FRIDs compared to persons without APD (adjusted OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.06-1-12). The association was stronger for concomitant use of ≥ 5 FRIDS (adjusted OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.44-1.55). The high use of FRIDs among persons with APD indicates that these patients may be at increased risk of drug-induced falls. Further studies are needed to investigate how these drugs affect the risk of falling in persons with PD.

  7. Manganese-induced Parkinsonism among ephedrone users and drug policy in Poland.

    PubMed

    Fudalej, Sylwia; Kołodziejczyk, Iwona; Gajda, Tomasz; Majkowska-Zwolińska, Beata; Wojnar, Marcin

    2013-01-01

    A recent government's prohibition policy in Poland was partially successful with a reduction of the synthetic drugs market and a decrease in drug-related poisoning mortality rates. However, a new threatening trend is observed. There are a growing number of individuals in Poland and other European countries using legal pharmaceuticals containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to produce stimulants. This case report describes a history of a male patient with polysubstance dependence who administered self-designed ephedrone derived from Sudafed using potassium permanganate. He revealed significant clinical symptoms of manganese-induced parkinsonism. No effective treatment could be recommended. Awareness of this severe neurological and social consequences should lead to prevention efforts including educational programs and initiatives reducing availability of the legal medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. More research is needed to enhance our knowledge about manganism and potential treatment regimens.

  8. Drugs of abuse and Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Mursaleen, Leah R; Stamford, Jonathan A

    2016-01-04

    The term "drug of abuse" is highly contextual. What constitutes a drug of abuse for one population of patients does not for another. It is therefore important to examine the needs of the patient population to properly assess the status of drugs of abuse. The focus of this article is on the bidirectional relationship between patients and drug abuse. In this paper we will introduce the dopaminergic systems of the brain in Parkinson's and the influence of antiparkinsonian drugs upon them before discussing this synergy of condition and medication as fertile ground for drug abuse. We will then examine the relationship between drugs of abuse and Parkinson's, both beneficial and deleterious. In summary we will draw the different strands together and speculate on the future merit of current drugs of abuse as treatments for Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Use of Fall-Risk Inducing Drugs in Patients Using Anti-Parkinson Drugs (APD): A Swedish Register-Based Study

    PubMed Central

    Haasum, Ylva; Fastbom, Johan; Johnell, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    Objectives Many drugs increase the risk of falls in old age. Although persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are at increased risk of experiencing falls and fractures, the use of fall-risk inducing drugs (FRIDs) in this population has not previously been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the burden of use of FRIDs in older persons treated with anti-Parkinson drugs (APD; used as a proxy for PD), compared to persons without APD. Methods We analyzed individual data on age, sex, type of housing and drug use in 1 346 709 persons aged ≥ 65 years in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register on the date of 30 September 2008. Main outcome measure was the use of FRIDs. Results FRIDs were used by 79% of persons with APD and 75% of persons without APD. Persons with APD were more likely to use ≥ 1 FRIDs compared to persons without APD (adjusted OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 1.06-1-12). The association was stronger for concomitant use of ≥ 5 FRIDS (adjusted OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.44–1.55). Conclusions The high use of FRIDs among persons with APD indicates that these patients may be at increased risk of drug-induced falls. Further studies are needed to investigate how these drugs affect the risk of falling in persons with PD. PMID:27537366

  10. Tremor analysis separates Parkinson's disease and dopamine receptor blockers induced parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Shaikh, Aasef G

    2017-05-01

    Parkinson's disease, the most common cause of parkinsonism is often difficult to distinguish from its second most common etiology due to exposure to dopamine receptor blocking agents such as antiemetics and neuroleptics. Dual axis accelerometry was used to quantify tremor in 158 patients with parkinsonism; 62 had Parkinson's disease and 96 were clinically diagnosed with dopamine receptor blocking agent-induced parkinsonism. Tremor was measured while subjects rested arms (resting tremor), outstretched arms in front (postural tremor), and reached a target (kinetic tremor). Cycle-by-cycle analysis was performed to measure cycle duration, oscillation amplitude, and inter-cycle variations in the frequency. Patients with dopamine receptor blocker induced parkinsonism had lower resting and postural tremor amplitude. There was a substantial increase of kinetic tremor amplitude in both disorders. Postural and resting tremor in subjects with dopamine receptor blocking agent-induced parkinsonism was prominent in the abduction-adduction plane. In contrast, the Parkinson's disease tremor had equal amplitude in all three planes of motion. Tremor frequency was comparable in both groups. Remarkable variability in the width of the oscillatory cycles suggested irregularity in the oscillatory waveforms in both subtypes of parkinsonism. Quantitative tremor analysis can distinguish Parkinson's disease from dopamine receptor blocking agent-induced parkinsonism.

  11. Odour identification test and its relation to cardiac 123I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine in patients with drug induced parkinsonism

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Phil Hyu; Yeo, Seung Hyeon; Yong, Seok Woo; Kim, Yun Joong

    2007-01-01

    We investigated olfactory function and its relation to cardiac 123I‐metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake in 15 patients with drug induced parkinsonism (DIP). The mean Cross Cultural Smell Identification (CCSI) score was significantly greater in patients with DIP than in those with Parkinson's disease (PD: 6.9 (1.6) vs 4.4 (2.2); p<0.001); however, the mean CCSI score in patients with DIP was not significantly different from controls. One patient with DIP, whose CCSI score was significantly reduced, also exhibited decreased cardiac MIBG uptake. DIP patients with CCSI scores within the normal range had normal cardiac MIBG uptake. Our study suggests that an olfactory function test may be a useful tool for detecting DIP unrelated to PD and for identifying patients with DIP who have subclinical PD. PMID:17557797

  12. Reward Prediction Errors in Drug Addiction and Parkinson's Disease: from Neurophysiology to Neuroimaging.

    PubMed

    García-García, Isabel; Zeighami, Yashar; Dagher, Alain

    2017-06-01

    Surprises are important sources of learning. Cognitive scientists often refer to surprises as "reward prediction errors," a parameter that captures discrepancies between expectations and actual outcomes. Here, we integrate neurophysiological and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results addressing the processing of reward prediction errors and how they might be altered in drug addiction and Parkinson's disease. By increasing phasic dopamine responses, drugs might accentuate prediction error signals, causing increases in fMRI activity in mesolimbic areas in response to drugs. Chronic substance dependence, by contrast, has been linked with compromised dopaminergic function, which might be associated with blunted fMRI responses to pleasant non-drug stimuli in mesocorticolimbic areas. In Parkinson's disease, dopamine replacement therapies seem to induce impairments in learning from negative outcomes. The present review provides a holistic overview of reward prediction errors across different pathologies and might inform future clinical strategies targeting impulsive/compulsive disorders.

  13. Changes in kynurenine pathway metabolism in Parkinson patients with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

    PubMed

    Havelund, Jesper F; Andersen, Andreas D; Binzer, Michael; Blaabjerg, Morten; Heegaard, Niels H H; Stenager, Egon; Faergeman, Nils J; Gramsbergen, Jan Bert

    2017-09-01

    L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is the most effective drug in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease, but chronic use is associated with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in more than half the patients after 10 years of treatment. L-DOPA treatment may affect tryptophan metabolism via the kynurenine pathway. Altered levels of kynurenine metabolites can affect glutamatergic transmission and may play a role in the development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. In this study, we assessed kynurenine metabolites in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinson's disease patients and controls. Parkinson patients (n = 26) were clinically assessed for severity of motor symptoms (UPDRS) and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (UDysRS). Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples were collected after overnight fasting and 1-2 h after intake of L-DOPA or other anti-Parkinson medication. Metabolites were analyzed in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of controls (n = 14), Parkinson patients receiving no L-DOPA (n = 8), patients treated with L-DOPA without dyskinesia (n = 8), and patients with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (n = 10) using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We observed approximately fourfold increase in the 3-hydroxykynurenine/kynurenic acid ratio in plasma of Parkinson's patients with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Anthranilic acid levels were decreased in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of this patient group. 5-Hydroxytryptophan levels were twofold increased in all L-DOPA-treated Parkinson's patients. We conclude that a higher 3-hydroxykynurenine/kynurenic acid ratio in plasma may serve as a biomarker for L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Longitudinal studies including larger patients cohorts are needed to verify whether the changes observed here may serve as a prognostic marker for L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. © 2017 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  14. Repurposing drugs to treat l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Johnston, Tom H; Lacoste, Alix M B; Visanji, Naomi P; Lang, Anthony E; Fox, Susan H; Brotchie, Jonathan M

    2018-06-01

    In this review, we discuss the opportunity for repurposing drugs for use in l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease. LID is a particularly suitable indication for drug repurposing given its pharmacological diversity, translatability of animal-models, availability of Phase II proof-of-concept (PoC) methodologies and the indication-specific regulatory environment. A compound fit for repurposing is defined as one with appropriate human safety-data as well as animal safety, toxicology and pharmacokinetic data as found in an Investigational New Drug (IND) package for another indication. We first focus on how such repurposing candidates can be identified and then discuss development strategies that might progress such a candidate towards a Phase II clinical PoC. We discuss traditional means for identifying repurposing candidates and contrast these with newer approaches, especially focussing on the use of computational and artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. We discuss strategies that can be categorised broadly as: in vivo phenotypic screening in a hypothesis-free manner; in vivo phenotypic screening based on analogy to a related disorder; hypothesis-driven evaluation of candidates in vivo and in silico screening with a hypothesis-agnostic component to the selection. To highlight the power of AI approaches, we describe a case study using IBM Watson where a training set of compounds, with demonstrated ability to reduce LID, were employed to identify novel repurposing candidates. Using the approaches discussed, many diverse candidates for repurposing in LID, originally envisaged for other indications, will be described that have already been evaluated for efficacy in non-human primate models of LID and/or clinically. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Drug Delivery Systems for Imaging and Therapy of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Gunay, Mine Silindir; Ozer, A Yekta; Chalon, Sylvie

    2016-01-01

    Although a variety of therapeutic approaches are available for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, challenges limit effective therapy. Among these challenges are delivery of drugs through the blood brain barier to the target brain tissue and the side effects observed during long term administration of antiparkinsonian drugs. The use of drug delivery systems such as liposomes, niosomes, micelles, nanoparticles, nanocapsules, gold nanoparticles, microspheres, microcapsules, nanobubbles, microbubbles and dendrimers is being investigated for diagnosis and therapy. This review focuses on formulation, development and advantages of nanosized drug delivery systems which can penetrate the central nervous system for the therapy and/or diagnosis of PD, and highlights future nanotechnological approaches. It is esential to deliver a sufficient amount of either therapeutic or radiocontrast agents to the brain in order to provide the best possible efficacy or imaging without undesired degradation of the agent. Current treatments focus on motor symptoms, but these treatments generally do not deal with modifying the course of Parkinson's disease. Beyond pharmacological therapy, the identification of abnormal proteins such as α -synuclein, parkin or leucine-rich repeat serine/threonine protein kinase 2 could represent promising alternative targets for molecular imaging and therapy of Parkinson's disease. Nanotechnology and nanosized drug delivery systems are being investigated intensely and could have potential effect for Parkinson's disease. The improvement of drug delivery systems could dramatically enhance the effectiveness of Parkinson's Disease therapy and reduce its side effects.

  16. Delivery of Dual Drug Loaded Lipid Based Nanoparticles across the Blood-Brain Barrier Impart Enhanced Neuroprotection in a Rotenone Induced Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Kundu, Paromita; Das, Manasi; Tripathy, Kalpalata; Sahoo, Sanjeeb K

    2016-12-21

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most widespread form of dementia where there is an age related degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. Accumulation of α-synuclein (αS) protein aggregate, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuronal cell death are the pathological hallmarks of PD. In this context, amalgamation of curcumin and piperine having profound cognitive properties, and antioxidant activity seems beneficial. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major impediment for delivery of neurotherapeutics to the brain. The present study involves formulation of curcumin and piperine coloaded glyceryl monooleate (GMO) nanoparticles coated with various surfactants with a view to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin and penetration of both drugs to the brain tissue crossing the BBB and to enhance the anti-parkinsonism effect of both drugs in a single platform. In vitro results demonstrated augmented inhibition of αS protein into oligomers and fibrils, reduced rotenone induced toxicity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, and activation of autophagic pathway by dual drug loaded NPs compared to native counterpart. Further, in vivo studies revealed that our formulated dual drug loaded NPs were able to cross BBB, rescued the rotenone induced motor coordination impairment, and restrained dopaminergic neuronal degeneration in a PD mouse model.

  17. Pharmacogenetics of drug response in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Džoljić, Eleonora; Novaković, Ivana; Krajinovic, Maja; Grbatinić, Ivan; Kostić, Vladimir

    2015-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating, demoralizing and financially devastating condition affecting 1% of population at the age of 60 years. Thus, very important issue to address is individual therapy optimization. Recent results have shown evidence that variable efficacy of treatment and risk of motor and mental complications could have genetic origin. Significant roles in that process play (pharmaco)genomic/genetic studies of PD. Variability in genes coding for drug-metabolizing enzymes, drug receptors and proteins involved in drug pathway signaling is an important factor determining inter-individual variability in drug responses. Interpersonal differences in drug responses are clearly documented although individualized treatment of PD is not widely known. Treatment with antiparkinsonian drugs is associated with the development of complications, such as L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID), hallucinations and excessive daytime sleepiness. Carriers of specific genetic polymorphisms are particularly susceptible to development of some of these drug adverse effects. Pharmacogenomics aims to understand the relationship between genetic factors and inter-individual variations in drug responses, and to translate this information in therapy tailored to individual patient genetics. Relatively few efforts have been made to investigate the role of pharmacogenetics in the individual response to anti-PD drugs. Thus, many genetic variations and polymorphisms in myriad of different proteins can influence individual response to anti-PD drugs.

  18. Prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in the Arosa Island (Spain): a community-based door-to-door survey.

    PubMed

    Seijo-Martinez, M; Castro del Rio, M; Rodríguez Alvarez, J; Suarez Prado, R; Torres Salgado, E; Paz Esquete, J; Sobrido, M J

    2011-05-15

    There are scarce epidemiological data on parkinsonism in Spain. Since the Arosa Island community (Northwestern Spain) has been for centuries relatively isolated, it represents a potentially useful setting to undercover genetic factors with a founder effect, as well as local environmental influences. We performed a one-stage door-to-door survey in the Arosa Island in 2004 to determine the prevalence of parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease (PD) in the population aged 65 years or over. Out of 41 individuals detected with parkinsonism, 15 were diagnosed with PD (36.6%), 13 with drug induced parkinsonism (31.7%), seven with vascular parkinsonism (17.1%), four patients had parkinsonism with associated features (9.8%) and two had unspecified parkinsonism (4.9%). We obtained a crude prevalence rate of parkinsonism of 5.44% (adjusted rate: 4.73%) and a crude prevalence rate of PD of 1.99% (adjusted rate 1.7%); both prevalence rates increased with advancing age. The prevalence rate for parkinsonism was higher than that in similar populations of Spain and other European countries while that for PD was in the range obtained from these populations. Among PD cases, 26.7% (n=4) were undiagnosed before the survey. Most cases of drug-induced parkinsonism were secondary to neuroleptics and had not been previously diagnosed. The relatively high proportion of undiagnosed drug-induced parkinsonisms and PD is surprising in a public health system which is free and universal. The lack of excess of late-onset PD among Arosans does not support the existence of specific genetic or environmental factors contributing to PD in this particular geographical area. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. α6β2* and α4β2* Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors As Drug Targets for Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Wonnacott, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is a debilitating movement disorder characterized by a generalized dysfunction of the nervous system, with a particularly prominent decline in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. Although there is currently no cure, drugs targeting the dopaminergic system provide major symptomatic relief. As well, agents directed to other neurotransmitter systems are of therapeutic benefit. Such drugs may act by directly improving functional deficits in these other systems, or they may restore aberrant motor activity that arises as a result of a dopaminergic imbalance. Recent research attention has focused on a role for drugs targeting the nicotinic cholinergic systems. The rationale for such work stems from basic research findings that there is an extensive overlap in the organization and function of the nicotinic cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in the basal ganglia. In addition, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) drugs could have clinical potential for Parkinson's disease. Evidence for this proposition stems from studies with experimental animal models showing that nicotine protects against neurotoxin-induced nigrostriatal damage and improves motor complications associated with l-DOPA, the “gold standard” for Parkinson's disease treatment. Nicotine interacts with multiple central nervous system receptors to generate therapeutic responses but also produces side effects. It is important therefore to identify the nAChR subtypes most beneficial for treating Parkinson's disease. Here we review nAChRs with particular emphasis on the subtypes that contribute to basal ganglia function. Accumulating evidence suggests that drugs targeting α6β2* and α4β2* nAChR may prove useful in the management of Parkinson's disease. PMID:21969327

  20. Prescription Drugs: HCFA’s Proposed Drug Utilization Review System Ignores Quality of Care Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-13

    Parkinsonism , 32,000 with hip fractures attributable to dOfg-induced falls, 163,000 with drug-induced memory loss or impaired thinking, and 243,000...year there are approximately 61,000 older adults with drug-induced Parkinsonism , 32,000 with hip fractures attributable to drug-induced falls, 163,000...particu- larly phenytoin and warfarin). A drug in one category may interact with a drug in another category to raise the concentration of the drugs in the

  1. Piracetam and vinpocetine ameliorate rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats

    PubMed Central

    Zaitone, Sawsan A.; Abo-Elmatty, Dina M.; Elshazly, Shimaa M.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of the nootropic drugs, piracetam (PIR) and vinpocetine (VIN), in rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats. Materials and Methods: Sixty male rats were divided into 6 groups of 10 rats each. The groups were administered vehicle, control (rotenone, 1.5 mg/kg/48 h/6 doses, s.c.), PIR (100 and 200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and VIN (3 and 6 mg/kg/day, p.o.). The motor performance of the rats was evaluated by the open field and pole test. Striatal dopamine level, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were assayed. Histopathological study of the substantia nigra was also done. Results: Results showed that rotenone-treated rats exhibited bradykinesia and motor impairment in the open-field test. In addition, GSH level was decreased whereas MDA and TNF-α increased in striata of rotenone-treated rats as compared to vehicle-treated rats. Marked degeneration of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) neurons and depletion of striatal dopamine was also observed in the rotenone-treated rats. Treatment with PIR or VIN significantly reversed the locomotor deficits and increased striatal dopamine level. Treatment with VIN significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the striatal level of MDA and GSH in comparison to rotenone group whereas TNF-α production was found to be significantly decreased in PIR group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: VIN and PIR exhibit neuroprotective activity in rotenone-induced Parkinsonism. Hence, these nootropic agents may be considered as possible candidates in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. PMID:23248410

  2. Piracetam and vinpocetine ameliorate rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats.

    PubMed

    Zaitone, Sawsan A; Abo-Elmatty, Dina M; Elshazly, Shimaa M

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of the nootropic drugs, piracetam (PIR) and vinpocetine (VIN), in rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats. Sixty male rats were divided into 6 groups of 10 rats each. The groups were administered vehicle, control (rotenone, 1.5 mg/kg/48 h/6 doses, s.c.), PIR (100 and 200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and VIN (3 and 6 mg/kg/day, p.o.). The motor performance of the rats was evaluated by the open field and pole test. Striatal dopamine level, malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were assayed. Histopathological study of the substantia nigra was also done. Results showed that rotenone-treated rats exhibited bradykinesia and motor impairment in the open-field test. In addition, GSH level was decreased whereas MDA and TNF-α increased in striata of rotenone-treated rats as compared to vehicle-treated rats. Marked degeneration of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) neurons and depletion of striatal dopamine was also observed in the rotenone-treated rats. Treatment with PIR or VIN significantly reversed the locomotor deficits and increased striatal dopamine level. Treatment with VIN significantly (P<0.05) reduced the striatal level of MDA and GSH in comparison to rotenone group whereas TNF-α production was found to be significantly decreased in PIR group (P<0.05). VIN and PIR exhibit neuroprotective activity in rotenone-induced Parkinsonism. Hence, these nootropic agents may be considered as possible candidates in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

  3. [Drug-induced extrapyramidal disorders].

    PubMed

    Horga, J F; Navarro, M; Peiró, V; Hernández, M

    1995-01-01

    We analyze 402 drug-adverse events consisting of movement disorders or aggravation of parkinsonisms, submitted to Sistema Español de Farmacovigilancia until 1994. Our aim is to know patient characteristics and the drugs related with these submissions. Most of them (64) belong to calcium-entry blocker group (31%) and benzamides (27%). Case age intervals more frequent were 11-30 and 60-80 years-old and the events affect predominantly females. The percentage of serious adverse events were near 80%. We think that drug-related parkinsonisms have high prevalence rate and that the role of calcium-entry blockers in these events should be considered at the moment to prescribe groups.

  4. Treadmill exercise alleviates nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss of neurons and fibers in rotenone-induced Parkinson rats.

    PubMed

    Shin, Mal-Soon; Kim, Tae-Woon; Lee, Jae-Min; Ji, Eun-Sang; Lim, Baek-Vin

    2017-02-01

    Parkinson disease is one of the common brain diseases caused by dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra and dopaminergic fiber loss in the striatum. In the present study, the effects of treadmill exercise on motor performance, dopaminergic loss of neurons and fibers, and α-synuclein expression in the nigrostriatum were evaluated using rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. For the induction of Parkinson rats, 3-mg/kg rotenone was injected, once a day for 14 consecutive days. Treadmill running was conducted for 30 min once a day during 14 consecutive days. Rota-rod test for motor balance and coordination and immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase and α-synuclein in the nigrostriatum were performed. In the present study, motor balance and coordination was disturbed by induction of rotenone-induced Parkinson disease, in contrast, treadmill exercise alleviated motor dysfunction in the rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. Nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss of neurons and fibers was occurred by induction of rotenone-induced Parkinson disease, in contrast, treadmill exercise alleviated nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss of neurons and fibers in the rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. α-Synuclein expression in the nigrostriatum was enhanced by induction of rotenone-induced Parkinson disease, in contrast, treadmill exercise suppressed α-synuclein expression in the rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. Treadmill exercise improved motor function through preservation of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and fibers and suppression of nigrostriatal formation of Lewy bodies in rotenone-induced Parkinson rats.

  5. Theta burst stimulation over the primary motor cortex does not induce cortical plasticity in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Eggers, Carsten; Fink, Gereon R; Nowak, Dennis A

    2010-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a period of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) induces cortical plasticity and thus improves bradykinesia of the upper limb in Parkinson's disease. In eight patients with Parkinson's disease (two females; mean age: 68.5 ± 5 years; disease duration: 4 ± 3 years) electrophysiological (motor evoked potentials, contralateral and ipsilateral silent period) and behavioural (Purdue pegboard test, UPDRS motor subscore) parameters were evaluated before (baseline condition) and after a 40-s period of (1) real or (2) sham continuous theta burst stimulation over the primary motor cortex contralateral to the more affected body side off dopaminergic drugs. Compared to baseline, cTBS did change neither measures of cortical excitability nor behavioural measures. cTBS over the primary motor cortex does not impact on cortical excitability or motor function of the upper limb in Parkinson's disease. We interpret these data to reflect impaired cortical plasticity in Parkinson's disease. This study is an important contribution to the knowledge about impaired plasticity in Parkinson's disease.

  6. The Parkinson's disease death rate: carbidopa and vitamin B6.

    PubMed

    Hinz, Marty; Stein, Alvin; Cole, Ted

    2014-01-01

    The only indication for carbidopa and benserazide is the management of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa)-induced nausea. Both drugs irreversibly bind to and permanently deactivate pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), the active form of vitamin B6, and PLP-dependent enzymes. PLP is required for the function of over 300 enzymes and proteins. Virtually every major system in the body is impacted directly or indirectly by PLP. The administration of carbidopa and benserazide potentially induces a nutritional catastrophe. During the first 15 years of prescribing L-dopa, a decreasing Parkinson's disease death rate was observed. Then, in 1976, 1 year after US Food and Drug Administration approved the original L-dopa/carbidopa combination drug, the Parkinson's disease death rate started increasing. This trend has continued to the present, for 38 years and counting. The previous literature documents this increasing death rate, but no hypothesis has been offered concerning this trend. Carbidopa is postulated to contribute to the increasing Parkinson's disease death rate and to the classification of Parkinson's as a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It may contribute to L-dopa tachyphylaxis.

  7. Freezing of Gait in Parkinsonism and its Potential Drug Treatment.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li-Li; Canning, S Duff; Wang, Xiao-Ping

    2016-01-01

    Freezing of gait (FOG) is a heterogeneous symptom. Studies of treatment for FOG are scarce. Levodopa and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (rasagiline and selegiline) have shown effective improvement for FOG. Other drugs, such as L-threo-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylserine, amantadine, and botulinum toxin have exhibited some beneficial effects. The present review summarizes the potential drug treatment for FOG in Parkinsonism.

  8. Excess amounts of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine induce Parkinson-like features in experimental approaches of Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Espejo, Emilio; Bis-Humbert, Cristian

    2018-06-06

    3-iodo-l-tyrosine might play a role in Parkinson's disease since this molecule is able, at high concentration, to inhibit tyrosine-hydroxylase activity, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine biosynthesis. The possible Parkinson-like effects of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine were tested on three experimental approaches in mice: cultured substantia nigra neurons, the enteric nervous system of the jejunum after intra-peritoneal infusions, and the nigrostriatal system following unilateral intrabrain injections. 3-iodo-l-tyrosine, a physiological molecule, was used at concentrations higher than its serum levels in humans. Parkinson-like signs were evaluated through abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein and tyrosine-hydroxylase, loss of tyrosine-hydroxylase-expressing and striatum-projecting neurons and fibers, reduced tyrosine-hydroxylase density, and Parkinson-like motor and non-motor deficits. The retrograde tracer FluoroGold was used in the brain model. The findings revealed that excess amounts of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine induce Parkinson-like effects in the three experimental approaches. Thus, culture neurons of substantia nigra show, after 3-iodo-l-tyrosine exposure, intracytoplasmic inclusions that express α-synuclein and tyrosine-hydroxylase. Intra-peritoneal infusions of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine cause, in the long-term, α-synuclein aggregation, thicker α-synuclein-positive fibers, and loss of tyrosine-hydroxylase-positive cells and fibers in intramural plexuses and ganglia of the jejunum. Infusion of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine into the left dorsal striata of mice damages the nigrostriatal system, as revealed through lower striatal tyrosine-hydroxylase density, reduced number of tyrosine-hydroxylase-expressing and striatum-projecting neurons in the left substantia nigra, as well as the emergence of Parkinson-like behavioral deficits such as akinesia, bradykinesia, motor disbalance, and locomotion directional bias. In conclusion, excess amounts of 3-iodo-l-tyrosine induce Parkinson-like features in

  9. Freezing of Gait in Parkinsonism and its Potential Drug Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Li-Li; Canning, S. Duff; Wang, Xiao-Ping

    2016-01-01

    Freezing of gait (FOG) is a heterogeneous symptom. Studies of treatment for FOG are scarce. Levodopa and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (rasagiline and selegiline) have shown effective improvement for FOG. Other drugs, such as L-threo-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylserine, amantadine, and botulinum toxin have exhibited some beneficial effects. The present review summarizes the potential drug treatment for FOG in Parkinsonism. PMID:26635194

  10. Blink rate is associated with drug-induced parkinsonism in patients with severe mental illness, but does not meet requirements to serve as a clinical test: the Curacao extrapyramidal syndromes study XIII.

    PubMed

    Mentzel, Charlotte L; Bakker, P Roberto; van Os, Jim; Drukker, Marjan; Matroos, Glenn E; Tijssen, Marina A J; van Harten, Peter N

    2017-08-25

    Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) has a high prevalence and is associated with poorer quality of life. To find a practical clinical tool to assess DIP in patients with severe mental illness (SMI), the association between blink rate and drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) was assessed. In a cohort of 204 SMI patients receiving care from the only mental health service of the previous Dutch Antilles, blink rate per minute during conversation was assessed by an additional trained movement disorder specialist. DIP was rated on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in 878 assessments over a period of 18 years. Diagnostic values of blink rate were calculated. DIP prevalence was 36%, average blink rate was 14 (standard deviation (SD) 11) for patients with DIP, and 19 (SD 14) for patients without. There was a significant association between blink rate and DIP (p < 0.001). With a blink rate cut-off of 20 blinks per minute, sensitivity was 77% and specificity was 38%. A 10% percentile cut-off model resulted in an area under the ROC curve of 0.61. A logistic prediction model between dichotomous DIP and continuous blink rate per minute an area under the ROC curve of 0.70. There is a significant association between blink rate and DIP as diagnosed on the UPDRS. However, blink rate sensitivity and specificity with regard to DIP are too low to replace clinical rating scales in routine psychiatric practice. The study was started over 20 years ago in 1992, at the time registering a trial was not common practice, therefore the study was never registered.

  11. Heptachlor induced nigral dopaminergic neuronal loss and Parkinsonism-like movement deficits in mice

    PubMed Central

    Hong, Seokheon; Hwang, Joohyun; Kim, Joo Yeon; Shin, Ki Soon; Kang, Shin Jung

    2014-01-01

    Epidemiological studies have suggested an association between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease. In this study, we examined the neurotoxicity of an organochlorine pesticide, heptachlor, in vitro and in vivo. In cultured SH-SY5Y cells, heptachlor induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. When injected into mice intraperitoneally on a subchronic schedule, heptachlor induced selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. In addition, the heptachlor injection induced gliosis of microglia and astrocytes selectively in the ventral midbrain area. When the general locomotor activities were monitored by open field test, the heptachlor injection did not induce any gross motor dysfunction. However, the compound induced Parkinsonism-like movement deficits when assessed by a gait and a pole test. These results suggest that heptachlor can induce Parkinson's disease-related neurotoxicities in vivo. PMID:24577234

  12. Pharmacokinetic drug evaluation of safinamide mesylate for the treatment of mid-to-late stage Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Müller, Thomas

    2017-06-01

    Patients with Parkinson's disease suffer from a heterogeneous expression of neurotransmitter deficits. They cause an individual variable expression of motor and non-motor symptoms. Thus, drugs with various mechanisms of actions are suitable to counteract these disease related neurotransmitter alterations. Areas covered: This invited review suggests safinamide as an ideal compound for therapy of Parkinson's disease, as its pharmacological profile includes reversible monoamine oxidase B inhibition, blockage of voltage-dependent sodium channels, modulation of calcium channels and abnormal glutamate release. Safinamide may provide benefits effects on non-motor symptoms in addition to the demonstrated amelioration of motor impairment in levodopa treated patients with Parkinson's disease. Safinamide was well tolerated and safe when administered in dose of 50 or 100 mg daily in pivotal trials. Expert opinion: Clinical handling, safety and tolerability of Safinamide are better than of dopamine agonists or levodopa. Safinamide supplements the existing armamentarium of drugs for Parkinson's disease. Safinamide will help to reduce dosing of levodopa but also of dopamine agonists during long term treatment in patients with Parkinson's disease.

  13. Present and future drug treatment for Parkinson's disease

    PubMed Central

    Schapira, A

    2005-01-01

    Considerable advances made in defining the aetiology, pathogenesis, and pathology of Parkinson's disease (PD) have resulted in the development and rapid expansion of the pharmacopoeia available for treatment. Anticholinergics were used before the introduction of levodopa which is now the drug most commonly used. Dopamine agonists are effective when used alone or as an adjunct to levodopa, while monoamine oxidase B inhibitors improve motor function in early and advanced PD. However, treatment mainly addresses the dopaminergic features of the disease and leaves its progressive course unaffected; the drug treatment available for the management of non-motor symptoms is limited. This article seeks to set current treatment options in context, review emerging and novel drug treatments for PD, and assess the prospects for disease modification. Surgical therapies are not considered. PMID:16227533

  14. Meclizine-induced enhanced glycolysis is neuroprotective in Parkinson disease cell models.

    PubMed

    Hong, Chien Tai; Chau, Kai-Yin; Schapira, Anthony H V

    2016-05-05

    Meclizine is a well-tolerated drug routinely used as an anti-histamine agent in the management of disequilibrium. Recently, meclizine has been assessed for its neuroprotective properties in ischemic stroke and Huntington disease models. We found that meclizine protected against 6-hydroxydopamine-induced apoptosis and cell death in both SH-SY5Y cells and rat primary cortical cultures. Meclizine increases the level of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), which activates phosphofructokinase, a rate-determining enzyme of glycolysis. This protection is therefore mediated by meclizine's ability to enhance glycolysis and increase mitochondrial hyperpolarization. Meclizine represents an interesting candidate for further investigation to re-purpose for its potential to be neuroprotective in Parkinson disease.

  15. Is there room for non-dopaminergic treatment in Parkinson disease?

    PubMed

    Lieberman, Abraham; Krishnamurthi, Narayanan

    2013-02-01

    Although levodopa and dopaminergic drugs remain the mainstay of therapy for the motor symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), they fail to address many of the non-motor symptoms of PD including orthostatic hypotension, freezing of gait (FOG) and difficulty with balance, drug-induced paranoia and hallucinations, and drug-induced dyskinesias. Droxidopa, a drug that increases norepinephrine, treats orthostatic hypotension, cholinomimetic drugs sometimes help with FOG and difficulty with balance, pimavanserin, a drug that blocks serotonin receptors, treats paranoia and hallucinations, and anti-glutaminergic drugs treat dyskinesias. Thus, there are ample opportunities for non-dopaminergic drugs in PD.

  16. [A case of hyperammonemia resulting from urinary tract infection caused by urease-producing bacteria in a Parkinson's disease patient with drug-induced urinary retention].

    PubMed

    Yasunishi, Masahiro; Koumura, Akihiro; Hayashi, Yuichi; Nishida, Shohei; Inuzuka, Takashi

    2017-01-01

    A 71-year-old woman with a 9-year history of Parkinson's disease was admitted to our hospital emergently because of consciousness disturbance. Her consciousness level was 200 on the Japan coma scale (JCS), and she presented with tenderness and distension of the lower abdomen. Brain computed tomography showed normal findings. Blood tests showed an increased ammonia level (209 μg/dl) with normal AST and ALT levels. We catheterized the bladder for urinary retention. Five hours after admission, the blood ammonia level decreased to 38 μg/dl, and her consciousness level improved dramatically. Corynebacterium urearyticum, a bacterial species that produces urease, was detected by urine culture. Therefore, she was diagnosed with hyperammonemic encephalopathy resulting from urinary tract infection caused by urease-producing bacteria. In this case, urologic active agents had been administered to treat neurogenic bladder. We suspect that these drugs caused urinary obstruction and urinary tract infection. It is important to recognize that obstructive urinary tract infection caused by urease-producing bacteria can cause hyperammonemia. Neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, tend to complicate neurogenic bladder. This disease should be considered in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease who are receiving urologic active drugs.

  17. Trial of dextromethorphan/quinidine to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Fox, Susan H; Metman, Leonard Verhagen; Nutt, John G; Brodsky, Matthew; Factor, Stewart A; Lang, Anthony E; Pope, Laura E; Knowles, Nadine; Siffert, João

    2017-06-01

    Nondopaminergic pathways represent potential targets to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD). This pilot-study (NCT01767129) examined the safety/efficacy of the sigma-1 receptor-agonist and glutamatergic/monoaminergic modulator, dextromethorphan plus quinidine (to inhibit rapid dextromethorphan metabolism), for treating levodopa-induced dyskinesia. PD patients were randomized to dextromethorphan/quinidine (45 mg/10 mg twice daily)/placebo in two 2-week double-blind, crossover treatment periods, with intervening 2-week washout. After 14 days, a 2-hour intravenous levodopa-infusion was administered. Patient examinations were videotaped before infusion ("off" state) and every 30 minutes during and afterwards until patients returned to "off." The primary endpoint was dyskinesia-severity during infusion measured by Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale part 3 area-under-curve scores (blinded expert rated). Additional endpoints included other dyskinesia/motor assessments, global measures of clinical-change, and adverse-events. A total of 13 patients were randomized and completed the study (efficacy-evaluable population). Dyskinesia-severity was nonsignificantly lower with dextromethorphan/quinidine than placebo during infusion (area-under-curve 966.5 vs 1048.8; P = .191 [efficacy-evaluable patients]), and significantly lower in a post-hoc sensitivity analysis of the per-protocol-population (efficacy-evaluable patients with ≥ 80% study-drug-compliance, n = 12) when measured from infusion start to 4-hours post-infusion completion (area-under-curve 1585.0 vs 1911.3; P = .024). Mean peak dyskinesia decreased significantly from infusion-start to return to "off" (13.3 vs 14.9; P = .018 [efficacy-evaluable patients]). A total of 9 patients rated dyskinesia "much/very much improved" on dextromethorphan/quinidine versus 1-patient on placebo. Dextromethorphan/quinidine did not worsen PD-motor scores, was generally well tolerated, and

  18. [Drug treatment of early-stage (de novo and "honeymoon") Parkinson disease].

    PubMed

    Cesaro, P; Defebvre, L

    2014-04-01

    In this article, we discuss the management of motor symptoms during the early phases of Parkinson's disease, excluding that of any other clinical manifestation. We relied primarily upon recently published data and do not describe older publications relating to anticholinergic drugs or amantadine. The initial pharmacological treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is symptomatic and remains based upon dopaminergic drugs. However, the development of new drugs has broadened the range of strategic options and improved overall patient management. Announcing the diagnosis is a critical moment, as pointed out by patients' associations. Patients should be advised to maintain personal, professional, social and physical activities as long as possible. The potential benefit of early pharmacological treatment should be explained, focusing on the possible disease-modifying effect of drugs such as rasagiline. According to current guidelines, L-Dopa is preferred in patients above 65years of age, while those below 65 should be treated with dopamine agonists. Like monoamine oxidase inhibitors B (MAOI-B), synthetic dopamine agonists exhibit several advantages: easy-to-use treatment with a once-daily administration, delayed L-Dopa initiation, significant efficacy on motor symptoms (although lower than that of L-Dopa). MOAI can be prescribed in association with L-Dopa or dopamine agonists. Rasagiline also delays L-Dopa initiation, and consequently motor complications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Levetiracetam attenuates rotenone-induced toxicity: A rat model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Erbaş, Oytun; Yılmaz, Mustafa; Taşkıran, Dilek

    2016-03-01

    Levetiracetam (LEV), a second-generation anti-epileptic drug, is used for treatment of both focal and generalized epilepsy. Growing body of evidence suggests that LEV may have neuroprotective effects. The present study was undertaken to investigate the neuroprotective effects of LEV on rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) in rats. Twenty-four adult Sprague-Dawley rats were infused with rotenone (3 μg/μl in DMSO) or vehicle (1 μl DMSO) into the left substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) under stereotaxic surgery. PD model was assessed by rotational test ten days after drug infusion. The valid PD rats were randomly distributed into two groups; Group 1 (n=8) and Group 2 (n=8) were administered saline (1 ml/kg/day, i.p.) and LEV (600 mg/kg/day, i.p.) through 21 days, respectively. The effects of LEV treatment were evaluated by behavioral (rotation score), biochemical (brain homovalinic acid level and oxidant/antioxidant status) and immunohistochemical (tyrosine hydroxylase) parameters. Apomorphine-induced rotations in PD rats were significantly suppressed by LEV treatment. While unilateral rotenone lesion induced a dramatic loss of dopaminergic neurons both in the striatum and SNc, LEV treatment significantly attenuated the degenerative changes in dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, LEV significantly decreased lipid peroxide levels, a marker of lipid peroxidation, and induced glutathione levels, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in PD rats compared with saline group. We conclude that LEV may have beneficial effects on dopaminergic neurons against rotenone-induced injury. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the attenuation of oxidative stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Association of Parkinsonism or Parkinson Disease with Polypharmacy in the Year Preceding Diagnosis: A Nested Case-Control Study in South Korea.

    PubMed

    Park, Hae-Young; Park, Ji-Won; Sohn, Hyun Soon; Kwon, Jin-Won

    2017-11-01

    Published studies on the association between polypharmacy and parkinsonism or Parkinson disease are very limited. The objective of this study was to investigate whether polypharmacy is associated with parkinsonism or Parkinson disease in elderly patients. From a South Korean national health insurance sample cohort database for 2002-2013, we matched parkinsonism cases (defined by diagnosis codes for parkinsonism/Parkinson disease) and Parkinson disease cases (patients who had records for both Parkinson disease diagnosis and anti-Parkinson disease drug prescriptions) with controls. Logistic regression analysis evaluated the associations of parkinsonism/Parkinson disease with polypharmacy (i.e., five or more prescribed daily drugs) during the year preceding parkinsonism/Parkinson disease diagnosis, medications potentially associated with parkinsonism, and comorbidity status (using the Charlson Comorbidity Index score and hospitalization records). The study population included 6209 cases and 24,836 controls for parkinsonism and 1331 cases and 5324 controls for Parkinson disease. In univariate logistic regression, odds ratios for parkinsonism/Parkinson disease increased significantly with increased polypharmacy, medications potentially associated with parkinsonism, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, or prior hospitalizations. In multiple logistic regression, odds ratios for parkinsonism/Parkinson disease (adjusted for medications potentially associated with parkinsonism and comorbidities) also increased with increased polypharmacy. Odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for Parkinson disease were higher than those for parkinsonism with stronger statistical significance: 1.41 (1.28-1.55) and 2.17 (1.84-2.57) for parkinsonism and 2.87 (2.30-3.58) and 4.75 (3.39-6.66) for Parkinson disease for between five and ten prescribed daily drugs and ten or more drugs, respectively. Polypharmacy in the year preceding diagnosis may be associated with an increased risk for parkinsonism/Parkinson

  1. Diabetes mellitus and Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Pagano, Gennaro; Polychronis, Sotirios; Wilson, Heather; Giordano, Beniamino; Ferrara, Nicola; Niccolini, Flavia; Politis, Marios

    2018-05-08

    To investigate whether diabetes mellitus is associated with Parkinson-like pathology in people without Parkinson disease and to evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus on markers of Parkinson pathology and clinical progression in drug-naive patients with early-stage Parkinson disease. We compared 25 patients with Parkinson disease and diabetes mellitus to 25 without diabetes mellitus, and 14 patients with diabetes mellitus and no Parkinson disease to 14 healthy controls (people with no diabetes mellitus or Parkinson disease). The clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus was confirmed by 2 consecutive fasting measurements of serum glucose levels >126 mL/dL. Over a 36-month follow-up period, we then investigated in the population with Parkinson disease whether the presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with faster motor progression or cognitive decline. The presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with higher motor scores ( p < 0.01), lower striatal dopamine transporter binding ( p < 0.05), and higher tau CSF levels ( p < 0.05) in patients with Parkinson disease. In patients with diabetes but without Parkinson disease, the presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with lower striatal dopamine transporter binding ( p < 0.05) and higher tau ( p < 0.05) and α-synuclein ( p < 0.05) CSF levels compared to healthy controls. At the Cox survival analysis in the population of patients with Parkinson disease, the presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with faster motor progression (hazard ratio = 4.521, 95% confidence interval = 1.468-13.926; p < 0.01) and cognitive decline (hazard ratio = 9.314, 95% confidence interval = 1.164-74.519; p < 0.05). Diabetes mellitus may predispose toward a Parkinson-like pathology, and when present in patients with Parkinson disease, can induce a more aggressive phenotype. © 2018 American Academy of Neurology.

  2. Inducible nitric oxide synthase gene methylation and parkinsonism in manganese-exposed welders

    PubMed Central

    Nielsen, Susan Searles; Checkoway, Harvey; Criswell, Susan R.; Farin, Federico M.; Stapleton, Patricia L.; Sheppard, Lianne; Racette, Brad A.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Neurologist-assessed parkinsonism signs are prevalent among workers exposed to manganese (Mn)-containing welding fume. Neuroinflammation may possibly play a role. Inducible nitric oxide synthase, coded by NOS2, is involved in inflammation, and particulate exposure increases the gene’s expression through methylation of CpG sites in the 5′ region. Methods We assessed DNA methylation at three CpG sites in the NOS2 exon 1 from blood from 201 welders. All were non-Hispanic Caucasian men 25–65 years old who were examined by a neurologist specializing in movement disorders. We categorized the workers according to their Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3) scores as parkinsonism cases (UPDRS3 ≥ 15; n = 49), controls (UPDRS3 < 6; n = 103), or intermediate (UPDRS3 ≥6 to <15; n = 49). Results While accounting for age, examiner and experimental plate, parkinsonism cases had lower mean NOS2 methylation than controls (p-value for trend = 0.04), specifically at CpG site 8329 located in an exonic splicing enhancer of NOS2 (p-value for trend = 0.07). These associations were not observed for the intermediate UPDRS3 group (both p-value for trend ≥ 0.59). Conclusions Inflammation mediated by inducible nitric oxide synthase may possibly contribute to the association between welding fume and parkinsonism, but requires verification in a longitudinal study. PMID:25634431

  3. Hypothesis: a role for EBV-induced molecular mimicry in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Woulfe, John M; Gray, Madison T; Gray, Douglas A; Munoz, David G; Middeldorp, Jaap M

    2014-07-01

    Current concepts regarding the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease support a model whereby environmental factors conspire with a permissive genetic background to initiate the disease. The identity of the responsible environmental trigger has remained elusive. There is incontrovertible evidence that aggregation of the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein is central to disease pathogenesis. A novel hypothesis of Parkinson's pathogenesis, articulated by Braak and colleagues, implicates a pathogen acting in the olfactory mucosa and gastrointestinal tract as the inciting agent. In this point-of-view article, we hypothesize that α-synuclein aggregation in Parkinson's disease is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced autoimmune phenomenon. Specifically, we have shown evidence for molecular mimicry between the C-terminal region of α-synuclein and a repeat region in the latent membrane protein 1 encoded by EBV. We hypothesize that, in genetically-susceptible individuals, anti-EBV latent membrane protein antibodies targeting the critical repeat region cross react with the homologous epitope on α-synuclein and induce its oligomerization. Consistent with the Braak's proposed pattern of spread, we contend that axon terminals in the lamina propria of the gut are among the initial targets, with subsequent spread of pathology to the CNS. While at this time, we can only provide evidence from the literature and preliminary findings from our own laboratory, we hope that our hypothesis will stimulate the development of tractable experimental systems that can be exploited to test it. Further support for an EBV-induced immune pathogenesis for Parkinson's disease could have profound therapeutic implications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. California’s Parkinson’s Disease Registry Pilot Project - Coordination Center and Northern California Ascertainment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-03-01

    www.capdregistry.org) and email box were created and launched in March, 2008. Requests for information about the registry from patients, colleagues and...d. Review and determination of study diagnosis. For cases with multiple parkinsonism codes (i.e. diagnosed with more than one of 332.0, 333.0...individuals (10.7%) had ICD-9 codes for other forms of neurodegenerative parkinsonism . The remaining 2.1% were primarily drug- induced parkinsonism

  5. TCH346 as a neuroprotective drug in Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Olanow, C Warren; Schapira, Anthony H V; LeWitt, Peter A; Kieburtz, Karl; Sauer, Dirk; Olivieri, Gianfranco; Pohlmann, Harald; Hubble, Jean

    2006-12-01

    There is an important unmet medical need in Parkinson's disease for a neuroprotective treatment that slows or stops disease progression. TCH346 is a potent anti-apoptotic drug that protects against loss of dopaminergic neurons in laboratory models. Our aim was to assess TCH346 as a neuroprotective drug in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patients presenting at 45 international movement disorder clinics with early untreated Parkinson's disease were assessed as part of this parallel-group, double-blind, randomised controlled trial. 301 eligible patients were randomly assigned 12-18 months' treatment with TCH346 at a daily dose of 0.5 mg (n=78), 2.5 mg (n=79), or 10 mg (n=73), or placebo (n=71), followed by a 4 week washout period. The primary outcome measure was time to development of a disability requiring dopaminergic treatment. Secondary outcome measures were the annual rate of change in the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and the PDQ-39, a measure of quality of life. Analyses were by intention-to-treat. This study is pending registration with . 255 patients completed the study. TCH346 did not differ from placebo for any of the study outcomes. Treatment was needed in 26 (34%) patients in the TCH346 0.5 mg group, 30 (38%) in the TCH346 2.5 mg group, 24 (33%) in the TCH346 10 mg group, and 23 (32%) in the placebo group. There were no significant differences between groups. There were no differences between groups in the annual change in the UPDRS or PDQ-39 either. Few patients withdrew because of adverse events and none was judged to be related to the study intervention. TCH346 did not show evidence of a neuroprotective effect. The discrepancy between the preclinical promise of TCH346 and the clinical outcome could have arisen because of the use of laboratory models that do not accurately reflect the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, the doses of study drug used, insensitive clinical endpoints, and the patient population selected for study.

  6. Molecular docking and spectroscopic investigations aided by density functional theory of Parkinson's drug 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sherlin, Y. Sheeba; Vijayakumar, T.; Roy, S. D. D.; Jayakumar, V. S.

    2018-05-01

    Molecular geometry of Parkinson's drug 2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine hydrochloride (Dopamine, DA) has been evaluated and compared with experimental XRD data. Molecular docking and vibrational spectral analysis of DA have been carried out using FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra aided by Density Functional Theory at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). The present investigation deals with the analysis of structural and spectral features responsible for drug activities, nature of hydrogen bonding interactions of the molecule and the correlation of Parkinson's nature with its molecular structural features.

  7. Current Experimental Studies of Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Jing-ya; Xie, Cheng-long; Zhang, Su-fang; Yuan, Weien; Liu, Zhen-Guo

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) was characterized by late-onset, progressive dopamine neuron loss and movement disorders. The progresses of PD affected the neural function and integrity. To date, most researches had largely addressed the dopamine replacement therapies, but the appearance of L-dopa-induced dyskinesia hampered the use of the drug. And the mechanism of PD is so complicated that it's hard to solve the problem by just add drugs. Researchers began to focus on the genetic underpinnings of Parkinson's disease, searching for new method that may affect the neurodegeneration processes in it. In this paper, we reviewed current delivery methods used in gene therapies for PD, we also summarized the primary target of the gene therapy in the treatment of PD, such like neurotrophic factor (for regeneration), the synthesis of neurotransmitter (for prolong the duration of L-dopa), and the potential proteins that might be a target to modulate via gene therapy. Finally, we discussed RNA interference therapies used in Parkinson's disease, it might act as a new class of drug. We mainly focus on the efficiency and tooling features of different gene therapies in the treatment of PD. PMID:28515689

  8. Motor assessment in Parkinson`s disease.

    PubMed

    Opara, Józef; Małecki, Andrzej; Małecka, Elżbieta; Socha, Teresa

    2017-09-21

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of most disabling disorders of the central nervous system. The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease: shaking, rigidity, slowness of movement, postural instability and difficulty with walking and gait, are difficult to measure. When disease symptoms become more pronounced, the patient experiences difficulties with hand function and walking, and is prone to falls. Baseline motor impairment and cognitive impairment are probable predictors of more rapid motor decline and disability. An additional difficulty is the variability of the symptoms caused by adverse effects of drugs, especially levodopa. Motor assessment of Parkinson`s Disease can be divided into clinimetrics, assessment of balance and posture, arm and hand function, and gait/walking. These are many clinimetric scales used in Parkinson`s Disease, the most popular being the Hoehn and Yahr stages of progression of the disease and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Balance and posture can be assessed by clinimetric scales like the Berg BS, Tinetti, Brunel BA, and Timed Up and Go Test, or measured by posturometric platforms. Among skill tests, the best known are: the Purdue Pegboard Test, Nine-Hole Peg Test, Jebsen and Taylor test, Pig- Tail Test, Frenchay Arm Test, Action Research Arm Test, Wolf FMT and Finger-Tapping Test. Among motricity scales, the most popular are: the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment Scale and Södring Motor Evaluation. Gait and walking can also be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Recently, the most popular is three-dimensional analysis of movement. This review article presents the current possibilities of motor assessment in Parkinson`s disease.

  9. Levodopa-induced plasticity: a double-edged sword in Parkinson's disease?

    PubMed Central

    Calabresi, Paolo; Ghiglieri, Veronica; Mazzocchetti, Petra; Corbelli, Ilenia; Picconi, Barbara

    2015-01-01

    The long-term replacement therapy with the dopamine (DA) precursor 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) is a milestone in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although this drug precursor can be metabolized into the active neurotransmitter DA throughout the brain, its therapeutic benefit is due to restoring extracellular DA levels within the dorsal striatum, which lacks endogenous DA as a consequence of the neurodegenerative process induced by the disease. In the early phases of PD, L-DOPA treatment is able to restore both long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP), two major forms of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity that are altered by dopaminergic denervation. However, unlike physiological DA transmission, this therapeutic approach in the advanced phase of the disease leads to abnormal peaks of DA, non-synaptically released, which are supposed to trigger behavioural sensitization, namely L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. This condition is characterized by a loss of synaptic depotentiation, an inability to reverse previously induced LTP. In the advanced stages of PD, L-DOPA can also induce non-motor fluctuations with cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as compulsive behaviours and impulse control disorders. Although the mechanisms underlying the role of L-DOPA in both motor and behavioural symptoms are still incompletely understood, recent data from electrophysiological and imaging studies have increased our understanding of the function of the brain areas involved and of the mechanisms implicated in both therapeutic and adverse actions of L-DOPA in PD patients. PMID:26009763

  10. Pharmacotherapy for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Chen, Jack J; Swope, David M

    2007-12-01

    The available pharmacotherapies for Parkinson's disease address symptomatology because no agent has been demonstrated to provide definite neuroprotection against the disease. Choice of pharmacotherapy must include consideration of short-term benefits as well as long-term consequences. Patients with mild Parkinson's disease often function adequately without symptomatic treatment. However, recent data suggest that initiation of treatment with a well-tolerated agent (e.g., the monoamine oxidase [MAO]-B inhibitor rasagiline) in the absence of functional impairment is associated with improved long-term outcomes. Consideration should also be given to many patient-specific factors, including patient expectations, level of disability, employment status, functional as well as chronologic age, expected efficacy and tolerability of drugs, and response to previous Parkinson's disease therapies. Increasingly, initial monotherapy begins with a nondopaminergic agent or, if the patient is considered functionally young, a dopamine agonist. Since Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder, adjustments to pharmacotherapy must be expected over time. When greater symptomatic relief is desired, or in the more frail elderly patient, levodopa therapy should be considered. If motor fluctuations develop, addition of a catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor or MAO-B inhibitor should be considered. For management of levodopa-induced dyskinesias, addition of amantadine is an option. Surgery may be considered when patients need additional symptomatic control or are experiencing severe motor complications despite pharmacologically optimized therapy.

  11. Protein Kinases and Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Mehdi, Syed Jafar; Rosas-Hernandez, Hector; Cuevas, Elvis; Lantz, Susan M; Barger, Steven W; Sarkar, Sumit; Paule, Merle G; Ali, Syed F; Imam, Syed Z

    2016-09-20

    Currently, the lack of new drug candidates for the treatment of major neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease has intensified the search for drugs that can be repurposed or repositioned for such treatment. Typically, the search focuses on drugs that have been approved and are used clinically for other indications. Kinase inhibitors represent a family of popular molecules for the treatment and prevention of various cancers, and have emerged as strong candidates for such repurposing because numerous serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the pathobiology of Parkinson's disease. This review focuses on various kinase-dependent pathways associated with the expression of Parkinson's disease pathology, and evaluates how inhibitors of these pathways might play a major role as effective therapeutic molecules.

  12. Drug-induced parkinsonism in relation to choline-containing compounds measured by 1H-MR spectroscopy in putamen of chronically medicated patients with schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Yamasue, Hidenori; Fukui, Tsunehiro; Fukuda, Rin; Kasai, Kiyoto; Iwanami, Akira; Kato, Nobumasa; Kato, Tadafumi

    2003-12-01

    Extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS), the most frequent and severe side-effects of antipsychotics, sometimes become irreversible and cause severe psychosocial disturbance in patients with schizophrenia. However, the neurobiological basis of EPS has not yet been elucidated. In this study, neurochemical correlates of EPS were examined by 1H-MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Sixteen medicated patients with schizophrenia and 15 age-, gender- and parental-socioeconomic-status-matched normal controls were examined using single-voxel 1H-MRS. Absolute concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho), creatine/phosphocreatine, myo-inositol, and Glx (glutamate and glutamine) in the left putamen were evaluated. The patient group showed mild EPS and no significant metabolic abnormalities in this region. The more severe drug-induced parkinsonism assessed by the Simpson-Angus Scale, however, significantly correlated with the higher Cho concentration and tended to be correlated with the higher NAA concentration in the patient group. These results suggest a potential of 1H-MRS as a non-invasive monitoring method of neurobiological correlates of EPS associated with neuroleptic treatments in patients with schizophrenia.

  13. Impulse control disorders and levodopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: an update.

    PubMed

    Voon, Valerie; Napier, T Celeste; Frank, Michael J; Sgambato-Faure, Veronique; Grace, Anthony A; Rodriguez-Oroz, Maria; Obeso, Jose; Bezard, Erwan; Fernagut, Pierre-Olivier

    2017-03-01

    Dopaminergic medications used in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease are associated with motor and non-motor behavioural side-effects, such as dyskinesias and impulse control disorders also known as behavioural addictions. Levodopa-induced dyskinesias occur in up to 80% of patients with Parkinson's after a few years of chronic treatment. Impulse control disorders, including gambling disorder, binge eating disorder, compulsive sexual behaviour, and compulsive shopping occur in about 17% of patients with Parkinson's disease on dopamine agonists. These behaviours reflect the interactions of the dopaminergic medications with the individual's susceptibility, and the underlying neurobiology of Parkinson's disease. Parkinsonian rodent models show enhanced reinforcing effects of chronic dopaminergic medication, and a potential role for individual susceptibility. In patients with Parkinson's disease and impulse control disorders, impairments are observed across subtypes of decisional impulsivity, possibly reflecting uncertainty and the relative balance of rewards and losses. Impairments appear to be more specific to decisional than motor impulsivity, which might reflect differences in ventral and dorsal striatal engagement. Emerging evidence suggests impulse control disorder subtypes have dissociable correlates, which indicate that individual susceptibility predisposes towards the expression of different behavioural subtypes and neurobiological substrates. Therapeutic interventions to treat patients with Parkinson's disease and impulse control disorders have shown efficacy in randomised controlled trials. Large-scale studies are warranted to identify individual risk factors and novel therapeutic targets for these diseases. Mechanisms underlying impulse control disorders and dyskinesias could provide crucial insights into other behavioural symptoms in Parkinson's disease and addictions in the general population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  14. Manganese-Induced Parkinsonism and Parkinson’s Disease: Shared and Distinguishable Features

    PubMed Central

    Kwakye, Gunnar F.; Paoliello, Monica M.B.; Mukhopadhyay, Somshuvra; Bowman, Aaron B.; Aschner, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element necessary for physiological processes that support development, growth and neuronal function. Secondary to elevated exposure or decreased excretion, Mn accumulates in the basal ganglia region of the brain and may cause a parkinsonian-like syndrome, referred to as manganism. The present review discusses the advances made in understanding the essentiality and neurotoxicity of Mn. We review occupational Mn-induced parkinsonism and the dynamic modes of Mn transport in biological systems, as well as the detection and pharmacokinetic modeling of Mn trafficking. In addition, we review some of the shared similarities, pathologic and clinical distinctions between Mn-induced parkinsonism and Parkinson’s disease. Where possible, we review the influence of Mn toxicity on dopamine, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate neurotransmitter levels and function. We conclude with a survey of the preventive and treatment strategies for manganism and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). PMID:26154659

  15. [Assessment of anti-tremorogenic drugs--nicotine-induced tail-tremor model].

    PubMed

    Suemaru, K; Kawasaki, H; Gomita, Y

    1997-06-01

    The repeated administration of nicotine at small doses, which do not produce whole body tremor or convulsion, causes tremor only in the tail (tail-tremor) of rats. The tremor is accompanied by locomotor hyperactivity without rigidity and immobility of the whole body, suggesting that the nicotine-induced tail-tremor model is useful for studying the mechanism underlying tremor associated with movement. The tail-tremor induced by nicotine was suppressed by mecamylamine, a nicotinic antagonist, but not by atropine or scopolamine, muscalinic antagonists. Moreover, the tail-tremor was suppressed by the beta-blockers propranolol and pindolol, as well as the benzodiazepines diazepam and clonazepam. Tremor at rest is observed only in Parkinson's disease, which is improved with anti-muscalinic drugs. Essential tremor is one of the typical tremors connected with movement (postural and kinetic tremor) and is improved with beta-blocker. These findings and results suggest that nicotine-induced tail-tremor is useful for the study of essential tremor in animal models.

  16. Permeability of blood-brain barrier in macaque model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Thiollier, Thibaud; Wu, Caisheng; Contamin, Hugues; Li, Qin; Zhang, Jinlan; Bezard, Erwan

    2016-06-01

    Brain bioavailability of drugs developed to address central nervous system diseases is classically documented through cerebrospinal fluid collected in normal animals, i.e., through an approximation as there are fundamental differences between cerebrospinal fluid and tissue contents. The fact that disease might affect brain availability of drugs is almost never considered at this stage although several conditions are associated with blood-brain barrier damage. Building upon our expertise in Parkinson's disease translational research, the present study addressed this gap comparing plasma and cerebrospinal fluid bioavailability of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, carbamazepine, quinidine, lovastatin, and simvastatin, in healthy and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-treated macaques, the gold standard model of Parkinson's disease. The drugs were selected based upon their differential transport across the blood-brain barrier. Interestingly, brain bioavailability of quinidine was decreased while others were unaffected. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics experiments of drugs addressing Parkinson's disease might thus be performed in healthy animals unless the drugs are known to interact with the organic cation transporter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Altered neural responses to heat pain in drug-naive patients with Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Forkmann, Katarina; Grashorn, Wiebke; Schmidt, Katharina; Fründt, Odette; Buhmann, Carsten; Bingel, Ulrike

    2017-08-01

    Pain is a frequent but still neglected nonmotor symptom of Parkinson disease (PD). However, neural mechanisms underlying pain in PD are poorly understood. Here, we explored whether the high prevalence of pain in PD might be related to dysfunctional descending pain control. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we explored neural responses during the anticipation and processing of heat pain in 21 PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr I-III) and 23 healthy controls (HC). Parkinson disease patients were naive to dopaminergic medication to avoid confounding drug effects. Fifteen heat pain stimuli were applied to the participants' forearm. Intensity and unpleasantness ratings were provided for each stimulus. Subjective pain perception was comparable for PD patients and HC. Neural processing, however, differed between groups: PD patients showed lower activity in several descending pain modulation regions (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex [dACC], subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]) and lower functional connectivity between dACC and DLPFC during pain anticipation. Parkinson disease symptom severity was negatively correlated with dACC-DLPFC connectivity indicating impaired functional coupling of pain modulatory regions with disease progression. During pain perception PD patients showed higher midcingulate cortex activity compared with HC, which also scaled with PD severity. Interestingly, dACC-DLPFC connectivity during pain anticipation was negatively associated with midcingulate cortex activity during the receipt of pain in PD patients. This study indicates altered neural processing during the anticipation and receipt of experimental pain in drug-naive PD patients. It provides first evidence for a progressive decline in descending pain modulation in PD, which might be related to the high prevalence of pain in later stages of PD.

  18. Drug-Path: a database for drug-induced pathways

    PubMed Central

    Zeng, Hui; Cui, Qinghua

    2015-01-01

    Some databases for drug-associated pathways have been built and are publicly available. However, the pathways curated in most of these databases are drug-action or drug-metabolism pathways. In recent years, high-throughput technologies such as microarray and RNA-sequencing have produced lots of drug-induced gene expression profiles. Interestingly, drug-induced gene expression profile frequently show distinct patterns, indicating that drugs normally induce the activation or repression of distinct pathways. Therefore, these pathways contribute to study the mechanisms of drugs and drug-repurposing. Here, we present Drug-Path, a database of drug-induced pathways, which was generated by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis for drug-induced upregulated genes and downregulated genes based on drug-induced gene expression datasets in Connectivity Map. Drug-Path provides user-friendly interfaces to retrieve, visualize and download the drug-induced pathway data in the database. In addition, the genes deregulated by a given drug are highlighted in the pathways. All data were organized using SQLite. The web site was implemented using Django, a Python web framework. Finally, we believe that this database will be useful for related researches. Database URL: http://www.cuilab.cn/drugpath PMID:26130661

  19. Drug-Path: a database for drug-induced pathways.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Hui; Qiu, Chengxiang; Cui, Qinghua

    2015-01-01

    Some databases for drug-associated pathways have been built and are publicly available. However, the pathways curated in most of these databases are drug-action or drug-metabolism pathways. In recent years, high-throughput technologies such as microarray and RNA-sequencing have produced lots of drug-induced gene expression profiles. Interestingly, drug-induced gene expression profile frequently show distinct patterns, indicating that drugs normally induce the activation or repression of distinct pathways. Therefore, these pathways contribute to study the mechanisms of drugs and drug-repurposing. Here, we present Drug-Path, a database of drug-induced pathways, which was generated by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis for drug-induced upregulated genes and downregulated genes based on drug-induced gene expression datasets in Connectivity Map. Drug-Path provides user-friendly interfaces to retrieve, visualize and download the drug-induced pathway data in the database. In addition, the genes deregulated by a given drug are highlighted in the pathways. All data were organized using SQLite. The web site was implemented using Django, a Python web framework. Finally, we believe that this database will be useful for related researches. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

  20. Rasagiline. Parkinson's disease: a simple me-too.

    PubMed

    2006-12-01

    In Parkinson's disease, rasagiline, either alone (in early stage disease) or combined with levodopa, provides nothing new in terms of efficacy or tolerability. It is better to continue using one of the many anti-parkinson drugs with which we have more experience rather than expose patients to a new drug which offers no advantages.

  1. Multidisciplinary perspectives for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: hydrogels for protein delivery and cell-based drug delivery as therapeutic strategies.

    PubMed

    Giordano, Carmen; Albani, Diego; Gloria, Antonio; Tunesi, Marta; Batelli, Sara; Russo, Teresa; Forloni, Gianluigi; Ambrosio, Luigi; Cigada, Alberto

    2009-12-01

    This review presents two intriguing multidisciplinary strategies that might make the difference in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The first proposed strategy is based on the controlled delivery of recombinant proteins known to play a key role in these neurodegenerative disorders that are released in situ by optimized polymer-based systems. The second strategy is the use of engineered cells, encapsulated and delivered in situ by suitable polymer-based systems, that act as drug reservoirs and allow the delivery of selected molecules to be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. In both these scenarios, the design and development of optimized polymer-based drug delivery and cell housing systems for central nervous system applications represent a key requirement. Materials science provides suitable hydrogel-based tools to be optimized together with suitably designed recombinant proteins or drug delivering-cells that, once in situ, can provide an effective treatment for these neurodegenerative disorders. In this scenario, only interdisciplinary research that fully integrates biology, biochemistry, medicine and materials science can provide a springboard for the development of suitable therapeutic tools, not only for the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases but also, prospectively, for a wide range of severe neurodegenerative disorders.

  2. Drug-Induced Hematologic Syndromes

    PubMed Central

    Mintzer, David M.; Billet, Shira N.; Chmielewski, Lauren

    2009-01-01

    Objective. Drugs can induce almost the entire spectrum of hematologic disorders, affecting white cells, red cells, platelets, and the coagulation system. This paper aims to emphasize the broad range of drug-induced hematological syndromes and to highlight some of the newer drugs and syndromes. Methods. Medline literature on drug-induced hematologic syndromes was reviewed. Most reports and reviews focus on individual drugs or cytopenias. Results. Drug-induced syndromes include hemolytic anemias, methemoglobinemia, red cell aplasia, sideroblastic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, polycythemia, aplastic anemia, leukocytosis, neutropenia, eosinophilia, immune thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic syndromes, hypercoagulability, hypoprothrombinemia, circulating anticoagulants, myelodysplasia, and acute leukemia. Some of the classic drugs known to cause hematologic abnormalities have been replaced by newer drugs, including biologics, accompanied by their own syndromes and unintended side effects. Conclusions. Drugs can induce toxicities spanning many hematologic syndromes, mediated by a variety of mechanisms. Physicians need to be alert to the potential for iatrogenic drug-induced hematologic complications. PMID:19960059

  3. Changes in regional blood flow induced by unilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Tanei, Takafumi; Kajita, Yasukazu; Nihashi, Takashi; Kaneoke, Yoshiki; Takebayashi, Shigenori; Nakatsubo, Daisuke; Wakabayashi, Toshihiko

    2009-11-01

    Changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) induced by unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) were investigated in 7 consecutive patients with Parkinson's disease, 4 men and 3 women (mean age 62.3 +/- 8.1 years), who underwent rCBF measurement by N-isopropyl-p-(iodine-123)-iodoamphetamine single photon emission computed tomography at rest before and after unilateral STN DBS preoperatively in the on-drug condition, and postoperatively in the on-drug and on-stimulation condition. Statistical parametric mapping was used to identify significant changes in rCBF from the preoperative to the postoperative conditions. rCBF was increased in the bilateral cingulate cortices and bilateral cerebellar hemispheres. rCBF was decreased in the bilateral medial frontal cortices and left superior temporal cortex. Unilateral STN DBS produced rCBF changes in the bilateral cingulate cortices, cerebellar hemispheres, and medial frontal cortices. These findings indicate that unilateral STN DBS affects rCBF in both hemispheres.

  4. Application of Several Multimedia Approaches to the Teaching of CNS Pharmacology: Parkinson's Disease and Antiparkinsonism Drugs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faulkner, Thomas P.; Sprague, Jon E.

    1996-01-01

    A multimedia approach to drug therapy for Parkinson's Disease, part of a pharmacy school central nervous system course, integrated use of lecture, textbook, video/graphic technology, the movie "Awakenings," Internet and World Wide Web, and an interactive animated movie. A followup questionnaire found generally positive student attitudes…

  5. Striatal activation by optogenetics induces dyskinesias in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    F Hernández, Ledia; Castela, Ivan; Ruiz-DeDiego, Irene; Obeso, Jose A; Moratalla, Rosario

    2017-04-01

    Long-term levodopa (l-dopa) treatment is associated with the development of l-dopa-induced dyskinesias in the majority of patients with Parkinson disease (PD). The etiopathogonesis and mechanisms underlying l-dopa-induced dyskinesias are not well understood. We used striatal optogenetic stimulation to induce dyskinesias in a hemiparkinsonian model of PD in rats. Striatal dopamine depletion was induced unilaterally by 6-hydroxydopamine injection into the medial forebrain bundle. For the optogenetic manipulation, we injected adeno-associated virus particles expressing channelrhodopsin to stimulate striatal medium spiny neurons with a laser source. Simultaneous optical activation of medium spiny neurons of the direct and indirect striatal pathways in the 6-hydroxydopamine lesion but l-dopa naïve rats induced involuntary movements similar to l-dopa-induced dyskinesias, labeled here as optodyskinesias. Noticeably, optodyskinesias were facilitated by l-dopa in animals that did not respond initially to the laser stimulation. In general, optodyskinesias lasted while the laser stimulus was applied, but in some instances remained ongoing for a few seconds after the laser was off. Postmortem tissue analysis revealed increased FosB expression, a molecular marker of l-dopa-induced dyskinesias, primarily in medium spiny neurons of the direct pathway in the dopamine-depleted hemisphere. Selective optogenetic activation of the dorsolateral striatum elicits dyskinesias in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of PD. This effect was associated with a preferential activation of the direct striato-nigral pathway. These results potentially open new avenues in the understanding of mechanisms involved in l-dopa-induced dyskinesias. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  6. Drug Delivery Systems for Imaging and Therapy of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Gunay, Mine Silindir; Ozer, A. Yekta; Chalon, Sylvie

    2016-01-01

    Background: Although a variety of therapeutic approaches are available for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, challenges limit effective therapy. Among these challenges are delivery of drugs through the blood brain barier to the target brain tissue and the side effects observed during long term administration of antiparkinsonian drugs. The use of drug delivery systems such as liposomes, niosomes, micelles, nanoparticles, nanocapsules, gold nanoparticles, microspheres, microcapsules, nanobubbles, microbubbles and dendrimers is being investigated for diagnosis and therapy. Methods: This review focuses on formulation, development and advantages of nanosized drug delivery systems which can penetrate the central nervous system for the therapy and/or diagnosis of PD, and highlights future nanotechnological approaches. Results: It is esential to deliver a sufficient amount of either therapeutic or radiocontrast agents to the brain in order to provide the best possible efficacy or imaging without undesired degradation of the agent. Current treatments focus on motor symptoms, but these treatments generally do not deal with modifying the course of Parkinson’s disease. Beyond pharmacological therapy, the identification of abnormal proteins such as α-synuclein, parkin or leucine-rich repeat serine/threonine protein kinase 2 could represent promising alternative targets for molecular imaging and therapy of Parkinson's disease. Conclusion: Nanotechnology and nanosized drug delivery systems are being investigated intensely and could have potential effect for Parkinson’s disease. The improvement of drug delivery systems could dramatically enhance the effectiveness of Parkinson’s Disease therapy and reduce its side effects. PMID:26714584

  7. Drug development in Parkinson's disease: from emerging molecules to innovative drug delivery systems.

    PubMed

    Garbayo, E; Ansorena, E; Blanco-Prieto, M J

    2013-11-01

    Current treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD) are aimed at addressing motor symptoms but there is no therapy focused on modifying the course of the disease. Successful treatment strategies have been so far limited and brain drug delivery remains a major challenge that restricts its treatment. This review provides an overview of the most promising emerging agents in the field of PD drug discovery, discussing improvements that have been made in brain drug delivery for PD. It will be shown that new approaches able to extend the length of the treatment, to release the drug in a continuous manner or to cross the blood-brain barrier and target a specific region are still needed. Overall, the results reviewed here show that there is an urgent need to develop both symptomatic and disease-modifying treatments, giving priority to neuroprotective treatments. Promising perspectives are being provided in this field by rasagiline and by neurotrophic factors like glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. The identification of disease-relevant genes has also encouraged the search for disease-modifying therapies that function by identifying molecularly targeted drugs. The advent of new molecular and cellular targets like α-synuclein, leucine-rich repeat serine/threonine protein kinase 2 or parkin, among others, will require innovative delivery therapies. In this regard, drug delivery systems (DDS) have shown great potential for improving the efficacy of conventional and new PD therapy and reducing its side effects. The new DDS discussed here, which include microparticles, nanoparticles and hydrogels among others, will probably open up possibilities that extend beyond symptomatic relief. However, further work needs to be done before DDS become a therapeutic option for PD patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Spectrophotometric determination of dopaminergic drugs used for Parkinson's disease, cabergoline and ropinirole, in pharmaceutical preparations.

    PubMed

    Onal, Armağan; Cağlar, Sena

    2007-04-01

    Simple and reproducible spectrophotometric methods have been developed for determination of dopaminergic drugs used for Parkinson's disease, cabergoline (CAB) and ropinirole hydrochloride (ROP), in pharmaceutical preparations. The methods are based on the reactions between the studied drug substances and ion-pair agents [methyl orange (MO), bromocresol green (BCG) and bromophenol blue (BPB)] producing yellow colored ion-pair complexes in acidic buffers, after extracting in dichloromethane, which are spectrophotometrically determined at the appropriate wavelength of ion-pair complexes. Beer's law was obeyed within the concentration range from 1.0 to 35 microg ml(-1). The developed methods were applied successfully for the determination of these drugs in tablets.

  9. Hydrocortisone-induced parkin prevents dopaminergic cell death via CREB pathway in Parkinson's disease model.

    PubMed

    Ham, Sangwoo; Lee, Yun-Il; Jo, Minkyung; Kim, Hyojung; Kang, Hojin; Jo, Areum; Lee, Gum Hwa; Mo, Yun Jeong; Park, Sang Chul; Lee, Yun Song; Shin, Joo-Ho; Lee, Yunjong

    2017-04-03

    Dysfunctional parkin due to mutations or post-translational modifications contributes to dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Overexpression of parkin provides protection against cellular stresses and prevents dopamine cell loss in several PD animal models. Here we performed an unbiased high-throughput luciferase screening to identify chemicals that can increase parkin expression. Among promising parkin inducers, hydrocortisone possessed the most favorable profiles including parkin induction ability, cell protection ability, and physicochemical property of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) without inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress. We found that hydrocortisone-induced parkin expression was accountable for cell protection against oxidative stress. Hydrocortisone-activated parkin expression was mediated by CREB pathway since gRNA to CREB abolished hydrocortisone's ability to induce parkin. Finally, hydrocortisone treatment in mice increased brain parkin levels and prevented 6-hydroxy dopamine induced dopamine cell loss when assessed at 4 days after the toxin's injection. Our results showed that hydrocortisone could stimulate parkin expression via CREB pathway and the induced parkin expression was accountable for its neuroprotective effect. Since glucocorticoid is a physiological hormone, maintaining optimal levels of glucocorticoid might be a potential therapeutic or preventive strategy for Parkinson's disease.

  10. Side effects induced by the acute levodopa challenge in Parkinson's Disease and atypical parkinsonisms.

    PubMed

    Vasta, Rosario; Nicoletti, Alessandra; Mostile, Giovanni; Dibilio, Valeria; Sciacca, Giorgia; Contrafatto, Donatella; Cicero, Calogero Edoardo; Raciti, Loredana; Luca, Antonina; Zappia, Mario

    2017-01-01

    Acute levodopa challenge may be performed to predict levodopa chronic responsiveness. The aim of the study was to investigate frequency of side effects during the acute levodopa challenge in PD and atypical parkinsonisms. We enrolled 34 de novo PD patients and 29 patients affected by atypical parkinsonisms (Multiple System Atrophy, MSA, n = 10; Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, PSP, n = 12 and Corticobasal Degeneration, CBD, n = 7) who underwent an acute levodopa challenge. Side effects occurring during test were recorded. Side effects were more frequent among atypical parkinsonisms as unique group when compared to PD patients (64.3% versus 23.5%; p-value 0.002) with an adjusted OR of 4.36 (95%CI 1.40-13.5). Each atypical parkinsonisms showed almost double occurrence of side effects (MSA 90%, PSP 41.7% and CBD 57%). Side effects during acute levodopa challenge may be frequent in atypical parkinsonisms. This information could be useful in order to better prepare the patient for the test. Furthermore, it could represent a useful cue in differential diagnosis with PD.

  11. [Drug induced diarrhea].

    PubMed

    Morard, Isabelle; Hadengue, Antoine

    2008-09-03

    Diarrhea is a frequent adverse event involving the most frequently antibiotics, laxatives and NSAI. Drug induced diarrhea may be acute or chronic. It may be due to expected, dose dependant properties of the drug, to immuno-allergic or bio-genomic mechanisms. Several pathophysiological mechanisms have been described resulting in osmotic, secretory or inflammatory diarrhea, shortened transit time, or malabsorption. Histopathological lesions sometimes associated with drug induced diarrhea are usually non specific and include ulcerations, inflammatory or ischemic lesions, fibrous diaphragms, microscopic colitis and apoptosis. The diagnosis of drug induced diarrhea, sometimes difficult to assess, relies on the absence of other obvious causes and on the rapid disappearance of the symptoms after withdrawal of the suspected drug.

  12. The emerging science of precision medicine and pharmacogenomics for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Payami, Haydeh

    2017-08-01

    Current therapies for Parkinson's disease are problematic because they are symptomatic and have adverse effects. New drugs have failed in clinical trials because of inadequate efficacy. At the core of the problem is trying to make one drug work for all Parkinson's disease patients, when we know this premise is wrong because (1) Parkinson's disease is not a single disease, and (2) no two individuals have the same biological makeup. Precision medicine is the goal to strive for, but we are only at the beginning stages of building the infrastructure for one of the most complex projects in the history of science, and it will be a long time before Parkinson's disease reaps the benefits. Pharmacogenomics, a cornerstone of precision medicine, has already proven successful for many conditions and could also propel drug discovery and improve treatment for Parkinson's disease. To make progress in the pharmacogenomics of Parkinson's disease, we need to change course from small inconclusive candidate gene studies to large-scale rigorously planned genome-wide studies that capture the nuclear genome and the microbiome. Pharmacogenomic studies must use homogenous subtypes of Parkinson's disease or apply the brute force of statistical power to overcome heterogeneity, which will require large sample sizes achievable only via internet-based methods and electronic databases. Large-scale pharmacogenomic studies, together with biomarker discovery efforts, will yield the knowledge necessary to design clinical trials with precision to alleviate confounding by disease heterogeneity and interindividual variability in drug response, two of the major impediments to successful drug discovery and effective treatment. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  13. Preparation and evaluation of injectable Rasagiline mesylate dual-controlled drug delivery system for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Ying; Zhang, Xuemei; Mu, Hongjie; Hua, Hongchen; Duan, Dongyu; Yan, Xiuju; Wang, Yiyun; Meng, Qingqing; Lu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Aiping; Liu, Wanhui; Li, Youxin; Sun, Kaoxiang

    2018-11-01

    A microsphere-gel in situ forming implant (MS-Gel ISFI) dual-controlled drug delivery system was applied to a high water-soluble small-molecule compound Rasagiline mesylate (RM) for effective treatment of Parkinson's disease. This injectable complex depot system combined an in situ phase transition gel with high drug-loading and encapsulation efficiency RM-MS prepared by a modified emulsion-phase separation method and optimized by Box-Behnken design. It was evaluated for in vitro drug release, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and in vivo pharmacodynamics. We found that the RM-MS-Gel ISFI system showed no initial burst release and had a long period of in vitro drug release (60 days). An in vivo pharmacokinetic study indicated a significant reduction (p < .01) in the initial high plasma drug concentration of the RM-MS-Gel ISFI system compared to that of the single RM-MS and RM-in situ gel systems after intramuscular injection to rats. A pharmacodynamic study demonstrated a significant reduction (p < .05) in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced contralateral rotation behavior and an effective improvement (p < .05) in dopamine levels in the striatum of the lesioned side after 28 days in animals treated with the RM-MS-Gel ISFI compared with that of animals treated with saline. MS-embedded in situ phase transition gel is superior for use as a biodegradable and injectable sustained drug delivery system with a low initial burst and long period of drug release for highly hydrophilic small molecule drugs.

  14. Multimodal drugs and their future for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Van der Schyf, Cornelis J; Geldenhuys, Werner J

    2011-01-01

    This chapter discusses the rationale for developing multimodal or multifunctional drugs (also called designed multiple ligands or DMLs) aimed at disease-modifying treatment strategies for the most common neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (AD and PD). Both the prevalence and incidence of AD and PD have seen consistent and dramatic increases, a disconcerting phenomenon which, ironically, has been attributed to extended life expectancy brought about by better health care globally. In spite of these statistics, the development and introduction to the clinic of new therapies proven to prevent or delay the onset of AD and PD have been disappointing. Evidence has accumulated to suggest that the etiopathology of these diseases is extremely complex, with an array of potential drug targets located within a number of deleterious biochemical pathways. Therefore, in these diseases, it is unlikely that the complex pathoetiological cascade leading to disease initiation or progression will be mitigated by any one drug acting on a single pathway or target. The pursuit of novel DMLs may offer far better outcomes. Although certainly not the only, and perhaps not even the best, approach but farthest along the drug development pipeline in the DML paradigm are drugs that combine inhibition of monoamine oxidase with associated etiological targets unique to either AD or PD. These compounds will constitute the major focus of this chapter, which will also explore radically new paradigms that seek to combine cognitive enhancers with proneurogenesis compounds. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. The medical treatment of Parkinson disease from James Parkinson to George Cotzias.

    PubMed

    Fahn, Stanley

    2015-01-01

    It took exactly 150 years since James Parkinson's description in 1817 of the illness bearing his name until the development of effective therapy for this disorder, namely, the introduction of high-dosage levodopa by George Cotzias in 1967. During the first 50 years, no effective therapy was available, but neurologists reported using different agents, including metals. Then, around 1867, Charcot found solanaceous alkaloids to be somewhat helpful, and these became the accepted and popular therapy for the next 75 years. When basic scientists discovered that these alkaloids had central antimuscarinic activity, pharmaceutical chemists developed synthetic chemical agents that were equally effective, with possibly less adverse effects, and around 1950 these synthetic drugs became the standard medical therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). The link between dopamine and PD did not take place until 1957, 140 years after Parkinson's Essay. The clue came from research on reserpine, a drug derived from the Rauwolfia plant that caused a sedative effect, now recognized as a drug-induced parkinsonian state. Initial investigations revealed that reserpine caused the release and depletion of serotonin stores in the brain. With that knowledge, Arvid Carlsson, a young pharmacologist in Sweden, decided to explore the possibility that reserpine might also affect brain catecholamines. In his now famous, elegant, and simple experiment, he showed that injecting l-dopa, the precursor of catecholamines, alleviated the reserpine-induced parkinsonian state in animals, whereas the precursor of serotonin failed to do so. Carlsson then developed a highly sensitive assay to measure dopamine, and his lab found that dopamine is selectively present in high concentrations in the striatum and that administered l-dopa could restore the dopamine depleted by reserpine. Carlsson postulated that all these findings implicate dopamine in motor disorders. Oleh Hornykiewicz, a young pharmacologist in Vienna, on

  16. Current management of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Salawu, F; Olokoba, A; Danburam, A

    2010-01-01

    Although Parkinson's disease (PD) is still incurable, a large number of different treatments have become available to improve the quality of life and physical and psychological morbidity, and its early treatment is of prime importance. This article reviews the current situation of PD. This review was based on a search of Medline, the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, and citation lists of relevant publications. The subject headings and keywords used were Parkinson's disease and therapeutic advances. Only articles written in English were included.The management of PD has evolved rapidly over the last 10 years with the advent of new drugs and new classes of drugs, but the currently available treatment methods are all symptomatic ones. However, some of these may have marginal disease-modifying effects. Progress in manufacture of newer drugs has markedly improved the treatment of early PD; however, the management of advanced Parkinson's symptoms remains a challenge. Currently no treatment has been proven to slow the progression of PD. Although symptomatic therapy can provide benefit for many years, PD will eventually result in significant morbidity.

  17. Tremorolytic effects of safinamide in animal models of drug-induced parkinsonian tremor.

    PubMed

    Podurgiel, Samantha; Collins-Praino, Lyndsey E; Yohn, Samantha; Randall, Patrick A; Roach, Arthur; Lobianco, Christophe; Salamone, John D

    2013-04-01

    Safinamide is an α-aminoamide derivative that is currently in Phase III clinical trial development as an add-on therapy to levodopa or dopamine agonists for patients with Parkinson's disease. Safinamide is a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor with additional non-dopaminergic actions. The present experiments were performed to evaluate the ability of safinamide to attenuate parkinsonian motor impairments using the tremulous jaw movement model, an animal model of parkinsonian tremor. In rats, tremulous jaw movements can be induced with dopamine (DA) antagonists, DA depletion, and cholinomimetics, and can be reversed by various antiparkinsonian drugs, including L-DOPA, DA agonists, anticholinergics and adenosine A2A antagonists. In these present experiments, tremulous jaw movements were induced with the anticholinesterase galantamine (3.0mg/kg IP), the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine (0.5mg/kg IP), and the dopamine D2 antagonist pimozide (1.0mg/kg IP). Safinamide significantly reduced the number of tremulous jaw movements induced by galantamine, pilocarpine, and pimozide, with consistent effects across all three drugs at a dose range of 5.0-10.0mg/kg. The results of this study support the use of safinamide as a treatment for parkinsonian tremor. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Pharmacological therapy of Parkinson's disease: current options and new avenues.

    PubMed

    Simola, Nicola; Pinna, Annalisa; Fenu, Sandro

    2010-11-01

    Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative pathology which affects the dopaminergic neurons in the mesencephalon, leading to a progressive and relentless motor disability and to non-motor symptoms of different severity. The aim of this review is to summarize the features of drugs currently used in the pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease, with a look at their beneficial effects and limitations. Drugs acting on dopamine transmission, as L-DOPA, direct dopaminergic agonists, inhibitors for either the MAO or COMT enzymes and drugs acting on neurotransmitters other than dopamine (e.g. acetylcholine, glutamate) will be covered. Investigational drugs currently under examination for their therapeutic potential in Parkinson's disease and recent patents which may be relevant to the field will be also discussed.

  19. Metabolomic Analysis Provides Insights on Paraquat-Induced Parkinson-Like Symptoms in Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Shukla, Arvind Kumar; Ratnasekhar, Ch; Pragya, Prakash; Chaouhan, Hitesh Singh; Patel, Devendra Kumar; Chowdhuri, Debapratim Kar; Mudiam, Mohana Krishna Reddy

    2016-01-01

    Paraquat (PQ) exposure causes degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in an exposed organism while altered metabolism has a role in various neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, the study presented here was conceived to depict the role of altered metabolism in PQ-induced Parkinson-like symptoms and to explore Drosophila as a potential model organism for such studies. Metabolic profile was generated in control and in flies that were fed PQ (5, 10, and 20 mM) in the diet for 12 and 24 h concurrent with assessment of indices of oxidative stress, dopaminergic neurodegeneration, and behavioral alteration. PQ was found to significantly alter 24 metabolites belonging to different biological pathways along with significant alterations in the above indices. In addition, PQ attenuated brain dopamine content in the exposed organism. The study demonstrates that PQ-induced alteration in the metabolites leads to oxidative stress and neurodegeneration in the exposed organism along with movement disorder, a phenotype typical of Parkinson-like symptoms. The study is relevant in the context of Drosophila and humans because similar alteration in the metabolic pathways has been observed in both PQ-exposed Drosophila and in postmortem samples of patients with Parkinsonism. Furthermore, this study provides advocacy towards the applicability of Drosophila as an alternate model organism for pre-screening of environmental chemicals for their neurodegenerative potential with altered metabolism.

  20. Safinamide: from molecular targets to a new anti-Parkinson drug.

    PubMed

    Caccia, C; Maj, R; Calabresi, M; Maestroni, S; Faravelli, L; Curatolo, L; Salvati, P; Fariello, R G

    2006-10-10

    Ideal treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) aims at relieving symptoms and slowing disease progression. Of all remedies, levodopa remains the most effective for symptomatic relief, but the medical need for neuroprotectant drugs is still unfulfilled. Safinamide, currently in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of PD, is a unique molecule with multiple mechanisms of action and a very high therapeutic index. It combines potent, selective, and reversible inhibition of MAO-B with blockade of voltage-dependent Na+ and Ca2+ channels and inhibition of glutamate release. Safinamide has neuroprotective and neurorescuing effects in MPTP-treated mice, in the rat kainic acid, and in the gerbil ischemia model. Safinamide potentiates levodopa-mediated increase of DA levels in DA-depleted mice and reverses the waning motor response after prolonged levodopa treatment in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. Safinamide has excellent bioavailability, linear kinetics, and is suitable for once-a-day administration. Therefore, safinamide may be used in PD to reduce l-dopa dosage and also represents a valuable therapeutic drug to test disease-modifying potential.

  1. Multi Target Neuroprotective and Neurorestorative Anti-Parkinson and Anti-Alzheimer Drugs Ladostigil and M30 Derived from Rasagiline

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Present anti-PD and -AD drugs have limited symptomatic activity and devoid of neuroprotective and neurorestorative property that is needed for disease modifying action. The complex pathology of PD and AD led us to develop several multi-target neuroprotective and neurorestorative drugs with several CNS targets with the ability for possible disease modifying activity. Employing the pharmacophore of our anti-parkinson drug rasagiline (Azilect, N-propagrgyl-1-R-aminoindan), we have developed a series of novel multi-functional neuroprotective drugs (A) [TV-3326 (N-propargyl-3R-aminoindan-5yl)-ethyl methylcarbamate)], with both cholinesterase-butyrylesterase and brain selective monoamine-oxidase (MAO) A/B inhibitory activities and (B) the iron chelator-radical scavenging-brain selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) A/B inhibitor and M30 possessing the neuroprotective and neurorescuing propargyl moiety of rasagiline, as potential treatment of AD, DLB and PD with dementia. Another series of multi-target drugs (M30, HLA-20 series) which are brain permeable iron chelators and potent selective brain MAO inhibitors were also developed. These series of drugs have the ability of regulating and processing amyloid precursor protein (APP) since APP and alpha-synuclein are metaloproteins (iron-regulated proteins), with an iron responsive element 5"UTR mRNA similar to transferring and ferritin. Ladostigil inhibits brain acetyl and butyrylcholinesterase in rats after oral doses. After chronic but not acute treatment, it inhibits MAO-A and -B in the brain. Ladostigil acts like an anti-depressant in the forced swim test in rats, indicating a potential for anti-depressant activity. Ladostigil prevents the destruction of nigrostriatal neurons induced by infusion of neurotoxin MPTP in mice. The propargylamine moiety of ladostigil confers neuroprotective activity against cytotoxicity induced by ischemia and peroxynitrite in cultured neuronal cells. The multi-target iron chelator M30 has all the

  2. Effect of montelukast in experimental model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Nagarajan, Vetrivel Babu; Marathe, Padmaja Anil

    2018-06-06

    Despite the availability of many drugs offering symptomatic relief in Parkinson's disease, there are no drugs available offering neuroprotective effect. Hence, it was decided to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of montelukast, an anti-inflammatory drug, in rotenone induced model of Parkinson's disease in rats. Forty eight male wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1: Vehicle control, Group 2: Montelukast 5 mg/kg, Group 3: Montelukast 10 mg/kg. All the groups received rotenone 2.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 10 days as a disease inducing agent. The study drug montelukast was administered to respective groups orally from day 11 to day 24. On day 25, 24 h after 14 days of study drug administration, the rats were subjected to open field test, rota rod test and catalepsy test. Brain samples of rats from each group were collected for Malondialdehyde(MDA), Glutathione(GSH) and TNFα analysis. In the open field test both the doses of montelukast showed significant increase in the locomotor activity and also decreased the immobility time compared to vehicle (p < 0.05). In rotarod test, montelukast 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg showed significant increase in the time to fall, compared to vehicle (p < 0.05). In catalepsy test, both doses of montelukast significantly decreased the retraction time compared to vehicle(p < 0.05). The brain MDA levels were decreased and GSH levels were found to be higher in the two montelukast groups compared to vehicle (p < 0.05). TNFα levels too were decreased significantly on montelukast administration. Montelukast showed potential neuroprotective effect by virtue of its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Effective Treatment of Manganese-Induced Occupational Parkinsonism With p-Aminosalicylic Acid: A Case of 17-Year Follow-Up Study

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Yue-Ming; Mo, Xue-An; Du, Feng-Qi; Fu, Xue; Zhu, Xia-Yan; Gao, Hong-Yu; Xie, Jin-Lan; Liao, Feng-Ling; Pira, Enrico; Zheng, Wei

    2014-01-01

    Objective Chronic manganese (Mn) intoxication induces syndromes resembling Parkinson disease. The clinical intervention has largely been unsuccessful. We report a 17-year follow-up study of effective treatment of occupational Mn parkinsonism with sodium para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS). Methods The patient, female and aged 50 at the time of treatment, was exposed to airborne Mn for 21 years (1963–1984). The patient had palpitations, hand tremor, lower limb myalgia, hypermyotonia, and a distinct festinating gait. She received 6 g PAS per day through an intravenous drip infusion for 4 days and rested for 3 days as one therapeutic course. Fifteen such courses were carried out between March and June 1987. Results At the end of PAS treatment, her symptoms were significantly alleviated, and handwriting recovered to normal. Recent follow-up examination at age 67 years (in 2004) showed a general normal presentation in clinical, neurologic, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and handwriting examinations with a minor yet passable gait. Conclusions This case study suggests that PAS appears to be an effective drug for treatment of severe chronic Mn poisoning with a promising prognosis. PMID:16766929

  4. Multi-Drug-Loaded Microcapsules with Controlled Release for Management of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Baek, Jong-Suep; Choo, Chee Chong; Qian, Cheng; Tan, Nguan Soon; Shen, Zexiang; Loo, Say Chye Joachim

    2016-07-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disease of the nervous system, and is currently managed through commercial tablets that do not sufficiently enable controlled, sustained release capabilities. It is hypothesized that a drug delivery system that provides controlled and sustained release of PD drugs would afford better management of PD. Hollow microcapsules composed of poly-l-lactide (PLLA) and poly (caprolactone) (PCL) are prepared through a modified double-emulsion technique. They are loaded with three PD drugs, i.e., levodopa (LD), carbidopa (CD), and entacapone (ENT), at a ratio of 4:1:8, similar to commercial PD tablets. LD and CD are localized in both the hollow cavity and PLLA/PCL shell, while ENT is localized in the PLLA/PCL shell. Release kinetics of hydrophobic ENT is observed to be relatively slow as compared to the other hydrophilic drugs. It is further hypothesized that encapsulating ENT into PCL as a surface coating onto these microcapsules can aid in accelerating its release. Now, these spray-coated hollow microcapsules exhibit similar release kinetics, according to Higuchi's rate, for all three drugs. The results suggest that multiple drug encapsulation of LD, CD, and ENT in gastric floating microcapsules could be further developed for in vivo evaluation for the management of PD. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Brain aging and Parkinson's disease: New therapeutic approaches using drug delivery systems.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Nogales, C; Garbayo, E; Carmona-Abellán, M M; Luquin, M R; Blanco-Prieto, M J

    2016-02-01

    The etiology and pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is unknown, aging being the strongest risk factor for brain degeneration. Understanding PD pathogenesis and how aging increases the risk of disease would aid the development of therapies able to slow or prevent the progression of this neurodegenerative disorder. In this review we provide an overview of the most promising therapeutic targets and strategies to delay the loss of dopaminergic neurons observed both in PD and aging. Among them, handling alpha-synuclein toxicity, enhancing proteasome and lysosome clearance, ameliorating mitochondrial disruptions and modifying the glial environment are so far the most promising candidates. These new and conventional drugs may present problems related to their labile nature and to the difficulties in reaching the brain. Thus, we highlight the latest types of drug delivery system (DDS)-based strategies for PD treatment, including DDS for local and systemic drug delivery. Finally, the ongoing challenges for the discovery of new targets and the opportunities for DDS-based therapies to improve and efficacious PD therapy will be discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Current Pharmaceutical Treatments and Alternative Therapies of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Jie; Cui, Yanhua; Li, Song; Le, Weidong

    2016-01-01

    Over the decades, pharmaceutical treatments, particularly dopaminergic (DAergic) drugs have been considered as the main therapy against motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is proposed that DAergic drugs in combination with other medications, such as monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors, catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, anticholinergics and other newly developed non-DAergic drugs can make a better control of motor symptoms or alleviate levodopa-induced motor complications. Moreover, non-motor symptoms of PD, such as cognitive, neuropsychiatric, sleep, autonomic and sensory disturbances caused by intrinsic PD pathology or drug-induced side effects, are gaining increasing attention and urgently need to be taken care of due to their impact on quality of life. Currently, neuroprotective therapies have been investigated extensively in pre-clinical studies, and some of them have been subjected to clinical trials. Furthermore, non-pharmaceutical treatments, including deep brain stimulation (DBS), gene therapy, cell replacement therapy and some complementary managements, such as Tai chi, Yoga, traditional herbs and molecular targeted therapies have also been considered as effective alternative therapies to classical pharmaceutics. This review will provide us updated information regarding the current drugs and non-drugs therapies for PD. PMID:26585523

  7. Vanillin Attenuated Behavioural Impairments, Neurochemical Deficts, Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis Against Rotenone Induced Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Dhanalakshmi, Chinnasamy; Janakiraman, Udaiyappan; Manivasagam, Thamilarasan; Justin Thenmozhi, Arokiasamy; Essa, Musthafa Mohamed; Kalandar, Ameer; Khan, Mohammed Abdul Sattar; Guillemin, Gilles J

    2016-08-01

    Vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde), a pleasant smelling organic aromatic compound, is widely used as a flavoring additive in food, beverage, cosmetic and drug industries. It is reported to cross the blood brain barrier and also displayed antioxidant and neuroprotective activities. We previously reported the neuroprotective effect of vanillin against rotenone induced in in vitro model of PD. The present experiment was aimed to analyze the neuroprotective effect of vanillin on the motor and non-motor deficits, neurochemical variables, oxidative, anti-oxidative indices and the expression of apoptotic markers against rotenone induced rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rotenone treatment exhibited motor and non-motor impairments, neurochemical deficits, oxidative stress and apoptosis, whereas oral administration of vanillin attenuated the above-said indices. However further studies are needed to explore the mitochondrial protective and anti-inflammatory properties of vanillin, as these processes play a vital role in the cause and progression of PD.

  8. Drug-Induced Metabolic Acidosis

    PubMed Central

    Pham, Amy Quynh Trang; Xu, Li Hao Richie; Moe, Orson W.

    2015-01-01

    Metabolic acidosis could emerge from diseases disrupting acid-base equilibrium or from drugs that induce similar derangements. Occurrences are usually accompanied by comorbid conditions of drug-induced metabolic acidosis, and clinical outcomes may range from mild to fatal. It is imperative that clinicians not only are fully aware of the list of drugs that may lead to metabolic acidosis but also understand the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. In this review, we categorized drug-induced metabolic acidosis in terms of pathophysiological mechanisms, as well as individual drugs’ characteristics. PMID:26918138

  9. Validating the Predicted Effect of Astemizole and Ketoconazole Using a Drosophila Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Styczyńska-Soczka, Katarzyna; Zechini, Luigi; Zografos, Lysimachos

    2017-04-01

    Parkinson's disease is a growing threat to an ever-ageing population. Despite progress in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the disease, all therapeutics currently available only act to improve symptoms and do not stop the disease process. It is therefore imperative that more effective drug discovery methods and approaches are developed, validated, and used for the discovery of disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson's. Drug repurposing has been recognized as being equally as promising as de novo drug discovery in the field of neurodegeneration and Parkinson's disease specifically. In this work, we utilize a transgenic Drosophila model of Parkinson's disease, made by expressing human alpha-synuclein in the Drosophila brain, to validate two repurposed compounds: astemizole and ketoconazole. Both have been computationally predicted to have an ameliorative effect on Parkinson's disease, but neither had been tested using an in vivo model of the disease. After treating the flies in parallel, results showed that both drugs rescue the motor phenotype that is developed by the Drosophila model with age, but only ketoconazole treatment reversed the increased dopaminergic neuron death also observed in these models, which is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. In addition to validating the predicted improvement in Parkinson's disease symptoms for both drugs and revealing the potential neuroprotective activity of ketoconazole, these results highlight the value of Drosophila models of Parkinson's disease as key tools in the context of in vivo drug discovery, drug repurposing, and prioritization of hits, especially when coupled with computational predictions.

  10. Drug-induced gynecomastia.

    PubMed

    Bowman, John D; Kim, Hyunah; Bustamante, Juan J

    2012-12-01

    Drugs account for about 20% of gynecomastia cases in men. As a number of factors can alter the estrogen:androgen ratio, several pathophysiologic mechanisms are associated with drugs causing this disorder. Antiandrogens, protease inhibitors, and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors are the most common drug causes of gynecomastia, whereas first-generation antipsychotics, spironolactone, verapamil, and cimetidine are less common causes. Other drugs have been reported rarely as causes. Treatment may involve switching to an alternative agent or may require surgery or irradiation if the causative agent cannot be discontinued. We reviewed the literature on drug-induced gynecomastia and provided another perspective by reviewing data from the United States Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System. Epidemiologic studies are needed to provide a more accurate description of the frequency of drug-induced gynecomastia. © 2012 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

  11. Therapeutic potential of natural products in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Mythri, Rajeswara B; Harish, Gangadharappa; Bharath, M M

    2012-09-01

    The central objective in treating patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) is two-fold (i) to increase the striatal dopamine content and (ii) to prevent further degeneration of the surviving dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the ventral midbrain. Most of the current PD drugs contribute to the former and provide symptomatic relief. Although compounds such as Levodopa (L-DOPA) improve the striatal dopamine content, their long-term usage is associated with progressive decrease in drug response, motor fluctuations, dyskinesias and drug-induced toxicity. In addition, these drugs fail to prevent the progression of the degenerative process. This has shifted the focus onto alternative therapeutic approaches involving natural products that could provide independent therapy or offer neuroprotective support to the existing drugs. The current review describes the neuroprotective and therapeutic utility of such natural products including herbal extracts, phytochemicals and bioactive ingredients from other natural sources either in isolation or in combination, with potential application in PD, highlighting the relevant patents.

  12. Abnormal Bidirectional Plasticity-Like Effects in Parkinson's Disease

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huang, Ying-Zu; Rothwell, John C.; Lu, Chin-Song; Chuang, Wen-Li; Chen, Rou-Shayn

    2011-01-01

    Levodopa-induced dyskinesia is a major complication of long-term dopamine replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease that becomes increasingly problematic in advanced Parkinson's disease. Although the cause of levodopa-induced dyskinesias is still unclear, recent work in animal models of the corticostriatal system has suggested that…

  13. Differences between Drug-Induced and Contrast Media-Induced Adverse Reactions Based on Spontaneously Reported Adverse Drug Reactions.

    PubMed

    Ryu, JiHyeon; Lee, HeeYoung; Suh, JinUk; Yang, MyungSuk; Kang, WonKu; Kim, EunYoung

    2015-01-01

    We analyzed differences between spontaneously reported drug-induced (not including contrast media) and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Adverse drug reactions reported by an in-hospital pharmacovigilance center (St. Mary's teaching hospital, Daejeon, Korea) from 2010-2012 were classified as drug-induced or contrast media-induced. Clinical patterns, frequency, causality, severity, Schumock and Thornton's preventability, and type A/B reactions were recorded. The trends among causality tools measuring drug and contrast-induced adverse reactions were analyzed. Of 1,335 reports, 636 drug-induced and contrast media-induced adverse reactions were identified. The prevalence of spontaneously reported adverse drug reaction-related admissions revealed a suspected adverse drug reaction-reporting rate of 20.9/100,000 (inpatient, 0.021%) and 3.9/100,000 (outpatients, 0.004%). The most common adverse drug reaction-associated drug classes included nervous system agents and anti-infectives. Dermatological and gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions were most frequently and similarly reported between drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Compared to contrast media-induced adverse reactions, drug-induced adverse reactions were milder, more likely to be preventable (9.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), and more likely to be type A reactions (73.5% vs. 18.8%, p < 0.001). Females were over-represented among drug-induced adverse reactions (68.1%, p < 0.001) but not among contrast media-induced adverse reactions (56.6%, p = 0.066). Causality patterns differed between the two adverse reaction classes. The World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality evaluation and Naranjo algorithm results significantly differed from those of the Korean algorithm version II (p < 0.001). We found differences in sex, preventability, severity, and type A/B reactions between spontaneously reported drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. The World Health Organization

  14. Differences between Drug-Induced and Contrast Media-Induced Adverse Reactions Based on Spontaneously Reported Adverse Drug Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Suh, JinUk; Yang, MyungSuk; Kang, WonKu; Kim, EunYoung

    2015-01-01

    Objective We analyzed differences between spontaneously reported drug-induced (not including contrast media) and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Methods Adverse drug reactions reported by an in-hospital pharmacovigilance center (St. Mary’s teaching hospital, Daejeon, Korea) from 2010–2012 were classified as drug-induced or contrast media-induced. Clinical patterns, frequency, causality, severity, Schumock and Thornton’s preventability, and type A/B reactions were recorded. The trends among causality tools measuring drug and contrast-induced adverse reactions were analyzed. Results Of 1,335 reports, 636 drug-induced and contrast media-induced adverse reactions were identified. The prevalence of spontaneously reported adverse drug reaction-related admissions revealed a suspected adverse drug reaction-reporting rate of 20.9/100,000 (inpatient, 0.021%) and 3.9/100,000 (outpatients, 0.004%). The most common adverse drug reaction-associated drug classes included nervous system agents and anti-infectives. Dermatological and gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions were most frequently and similarly reported between drug and contrast media-induced adverse reactions. Compared to contrast media-induced adverse reactions, drug-induced adverse reactions were milder, more likely to be preventable (9.8% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001), and more likely to be type A reactions (73.5% vs. 18.8%, p < 0.001). Females were over-represented among drug-induced adverse reactions (68.1%, p < 0.001) but not among contrast media-induced adverse reactions (56.6%, p = 0.066). Causality patterns differed between the two adverse reaction classes. The World Health Organization–Uppsala Monitoring Centre causality evaluation and Naranjo algorithm results significantly differed from those of the Korean algorithm version II (p < 0.001). Conclusions We found differences in sex, preventability, severity, and type A/B reactions between spontaneously reported drug and contrast media-induced adverse

  15. Aged monkeys as a partial model for Parkinson's disease

    PubMed Central

    Hurley, P.J.; Elsworth, J.D.; Whittaker, M.C.; Roth, R.H.; Redmond, D.E.

    2011-01-01

    Parkinson's Disease (PD) and the natural aging process share a number of biochemical mechanisms, including reduced function of dopaminergic systems. The present study aims to determine the extent that motor and behavioral changes in aged monkeys resemble parkinsonism induced by the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. The behavioral and physiological changes in PD are believed to result largely from selective depletion of dopamine in the nigrostriatal system. In the present study, ten aged female monkeys were compared with three groups: 9 untreated young adult female monkeys, 10 young adult male monkeys and 13 older male monkeys that had been exposed to MPTP. Trained observers, blind as to age and drug condition and without knowledge of the hypotheses, scored the monkeys using the Parkinson's factor score (Parkscore), which has been validated by a high correlation with post mortem striatal dopamine (DA) concentrations. The aged animals had higher scores on the Parkscore compared with the young adults, with most of its component behavioral items showing significance (tremor, eating problems, delayed initiation of movement, and poverty of movement). L-Dopa and DA-agonists did not clearly reverse the principal measure of parkinsonism. DA concentrations post mortem were 63% lower in 3 aged monkeys in the ventral putamen compared with 4 young adults, with greater reductions in putamen than in caudate (45%). We conclude that aged monkeys, unexposed to MPTP, show a similar profile of parkinsonism to that seen after the neurotoxin exposure to MPTP in young adult monkeys. The pattern of greater DA depletion in putamen than in caudate in aged monkeys is the same as in human Parkinson's disease and contrasts with the greater depletion in caudate seen after MPTP. Aged monkeys of this species reflect many facets of Parkinson's disease, but like older humans do not improve with standard dopamine replacement pharmacotherapies. PMID:21620883

  16. Contrasting gene expression patterns induced by levodopa and pramipexole treatments in the rat model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Taravini, Irene R; Larramendy, Celia; Gomez, Gimena; Saborido, Mariano D; Spaans, Floor; Fresno, Cristóbal; González, Germán A; Fernández, Elmer; Murer, Mario G; Gershanik, Oscar S

    2016-02-01

    Whether the treatment of Parkinson's disease has to be initiated with levodopa or a D2 agonist like pramipexole remains debatable. Levodopa is more potent against symptoms than D2 agonists, but D2 agonists are less prone to induce motor complications and may have neuroprotective effects. Although regulation of plastic changes in striatal circuits may be the key to their different therapeutic potential, the gene expression patterns induced by de novo treatments with levodopa or D2 agonists are currently unknown. By studying the whole striatal transcriptome in a rodent model of early stage Parkinson's disease, we have identified the gene expression patterns underlying therapeutically comparable chronic treatments with levodopa or pramipexole. Despite the overall relatively small size of mRNA expression changes at the level of individual transcripts, our data show a robust and complete segregation of the transcript expression patterns induced by both treatments. Moreover, transcripts related to oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial function were enriched in levodopa-treated compared to vehicle-treated and pramipexole-treated animals, whereas transcripts related to olfactory transduction pathways were enriched in both treatment groups compared to vehicle-treated animals. Thus, our data reveal the plasticity of genetic striatal networks possibly contributing to the therapeutic effects of the most common initial treatments for Parkinson's disease, suggesting a role for oxidative stress in the long term complications induced by levodopa and identifying previously overlooked signaling cascades as potentially new therapeutic targets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Drug-induced apnea.

    PubMed

    Boutroy, M J

    1994-01-01

    Drugs have been in the past and will in the future still be liable to induce apnea in neonates, infants and older children. At these different stages of development, the child may be abnormally vulnerable to respiratory disorders and apnea, and doses of drugs, without any abnormal side effects in adult patients, can be harmful in younger subjects. Drugs responsible for apnea during development are numerous, but more than half of the problems are induced by sedatives and hypnotics, among which phenothiazines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (included transplacentally acquired) and general anesthetics are a few. Other pharmacological families are apnea inducers in the neonatal period and childhood: analgesics and opioid narcotics, agents acting at the levels of neuromuscular function and autonomic ganglia, and cardiovascular agents. The pathogenesis of these apneas depends on the disturbance of any mechanism responsible for the respiratory activity: medullary centers and brain stem structures, afferent influx to CNS, sleep stages, upper airways, lungs and respiratory muscles. At key stages such as birth and infancy, drugs may emphasize the particular sensitivity of the mechanisms responsible for inducing apnea. This might explain unexpected respiratory disorders during development.

  18. Nondopaminergic treatments for Parkinson's disease: current and future prospects

    PubMed Central

    Freitas, Maria Eliza; Fox, Susan H

    2016-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is primarily caused by dysfunction of dopaminergic neurons, however, nondopaminergic (ND) systems are also involved. ND targets are potentially useful to reduce doses of levodopa or to treat nonlevodopa-responsive symptoms. Recent studies have investigated the role of ND drugs for motor and nonmotor symptoms. Adenosine A2A receptor antagonists, mixed inhibitors of sodium/calcium channels and monoamine oxidase-B have recently been found to improve motor fluctuations. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists and serotonin 5HT1B receptor agonists demonstrated benefit in levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Conversely, studies using antiepileptic drugs and adrenoreceptor antagonist had conflicting results. Moreover, metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists also failed to improve symptoms. The current review summarizes the most recent findings on ND drugs over the last 2 years. PMID:27230697

  19. Terbinafine-induced lichenoid drug eruption.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Yue; Zhang, Jie; Chen, Haiyan; Lai, Wei; Maibach, Howard I

    2017-03-01

    Drug-induced lichen planus has been induced by antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidiabetics, antimalarials, antitubercular drugs, antihypertensives, psychiatric drugs, chemotherapeutic agents, diuretic, heavy metals, NSAIDs, etc. Terbinafine, an antifungal agent, is widely used for dermatophyte infections and onychomycosis. Cutaneous adverse effects of terbinafine are rarely reported. Here, we report a case of terbinafine-induced lichenoid drug eruption in a 22-year-old who presented with generalized lichenoid eruption 2 weeks after terbinafine initiation of. The body and lip cleared completely after 8 weeks of drug withdrawal; nail change cleared after 12 weeks.

  20. Drug-induced sexual dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Aldridge, S A

    1982-01-01

    Commonly used drugs that may cause sexual dysfunction are reviewed. The anatomy and physiology of the normal sexual response are reviewed. The influence of drugs on neurogenic, hormonal, and vascular mechanisms may result in diminished libido, impotence, ejaculatory and orgasmic difficulties, inhibited vaginal lubrication, menstrual irregularities, and gynecomastia in men or painful breast enlargement in women. Parasympatholytic agents, which interfere with cholinergic transmission, may affect erectile potency, while adrenergic inhibiting agents may interfere with ejaculatory control. Central nervous system depressants or sedating drugs, drugs producing hyperprolactinemia, and antiandrogenic drugs also may affect the normal sexual response. Drugs such as antihypertensive and antipsychotic agents may induce sexual dysfunction that can result in patient noncompliance. Usually, drug-induced side effects are reversible with discontinuation of the offending agent.

  1. A water extract of Mucuna pruriens provides long-term amelioration of parkinsonism with reduced risk for dyskinesias.

    PubMed

    Lieu, Christopher A; Kunselman, Allen R; Manyam, Bala V; Venkiteswaran, Kala; Subramanian, Thyagarajan

    2010-08-01

    Dopaminergic anti-parkinsonian medications, such as levodopa (LD) cause drug-induced dyskinesias (DID) in majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Mucuna pruriens, a legume extensively used in Ayurveda to treat PD, is reputed to provide anti-parkinsonian benefits without inducing DID. We compared the behavioral effects of chronic parenteral administration of a water extract of M. pruriens seed powder (MPE) alone without any additives, MPE combined with the peripheral dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) benserazide (MPE+BZ), LD+BZ and LD alone without BZ in the hemiparkinsonian rat model of PD. A battery of behavioral tests assessed by blinded investigators served as outcome measures in these randomized trials. In experiment 1, animals that received LD+BZ or MPE+BZ at high (6mg/kg) and medium (4mg/kg) equivalent doses demonstrated significant alleviation of parkinsonism, but, developed severe dose-dependent DID. LD+BZ at low doses (2mg/kg) did not provide significant alleviation of parkinsonism. In contrast, MPE+BZ at an equivalent low dose significantly ameliorated parkinsonism. In experiment 2, MPE without any additives (12mg/kg and 20mg/kg LD equivalent dose) alleviated parkinsonism with significantly less DID compared to LD+BZ or MPE+BZ. In experiment 3, MPE without additives administered chronically provided long-term anti-parkinsonian benefits without causing DID. In experiment 4, MPE alone provided significantly more behavioral benefit when compared to the equivalent dose of synthetic LD alone without BZ. In experiment 5, MPE alone reduced the severity of DID in animals initially primed with LD+BZ. These findings suggest that M. pruriens contains water-soluble ingredients that either have an intrinsic DDCI-like activity or mitigate the need for an add-on DDCI to ameliorate parkinsonism. These unique long-term anti-parkinsonian effects of a parenterally administered water extract of M. pruriens seed powder may provide a platform for future drug

  2. A Water Extract of Mucuna pruriens Provides Long-Term Amelioration of Parkinsonism with Reduced Risk for Dyskinesias

    PubMed Central

    Lieu, Christopher A.; Kunselman, Allen R.; Manyam, Bala V.; Venkiteswaran, Kala; Subramanian, Thyagarajan

    2010-01-01

    Dopaminergic anti-parkinsonian medications, such as levodopa (LD) cause drug-induced dyskinesias (DID) in majority of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Mucuna pruriens, a legume extensively used in Ayurveda to treat PD, is reputed to provide anti-parkinsonian benefits without inducing DID. We compared the behavioral effects of chronic parenteral administration of a water extract of Mucuna pruriens seed powder (MPE) alone without any additives, MPE combined with the peripheral dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) benserazide (MPE+BZ), LD+BZ and LD alone without BZ in the hemiparkinsonian rat model of PD. A battery of behavioral tests assessed by blinded investigators served as outcome measures in these randomized trials. In experiment 1, animals that received LD+BZ or MPE+BZ at high (6mg/Kg) and medium (4mg/Kg) equivalent doses demonstrated significant alleviation of parkinsonism, but, developed severe dose-dependent DID. LD+BZ at low doses (2mg/Kg) did not provide significant alleviation of parkinsonism. In contrast, MPE+BZ at an equivalent low dose significantly ameliorated parkinsonism. In experiment 2, MPE without any additives (12mg/Kg and 20mg/Kg LD equivalent dose) alleviated parkinsonism with significantly less DID compared to LD+BZ or MPE+BZ. In experiment 3, MPE without additives administered chronically provided long-term anti-parkinsonian benefits without causing DID. In experiment 4, MPE alone provided significantly more behavioral benefit when compared to the equivalent dose of synthetic LD alone without BZ. In experiment 5, MPE alone reduced the severity of DID in animals initially primed with LD+BZ. These findings suggest that Mucuna pruriens contains water soluble ingredients that either have an intrinsic DDCI-like activity or mitigate the need for an add-on DDCI to ameliorate parkinsonism. These unique long-term antiparkinsonian effects of a parenterally administered water extract of Mucuna pruriens seed powder may provide a platform for

  3. Drugs in development for Parkinson's disease: an update.

    PubMed

    Johnston, Tom H; Brotchie, Jonathan M

    2006-01-01

    The current development of emerging pharmacological treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD), front preclinical to launch, is summarized. Advances over the past year are highlighted, including the significant progress of several drugs through various stages of development. Several agents have been discontinued from development, either because of adverse effects or lack of clinical efficacy. The methyl-esterified form of L-DOPA (melevodopa) and the monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor rasagiline have both been launched. With regard to the monoamine re-uptake inhibitors, many changes have been witnessed, with new agents reaching preclinical development and pre-existing ones being discontinued or having no development reported. Of the dopamine agonists, many continue to progress successfully through clinical trials. Others have struggled to demonstrate a significant advantage over currently available treatments and have been discontinued. The field of non-dopaminergic treatments remains dynamic. The alpha2 adrenergic receptor antagonists and the adenosine A2A receptor antagonists remain in clinical trials. Trials of the neuronal' synchronization modulator levetiracetam are at an advanced stage, and there has also been a new addition to the class (ie, seletracetam). There has been a change in the landscape of neuroprotective agents that modulate disease progression. Candidates from the classes of growth factors and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors have been discontinued, or no development has been reported, and the mixed lineage kinase inhibitor CEP-1347 has been discontinued for PD treatment. Other drugs in this field, such as neuroimmunophilins, estrogens and alpha-synuclein oligomerization inhibitors, remain in development.

  4. Treatment with phosphotidylglycerol-based nanoparticles prevents motor deficits induced by proteasome inhibition: implications for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Fitzgerald, Patrick; Mandel, Arkady; Bolton, Anthony E; Sullivan, Aideen M; Nolan, Yvonne

    2008-12-22

    Failure of the ubiquitin-proteasome system to degrade abnormal proteins may underlie the accumulation of alpha-synuclein and dopaminergic neuronal degeneration that occurs in Parkinson's disease. Consequently, a reduction of functional proteasome activity has been implicated in Parkinson's disease. VP025 (Vasogen Inc.) is a preparation of phospholipid nanoparticles incorporating phosphatidylglycerol that has been shown to have neuroprotective effects. We show that VP025 prevents the deficits in motor coordination and dopamine observed in a proteasome inhibitor rat model of PD. Thus, VP025 may have a therapeutic effect on the impairment of dopaminergic-mediated motor activity induced by proteasome inhibition.

  5. Drug-Induced Urinary Calculi

    PubMed Central

    Matlaga, Brian R; Shah, Ojas D; Assimos, Dean G

    2003-01-01

    Urinary calculi may be induced by a number of medications used to treat a variety of conditions. These medications may lead to metabolic abnormalities that facilitate the formation of stones. Drugs that induce metabolic calculi include loop diuretics; carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; and laxatives, when abused. Correcting the metabolic abnormality may eliminate or dramatically attenuate stone activity. Urinary calculi can also be induced by medications when the drugs crystallize and become the primary component of the stones. In this case, urinary supersaturation of the agent may promote formation of the calculi. Drugs that induce calculi via this process include magnesium trisilicate; ciprofloxacin; sulfa medications; triamterene; indinavir; and ephedrine, alone or in combination with guaifenesin. When this situation occurs, discontinuation of the medication is usually necessary. PMID:16985842

  6. Synthesis of walking sounds for alleviating gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Rodger, Matthew W M; Young, William R; Craig, Cathy M

    2014-05-01

    Managing gait disturbances in people with Parkinson's disease is a pressing challenge, as symptoms can contribute to injury and morbidity through an increased risk of falls. While drug-based interventions have limited efficacy in alleviating gait impairments, certain nonpharmacological methods, such as cueing, can also induce transient improvements to gait. The approach adopted here is to use computationally-generated sounds to help guide and improve walking actions. The first method described uses recordings of force data taken from the steps of a healthy adult which in turn were used to synthesize realistic gravel-footstep sounds that represented different spatio-temporal parameters of gait, such as step duration and step length. The second method described involves a novel method of sonifying, in real time, the swing phase of gait using real-time motion-capture data to control a sound synthesis engine. Both approaches explore how simple but rich auditory representations of action based events can be used by people with Parkinson's to guide and improve the quality of their walking, reducing the risk of falls and injury. Studies with Parkinson's disease patients are reported which show positive results for both techniques in reducing step length variability. Potential future directions for how these sound approaches can be used to manage gait disturbances in Parkinson's are also discussed.

  7. Mechanistic review of drug-induced steatohepatitis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schumacher, Justin D., E-mail: Justin.d.schumacher@rutgers.edu; Guo, Grace L.

    Drug-induced steatohepatitis is a rare form of liver injury known to be caused by only a handful of compounds. These compounds stimulate the development of steatohepatitis through their toxicity to hepatocyte mitochondria; inhibition of beta-oxidation, mitochondrial respiration, and/or oxidative phosphorylation. Other mechanisms discussed include the disruption of phospholipid metabolism in lysosomes, prevention of lipid egress from hepatocytes, targeting mitochondrial DNA and topoisomerase, decreasing intestinal barrier function, activation of the adenosine pathway, increasing fatty acid synthesis, and sequestration of coenzyme A. It has been found that the majority of compounds that induce steatohepatitis have cationic amphiphilic structures; a lipophilic ring structuremore » with a side chain containing a cationic secondary or tertiary amine. Within the last decade, the ability of many chemotherapeutics to cause steatohepatitis has become more evident coining the term chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis (CASH). The mechanisms behind drug-induced steatohepatitis are discussed with a focus on cationic amphiphilic drugs and chemotherapeutic agents. - Highlights: • Reviewed the mechanisms underlying drug-induced steatohepatitis for many compounds • Mitochondrial dysfunction is critical in the development of drug-induced steatohepatitis. • Majority of drugs that induce steatohepatitis are cationic amphiphilic drugs. • Chemotherapeutics that induce CASH are cationic amphiphilic drugs. • Majority of drugs that induce steatohepatitis are carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I inhibitors.« less

  8. Drug-Induced Acute Pancreatitis: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Mark R.; Hall, Oliver Morgan; Kaye, Adam M.; Kaye, Alan David

    2015-01-01

    Background The majority of drug-induced pancreatitis cases are mild to moderate in severity, but severe and even fatal cases can occur. Management of drug-induced pancreatitis requires withdrawal of the offending agent and supportive care. Methods This review focuses on differential diagnosis, clinical presentation, drug-mediated effects, treatments, and mechanisms of pancreatitis, with an emphasis on drug-induced pancreatitis. Results Although only a minority of cases associated with acute pancreatitis are linked to drugs, clinical presentation and mechanisms of injury to the pancreas are not well understood by clinicians in terms of individual drug effects in the mediation or modulation of injury to the pancreas. In recent years, a large number of commonly prescribed medications has been linked to drug-induced pancreatitis pathogenesis. Although mechanisms are proposed, the exact cause of injury is either not well understood or controversial. Conclusion Future investigation into the mechanisms of pancreatitis and an appreciation by clinicians of the drugs commonly linked to the condition will help establish earlier diagnosis and quicker cessation of offending drugs in the treatment of drug-induced acute pancreatitis. PMID:25829880

  9. [Drug-induced oral ulcerations].

    PubMed

    Madinier, I; Berry, N; Chichmanian, R M

    2000-06-01

    Different side effects of drugs have been described in the oral cavity, including oral ulcerations. Direct contact between drugs and oral mucosa may induce chemical burn or local hypersensitivity. Less frequently, these drug-induced oral ulcerations are part of a complex reaction with cutaneous or systemic manifestations. Sometimes, one or more oral ulcerations appear as the main side-effect of a drug, or exceptionally as solitary lesions. Solitary oral ulcerations usually appear after few weeks of treatment. In most of cases, these lesions resist to conventional treatments, with a rapid healing following the suppression of the responsible drug. This diagnosis is usually difficult, particularly with patients receiving multiple drug therapy. Besides, special attention must be paid to new drugs. Oral ulcerations following symptoms of burning mouth, metallic taste, dysgueusia or agueusia are strongly suggestive of a pharmacological origin. Most of the molecules able to induce solitary oral ulcerations are commonly prescribed in a) rheumatology: NSAI (diclofenac, flurbiprofen, indomethacin, naproxen), long-term rheumatoid arthritis therapy (azathioprine, methotrexate, penicillamine, gold compounds, tiopronin); b) cardiology: angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (captopril, enalapril), angiotensin 2-receptor antagonist (losartan), anti-angorous (nicorandil), c) psychiatry: antidepressants (fluoxetine, lithium), d) AIDS therapy (foscarnet, zalcitabine).

  10. Serotonergic involvement in levodopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Cheshire, Perdita A; Williams, David R

    2012-03-01

    Levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LID) represent a substantial barrier to effective symptomatic management of Parkinson's disease, but current treatment options for this debilitating side effect are limited, despite an increasing understanding of their pathophysiology from animal models. Increasing evidence suggests that serotonin neurons have a pivotal role in the induction and maintenance of dyskinesias, and provide a promising target for anti-dyskinetic therapies. Here, we review the evidence for serotonergic involvement in dyskinesias from animal and human data, and highlight some of the translational gaps which may explain why the success of serotonin autoreceptor agonists as anti-dyskinetic agents in experimental models has failed to be replicated in clinical trials. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Predicting beneficial effects of atomoxetine and citalopram on response inhibition in Parkinson's disease with clinical and neuroimaging measures

    PubMed Central

    Ye, Zheng; Rae, Charlotte L.; Nombela, Cristina; Ham, Timothy; Rittman, Timothy; Jones, Peter Simon; Rodríguez, Patricia Vázquez; Coyle‐Gilchrist, Ian; Regenthal, Ralf; Altena, Ellemarije; Housden, Charlotte R.; Maxwell, Helen; Sahakian, Barbara J.; Barker, Roger A.; Robbins, Trevor W.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Recent studies indicate that selective noradrenergic (atomoxetine) and serotonergic (citalopram) reuptake inhibitors may improve response inhibition in selected patients with Parkinson's disease, restoring behavioral performance and brain activity. We reassessed the behavioral efficacy of these drugs in a larger cohort and developed predictive models to identify patient responders. We used a double‐blind randomized three‐way crossover design to investigate stopping efficiency in 34 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease after 40 mg atomoxetine, 30 mg citalopram, or placebo. Diffusion‐weighted and functional imaging measured microstructural properties and regional brain activations, respectively. We confirmed that Parkinson's disease impairs response inhibition. Overall, drug effects on response inhibition varied substantially across patients at both behavioral and brain activity levels. We therefore built binary classifiers with leave‐one‐out cross‐validation (LOOCV) to predict patients’ responses in terms of improved stopping efficiency. We identified two optimal models: (1) a “clinical” model that predicted the response of an individual patient with 77–79% accuracy for atomoxetine and citalopram, using clinically available information including age, cognitive status, and levodopa equivalent dose, and a simple diffusion‐weighted imaging scan; and (2) a “mechanistic” model that explained the behavioral response with 85% accuracy for each drug, using drug‐induced changes of brain activations in the striatum and presupplementary motor area from functional imaging. These data support growing evidence for the role of noradrenaline and serotonin in inhibitory control. Although noradrenergic and serotonergic drugs have highly variable effects in patients with Parkinson's disease, the individual patient's response to each drug can be predicted using a pattern of clinical and neuroimaging features. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1026–1037

  12. Aged monkeys as a partial model for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Hurley, P J; Elsworth, J D; Whittaker, M C; Roth, R H; Redmond, D E

    2011-09-01

    Parkinson's Disease (PD) and the natural aging process share a number of biochemical mechanisms, including reduced function of dopaminergic systems. The present study aims to determine the extent that motor and behavioral changes in aged monkeys resemble parkinsonism induced by the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. The behavioral and physiological changes in PD are believed to result largely from selective depletion of dopamine in the nigrostriatal system. In the present study, ten aged female monkeys were compared with three groups: 9 untreated young adult female monkeys, 10 young adult male monkeys and 13 older male monkeys that had been exposed to MPTP. Trained observers, blind as to age and drug condition and without knowledge of the hypotheses, scored the monkeys using the Parkinson's factor score (Parkscore), which has been validated by a high correlation with post mortem striatal dopamine (DA) concentrations. The aged animals had higher scores on the Parkscore compared with the young adults, with most of its component behavioral items showing significance (tremor, Eating Problems, Delayed initiation of movement, and Poverty of Movement). L-Dopa and DA-agonists did not clearly reverse the principal measure of parkinsonism. DA concentrations post mortem were 63% lower in 3 aged monkeys in the ventral putamen compared with 4 young adults, with greater reductions in putamen than in caudate (45%). We conclude that aged monkeys, unexposed to MPTP, show a similar profile of parkinsonism to that seen after the neurotoxin exposure to MPTP in young adult monkeys. The pattern of greater DA depletion in putamen than in caudate in aged monkeys is the same as in human Parkinson's disease and contrasts with the greater depletion in caudate seen after MPTP. Aged monkeys of this species reflect many facets of Parkinson's disease, but like older humans do not improve with standard dopamine replacement pharmacotherapies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc

  13. Presymptomatic detection of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Jenner, P

    1993-01-01

    Presymptomatic detection of Parkinson's disease is necessary if neuroprotective therapies are to be utilized in its treatment. Various methods (PET, electrophysiology, enzyme assays, olfactory function) may be applicable but none has been rigorously evaluated. Other possible approaches are now considered. Plasma HVA levels (pHVA) in the presence of debrisoquine may reflect cerebral dopamine function. However, there are no detectable differences in pHVA between newly diagnosed and untreated parkinsonian patients and control subjects. Compensatory increases in dopamine turnover may mask a decrease in pHVA in the early stages of the disease. So, at present this technique could not be used as a diagnostic tool. Post-mortem studies of brain in Parkinson's disease may provide clues to biochemical markers indicative of nigral pathology. Mitochondrial complex I activity is reduced in substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease and it was reported also to be markedly reduced in blood platelets. However, subsequent studies suggest that the difference in platelet complex I activity is too small to be diagnostic of Parkinson's disease. There are also selective reductions in brain glutathione levels in Parkinson's disease restricted to substantia nigra, which do not occur in other neurodegenerative disorders and are not due to drug treatment. Importantly, in incidental Lewy body disease (preclinical Parkinson's disease) nigral glutathione levels are reduced to the same degree as in advanced Parkinson's disease. So, some peripheral index of altered glutathione function may be valuable in the early detection of the disease process.

  14. Protective effects of Althaea officinalis L. extract in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced hemi-Parkinsonism model: behavioral, biochemical and histochemical evidence.

    PubMed

    Rezaei, Maryam; Alirezaei, Masoud

    2014-05-01

    It is well known that Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in humans. In this regard, the neuroprotective effect of Althaea officinalis (AO) has already been reported. Therefore, this study examined whether administration of AO extract would improve behavioral, biochemical and structural abnormalities in an experimental animal model of PD in rats. For this purpose, we induced hemi-Parkinsonism by unilateral intranigral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 8 μg/5 μl saline-ascorbate). The rats were pretreated i.p. with AO extract (10 mg/kg) started 6 days before surgery and continued until the 3rd day post-surgery. Regarding oxidative stress, brain MDA concentration (as a lipid peroxidation marker) increased significantly in the 6-OHDA-administered group in comparison with rats pretreated with AO extract. It was found that AO treatment attenuated rotational behavior in the 6-OHDA-administered group and protected the neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta against 6-OHDA toxicity. Overall, AO extract administration indicated neuroprotective effects against 6-OHDA-induced hemi-Parkinsonism in rats.

  15. The use of rasagiline in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Schapira, A H V

    2006-01-01

    Rasagiline is a novel, potent, irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidative B developed for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease. The drug has shown efficacy in improving motor features in both early and advanced Parkinson's disease patients. The drug appears to be well tolerated and its once daily fixed dose formulation should make for excellent compliance. Rasagiline has also demonstrated important neuroprotective properties in both in vitro and in vivo laboratory studies. A provisional study of neuroprotection in a delayed start clinical trial of early PD patients has also suggested that this benefit may be translated to the clinic. Additional clinical trials are underway to confirm this.

  16. PDON: Parkinson's disease ontology for representation and modeling of the Parkinson's disease knowledge domain.

    PubMed

    Younesi, Erfan; Malhotra, Ashutosh; Gündel, Michaela; Scordis, Phil; Kodamullil, Alpha Tom; Page, Matt; Müller, Bernd; Springstubbe, Stephan; Wüllner, Ullrich; Scheller, Dieter; Hofmann-Apitius, Martin

    2015-09-22

    Despite the unprecedented and increasing amount of data, relatively little progress has been made in molecular characterization of mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease. In the area of Parkinson's research, there is a pressing need to integrate various pieces of information into a meaningful context of presumed disease mechanism(s). Disease ontologies provide a novel means for organizing, integrating, and standardizing the knowledge domains specific to disease in a compact, formalized and computer-readable form and serve as a reference for knowledge exchange or systems modeling of disease mechanism. The Parkinson's disease ontology was built according to the life cycle of ontology building. Structural, functional, and expert evaluation of the ontology was performed to ensure the quality and usability of the ontology. A novelty metric has been introduced to measure the gain of new knowledge using the ontology. Finally, a cause-and-effect model was built around PINK1 and two gene expression studies from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were re-annotated to demonstrate the usability of the ontology. The Parkinson's disease ontology with a subclass-based taxonomic hierarchy covers the broad spectrum of major biomedical concepts from molecular to clinical features of the disease, and also reflects different views on disease features held by molecular biologists, clinicians and drug developers. The current version of the ontology contains 632 concepts, which are organized under nine views. The structural evaluation showed the balanced dispersion of concept classes throughout the ontology. The functional evaluation demonstrated that the ontology-driven literature search could gain novel knowledge not present in the reference Parkinson's knowledge map. The ontology was able to answer specific questions related to Parkinson's when evaluated by experts. Finally, the added value of the Parkinson's disease ontology is demonstrated by ontology-driven modeling of PINK1

  17. Reversible transvestic fetishism in a man with Parkinson's disease treated with selegiline.

    PubMed

    Riley, David E

    2002-01-01

    Dopaminergic therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease may change the quality as well as the quantity of sexual interest and behavior. This 72-year-old man had a 37-year history of Parkinson's disease treated with a right thalamotomy and was later treated with levodopa for more than 20 years. Selegiline (5 mg twice daily) was added for motor fluctuations. He developed a frequent impulse to wear women's clothing but did not act on this impulse until his wife died over a year later. He then began to dress in women's clothing an average of once per week. He stated he had never thought of cross-dressing previously. The selegiline was stopped, and his urge to wear women's clothing ceased. Paraphilias are a rare behavioral complication of Parkinson's disease treatment. Other paraphilias have been attributed to dopamine agonists, suggesting that the action of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor responsible for the patient's transvestism in this case was dopamine potentiation. Drug-induced paraphilias and hypersexuality may represent a reversal of the putative premorbid Parkinson's disease personality traits of introversion, cautious behavior, and lack of "novelty-seeking." A biologic basis for transvestism, and paraphilias in general, is not known. Rare clues emerge from cases similar to this one.

  18. "PINK1"-Linked Parkinsonism Is Associated with Lewy Body Pathology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samaranch, Lluis; Lorenzo-Betancor, Oswaldo; Arbelo, Jose M.; Ferrer, Isidre; Lorenzo, Elena; Irigoyen, Jaione; Pastor, Maria A.; Marrero, Carmen; Isla, Concepcion; Herrera-Henriquez, Joanna; Pastor, Pau

    2010-01-01

    Phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene mutations have been associated with autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinson's disease. To date, no neuropathological reports have been published from patients with Parkinson's disease with both phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene copies mutated. We analysed…

  19. Treatment of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson disease and other synucleinopathies.

    PubMed

    Palma, Jose-Alberto; Kaufmann, Horacio

    2018-03-01

    Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system afflicts most patients with Parkinson disease and other synucleinopathies such as dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, and pure autonomic failure, reducing quality of life and increasing mortality. For example, gastrointestinal dysfunction can lead to impaired drug pharmacodynamics causing a worsening in motor symptoms, and neurogenic orthostatic hypotension can cause syncope, falls, and fractures. When recognized, autonomic problems can be treated, sometimes successfully. Discontinuation of potentially causative/aggravating drugs, patient education, and nonpharmacological approaches are useful and should be tried first. Pathophysiology-based pharmacological treatments that have shown efficacy in controlled trials of patients with synucleinopathies have been approved in many countries and are key to an effective management. Here, we review the treatment of autonomic dysfunction in patients with Parkinson disease and other synucleinopathies, summarize the nonpharmacological and current pharmacological therapeutic strategies including recently approved drugs, and provide practical advice and management algorithms for clinicians, with focus on neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, supine hypertension, dysphagia, sialorrhea, gastroparesis, constipation, neurogenic overactive bladder, underactive bladder, and sexual dysfunction. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  20. Factors affecting drug-induced liver injury: antithyroid drugs as instances

    PubMed Central

    Niknahad, Hossein; Jamshidzadeh, Akram; Abdoli, Narges

    2014-01-01

    Methimazole and propylthiouracil have been used in the management of hyperthyroidism for more than half a century. However, hepatotoxicity is one of the most deleterious side effects associated with these medications. The mechanism(s) of hepatic injury induced by antithyroid agents is not fully recognized yet. Furthermore, there are no specific tools for predicting the occurrence of hepatotoxicity induced by these drugs. The purpose of this article is to give an overview on possible susceptibility factors in liver injury induced by antithyroid agents. Age, gender, metabolism characteristics, alcohol consumption, underlying diseases, immunologic mechanisms, and drug interactions are involved in enhancing antithyroid drugs-induced hepatic damage. An outline on the clinically used treatments for antithyroid drugs-induced hepatotoxicity and the potential therapeutic strategies found to be effective against this complication are also discussed. PMID:25320726

  1. [Drug-induced gynecomastia].

    PubMed

    Schirren, U; Hinz, B; Schirren, C

    1986-01-01

    Concerning four own observations by men in the age of 41-69 years it has been reported about the drug-induced gynecomastia. It can be demonstrated that the spironolactone induced gynecomastia disappeared after stopping this drug. The knowledge of such side effects is the condition for a pre-information of the patient at the beginning of therapy. The mode of action of spironolactone is discussed. It is referred about the important role of the disturbance of the relation androgen: estrogens under spironolactone as well as the peripheral antiandrogen effect of this substance.

  2. Drugs in development for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Johnston, Tom H; Brotchie, Jonathan M

    2004-07-01

    Pharmacological treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) is entering a new and exciting era. Real promise now exists for the clinical application of a large range of molecules in development that will combat different aspects and stages of the condition. These include methyl- and ethyl-esterified forms of L-dopa (etilevodopa and melevodopa), inhibitors of enzymes such as monoamine oxidase type-B (eg, rasagiline), catechol-O-methyl transferase (eg, BIA-3202) and the monoamine re-uptake mechanism (eg, brasofensine). In addition, a range of full and partial dopamine agonists (eg, sumanirole, piribedil and BP-897) and their new formulations, for example, patch delivery systems (eg, rotigotine) are being developed. We also highlight non-dopaminergic treatments that will have wide ranging applications in the treatment of PD and L-dopa-induced dyskinesia. These include alpha2 adrenergic receptor antagonists (eg, fipamezole), adenosine A2A receptor antagonists (eg, istradefylline), AMPA receptor antagonists (eg, talampanel), neuronal synchronization modulators (eg, levetiracetam) and agents that interact with serotonergic systems such as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A agonists (eg, sarizotan) and 5-HT2A antagonists (eg, quetiapine). Lastly, we examine a growing number of neuroprotective agents that seek to halt or even reverse disease progression. These include anti-apoptotic kinase inhibitors (eg, CEP-1347), modulators of mitochondrial function (eg, creatine), growth factors (eg, leteprinim), neuroimmunophilins (eg, V-10367), estrogens (eg, MITO-4509), c-synuclein oligomerization inhibitors (eg, PAN-408) and sonic hedgehog ligands.

  3. Hypothyroidism-induced Reversible Encephalopathy as a Cause of Aggravation of Parkinsonism and Myoclonus in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Ehm, Gwanhee; Kim, Han-Joon; Jeon, Beomseok

    2017-01-01

    Myoclonus and encephalopathy are unusual in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We describe the case of a 59-year-old male with PD who developed myoclonus and encephalopathy. Underlying hypothyroidism was revealed after admission and treated with levothyroxine. Myoclonus and encephalopathy were completely resolved following thyroid hormone replacement. Hypothyroidism can cause reversible myoclonus and encephalopathy along with unusual aggravation of parkinsonism symptoms in patients with PD.

  4. Drug-induced cholestasis: mechanisms, models, and markers.

    PubMed

    Chatterjee, Sagnik; Annaert, Pieter

    2018-04-27

    Drug-induced cholestasis is a risk factor in progression of drug candidates, and poses serious health hazard if not detected before going into human. Intrahepatic accumulation of bile acids (BAs) represents a characteristic phenomenon associated with drug-induced cholestasis. The major challenges in obtaining a complete understanding of drug-induced cholestasis lies in the complexity of BA-mediated toxicity mechanisms and the impact of bile acids at different 'targets' such as transporters, enzymes and nuclear receptors. At the same time, it is not trivial to have a relevant in vitro system that recapitulates these features. In addition, lack of sensitive and early preclinical biomarkers, relevant to the clinical situation, complicates proper detection of drug-induced cholestasis. Significant overlap in biomarker signatures between different mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) precludes identification of specific mechanisms. Over the last decade the knowledge gaps in drug-induced cholestasis are closing due to growing mechanistic understanding of BA-mediated toxicity at (patho)physiologically relevant BA concentrations. Significant progress has been made in the mechanistic understanding of drug-induced cholestasis and associated toxicity, biomarkers and susceptibility factors. In addition, novel in vitro models are evolving which provide a holistic understanding of processes underlying drug-induced cholestasis. This review summarizes the challenges and recent understandings about drug-induced cholestasis with a potential path forward. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  5. Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson Disease.

    PubMed

    Shibao, Cyndya A; Kaufmann, Horacio

    2017-11-01

    Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunctions, including neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, supine hypertension and post-prandial hypotension, are relatively common in patients with Parkinson disease. Recent evidence suggests that early autonomic impairment such as cardiac autonomic denervation and even neurogenic orthostatic hypotension occur prior to the appearance of the typical motor deficits associated with the disease. When neurogenic orthostatic hypotension develops, patients with Parkinson disease have an increased risk of mortality, falls, and trauma-related to falls. Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension reduces quality of life and contributes to cognitive decline and physical deconditioning. The co-existence of supine hypertension complicates the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension because it involves the use of drugs with opposing effects. Furthermore, treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension is challenging because of few therapeutic options; in the past 20 years, the US Food and Drug Administration approved only two drugs for the treatment of this condition. Small, open-label or randomized studies using acute doses of different pharmacologic probes suggest benefit of other drugs as well, which could be used in individual patients under close monitoring. This review describes the pathophysiology of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension and supine hypertension in Parkinson disease. We discuss the mode of action and therapeutic efficacy of different pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular autonomic failure.

  6. Acute Cervical Dystonia Induced by Clebopride.

    PubMed

    Choi, Jin Kyo; Hong, Jin Yong

    2017-01-01

    Antidopaminergic drugs are known to induce extrapyramidal symptoms. Clebopride, a dopamine antagonist, also can produce parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, tardive dystonia, hemifacial dystonia, or oculogyric crisis; however, acute dystonic reaction caused by clebopride has not been reported in adults. We report two young men who experienced acute cervical dystonia within a few days of taking clebopride. The patients recovered after discontinuation of the drug. Physicians prescribing clebopride should be aware of the adverse effects of this drug.

  7. Acute Cervical Dystonia Induced by Clebopride

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Antidopaminergic drugs are known to induce extrapyramidal symptoms. Clebopride, a dopamine antagonist, also can produce parkinsonism, tardive dyskinesia, tardive dystonia, hemifacial dystonia, or oculogyric crisis; however, acute dystonic reaction caused by clebopride has not been reported in adults. We report two young men who experienced acute cervical dystonia within a few days of taking clebopride. The patients recovered after discontinuation of the drug. Physicians prescribing clebopride should be aware of the adverse effects of this drug. PMID:29333306

  8. Drug-induced Liver Injury

    PubMed Central

    David, Stefan; Hamilton, James P

    2011-01-01

    Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is common and nearly all classes of medications can cause liver disease. Most cases of DILI are benign, and improve after drug withdrawal. It is important to recognize and remove the offending agent as quickly as possible to prevent the progression to chronic liver disease and/or acute liver failure. There are no definite risk factors for DILI, but pre-existing liver disease and genetic susceptibility may predispose certain individuals. Although most patients have clinical symptoms that are identical to other liver diseases, some patients may present with symptoms of systemic hypersensitivity. Treatment of drug and herbal-induced liver injury consists of rapid drug discontinuation and supportive care targeted to alleviate unwanted symptoms. PMID:21874146

  9. Parkinson's disease as a result of aging

    PubMed Central

    Rodriguez, Manuel; Rodriguez-Sabate, Clara; Morales, Ingrid; Sanchez, Alberto; Sabate, Magdalena

    2015-01-01

    It is generally considered that Parkinson's disease is induced by specific agents that degenerate a clearly defined population of dopaminergic neurons. Data commented in this review suggest that this assumption is not as clear as is often thought and that aging may be critical for Parkinson's disease. Neurons degenerating in Parkinson's disease also degenerate in normal aging, and the different agents involved in the etiology of this illness are also involved in aging. Senescence is a wider phenomenon affecting cells all over the body, whereas Parkinson's disease seems to be restricted to certain brain centers and cell populations. However, reviewed data suggest that Parkinson's disease may be a local expression of aging on cell populations which, by their characteristics (high number of synaptic terminals and mitochondria, unmyelinated axons, etc.), are highly vulnerable to the agents promoting aging. The development of new knowledge about Parkinson's disease could be accelerated if the research on aging and Parkinson's disease were planned together, and the perspective provided by gerontology gains relevance in this field. PMID:25677794

  10. Medical management of levodopa-associated motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Jankovic, Joseph; Stacy, Mark

    2007-01-01

    monitoring for hepatotoxicity. Amantadine is a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist shown to lower dyskinesia scores and improve motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease when given adjunctively with levodopa. Dopamine agonists, also used as initial and adjunctive therapy in Parkinson's disease, improve motor response and decrease 'off' time purportedly through direct stimulation of dopamine receptors. Current dopamine agonists include bromocriptine, pergolide, cabergoline, lisuride, apomorphine, pramipexole, ropinirole and rotigotine. Although effective, this class of medications can be associated with cardiovascular and psychiatric adverse effects that can limit their utility. All medications used to manage levodopa-associated motor complications in patients with Parkinson's disease have had differing degrees of success. Although head-to-head comparisons of drugs within classes are rare, some differences have emerged related to effects on motor fluctuations, dyskinesias and on/off times, as well as to adverse effects. When choosing a drug to treat levodopa-induced complications, it is important to consider the risks and benefits of the different classes and of the specific agents within each class, given the different efficacy and safety profiles of each.

  11. ▼ Safinamide for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    2018-05-01

    ▼ Safinamide (Xadago - Zambon S.p.A) is a monoamine-oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor licensed as add-on therapy for people with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who are experiencing motor fluctuations with levodopa. 1 Currently there is no cure for Parkinson's disease and drugs are used to reduce motor symptoms and improve daily activities. 2,3 Here, we review the evidence for this MAO-B inhibitor. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  12. From a Parkinson's disease expert: Rasagiline and the Future of Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Lakhan, Shaheen E

    2007-01-01

    John Finberg is a professor of pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, home of Israel's two Nobel laureates. He and his colleague Prof. Moussa Youdim were instrumental in the early clinical development of the anti-Parkinson drug rasagiline, which gained UK- and EU-marketing authorization in 2005 and US FDA approval in 2006. In our interview, Finberg reflects on his clinical research to develop rasagiline as a commercial drug and its proposed pharmacological mechanisms of action. Moreover, he elucidates the current state of anti-Parkinson drug discovery and offers direction for future research. PMID:17617893

  13. Human induced pluripotent stem cells in Parkinson's disease: A novel cell source of cell therapy and disease modeling.

    PubMed

    Li, Wen; Chen, Shengdi; Li, Jia-Yi

    2015-11-01

    Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are two novel cell sources for studying neurodegenerative diseases. Dopaminergic neurons derived from hiPSCs/hESCs have been implicated to be very useful in Parkinson's disease (PD) research, including cell replacement therapy, disease modeling and drug screening. Recently, great efforts have been made to improve the application of hiPSCs/hESCs in PD research. Considerable advances have been made in recent years, including advanced reprogramming strategies without the use of viruses or using fewer transcriptional factors, optimized methods for generating highly homogeneous neural progenitors with a larger proportion of mature dopaminergic neurons and better survival and integration after transplantation. Here we outline the progress that has been made in these aspects in recent years, particularly during the last year, and also discuss existing issues that need to be addressed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Parkinson Disease Protein DJ-1 Binds Metals and Protects against Metal-induced Cytotoxicity*

    PubMed Central

    Björkblom, Benny; Adilbayeva, Altynai; Maple-Grødem, Jodi; Piston, Dominik; Ökvist, Mats; Xu, Xiang Ming; Brede, Cato; Larsen, Jan Petter; Møller, Simon Geir

    2013-01-01

    The progressive loss of motor control due to reduction of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and decreased striatal dopamine levels are the classically described features of Parkinson disease (PD). Neuronal damage also progresses to other regions of the brain, and additional non-motor dysfunctions are common. Accumulation of environmental toxins, such as pesticides and metals, are suggested risk factors for the development of typical late onset PD, although genetic factors seem to be substantial in early onset cases. Mutations of DJ-1 are known to cause a form of recessive early onset Parkinson disease, highlighting an important functional role for DJ-1 in early disease prevention. This study identifies human DJ-1 as a metal-binding protein able to evidently bind copper as well as toxic mercury ions in vitro. The study further characterizes the cytoprotective function of DJ-1 and PD-mutated variants of DJ-1 with respect to induced metal cytotoxicity. The results show that expression of DJ-1 enhances the cells' protective mechanisms against induced metal toxicity and that this protection is lost for DJ-1 PD mutations A104T and D149A. The study also shows that oxidation site-mutated DJ-1 C106A retains its ability to protect cells. We also show that concomitant addition of dopamine exposure sensitizes cells to metal-induced cytotoxicity. We also confirm that redox-active dopamine adducts enhance metal-catalyzed oxidation of intracellular proteins in vivo by use of live cell imaging of redox-sensitive S3roGFP. The study indicates that even a small genetic alteration can sensitize cells to metal-induced cell death, a finding that may revive the interest in exogenous factors in the etiology of PD. PMID:23792957

  15. Doxycycline-induced drug fever: a case report.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Hai-Ling; Lu, Ning-Wei; Xie, Hua; Zheng, Yuan-Yuan; Wang, Qiu-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Drug fever is a febrile reaction induced by a drug without additional clinical symptoms. This adverse reaction is not rare but under diagnosed and under reported. Doxycycline is a tetracycline compound with broad-spectrum antibiotic activity. Drug fever induced by doxycycline is rarely reported. In this study, we describe a patient in whom doxycycline induced drug fever after 17 days of therapy for brucellosis.

  16. The History of Parkinson's Disease: Early Clinical Descriptions and Neurological Therapies

    PubMed Central

    Goetz, Christopher G.

    2011-01-01

    Although components of possible Parkinson's disease can be found in very early documents, the first clear medical description was written in 1817 by James Parkinson. In the mid-1800s, Jean-Martin Charcot was particularly influential in refining and expanding this early description and in disseminating information internationally about Parkinson's disease. He separated Parkinson's disease from multiple sclerosis and other disorders characterized by tremor, and he recognized cases that later would likely be classified among the Parkinsonism-plus syndromes. Early treatments of Parkinson's disease were based on empirical observation, and anticholinergic drugs were used as early as the nineteenth century. The discovery of dopaminergic deficits in Parkinson's disease and the synthetic pathway of dopamine led to the first human trials of levodopa. Further historically important anatomical, biochemical, and physiological studies identified additional pharmacological and neurosurgical targets for Parkinson's disease and allow modern clinicians to offer an array of therapies aimed at improving function in this still incurable disease. PMID:22229124

  17. Adverse drug reactions induced by cardiovascular drugs in outpatients.

    PubMed

    Gholami, Kheirollah; Ziaie, Shadi; Shalviri, Gloria

    2008-01-01

    Considering increased use of cardiovascular drugs and limitations in pre-marketing trials for drug safety evaluation, post marketing evaluation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) induced by this class of medicinal products seems necessary. To determine the rate and seriousness of adverse reactions induced by cardiovascular drugs in outpatients. To compare sex and different age groups in developing ADRs with cardiovascular agents. To assess the relationship between frequencies of ADRs and the number of drugs used. This cross-sectional study was done in cardiovascular clinic at a teaching hospital. All patients during an eight months period were evaluated for cardiovascular drugs induced ADRs. Patient and reaction factors were analyzed in detected ADRs. Patients with or without ADRs were compared in sex and age by using chi-square test. Assessing the relationship between frequencies of ADRs and the number of drugs used was done by using Pearson analysis. The total number of 518 patients was visited at the clinic. ADRs were detected in 105 (20.3%) patients. The most frequent ADRs were occurred in the age group of 51-60. The highest rate of ADRs was recorded to be induced by Diltiazem (23.5%) and the lowest rate with Atenolol (3%). Headache was the most frequent detected ADR (23%). Assessing the severity and preventability of ADRs revealed that 1.1% of ADRs were detected as severe and 1.9% as preventable reactions. Women significantly developed more ADRs in this study (chi square = 3.978, P<0.05). ADRs more frequently occurred with increasing age in this study (chi square = 15.871, P<0.05). With increasing the number of drugs used, the frequency of ADRs increased (Pearson=0.259, P<0.05). Monitoring ADRs in patients using cardiovascular drugs is a matter of importance since this class of medicines is usually used by elderly patients with critical conditions and underlying diseases.

  18. Mortalin inhibition in experimental Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Chiasserini, Davide; Tozzi, Alessandro; de Iure, Antonio; Tantucci, Michela; Susta, Federica; Orvietani, Pier Luigi; Koya, Keizo; Binaglia, Luciano; Calabresi, Paolo

    2011-08-01

    Among heat shock proteins, mortalin has been linked to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In the present work a rat model of Parkinson's disease was used to analyze the expression of striatal proteins and, more specifically, mortalin expression. The possible involvement of mortalin in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis was further investigated by utilizing an electrophysiological approach and pharmacological inhibition of mortalin in both the physiological and the parkinsonian states. Proteomic analysis was used to investigate changes in striatal protein expression in the 6-hydroxydopamine rat model of Parkinson's disease. The electrophysiological effects of MKT-077, a rhodamine-123 analogue acting as an inhibitor of mortalin, were measured by field potential recordings from corticostriatal brain slices obtained from control, sham-operated, and 6-hydroxydopamine-denervated animals. Slices in the presence of rotenone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, were also analyzed. Proteomic analysis revealed downregulation of mortalin in the striata of 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats in comparison with sham-operated animals. MKT-077 reduced corticostriatal field potential amplitude in physiological conditions, inducing membrane depolarization and inward current in striatal medium spiny neurons. In addition, we observed that concentrations of MKT-077 not inducing any electrophysiological effect in physiological conditions caused significant changes in striatal slices from parkinsonian animals as well as in slices treated with a submaximal concentration of rotenone. These findings suggest a critical link between mortalin function and mitochondrial activity in both physiological and pathological conditions mimicking Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.

  19. 21 CFR 341.74 - Labeling of antitussive drug products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ...) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson's disease), or for 2... oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson...

  20. 21 CFR 341.74 - Labeling of antitussive drug products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ...) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson's disease), or for 2... oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson...

  1. 21 CFR 341.74 - Labeling of antitussive drug products.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ...) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson's disease), or for 2... oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson...

  2. Peroxynitrite induced formation of the neurotoxins 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine and DHBT-1: implications for Parkinson's disease and protection by polyphenols.

    PubMed

    Vauzour, David; Ravaioli, Giulia; Vafeiadou, Katerina; Rodriguez-Mateos, Ana; Angeloni, Cristina; Spencer, Jeremy P E

    2008-08-15

    Mechanisms of nigral cell injury in Parkinson's disease remain unclear, although a combination of increased oxidative stress, the formation of catecholamine-quinones and the subsequent formation of neurotoxic cysteinyl-catecholamine conjugates may contribute. In the present study, peroxynitrite was observed to generate both 2-S- and 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine and a dihydrobenzothiazine species, DHBT-1, following the reaction of dopamine with l-cysteine. The formation of 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine and DHBT-1 in the presence of peroxynitrite induced significant neuronal injury. Pre-treatment of cortical neurons with pelargonidin, quercetin, hesperetin, caffeic acid, the 4'-O-Me derivatives of catechin and epicatechin (0.1-3.0 microM) resulted in concentration dependant protection against 5-S-cysteinyl-dopamine-induced neurotoxicity. These data suggest that polyphenols may protect against neuronal injury induced by endogenous neurotoxins relevant to the aetiology of the Parkinson disease.

  3. Anaesthesia for Caesarean section in a patient with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Ward, V D

    2018-05-01

    Parkinson's disease is prevalent worldwide but mainly affects the elderly and is rarely seen in women of child-bearing age. The clinical signs and symptoms, the physiological changes of pregnancy, and drug interactions, pose unique challenges for the anaesthetic management of patients with Parkinson's disease who present for delivery. A 36-year-old primigravid woman at 36 weeks' gestation, with Parkinson's disease, presented for pre-anaesthesia assessment prior to elective caesarean section. Her Parkinson's disease had been diagnosed four years previously and was treated with Sinemet (levodopa/carbidopa) and pramipexole. Despite maximum allowable drug doses in pregnancy, she reported disease progression, with right-sided weakness in the upper and lower limbs and an altered gait. Spinal anaesthesia for elective Caesarean section was performed in the sitting position, using 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine, morphine 150 µg and fentanyl 25 µg. The anaesthesia and Caesarean section were uneventful. She was discharged home with a healthy baby on the fourth postoperative day. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Electroconvulsive Therapy Intervention for Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Narang, Puneet; Glowacki, Anna; Lippmann, Steven

    2015-01-01

    Electroconvulsive therapy is an established means to improve function in a variety of psychiatric and neurologic conditions, particularly for patients who remain treatment-refractory. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that sometimes does not respond well to conventional pharmacotherapies. Reports have indicated that electroconvulsive therapy may be an effective and safe treatment for those patients with Parkinson's disease who are not optimally responding to first-line treatments. Despite these reports, however, electroconvulsive therapy is not often used by clinicians in patients with treatment-resistant Parkinson's disease, perhaps due to stigma, lack of knowledge regarding its safety and efficacy, and/or inability to predict the duration of therapeutic benefit. Our objective was to determine if the available literature on ECT supports it as a safe and effective treatment option in patients with treatment-refractory Parkinson's disease. Motoric improvement induced by electroconvulsive therapy has been documented for decades in persons with Parkinson's disease. Efficacy and safety are reported following electroconvulsive therapy in people with Parkinson's disease who have sub-optimal response to medicines or experience the "on/off" phenomenon to L-dopa. Electroconvulsive therapy is an effective option for acute and maintenance treatment of Parkinson's disease in select patients. Inability to predict how long the beneficial effects of ECT therapy will last in patients with Parkinson's disease may be a reason why this treatment is underutilized by clinicians. More research is warranted to clarify parameters for application and duration of therapeutic benefit in individuals with difficult-to-treat Parkinson's disease.

  5. Drug-induced gynecomastia.

    PubMed

    Eckman, Ari; Dobs, Adrian

    2008-11-01

    Gynecomastia is caused by drugs in 10 - 25% of all cases. The pathophysiologic mechanism for some drugs includes exogenous estrogens exposure, medications that cause hypogonadism, anti-androgenic effects and hyperprolactinemia. This manuscript reviews common examples of drug-induced gynecomastia, discussing the mechanisms and possible treatments. Discontinuing the medication is always the best choice; however, if this is not possible, then testosterone replacement therapy may be needed for hypogonadism. When a man is euogonadal, a trial of the anti-estrogen, tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor may be an option.

  6. DITOP: drug-induced toxicity related protein database.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jing-Xian; Huang, Wei-Juan; Zeng, Jing-Hua; Huang, Wen-Hui; Wang, Yi; Zhao, Rui; Han, Bu-Cong; Liu, Qing-Feng; Chen, Yu-Zong; Ji, Zhi-Liang

    2007-07-01

    Drug-induced toxicity related proteins (DITRPs) are proteins that mediate adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or toxicities through their binding to drugs or reactive metabolites. Collection of these proteins facilitates better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of drug-induced toxicity and the rational drug discovery. Drug-induced toxicity related protein database (DITOP) is such a database that is intending to provide comprehensive information of DITRPs. Currently, DITOP contains 1501 records, covering 618 distinct literature-reported DITRPs, 529 drugs/ligands and 418 distinct toxicity terms. These proteins were confirmed experimentally to interact with drugs or their reactive metabolites, thus directly or indirectly cause adverse effects or toxicities. Five major types of drug-induced toxicities or ADRs are included in DITOP, which are the idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions, the dose-dependent toxicities, the drug-drug interactions, the immune-mediated adverse drug effects (IMADEs) and the toxicities caused by genetic susceptibility. Molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity and cross-links to related resources are also provided while available. Moreover, a series of user-friendly interfaces were designed for flexible retrieval of DITRPs-related information. The DITOP can be accessed freely at http://bioinf.xmu.edu.cn/databases/ADR/index.html. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  7. Traditional chinese medicine improves activities of daily living in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Pan, Weidong; Kwak, Shin; Liu, Yun; Sun, Yan; Fang, Zhenglong; Qin, Baofeng; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

    2011-01-01

    We evaluated the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), named Zeng-xiao An-shen Zhi-chan 2 (ZAZ2), on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Among 115 patients with idiopathic PD enrolled (mean age, 64.7 ± 10.2 years old), 110 patients (M = 65, F = 45; mean age, 64.9 ± 10.7 years old) completed the study. Patients took either ZAZ2 (n = 59) or placebo granule (n = 56) in a blind manner for 13 weeks while maintaining other anti-Parkinson medications unchanged. All participants wore a motion logger, and we analyzed the power-law temporal autocorrelation of the motion logger records taken on 3 occasions (before, one week, and 13 weeks after the drug administration). Drug efficacy was evaluated with the conventional Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), as well as the power-law exponent α, which corresponds to the level of physical activity of the patients. ZAZ2 but not placebo granule improved the awake-sleep rhythm, the UPDRS Part II, Part II + III, and Part IV scores, and the α values. The results indicate that ZAZ2 improved activities of daily living (ADL) of parkinsonism and, thus, is a potentially suitable drug for long-term use.

  8. Traditional Chinese Medicine Improves Activities of Daily Living in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Weidong; Kwak, Shin; Liu, Yun; Sun, Yan; Fang, Zhenglong; Qin, Baofeng; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

    2011-01-01

    We evaluated the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), named Zeng-xiao An-shen Zhi-chan 2 (ZAZ2), on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Among 115 patients with idiopathic PD enrolled (mean age, 64.7 ± 10.2 years old), 110 patients (M = 65, F = 45; mean age, 64.9 ± 10.7 years old) completed the study. Patients took either ZAZ2 (n = 59) or placebo granule (n = 56) in a blind manner for 13 weeks while maintaining other anti-Parkinson medications unchanged. All participants wore a motion logger, and we analyzed the power-law temporal autocorrelation of the motion logger records taken on 3 occasions (before, one week, and 13 weeks after the drug administration). Drug efficacy was evaluated with the conventional Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), as well as the power-law exponent α, which corresponds to the level of physical activity of the patients. ZAZ2 but not placebo granule improved the awake-sleep rhythm, the UPDRS Part II, Part II + III, and Part IV scores, and the α values. The results indicate that ZAZ2 improved activities of daily living (ADL) of parkinsonism and, thus, is a potentially suitable drug for long-term use. PMID:21687764

  9. Synthesis of a Parkinson's Disease Treatment Drug, the "R,R"-Tartrate Salt "of R"-Rasagiline: A Three Week Introductory Organic Chemistry Lab Sequence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aguilar, Noberto; Garcia, Billy; Cunningham, Mark; David, Samuel

    2016-01-01

    A synthesis of the "R,R"-tartrate salt of the popular anti-Parkinson's drug "R"-rasagiline (Azilect) was adapted to introduce the organic laboratory student to a medically relevant synthesis. It makes use of concepts found in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum, appropriately fits into three approximately 4 h lab…

  10. Parkinson's Disease

    MedlinePlus

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Parkinson's Disease KidsHealth / For Kids / Parkinson's Disease What's in this ... symptoms of something called Parkinson's disease. What Is Parkinson's Disease? Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the central ...

  11. Effect and Mechanism of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Bai-Yun

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Although both genetic and environmental factors are implicated in the development of Parkinson's disease, the cause of the disease is still unclear. So far conventional treatments to Parkinson's are symptomatic relief and focused mainly on motor symptoms. Chinese herbal medicine has been used to treat many conditions in China, Korea, Japan, and many Southeast Asian countries for 1000 years. During past a few decades, Chinese herbal medicine has gained wider and increasing acceptance within both public and medical profession due to its effectiveness on many conditions in western countries. In this chapter, mechanisms of action of many Chinese herbal compounds/extracts and Chinese herb formulas on the models of Parkinson's were reviewed. Further, reports of effectiveness of Chinese herb formulas on patients with Parkinson's were summarized. It was shown that both Chinese herbal compounds/extracts and herb formulas have either specific target mechanisms of action or multitargets mechanisms of action, as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antiapoptosis agents. Clinical studies showed that Chinese herb formulas as an adjunct improved both motor and nonmotor symptoms, and reduced dose of dopaminergic drugs and occurrence of dyskinesia. The evidence from the studies suggests that Chinese herb medicine has potential, acting as neuroprotective to slow down the progression of Parkinson's, and it is able to simultaneously treat both motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's. More studies are needed to explore the new compounds/extracts derived from Chinese herbs, in particular, their mechanisms of action. It is hopeful that new drugs developed from Chinese herb compounds/extracts and Chinese herb formulas will lead to better and complimentary therapy to PD. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback as adjunct therapy for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Philippens, Ingrid H C H M; Wubben, Jacqueline A; Vanwersch, Raymond A P; Estevao, Dave L; Tass, Peter A

    2017-08-01

    Neurofeedback may enhance compensatory brain mechanisms. EEG-based sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training was suggested to be beneficial in Parkinson's disease. In a placebo-controlled study in parkinsonian nonhuman primates we here show that sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training reduces MPTP-induced parkinsonian symptoms and both ON and OFF scores during classical L-DOPA treatment. Our findings encourage further development of sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training as adjunct therapy for Parkinson's disease which might help reduce L-DOPA-induced side effects.

  13. Pharmacological strategies for the management of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Schaeffer, Eva; Pilotto, Andrea; Berg, Daniela

    2014-12-01

    L-Dopa-induced dyskinesias (LID) are the most common adverse effects of long-term dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the exact mechanisms underlying dyskinesia are still unclear. For a long time, nigrostriatal degeneration and pulsatile stimulation of striatal postsynaptic receptors have been highlighted as the key factors for the development of LID. In recent years, PD models have revealed a wide range of non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems involved in pre- and postsynaptic changes and thereby contributing to the pathophysiology of LID. In the current review, we focus on therapeutic LID targets, mainly based on agents acting on dopaminergic, glutamatergic, serotoninergic, adrenergic, and cholinergic systems. Despite a large number of clinical trials, currently only amantadine and, to a lesser extent, clozapine are being used as effective strategies in the treatment of LID in clinical settings. Thus, in the second part of the article, we review the placebo-controlled trials on LID treatment in order to disentangle the changing scenario of drug development. Promising results include the extension of L-dopa action without inducing LID of the novel monoamine oxidase B- and glutamate-release inhibitor safinamide; however, this had no obvious effect on existing LID. Others, like the metabotropic glutamate-receptor antagonist AFQ056, showed promising results in some of the studies; however, confirmation is still lacking. Thus, to date, strategies of continuous dopaminergic stimulation seem the most promising to prevent or ameliorate LID. The success of future therapeutic strategies once moderate to severe LID occur will depend on the translation from preclinical experimental models into clinical practice in a bidirectional process.

  14. Drug-induced Inhibition and Trafficking Disruption of ion Channels: Pathogenesis of QT Abnormalities and Drug-induced Fatal Arrhythmias

    PubMed Central

    Cubeddu, Luigi X.

    2016-01-01

    Risk of severe and fatal ventricular arrhythmias, presenting as Torsade de Pointes (TdP), is increased in congenital and acquired forms of long QT syndromes (LQTS). Drug-induced inhibition of K+ currents, IKs, IKr, IK1, and/or Ito, delay repolarization, prolong QT, and increase the risk of TdP. Drug-induced interference with IKr is the most common cause of acquired LQTS/TdP. Multiple drugs bind to KNCH2-hERG-K+ channels affecting IKr, including antiarrythmics, antibiotics, antivirals, azole-antifungals, antimalarials, anticancer, antiemetics, prokinetics, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. Azithromycin has been recently added to this list. In addition to direct channel inhibition, some drugs interfere with the traffic of channels from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell membrane, decreasing mature channel membrane density; e.g., pentamidine, geldalamicin, arsenic trioxide, digoxin, and probucol. Other drugs, such as ketoconazole, fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, donepezil, tamoxifen, endoxifen, atazanavir, and roxitromycin, induce both direct channel inhibition and impaired channel trafficking. Although many drugs prolong the QT interval, TdP is a rare event. The following conditions increase the risk of drug-induced TdP: a) Disease states/electrolyte levels (heart failure, structural cardiac disease, bradycardia, hypokalemia); b) Pharmacogenomic variables (presence of congenital LQTS, subclinical ion-channel mutations, history of or having a relative with history of drug-induced long QT/TdP); c) Pharmacodynamic and kinetic factors (high doses, women, elderly, metabolism inhibitors, combining two or more QT prolonging drugs, drugs that prolong the QT and increase QT dispersion, and drugs with multiple actions on ion channels). Because most of these conditions are preventable, careful evaluation of risk factors and increased knowledge of drug use associated with repolarization abnormalities are strongly recommended. PMID:26926294

  15. Drug-induced Brugada syndrome: Clinical characteristics and risk factors.

    PubMed

    Konigstein, Maayan; Rosso, Raphael; Topaz, Guy; Postema, Pieter G; Friedensohn, Limor; Heller, Karin; Zeltser, David; Belhassen, Bernard; Adler, Arnon; Viskin, Sami

    2016-05-01

    Cardiac arrest may result from seemingly innocuous medications that do not necessarily have cardiac indications. The best-known example is the drug-induced long QT syndrome. A less known but not necessarily less important form of drug-induced proarrhythmia is the drug-induced Brugada syndrome. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and ECG risk markers for drug-induced Brugada syndrome. Reports of drug-induced Brugada syndrome recounted by an international database (http://www.brugadadrugs.org) were reviewed to define characteristics that identify patients prone to developing this complication. For each patient with drug-induced Brugada syndrome who had an ECG recorded in the absence of drugs, we included 5 healthy controls matched by gender and age. All ECGs were evaluated for Brugada-like abnormalities. Seventy-four cases of drug-induced Brugada syndrome from noncardiac medications were identified: 77% were male, and drug toxicity was involved in 46%. Drug-induced Brugada syndrome from oral medications generally occurred weeks after the initiation of therapy. Mortality was 13%. By definition, all cases had a type I Brugada pattern during drug therapy. Nevertheless, their ECG in the absence of drugs was more frequently abnormal than the ECG of controls (56% vs 33%, P = .04). Drug-induced Brugada syndrome from noncardiac drugs occurs predominantly in adult males, is frequently due to drug toxicity, and occurs late after the onset of therapy. Minor changes are frequently noticeable on baseline ECG, but screening is impractical because of a prohibitive false-positive rate. Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Improving response inhibition in Parkinson's disease with atomoxetine.

    PubMed

    Ye, Zheng; Altena, Ellemarije; Nombela, Cristina; Housden, Charlotte R; Maxwell, Helen; Rittman, Timothy; Huddleston, Chelan; Rae, Charlotte L; Regenthal, Ralf; Sahakian, Barbara J; Barker, Roger A; Robbins, Trevor W; Rowe, James B

    2015-04-15

    Dopaminergic drugs remain the mainstay of Parkinson's disease therapy but often fail to improve cognitive problems such as impulsivity. This may be due to the loss of other neurotransmitters, including noradrenaline, which is linked to impulsivity and response inhibition. We therefore examined the effect of the selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine on response inhibition in a stop-signal paradigm. This pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging study used a double-blinded randomized crossover design with low-frequency inhibition trials distributed among frequent Go trials. Twenty-one patients received 40 mg atomoxetine or placebo. Control subjects were tested on no-drug. The effects of disease and drug on behavioral performance, regional brain activity, and functional connectivity were analyzed using general linear models. Anatomical connectivity was examined using diffusion-weighted imaging. Patients with Parkinson's disease had longer stop-signal reaction times, less stop-related activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG), and weaker functional connectivity between the RIFG and striatum compared with control subjects. Atomoxetine enhanced stop-related RIFG activation in proportion to disease severity. Although there was no overall behavioral benefit from atomoxetine, analyses of individual differences revealed that enhanced response inhibition by atomoxetine was associated with increased RIFG activation and functional frontostriatal connectivity. Improved performance was more likely in patients with higher structural frontostriatal connectivity. This study suggests that enhanced prefrontal cortical activation and frontostriatal connectivity by atomoxetine may improve response inhibition in Parkinson's disease. These results point the way to new stratified clinical trials of atomoxetine to treat impulsivity in selected patients with Parkinson's disease. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Differential effects of gaseous versus injectable anesthetics on changes in regional cerebral blood flow and metabolism induced by l-DOPA in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Bimpisidis, Zisis; Öberg, Carl M; Maslava, Natallia; Cenci, M Angela; Lundblad, Cornelia

    2017-06-01

    Preclinical imaging of brain activity requires the use of anesthesia. In this study, we have compared the effects of two widely used anesthetics, inhaled isoflurane and ketamine/xylazine cocktail, on cerebral blood flow and metabolism in a rat model of Parkinson's disease and l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Specific tracers were used to estimate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF - [ 14 C]-iodoantipyrine) and regional cerebral metabolic rate (rCMR - [ 14 C]-2-deoxyglucose) with a highly sensitive autoradiographic method. The two types of anesthetics had quite distinct effects on l-DOPA-induced changes in rCBF and rCMR. Isoflurane did not affect either the absolute rCBF values or the increases in rCBF in the basal ganglia after l-DOPA administration. On the contrary, rats anesthetized with ketamine/xylazine showed lower absolute rCBF values, and the rCBF increases induced by l-DOPA were masked. We developed a novel improved model to calculate rCMR, and found lower metabolic activities in rats anesthetized with isoflurane compared to animals anesthetized with ketamine/xylazine. Both anesthetics prevented changes in rCMR upon l-DOPA administration. Pharmacological challenges in isoflurane-anesthetized rats indicated that drugs mimicking the actions of ketamine/xylazine on adrenergic or glutamate receptors reproduced distinct effects of the injectable anesthetics on rCBF and rCMR. Our results highlight the importance of anesthesia in studies of cerebral flow and metabolism, and provide novel insights into mechanisms mediating abnormal neurovascular responses to l-DOPA in Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A review and assessment of drug-induced parotitis.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Krista G; Thompson, Dennis F

    2012-12-01

    To review the current literature on drug-induced parotitis. Literature was accessed through MEDLINE/PubMed (1980-May 2012), using the search terms sialadenitis/chemically induced and parotitis/chemically induced. EMBASE (1980-May 2012) was searched using the terms parotitis/diagnosis, sialadenitis/side effect, and parotitis/side effect. International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-May 2012) was searched using the search terms parotitis and sialadenitis. All searches were limited to articles on humans written in English. Inclusion criteria were published letters, case reports, reviews, and clinical trials involving drugs that may be associated with parotitis. Articles pertaining to parotitis induced by iodine-containing drugs were excluded. References of all relevant articles were reviewed for additional citations. Review articles, clinical trials, background data, and case reports of drug-induced parotitis were collected and case reports were assessed for causality. Parotitis is an uncommon adverse effect; however, signs and symptoms of parotitis have been noted in case reports as an adverse drug reaction related to various medications. Assessing causality of an adverse drug reaction such as parotitis is challenging. To help determine the probability of causality for these events, algorithms such as the Naranjo probability scale have been developed. Eighty-four case reports of drug-induced parotitis from 40 different drugs were reviewed using a modified Naranjo probability scale that included criteria specific for parotitis. Medications that met the criteria for establishing causality included l-asparaginase with 7 case reports, clozapine with 13 case reports, and phenylbutazone with 13 case reports. Drug-induced parotitis is a rare adverse drug reaction. Based on the quantitative and qualitative evidence collected from the case reports, medications that are associated with drug-induced parotitis include l-asparaginase, clozapine, and phenylbutazone. Many other

  19. Treadmill exercise alleviates depressive symptoms in rotenone-induced Parkinson disease rats

    PubMed Central

    Shin, Mal-Soon; Kim, Tae-Woon; Lee, Jae-Min; Sung, Yun-Hee; Lim, Baek-Vin

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by selective loss of the dopaminergic neurons. The symptoms of depression following PD are closely associated with reduced activity of the serotonergic system in the dorsal raphe. We explored the antidepressive effect of exercise and its possible mechanism using the rotenone-induced PD rats. PD rats were induced by subcutaneously injection with rotenone for 14 days. The rats in the exercise groups were made to run on a treadmill for 30 min once a day during 14 consecutive days. Forced swimming test, immunohistochemistry for serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), and western blot for serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor were conducted. Injection of rotenone induced PD rats. PD rats showed depressive state and treadmill exercise ameliorated this depressive state. 5-HT, TPH, and 5-HT1A receptor expressions in the dorsal raphe were suppressed by rotenone injection and treadmill exercise increased the expressions of 5-HT, TPH, and 5-HT1A receptor in the rotenone-injected rats. The present results show that treadmill exercise ameliorated depressive symptoms in the rotenone-induced PD rats. The antidepressive effect of treadmill exercise might be ascribed to the enhancement of serotonergic function through upregulation of 5-HT1A expression in the dorsal raphe. PMID:28503522

  20. Treadmill exercise alleviates depressive symptoms in rotenone-induced Parkinson disease rats.

    PubMed

    Shin, Mal-Soon; Kim, Tae-Woon; Lee, Jae-Min; Sung, Yun-Hee; Lim, Baek-Vin

    2017-04-01

    Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by selective loss of the dopaminergic neurons. The symptoms of depression following PD are closely associated with reduced activity of the serotonergic system in the dorsal raphe. We explored the antidepressive effect of exercise and its possible mechanism using the rotenone-induced PD rats. PD rats were induced by subcutaneously injection with rotenone for 14 days. The rats in the exercise groups were made to run on a treadmill for 30 min once a day during 14 consecutive days. Forced swimming test, immunohistochemistry for serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), and western blot for serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor were conducted. Injection of rotenone induced PD rats. PD rats showed depressive state and treadmill exercise ameliorated this depressive state. 5-HT, TPH, and 5-HT1A receptor expressions in the dorsal raphe were suppressed by rotenone injection and treadmill exercise increased the expressions of 5-HT, TPH, and 5-HT1A receptor in the rotenone-injected rats. The present results show that treadmill exercise ameliorated depressive symptoms in the rotenone-induced PD rats. The antidepressive effect of treadmill exercise might be ascribed to the enhancement of serotonergic function through upregulation of 5-HT1A expression in the dorsal raphe.

  1. Oral biomarkers in exercise-induced neuroplasticity in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Mougeot, J-Lc; Hirsch, M A; Stevens, C B; Mougeot, Fkb

    2016-11-01

    In this article, we review candidate biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD) in oral cavity, potential of oral biomarkers as markers of neuroplasticity, and literature on the effects of exercise on oral cavity biomarkers in PD. We first describe how pathophysiological pathways of PD may be transduced from brain stem and ganglia to oral cavity through the autonomic nervous system or transduced by a reverse path. Next we describe the effects of exercise in PD and potential impact on oral cavity. We propose that biomarkers in oral cavity may be useful targets for describing exercise-induced brain neuroplasticity in PD. Nevertheless, much research remains to be carried out before applying these biomarkers for the determination of disease state and therapeutic response to develop strategies to mitigate motor or non-motor symptoms in PD. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Drug-Induced Hyperglycaemia and Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Fathallah, Neila; Slim, Raoudha; Larif, Sofien; Hmouda, Houssem; Ben Salem, Chaker

    2015-12-01

    Drug-induced hyperglycaemia and diabetes is a global issue. It may be a serious problem, as it increases the risk of microvascular and macrovascular complications, infections, metabolic coma and even death. Drugs may induce hyperglycaemia through a variety of mechanisms, including alterations in insulin secretion and sensitivity, direct cytotoxic effects on pancreatic cells and increases in glucose production. Antihypertensive drugs are not equally implicated in increasing serum glucose levels. Glycaemic adverse events occur more frequently with thiazide diuretics and with certain beta-blocking agents than with calcium-channel blockers and inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system. Lipid-modifying agents may also induce hyperglycaemia, and the diabetogenic effect seems to differ between the different types and daily doses of statins. Nicotinic acid may also alter glycaemic control. Among the anti-infectives, severe life-threatening events have been reported with fluoroquinolones, especially when high doses are used. Protease inhibitors and, to a lesser extent, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors have been reported to induce alterations in glucose metabolism. Pentamidine-induced hyperglycaemia seems to be related to direct dysfunction in pancreatic cells. Phenytoin and valproic acid may also induce hyperglycaemia. The mechanisms of second-generation antipsychotic-associated hyperglycaemia, diabetes mellitus and ketoacidosis are complex and are mainly due to insulin resistance. Antidepressant agents with high daily doses seem to be more frequently associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Ketoacidosis may occur in patients receiving beta-adrenergic stimulants, and theophylline may also induce hyperglycaemia. Steroid diabetes is more frequently associated with high doses of glucocorticoids. Some chemotherapeutic agents carry a higher risk of hyperglycaemia, and calcineurin inhibitor-induced hyperglycaemia is mainly due to a decrease in insulin secretion

  3. HLA Association with Drug-Induced Adverse Reactions

    PubMed Central

    Fan, Wen-Lang; Shiao, Meng-Shin; Hui, Rosaline Chung-Yee; Wang, Chuang-Wei; Chang, Ya-Ching

    2017-01-01

    Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remain a common and major problem in healthcare. Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs), such as Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) with mortality rate ranges from 10% to more than 30%, can be life threatening. A number of recent studies demonstrated that ADRs possess strong genetic predisposition. ADRs induced by several drugs have been shown to have significant associations with specific alleles of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. For example, hypersensitivity to abacavir, a drug used for treating of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, has been proposed to be associated with allele 57:01 of HLA-B gene (terms HLA-B∗57:01). The incidences of abacavir hypersensitivity are much higher in Caucasians compared to other populations due to various allele frequencies in different ethnic populations. The antithyroid drug- (ATDs- ) induced agranulocytosis are strongly associated with two alleles: HLA-B∗38:02 and HLA-DRB1∗08:03. In addition, HLA-B∗15:02 allele was reported to be related to carbamazepine-induced SJS/TEN, and HLA-B∗57:01 in abacavir hypersensitivity and flucloxacillin induced drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this review, we summarized the alleles of HLA genes which have been proposed to have association with ADRs caused by different drugs. PMID:29333460

  4. A single-center, cross-sectional prevalence study of impulse control disorders in Parkinson disease: association with dopaminergic drugs.

    PubMed

    Poletti, Michele; Logi, Chiara; Lucetti, Claudio; Del Dotto, Paolo; Baldacci, Filippo; Vergallo, Andrea; Ulivi, Martina; Del Sarto, Simone; Rossi, Giuseppe; Ceravolo, Roberto; Bonuccelli, Ubaldo

    2013-10-01

    The current study aimed at establishing the prevalence of impulse control disorders (ICDs) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and their association with demographic, drug-related, and disease-related characteristics. We performed a single-center cross-sectional study of 805 PD patients. Impulse control disorders were investigated with the Questionnaire for Impulsive Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease; also comorbid neuropsychiatric complications (dementia, delusions, visual hallucinations) were investigated with clinical interviews and ad hoc instruments (Parkinson Psychosis Questionnaire and Neuropsychiatry Inventory). Impulse control disorders were identified in 65 patients (prevalence, 8.1%), with pathological gambling and hypersexuality the most frequent. Impulse control disorders were present in 57 of 593 cognitively preserved patients (prevalence, 9.6%) and in 8 of 212 demented patients (prevalence, 3.8%). Impulse control disorders were significantly associated with dopamine agonists (odds ratio [OR], 5.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.60-12.46; P < 0.0001) and levodopa (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.06-6.35; P = 0.034). Impulse control disorders frequency was similar for pramipexole and ropinirole (16.6% vs 12.5%; OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.79-2.74; P = 0.227). Additional variables associated with ICDs were male sex and younger age. These findings suggested that dopaminergic treatments in PD are associated with increased odds of having an ICD, but also other demographic and clinical variables are associated with ICDs, suggesting the multifactorial nature of the ICD phenomenon in PD.

  5. Functional mechanism of neuroprotection by inhibitors of type B monoamine oxidase in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Naoi, Makoto; Maruyama, Wakako

    2009-08-01

    Neuroprotective therapy has been proposed for age-related neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease. Inhibitors of type B monoamine oxidase (MAOB-Is), rasagiline and (-)deprenyl, are the most promising candidate neuroprotective drugs. Clinical trials of rasagiline in patients with Parkinson's disease suggest that rasagiline may have some disease-modifying effects. Results using animal and cellular models have proved that the MAOB-Is protect neurons by the intervention of 'intrinsic' mitochondrial apoptotic cascade and the induction of prosurvival antiapoptotic Bcl-2 and neurotrophic factors. Rasagiline-related MAOB-Is prevent mitochondrial permeability transition induced by various insults and activation of subsequent apoptotic cascades: cytochrome c release, casapase activation, and condensation and fragmentation of nuclear DNA. MAOB-Is increase transcription of prosurvival genes through activating the nuclear transcription factor-(NF) system. Rasagiline increases the protein and mRNA levels of GDNF in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells, whereas (-)deprenyl increases those of BDNF. Systemic administration of (-)deprenyl and rasagiline increases these neurotrophic factors in the cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Parkinson's disease and nonhuman primates. This review presents recent advances in our understanding of the neuroprotection offered by MAOB-Is and possible evaluation of neuroprotective efficacy in clinical samples is discussed.

  6. The association between fear of falling and quality of life for balance impairments based on hip and ankle strategies in the drug On- and Off-phase of patients with idiopathic Parkinson' disease.

    PubMed

    Mehdizadeh, Maryam; Lajevardi, Laleh; Habibi, Seyed Amir Hassan; ArabBaniasad, Mina; Baghoori, Delaram; Daneshjoo, Fatemeh; Taghizadeh, Ghorban

    2016-01-01

    Background: Despite the negative effect of fear of falling during functioning and social participation of patients with Parkinson' disease, so far, only few studies have investigated its effect on the quality of life in these patients. We aimed to investigate the association between fear of falling and quality of life controlling for balance impairments based on hip and ankle strategy in drug On- and Off-phase of patients with idiopathic Parkinson' disease. Methods: In this non-experimental cross-sectional study, 139 patients with idiopathic Parkinson' disease (100 male, 39 female) by mean± SD age of 60.2±12.27 years, mean±SD time since diagnosis of 6.7±5.53 years and mean±SD Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2.8±1.49 were selected by a simple non-probability method. Balance function was measured by a functional reach test with hip and ankle strategy. The Persian version of the selfcompleted Fall Efficacy Scale-International and Parkinson's disease quality of life questionnaire was used to evaluate fear of falling and quality of life, respectively. Results: The results showed that the score of all dimensions of quality of life (i.e., mobility, activities of daily living, emotional wellbeing, stigma, social support, cognition, communication and bodily discomfort) were significantly affected by the intensity of fear of falling. Multiple regression analysis indicated a significant association between fear of falling and quality of life in a way that fear of falling explained 11% to 47% and 12% to 43% of variance in drug On-phase, as well as 8% to 45% and 9% to 48% of variance in the drug Off-phase in dimensions of quality of life after controlling for balance function based on hip and ankle strategy, respectively. In the drug On-phase, the strongest association (R=0.85, p<0.001) was found between fear of falling and mobility dimension of quality of life. In the drug Off-phase, the strongest relation was observed between fear of falling and mobility (R=0.82, p<0.001) as

  7. Thymus function in drug-induced lupus.

    PubMed

    Rubin, R L; Salomon, D R; Guerrero, R S

    2001-01-01

    Autoimmunity develops when a lupus-inducing drug is introduced into the thymus of normal mice, but the relevance of this model to the human disorder is unclear in part because it is widely assumed that the thymus is non-functional in the adult. We compared thymus function in 10 patients with symptomatic procainamide-induced lupus to that in 13 asymptomatic patients who only developed drug-induced autoantibodies. T cell output from the thymus was quantified using a competitive polymerase chain reaction that detects T cell receptor DNA excision circles in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Despite the advanced age of the patient population under study, newly generated T cells were detected in all subjects. Although there was no overall quantitative difference between the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, we found a positive correlation between the level of T cell receptor excision circles in peripheral lymphocytes and serum IgG anti-chromatin antibody activity in patients with drug-induced lupus. The association between autoantibodies and nascent peripheral T cells supports the requirement for T cells in autoantibody production. Our observations are consistent with findings in mice in which autoreactive T cells derived from drug-induced abnormalities in T cell development in the thymus.

  8. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

    PubMed

    Cao, Lei; Tan, Lan; Jiang, Teng; Zhu, Xi-Chen; Yu, Jin-Tai

    2015-08-01

    Although most neurodegenerative diseases have been closely related to aberrant accumulation of aggregation-prone proteins in neurons, understanding their pathogenesis remains incomplete, and there is no treatment to delay the onset or slow the progression of many neurodegenerative diseases. The availability of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in recapitulating the phenotypes of several late-onset neurodegenerative diseases marks the new era in in vitro modeling. The iPSC collection represents a unique and well-characterized resource to elucidate disease mechanisms in these diseases and provides a novel human stem cell platform for screening new candidate therapeutics. Modeling human diseases using iPSCs has created novel opportunities for both mechanistic studies as well as for the discovery of new disease therapies. In this review, we introduce iPSC-based disease modeling in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In addition, we discuss the implementation of iPSCs in drug discovery associated with some new techniques.

  9. Novel drug delivery systems for releasing growth factors to the CNS: focus on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

    PubMed

    Herran, E; Igartua, M; Pedraz, J L; Hernandez, R M

    2014-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) represent the most common neurodegenerative disorders and affect more than 35 million people. Due to the limited effectiveness of available treatments in halting the neurodegenerative process, new therapies, such therapies based on growth factors (GFs), have been investigated. Nevertheless, the efficacies of these new treatments depend not only on the application of neurotrophins but also on the approaches used to deliver these proteins such that they can reach the brain. This review summarises the most widely used drug delivery systems (DDSs) for releasing GFs as possible treatments for AD and PD.

  10. Nicotine-encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles improve neuroprotective efficacy against MPTP-induced parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Tiwari, Manindra Nath; Agarwal, Swati; Bhatnagar, Priyanka; Singhal, Naveen Kumar; Tiwari, Shashi Kant; Kumar, Pradeep; Chauhan, Lalit Kumar Singh; Patel, Devendra Kumar; Chaturvedi, Rajnish Kumar; Singh, Mahendra Pratap; Gupta, Kailash Chand

    2013-12-01

    For some instances of Parkinson disease (PD), current evidence in the literature is consistent with reactive oxygen species being involved in the etiology of the disease. The management of PD is still challenging owing to its ambiguous etiology and lack of permanent cure. Because nicotine offers neuroprotection against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced parkinsonism, the neuroprotective efficacy of nicotine-encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles and the underlying mechanism of improved efficacy, if any, over bulk nicotine were assessed in this study. The selected indicators of oxidative stress, dopaminergic neurodegeneration and apoptosis, were measured in both in vitro and rodent models of parkinsonism in the presence or absence of "nanotized" or bulk nicotine. The levels of dopamine and its metabolites were measured in the striatum, nicotine and its metabolite in the nigrostriatal tissues while the immunoreactivities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), metallothionein-III (MT-III), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and microglial activation were checked in the substantia nigra of controls and treated mice. GSTA4-4, heme oxygenase (HO)-1, tumor suppressor protein 53 (p53), caspase-3, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and nitrite levels were measured in the nigrostriatal tissues. Nicotine-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles improved the endurance of TH-immunoreactive neurons and the number of fiber outgrowths and increased the mRNA expression of TH, neuronal cell adhesion molecule, and growth-associated protein-43 over bulk against 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium ion-induced degeneration in the in vitro model. MPTP reduced TH immunoreactivity and levels of dopamine and its metabolites and increased microglial activation, expression of GSTA4-4, iNOS, MT-III, HO-1, p53, and caspase-3, and levels of nitrite and LPO. Whereas both bulk nicotine and nicotine-encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles modulated the changes toward controls, the modulation

  11. [Cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders in Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Constenla, I; Cabo-López, I; Bellas-Lamas, P; Cebrián, E

    2010-02-08

    In Parkinson's disease there are patients with isolated and multiple cognitive impairment, and their cognitive performance ranges from normal to an advanced degree of dementia. Most patients present an executive deficit, either in isolation or combined with other cognitive disorders, which is considered to be the most characteristic aspect of the disease, and 30-40% of those affected will end up with a clinically-defined dementia. The presence of a mild cognitive disorder in patients with Parkinson means that the risk of dementia appearing at some time during the development of the disease is high. The dementia associated with Parkinson's disease is specifically related with neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms, which may have three possible explanations: disorders affecting the mesolimbic pathways, diffuse limbic and cortical compromise, or associated Alzheimer-type phenomenology. Psychotic episodes tend to present more often in patients with dopaminergic treatment and the clinical spectrum of Parkinson-related psychosis covers visual illusions, visual-audio-olfactory hallucinations, delirium and severe paranoid hallucinatory psychosis. All the antiparkinsonian drugs can give rise to hallucinations and psychosis, but the dopamine agonists are the ones with the greatest capacity to do so. In managing these problems, it is crucial for prevention as well as diagnosis and treatment to be carried out as soon as they are detected. Doses of antiparkinsonian drugs must be reduced, although this is not usually enough, and so it will be necessary to associate atypical antipsychotics, which act mainly on 5-HT receptors and, in most cases, do not produce D2 blockage.

  12. Safinamide for symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Müller, T

    2015-11-01

    Chronic and slow progression of neuronal death in Parkinson's disease is responsible for an altered neurotransmission of various biogenic amines, such as dopamine. Therefore, an individually different pronounced heterogeneity of motor and nonmotor symptoms characterizes each Parkinson's disease patient. Ideal candidates for the balance of these neurotransmitter deficits are compounds like safinamide with broad mechanisms of action such as reversible monoamine oxidase type B inhibition, blockage of voltage-dependent sodium channels, modulation of calcium channels and of glutamate release. Safinamide is administered one time daily with oral doses ranging from 50 to 100 mg. Safinamide was well tolerated and safe, ameliorated motor symptoms when combined with dopamine agonist only or additional levodopa in clinical trials. Safinamide is a novel instrument for the drug therapy of Parkinson's disease with better safety and tolerability particularly concerning diarrhea than inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase, like entacapone, according to an indirect comparison within a meta-analysis with entacapone. Copyright 2015 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

  13. The hidden side of drug action: Brain temperature changes induced by neuroactive drugs

    PubMed Central

    Kiyatkin, Eugene A.

    2013-01-01

    Rationale Most neuroactive drugs affect brain metabolism as well as systemic and cerebral blood flow, thus altering brain temperature. Although this aspect of drug action usually remains in the shadows, drug-induced alterations in brain temperature reflect their metabolic neural effects and affect neural activity and neural functions. Objectives Here, I review brain temperature changes induced by neuroactive drugs, which are used therapeutically (general anesthetics), as a research tool (dopamine agonists and antagonists), and self-administered to induce desired psychic effects (cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy). I consider the mechanisms underlying these temperature fluctuations and their influence on neural, physiological, and behavioral effects of these drugs. Results By interacting with neural mechanisms regulating metabolic activity and heat exchange between the brain and the rest of the body, neuroactive drugs either increase or decrease brain temperatures both within (35-39°C) and exceeding the range of physiological fluctuations. These temperature effects differ drastically depending upon the environmental conditions and activity state during drug administration. This state-dependence is especially important for drugs of abuse that are usually taken by humans during psycho-physiological activation and in environments that prevent proper heat dissipation from the brain. Under these conditions, amphetamine-like stimulants induce pathological brain hyperthermia (>40°C) associated with leakage of the blood-brain barrier and structural abnormalities of brain cells. Conclusions The knowledge on brain temperature fluctuations induced by neuroactive drugs provides new information to understand how they influence metabolic neural activity, why their effects depend upon the behavioral context of administration, and the mechanisms underlying adverse drug effects including neurotoxicity PMID:23274506

  14. Adherence to anti-Parkinson drug therapy in the "REASON" sample of Italian patients with Parkinson's disease: the linguistic validation of the Italian version of the "Morisky Medical Adherence Scale-8 items".

    PubMed

    Fabbrini, G; Abbruzzese, G; Barone, P; Antonini, A; Tinazzi, M; Castegnaro, G; Rizzoli, S; Morisky, D E; Lessi, P; Ceravolo, R

    2013-11-01

    Information about patients' adherence to therapy represents a primary issue in Parkinson's disease (PD) management. To perform the linguistic validation of the Italian version of the self-rated 8-Item Morisky Medical Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) and to describe in a sample of Italian patients affected by PD the adherence to anti-Parkinson drug therapy and the association between adherence and some socio-demographic and clinical features. MMAS-8 was translated into Italian language by two independent Italian mother-tongue translators. The consensus version was then back-translated by an English mother-tongue translator. This translation process was followed by a consensus meeting between the authors of translation and investigators and then by two comprehension tests. The translated version of the MMAS-8 scale was then administered at the baseline visit of the "REASON" study (Italian Study on the Therapy Management in Parkinson's disease: Motor, Non-Motor, Adherence and Quality Of Life Factors) in a large sample of PD patients. The final version of the MMAS-8 was easily understood. Mean ± SD MMAS-8 score was 6.1 ± 1.2. There were no differences in adherence to therapy in relationship to disease severity, gender, educational level or decision to change therapy. The Italian version of MMAS-8, the key tool of the REASON study to assess the adherence to therapy, has shown to be understandable to patients with PD. Patients enrolled in the REASON study showed medium therapy adherence.

  15. Stem cells: a model for screening, discovery and development of drugs.

    PubMed

    Kitambi, Satish Srinivas; Chandrasekar, Gayathri

    2011-01-01

    The identification of normal and cancerous stem cells and the recent advances made in isolation and culture of stem cells have rapidly gained attention in the field of drug discovery and regenerative medicine. The prospect of performing screens aimed at proliferation, directed differentiation, and toxicity and efficacy studies using stem cells offers a reliable platform for the drug discovery process. Advances made in the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from normal or diseased tissue serves as a platform to perform drug screens aimed at developing cell-based therapies against conditions like Parkinson's disease and diabetes. This review discusses the application of stem cells and cancer stem cells in drug screening and their role in complementing, reducing, and replacing animal testing. In addition to this, target identification and major advances in the field of personalized medicine using induced pluripotent cells are also discussed.

  16. Astrocyte-specific DJ-1 overexpression protects against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    De Miranda, Briana R; Rocha, Emily M; Bai, Qing; El Ayadi, Amina; Hinkle, David; Burton, Edward A; Timothy Greenamyre, J

    2018-07-01

    DJ-1 is a redox-sensitive protein with several putative functions important in mitochondrial physiology, protein transcription, proteasome regulation, and chaperone activity. High levels of DJ-1 immunoreactivity are reported in astrocytes surrounding pathology associated with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, possibly reflecting the glial response to oxidative damage. Previous studies showed that astrocytic over-expression of DJ-1 in vitro prevented oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in primary neurons. Based on these observations, we developed a pseudotyped lentiviral gene transfer vector with specific tropism for CNS astrocytes in vivo to overexpress human DJ-1 protein in astroglial cells. Following vector delivery to the substantia nigra and striatum of adult Lewis rats, the DJ-1 transgene was expressed robustly and specifically within astrocytes. There was no observable transgene expression in neurons or other glial cell types. Three weeks after vector infusion, animals were exposed to rotenone to induce Parkinson's disease-like pathology, including loss of dopaminergic neurons, accumulation of endogenous α-synuclein, and neuroinflammation. Animals over-expressing hDJ-1 in astrocytes were protected from rotenone-induced neurodegeneration, and displayed a marked reduction in neuronal oxidative stress and microglial activation. In addition, α-synuclein accumulation and phosphorylation were decreased within substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons in DJ-1-transduced animals, and expression of LAMP-2A, a marker of chaperone mediated autophagy, was increased. Together, these data indicate that astrocyte-specific overexpression of hDJ-1 protects neighboring neurons against multiple pathologic features of Parkinson's disease and provides the first direct evidence in vivo of a cell non-autonomous neuroprotective function of astroglial DJ-1. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Calcium Channel Antagonists as Disease-Modifying Therapy for Parkinson's Disease: Therapeutic Rationale and Current Status.

    PubMed

    Swart, Tara; Hurley, Michael J

    2016-12-01

    Parkinson's disease is a disabling hypokinetic neurological movement disorder in which the aetiology is unknown in the majority of cases. Current pharmacological treatments, though effective at restoring movement, are only symptomatic and do nothing to slow disease progression. Electrophysiological, epidemiological and neuropathological studies have implicated Ca V 1.3 subtype calcium channels in the pathogenesis of the disorder, and drugs with some selectivity for this ion channel (brain-penetrant dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers) are neuroprotective in animal models of the disease. Dihydropyridines have been safely used for decades to treat hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders. A phase II clinical trial found that isradipine was safely tolerated by patients with Parkinson's disease, and a phase III trial is currently underway to determine whether treatment with isradipine is neuroprotective and therefore able to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. This manuscript reviews the current information about the use of dihydropyridines as therapy for Parkinson's disease and discusses the possible mechanism of action of these drugs, highlighting Ca V 1.3 calcium channels as a potential therapeutic target for neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease.

  18. [Limits of conventional oral and transdermal medication in Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    García-Ruiz, Pedro J; Luquin, M Rosario

    2012-01-01

    At the present time, we have effective and potent antiparkinsonian drugs available which allow patients to have an acceptable functional capacity during the early years of Parkinson's disease. Yet, as time goes by, motor and functional deterioration develop, partly due to the presence of motor and non-motor complications. The conventional medication is unable to provide an adequate response if the motor fluctuations are beyond 3-4 hours of duration. At this point, it is reasonable to consider other therapies; among them subcutaneous apomorphine injection must be taken into account due to its simplicity and efficacy and later on, subcutaneous apomorphine infusion. Apomorphine is a very effective and clearly underused drug in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease.

  19. [Placebo effect in Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Miwa, Hideto

    2007-02-01

    "Placebo" is Latin for "I shall please". The placebo effect has been widely documented by randomized placebo-controlled drug studies. One of the best examples of placebo effectiveness is that have been shown in clinical trials of anti-parkinsonian drugs. The placebo effect is observable not only in drug trials but also with deep brain stimulation. Recent advances in research on the placebo effect in Parkinson's disease (PD) have suggested that motor symptoms of PD can be essentially improved by placebo. A recent study using positron emission tomography (PET) with raclopride demonstrated that release of endogeneous dopamine in the dorsal striatum occurs in placebo-responsive patients with PD. This suggests that placebo-induced expectation of clinical improvement may activate endogenous dopamine in the striatum, and that placebo effectiveness is thus achieved by endogenous dopamine supplementation. Indeed, decreased neuronal activities in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), that were recorded during surgery to implant deep brain stimulation electrodes, correlated well with placebo-induced clinical improvement in patients with PD. Although the detailed pathophysiological mechanism underlying the placebo effects remains uncertain, theoretically, the placebo effect has generally been explained by two different mechanisms: one is conditioning theory (pavlovian conditioning), and the other is cognitive theory (expectation of clinical improvement). Although both mechanisms may contribute to placebo effects, the placebo effect in PD may be attributed more to cognitive mechanisms such as expectation of improvement, because the placebo effect can be obtained in de novo PD patients. There have been accumulating findings that suggest a functional relationship between dopamine and the expectation of clinical improvement (reward). Further basic studies are required to clarify the complex link between dopamine and the reward system, but such findings will contribute to a better

  20. Secondary parkinsonism

    MedlinePlus

    ... developing. Alternative Names Parkinsonism - secondary; Atypical Parkinson disease Images Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system References Jankovic J. Parkinson disease and other movement disorders. In: Daroff ...

  1. Rational pharmacological approaches for cognitive dysfunction and depression in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Sandoval-Rincón, Maritza; Sáenz-Farret, Michel; Miguel-Puga, Adán; Micheli, Federico; Arias-Carrión, Oscar

    2015-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is not a single entity but rather a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder. The present study aims to conduct a critical systematic review of the literature to describe the main pharmacological strategies to treat cognitive dysfunction and major depressive disorder in PD patients. We performed a search of articles cited in PubMed from 2004 to 2014 using the following MeSH terms (Medical subject headings) "Parkinson disease"; "Delirium," "Dementia," "Amnestic," "Cognitive disorders," and "Parkinson disease"; "depression," "major depressive disorder," "drug therapy." We found a total of 71 studies related to pharmacological treatment in cognitive dysfunction and 279 studies for pharmacological treatment in major depressive disorder. After fulfillment of all the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 articles remained for cognitive dysfunction and 11 for major depressive disorder, which are presented and discussed in this study. Further research into non-motor symptoms of PD may provide insights into mechanisms of neurodegeneration, and provide better quality of life by using rational drugs.

  2. SIRT1 ameliorates oxidative stress induced neural cell death and is down-regulated in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Singh, Preeti; Hanson, Peter S; Morris, Christopher M

    2017-06-02

    Sirtuins (SIRTs) are NAD + dependent lysine deacetylases which are conserved from bacteria to humans and have been associated with longevity and lifespan extension. SIRT1, the best studied mammalian SIRT is involved in many physiological and pathological processes and changes in SIRT1 have been implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, with SIRT1 having a suggested protective role in Parkinson's disease. In this study, we determined the effect of SIRT1 on cell survival and α-synuclein aggregate formation in SH-SY5Y cells following oxidative stress. Over-expression of SIRT1 protected SH-SY5Y cells from toxin induced cell death and the protection conferred by SIRT1 was partially independent of its deacetylase activity, which was associated with the repression of NF-кB and cPARP expression. SIRT1 reduced the formation of α-synuclein aggregates but showed minimal co-localisation with α-synuclein. In post-mortem brain tissue obtained from patients with Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease with dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease, the activity of SIRT1 was observed to be down-regulated. These findings suggests a negative effect of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative disorders and possibly explain the reduced activity of SIRT1 in neurodegenerative disorders. Our study shows that SIRT1 is a pro-survival protein that is downregulated under cellular stress.

  3. Drug-induced gynecomastia in children and adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Goldman, Ran D.

    2010-01-01

    ABSTRACT QUESTION I frequently see adolescent boys in my practice with transient gynecomastia. My management includes reassuring the boys and their families; however, I also understand that specific medication, alcohol, and drugs can cause gynecomastia. How common is this phenomenon, and what medications can induce gynecomastia? ANSWER While gynecomastia is a physiologic phenomenon in most newborns and adolescents, it is important to consider pathologic conditions and medications that can cause breast enlargement. Antibiotics, antiulcer drugs, growth hormones, and chemotherapy have been reported to induce gynecomastia. Adolescents who use anabolic steroids, or who abuse alcohol, marijuana, heroin, or amphetamines, should be alerted to the fact that gynecomastia might develop. Treatment of drug-induced gynecomastia includes discontinuation of the offending drug. Very rarely is surgical intervention required. PMID:20393092

  4. Drug-induced gynecomastia in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Goldman, Ran D

    2010-04-01

    I frequently see adolescent boys in my practice with transient gynecomastia. My management includes reassuring the boys and their families; however, I also understand that specific medication, alcohol, and drugs can cause gynecomastia. How common is this phenomenon, and what medications can induce gynecomastia? While gynecomastia is a physiologic phenomenon in most newborns and adolescents, it is important to consider pathologic conditions and medications that can cause breast enlargement. Antibiotics, antiulcer drugs, growth hormones, and chemotherapy have been reported to induce gynecomastia. Adolescents who use anabolic steroids, or who abuse alcohol, marijuana, heroin, or amphetamines, should be alerted to the fact that gynecomastia might develop. Treatment of drug-induced gynecomastia includes discontinuation of the offending drug. Very rarely is surgical intervention required.

  5. Pramipexole in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: new developments.

    PubMed

    Möller, J Carsten; Oertel, Wolfgang H

    2005-09-01

    The nonergot dopamine agonist pramipexole is an efficient and safe drug for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Clinicians may favor pramipexole over other dopamine agonists because of its suggested higher tolerability with respect to peripheral dopaminergic side effects. Importantly, nonergot dopamine agonists such as pramipexole may not cause restrictive valvular heart disease and may therefore represent the first choice in patients with valvular lesions under treatment with ergot dopamine agonists. However, particular caution has to be exercised in younger Parkinson's disease patients with a shorter disease duration regarding the occurrence of sudden onset of sleep. In light of cost-effectiveness and quality-of-life issues, its final significance for the initial treatment of patients with early Parkinson's disease remains to be determined.

  6. Methamphetamine and Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Granado, Noelia; Ares-Santos, Sara; Moratalla, Rosario

    2013-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder predominantly affecting the elderly. The aetiology of the disease is not known, but age and environmental factors play an important role. Although more than a dozen gene mutations associated with familial forms of Parkinson's disease have been described, fewer than 10% of all cases can be explained by genetic abnormalities. The molecular basis of Parkinson's disease is the loss of dopamine in the basal ganglia (caudate/putamen) due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, which leads to the motor impairment characteristic of the disease. Methamphetamine is the second most widely used illicit drug in the world. In rodents, methamphetamine exposure damages dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in a significant loss of dopamine in the striatum. Biochemical and neuroimaging studies in human methamphetamine users have shown decreased levels of dopamine and dopamine transporter as well as prominent microglial activation in the striatum and other areas of the brain, changes similar to those observed in PD patients. Consistent with these similarities, recent epidemiological studies have shown that methamphetamine users are almost twice as likely as non-users to develop PD, despite the fact that methamphetamine abuse and PD have distinct symptomatic profiles. PMID:23476887

  7. Drug-induced uveitis

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A number of medications have been associated with uveitis. This review highlights both well-established and recently reported systemic, topical, intraocular, and vaccine-associated causes of drug-induced uveitis, and assigns a quantitative score to each medication based upon criteria originally described by Naranjo and associates. PMID:23522744

  8. [Dopamine agonists--clinical applications beyond Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Kuran, Włodzimierz

    2007-01-01

    Contemporary experience and results of clinical trials concerning dopamine agonist application in the treatment of many different diseases (apart from Parkinson's disease) are presented in the paper. A basic clinical recommendation for agonists is restless legs syndrome. In this syndrome almost all agonists give a considerable subjective and objective improvement. Treatment of atypical parkinsonism (MSA, PSP, CBD) in the majority of patients is ineffective. The author also presents promising results of treatment with agonists in such diverse diseases as hyperkinetic syndromes, cocaine dependence, drug-resistant depression and erectile dysfunction (apomorphine). Dopamine partial agonists (e.g. aripiprazol) are recommended in the modern treatment of schizophrenia.

  9. Emerging therapies for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Poewe, Werner; Mahlknecht, Philipp; Jankovic, Joseph

    2012-08-01

    The experimental therapeutics of Parkinson's disease are reviewed, highlighting the current pipeline of emerging therapeutic approaches. This review includes novel approaches to dopaminergic drug delivery such as intraintestinal infusions or new extended-release formulations of levodopa and also intrapulmonary delivery of apomorphine as well as novel dopaminergic agents like the monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor safinamide or novel catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors. An even greater number of ongoing clinical trials assess the efficacy and safety of nondopaminergic approaches to enhance motor control or reduce motor complications like fluctuations and dyskinesias. These include adenosine A2A antagonists, α-adrenergic and serotonergic agonists as well as drugs acting on the glutamatergic system. Gene-based or cell-based intrastriatal delivery of therapeutic principles that enhance striatal dopaminergic transmission directly or via the stimulation of trophic activity has also reached phase II clinical development with encouraging results in some studies. Finally, a wide spectrum of agents with a potential for slowing disease progression is currently tested. A variety of medical and nonmedical interventions in different phases of clinical development provide an interesting and promising portfolio of emerging therapies for Parkinson's disease.

  10. Capture compound mass spectrometry sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of liver toxicity of two Parkinson drugs.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Jenny J; Michaelis, Simon; Schrey, Anna K; Graebner, Olivia Graebner nee; Glinski, Mirko; Dreger, Mathias; Kroll, Friedrich; Koester, Hubert

    2010-01-01

    Capture compound mass spectrometry (CCMS) is a novel technology that helps understand the molecular mechanism of the mode of action of small molecules. The Capture Compounds are trifunctional probes: A selectivity function (the drug) interacts with the proteins in a biological sample, a reactivity function (phenylazide) irreversibly forms a covalent bond, and a sorting function (biotin) allows the captured protein(s) to be isolated for mass spectrometric analysis. Tolcapone and entacapone are potent inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. We aimed to understand the molecular basis of the difference of both drugs with respect to side effects. Using Capture Compounds with these drugs as selectivity functions, we were able to unambiguously and reproducibly isolate and identify their known target COMT. Tolcapone Capture Compounds captured five times more proteins than entacapone Capture Compounds. Moreover, tolcapone Capture Compounds isolated mitochondrial and peroxisomal proteins. The major tolcapone-protein interactions occurred with components of the respiratory chain and of the fatty acid beta-oxidation. Previously reported symptoms in tolcapone-treated rats suggested that tolcapone might act as decoupling reagent of the respiratory chain (Haasio et al., 2002b). Our results demonstrate that CCMS is an effective tool for the identification of a drug's potential off targets. It fills a gap in currently used in vitro screens for drug profiling that do not contain all the toxicologically relevant proteins. Thereby, CCMS has the potential to fill a technological need in drug safety assessment and helps reengineer or to reject drugs at an early preclinical stage.

  11. Can a Positive Allosteric Modulation of GABAergic Receptors Improve Motor Symptoms in Patients with Parkinson's Disease? The Potential Role of Zolpidem in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Daniele, Antonio; Panza, Francesco; Greco, Antonio; Logroscino, Giancarlo; Seripa, Davide

    2016-01-01

    At present, patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) are unsatisfactorily controlled by currently used anti-Parkinsonian dopaminergic drugs. Various studies suggest that therapeutic strategies based on nondopaminergic drugs might be helpful in PD. Zolpidem, an imidazopyridine widely used as sleep inducer, shows high affinity only for GABAA receptors containing the α-1 subunit and facilitates GABAergic neurotransmission through a positive allosteric modulation of GABAA receptors. Various observations, although preliminary, consistently suggest that in PD patients zolpidem may induce beneficial (and sometimes remarkable) effects on motor symptoms even after single doses and may also improve dyskinesias. Since a high density of zolpidem binding sites is in the two main output structures of the basal ganglia which are abnormally overactive in PD (internal globus pallidus, GPi, and substantia nigra pars reticulata, SNr), it was hypothesized that in PD patients zolpidem may induce through GABAA receptors an inhibition of GPi and SNr (and, possibly, of the subthalamic nucleus also), resulting in an increased activity of motor cortical areas (such as supplementary motor area), which may give rise to improvement of motor symptoms of PD. Randomized clinical trials are needed in order to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of zolpidem in treating motor symptoms of PD. PMID:27293955

  12. An update on pharmacological, pharmacokinetic properties and drug-drug interactions of rotigotine transdermal system in Parkinson's disease and restless legs syndrome.

    PubMed

    Elshoff, Jan-Peer; Cawello, Willi; Andreas, Jens-Otto; Mathy, Francois-Xavier; Braun, Marina

    2015-04-01

    This narrative review reports on the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of rotigotine, a non-ergolinic D₃/D₂/D₁ dopamine receptor agonist approved for the treatment of early- and advanced-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) and moderate to severe restless legs syndrome (RLS). Rotigotine is formulated as a transdermal patch providing continuous drug delivery over 24 h, with a plasma concentration profile similar to that of administration via continuous intravenous infusion. Absolute bioavailability after 24 h transdermal delivery is 37 % of the applied rotigotine dose. Following a single administration of rotigotine transdermal system (24-h patch-on period), most of the absorbed drug is eliminated in urine and feces as sulphated and glucuronidated conjugates within 24 h of patch removal. The drug shows a high apparent volume of distribution (>2500 L) and a total body clearance of 300-600 L/h. Rotigotine transdermal system provides dose-proportional pharmacokinetics up to supratherapeutic dose rates of 24 mg/24 h, with steady-state plasma drug concentrations attained within 1-2 days of daily dosing. The pharmacokinetics of rotigotine transdermal patch are similar in healthy subjects, patients with early- or advanced-stage PD, and patients with RLS when comparing dose-normalized area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum plasma drug concentration (Cmax), as well as half-life and other pharmacokinetic parameters. Also, it is not influenced in a relevant manner by age, sex, ethnicity, advanced renal insufficiency, or moderate hepatic impairment. No clinically relevant drug-drug interactions were observed following co-administration of rotigotine with levodopa/carbidopa, domperidone, or the CYP450 inhibitors cimetidine or omeprazole. Also, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of an oral hormonal contraceptive were not influenced by rotigotine co-administration. Rotigotine was generally well tolerated, with an adverse event profile

  13. Drug-induced corneal damage.

    PubMed

    2014-04-01

    Corneal damage can have a variety of causes, including infections, chemical splashes, environmental factors (radiation, trauma, contact lenses, etc.), and systemic diseases (genetic, autoimmune, inflammatory, metabolic, etc.). A wide range of drugs can also damage the cornea. The severity of drug-induced corneal changes can range from simple asymptomatic deposits to irreversible, sight-threatening damage. Several factors can influence the onset of corneal lesions. Some factors, such as the dose, are treatment-related, while others such as contact lenses, are patient-related. A variety of mechanisms may be involved, including corneal dryness, changes in the corneal epithelium, impaired wound healing and deposits. Many drugs can damage the cornea through direct contact, after intraocular injection or instillation, including VEGF inhibitors, anti-inflammatory drugs, local anaesthetics, glaucoma drugs, fluoroquinolones, and preservatives. Some systemically administered drugs can also damage the cornea, notably cancer drugs, amiodarone and isotretinoin. Vulnerable patients should be informed of this risk if they are prescribed a drug with the potential to damage the cornea so that they can identify problems in a timely manner. It may be necessary to discontinue the suspect drug when signs and symptoms of corneal damage occur.

  14. Placebo influences on dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Goetz, Christopher G; Laska, Eugene; Hicking, Christine; Damier, Philippe; Müller, Thomas; Nutt, John; Warren Olanow, C; Rascol, Olivier; Russ, Hermann

    2008-04-15

    Clinical features that are prognostic indicators of placebo response among dyskinetic Parkinson's disease patients were determined. Placebo-associated improvements occur in Parkinsonism, but responses in dyskinesia have not been studied. Placebo data from two multicenter studies with identical design comparing sarizotan to placebo for treating dyskinesia were accessed. Sarizotan (2 mg/day) failed to improve dyskinesia compared with placebo, but both treatments improved dyskinesia compared with baseline. Stepwise regression identified baseline characteristics that influenced dyskinesia response to placebo, and these factors were entered into a logistic regression model to quantify their influence on placebo-related dyskinesia improvements and worsening. Because placebo-associated improvements in Parkinsonism have been attributed to heightened dopaminergic activity, we also examined the association between changes in Parkinsonism and dyskinesia. Four hundred eighty-four subjects received placebo treatment; 178 met criteria for placebo-associated dyskinesia improvement and 37 for dyskinesia worsening. Older age, lower baseline Parkinsonism score, and lower total daily levodopa doses were associated with placebo-associated improvement, whereas lower baseline dyskinesia score was associated with placebo-associated worsening. Placebo-associated dyskinesia changes were not correlated with Parkinsonism changes, and all effects in the sarizotan group were statistically explained by the placebo-effect regression model. Dyskinesias are affected by placebo treatment. The absence of correlation between placebo-induced changes in dyskinesia and Parkinsonism argues against a dopaminergic activation mechanism to explain placebo-associated improvements in dyskinesia. The magnitude and variance of placebo-related changes and the factors that influence them can be helpful in the design of future clinical trials of antidyskinetic agents. 2007 Movement Disorder Society

  15. Placebo Influences on Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Goetz, Christopher G.; Laska, Eugene; Hicking, Christine; Damier, Philippe; Müller, Thomas; Nutt, John; Olanow, C. Warren; Rascol, Olivier; Russ, Hermann

    2009-01-01

    Clinical features that are prognostic indicators of placebo response among dyskinetic Parkinson's disease patients were determined. Placebo-associated improvements occur in Parkinsonism, but responses in dyskinesia have not been studied. Placebo data from two multicenter studies with identical design comparing sarizotan to placebo for treating dyskinesia were accessed. Sarizotan (2 mg/day) failed to improve dyskinesia compared with placebo, but both treatments improved dyskinesia compared with baseline. Stepwise regression identified baseline characteristics that influenced dyskinesia response to placebo, and these factors were entered into a logistic regression model to quantify their influence on placebo-related dyskinesia improvements and worsening. Because placebo-associated improvements in Parkinsonism have been attributed to heightened dopaminergic activity, we also examined the association between changes in Parkinsonism and dyskinesia. Four hundred eighty-four subjects received placebo treatment; 178 met criteria for placebo-associated dyskinesia improvement and 37 for dyskinesia worsening. Older age, lower baseline Parkinsonism score, and lower total daily levodopa doses were associated with placebo-associated improvement, whereas lower baseline dyskinesia score was associated with placebo-associated worsening. Placebo-associated dyskinesia changes were not correlated with Parkinsonism changes, and all effects in the sarizotan group were statistically explained by the placebo-effect regression model. Dyskinesias are affected by placebo treatment. The absence of correlation between placebo-induced changes in dyskinesia and Parkinsonism argues against a dopaminergic activation mechanism to explain placebo-associated improvements in dyskinesia. The magnitude and variance of placebo-related changes and the factors that influence them can be helpful in the design of future clinical trials of antidyskinetic agents. PMID:18175337

  16. Vitiligo, drug induced (image)

    MedlinePlus

    ... this person's face have resulted from drug-induced vitiligo. Loss of melanin, the primary skin pigment, occasionally ... is the case with this individual. The typical vitiligo lesion is flat and depigmented, but maintains the ...

  17. The Kinase Fyn As a Novel Intermediate in L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Sanz-Blasco, Sara; Bordone, Melina P; Damianich, Ana; Gomez, Gimena; Bernardi, M Alejandra; Isaja, Luciana; Taravini, Irene R; Hanger, Diane P; Avale, M Elena; Gershanik, Oscar S; Ferrario, Juan E

    2018-06-01

    Dopamine replacement therapy with L-DOPA is the treatment of choice for Parkinson's disease; however, its long-term use is frequently associated with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). Many molecules have been implicated in the development of LID, and several of these have been proposed as potential therapeutic targets. However, to date, none of these molecules have demonstrated full clinical efficacy, either because they lie downstream of dopaminergic signaling, or due to adverse side effects. Therefore, discovering new strategies to reduce LID in Parkinson's disease remains a major challenge. Here, we have explored the tyrosine kinase Fyn, as a novel intermediate molecule in the development of LID. Fyn, a member of the Src kinase family, is located in the postsynaptic density, where it regulates phosphorylation of the NR2B subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in response to dopamine D1 receptor stimulation. We have used Fyn knockout and wild-type mice, lesioned with 6-hydroxydopamine and chronically treated with L-DOPA, to investigate the role of Fyn in the induction of LID. We found that mice lacking Fyn displayed reduced LID, ΔFosB accumulation and NR2B phosphorylation compared to wild-type control mice. Pre-administration of saracatinib (AZD0530), an inhibitor of Fyn activity, also significantly reduced LID in dyskinetic wild-type mice. These results support that Fyn has a critical role in the molecular pathways affected during the development of LID and identify Fyn as a novel potential therapeutic target for the management of dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

  18. Management of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: Controversies and future approaches.

    PubMed

    Samuel, Michael; Rodriguez-Oroz, Maria; Antonini, Angelo; Brotchie, Jonathan M; Ray Chaudhuri, Kallol; Brown, Richard G; Galpern, Wendy R; Nirenberg, Melissa J; Okun, Michael S; Lang, Anthony E

    2015-02-01

    Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease are a group of impulsive behaviors most often associated with dopaminergic treatment. Presently, there is a lack of high quality evidence available to guide their management. This manuscript reviews current management strategies, before concentrating on the concept of dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome and its implications for the management of impulse control disorders. Further, we focus on controversies, including the role of more recently available anti-parkinsonian drugs, and potential future approaches involving routes of drug delivery, nonpharmacological treatments (such as cognitive behavioral therapy and deep brain stimulation), and other as yet experimental strategies. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  19. Neurosurgical interventions in the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson disease: neurostimulation and neural implantation.

    PubMed

    Kupsch, A; Earl, C

    1999-01-01

    With the exception of thalamotomy for drug-refractory tremor, surgical therapy for Parkinson's disease has been almost abandoned as treatment for Parkinsonian symptoms between 1965 and 1985. Reasons for this development relate to inconsistent postoperative results, complications associated with stereotactic surgical techniques and, most importantly, the advent of levodopa, which is still considered to be the gold standard in pharmacotherapy for Parkinson's disease. However, both, the long-term experience with L-DOPA therapy on the one hand and the progress of advanced stereotactic techniques and fetal graft research on the other hand have lead to reconsideration of surgical therapy in Parkinson's disease for patients, who can not be treated satisfactorily with medication. Both lesions (via thermocoagulation) and/or neurostimulation (via chronic intracerebral implantation of electrodes) in thalamic nuclei (nucleus ventralis oralis posterior/intermedialis thalami; VOP/VIM) may alleviate rest tremor in PD patients. In principle neurostimulation has the significant advantage of reversibility with regard to side effects in comparison to lesion surgery. Furthermore ventro-posterior pallidotomy or chronic stimulation in this structures may ameliorate bradykinesia and levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Additionally, "switching-off" the subthalamic nucleus by neurostimulation has been reported to reduce rigidity, bradykinesia and levodopa-induced ON-OFF-fluctuations. On the other hand, neuronal transplantation of fetal nigral dopamine precursor cells aims at restoring the striatal dopamine deficit. Both animal and clinical experiments have shown that fetal grafts survive intrastriatal transplantation and may ensue moderate to satisfactory improvements, especially in regard to bradykinesia and ON-OFF-fluctuations. Further progress in the field of neuronal transplantation will largely depend on the development of alternative cell resources.

  20. Treadmill exercise alleviates short-term memory impairment in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinson's rats.

    PubMed

    Cho, Han-Sam; Shin, Mal-Soon; Song, Wook; Jun, Tae-Won; Lim, Baek-Vin; Kim, Young-Pyo; Kim, Chang-Ju

    2013-01-01

    Progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra is a key pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on short-term memory, apoptotic dopaminergic neuronal cell death and fiber loss in the nigrostriatum, and cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Parkinson's rats. Parkinson's rats were made by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the striatum using stereotaxic instrument. Four weeks after 6-OHDA injection, the rats in the 6-OHDA-injection group exhibited significant rotational asymmetry following apomorphine challenge. The rats in the exercise groups were put on the treadmill to run for 30 min once a day for 14 consecutive days starting 4 weeks after 6-OHDA injection. In the present results, extensive degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with loss of dopaminergic fibers in the striatum were produced in the rats without treadmill running, which resulted in short-term memory impairment. However, the rats performing treadmill running for 2 weeks alleviated nigrostriatal dopaminergic cell loss and alleviated short-term memory impairment with increasing cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Parkinson's rats. The present results show that treadmill exercise may provide therapeutic value for the Parkinson's disease.

  1. Current status of safinamide for the drug portfolio of Parkinson's disease therapy.

    PubMed

    Müller, Thomas

    2013-09-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a slowly ongoing neuronal death. This alters dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission and causes a wide variety of motor and non-motor features. Safinamide has a unique pharmacological profile, which combines modulation of dopamine metabolism by reversible, highly specific monoamine oxidase-B inhibition, blockage of voltage-dependent sodium channels, modulation of calcium channels and of glutamate release induced by abnormal neuronal activity. Therefore, safinamide represents an ideal candidate for the treatment of PD. This compound asks for one time daily intake only within an optimum dose range between 50 and 100 mg. In clinical trials, safinamide was well tolerated and safe, improved motor behavior even in combination with dopamine agonist only, ameliorated levodopa-associated motor complications. Safinamide has the potential to become an important compound for the therapy of PD, since its symptomatic efficacy appears to be superior to available monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors or N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists like amantadine, according to available trial outcomes.

  2. Drug-induced sarcoidosis-like reactions (DISR).

    PubMed

    Chopra, Amit; Nautiyal, Amit; Kalkanis, Alexander; Judson, Marc A

    2018-04-23

    A drug-induced sarcoidosis-like reaction (DISR) is a systemic granulomatous reaction that is indistinguishable from sarcoidosis and occurs in temporal relationship with initiation of an offending drug. DISRs typically improve or resolve after the withdrawal of offending drug. Four common categories of drugs that have been associated with the development of a DISR are immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), interferons (IFNs) and tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonists (TNF-alpha antagonists). Similar to sarcoidosis, DISRs do not necessarily require treatment, as they may cause no significant symptoms, quality of life impairment or organ dysfunction. When treatment of a DISR is required, standard anti-sarcoidosis regimens seem to be effective. As a DISR tends to improve or resolve when the offending drug is discontinued, this is another effective treatment for a DISR. However, the offending drug need not be discontinued if it is useful, and anti-granulomatous therapy can be added. In some situations, the development of a DISR may suggest a beneficial effect of the inducing drug. Understanding the mechanisms leading to DISRs may yield important insights into the immunopathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Drug-induced Epistaxis: An Often-Neglected Adverse Effect.

    PubMed

    Meirinho, Sara; Relvas, Ricardo; Alves, Gilberto

    2018-02-12

    Epistaxis is an active nose bleeding with a population occurrence of approximately 60%. Although epistaxis is a common clinical complaint, the majority of the cases are benign and caused by local induced factors (e.g., trauma and local inflammation). Nevertheless, it is also recognised that epistaxis can be induced after some drugs intake. Due to the increasing use of drugs or drug combinations that potentially may induce epistaxis, this review aims to alert healthcare professionals for this often neglected adverse drug effect and its possible complications. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar databases, considering the literature published from January 1985 to December 2015, using medical terms related to the scope of drug-induced epistaxis, nosebleeds and nasal blood supply. As expected, anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs are the main pharmacotherapeutic agents associated with epistaxis, particularly warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and aspirin. However, it was reported that some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, intranasal corticosteroids, certain antibiotics and other drugs or drug associations can also be responsible by nosebleeds. Although most of these epistaxis episodes are mild to moderate, being spontaneously reversed or requiring only minor medical approaches to control it, there are also several case reports, as well as retrospective and prospective studies, documenting severe epistaxis episodes after specific medicines intake. In these cases some invasive medical interventions are demanded to manage the bleeding and avoid life-threatening consequences. This work provides an integrated and comprehensive review on drug-induced epistaxis bridging the gap in the current scientific literature addressing this topic. Therefore, the scientific information gathered and discussed will be valuable to raise awareness of doctors and pharmacists for this drug-related problem, as well as to promote their active

  4. Nonacetaminophen Drug-Induced Acute Liver Failure.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Arul M; Lewis, James H

    2018-05-01

    Acute liver failure of all causes is diagnosed in between 2000 and 2500 patients annually in the United States. Drug-induced acute liver failure is the leading cause of acute liver failure, accounting for more than 50% of cases. Nonacetaminophen drug injury represents 11% of all cases in the latest registry from the US Acute Liver Failure Study Group. Although rare, acute liver failure is clinically dramatic when it occurs, and requires a multidisciplinary approach to management. In contrast with acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure, non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure has a more ominous prognosis with a lower liver transplant-free survival. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Zinc and linoleic acid pre-treatment attenuates biochemical and histological changes in the midbrain of rats with rotenone-induced Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Mbiydzenyuy, Ngala Elvis; Ninsiima, Herbert Izo; Valladares, Miriela Betancourt; Pieme, Constant Anatole

    2018-05-09

    Studies have suggested the supplementation of Zinc and Linoleic acid in the management of neurodegenerative disorders but none has investigated the combined effects. Little is known about the neuroprotective effects of either Zinc or Linoleic acid or their combination against development of Parkinsonism. This study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Zinc and Linoleic acid in rotenone-induced Parkinsonism in rats. Thirty-six young adult female rats weighing 100-150 g divided into six groups were used. Rats were induced with Parkinsonism by subcutaneous administration of rotenone (2.5 mg/kg) once a day for seven consecutive days. The rats received dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/Olive oil or rotenone dissolved in DMSO/Olive oil. Groups III and IV received Zinc (30 mg/kg) or Linoleic acid (150 µl/kg) while group V received a combination of both, 2 weeks prior to rotenone injection. Groups II and VI served as negative (rotenone group) and positive (Levodopa groups) controls respectively. Oxidative stress levels were assessed by estimating Lipid peroxidation (MDA), total antioxidant capacity, Superoxide dismutase, reduced Glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase and catalase in the midbrain. Histological examination was done to assess structural changes in the midbrain. There was a significant prevention in lipid peroxidation and decrease in the antioxidant status in intervention-treated groups as compared to the rotenone treated group. In addition, histological examination revealed that Parkinsonian rat brains exhibited neuronal damage. Cell death and reduction in neuron size induced by rotenone was prevented by treatment with zinc, linoleic acid and their combination. These results suggest that zinc and linoleic acid and their combination showed significant neuroprotective activity most likely due to the antioxidant effect.

  6. Tolcapone: new drug. In Parkinson's disease: unacceptable risk of severe hepatitis.

    PubMed

    2006-04-01

    (1) When patients with Parkinson's disease who are taking levodopa develop motor fluctuations that do not respond to dose adjustments, the standard treatment is the addition of bromocriptine, a dopaminergic agonist. Evaluation of entacapone fails to show whether the risk-benefit balance of this catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor is at least as favourable as that of bromocriptine. (2) Tolcapone, another COMT inhibitor, is back on the French market after being withdrawn because of serious hepatic effects. The summary of product characteristics (SPC) specifies that tolcapone must only be used when entacapone treatment fails or is poorly tolerated. (3) Renewal of marketing authorisation was based on one clinical trial in which about half the patients were probably not resistant to entacapone. No difference in efficacy was found between tolcapone and entacapone. There is no firm evidence that tolcapone is effective in a significant number of patients in whom entacapone fails. (4) Placebo-controlled trials show that first-line treatment with tolcapone 100 mg to 200 mg 3 times a day reduces the duration of motor freezing ("off") periods, but the global impact of tolcapone on parkinsonism appears to be limited. (5) Unblinded randomised controlled trials have failed to show that tolcapone is more effective than bromocriptine or pergolide. There are no trials assessing the use of tolcapone in combination with dopamine agonists. (6) Adverse effects were frequent during clinical trials. They were mainly neurological and gastrointestinal, and differed from those associated with bromocriptine. In 1988, shortly after worldwide marketing of tolcapone, 3 cases of fatal fulminant hepatitis were reported among about 60 000 patients who had taken this drug. Some countries, including European Union member states, withdrew marketing authorisation. Other countries, including the United States, left tolcapone on the market but required stringent monitoring of liver function

  7. Management of non-motor complications in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Fujimoto, Ken-ichi

    2009-08-01

    This paper summarizes the methods we devised for the treatment of psychosis, orthostatic hypotension, and mood disorders among the various non-motor complications of Parkinson's disease. Psychosis may not manifest when a patient believes in his/her delusions. If left untreated over a prolonged period, however, the delusions progress to paranoia that is very difficult to cure. Accordingly, enquiries should be made during routine examinations to detect the presence of psychosis and facilitate early discovery. Atypical antipsychotics are used when psychosis does not improve after reducing the doses of antiparkinson drugs. We achieved favorable results by using mianserin hydrochloride prior to this step, with efficacy being observed for hallucinations and mild delusions that often manifested at night. This drug does not act as a dopamine receptor blocker, so it has the advantage of not aggravating motor symptoms. With this therapy, it is also possible to improve motor symptoms without inducing psychosis by reducing the doses of antiparkinson drugs and locally stimulating the motor loop by deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus. We previously introduced leg-holding exercises for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension, through which blood pooled in the veins is returned to the systemic circulation by holding the knees. This can be done easily and is free of adverse reactions. Mood disorders are difficult to cope with in patients with Parkinson's disease, but may be treated by selecting an appropriate dopamine agonist while giving consideration to affinity for the dopamine D3 receptor. However, treatment becomes complicated when the dopamine receptor is overstimulated. Here we report on cases of successfully treated pathological gambling and dopamine dysregulation syndrome, which are considered difficult to manage. The solution may differ depending on a patient's environment, and it is not easy to prescribe therapy based on evidence-based medicine. The best

  8. Drug induced acute pancreatitis: incidence and severity.

    PubMed Central

    Lankisch, P G; Dröge, M; Gottesleben, F

    1995-01-01

    To determine the incidence and severity of drug induced acute pancreatitis, data from 45 German centres of gastroenterology were evaluated. Among 1613 patients treated for acute pancreatitis in 1993, drug induced acute pancreatitis was diagnosed in 22 patients (incidence 1.4%). Drugs held responsible were azathioprine, mesalazine/sulfasalazine, 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI), oestrogens, frusemide, hydrochlorothiazide, and rifampicin. Pancreatic necrosis not exceeding 33% of the organ was found on ultrasonography or computed tomography, or both, in three patients (14%). Pancreatic pseudocysts did not occur. A decrease of arterial PO2 reflecting respiratory insufficiency, and an increase of serum creatinine, reflecting renal insufficiency as complications of acute pancreatitis were seen in two (9%) and four (18%) patients, respectively. Artificial ventilation was not needed, and dialysis was necessary in only one (5%) case. Two patients (9%) died of AIDS and tuberculosis, respectively; pancreatitis did not seem to have contributed materially to their death. In conclusion, drugs rarely cause acute pancreatitis, and drug induced acute pancreatitis usually runs a benign course. PMID:7489946

  9. Targeting the Autophagy/Lysosomal Degradation Pathway in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Rivero-Ríos, Pilar; Madero-Pérez, Jesús; Fernández, Belén; Hilfiker, Sabine

    2016-01-01

    Autophagy is a cellular quality control mechanism crucial for neuronal homeostasis. Defects in autophagy are critically associated with mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease (PD), a common and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Autophagic dysfunction in PD can occur at several stages of the autophagy/lysosomal degradative machinery, contributing to the formation of intracellular protein aggregates and eventual neuronal cell death. Therefore, autophagy inducers may comprise a promising new therapeutic approach to combat neurodegeneration in PD. Several currently available FDA-approved drugs have been shown to enhance autophagy, which may allow for their repurposing for use in novel clinical conditions including PD. This review summarizes our current knowledge of deficits in the autophagy/lysosomal degradation pathways associated with PD, and highlight current approaches which target this pathway as possible means towards novel therapeutic strategies.

  10. Bisphenol A glucuronidation in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Landolfi, Annamaria; Troisi, Jacopo; Savanelli, Maria Cristina; Vitale, Carmine; Barone, Paolo; Amboni, Marianna

    2017-12-01

    Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely distributed estrogen-mimetic molecule, with well-established effects on the dopaminergic system. It can be found in canned food, dental sealants, thermal paper, etc. BPA undergoes liver conjugation with glucuronic acid and is subsequently excreted in the urine. In the present study we quantified the concentration of free and conjugated Bisphenol A in blood of patients affected by Parkinson Disease, using their spouses as controls. An interview was performed to determine possible confounders in BPA exposure. Free and conjugated BPA were quantified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Parkinson's Disease patients carried a statistically significant lower amount of conjugated Bisphenol A compared to controls. The two populations were mostly homogeneous in terms of exposure to possible Bisphenol A sources. The only exceptions were exposure to canned tuna and canned tomatoes PD patients consumed significantly more of both (p<0.05). Moreover, no difference in Bisphenol A glucuronidation was found after stratification by typology of anti-Parkinson's drug taken and after conversion to the Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose. BPA glucuronidation was decreased in patients with Parkinson disease. The possible unique mechanisms underlying Bisphenol A metabolism in PD patients deserve further elucidation. Moreover, further study is needed to assess a possible BPA role in Parkinson's Disease pathogenesis, due to its documented dopaminergic toxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. New treatments for the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Vijverman, Anne-Catherine; Fox, Susan H

    2014-11-01

    Levodopa remains the most potent drug to treat motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, motor fluctuations and levodopa-induced dyskinesia that occur with long-term use restrict some of its therapeutic value. Despite these limitations, the medical treatment of PD strives for continuous relief of symptoms using different strategies throughout the course of the illness: increasing the half-life of levodopa, using 'levodopa-sparing agents' and adding non-dopaminergic drugs. New options to 'improve' delivery of levodopa are under investigation, including long-acting levodopa, nasal inhalation and continuous subcutaneous or intrajejunal administration of levodopa. Long-acting dopamine agonists were recently developed and are undergoing further comparative studies to investigate potential superiority over the immediate-release formulations. Non-dopaminergic drugs acting on adenosine receptors, cholinergic, adrenergic, serotoninergic and glutamatergic pathways are newly developed and many are being evaluated in Phase II and Phase III trials. This article focuses on promising novel therapeutic approaches for the management of PD motor symptoms and motor complications. We will provide an update since 2011 on new formulations of current drugs, new drugs with promising results in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, old drugs with new possibilities and some new potential strategies that are currently in Phase I and II of development (study start date may precede 2011 but are included as study is still ongoing or full data have not yet been published). Negative Phase II and Phase III clinical trials published since 2011 will also be briefly mentioned.

  12. Occupation and risk of parkinsonism: a multicenter case-control study.

    PubMed

    Tanner, Caroline M; Ross, G Webster; Jewell, Sarah A; Hauser, Robert A; Jankovic, Joseph; Factor, Stewart A; Bressman, Susan; Deligtisch, Amanda; Marras, Connie; Lyons, Kelly E; Bhudhikanok, Grace S; Roucoux, Diana F; Meng, Cheryl; Abbott, Robert D; Langston, J William

    2009-09-01

    We examined risk of parkinsonism in occupations (agriculture, education, health care, welding, and mining) and toxicant exposures (solvents and pesticides) putatively associated with parkinsonism. To investigate occupations, specific job tasks, or exposures and risk of parkinsonism and clinical subtypes. Case-control. Eight movement disorders centers in North America. Inclusion criteria were parkinsonism (>or=2 cardinal signs), diagnosis within 8 years of recruitment (to minimize survival bias), and ability to participate in detailed telephone interviews. Control subjects were primarily nonblood relatives or acquaintances of patients. This multicenter case-control study compared lifelong occupational and job task histories to determine associations with parkinsonism and certain clinical subtypes (postural instability and gait difficulty and age at diagnosis parkinsonism. Unexpected increased risks associated with legal, construction and extraction, or religious occupations were not maintained after adjustment for duration. Risk of parkinsonism increased with pesticide use (odds ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-3.21), use of any of 8 pesticides mechanistically associated with experimental parkinsonism (2.20; 1.02-4.75), and use of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.59; 1.03-6.48). None of the specific occupations, job tasks, or task-related exposures were associated with younger age at diagnosis (parkinsonism. Tobacco use was inversely associated with parkinsonism risk. The association of disease risk with pesticides support a toxicant-induced cause of parkinsonism.

  13. Exercise-Induced Neuroprotection of the Nigrostriatal Dopamine System in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Hou, Lijuan; Chen, Wei; Liu, Xiaoli; Qiao, Decai; Zhou, Fu-Ming

    2017-01-01

    Epidemiological studies indicate that physical activity and exercise may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD), and clinical observations suggest that physical exercise can reduce the motor symptoms in PD patients. In experimental animals, a profound observation is that exercise of appropriate timing, duration, and intensity can reduce toxin-induced lesion of the nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) system in animal PD models, although negative results have also been reported, potentially due to inappropriate timing and intensity of the exercise regimen. Exercise may also minimize DA denervation-induced medium spiny neuron (MSN) dendritic atrophy and other abnormalities such as enlarged corticostriatal synapse and abnormal MSN excitability and spiking activity. Taken together, epidemiological studies, clinical observations, and animal research indicate that appropriately dosed physical activity and exercise may not only reduce the risk of developing PD in vulnerable populations but also benefit PD patients by potentially protecting the residual DA neurons or directly restoring the dysfunctional cortico-basal ganglia motor control circuit, and these benefits may be mediated by exercise-triggered production of endogenous neuroprotective molecules such as neurotrophic factors. Thus, exercise is a universally available, side effect-free medicine that should be prescribed to vulnerable populations as a preventive measure and to PD patients as a component of treatment. Future research needs to establish standardized exercise protocols that can reliably induce DA neuron protection, enabling the delineation of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms that in turn can maximize exercise-induced neuroprotection and neurorestoration in animal PD models and eventually in PD patients. PMID:29163139

  14. Rasagiline in the pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease--a review.

    PubMed

    Rascol, Olivier

    2005-10-01

    Despite the current efficacious symptomatic approaches, the search is on for new therapies for Parkinson's disease that can control the cardinal symptoms of the disease (tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia), control/prevent motor complications induced by long-term levodopa, act on non-motor disease symptoms (dementia, dysautonomia, pain, insomnia, falls) and halt disease progression. Rasagiline is a monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor that has demonstrated efficacy against the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease when used as monotherapy in early Parkinson's disease, and as an adjunct to levodopa in advanced disease stages. It reduces the duration and severity of poor symptom response episodes in fluctuating patients. Preliminary results allow discussion of putative effects of rasagiline on some non-motor signs and disease progression. This article outlines the evidence surrounding the efficacy and safety of rasagiline, and discusses its potential to address some of the currently unmet needs of Parkinson's disease therapy.

  15. Young onset Parkinson's disease. Practical management of medical issues.

    PubMed

    Calne, Susan M; Kumar, Ajit

    2008-01-01

    Young Onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) is defined as Parkinson's disease diagnosed between the ages of 21 and 40 years. Problems faced by this group are different from those faced by older subjects because they face decades with the illness. This article reviews current literature and offers suggestions for intervention when appropriate and practical suggestions in the areas of drug treatment, rehabilitation, nutrition, sexuality, pregnancy, menstruation and menopause. The suggestions are not exclusively restricted to the management of YOPD, but emphasis is placed on items where people with YOPD have either had particular difficulties or where they can proactively self-manage their illness.

  16. Idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis or acute neutropenia.

    PubMed

    Andrès, Emmanuel; Maloisel, Frédéric

    2008-01-01

    Idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis or acute neutropenia is an adverse event resulting in a neutrophil count of under 0.5 x 10/l. Patients with such severe neutropenia are likely to experience life-threatening and sometimes fatal infections. Over the last 20 years, the incidence of idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis or acute neutropenia has remained stable at 2.4-15.4 cases per million, despite the emergence of new causative drugs: antibiotics (beta-lactam and cotrimoxazole), antiplatelet agents (ticlopidine), antithyroid drugs, sulfasalazine, neuroleptics (clozapine), antiepileptic agents (carbamazepine), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents and dipyrone. Drug-induced agranulocytosis remains a serious adverse event due to the occurrence of severe sepsis with severe deep infections (such as pneumonia), septicemia and septic shock in around two thirds of patients. In this setting, old age (>65 years), septicemia or shock, metabolic disorders such as renal failure, and a neutrophil count under 0.1 x 10/l are poor prognostic factors. Nevertheless with appropriate management using preestablished procedures, with intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and hematopoietic growth factors, the mortality rate is currently around 5%. Given the increased life expectancy and subsequent longer exposure to drugs, as well as the development of new agents, healthcare professionals should be aware of this adverse event and its management.

  17. Drug-induced lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Marzano, A V; Tavecchio, S; Menicanti, C; Crosti, C

    2014-06-01

    Drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DI-LE) is defined as an entity characterized by clinical manifestations and immunopathological serum findings similar to those of idiopathic lupus but which is temporally related to drug exposure and resolves after withdrawal of the implicated drug. Similarly to idiopathic lupus, DI-LE can be divided into systemic LE, subacute cutaneous LE (SCLE), chronic cutaneous LE (CCLE) and cutaneous LE tumidus. DI-SCLE is the most frequent variant of drug-induced cutaneous LE and presents mainly with annular-polycyclic lesions; the clinical picture is often widespread, with involvement of the lower legs that are usually spared in idiopathic SCLE. ANA and anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are typically present, whereas antihistone antibodies are uncommonly found. We have recently addressed the question whether DI-SCLE differs significantly from its idiopathic counterpart by virtue of clinical features and, based on our findings, we have suggested that the frequent occurrence of malar rash and bullous, erythema multiforme-like and vasculitic manifestations can be regarded as the hallmark of DI-SCLE. In contrast, the histology is not a useful diagnostic criterion for DI-SCLE, considering that the typical pattern of lichenoid interface dermatitis is seen only in the early stage of disease and tissue eosinophilia does not represent a differentiating histopathological feature. DI-CCLE and DI-LE tumidus, albeit possibly misdiagnosed, are rarely observed and are characterized by classic discoid lesions and erythematous-oedematous plaques on sun exposed areas, respectively. Management of DI-LE is based on the discontinuation of the offending drug; topical and/or systemic corticosteroids and other immunomodulating/immunosuppressive agents should be reserved for resistant cases.

  18. Contemporary review of drug-induced pancreatitis: A different perspective

    PubMed Central

    Hung, Whitney Y; Abreu Lanfranco, Odaliz

    2014-01-01

    Although gallstone and alcohol use have been considered the most common causes of acute pancreatitis, hundreds of frequently prescribed medications are associated with this disease state. The true incidence is unknown since there are few population based studies available. The knowledge of drug induced acute pancreatitis is limited by the availability and the quality of the evidence as the majority of data is extrapolated from case reports. Establishing a definitive causal relationship between a drug and acute pancreatitis poses a challenge to clinicians. Several causative agent classification systems are often used to identify the suspected agents. They require regular updates since new drug induced acute pancreatitis cases are reported continuously. In addition, infrequently prescribed medications and herbal medications are often omitted. Furthermore, identification of drug induced acute pancreatitis with new medications often requires accumulation of post market case reports. The unrealistic expectation for a comprehensive list of medications and the multifactorial nature of acute pancreatitis call for a different approach. In this article, we review the potential mechanisms of drug induced acute pancreatitis and provide the perspective of deductive reasoning in order to allow clinicians to identify potential drug induced acute pancreatitis with limited data. PMID:25400984

  19. Electroconvulsive therapy in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Calderón-Fajardo, Humberto; Cervantes-Arriaga, Amin; Llorens-Arenas, Rodrigo; Ramírez-Bermudez, Jesús; Ruiz-Chow, Ángel; Rodríguez-Violante, Mayela

    2015-10-01

    Purpose To analyze the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy for the management of depression and/or psychosis refractory to drug therapy in patients with Parkinson disease.Methods A retrospective study was carried out including patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy during the period between 2002 and 2013. A review of the literature was performed.Results A total of 27 patients were included. In regards to the neuropsychiatric diagnosis, 14 patients had major depression, 12 patients had both psychosis and depression, and only one patient had isolated psychosis. The mean number of electroconvulsive therapy sessions was 12 ± 2.8. After electroconvulsive therapy, all patients showed a statistically significant improvement in the Brief Psychiatric Rating scale (reduction of 52% points) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (reduction of 50% points) independent of the presence of psychosis, depression or both.Conclusion Electroconvulsive therapy is effective for the treatment of refractory neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

  20. Characterization of drug-induced transcriptional modules: towards drug repositioning and functional understanding

    PubMed Central

    Iskar, Murat; Zeller, Georg; Blattmann, Peter; Campillos, Monica; Kuhn, Michael; Kaminska, Katarzyna H; Runz, Heiko; Gavin, Anne-Claude; Pepperkok, Rainer; van Noort, Vera; Bork, Peer

    2013-01-01

    In pharmacology, it is crucial to understand the complex biological responses that drugs elicit in the human organism and how well they can be inferred from model organisms. We therefore identified a large set of drug-induced transcriptional modules from genome-wide microarray data of drug-treated human cell lines and rat liver, and first characterized their conservation. Over 70% of these modules were common for multiple cell lines and 15% were conserved between the human in vitro and the rat in vivo system. We then illustrate the utility of conserved and cell-type-specific drug-induced modules by predicting and experimentally validating (i) gene functions, e.g., 10 novel regulators of cellular cholesterol homeostasis and (ii) new mechanisms of action for existing drugs, thereby providing a starting point for drug repositioning, e.g., novel cell cycle inhibitors and new modulators of α-adrenergic receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and estrogen receptor. Taken together, the identified modules reveal the conservation of transcriptional responses towards drugs across cell types and organisms, and improve our understanding of both the molecular basis of drug action and human biology. PMID:23632384

  1. Cardiovascular drugs inducing QT prolongation: facts and evidence.

    PubMed

    Taira, Carlos A; Opezzo, Javier A W; Mayer, Marcos A; Höcht, Christian

    2010-01-01

    Acquired QT syndrome is mainly caused by the administration of drugs that prolong ventricular repolarization. On the other hand, the risk of drug-induced torsades de pointes is increased by numerous predisposing factors, such as genetic predisposition, female sex, hypokalemia and cardiac dysfunction. This adverse reaction is induced by different chemical compounds used for the treatment of a variety of pathologies, including arrhythmias. As it is known, antiarrhythmic agents and other cardiovascular drugs can prolong the QT interval, causing this adverse reaction. Of the 20 most commonly reported drugs, 10 were cardiovascular agents and these appeared in 348 of the reports (46%). Class Ia antiarrhythmic agents have frequently been linked to inducing arrhythmia, including torsades de pointes. Sotalol and amiodarone, class III antiarrhythmics, are known to prolong the QT interval by blocking I(Kr). Due to the severity of events caused by the therapeutic use of these drugs, in this work of revision the cardiovascular drugs that present this property and the factors and evidence will be mentioned.

  2. Primary psychosis with comorbid drug abuse and drug-induced psychosis: Diagnostic and clinical evolution at follow up.

    PubMed

    Mauri, M C; Di Pace, C; Reggiori, A; Paletta, S; Colasanti, A

    2017-10-01

    The study reports a follow-up assessment of 48 patients with concomitant drug abuse at the first admission for psychosis. We focused on the diagnostic distinction between primary psychosis with concomitant drug abuse and drug induced psychosis, to observe whether the diagnoses are stable over time and whether the clinical course significantly differs. The study examined 25 primary psychotic disorder with comorbid drug abuse and 23 drug-induced psychotic disorder patients. Diagnostic and psychopathological assessments were made at baseline and at follow-up. Mean follow-up period was 4.96 years. Patients with comorbid Drug Abuse exhibited higher scores in the item Unusual Content of Thought at baseline than drug-induced psychotic disorder patients: 5.48 vs 4.39 while the two patients groups did not differ in any of the BPRS items evaluated at follow-up. The primary psychosis with comorbid drug abuse and the substance induced psychosis groups were similar regarding diagnostic stability, and a diagnosis of schizophrenia at follow-up occurred similarly. There was no evidence that Drug Induced psychotic patients' symptoms tend to improve more after cessation of drug abuse. An earlier age of onset was found in primary psychotic patients, particularly for patients diagnosed as affected by schizophrenia at follow up. These results might reflect the uncertainty of the distinction between Primary and Drug Induced Psychosis and the difficulties in applying the DSM IV-TR criteria for diagnosing comorbid drug use disorders and psychotic disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Investigational agents in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: focus on safinamide.

    PubMed

    Malek, Naveed M; Grosset, Donald G

    2012-01-01

    The authors review management issues in Parkinson's disease (PD) and provide an overview of the current pharmacological management strategies, with a specific focus on safinamide. Current therapeutic management of PD largely involves strategies to optimize the replacement of deficient dopamine, using levodopa, dopamine agonists, and inhibitors of dopamine-metabolizing enzymes. Currently under investigation for use in the treatment of PD, safinamide has multiple modes of action including monoamine oxidase B inhibition. It is well absorbed orally, has a long plasma half-life, and does not have liver enzyme-inducing or liver enzyme-inhibiting activity. Peak plasma concentration occurs 2-4 hours after single oral doses. Safinamide as monotherapy and as an adjunct to dopamine agonists improves Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores. One randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 168 patients given a median safinamide dose of 70 mg/day (range 40-90 mg/day) significantly increased the proportion of responders - defined as patients improving their Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores by 30% or more from baseline - after 3 months (37.5% for safinamide versus 21.4% for placebo; P < 0.05). Safinamide increased "on" time with no or minor dyskinesia compared with the placebo in another trial, but dyskinesia severity was not reduced. Safinamide was well tolerated, with an adverse effect profile similar to that of the placebo. Further Phase III trial data for safinamide efficacy is awaited, and will be of interest in a comparison with other developments in PD therapeutics: modified formulations of available compounds, new drug classes such as adenosine receptor antagonists, and gene-based therapies.

  4. Computational approaches to screen candidate ligands with anti- Parkinson's activity using R programming.

    PubMed

    Jayadeepa, R M; Niveditha, M S

    2012-01-01

    It is estimated that by 2050 over 100 million people will be affected by the Parkinson's disease (PD). We propose various computational approaches to screen suitable candidate ligand with anti-Parkinson's activity from phytochemicals. Five different types of dopamine receptors have been identified in the brain, D1-D5. Dopamine receptor D3 was selected as the target receptor. The D3 receptor exists in areas of the brain outside the basal ganglia, such as the limbic system, and thus may play a role in the cognitive and emotional changes noted in Parkinson's disease. A ligand library of 100 molecules with anti-Parkinson's activity was collected from literature survey. Nature is the best combinatorial chemist and possibly has answers to all diseases of mankind. Failure of some synthetic drugs and its side effects have prompted many researches to go back to ancient healing methods which use herbal medicines to give relief. Hence, the candidate ligands with anti-Parkinson's were selected from herbal sources through literature survey. Lipinski rules were applied to screen the suitable molecules for the study, the resulting 88 molecules were energy minimized, and subjected to docking using Autodock Vina. The top eleven molecules were screened according to the docking score generated by Autodock Vina Commercial drug Ropinirole was computed similarly and was compared with the 11 phytochemicals score, the screened molecules were subjected to toxicity analysis and to verify toxic property of phytochemicals. R Programming was applied to remove the bias from the top eleven molecules. Using cluster analysis and Confusion Matrix two phytochemicals were computationally selected namely Rosmarinic acid and Gingkolide A for further studies on the disease Parkinson's.

  5. Initiatives to improve prescribing efficiency for drugs to treat Parkinson's disease in Croatia: influence and future directions.

    PubMed

    Brkicic, Ljiljana Sovic; Godman, Brian; Voncina, Luka; Sovic, Slavica; Relja, Maja

    2012-06-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disease affecting older adults. Consequently, this disease should be a focus among payers, with increasing utilization of newer premium-priced patent-protected add-on therapies to stabilize or even improve motor function over time. However, expenditure can be moderated by reforms. Consequently, there is a need to assess the influence of these reforms on the prescribing efficiency for drugs to treat PD in Croatia before proposing additional measures. Prescribing efficiency is defined as increasing the use of add-on therapies for similar expenditure. An observational retrospective study of the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance database of drugs to treat patients with PD in Croatia from 2000 to 2010 was carried out, with utilization measured in defined daily doses (defined as the average maintenance dose of a drug when used in its major indication in adults). The study years were chosen to reflect recent reforms. Only reimbursed expenditure is measured from a health insurance perspective. Utilization of drugs to treat PD increased by 218% between 2000 and 2010. Reimbursed expenditure increased by 360%, principally driven by increasing utilization of premium-priced patent-protected add-on therapies, including ropinirole and pramipexole. However, following recent reforms, reducing expenditure/defined daily dose for the different drugs, as well as overall expenditure, stabilized reimbursed expenditure between 2005 and 2010. Treatment of PD is complex, and add-on therapies are needed to improve care. Reimbursed expenditure should now fall following stabilization, despite increasing volumes, as successive add-on therapies lose their patents, further increasing prescribing efficiency.

  6. Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Alpha-Lipoic Acid in the Model of Parkinson's Disease Induced by Unilateral Stereotaxic Injection of 6-Ohda in Rat

    PubMed Central

    de Araújo, Dayane Pessoa; De Sousa, Caren Nádia Soares; Araújo, Paulo Victor Pontes; Menezes, Carlos Eduardo de Souza; Sousa Rodrigues, Francisca Taciana; Escudeiro, Sarah Souza; Lima, Nicole Brito Cortez; Patrocínio, Manoel Claúdio Azevedo; Aguiar, Lissiana Magna Vasconcelos; Viana, Glauce Socorro de Barros; Vasconcelos, Silvânia Maria Mendes

    2013-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate behavioral and neurochemical effects of α-lipoic acid (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg) alone or associated with L-DOPA using an animal model of Parkinson's disease induced by stereotaxic injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in rat striatum. Motor behavior was assessed by monitoring body rotations induced by apomorphine, open field test and cylinder test. Oxidative stress was accessed by determination of lipid peroxidation using the TBARS method, concentration of nitrite and evaluation of catalase activity. α-Lipoic acid decreased body rotations induced by apomorphine, as well as caused an improvement in motor performance by increasing locomotor activity in the open field test and use of contralateral paw (in the opposite side of the lesion produced by 6-OHDA) at cylinder test. α-lipoic acid showed antioxidant effects, decreasing lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels and interacting with antioxidant system by decreasing of endogenous catalase activity. Therefore, α-lipoic acid prevented the damage induced by 6-OHDA or by chronic use of L-DOPA in dopaminergic neurons, suggesting that α-lipoic could be a new therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease prevention and treatment. PMID:24023579

  7. Striatal increase of neurotrophic factors as a mechanism of nicotine protection in experimental parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Maggio, R; Riva, M; Vaglini, F; Fornai, F; Racagni, G; Corsini, G U

    1997-01-01

    The repeated finding of an apparent protective effect of cigarette smoking on the risk of Parkinson's disease is one of the few consistent results in the epidemiology of this disorder. Among the innumerous substances that originate from tobacco smoke, nicotine is by far the most widely studied, and the most likely candidate for a protective effect against neuronal degeneration in Parkinson's disease. Nicotine is a natural alkaloid that has considerable stimulatory effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Its effects on the CNS are mediated by the activation of neuronal heteromeric acetylcholine-gated ion channel receptors (nAChR, also termed nicotinic acetylcholine receptors). In the present study, we describe the neuroprotective effects of (-)nicotine in two animal models of parkinsonism: the diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC)-induced enhancement of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity in mice, and the methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in rats and mice. In parallel experiments, we found that (-)nicotine induces the basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rat striatum. As FGF-2 and BDNF have been reported to be neuroprotective for dopaminergic cells, our data indicate that the increase in neurotrophic factors is a possible mechanism by which (-)nicotine protects from experimental parkinsonisms. Moreover, they suggest that nAChR agonists could be of potential benefit in the progression of Parkinson's disease.

  8. The Iowa Gambling Task in Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis on effects of disease and medication.

    PubMed

    Evens, Ricarda; Hoefler, Michael; Biber, Karolina; Lueken, Ulrike

    2016-10-01

    Decision-making under uncertainty as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task has frequently been studied in Parkinson's disease. The dopamine overdose hypothesis assumes that dopaminergic effects follow an inverted U-shaped function, restoring some cognitive functions while overdosing others. The present work quantitatively summarizes disease and medication effects on task performance and evaluates evidence for the dopamine overdose hypothesis of impaired decision-making in Parkinson's disease. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies examining the Iowa Gambling Task in patients with Parkinson's disease. Outcomes were quantitatively combined, with separate estimates for the clinical (patients ON medication vs. healthy controls), disease (patients OFF medication vs. healthy controls), and medication effects (patients ON vs. OFF medication). Furthermore, using meta-regression analysis it was explored whether the study characteristics drug level, disease duration, and motor symptoms explained heterogeneous performance between studies. Patients with Parkinson's disease ON dopaminergic medication showed significantly impaired Iowa Gambling Task performance compared to healthy controls. This impairment was not normalized by short-term withdrawal of medication. Heterogeneity across studies was not explained by dopaminergic drug levels, disease durations or motor symptoms. While this meta-analysis showed significantly impaired decision-making performance in Parkinson's disease, there was no evidence that this impairment was related to dopamine overdosing. However, only very few studies assessed patients OFF medication and future studies are needed to concentrate on the modulation of dopaminergic drug levels and pay particular attention to problems related to repeated testing. Furthermore, short- vs. long-term medication effects demand further in-depth investigation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. [Inter- and intraindividual pharmacokinetic variations in the treatment of Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Nomoto, Masahiro; Nakatsuka, Akiko; Nagai, Masahiro; Yabe, Hayato; Moritoyo, Takashi; Moritoyo, Hiroyoko; Nisikawa, Noriko

    2005-11-01

    In the treatment of Parkinson's disease, levodopa, DCI, MAO-B inhibitor, COMT inhibitors, dopamine receptor agonists, amantadine, anticholinergics have been applied and new drugs are being developed. Levodopa is still the golden standard in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The study on levodopa bioavailability showed 3-4 times differences in individual patients. Drug-food interactions are prominent in levodopa. Low protein food increased levodopa bioavailability and improved no ON or delayed ON in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Vitamine C or magnesium did not alter the bioavailability of levodopa. The bioavailability of levodopa between the levodopa/carbidioa (100/12.5) group and the levodopa/benserazide (100/25) group was studied in patients with Parkinson's disease by population PK study. C(max) of levodopa in levodeopa/benserazide group was twice as high as in levodopa/carbidopa group. Domperidone, a dopamine receptor antagonist applied as an antiemetic inceases vowel movement. The effect of domperidone on levodopa bioavailability was studied, and the combination of domperidone with levodopa increased AUC of levodopa. Clarythromycin or grape fruit juice inhibits both of CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein which work on metabolism and absorption of drugs. Coadministration of clarythromycin with ergot alkaloids such as cabergoline or bromocriptine increased the AUC up to 2-3 times. Amantadine is excreted through kidney without being metabolized and renal function is the most important factor in the blood concentration of amantadine. In elder women with the body weight of 50 kg or less, creatinine clearance is less than 50 ml/min even though the serum creatinine is within the normal range. Selegiline is metabolized through CYP2D6 and 3A4. Coadministration of qunidine, cimetidine, maclorides, antifungals, grape fruit juice increase the bioavailability of selegiline and may augment the antiparkinsonian effect.

  10. Quality of life in Parkinson`s Disease

    PubMed Central

    Opara, JA; Brola, W; Leonardi, M; Błaszczyk, B

    2012-01-01

    In this review report, current possibilities of evaluation of quality of life in Parkinson’s disease have been critically presented. Health Related Quality of Life (-HRQoL) comprises a wide spectrum of consequences of the disease. Measurement of quality of life has become increasingly relevant as an outcome parameter, especially in long-term trials. Most of the available QoL instruments depend on patient self-reports. The data can be collected by written questionnaires. There are universal questionnaires of QoL – for many diseases and the specific ones – specially created for one disease. Among universal questionnaires, the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and the Short-Form Health Status Survey (SF-36) are the most popular in Parkinson’s disease. As for specific questionnaires: the Parkinson`s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) and the Parkinson`s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQL) have been described. PMID:23346238

  11. [Physical therapy for parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Hubert, M

    2011-09-01

    Parkinson's disease is a complex neurologic and progressive incapacitating disease. Parkinson's disease severely threatens the quality of live and the number of patients worldwide is expected to rise considerably in the coming decade due to aging of the population. Even with optimal medical management using drugs or neurosurgery, patients are faced with progressively increasing impairments (e.g. in speech, mental and movement related functions), and restrictions in participation (e.g. domestic life and social activities). Physical therapy is often prescribed next to medical treatment but there is a lack of uniform treatment. A systematic literature search for guidelines, systematic reviews, trials, and expert opinions lead to a better understanding. The key question: Is physiotherapy able to optimally treat the Parkinson's disease symptoms? In which way, how and on which scientific bases can the physiotherapist participate to improve autonomy and to help them living independently and avoid, as long as possible, institutionalization? This article has integrated clinical research findings to provide clinicians with an overview to physical therapist management of disorders in people with Parkinson's disease. An Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Guideline providing practice recommendations was developed by the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF). Evidence from research was supplemented with clinical expertise and patients values. Randomized clinical trials reflect specific core areas of physical therapy, that is, transfer, posture, balance, reaching and grasping, gait and physical condition. Another aspect is that of educating patients (as well as their partners and family) about the disease process and the benefits of exercise therapy. Alternative therapies can be helpful like Tai Chi, virtual games, dancing, yoga, ball games for example.

  12. Drug Induced Hearing Loss: What Is Ototoxicity?

    MedlinePlus

    ... page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Drug-Induced Hearing Loss What Is Ototoxicity? Past Issues / Spring 2016 ... of patients taking these drugs." "Antibiotics Caused My Hearing Loss..." Gulab Lalwani Photo Courtesy of: Gulab Lalwani ...

  13. Identification of Drugs Inducing Phospholipidosis by Novel in vitro Data

    PubMed Central

    Muehlbacher, Markus; Tripal, Philipp; Roas, Florian; Kornhuber, Johannes

    2012-01-01

    Drug-induced phospholipidosis (PLD) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by the accumulation of phospholipids within the lysosome. This adverse drug effect can occur in various tissues and is suspected to impact cellular viability. Therefore, it is important to test chemical compounds for their potential to induce PLD during the drug design process. PLD has been reported to be a side effect of many commonly used drugs, especially those with cationic amphiphilic properties. To predict drug-induced PLD in silico, we established a high-throughput cell-culture-based method to quantitatively determine the induction of PLD by chemical compounds. Using this assay, we tested 297 drug-like compounds at two different concentrations (2.5 μm and 5.0 μm). We were able to identify 28 previously unknown PLD-inducing agents. Furthermore, our experimental results enabled the development of a binary classification model to predict PLD-inducing agents based on their molecular properties. This random forest prediction system yields a bootstrapped validated accuracy of 86 %. PLD-inducing agents overlap with those that target similar biological processes; a high degree of concordance with PLD-inducing agents was identified for cationic amphiphilic compounds, small molecules that inhibit acid sphingomyelinase, compounds that cross the blood–brain barrier, and compounds that violate Lipinski’s rule of five. Furthermore, we were able to show that PLD-inducing compounds applied in combination additively induce PLD. PMID:22945602

  14. Pathophysiology of L-dopa-induced motor and non-motor complications in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Bastide, Matthieu F; Meissner, Wassilios G; Picconi, Barbara; Fasano, Stefania; Fernagut, Pierre-Olivier; Feyder, Michael; Francardo, Veronica; Alcacer, Cristina; Ding, Yunmin; Brambilla, Riccardo; Fisone, Gilberto; Jon Stoessl, A; Bourdenx, Mathieu; Engeln, Michel; Navailles, Sylvia; De Deurwaerdère, Philippe; Ko, Wai Kin D; Simola, Nicola; Morelli, Micaela; Groc, Laurent; Rodriguez, Maria-Cruz; Gurevich, Eugenia V; Quik, Maryka; Morari, Michele; Mellone, Manuela; Gardoni, Fabrizio; Tronci, Elisabetta; Guehl, Dominique; Tison, François; Crossman, Alan R; Kang, Un Jung; Steece-Collier, Kathy; Fox, Susan; Carta, Manolo; Angela Cenci, M; Bézard, Erwan

    2015-09-01

    Involuntary movements, or dyskinesia, represent a debilitating complication of levodopa (L-dopa) therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). L-dopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) are ultimately experienced by the vast majority of patients. In addition, psychiatric conditions often manifested as compulsive behaviours, are emerging as a serious problem in the management of L-dopa therapy. The present review attempts to provide an overview of our current understanding of dyskinesia and other L-dopa-induced dysfunctions, a field that dramatically evolved in the past twenty years. In view of the extensive literature on LID, there appeared a critical need to re-frame the concepts, to highlight the most suitable models, to review the central nervous system (CNS) circuitry that may be involved, and to propose a pathophysiological framework was timely and necessary. An updated review to clarify our understanding of LID and other L-dopa-related side effects was therefore timely and necessary. This review should help in the development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing the generation of dyskinetic symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress

    PubMed Central

    Mantsch, John R; Baker, David A; Funk, Douglas; Lê, Anh D; Shaham, Yavin

    2016-01-01

    In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse. PMID:25976297

  16. Nicotine Reduces l-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesias by Acting at β2* Nicotinic Receptors

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Luping Z.; Grady, Sharon R.

    2011-01-01

    l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias or abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) are a debilitating adverse complication associated with prolonged l-DOPA administration for Parkinson's disease. Few treatments are currently available for dyskinesias. Our recent data showed that nicotine reduced l-DOPA-induced AIMs in parkinsonian animal models. An important question is the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes through which nicotine exerts this beneficial effect, because such knowledge would allow for the development of drugs that target the relevant receptor population(s). To address this, we used β2 nAChR subunit knockout [β2(−/−)] mice because β2-containing nAChRs are key regulators of nigrostriatal dopaminergic function. All of the mice were lesioned by intracranial injection of 6-hydroxydopamine into the right medial forebrain bundle. Lesioning resulted in a similar degree of nigrostriatal damage and parkinsonism in β2(−/−) and wild-type mice. All of the mice then were injected with l-DOPA (3 mg/kg) plus benserazide (15 mg/kg) once daily for 4 weeks until AIMs were fully developed. l-DOPA-induced AIMs were approximately 40% less in the β2(−/−) mice compared with the wild-type mice. It is interesting to note that nicotine (300 μg/ml in drinking water) reduced l-DOPA-induced AIMs by 40% in wild-type mice but had no effect in β2(−/−) mice with partial nigrostriatal damage. The nicotine-mediated decline in AIMs was much less pronounced in wild-type mice with near-complete degeneration, suggesting that presynaptic nAChRs on dopaminergic terminals have a major influence. These data demonstrate an essential role for β2* nAChRs in the antidyskinetic effect of nicotine and suggest that drugs targeting these subtypes may be useful for the management of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease. PMID:21665941

  17. Preprohypocretin polymorphisms in Parkinson disease patients reporting "sleep attacks".

    PubMed

    Rissling, Ida; Körner, Yvonne; Geller, Frank; Stiasny-Kolster, Karin; Oertel, Wolfgang H; Möller, J Carsten

    2005-07-01

    Previously, we found a significant association between the dopamine D2 receptor gene polymorphism Taq IA and sudden onset of sleep in patients with Parkinson disease. Here we evaluated the association between the preprohypocretin (-909T/C), (-22C/T), and (-20C/A) polymorphisms and sudden onset of sleep in the same population of patients with Parkinson disease. We conducted an association study analyzing the distribution of preprohypocretin polymorphisms in Germanic, caucasian Parkinson disease patients with and without sudden onset of sleep, matched according to drug therapy, disease duration, sex, and age. Movement disorders section at a university hospital. 132 Parkinson disease patients with sudden onset of sleep and 132 Parkinson disease patients without sudden onset of sleep. Blood samples were taken from each participant and used for DNA extraction. Polymorphisms were analyzed by established polymerase chain reaction protocols or direct sequencing. The variant allele T of the (-909T/C) preprohypocretin polymorphism was more commonly found in Parkinson disease patients with sudden onset of sleep. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in the genotype (P = .024) and allele (P = .018) distribution between both groups. For heterozygous and homozygous carriers of allele T, the genotype relative-risk estimates for the presence of sudden onset of sleep were 2.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-5.34) and 2.81 (95% confidence interval: 1.09-7.25), respectively. Our results show a significant association between the (-909T/C) preprohypocretin polymorphism and sudden onset of sleep in Parkinson disease. However, we could not demonstrate any interaction between the Taq IA and (-909T/C) polymorphisms with respect to the occurrence of sudden onset of sleep, suggesting that multiple genetic factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of this phenomenon.

  18. Pilot study assessing the feasibility of applying bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in very early stage Parkinson's disease: study design and rationale.

    PubMed

    Charles, David; Tolleson, Christopher; Davis, Thomas L; Gill, Chandler E; Molinari, Anna L; Bliton, Mark J; Tramontana, Michael G; Salomon, Ronald M; Kao, Chris; Wang, Lily; Hedera, Peter; Phibbs, Fenna T; Neimat, Joseph S; Konrad, Peter E

    2012-01-01

    Deep brain stimulation provides significant symptomatic benefit for people with advanced Parkinson's disease whose symptoms are no longer adequately controlled with medication. Preliminary evidence suggests that subthalamic nucleus stimulation may also be efficacious in early Parkinson's disease, and results of animal studies suggest that it may spare dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. We report the methodology and design of a novel Phase I clinical trial testing the safety and tolerability of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease and discuss previous failed attempts at neuroprotection. We recently conducted a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, single-blind pilot clinical trial of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease. Subjects were randomized to receive either optimal drug therapy or deep brain stimulation plus optimal drug therapy. Follow-up visits occurred every six months for a period of two years and included week-long therapy washouts. Thirty subjects with Hoehn & Yahr Stage II idiopathic Parkinson's disease were enrolled over a period of 32 months. Twenty-nine subjects completed all follow-up visits; one patient in the optimal drug therapy group withdrew from the study after baseline. Baseline characteristics for all thirty patients were not significantly different. This study demonstrates that it is possible to recruit and retain subjects in a clinical trial testing deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease. The results of this trial will be used to support the design of a Phase III, multicenter trial investigating the efficacy of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease.

  19. Ventricular fibrillation development following atrial fibrillation after the ingestion of sildenaphil in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Inci, Sinan; Izgu, Ibrahim; Aktas, Halil; Dogan, Pinar; Dogan, Ali

    2015-01-01

    Summary Complications in the accessory pathway in Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome could cause different clinical conditions by inducing different arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of these arrhythmias and is important as it causes life-threatening arrhythmias. It is known that some drugs, underlying cardiac diseases, and the number of accessory pathways, cause a predisposition to this condition. In the current report, we presented a patient with WPW who was admitted to the emergency department with AF, wide QRS and a rapid ventricular response that progressed to ventricular fibrillation. PMID:26361569

  20. Ventricular fibrillation development following atrial fibrillation after the ingestion of sildenaphil in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

    PubMed

    Inci, Sinan; Izgu, Ibrahim; Aktas, Halil; Dogan, Pinar; Dogan, Ali

    2015-08-01

    Complications in the accessory pathway in Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome could cause different clinical conditions by inducing different arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of these arrhythmias and is important as it causes life-threatening arrhythmias. It is known that some drugs, underlying cardiac diseases, and the number of accessory pathways, cause a predisposition to this condition. In the current report, we presented a patient with WPW who was admitted to the emergency department with AF, wide QRS and a rapid ventricular response that progressed to ventricular fibrillation.

  1. Drug-induced low blood sugar

    MedlinePlus

    Drug-induced low blood sugar is low blood glucose that results from taking medicine. ... Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is common in people with diabetes who are taking insulin or other medicines to control their diabetes. ...

  2. Parkinsonism in Spinocerebellar Ataxia

    PubMed Central

    Park, Hyeyoung; Kim, Han-Joon; Jeon, Beom S.

    2015-01-01

    Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) presents heterogeneous clinical phenotypes, and parkinsonism is reported in diverse SCA subtypes. Both levodopa responsive Parkinson disease (PD) like phenotype and atypical parkinsonism have been described especially in SCA2, SCA3, and SCA17 with geographic differences in prevalence. SCA2 is the most frequently reported subtype of SCA related to parkinsonism worldwide. Parkinsonism in SCA2 has unique genetic characteristics, such as low number of expansions and interrupted structures, which may explain the sporadic cases with low penetrance. Parkinsonism in SCA17 is more remarkable in Asian populations especially in Korea. In addition, an unclear cutoff of the pathologic range is the key issue in SCA17 related parkinsonism. SCA3 is more common in western cohorts. SCA6 and SCA8 have also been reported with a PD-like phenotype. Herein, we reviewed the epidemiologic, clinical, genetic, and pathologic features of parkinsonism in SCAs. PMID:25866756

  3. Neuroprotective effect of curcumin-I in copper-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in rats: A possible link with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Abbaoui, Abdellatif; Chatoui, Hicham; El Hiba, Omar; Gamrani, Halima

    2017-11-01

    Numerous findings indicate an involvement of heavy metals in the neuropathology of several neurodegenerative disorders, especially Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies have demonstrated that Copper (Cu) exhibits a potent neurotoxic effect on dopaminergic neurons and triggers profound neurobehavioral alterations. Curcumin is a major component of Curcuma longa rhizomes and a powerful medicinal plant that exerts many pharmacological effects. However, the neuroprotective action of curcumin on Cu-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity is yet to be investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of acute Cu-intoxication (10mg/kg B.W. i.p) for 3days on the dopaminergic system and locomotor performance as well as the possible therapeutic efficacy of curcumin I (30mg/kg B.W.). Intoxicated rats showed a significant loss of Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) expression within substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the striatal outputs. This was correlated with a clear decrease in locomotor performance. Critically, curcumin-I co-treatment reversed these changes and showed a noticeable protective effect; both TH expression and locomotor performance was reinstated in intoxicated rats. These results demonstrate altered dopaminergic innervations following Cu intoxication and a new therapeutic potential of curcumin against Cu-induced dopaminergic neurotransmission failure. Curcumin may therefore prevent heavy metal related Parkinsonism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. A fixed-dose randomized controlled trial of olanzapine for psychosis in Parkinson disease

    PubMed Central

    Black, Kevin J

    2013-01-01

    Background: Psychosis is a common and debilitating side effect of long-term dopaminergic treatment of Parkinson disease (PD). While clozapine is an effective treatment, the need for blood monitoring has limited its first-line use.  Objective: Since olanzapine shows similar receptor affinity to clozapine, we hypothesized that it might be an effective alternative to clozapine for treatment of drug-induced psychosis (DIP) in PD, and that lower doses than usual might make it tolerable. Methods: In 1998-2003 we conducted a four-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, fixed-dose trial of olanzapine (0, 2.5mg, or 5mg) in 23 PD patients with DIP while allowing for clinically realistic dose adjustments of dopaminomimetic mid-study. The primary outcome measures were Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) ratings scored from videotaped interviews after study termination by an observer blinded to dose assignment and to interview timing, and CGI (Clinical Global Impression). The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS) was the primary measure of tolerability. Results: Intention-to-treat analysis found no significant differences among treatment groups in study completion or serious adverse events. However, a disproportionate number of olanzapine vs. placebo subjects reported mild side effects (p<0.04), many citing motor worsening. Fourteen patients completed the study (seven on placebo, two on 2.5mg olanzapine, five on 5mg olanzapine). In study completers, analysis by repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant difference between olanzapine and placebo groups in BPRS psychosis reduction (p=0.536), parkinsonism (p=0.608), or any other measured parameters (CGI, MMSE, Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Depression score, PDQ‑39, Schwab-England ADL assessment, and sleep scores). Conclusion: This study adds to other evidence that olanzapine is ineffective in treating medication-induced psychosis in Parkinson disease. PMID:24627787

  5. Diagnostic accuracy of Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism in nursing homes.

    PubMed

    Weerkamp, N J; Tissingh, G; Poels, P J E; Zuidema, S U; Munneke, M; Koopmans, R T C M; Bloem, B R

    2014-11-01

    Management of Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonism in nursing homes depends on a timely and accurate diagnosis. However, little is known about the diagnostic accuracy of these parkinsonian syndromes in nursing homes. We examined this issue in a large group of Dutch nursing home residents. Twelve large nursing home organizations in the Netherlands accounting for 100 nursing homes with a total population of 5480 residents participated. Residents with PD or atypical parkinsonism were identified according to their nursing home medical chart diagnosis. Additionally, local pharmacists provided a list of all residents using antiparkinson medication. We compared the admission diagnosis to a clinical diagnosis made in the study, based upon interview and detailed neurological examination by movement disorders experts. Diagnoses were based on accepted clinical criteria for PD and atypical parkinsonism. In the total population of 5480 residents, 258 had previously been diagnosed with a form of parkinsonism according to their medical record. In 53 of these residents (20.5%) we changed or rejected the diagnosis. Specifically, we found no parkinsonism in 22 of these 53 residents (8.5% of all patients with suspected parkinsonism). In the remaining 31 residents (12%), we established a new diagnosis within the parkinsonian spectrum. In a large population of Dutch nursing home residents, 20% of diagnoses within the parkinsonian spectrum were inaccurate. Almost 9% of residents had inadvertently received a diagnosis of parkinsonism. Better recognition of parkinsonism in nursing homes is important, because of the consequences for management and prognosis. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Bacopa monnieri Phytochemicals Mediated Synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticles and Its Neurorescue Effect on 1-Methyl 4-Phenyl 1,2,3,6 Tetrahydropyridine-Induced Experimental Parkinsonism in Zebrafish

    PubMed Central

    Nellore, Jayshree; Pauline, Cynthia; Amarnath, Kanchana

    2013-01-01

    Current discovery demonstrates the rapid formation of platinum nanoparticles using leaf extract of a neurobeneficial plant, Bacopa monnieri (BmE). The nanoparticles (BmE-PtNPs) were stabilized and then coated with varied phytochemicals present within the leaf extract. These nanoparticles demonstrated the same activity of Complex I, as that of oxidizing NADH to NAD+ using a spectrophotometric method. This suggests that BmE-PtNPs are a potential medicinal substance for oxidative stress mediated disease with suppressed mitochondrial complex I, namely, Parkinson's disease (PD). Hence, the neuroprotective potentials of the phytochemical coated nanoparticle were explored in 1-methyl 4-phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine- (MPTP-)induced experimental Parkinsonism in zebrafish model. BmE-PtNPs pretreatment significantly reversed toxic effects of MPTP by increasing the levels of dopamine, its metabolites, GSH and activities of GPx, catalase, SOD and complex I, and reducing levels of MDA along with enhanced locomotor activity. Taken together, these findings suggest that BmE-PtNPs have protective effect in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in this model of Parkinson's disease via their dual functions as mitochondrial complex I and antioxidant activity. PMID:26317003

  7. Medical and surgical management of advanced Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Antonini, Angelo; Moro, Elena; Godeiro, Clecio; Reichmann, Heinz

    2018-03-23

    Advanced Parkinson's disease is characterized by the presence of motor fluctuations, various degree of dyskinesia, and disability with functional impact on activities of daily living and independence. Therapeutic management aims to extend levodopa benefit while minimizing motor complications and includes, in selected cases, the implementation of drug infusion and surgical techniques. In milder forms of motor complications, these can often be controlled with manipulation of levodopa dose and the introduction of supplemental therapies such as catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitors, monoamine oxidase B inhibitors, and dopamine agonists including apomorphine. Clinical experience and evidence from published studies indicate that when these agents cannot satisfactorily control motor complications, patients should be assessed and considered for device-aided therapies. This review article summarizes some of the newer available therapeutic opportunities such as use of enzyme inhibitors like opicapone and safinamide, adenosine A 2A receptor antagonists, apomorphine and levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel infusion, deep brain stimulation including the role of closed-loop and adaptive stimulation, and MRI-guided focused ultrasound. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  8. Glucuronidation of Drugs and Drug-Induced Toxicity in Humanized UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 1 Mice

    PubMed Central

    Kutsuno, Yuki; Itoh, Tomoo; Tukey, Robert H.

    2014-01-01

    UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes that catalyze glucuronidation of various drugs. Although experimental rodents are used in preclinical studies to predict glucuronidation and toxicity of drugs in humans, species differences in glucuronidation and drug-induced toxicity have been reported. Humanized UGT1 mice in which the original Ugt1 locus was disrupted and replaced with the human UGT1 locus (hUGT1 mice) were recently developed. In this study, acyl-glucuronidations of etodolac, diclofenac, and ibuprofen in liver microsomes of hUGT1 mice were examined and compared with those of humans and regular mice. The kinetics of etodolac, diclofenac, and ibuprofen acyl-glucuronidation in hUGT1 mice were almost comparable to those in humans, rather than in mice. We further investigated the hepatotoxicity of ibuprofen in hUGT1 mice and regular mice by measuring serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) levels. Because ALT levels were increased at 6 hours after dosing in hUGT1 mice and at 24 hours after dosing in regular mice, the onset pattern of ibuprofen-induced liver toxicity in hUGT1 mice was different from that in regular mice. These data suggest that hUGT1 mice can be valuable tools for understanding glucuronidations of drugs and drug-induced toxicity in humans. PMID:24764149

  9. Normal CAG and CCG repeats in the Huntington`s disease genes of Parkinson`s disease patients

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rubinsztein, D.C.; Leggo, J.; Barton, D.E.

    1995-04-24

    The clinical features of Parkinson`s disease, particularly rigidity and bradykinesia and occasionally tremor, are seen in juvenile-onset Huntington`s disease. Therefore, the CAG and CCG repeats in the Huntington`s disease gene were investigated in 45 Parkinson`s disease patients and compared to 40 control individuals. All of the Parkinson`s disease chromosomes fell within the normal size ranges. In addition, the distributions of the two repeats in the Parkinson`s disease patients did not differ significantly from those of the control population. Therefore, abnormalities of these trinucleotide repeats in the Huntington`s disease gene are not likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson`s disease.more » 12 refs., 2 figs.« less

  10. A review of drug-induced liver injury databases.

    PubMed

    Luo, Guangwen; Shen, Yiting; Yang, Lizhu; Lu, Aiping; Xiang, Zheng

    2017-09-01

    Drug-induced liver injuries have been a major focus of current research in drug development, and are also one of the major reasons for the failure and withdrawal of drugs in development. Drug-induced liver injuries have been systematically recorded in many public databases, which have become valuable resources in this field. In this study, we provide an overview of these databases, including the liver injury-specific databases LiverTox, LTKB, Open TG-GATEs, LTMap and Hepatox, and the general databases, T3DB, DrugBank, DITOP, DART, CTD and HSDB. The features and limitations of these databases are summarized and discussed in detail. Apart from their powerful functions, we believe that these databases can be improved in several ways: by providing the data about the molecular targets involved in liver toxicity, by incorporating information regarding liver injuries caused by drug interactions, and by regularly updating the data.

  11. Parkinson disease

    MedlinePlus

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000755.htm Parkinson disease To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Parkinson disease results from certain brain cells dying. These cells ...

  12. Dopamine-dependent neurodegeneration in Drosophila models of familial and sporadic Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Bayersdorfer, Florian; Voigt, Aaron; Schneuwly, Stephan; Botella, José A

    2010-10-01

    Parkinson's disease has been found to be caused by both, genetic and environmental factors. Despite the diversity of causes involved, a convergent pathogenic mechanism might underlie the special vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons in different forms of Parkinsonism. In recent years, a number of reports have proposed dopamine as a common player responsible in the loss of dopaminergic neurons independent of its etiology. Using RNAi lines we were able to generate flies with drastically reduced dopamine levels in the dopaminergic neurons. Combining these flies with a chemically induced Parkinson model (rotenone) and a familial form of Parkinson (mutant alpha-synuclein) we were able to show a strong reduction of neurotoxicity and a protection of the dopaminergic neurons when cellular dopamine levels were reduced. These results show that dopamine homeostasis plays a central role for the susceptibility of dopaminergic neurons to environmental and genetic factors in in vivo models of Parkinson disease. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Neural response to visual sexual cues in dopamine treatment-linked hypersexuality in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Politis, Marios; Loane, Clare; Wu, Kit; O'Sullivan, Sean S; Woodhead, Zoe; Kiferle, Lorenzo; Lawrence, Andrew D; Lees, Andrew J; Piccini, Paola

    2013-02-01

    Hypersexuality with compulsive sexual behaviour is a significant source of morbidity for patients with Parkinson's disease receiving dopamine replacement therapies. We know relatively little about the pathophysiology of hypersexuality in Parkinson's disease, and it is unknown how visual sexual stimuli, similar to the portrayals of sexuality in the mainstream mass media may affect the brain and behaviour in such susceptible individuals. Here, we have studied a group of 12 patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality using a functional magnetic resonance imaging block design exposing participants to both sexual, other reward-related and neutral visual cues. We hypothesized that exposure to visual sexual cues would trigger increased sexual desire in patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality that would correspond to changes in brain activity in regions linked to dopaminergically stimulated sexual motivation. Patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality were scanned ON and OFF dopamine drugs, and their results were compared with a group of 12 Parkinson's disease control patients without hypersexuality or other impulse control disorders. Exposure to sexual cues significantly increased sexual desire and hedonic responses in the Parkinson's disease hypersexuality group compared with the Parkinson's disease control patients. These behavioural changes corresponded to significant blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes in regions within limbic, paralimbic, temporal, occipital, somatosensory and prefrontal cortices that correspond to emotional, cognitive, autonomic, visual and motivational processes. The functional imaging data showed that the hypersexuality patients' increased sexual desire correlated with enhanced activations in the ventral striatum, and cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices. When the patients with Parkinson's disease with hypersexuality were OFF medication, the functional imaging data showed decreases in activation during

  14. In silico modeling to predict drug-induced phospholipidosis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Choi, Sydney S.; Kim, Jae S.; Valerio, Luis G., E-mail: luis.valerio@fda.hhs.gov

    2013-06-01

    Drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPL) is a preclinical finding during pharmaceutical drug development that has implications on the course of drug development and regulatory safety review. A principal characteristic of drugs inducing DIPL is known to be a cationic amphiphilic structure. This provides evidence for a structure-based explanation and opportunity to analyze properties and structures of drugs with the histopathologic findings for DIPL. In previous work from the FDA, in silico quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) modeling using machine learning approaches has shown promise with a large dataset of drugs but included unconfirmed data as well. In this study, we report the constructionmore » and validation of a battery of complementary in silico QSAR models using the FDA's updated database on phospholipidosis, new algorithms and predictive technologies, and in particular, we address high performance with a high-confidence dataset. The results of our modeling for DIPL include rigorous external validation tests showing 80–81% concordance. Furthermore, the predictive performance characteristics include models with high sensitivity and specificity, in most cases above ≥ 80% leading to desired high negative and positive predictivity. These models are intended to be utilized for regulatory toxicology applied science needs in screening new drugs for DIPL. - Highlights: • New in silico models for predicting drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPL) are described. • The training set data in the models is derived from the FDA's phospholipidosis database. • We find excellent predictivity values of the models based on external validation. • The models can support drug screening and regulatory decision-making on DIPL.« less

  15. Conditioned Place Preference Induced by Licit Drugs: Establishment, Extinction, and Reinstatement

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Yu; Le Foll, Bernard; Liu, Yanli; Wang, Xi; Lu, Lin

    2008-01-01

    The conditioned place preference (CPP) model has been widely used to evaluate the rewarding effects of abused drugs, and recently, the extinction and reinstatement phases of this paradigm have been used to assess relapse to drug seeking. The vast majority of studies have focused on CPP induced by illicit drugs, such as psychostimulants and opioids. Although legal psychoactive drugs, such as ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine, are more widely used than illegal drugs, the establishment, extinction, and reinstatement of CPP produced by these licit drugs are less well understood. The present review discusses the extant research on CPP induced by legal drugs. We first describe the CPP model and discuss the behavioral procedures used to induce CPP for ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine. We then summarize the neuronal substrates that underlie CPP induced by these drugs from a genetic perspective. Finally, we draw on findings from pharmacological studies and discuss the neurotransmitters and neurohormones underlying CPP produced by ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine. PMID:19082419

  16. Conditioned place preference induced by licit drugs: establishment, extinction, and reinstatement.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yu; Le Foll, Bernard; Liu, Yanli; Wang, Xi; Lu, Lin

    2008-12-14

    The conditioned place preference (CPP) model has been widely used to evaluate the rewarding effects of abused drugs, and recently, the extinction and reinstatement phases of this paradigm have been used to assess relapse to drug seeking. The vast majority of studies have focused on CPP induced by illicit drugs, such as psychostimulants and opioids. Although legal psychoactive drugs, such as ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine, are more widely used than illegal drugs, the establishment, extinction, and reinstatement of CPP produced by these licit drugs are less well understood. The present review discusses the extant research on CPP induced by legal drugs. We first describe the CPP model and discuss the behavioral procedures used to induce CPP for ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine. We then summarize the neuronal substrates that underlie CPP induced by these drugs from a genetic perspective. Finally, we draw on findings from pharmacological studies and discuss the neurotransmitters and neurohormones underlying CPP produced by ethanol, nicotine, and caffeine.

  17. PTTG1 Attenuates Drug-Induced Cellular Senescence

    PubMed Central

    Tong, Yunguang; Zhao, Weijiang; Zhou, Cuiqi; Wawrowsky, Kolja; Melmed, Shlomo

    2011-01-01

    As PTTG1 (pituitary tumor transforming gene) abundance correlates with adverse outcomes in cancer treatment, we determined mechanisms underlying this observation by assessing the role of PTTG1 in regulating cell response to anti-neoplastic drugs. HCT116 cells devoid of PTTG1 (PTTG1−/−) exhibited enhanced drug sensitivity as assessed by measuring BrdU incorporation in vitro. Apoptosis, mitosis catastrophe or DNA damage were not detected, but features of senescence were observed using low doses of doxorubicin and TSA. The number of drug-induced PTTG1−/− senescent cells increased ∼4 fold as compared to WT PTTG1-replete cells (p<0.001). p21, an important regulator of cell senescence, was induced ∼3 fold in HCT116 PTTG1−/− cells upon doxorubicin or Trichostatin A treatment. Binding of Sp1, p53 and p300 to the p21 promoter was enhanced in PTTG1−/− cells after treatment, suggesting transcriptional regulation of p21. p21 knock down abrogated the observed senescent effects of these drugs, indicating that PTTG1 likely suppresses p21 to regulate drug-induced senescence. PTTG1 also regulated SW620 colon cancer cells response to doxorubicin and TSA mediated by p21. Subcutaneously xenografted PTTG1−/− HCT116 cells developed smaller tumors and exhibited enhanced responses to doxorubicin. PTTG1−/− tumor tissue derived from excised tumors exhibited increased doxorubicin-induced senescence. As senescence is a determinant of cell responses to anti-neoplastic treatments, these findings suggest PTTG1 as a tumor cell marker to predict anti-neoplastic treatment outcomes. PMID:21858218

  18. Improved Bioavailability of Levodopa Using Floatable Spray-Coated Microcapsules for the Management of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Baek, Jong-Suep; Tee, Jie Kai; Pang, Yi Yun; Tan, Ern Yu; Lim, Kah Leong; Ho, Han Kiat; Loo, Say Chye Joachim

    2018-06-01

    Oral administration of levodopa (LD) is the gold standard in managing Parkinson's disease (PD). Although LD is the most effective drug in treating PD, chronic administration of LD induces levodopa-induced dyskinesia. A continuous and sustained provision of LD to the brain could, therefore, reduce peak-dose dyskinesia. In commercial oral formulations, LD is co-administrated with an AADC inhibitor (carbidopa) and a COMT inhibitor (entacapone) to enhance its bioavailability. Nevertheless, patients are known to take up to five tablets a day because of poor sustained-releasing capabilities that lead to fluctuations in plasma concentrations. To achieve a prolonged release of LD with the aim of improving its bioavailability, floatable spray-coated microcapsules containing all three PD drugs were developed. This gastro-retentive delivery system showed sustained release of all PD drugs, at similar release kinetics. Pharmacokinetics study was conducted and this newly developed formulation showed a more plateaued delivery of LD that is void of the plasma concentration fluctuations observed for the control (commercial formulation). At the same time, measurements of LD and dopamine of mice administered with this formulation showed enhanced bioavailability of LD. This study highlights a floatable, sustained-releasing delivery system in achieving improved pharmacokinetics data compared to a commercial formulation.

  19. Pilot Study Assessing the Feasibility of Applying Bilateral Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Very Early Stage Parkinson's Disease: Study design and rationale

    PubMed Central

    Charles, David; Tolleson, Christopher; Davis, Thomas L.; Gill, Chandler E.; Molinari, Anna L.; Bliton, Mark J.; Tramontana, Michael G.; Salomon, Ronald M.; Kao, Chris; Wang, Lily; Hedera, Peter; Phibbs, Fenna T.; Neimat, Joseph S.; Konrad, Peter E.

    2014-01-01

    Background Deep brain stimulation provides significant symptomatic benefit for people with advanced Parkinson's disease whose symptoms are no longer adequately controlled with medication. Preliminary evidence suggests that subthalamic nucleus stimulation may also be efficacious in early Parkinson's disease, and results of animal studies suggest that it may spare dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Objective We report the methodology and design of a novel Phase I clinical trial testing the safety and tolerability of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease and discuss previous failed attempts at neuroprotection. Methods We recently conducted a prospective, randomized, parallel-group, single-blind pilot clinical trial of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease. Subjects were randomized to receive either optimal drug therapy or deep brain stimulation plus optimal drug therapy. Follow-up visits occurred every six months for a period of two years and included week-long therapy washouts. Results Thirty subjects with Hoehn & Yahr Stage II idiopathic Parkinson's disease were enrolled over a period of 32 months. Twenty-nine subjects completed all follow-up visits; one patient in the optimal drug therapy group withdrew from the study after baseline. Baseline characteristics for all thirty patients were not significantly different. Conclusions This study demonstrates that it is possible to recruit and retain subjects in a clinical trial testing deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease. The results of this trial will be used to support the design of a Phase III, multicenter trial investigating the efficacy of deep brain stimulation in early Parkinson's disease. PMID:23938229

  20. Pramipexole but not imipramine or fluoxetine reverses the "depressive-like" behaviour in a rat model of preclinical stages of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Berghauzen-Maciejewska, Klemencja; Kuter, Katarzyna; Kolasiewicz, Wacław; Głowacka, Urszula; Dziubina, Anna; Ossowska, Krystyna; Wardas, Jadwiga

    2014-09-01

    Depression is a frequent comorbid disorder in Parkinson's disease and may antedate its motor symptoms. However, mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease-associated depression are unknown and its current medication is insufficient. The aim of the present study was to compare antidepressant-like effects of imipramine, fluoxetine and pramipexole in a model of preclinical stages of Parkinson's disease in rats. 6-Hydroxydopamine was bilaterally injected into the ventrolateral region of the caudate-putamen in rats. This treatment induced moderate decreases in the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex and reduced the density of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area. The lesion increased immobility measured in the forced swimming test without influencing locomotor activity. Chronic (13 days) administration of pramipexole (1mg/kg sc/twice a day) reversed prolongation of the immobility time in lesioned animals but did not stimulate their locomotion. Chronic pramipexole activated dopaminergic transmission in the brain structures which might contribute to its effectiveness in the forced swimming test. In contrast, the 13-day administration of imipramine (10mg/kg ip/day) and fluoxetine (10mg/kg ip/day) did not shorten the immobility time in lesioned rats but reduced their locomotion. The present study indicates that already a moderate lesion of dopaminergic neurons induces "depressive-like" behaviour in animals which is reversed by chronic administration of the antiparkinsonian drug, pramipexole. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. The discovery of drug-induced illness.

    PubMed

    Jick, H

    1977-03-03

    The increased use of drugs (and the concurrent increased risks of drug-induced illness) require definition of relevant research areas and strategy. For established marketed drugs, research needs depend on the magnitudes of risk of an illness from a drug and the base-line risk. With the drug risk high and the base-line risk low, the problem surfaces in premarketing studies or through the epidemic that develops after marketing. If the drug adds slightly to a high base-line risk, the effect is undetectable. When both risks are low, adverse effects can be discovered by chance, but systematic case-referent studies can speed discovery. If both risks are high, clinical trials and nonexperimental studies may be used. With both risks intermediate, systematic evaluations, especially case-referent studies are needed. Newly marketed drugs should be routinely evaluated through compulsory registration and follow-up study of the earliest users.

  2. hERG trafficking inhibition in drug-induced lethal cardiac arrhythmia.

    PubMed

    Nogawa, Hisashi; Kawai, Tomoyuki

    2014-10-15

    Acquired long QT syndrome induced by non-cardiovascular drugs can cause lethal cardiac arrhythmia called torsades de points and is a significant problem in drug development. The prolongation of QT interval and cardiac action potential duration are mainly due to reduced physiological function of the rapidly activating voltage-dependent potassium channels encoded by human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG). Structurally diverse groups of drugs are known to directly inhibit hERG channel conductance. Therefore, the ability of acute hERG inhibition is routinely assessed at the preclinical stages in pharmaceutical testing. Recent findings indicated that chronic treatment with various drugs not only inhibits hERG channels but also decreases hERG channel expression in the plasma membrane of cardiomyocytes, which has become another concern in safety pharmacology. The mechanisms involve the disruption of hERG trafficking to the surface membrane or the acceleration of hERG protein degradation. From this perspective, we present a brief overview of mechanisms of drug-induced trafficking inhibition and pathological regulation. Understanding of drug-induced hERG trafficking inhibition may provide new strategies for predicting drug-induced QT prolongation and lethal cardiac arrhythmia in pharmaceutical drug development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. There is no Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Weiner, William J

    2008-06-01

    The term Parkinson disease defines a specific clinical condition characterized by a typical history and characteristic signs. This review examines the historical evolution of the concept of Parkinson disease and how the misunderstanding of Parkinson disease may be hindering clinical research trials. It is proposed that this syndrome be called Parkinson diseases or parkinsonism type 1 through infinity.

  4. Drug-induced status epilepticus.

    PubMed

    Cock, Hannah R

    2015-08-01

    Drug-induced status epilepticus (SE) is a relatively uncommon phenomenon, probably accounting for less than 5% of all SE cases, although limitations in case ascertainment and establishing causation substantially weaken epidemiological estimates. Some antiepileptic drugs, particularly those with sodium channel or GABA(γ-aminobutyric acid)-ergic properties, frequently exacerbate seizures and may lead to SE if used inadvertently in generalized epilepsies or less frequently in other epilepsies. Tiagabine seems to have a particular propensity for triggering nonconvulsive SE sometimes in patients with no prior history of seizures. In therapeutic practice, SE is most commonly seen in association with antibiotics (cephalosporins, quinolones, and some others) and immunotherapies/chemotherapies, the latter often in the context of a reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Status epilepticus following accidental or intentional overdoses, particularly of antidepressants or other psychotropic medications, has also featured prominently in the literature: whilst there are sometimes fatal consequences, this is more commonly because of cardiorespiratory or metabolic complications than as a result of seizure activity. A high index of suspicion is required in identifying those at risk and in recognizing potential clues from the presentation, but even with a careful analysis of patient and drug factors, establishing causation can be difficult. In addition to eliminating the potential trigger, management should be as for SE in any other circumstances, with the exception that phenobarbitone is recommended as a second-line treatment for suspected toxicity-related SE where the risk of cardiovascular complications is higher anyways and may be exacerbated by phenytoin. There are also specific recommendations/antidotes in some situations. The outcome of drug-induced status epilepticus is mostly good when promptly identified and treated, though less so in the context of overdoses. This article is

  5. Prevalence and risk factors for depression and anxiety in Chinese patients with Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Cui, Shi-Shuang; Du, Juan-Juan; Fu, Rao; Lin, Yi-Qi; Huang, Pei; He, Ya-Chao; Gao, Chao; Wang, Hua-Long; Chen, Sheng-Di

    2017-11-22

    Anxiety and depression are common in Parkinson disease and both are important determinants of quality of life in patients. Several risk factors are identified but few research have investigated general and Parkinson's disease (PD)-specific factors comprehensively. The aim of this work was to explore PD-specific and -non-specific risk factors for PD with depression or anxiety. A cross-sectional survey was performed in 403 patients with PD. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for the depression and anxiety in PD. The data of patients included demographic information, medicine history, disease duration, age at onset (AAO), family history, anti-parkinsonism drug, modified Hoehn and Yahr staging (H-Y) stage, scales of motor and non-motor symptoms and substantia nigra (SN) echogenic areas. 403 PD patients were recruited in the study. Depression and anxiety were present in 11.17% and 25.81% respectively. Marital status, tumor, higher Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) II score, dyskinesia, higher Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) score and lower the Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS) score were associated with depression in PD. female gender, higher rapid eye movement behavior disorder Questionnaire-Hong Kong (RBD-HK) score, higher Hamilton Deprssion Rating Scale (HAMD) score, higher the scale for outcomes in PD for autonomic symptoms (SCOPA-AUT)score and larger SN echogenic areas were associated with anxiety. Neither depression nor anxiety was related to any anti-parkinsonism drugs. The prevalence of depression and anxiety in the current PD patients was 11.17% and 25.81% respectively. Disease of tumor, currently having no partner, severer motor function, dyskinesia, poorer sleep quality and anxiety were risk factors for PD with depression. Female, depression, rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), autonomic dysfunction and larger SN area

  6. Manganese- and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-induced neurotoxicity display differences in morphological, electrophysiological and genome-wide alterations: implications for idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Mythri, Rajeswara Babu; Raghunath, Narayana Reddy; Narwade, Santosh Chandrakant; Pandareesh, Mirazkar Dasharatha Rao; Sabitha, Kollarkandi Rajesh; Aiyaz, Mohamad; Chand, Bipin; Sule, Manas; Ghosh, Krittika; Kumar, Senthil; Shankarappa, Bhagyalakshmi; Soundararajan, Soundarya; Alladi, Phalguni Anand; Purushottam, Meera; Gayathri, Narayanappa; Deobagkar, Deepti Dileep; Laxmi, Thenkanidiyoor Rao; Srinivas Bharath, Muchukunte Mukunda

    2017-11-01

    Idiopathic Parkinson's disease and manganese-induced atypical parkinsonism are characterized by movement disorder and nigrostriatal pathology. Although clinical features, brain region involved and responsiveness to levodopa distinguish both, differences at the neuronal level are largely unknown. We studied the morphological, neurophysiological and molecular differences in dopaminergic neurons exposed to the Parkinson's disease toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP + ) and manganese (Mn), followed by validation in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and Mn mouse models. Morphological analysis highlighted loss of neuronal processes in the MPP + and not the Mn model. Cellular network dynamics of dopaminergic neurons characterized by spike frequency and inter-spike intervals indicated major neuronal population (~ 93%) with slow discharge rates (0-5 Hz). While MPP + exposure suppressed the firing of these neurons, Mn neither suppressed nor elevated the neuronal activity. High-throughput transcriptomic analysis revealed up-regulation of 694 and 603 genes and down-regulation of 428 and 255 genes in the MPP + and Mn models respectively. Many differentially expressed genes were unique to either models and contributed to neuroinflammation, metabolic/mitochondrial function, apoptosis and nuclear function, synaptic plasticity, neurotransmission and cytoskeleton. Analysis of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway with implications for neuritogenesis and neuronal proliferation revealed contrasting profile in both models. Genome-wide DNA methylomics revealed differences between both models and substantiated the epigenetic basis of the difference in the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway. We conclude that idiopathic Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism have divergent neurotoxicological manifestation at the dopaminergic neuronal level with implications for pathobiology and evolution

  7. Prime-, Stress- and Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Extinguished Drug-Reinforced Responding in Rats: Cocaine as the Prototypical Drug of Abuse

    PubMed Central

    Beardsley, Patrick M.; Shelton, Keith L.

    2012-01-01

    This unit describes the testing of rats in prime-, footshock- and cue-induced reinstatement procedures. Evaluating rats in these procedures enables the assessment of treatments on behavior thought to model drug relapse precipitated by re-contact with an abused drug (prime-induced), induced by stress (footshock-induced), or by stimuli previously associated with drug administration (cue-induced). For instance, levels of reinstatement under the effects of test compound administration could be compared to levels under vehicle administration to help identify potential treatments for drug relapse, or reinstatement levels of different rat strains could be compared to identify potential genetic determinants of perseverative drug-seeking behavior. Cocaine is used as a prototypical drug of abuse, and relapse to its use serves as the model in this unit, but other self-administered drugs could readily be substituted with little modification to the procedures. PMID:23093352

  8. Induced Accelerated Aging in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines from Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-11-01

    clones . Western blot analysis will be used to detect the protein expression after selection. 2. Differentiation into oligoprecursor cells (OPCs... monkey and mouse which will be tested in iPSC derived neurons aged with progerin. 13 Key Research Accomplishments: • Milestone 1 (month 1-2...iPSC clones with drug-inducible progerin construct we established the plasmid transfection for iPSC induced neural stem cells, the retroviral

  9. Mutation analysis for DJ-1 in sporadic and familial parkinsonism: screening strategy in parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Tomiyama, Hiroyuki; Li, Yuanzhe; Yoshino, Hiroyo; Mizuno, Yoshikuni; Kubo, Shin-Ichiro; Toda, Tatsushi; Hattori, Nobutaka

    2009-05-22

    DJ-1 mutations cause autosomal recessive parkinsonism (ARP). Although some reports of DJ-1 mutations have been published, there is lack of information on the prevalence of these mutations in large-scale studies of both familial and sporadic parkinsonism. In this genetic screening study, we analyzed the distribution and frequency of DJ-1 mutations by direct nucleotide sequencing of coding exons and exon-intron boundaries of DJ-1, in 386 parkin-negative parkinsonism patients (371 index cases: 67 probands of autosomal recessive parkinsonism families, 90 probands of autosomal dominant parkinsonism families, 201 patients with sporadic parkinsonism, and 13 with unknown family histories) from 12 countries (Japan 283, China 27, Taiwan 22, Korea 22, Israel 16, Turkey 5, Philippines 2, Bulgaria 2, Greece 2, Tunisia 1, USA 2, Ukraine 1, unknown 1). None had causative mutation in DJ-1, suggesting DJ-1 mutation is very rare among patients with familial and sporadic parkinsonism from Asian countries and those with other ethnic background. This is in contrast to the higher frequencies and worldwide distribution of parkin- and PINK1-related parkinsonism in ARP and sporadic parkinsonism. Thus, after obtaining clinical information, screening for mutations in (1) parkin, (2) PINK1, (3) DJ-1, (4) ATP13A2 should be conducted in that order, in ARP and sporadic parkinsonism, based on their reported frequencies. In addition, haplotype analysis should be employed to check for homozygosity of 1p36, which harbors a cluster of causative genes for ARP such as DJ-1, PINK1 and ATP13A2 in ARP and sporadic parkinsonism, especially in parkinsonism with consanguinity.

  10. Tangeretin inhibits neurodegeneration and attenuates inflammatory responses and behavioural deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease dementia in rats.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jin-Song; Wu, Xiao-Hong; Yu, Hao-Gang; Teng, Li-Song

    2017-08-01

    Our aim was to investigate whether tangeretin, a citrus flavonoid, was able to prevent neuroinflammation and improve dementia in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced rodent model of Parkinson's disease (PD). MPTP-HCl was infused into the substantia nigra pars compacta of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Tangeretin (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally starting 3 days prior to MPTP injection and was continued for 20 days following injection. MPTP-lesioned rats revealed motor dysfunction in bar test and rota rod tests. Deficits in working memory and object recognition function were also observed following MPTP induction. Tangeretin treatment significantly attenuated the memory deficits and improved motor functions and cognition. Immunohistochemical analysis reveals the protective effects of tangeretin against MPTP lesion-induced dopaminergic degeneration and hippocampal neuronal loss. Tangeretin reduced expression of inflammatory mediators-COX-2, iNOS-as well reduced the levels of cytokines-interleukins (IL)-IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-2. The experimental data suggest tangeretin as an effective candidate drug with potential for prevention and treatment of neuroinflammation and dementia associated with PD.

  11. The effect of subthalamic stimulation on viscoelastic stiffness of skeletal muscles in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Rätsep, Tõnu; Asser, Toomas

    2017-05-01

    Myotonometric evaluation of viscoelastic stiffness of skeletal muscles has been proposed to document the effect of surgical or pharmacological treatment on rigidity in patients with Parkinson's disease. The aim of the study was to analyze the changes of viscoelastic stiffness induced by deep brain stimulation. Fifteen patients in an advanced stage of Parkinson's disease participated in the study. The study took place in the off-medication conditions after one night of drug withdrawal. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale was used for clinical assessment of the disease. Myotonometry was used to measure viscoelastic stiffness in the resting muscles before and directly after passive wrist movements, commonly used for clinical evaluation of rigidity. The measurements were repeated during the stimulation-on and stimulation-off periods and compared with fifteen healthy control persons. The clinical scores for wrist rigidity improved from 3.0 (1-4) to 0.93 (0-2) (P<0.05) due to brain stimulation. The mean values of viscoelastic stiffness were similar before and after passive wrist movements, but the differences between the patients with high vs. low rigidity values (354.9 vs 310.2N/m; P<0.05) and in stimulation-off vs. stimulation-on conditions (342.7 vs 310.5N/m; P<0.05) were significant only if the measurements had been performed after passive wrist movements. Effective deep brain stimulation and increased rigidity can significantly change viscoelastic stiffness in the resting muscles in patients with Parkinson's disease, especially if evaluated after passive wrist movements. This paper supports the use of myotonometry for objective quantification of parkinsonian rigidity at rest. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. [Gastroparesis and other gastrointestinal symptoms in Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Santos-Garcia, D; de Deus, T; Tejera-Perez, C; Exposito-Ruiz, I; Suarez-Castro, E; Carpintero, P; Macias-Arribi, M

    2015-09-16

    Different gastrointestinal symptoms, such as excessive salivation, deterioration and other disorders affecting the teeth, dysphagia, gastroparesis, gastroesophageal reflux, constipation, difficult defecation or loss of weight are frequent events in all the stages of the development of Parkinson's disease and affect at least a third of the patients. These symptoms reflect the dysfunction of the enteric nervous system, and the stomach is one of the organs where alpha-synuclein is first deposited. Other factors, such as the dysfunction of structures in the central nervous system like the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagal nerve, hormonal factors or secondary effects deriving from the consumption of antiparkinsonian drugs, are involved in its origin. The present article offers a detailed review of the epidemiological, pathophysiological, clinical and therapeutic management aspects of the different gastrointestinal symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

  13. Drug-induced psoriasis: clinical perspectives.

    PubMed

    Balak, Deepak Mw; Hajdarbegovic, Enes

    2017-01-01

    Exposure to certain drugs can elicit an induction or exacerbation of psoriasis. Although well-conducted systematic studies on drug-related psoriasis are mostly lacking, traditionally strong associations have been documented for beta-blockers, lithium, antimalarial drugs such as (hydroxy)chloroquine, interferons, imiquimod, and terbinafine. More recently, new associations have been reported for monoclonal antibody- and small-molecule-based targeted therapies used for oncological and immunological indications, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Recognizing potential drug-related psoriasis is of clinical relevance to allow an optimal management of psoriasis. However, in clinical practice, identifying medication-related exacerbations and induction of psoriasis can be challenging. The clinical and histopathological features of drug-provoked psoriasis may differ little from that of "classical" nondrug-related forms of psoriasis. In addition, the latency period between start of the medication and onset of psoriasis can be significantly long for some drugs. Assessment of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale could be used as a practical tool to better differentiate drug-related psoriasis. The first step in the management of drug-related psoriasis is cessation and replacement of the offending drug when deemed clinically possible. However, the induced psoriasis skin lesions may persist after treatment withdrawal. Additional skin-directed treatment options for drug-related psoriasis follows the conventional psoriasis treatment guidelines and includes topical steroids and vitamin D analogs, ultraviolet phototherapy, systemic treatments, such as acitretin, methotrexate, and fumaric acid esters, and biological treatments.

  14. Neuroprotective effect of curcumin on hippocampal injury in 6-OHDA-induced Parkinson's disease rat.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jiaqing; Song, Shilei; Li, Jian; Liang, Tao

    2014-06-01

    Clinically, Parkinson's disease (PD)-related neuronal lesions commonly occur. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential therapeutic effect of curcumin against hippocampal damage of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-PD rat model. These results showed that curcumin significantly increased the body weight of 6-OHDA-impaired rats (P<0.01), and reversed the anhedonia in rats induced by 6-OHDA impairment (P<0.01). Meanwhile, behavioral manifestations of curcumin-treated PD rats were effectively ameliorated as shown in open field test (P<0.01). In addition, curcumin increased the contents of monoaminergic neurotransmitters (P<0.01), such as dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), in hippocampal homogenate through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay. Curcumin effectively alleviated the 6-OHDA-induced hippocampal damage as observed in hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Furthermore, curcumin obviously up-regulated hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), TrkB, phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) protein expressions, respectively as shown in Western blot analysis. These findings demonstrated that curcumin mediated the neuroprotection against 6-OHDA-induced hippocampus neurons in rats, which the underlying mechanism is involved in activating BDNF/TrkB-dependent pathway for promoting neural regeneration of hippocampal tissue. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  15. [SCA6 presenting parkinsonism without ataxia--A case report].

    PubMed

    Takeshima, Shinichi; Takeda, Ikuko; Kobatake, Keitaro; Yamashita, Toru; Abe, Koji; Kuriyama, Masaru

    2015-01-01

    A 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of bradykinesia. He was diagnosed with Parkinson disease (Hoehn and Yahr grade 2) and administered levodopa at the maximum dose of 800 mg. However, his condition did not improve. While his symptoms were responsive to levodopa therapy, the sensitivity to the drug was poor. Brain MRI revealed atrophy of the upper vermis and cerebral hemispheres, and brain SPECT revealed low perfusion in both parietal lobes. I(123)-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy showed a decrease in the heart/mediastinum ratio. Striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) density was evaluated using I(123)-FP-CIT. The patient showed moderately reduced DAT density, which suggested nigrostriatal dopaminergic damage. His mother was found to have pure cerebellar ataxia without parkinsonism, and her two siblings also had celebellar type of multiple system atrophy (MSA-C) and progressive supranuclear palsy, respectively. Genetic testing revealed that the patient, his mother and the uncle with MSA-C had spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6). SCA6 presenting parkinsonism without ataxia is very rare and important for the pathomechanism of disease.

  16. Verbal memory in drug-naive, newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease. The retrieval deficit hypothesis revisited.

    PubMed

    Brønnick, Kolbjørn; Alves, Guido; Aarsland, Dag; Tysnes, Ole-Bjørn; Larsen, Jan Petter

    2011-01-01

    The retrieval deficit hypothesis on memory impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) implies a selective impairment in recall of learned material with normal encoding, retention, and recognition. This hypothesis has been challenged by new data. We have therefore investigated verbal memory and learning in a large sample of newly diagnosed, drug naïve, non-demented patients with PD. From a sample of patients with PD from the Norwegian ParkWest study, 133 PD patients and 133 controls matched on sex, age, and education were included. The California Verbal Learning Test-2 (CVLT-2) was used to assess verbal memory. Patients performed significantly worse than controls on free and cued recall as well as on recognition memory. Patients used the semantic clustering learning strategy significantly less extensively than the controls and the learning slope of the PD patients was significantly less steep. There was no difference in retention when controlling for encoding. Patients did not perform better on the recognition measure or on cued recall (d-prime), as compared to free recall. Executive functions explained a substantial part of the memory deficits. This study suggests that memory impairment in drug naïve early PD to a large degree is a deficit of learning/ encoding and not of retention or retrieval. An implication is that the retrieval deficit hypothesis should be moderated in its general form. Executive deficits and less extensive use of the efficient semantic clustering learning strategy had a strong impact on learning and memory. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

  17. Test systems in drug discovery for hazard identification and risk assessment of human drug-induced liver injury.

    PubMed

    Weaver, Richard J; Betts, Catherine; Blomme, Eric A G; Gerets, Helga H J; Gjervig Jensen, Klaus; Hewitt, Philip G; Juhila, Satu; Labbe, Gilles; Liguori, Michael J; Mesens, Natalie; Ogese, Monday O; Persson, Mikael; Snoeys, Jan; Stevens, James L; Walker, Tracy; Park, B Kevin

    2017-07-01

    The liver is an important target for drug-induced toxicities. Early detection of hepatotoxic drugs requires use of well-characterized test systems, yet current knowledge, gaps and limitations of tests employed remains an important issue for drug development. Areas Covered: The current state of the science, understanding and application of test systems in use for the detection of drug-induced cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity, cholestasis and inflammation is summarized. The test systems highlighted herein cover mostly in vitro and some in vivo models and endpoint measurements used in the assessment of small molecule toxic liabilities. Opportunities for research efforts in areas necessitating the development of specific tests and improved mechanistic understanding are highlighted. Expert Opinion: Use of in vitro test systems for safety optimization will remain a core activity in drug discovery. Substantial inroads have been made with a number of assays established for human Drug-induced Liver Injury. There nevertheless remain significant gaps with a need for improved in vitro tools and novel tests to address specific mechanisms of human Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Progress in these areas will necessitate not only models fit for application, but also mechanistic understanding of how chemical insult on the liver occurs in order to identify translational and quantifiable readouts for decision-making.

  18. Adults with a history of illicit amphetamine use exhibit abnormal substantia nigra morphology and parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Todd, Gabrielle; Pearson-Dennett, Verity; Wilcox, Robert A; Chau, Minh T; Thoirs, Kerry; Thewlis, Dominic; Vogel, Adam P; White, Jason M

    2016-04-01

    The sonographic appearance of the substantia nigra is abnormally bright and enlarged (hyperechogenic) in young adults with a history of illicit stimulant use. The abnormality is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The aim of the current study was to identify the type of illicit stimulant drug associated with substantia nigra hyperechogenicity and to determine if individuals with a history of illicit stimulant use exhibit clinical signs of parkinsonism. We hypothesised that use of amphetamines (primarily methamphetamine) is associated with substantia nigra hyperechogenicity and clinical signs of parkinsonism. The area of echogenic signal in the substantia nigra was measured in abstinent human amphetamine users (n = 27; 33 ± 8 years) and in three control groups comprising a) 'ecstasy' users (n = 19; 23 ± 3 years), b) cannabis users (n = 30; 26 ± 8 years), and c) non-drug users (n = 37; 25 ± 7 years). A subset of subjects (n = 55) also underwent a neurological examination comprising the third and fifth part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Area of substantia nigra echogenicity was significantly larger in the amphetamine group (0.276 ± 0.080 cm(2)) than in the control groups (0.200 ± 0.075, 0.190 ± 0.049, 0.191 ± 0.055 cm(2), respectively; P < 0.002). The score on the clinical rating scale was also significantly higher in the amphetamine group (8.4 ± 8.1) than in pooled controls (3.3 ± 2.8; P = 0.002). Illicit use of amphetamines is associated with abnormal substantia nigra morphology and subtle clinical signs of parkinsonism. The results support epidemiological findings linking use of amphetamines, particularly methamphetamine, with increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Glucose hypermetabolism in the thalamus of patients with drug-induced blepharospasm.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Y; Kiyosawa, M; Wakakura, M; Mochizuki, M; Ishiwata, K; Oda, K; Ishii, K

    2014-03-28

    We examined the difference in cerebral function alterations between drug-induced blepharospasm patients and essential blepharospasm (EB) patients by using positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Cerebral glucose metabolism was examined in 21 patients with drug-induced blepharospasm (5 men and 16 women; mean age, 53.1 [range, 29-78] years), 21 essential EB patients (5 men and 16 women; mean age, 53.0 [range, 33-72] years) and 24 healthy subjects (6 men and 18 women; mean age, 57.9 [range, 22-78] years) with long-term history of benzodiazepines use (drug healthy subjects). Drug-induced blepharospasm patients developed symptoms while taking benzodiazepines or thienodiazepines. Sixty-three normal volunteers (15 men and 48 women; mean age, 53.6 [range, 20-70] years) were examined as controls. Differences between the patient groups and control group were examined by statistical parametric mapping. Additionally, we defined regions of interests on both sides of the thalamus, caudate nucleus, anterior putamen, posterior putamen and primary somatosensory area. The differences between groups were tested using two-sample t-tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Cerebral glucose hypermetabolism on both side of the thalamus was detected in drug-induced blepharospasm, EB patients and drug healthy subjects by statistical parametric mapping. In the analysis of regions of interest, glucose metabolism in both sides of the thalamus in the drug-induced blepharospasm group was significantly lower than that in the EB group. Moreover, we observed glucose hypermetabolism in the anterior and posterior putamen bilaterally in EB group but not in drug-induced blepharospasm group and drug healthy subjects. Long-term regimens of benzodiazepines or thienodiazepines may cause down-regulation of benzodiazepine receptors in the brain. We suggest that the functional brain alteration in drug-induced blepharospasm patients is similar to that in EB patients, and

  20. Neuroprotective Effects of Drug-Induced Therapeutic Hypothermia in Central Nervous System Diseases.

    PubMed

    Ma, Junwei; Wang, Yibin; Wang, Zhong; Li, Haiying; Wang, Zhimin; Chen, Gang

    2017-01-01

    This review article focuses on the neuroprotective effect of drug-induced hypothermia in cerebrovascular diseases and discusses its related side effects. A systematic literature search was performed using Pubmed and Embase electronic databases for a retrospective analysis. Experimental studies have shown that drug-induced hypothermia alleviates brain damage and plays a neuroprotective role, thereby reducing mortality and ameliorating neurological deficits. Therefore, drug-induced hypothermia has an important research value and is worth further consideration in the clinical setting. However, drug-induced hypothermia is also associated with side effects, such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, suppressed immune function, infection, electrolyte imbalance, glucose metabolism disorders, and skeletal muscle tremor. Existing drugs with cooling effects belong to the following categories: (1) dopamine receptor agonists; (2) cannabis; (3) opioid receptors; (4) vanilloid receptors; (5) vasopressins (potent neurotensin receptor agonists); (6) thyroid drugs; (7) adenosine drugs; and (8) purine drugs. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  1. Disposition and metabolism of safinamide, a novel drug for Parkinson's disease, in healthy male volunteers.

    PubMed

    Leuratti, Chiara; Sardina, Marco; Ventura, Paolo; Assandri, Alessandro; Müller, Markus; Brunner, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Absorption, biotransformation and elimination of safinamide, an enantiomeric α-aminoamide derivative developed as an add-on therapy for Parkinson's disease patients, were studied in healthy volunteers administered a single oral dose of 400 mg (14)C safinamide methanesulphonate, labelled in metabolically stable positions. Pharmacokinetics of the parent compound were investigated up to 96 h, of (14)C radioactivity up to 192/200 h post-dose. Maximum concentration was achieved at 1 h (plasma, median Tmax) for parent drug and at 7 and 1.5 h for plasma and whole blood (14)C radioactivity, respectively. Terminal half-lives were about 22 h for unchanged safinamide and 80 h for radioactivity. Safinamide deaminated acid and the N-dealkylated acid were identified as major metabolites in urine and plasma. In urine, the β-glucuronide of the N-dealkylated acid and the monohydroxy safinamide were also characterized. In addition, the glycine conjugate of the N-dealkylated acid and 2-[4-hydroxybenzylamino]propanamide were tentatively identified as minor urinary metabolites. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Revisiting the Paraquat-Induced Sporadic Parkinson's Disease-Like Model.

    PubMed

    Bastías-Candia, Sussy; Zolezzi, Juan M; Inestrosa, Nibaldo C

    2018-06-03

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder that affects 1-2% of the total global population. Despite its high prevalence and publication of several studies focused on understanding its pathology, an effective treatment that stops and/or reverses the damage to dopaminergic neurons is unavailable. Similar to other neurodegenerative disorders, PD etiology may be linked to several factors, including genetic susceptibility and environmental elements. Regarding environmental factors, several neurotoxic pollutants, including 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), have been identified. Moreover, some pesticides/herbicides, such as rotenone, paraquat (PQ), maneb (MB), and mancozeb (MZ), cause neurotoxicity and induce a PD-like pathology. Based on these findings, several in vitro and in vivo PD-like models have been developed to understand the pathophysiology of PD and evaluate different therapeutic strategies to fight dopaminergic neurodegeneration. 6-OHDA and MPTP are common models used in PD research, and pesticide-based approaches have become secondary models of study. However, some herbicides, such as PQ, are commonly used by farming laborers in developing countries. Thus, the present review summarizes the relevant scientific background regarding the use and effects of chronic exposure to PQ in the context of PD. Similarly, we discuss the relevance of PD-like models developed using this agrochemical compound.

  3. Rhabdomyolysis induced by antiepileptic drugs: characteristics, treatment and prognosis.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Wei; Wang, Xuefeng; Zhou, Shengnian

    2016-01-01

    Rhabdomyolysis syndrome refers to a variety of factors that affect the striated muscle cell membrane, the membrane channels and its energy supply. Most cases of rhabdomyolysis are due to direct trauma. However, infection, toxins, drugs, muscle ischemia, electrolyte imbalance, metabolic diseases, genetic diseases and abnormal body temperature can also lead to rhabdomyolysis. Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases. The primary long-term treatment is antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), which may cause rhabdomyolysis. This article summarizes the characteristics, treatment methods and prognosis of patients with rhabdomyolysis that is induced by antiepileptic drugs. This review is based on PubMed, EMBASE and MEDLINE searches of the literature using the keywords "epilepsy", "antiepileptic drugs","status epilepticus","rhabdomyolysis", and "antiepileptic drugs and rhabdomyolysis syndrome" as well as extensive personal clinical experience with various antiepileptic drugs. Potential relationships between antiepileptic drugs and rhabdomyolysis are discussed. Worldwide, there are approximately 50 million epilepsy patients, most of whom are treated with drugs. Reports have indicated that the majority of antiepileptic drugs on the market can cause rhabdomyolysis. Although rhabdomyolysis induced by antiepileptic drugs is a rare condition with a low incidence, this condition has serious consequences and merits attention from clinicians.

  4. An Update on Drug-induced Liver Injury.

    PubMed

    Devarbhavi, Harshad

    2012-09-01

    Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality following drugs taken in therapeutic doses. Hepatotoxicity is a leading cause of attrition in drug development, or withdrawal or restricted use after marketing. No age is exempt although adults and the elderly are at increased risk. DILI spans the entire spectrum ranging from asymptomatic elevation in transaminases to severe disease such as acute hepatitis leading to acute liver failure. The liver specific Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method is the most validated and extensively used for determining the likelihood that an implicated drug caused DILI. Asymptomatic elevation in liver tests must be differentiated from adaptation. Drugs producing DILI have a signature pattern although no single pattern is characteristic. Antimicrobial and central nervous system agents including antiepileptic drugs are the leading causes of DILI worldwide. In the absence of a diagnostic test or a biomarker, the diagnosis rests on the evidence of absence of competing causes such as acute viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis and others. Recent studies show that antituberculosis drugs given for active or latent disease are still a major cause of drug-induced liver injury in India and the West respectively. Presence of jaundice signifies a severe disease and entails a worse outcome. The pathogenesis is unclear and is due to a mix of host, drug metabolite and environmental factors. Research has evolved from incriminating candidate genes to genome wide analysis studies. Immediate cessation of the drug is key to prevent or minimize progressive damage. Treatment is largely supportive. N-acetylcysteine is the antidote for paracetamol toxicity. Carnitine has been tried in valproate injury whereas steroids and ursodeoxycholic acid may be used in DILI associated with hypersensitivity or cholestatic features respectively. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology, the patterns of

  5. Clinical presentation and management of drug-induced agranulocytosis.

    PubMed

    Andrès, Emmanuel; Zimmer, Jacques; Mecili, Mustapha; Weitten, Thierry; Alt, Martine; Maloisel, Frédéric

    2011-04-01

    In this article, we report and discuss the clinical presentation and management of idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis (neutrophil count <0.5 × 10(9)/l). Idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis remains a potentially serious adverse event owing to the frequency of severe sepsis with severe deep tissue infections (e.g., pneumonia), septicemia and septic shock in approximately two-thirds of all hospitalized patients. However, several prognostic factors have recently been identified that may be helpful in practice to identify 'susceptible' patients. Old age (>65 years), septicemia or shock, metabolic disorders such as renal failure and a neutrophil count below 0.1 × 10(9)/l are currently consensually accepted as poor prognostic factors. In this potentially life-threatening disorder, modern management with broad-spectrum antibiotics and hematopoietic growth factors (particularly granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) is likely to improve prognosis. Thus, with appropriate management, the mortality rate from idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis is currently approximately 5%.

  6. Drug-inducing gynaecomastia--a critical review.

    PubMed

    Krause, W

    2012-05-01

    Gynaecomastia has been associated with a large variety of drugs in the literature. However, a causal relation of the incidence of gynaecomastia to a certain drug should be considered only if sufficient and significant evidence can be obtained from the studies published. In this review, studies quoted in Medline were evaluated according to the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) grading system for clinical studies. Reports on 92 drugs were found in Medline in combination with gynaecomastia. An imbalance of the oestrogen/androgen ratio causes gynaecomastia. Also, prolactin has gynaecomastia-inducing properties. In 14 of the drugs quoted, the studies lead to a level of recommendation 'A'. All these drugs have been designed to interfere with the production and action of sexual hormones or of prolactin. In 25 of the drugs, the level of recommendation was 'B'. Besides those drugs in this group that have been designed for interference with the metabolism of steroid hormones or of prolactin, in drugs for acid-related disorders, diuretics, antiretroviral drugs, antimycotics, psychoanaleptics, alcohol gynaecomastia was described as an unexpected adverse effect. Studies on the association of drugs and gynaecomastia do not share a generally accepted definition of gynaecomastia; in this way, the informational value is limited. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  7. Periodic paralysis: An unusual presentation of drug-induced hyperkalemia.

    PubMed

    Agrawal, Poonam; Chopra, Deepti; Patra, Surajeet K; Madaan, Himanshu

    2014-01-01

    Hyperkalemia is a life-threatening electrolyte abnormality. The most common cause of hyperkalemia includes renal disease and ingestion of medications. Drug-induced hyperkalemia may develop in patients with underlying renal impairment, disturbed cellular uptake of potassium load, excessive ingestion or infusion of potassium-containing substances. We report a case of "drug-induced severe hyperkalemia" presenting as periodic paralysis. A 67-year-old diabetic and hypertensive woman presented to emergency department with the complaint of intermittent episode of inability to walk for the past 5 days. Each episode lasted for 15-20 minutes and was associated with breathlessness and restlessness. There was no family history of periodic paralysis and drug history revealed that the patient was onolmesartan 20 mg per day (for past 2 years), perindopril 4 mg per day (for past 16 months), and torsemide 10 mg/day. On examination patient was found to be conscious, alert, and afebrile. Vitals were normal. Examination of cardiovascular and respiratory system did not reveal any significant finding. Blood report of the patient showed serum K+ level 8.6 mmol/l. All other investigations were within normal limits. A diagnosis of drug-induced hyperkalemia was made. Patient responded well to the symptomatic treatment. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first case report of drug-induced hyperkalemia presenting as periodic paralysis.

  8. Mitochondrial dynamics in Parkinson's disease: a role for α-synuclein?

    PubMed Central

    Pozo Devoto, Victorio M.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT The distinctive pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease are the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons and the intracellular accumulation of Lewy bodies enriched in α-synuclein protein. Several lines of evidence from the study of sporadic, familial and pharmacologically induced forms of human Parkinson's disease also suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in disease progression. Although many functions have been proposed for α-synuclein, emerging data from human and animal models of Parkinson's disease highlight a role for α-synuclein in the control of neuronal mitochondrial dynamics. Here, we review the α-synuclein structural, biophysical and biochemical properties that influence relevant mitochondrial dynamic processes such as fusion-fission, transport and clearance. Drawing on current evidence, we propose that α-synuclein contributes to the mitochondrial defects that are associated with the pathology of this common and progressive neurodegenerative disease. PMID:28883016

  9. Advanced Parkinson's or "complex phase" Parkinson's disease? Re-evaluation is needed.

    PubMed

    Titova, Nataliya; Martinez-Martin, Pablo; Katunina, Elena; Chaudhuri, K Ray

    2017-12-01

    Holistic management of Parkinson's disease, now recognised as a combined motor and nonmotor disorder, remains a key unmet need. Such management needs relatively accurate definition of the various stages of Parkinson's from early untreated to late palliative as each stage calls for personalised therapies. Management also needs to have a robust knowledge of the progression pattern and clinical heterogeneity of the presentation of Parkinson's which may manifest in a motor dominant or nonmotor dominant manner. The "advanced" stages of Parkinson's disease qualify for advanced treatments such as with continuous infusion or stereotactic surgery yet the concept of "advanced Parkinson's disease" (APD) remains controversial in spite of growing knowledge of the natural history of the motor syndrome of PD. Advanced PD is currently largely defined on the basis of consensus opinion and thus with several caveats. Nonmotor aspects of PD may also reflect advancing course of the disorder, so far not reflected in usual scale based assessments which are largely focussed on motor symptoms. In this paper, we discuss the problems with current definitions of "advanced" PD and also propose the term "complex phase" Parkinson's disease as an alternative which takes into account a multimodal symptoms and biomarker based approach in addition to patient preference.

  10. Neuroprotective effects of alkaloids from Piper longum in a MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Bi, Ying; Qu, Peng-Cheng; Wang, Qing-Song; Zheng, Li; Liu, Hao-Long; Luo, Rong; Chen, Xiao-Qing; Ba, Yin-Ying; Wu, Xia; Yang, Hui

    2015-01-01

    Alkaloids of Piper longum L. (Piperaceae) (PLA) include piperine and piperlonguminine. Piper longum and piperine have multiple biological properties including antioxidant activity. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of PLA in a MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease. PLA was prepared by extracting the dry seed of P. longum using 85% ethanol. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were divided into eight groups of 12 rats each. Experimental and control groups received an equivalent volume of saline, 0.5% CMC-Na, and 0.1% Tween 80, treated groups received oral PLA (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg), other groups treated with piperine (60 mg/kg) or Madopar (50 mg/kg). The PLA prevention group (PLA-Pr) administrated PLA (120 mg/kg) for 1 week before MPTP challenged. Except for the PLA-Pr group, others were treated for seven consecutive weeks. Parkinson's disease was induced by injecting MPTP intraperitoneally (25 mg/kg) twice weekly for five consecutive weeks. Dopaminerigic (DA) neurons and their metabolism were detected by UFLC-MS/MS. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunohistochemistry assay and Western blotting were performed. The antioxidant enzymatic levels were determined by kit-based assays. The LD50 value of PLA was determined at 1509 mg/kg of body weight. PLA (60 mg/kg) can significantly increase total movement time and distance (p < 0.05), increase levels of DA (p < 0.05) and DOPAC (p <  .05), increase glutathione (GSH) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (p < 0.05), and decrease the lipid peroxidation of malondiadehycle (MDA) (p < 0.05) in PLA-treated groups as compared with the control group. Our results indicate that PLA possesses neuroprotective effects and has ameliorative properties in dopaminergic neurons.

  11. On the Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Drug-Induced Gingival Overgrowth

    PubMed Central

    Ramírez-Rámiz, Albert; Brunet-LLobet, Lluís; Lahor-Soler, Eduard; Miranda-Rius, Jaume

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: Gingival overgrowth has been linked to multiple factors such as adverse drug effects, inflammation, neoplastic processes, and hereditary gingival fibromatosis. Drug-induced gingival overgrowth is a well-established adverse event. In early stages, this gingival enlargement is usually located in the area of the interdental papilla. Histologically, there is an increase in the different components of the extracellular matrix. Objective: The aim of this manuscript is to describe and analyze the different cellular and molecular agents involved in the pathogenesis of Drug-induced gingival overgrowth. Method: A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed database was conducted to identify the mechanisms involved in the process of drug-induced gingival overgrowth, with the assistance of a research librarian. We present several causal hypotheses and discuss the advances in the understanding of the mechanisms that trigger this gingival alteration. Results: In vitro studies have revealed phenotypic cellular changes in keratinocytes and fibroblasts and an increase of the extracellular matrix with collagen and glycosaminoglycans. Drug-induced gingival overgrowth confirms the key role of collagenase and integrins, membrane receptors present in the fibroblasts, due to their involvement in the catabolism of collagen. The three drug categories implicated: calcineuron inhibitors (immunosuppressant drugs), calcium channel blocking agents and anticonvulsant drugs appear to present a multifactorial pathogenesis with a common molecular action: the blockage of the cell membrane in the Ca2+/Na+ ion flow. The alteration of the uptake of cellular folic acid, which depends on the regulated channels of active cationic transport and on passive diffusion, results in a dysfunctional degradation of the connective tissue. Certain intermediate molecules such as cytokines and prostaglandins play a role in this pathological mechanism. The concomitant inflammatory factor encourages the

  12. Anacardic Acids from Cashew Nuts Prevent Behavioral Changes and Oxidative Stress Induced by Rotenone in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Medeiros-Linard, Cybelle Façanha Barreto; Andrade-da-Costa, Belmira Lara da Silveira; Augusto, Ricielle Lopes; Sereniki, Adriana; Trevisan, Maria Teresa Sales; Perreira, Renata de Cássia Ribas; de Souza, Francisco Thiago Correia; Braz, Glauber Ruda Feitoza; Lagranha, Claudia Jacques; de Souza, Ivone Antônia; Wanderley, Almir Gonçalves; Smailli, Soraya S; Lafayette, Simone Sette Lopes

    2018-03-08

    Anacardic acids (AAs) are alkyl phenols mainly presenting in cashew nuts. The antioxidant effects of these compounds have been an area of interest in recent research, with findings suggesting potential therapeutic use for certain diseases. Nevertheless, none of these studies were performed in order to test the hypothesis of whether anacardic acids are capable of preventing behavioral changes and oxidative stress induced by the pesticide rotenone in experimental model of Parkinson's disease. In our research, adult male rats were treated orally with AAs (1, 3, 10, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg/day) 1 h before rotenone (3 mg/kg; s.c.) for five consecutive days. The behavioral testing strategies, including tests for general locomotor activity (open field), motor coordination (rotarod), and spatial memory performance (elevated T-maze), were carried out. Lipoperoxidation levels and total superoxide dismutase (t-SOD) activity, as well as cytoplasmic and mitochondrial SOD gene expression, were assessed in the substantia nigra (SN), striatum, and cerebral cortex. The results showed that AAs dose-dependently prevented the rotenone-induced learning and motor impairment from 10 mg/kg/day. AAs also precluded rotenone-induced lipoperoxidation in all doses, acting directly on the mitochondria, and improved the t-SOD activity in the doses 25-100 mg/kg/day. AAs per se (100 mg/kg/day) increased SOD gene expression and t-SOD activity. Our findings indicate that the oral administration of AAs prevents rotenone-induced behavioral changes and oxidative stress, in part due to a modulatory action on the mitochondria and SOD gene expression. These data suggest that AAs have promising neuroprotective action against degenerative changes in Parkinson's disease.

  13. Parkinson disease - resources

    MedlinePlus

    Resources - Parkinson disease ... The following organizations are good resources for information on Parkinson disease : The Michael J. Fox Foundation -- www.michaeljfox.org National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke -- www. ...

  14. Toxin Models of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Martinez, Terina N.

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Significance: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized, in part, by the progressive and selective loss of dopaminergic neuron cell bodies within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and the associated deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) in the striatum, which gives rise to the typical motor symptoms of PD. The mechanisms that contribute to the induction and progressive cell death of dopaminergic neurons in PD are multi-faceted and remain incompletely understood. Data from epidemiological studies in humans and molecular studies in genetic, as well as toxin-induced animal models of parkinsonism, indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction occurs early in the pathogenesis of both familial and idiopathic PD. In this review, we provide an overview of toxin models of mitochondrial dysfunction in experimental Parkinson's disease and discuss mitochondrial mechanisms of neurotoxicity. Recent Advances: A new toxin model using the mitochondrial toxin trichloroethylene was recently described and novel methods, such as intranasal exposure to toxins, have been explored. Additionally, recent research conducted in toxin models of parkinsonism provides an emerging emphasis on extranigral aspects of PD pathology. Critical Issues: Unfortunately, none of the existing animal models of experimental PD completely mimics the etiology, progression, and pathology of human PD. Future Directions: Continued efforts to optimize established animal models of parkinsonism, as well as the development and characterization of new animal models are essential, as there still remains a disconnect in terms of translating mechanistic observations in animal models of experimental PD into bona fide disease-modifying therapeutics for human PD patients. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 16, 920–934. PMID:21554057

  15. Ontology-based literature mining and class effect analysis of adverse drug reactions associated with neuropathy-inducing drugs.

    PubMed

    Hur, Junguk; Özgür, Arzucan; He, Yongqun

    2018-06-07

    Adverse drug reactions (ADRs), also called as drug adverse events (AEs), are reported in the FDA drug labels; however, it is a big challenge to properly retrieve and analyze the ADRs and their potential relationships from textual data. Previously, we identified and ontologically modeled over 240 drugs that can induce peripheral neuropathy through mining public drug-related databases and drug labels. However, the ADR mechanisms of these drugs are still unclear. In this study, we aimed to develop an ontology-based literature mining system to identify ADRs from drug labels and to elucidate potential mechanisms of the neuropathy-inducing drugs (NIDs). We developed and applied an ontology-based SciMiner literature mining strategy to mine ADRs from the drug labels provided in the Text Analysis Conference (TAC) 2017, which included drug labels for 53 neuropathy-inducing drugs (NIDs). We identified an average of 243 ADRs per NID and constructed an ADR-ADR network, which consists of 29 ADR nodes and 149 edges, including only those ADR-ADR pairs found in at least 50% of NIDs. Comparison to the ADR-ADR network of non-NIDs revealed that the ADRs such as pruritus, pyrexia, thrombocytopenia, nervousness, asthenia, acute lymphocytic leukaemia were highly enriched in the NID network. Our ChEBI-based ontology analysis identified three benzimidazole NIDs (i.e., lansoprazole, omeprazole, and pantoprazole), which were associated with 43 ADRs. Based on ontology-based drug class effect definition, the benzimidazole drug group has a drug class effect on all of these 43 ADRs. Many of these 43 ADRs also exist in the enriched NID ADR network. Our Ontology of Adverse Events (OAE) classification further found that these 43 benzimidazole-related ADRs were distributed in many systems, primarily in behavioral and neurological, digestive, skin, and immune systems. Our study demonstrates that ontology-based literature mining and network analysis can efficiently identify and study specific group of

  16. Reversible Pharmacological Induction of Motor Symptoms in MPTP-Treated Mice at the Presymptomatic Stage of Parkinsonism: Potential Use for Early Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Khakimova, Gulnara R; Kozina, Elena A; Kucheryanu, Valerian G; Ugrumov, Michael V

    2017-07-01

    A crucial event in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease is the death of dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system, which are responsible for the regulation of motor function. Motor symptoms first appear in patients 20-30 years after the onset of the neurodegeneration, when there has been a loss of an essential number of neurons and depletion of compensatory reserves of the brain, which explains the low efficiency of treatment. Therefore, the development of a technology for the diagnosing of Parkinson's disease at the preclinical stage is of a high priority in neurology. In this study, we have developed at an experimental model a fundamentally novel for neurology approach for diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at the preclinical stage. This methodology, widely used for the diagnosis of chronic diseases in the internal medicine, is based on the application of a challenge test that temporarily increases the latent failure of a specific functional system, thereby inducing the short-term appearance of clinical symptoms. The provocation test was developed by a systemic administration of α-methyl-p-tyrosine (αMpT), a reversible inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase to MPTP-treated mice at the presymptomatic stage of parkinsonism. For this, we first selected a minimum dose of αMpT, which caused a decrease of the dopamine level in the striatum of normal mice below the threshold at which motor dysfunctions appear. Then, we found the maximum dose of αMpT at which a loss of dopamine in the striatum of normal mice did not reach the threshold level, and motor behavior was not impaired. We showed that αMpT at this dose induced a decrease of the dopamine concentration in the striatum of MPTP-treated mice at the presymptomatic stage of parkinsonism below a threshold level that results in the impairment of motor behavior. Finally, we proved that αMpT exerts a temporal and reversible influence on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system of MPTP-treated mice with no long

  17. Anatomically selective serotonergic type 1A and serotonergic type 2A therapies for Parkinson's disease: an approach to reducing dyskinesia without exacerbating parkinsonism?

    PubMed

    Huot, Philippe; Fox, Susan H; Newman-Tancredi, Adrian; Brotchie, Jonathan M

    2011-10-01

    L-DOPA remains the most effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, long-term administration of L-DOPA is compromised by complications, particularly dyskinesia. Serotonergic type 1A (5-HT(1A)) receptor agonists and serotonergic type 2A (5-HT(2A)) receptor antagonists were, until recently, considered to be promising therapies against dyskinesia. However, there have been some recent high-profile failures in clinical trials, notably with sarizotan, and it seems that these classes of drugs may also impair l-DOPA antiparkinsonian efficacy. A simple explanation for the loss of antiparkinsonian benefit might be lack of good selectivity of these compounds for their respective targets, particularly with respect to off-target actions on dopaminergic receptors or poor dose selection in clinical studies. However, such explanations do not hold broadly when considering the actions of all compounds studied to date, whether in animal models or clinical trials. Here, we review 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptor function in PD and provide an anatomically based rationale as to why in some instances 5-HT(1A)- and 5-HT(2A)-modulating drugs might worsen parkinsonism, in addition to reducing dyskinesia. We propose that, in addition to selectivity for specific receptor subtypes, to target 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors to alleviate dyskinesia, without worsening parkinsonism, it will be necessary to develop compounds that display anatomical selectivity, targeting corticostriatal transmission, while avoiding 5-HT receptors on ascending serotonergic and dopaminergic inputs from the raphe and substantia nigra, respectively.

  18. Impact of aging, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease on the blood-brain barrier transport of therapeutics.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yijun; Nicolazzo, Joseph A

    2018-04-14

    Older people are at a greater risk of medicine-induced toxicity resulting from either increased drug sensitivity or age-related pharmacokinetic changes. The scenario is further complicated with the two most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). With aging, AD and PD, there is growing evidence of altered structure and function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), including modifications to tight junctions and efflux transporters, such as P-glycoprotein. The subsequent impact on CNS drug exposure and risk of neurotoxicity from systemically-acting medicines is less well characterized. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to provide an overview of the multiple changes that occur to the BBB as a result of aging, AD and PD, and the impact that such changes have on CNS exposure of drugs, based on studies conducted in aged rodents or rodent models of disease, and in elderly people with and without AD or PD. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Neuroprotective Effects of a Standardized Flavonoid Extract from Safflower against a Rotenone-Induced Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Ablat, Nuramatjan; Lv, Deyong; Ren, Rutong; Xiaokaiti, Yilixiati; Ma, Xiang; Zhao, Xin; Sun, Yi; Lei, Hui; Xu, Jiamin; Ma, Yingcong; Qi, Xianrong; Ye, Min; Xu, Feng; Han, Hongbin; Pu, Xiaoping

    2016-08-24

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra par compacta (SNpc). Rotenone is a neurotoxin that is routinely used to model PD to aid in understanding the mechanisms of neuronal death. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius. L.) has long been used to treat cerebrovascular diseases in China. This plant contains flavonoids, which have been reported to be effective in models of neurodegenerative disease. We previously reported that kaempferol derivatives from safflower could bind DJ-1, a protein associated with PD, and that a flavonoid extract from safflower exhibited neuroprotective effects in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced mouse model of PD. In this study, a standardized safflower flavonoid extract (SAFE) was isolated from safflower and found to primarily contain flavonoids. The aim of the current study was to confirm the neuroprotective effects of SAFE in rotenone-induced Parkinson rats. The results showed that SAFE treatment increased body weight and improved rearing behavior and grip strength. SAFE (35 or 70 mg/kg/day) treatment reversed the decreased protein expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter and DJ-1 and increased the levels of dopamine and its metabolite. In contrast, acetylcholine levels were decreased. SAFE treatment also led to partial inhibition of PD-associated changes in extracellular space diffusion parameters. These changes were detected using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tracer-based method, which provides novel information regarding neuronal loss and astrocyte activation. Thus, our results indicate that SAFE represents a potential therapeutic herbal treatment for PD.

  20. [Pharmacotherapy of Parkinson's disease: progress or regress?].

    PubMed

    Pytka, Karolina; Zygmunt, Małgorzata; Filipek, Barbara

    2013-07-24

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disease of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by a slow loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to significant decrease in dopamine (DA) levels in the striatum. Currently used drugs, such as levodopa (L-DOPA), amantadine, dopamine agonists (D) or anticholinergic drugs, are not effective enough, and do not eliminate the causes of disease. Many research centers are conducting research on new forms of currently used drugs (e.g. Duodopa, XP21279, IPX066), new drugs of already known groups (e.g. safinamide), medicines that suppress side effects of L-DOPA (e.g. AFQ056, fipamezole), and, finally, compounds with a novel mechanism of action (e.g. PMY50028, A2A receptor antagonists). A lot of scientific reports indicate an important role of A2A receptors in the regulation of the central movement system, so a new group of compounds - selective antagonists of A2A receptors (e.g. istradefylline, preladenant, SYN115) - has been developed and their potential use in PD has been examined. Clinical studies of A2A receptor antagonists have shown that this group of compounds can shorten off periods and at the same time they do not worsen dyskinesias in patients with PD. Moreover, there is ongoing research on new forms of treatment, such as gene therapy. Attempts to apply the viral vector AAV-2, which will be able to infect neurons with a variety of genes, including the gene of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), neurturin (NTN), or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase, are currently being carried out. The results of phase I and II clinical studies showed some efficacy of this form of treatment, but the method requires further studies. An analysis of potential future therapies of Parkinson's disease suggests that some progress in this field has been made.

  1. Baicalein antagonizes rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Song, Ju-Xian; Choi, Mandy Yuen-Man; Wong, Kavin Chun-Kit; Chung, Winkie Wing-Yan; Sze, Stephen Cho-Wing; Ng, Tzi-Bun; Zhang, Kalin Yan-Bo

    2012-01-21

    Two active compounds, baicalein and its glycoside baicalin were found in the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, and reported to be neuroprotective in vitro and in vivo. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of baicalein on the rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to parkinsonism. Cell viability and cytotoxicity were determined by MTT assay. The degree of nuclear apoptosis was evaluated with a fluorescent DNA-binding probe Hoechst 33258. The production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) were determined by fluorescent staining with DCFH-DA and Rhodanmine 123, respectively. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was determined by the Western blots. Baicalein significantly increased viability and decreased rotenone-induced death of SH-SY5Y cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pre- and subsequent co-treatment with baicalein preserved the cell morphology and attenuated the nuclear apoptotic characteristics triggered by rotenone. Baicalein antagonized rotenone-induced overproduction of ROS, loss of ΔΨm, the increased expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 and the decreased expression of Bcl-2. The antioxidative effect, mitochondrial protection and modulation of anti-and pro-apoptotic proteins are related to the neuroprotective effects of baicalein against rotenone induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells.

  2. Drug-Induced Liver Toxicity and Prevention by Herbal Antioxidants: An Overview

    PubMed Central

    Singh, Divya; Cho, William C.; Upadhyay, Ghanshyam

    2016-01-01

    The liver is the center for drug and xenobiotic metabolism, which is influenced most with medication/xenobiotic-mediated toxic activity. Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is common and its actual frequency is hard to determine due to underreporting, difficulties in detection or diagnosis, and incomplete observation of exposure. The death rate is high, up to about 10% for drug-induced liver damage. Endorsed medications represented >50% of instances of intense liver failure in a study from the Acute Liver Failure Study Group of the patients admitted in 17 US healing facilities. Albeit different studies are accessible uncovering the mechanistic aspects of medication prompted hepatotoxicity, we are in the dilemma about the virtual story. The expanding prevalence and effectiveness of Ayurveda and natural products in the treatment of various disorders led the investigators to look into their potential in countering drug-induced liver toxicity. Several natural products have been reported to date to mitigate the drug-induced toxicity. The dietary nature and less adverse reactions of the natural products provide them an extra edge over other candidates of supplementary medication. In this paper, we have discussed the mechanism involved in drug-induced liver toxicity and the potential of herbal antioxidants as supplementary medication. PMID:26858648

  3. Pharmacological characterization of psychosis-like behavior in the MPTP-lesioned nonhuman primate model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Visanji, Naomi P; Gomez-Ramirez, Jordi; Johnston, Tom H; Pires, Donna; Voon, Valerie; Brotchie, Jonathan M; Fox, Susan H

    2006-11-01

    Investigation of the pathophysiology of psychosis in Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as the assessment of potential novel therapeutics, has been limited by the lack of a well-validated animal model. MPTP-lesioned primates exhibit abnormal behaviors that are distinct from dyskinesia and parkinsonism and may represent behavioral correlates of neural processes related to psychosis in PD. Here we assess four types of behavior--agitation, hallucinatory-like responses to nonapparent stimuli, obsessive grooming, and stereotypies that are termed "psychosis-like"--and define their pharmacology using a psychosis-like behavior rating scale. By assessing the actions of drugs known to enhance or attenuate psychosis in PD patients, we find that the pharmacology of these behaviors recapitulates, in several respects, the pharmacology of psychosis in PD. Thus, levodopa and apomorphine elicited psychosis-like behaviors. Amantadine significantly decreased levodopa-induced dyskinesia but exacerbated psychosis-like behaviors. Haloperidol reduced psychosis-like behaviors but at the expense of increased parkinsonian disability while the atypical neuroleptics clozapine and quetiapine reduced psychosis-like behaviors without significant effect on parkinsonian disability. The response of different components of the psychotomimetic behavior suggested the involvement of both dopaminergic and nondopaminergic mechanisms in their expression.

  4. Antidepressant-like properties of sarizotan in experimental Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiaoqun; Egeland, Martin; Svenningsson, Per

    2011-12-01

    Depression and anxiety are common symptoms in Parkinson's disease for which there are no optimal treatments. Sarizotan, an agonist at serotonin receptors and partial agonist at dopamine D₂-like receptors, has shown antidyskinetic effects in Parkinson's disease. Based on its pharmacological profile, we hypothesized that sarizotan could also have antidepressant-like properties. Examine effects of sarizotan on behavioral and histological measures known to be regulated by established antidepressants in normal and unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. Sarizotan was found to significantly reduce immobility in the modified forced swim test, a measure of antidepressant-like activity, but had no effects on thigmotaxis or corner time, measures of anxiety-like behavior, in the unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. At the same dose, sarizotan counteracted L: -DOPA/benserazide-induced supersentitized rotational behavior and dyskinesias without significantly affecting L: -DOPA/benserazide-induced locomotion. At the histological level, sarizotan alone or in combination with L: -DOPA/benserazide stimulated cell proliferation, measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation or Ki-67 staining, both in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and in the subventricular zone of the striatum in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned hemisphere. Likewise, combined sarizotan and L: -DOPA/benserazide treatment stimulated doublecortin levels in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. These significant effects of sarizotan in the modified forced swim test and on cell proliferation are reminiscent of those found after various antidepressant therapies. These data suggest that sarizotan may have some antidepressant-like and restorative properties in Parkinsonism.

  5. Lowered iPLA2γ activity causes increased mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial dysfunction in a rotenone-induced model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Chao, Honglu; Liu, Yinlong; Fu, Xian; Xu, Xiupeng; Bao, Zhongyuan; Lin, Chao; Li, Zheng; Liu, Yan; Wang, Xiaoming; You, Yongping; Liu, Ning; Ji, Jing

    2018-02-01

    iPLA 2 γ, calcium-independent phospholipase A 2 γ, discerningly hydrolyses glycerophospholipids to liberate free fatty acids. iPLA 2 γ-deficiency has been associated with abnormal mitochondrial function. More importantly, the iPLA 2 family is causative proteins in mitochondrial neurodegenerative disorders such as parkinsonian disorders. However, the mechanisms by which iPLA 2 γ affects Parkinson's disease (PD) remain unknown. Mitochondrion stress has a key part in rotenone-induced dopaminergic neuronal degeneration. The present evaluation revealed that lowered iPLA 2 γ function provokes the parkinsonian phenotype and leads to the reduction of dopamine and its metabolites, lowered survival, locomotor deficiencies, and organismal hypersensitivity to rotenone-induced oxidative stress. In addition, lowered iPLA 2 γ function escalated the amount of mitochondrial irregularities, including mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) regeneration, reduced ATP synthesis, reduced glutathione levels, and abnormal mitochondrial morphology. Further, lowered iPLA 2 γ function was tightly linked with strengthened lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial membrane flaws following rotenone treatment, which can cause cytochrome c release and eventually apoptosis. These results confirmed the important role of iPLA 2 γ, whereby decreasing iPLA 2 γ activity aggravates mitochondrial degeneration to induce neurodegenerative disorders in a rotenone rat model of Parkinson's disease. These findings may be useful in the design of rational approaches for the prevention and treatment of PD-associated symptoms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Parkinson's Disease Videos

    MedlinePlus Videos and Cool Tools

    ... Parkinson's Disease Expert Briefings: Getting Around: Transportation and Travel with PD Expert Briefings: Sleep and Parkinson's Nurse: ... Psychosis Why We Walk at Moving Day CareMAP: Travel and Transportation: Part 2 Interview with Nathan Slewett ...

  7. No allelic association between Parkinson`s disease and dopamine D2, D3, and D4 receptor gene polymorphisms

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nanko, S.; Hattori, M.; Dai, X.Y.

    1994-12-15

    Parkinson`s disease is thought to be caused by a combination of unknown environmental, genetic, and degenerative factors. Evidence from necropsy brain samples and pharmacokinetics suggests involvement of dopamine receptors in the pathogenesis or pathophysiology of Parkinson`s disease. Genetic association studies between Parkinson`s disease and dopamine D2, D3 and D4 receptor gene polymorphisms were conducted. The polymorphism was examined in 71 patients with Parkinson`s disease and 90 controls. There were no significant differences between two groups in allele frequencies at the D2, D3, and D4 dopamine receptor loci. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that susceptibility to Parkinson`s disease ismore » associated with the dopamine receptor polymorphisms examined. 35 refs., 2 tabs.« less

  8. [Drug-induced acute pancreatitis: about 10 cases].

    PubMed

    Maghrebi, Houcine; Rhaeim, Rami; Haddad, Anis; Makni, Amin; Mohamed, Jouini; Montasser, Kacem; Zoubeir, Ben Safta

    2017-01-01

    Drug-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) accounts for approximately 2% of acute pancreatitis. Its incidence is increasing, with more than 260 incriminated drugs. However, very few cases have been described in the literature due to accountability problem. We report our experience with 10 cases whose data were collected over a period of 7 years. Clinical presentation of AP was often equivocal. Ranson's score ranged from 0 to 5. We recorded 5 cases of edematous pancreatitis and 5 cases of necro-bleeding pancreatitis. These pancreatitis were often successfully treated without recurrence after discontinuation of the incriminated drug.

  9. Drug-induced Liver Disease in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus.

    PubMed

    Iryna, Klyarytskaya; Helen, Maksymova; Elena, Stilidi

    2015-01-01

    The study presented here was accomplished to assess the course of drug-induced liver diseases in patient's rheumatoid arthritis receiving long-term methotrexate therapy. Diabetes mellitus was revealed as the most significant risk factor. The combination of diabetes mellitus with other risk factors (female sex) resulted in increased hepatic fibrosis, degree of hepatic encephalopathy and reduction of hepatic functions. The effectiveness and safety of ursodeoxycholic acid and cytolytic type-with S-Adenosyl methionine was also evaluated. 13C-MBT: 13C-methacetin breath test; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AP: alkaline phosphatase; AST: aspartic transaminase; DILD: drug-induced liver disease; DM: diabetes mellitus; HE: hepatic encephalopathy; HFM: hepatic functional mass; SAMe: S-Adenosyl methionine; UDCA: ursodeoxycholic acid. Iryna K, Helen M, Elena S. Drug-induced Liver Disease in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2015;5(2):83-86.

  10. Sensory training with vibration-induced kinesthetic illusions improves proprioceptive integration in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Ribot-Ciscar, Edith; Aimonetti, Jean-Marc; Azulay, Jean-Philippe

    2017-12-15

    The present study investigates whether proprioceptive training, based on kinesthetic illusions, can help in re-educating the processing of muscle proprioceptive input, which is impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The processing of proprioceptive input before and after training was evaluated by determining the error in the amplitude of voluntary dorsiflexion ankle movement (20°), induced by applying a vibration on the tendon of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle (a vibration-induced movement error). The training consisted of the subjects focusing their attention upon a series of illusory movements of the ankle. Eleven PD patients and eleven age-matched control subjects were tested. Before training, vibration reduced dorsiflexion amplitude in controls by 4.3° (P<0.001); conversely, vibration was inefficient in PD's movement amplitude (reduction of 2.1°, P=0.20). After training, vibration significantly reduced the estimated movement amplitude in PD patients by 5.3° (P=0.01). This re-emergence of a vibration-induced error leads us to conclude that proprioceptive training, based on kinesthetic illusions, is a simple means for re-educating the processing of muscle proprioceptive input in PD patients. Such complementary training should be included in rehabilitation programs that presently focus on improving balance and motor performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Emerging analgesic drugs for Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Perez-Lloret, Santiago; Rey, María Verónica; Dellapina, Estelle; Pellaprat, Jean; Brefel-Courbon, Christine; Rascol, Olivier

    2012-06-01

    Pain affects between 40 and 85% of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. It is a frequently disabling and overlooked feature, which can significantly reduce health-related quality of life. Unfortunately, there are no universally recommended treatments for this condition. Evidence about the efficacy and safety of available analgesic treatments is summarized in this review. Potential targets for upcoming therapies are then discussed in light of what is currently known about the physiopathology of pain in PD. Protocols for efficacy and safety assessment of novel analgesic therapies are discussed. Finally, critical aspects of study protocol design such as patient selection or outcomes to be evaluated are discussed. Preliminary results indicate that duloxetine, cranial electrotherapy stimulation, rotigotine, subthalamic or pallidum nuclei stimulation or lesion or levodopa could be effective for treating pain in PD. Similarly, some case reports indicate that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or apomorphine could be effective for relieving painful off-period dystonia. Clinical trials with rTMS or oxycodone/naloxone prolonged-release tablets for neuropathic pain or botulinum toxin for off-period dystonia are underway. Success of clinical trials about analgesic strategies in PD will depend on the selection of the right PD population to be treated, according to the type of pain, and the proper selection of study outcomes and follow-up of international recommendations.

  12. Genetics Home Reference: Parkinson disease

    MedlinePlus

    ... Email Facebook Twitter Home Health Conditions Parkinson disease Parkinson disease Printable PDF Open All Close All Enable Javascript to view the expand/collapse boxes. Description Parkinson disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system. ...

  13. Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment

    MedlinePlus

    ... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Parkinson's Disease Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment Past Issues / Winter 2014 Table of Contents Medications for Parkinson's disease can help many patients live productive lives and ...

  14. Ghrelin-AMPK Signaling Mediates the Neuroprotective Effects of Calorie Restriction in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Bayliss, Jacqueline A.; Lemus, Moyra B.; Stark, Romana; Santos, Vanessa V.; Thompson, Aiysha; Rees, Daniel J.; Galic, Sandra; Elsworth, John D.; Kemp, Bruce E.; Davies, Jeffrey S.

    2016-01-01

    Calorie restriction (CR) is neuroprotective in Parkinson's disease (PD) although the mechanisms are unknown. In this study we hypothesized that elevated ghrelin, a gut hormone with neuroprotective properties, during CR prevents neurodegeneration in an 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) model of PD. CR attenuated the MPTP-induced loss of substantia nigra (SN) dopamine neurons and striatal dopamine turnover in ghrelin WT but not KO mice, demonstrating that ghrelin mediates CR's neuroprotective effect. CR elevated phosphorylated AMPK and ACC levels in the striatum of WT but not KO mice suggesting that AMPK is a target for ghrelin-induced neuroprotection. Indeed, exogenous ghrelin significantly increased pAMPK in the SN. Genetic deletion of AMPKβ1 and 2 subunits only in dopamine neurons prevented ghrelin-induced AMPK phosphorylation and neuroprotection. Hence, ghrelin signaling through AMPK in SN dopamine neurons mediates CR's neuroprotective effects. We consider targeting AMPK in dopamine neurons may recapitulate neuroprotective effects of CR without requiring dietary intervention. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The neuroprotective mechanisms of calorie restriction (CR) in Parkinson's disease are unknown. Indeed, the difficulty to adhere to CR necessitates an alternative method to recapitulate the neuroprotective benefits of CR while bypassing dietary constraints. Here we show that CR increases plasma ghrelin, which targets substantia nigra dopamine to maintain neuronal survival. Selective deletion on AMPK beta1 and beta2 subunits only in DAT cre-expressing neurons shows that the ghrelin-induced neuroprotection requires activation of AMPK in substantia nigra dopamine neurons. We have discovered ghrelin as a key metabolic signal, and AMPK in dopamine neurons as its target, which links calorie restriction with neuroprotection in Parkinson's disease. Thus, targeting AMPK in dopamine neurons may provide novel neuroprotective benefits in Parkinson's disease. PMID

  15. Mitochondrial dynamics in Parkinson's disease: a role for α-synuclein?

    PubMed

    Pozo Devoto, Victorio M; Falzone, Tomas L

    2017-09-01

    The distinctive pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease are the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons and the intracellular accumulation of Lewy bodies enriched in α-synuclein protein. Several lines of evidence from the study of sporadic, familial and pharmacologically induced forms of human Parkinson's disease also suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in disease progression. Although many functions have been proposed for α-synuclein, emerging data from human and animal models of Parkinson's disease highlight a role for α-synuclein in the control of neuronal mitochondrial dynamics. Here, we review the α-synuclein structural, biophysical and biochemical properties that influence relevant mitochondrial dynamic processes such as fusion-fission, transport and clearance. Drawing on current evidence, we propose that α-synuclein contributes to the mitochondrial defects that are associated with the pathology of this common and progressive neurodegenerative disease. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  16. Laughter Yoga, Adults Living With Parkinson׳s Disease, and Caregivers: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    DeCaro, Debra Swedberg; Constantine Brown, Jodi L

    2016-01-01

    This study explored outcomes of Laughter Yoga in adults with Parkinson׳s disease (PD) and their caregivers. Laughter has been shown to generally improve mood in physically healthy adults, and specifically in adults with heart disease or cancer, but little research exists regarding the impact of laughter in adults with Parkinson׳s disease. Low mood is frequently a co-morbid condition for adults with Parkinson׳s disease, and can negatively affect their caregivers. Pre-experimental (O1 × O2) pretest-posttest design. Data collection occurred at six unique PD support groups in Southern California. Participants (N = 85) comprised a convenience sample of adults diagnosed with Parkinson׳s disease (n = 47) and accompanying caregivers (n = 38). Subjects participated in a 45-min Laughter Yoga (LY) session conducted by a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher. This study utilized the Laughter Yoga "How Do You Feel?" (HDYF) form. The form consists of a series of 10 scales labeled "well-being" measures including enthusiasm, energy level, mood, optimism, stress level, level of friendship with group members, level of awareness about breathing, level of muscle relaxation, level of mental relaxation, and ability to laugh without a reason. Paired sample t-tests reveal statistically significant improvements in well-being for adults with PD and their caregivers after attending an LY session. Therapists and other clinicians should consider utilizing this unique technique with adults with PD to address co-morbid low-mood conditions and include caregivers in the LY sessions for support and their own benefit. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Combined Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Apparent Transverse Relaxation Rate Differentiate Parkinson Disease and Atypical Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Du, G; Lewis, M M; Kanekar, S; Sterling, N W; He, L; Kong, L; Li, R; Huang, X

    2017-05-01

    Both diffusion tensor imaging and the apparent transverse relaxation rate have shown promise in differentiating Parkinson disease from atypical parkinsonism (particularly multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy). The objective of the study was to assess the ability of DTI, the apparent transverse relaxation rate, and their combination for differentiating Parkinson disease, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and controls. A total of 106 subjects (36 controls, 35 patients with Parkinson disease, 16 with multiple system atrophy, and 19 with progressive supranuclear palsy) were included. DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate measures from the striatal, midbrain, limbic, and cerebellar regions were obtained and compared among groups. The discrimination performance of DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate among groups was assessed by using Elastic-Net machine learning and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Compared with controls, patients with Parkinson disease showed significant apparent transverse relaxation rate differences in the red nucleus. Compared to those with Parkinson disease, patients with both multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy showed more widespread changes, extending from the midbrain to striatal and cerebellar structures. The pattern of changes, however, was different between the 2 groups. For instance, patients with multiple system atrophy showed decreased fractional anisotropy and an increased apparent transverse relaxation rate in the subthalamic nucleus, whereas patients with progressive supranuclear palsy showed an increased mean diffusivity in the hippocampus. Combined, DTI and the apparent transverse relaxation rate were significantly better than DTI or the apparent transverse relaxation rate alone in separating controls from those with Parkinson disease/multiple system atrophy/progressive supranuclear palsy; controls from those with Parkinson

  18. Comparison of the Efficacy of Different Drugs on Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease: a Network Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Li, Bao-Dong; Cui, Jing-Jun; Song, Jia; Qi, Ce; Ma, Pei-Feng; Wang, Ya-Rong; Bai, Jing

    2018-01-01

    A network meta-analysis is used to compare the efficacy of ropinirole, rasagiline, rotigotine, entacapone, apomorphine, pramipexole, sumanirole, bromocriptine, piribedil and levodopa, with placebo as a control, for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched from their establishment dates up to January 2017 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of the above ten drugs on the non-motor symptoms of PD. A network meta-analysis combined the evidence from direct comparisons and indirect comparisons and evaluated the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) values and surfaces under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA). The network meta-analysis included 21 RCTs. The analysis results indicated that, using the United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III, the efficacies of placebo, ropinirole, rasagiline, rotigotine, entacapone, pramipexole, sumanirole and levodopa in treating PD were lower than that of apomorphine (WMD = -10.90, 95% CI = -16.12∼-5.48; WMD = -11.85, 95% CI = -17.31∼-6.16; WMD = -11.15, 95% CI = -16.64∼-5.04; WMD = -11.70, 95% CI = -16.98∼-5.60; WMD = -11.04, 95% CI = -16.97∼-5.34; WMD = -13.27, 95% CI = -19.22∼-7.40; WMD = -10.25, 95% CI = -15.66∼-4.32; and WMD = -11.60, 95% CI = -17.89∼-5.57, respectively). Treatment with ropinirole, rasagiline, rotigotine, entacapone, pramipexole, sumanirole, bromocriptine, piribedil or levodopa, with placebo as a control, on PD exhibited no significant differences on PD symptoms when the UPDRS II was used for evaluation. Moreover, using the UPDRS III, the SUCRA values indicated that a pomorphine had the best efficacy on the non-motor symptoms of PD (99.0%). Using the UPDRS II, the SUCRA values for ropinirole, rasagiline, rotigotine, entacapone, pramipexole, sumanirole, bromocriptine, piribedil and levodopa treatments, with placebo as a control, indicated that bromocriptine showed the best efficacy on the non

  19. [Drug-induced fever: a diagnosis to remember].

    PubMed

    Vodovar, D; Le Beller, C; Lillo-Le-Louet, A; Hanslik, T; Megarbane, B

    2014-03-01

    Drug fever (DF) is a febrile reaction induced by a drug without additional clinical features like skin eruption. This adverse drug reaction is probably common but under diagnosed. While its outcome is generally favourable, DF generates unnecessary diagnostic procedures as well as hospitalisations or hospitalisation prolongations. Clinical presentation and biological findings are not specific. Fever is generally well tolerated but may be accompanied by general symptoms mimicking sepsis. Moderate biological disorders could be expected, including elevation or decrease in white blood cell count, eosinophilia, liver cytolysis, and increased C-reactive protein. An infection should be systematically ruled out. Clinical or biological signs of severity should question DF diagnosis. When DF is suspected, the involved drug(s) should be stopped after a reliable assessment of imputability. Antibiotics represent the most often implicated drugs. Fever disappearance after discontinuing the suspected drug is the cornerstone of DF diagnosis. Before stopping the administration of the suspected drug(s), a risk/benefit ratio assessment is necessary. Consistently, it may be complicated to stop an antimicrobial drug when treating an infection or an immunosuppressive drug if required. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  20. Hepatocyte-based in vitro model for assessment of drug-induced cholestasis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chatterjee, Sagnik, E-mail: Sagnik.Chatterjee@pharm.kuleuven.be; Richert, Lysiane, E-mail: l.richert@kaly-cell.com; Augustijns, Patrick, E-mail: Patrick.Augustijns@pharm.kuleuven.be

    Early detection of drug-induced cholestasis remains a challenge during drug development. We have developed and validated a biorelevant sandwich-cultured hepatocytes- (SCH) based model that can identify compounds causing cholestasis by altering bile acid disposition. Human and rat SCH were exposed (24–48 h) to known cholestatic and/or hepatotoxic compounds, in the presence or in the absence of a concentrated mixture of bile acids (BAs). Urea assay was used to assess (compromised) hepatocyte functionality at the end of the incubations. The cholestatic potential of the compounds was expressed by calculating a drug-induced cholestasis index (DICI), reflecting the relative residual urea formation bymore » hepatocytes co-incubated with BAs and test compound as compared to hepatocytes treated with test compound alone. Compounds with clinical reports of cholestasis, including cyclosporin A, troglitazone, chlorpromazine, bosentan, ticlopidine, ritonavir, and midecamycin showed enhanced toxicity in the presence of BAs (DICI ≤ 0.8) for at least one of the tested concentrations. In contrast, the in vitro toxicity of compounds causing hepatotoxicity by other mechanisms (including diclofenac, valproic acid, amiodarone and acetaminophen), remained unchanged in the presence of BAs. A safety margin (SM) for drug-induced cholestasis was calculated as the ratio of lowest in vitro concentration for which was DICI ≤ 0.8, to the reported mean peak therapeutic plasma concentration. SM values obtained in human SCH correlated well with reported % incidence of clinical drug-induced cholestasis, while no correlation was observed in rat SCH. This in vitro model enables early identification of drug candidates causing cholestasis by disturbed BA handling. - Highlights: • Novel in vitro assay to detect drug-induced cholestasis • Rat and human sandwich-cultured hepatocytes (SCH) as in vitro models • Cholestatic compounds sensitize SCH to toxic effects of accumulating bile acids

  1. Gait, posture and cognition in Parkinson's disease

    PubMed Central

    Barbosa, Alessandra Ferreira; Chen, Janini; Freitag, Fernanda; Valente, Debora; Souza, Carolina de Oliveira; Voos, Mariana Callil; Chien, Hsin Fen

    2016-01-01

    Gait disorders and postural instability are the leading causes of falls and disability in Parkinson's disease (PD). Cognition plays an important role in postural control and may interfere with gait and posture assessment and treatment. It is important to recognize gait, posture and balance dysfunctions by choosing proper assessment tools for PD. Patients at higher risk of falling must be referred for rehabilitation as early as possible, because antiparkinsonian drugs and surgery do not improve gait and posture in PD. PMID:29213470

  2. Stress- and glucocorticoid-induced priming of neuroinflammatory responses: potential mechanisms of stress-induced vulnerability to drugs of abuse.

    PubMed

    Frank, Matthew G; Watkins, Linda R; Maier, Steven F

    2011-06-01

    Stress and stress-induced glucocorticoids (GCs) sensitize drug abuse behavior as well as the neuroinflammatory response to a subsequent pro-inflammatory challenge. Stress also predisposes or sensitizes individuals to develop substance abuse. There is an emerging evidence that glia and glia-derived neuroinflammatory mediators play key roles in the development of drug abuse. Drugs of abuse such as opioids, psychostimulants, and alcohol induce neuroinflammatory mediators such as pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin (IL)-1β), which modulate drug reward, dependence, and tolerance as well as analgesic properties. Drugs of abuse may directly activate microglial and astroglial cells via ligation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which mediate the innate immune response to pathogens as well as xenobiotic agents (e.g. drugs of abuse). The present review focuses on understanding the immunologic mechanism(s) whereby stress primes or sensitizes the neuroinflammatory response to drugs of abuse and explores whether stress- and GC-induced sensitization of neuroimmune processes predisposes individuals to drug abuse liability and the role of neuroinflammatory mediators in the development of drug addiction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Population genetic approaches to neurological disease: Parkinson's disease as an example.

    PubMed

    Gandhi, S; Abou-Sleiman, P M; Healy, D G; Weale, M; Gilks, W; Ahmadi, K; Goldstein, D B; Wood, N W

    2005-08-29

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, progressive, incurable disabling condition. The cause is unknown but over the past few years tremendous progress in our understanding of the genetic bases of this condition has been made. To date, this has almost exclusively come from the study of relatively rare Mendelian forms of the disease and there are no currently, widely accepted common variants known to increase susceptibility. The role that the "Mendelian" genes play in common sporadic forms of PD is unknown. Moreover, most studies in PD can really be described as candidate polymorphism studies rather than true and complete assessments of the genes themselves. We provide a model of how one might tackle some of these issues using Parkinson's disease as an illustration. One of the emerging hypotheses of gene environment interaction in Parkinson's disease is based on drug metabolizing (or xenobiotic) enzymes and their interaction with putative environmental toxins. This motivated us to describe a tagging approach for an extensive but not exhaustive list of 55 drug metabolizing enzyme genes. We use these data to illustrate the power, and some of the limitations of a haplotype tagging approach. We show that haplotype tagging is extremely efficient and works well with only a modest increase in effort through different populations. The tagging approach works much less well if the minor allele frequency is below 5%. However, it will now be possible using these tags to evaluate these genes comprehensively in PD and other neurodegenerative conditions.

  4. Effects of Levodopa on Vowel Articulation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Okada, Yukihiro; Murata, Miho; Toda, Tatsushi

    2016-04-27

    The effects of levodopa on articulatory dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease remain inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate the effects of levodopa on isolated vowel articulation and motor performance in patients with moderate to severe Parkinson's disease, excluding speech fluctuations caused by dyskinesia. 21 patients (14 males and 7 females) and 21 age- and sex- matched healthy subjects were enrolled. Together with motor assessment, the patients phonated five Japanese isolated vowels (/a/, /i/, /u/, /e/, and /o/) 20 times before and 1 h after levodopa treatment. We made the frequency analysis of each vowel and measured the first and second formants. From these formants we constructed the pentagonal vowel space area which should be the good indicator for articulatory dysfunction of vowels. In control subjects, only speech samples were analyzed. To investigate the sequential relationship between plasma levodopa concentrations, motor performances, and acoustic measurements after treatment, entire drug cycle tests were performed in 4 patients. The pentagonal vowel space area was significantly expanded together with motor amelioration after levodopa treatment, although the enlargement is not enough for the space area of control subjects. Drug cycle tests revealed that sequential increases or decreases in plasma levodopa levels after treatment correlated well with expansion or decrease of the vowel space areas and improvement or deterioration of motor manifestations. Levodopa expanded the vowel space area and ameliorated motor performance, suggesting that dysfunctions in vowel articulation and motor performance in patients with Parkinson's disease are based on dopaminergic pathology.

  5. The dark side of dopaminergic therapies in Parkinson's disease: shedding light on aberrant salience.

    PubMed

    Poletti, Michele

    2017-03-07

    Psychotic subjects and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) "on" dopaminergic drugs, especially on dopamine agonists, present a hyperdopaminergic state that interferes with learning processing. These clinical populations present with distinct alterations of learning that share an increased potential motivational significance of stimuli: psychotic subjects may attribute salience to neutral stimuli, while medicated PD patients may overvalue rewards. Herein is discussed the speculative hypothesis that the hyperdopaminergic state induced by dopaminergic treatments, especially with dopamine agonists, may also facilitate the attribution of salience to neutral stimuli in PD patients, altering the physiological attribution of salience. Preliminary empirical evidence is in agreement with this speculative hypothesis, which needs further empirical investigation. The clinical implications of this hypothesis are discussed in relation to behavioral addictions, psychosis proneness, and enhanced creativity in medicated PD patients.

  6. Biomarkers in Neural Disorders

    ClinicalTrials.gov

    2017-09-07

    Parkinson's Disease; Alzheimer's Disease; Progressive Supranuclear Palsy; Essential Tremor; Multiple System Atrophy; Drug Induced Parkinson's Disease; Diffuse Lewy Body Disease; Myasthenia Gravis; Spinal Cord Injuries

  7. Intrinsic brain connectivity predicts impulse control disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Tessitore, Alessandro; De Micco, Rosa; Giordano, Alfonso; di Nardo, Federica; Caiazzo, Giuseppina; Siciliano, Mattia; De Stefano, Manuela; Russo, Antonio; Esposito, Fabrizio; Tedeschi, Gioacchino

    2017-12-01

    Impulse control disorders can be triggered by dopamine replacement therapies in patients with PD. Using resting-state functional MRI, we investigated the intrinsic brain network connectivity at baseline in a cohort of drug-naive PD patients who successively developed impulse control disorders over a 36-month follow-up period compared with patients who did not. Baseline 3-Tesla MRI images of 30 drug-naive PD patients and 20 matched healthy controls were analyzed. The impulse control disorders' presence and severity at follow-up were assessed by the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Single-subject and group-level independent component analysis was used to investigate functional connectivity differences within the major resting-state networks. We also compared internetwork connectivity between patients. Finally, a multivariate Cox regression model was used to investigate baseline predictors of impulse control disorder development. At baseline, decreased connectivity in the default-mode and right central executive networks and increased connectivity in the salience network were detected in PD patients with impulse control disorders at follow-up compared with those without. Increased default-mode/central executive internetwork connectivity was significantly associated with impulse control disorders development (P < 0.05). Our findings demonstrated that abnormal brain connectivity in the three large-scale networks characterizes drug-naive PD patients who will eventually develop impulse control disorders while on dopaminergic treatment. We hypothesize that these divergent cognitive and limbic network connectivity changes could represent a potential biomarker and an additional risk factor for the emergence of impulse control disorders. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  8. Metabolic activation of hepatotoxic drug (benzbromarone) induced mitochondrial membrane permeability transition

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shirakawa, Maho; Sekine, Shuichi; Tanaka, Ayaka

    The risk of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is of great concern to the pharmaceutical industry. It is well-known that metabolic activation of drugs to form toxic metabolites (TMs) is strongly associated with DILI onset. Drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is also strongly associated with increased risk of DILI. However, it is difficult to determine the target of TMs associated with exacerbation of DILI because of difficulties in identifying and purifying TMs. In this study, we propose a sequential in vitro assay system to assess TM formation and their ability to induce mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in a one-pot process. In this assaymore » system, freshly-isolated rat liver mitochondria were incubated with reaction solutions of 44 test drugs preincubated with liver microsomes in the presence or absence of NADPH; then, NADPH-dependent MPT pore opening was assessed as mitochondrial swelling. In this assay system, several hepatotoxic drugs, including benzbromarone (BBR), significantly induced MPT in a NADPH-dependent manner. We investigated the rationality of using BBR as a model drug, since it showed the most prominent MPT in our assay system. Both the production of a candidate toxic metabolite of BBR (1′,6-(OH){sub 2} BBR) and NADPH-dependent MPT were inhibited by several cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitors (clotrimazole and SKF-525A, 100 μM). In summary, this assay system can be used to evaluate comprehensive metabolite-dependent MPT without identification or purification of metabolites. - Highlights: • We constructed a sequential assay system for toxic metabolite induced MPT in one pot. • 14 drugs (e.g. benzbromarone (BBR)) induced toxic metabolite dependent MPT. • Both the production of toxic metabolite and MPT could be inhibited by CYP inhibitors. • This system could evaluate the comprehensive MPT without purification of metabolites.« less

  9. Broad neutralization of calcium-permeable amyloid pore channels with a chimeric Alzheimer/Parkinson peptide targeting brain gangliosides.

    PubMed

    Di Scala, Coralie; Yahi, Nouara; Flores, Alessandra; Boutemeur, Sonia; Kourdougli, Nazim; Chahinian, Henri; Fantini, Jacques

    2016-02-01

    Growing evidence supports a role for brain gangliosides in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Recently we deciphered the ganglioside-recognition code controlling specific ganglioside binding to Alzheimer's β-amyloid (Aβ1-42) peptide and Parkinson's disease-associated protein α-synuclein. Cracking this code allowed us to engineer a short chimeric Aβ/α-synuclein peptide that recognizes all brain gangliosides. Here we show that ganglioside-deprived neural cells do no longer sustain the formation of zinc-sensitive amyloid pore channels induced by either Aβ1-42 or α-synuclein, as assessed by single-cell Ca(2+) fluorescence microscopy. Thus, amyloid channel formation, now considered a key step in neurodegeneration, is a ganglioside-dependent process. Nanomolar concentrations of chimeric peptide competitively inhibited amyloid pore formation induced by Aβ1-42 or α-synuclein in cultured neural cells. Moreover, this peptide abrogated the intracellular calcium increases induced by Parkinson's-associated mutant forms of α-synuclein (A30P, E46K and A53T). The chimeric peptide also prevented the deleterious effects of Aβ1-42 on synaptic vesicle trafficking and decreased the Aβ1-42-induced impairment of spontaneous activity in rat hippocampal slices. Taken together, these data show that the chimeric peptide has broad anti-amyloid pore activity, suggesting that a common therapeutic strategy based on the prevention of amyloid-ganglioside interactions is a reachable goal for both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Willingness to pay for a new drug delivery in Parkinson patients.

    PubMed

    Lökk, Johan; Olofsson, Sara; Persson, Ulf

    2014-01-01

    The Swedish reimbursement system operates a system where prices are set based on the expected value to the consumer. This value can be measured using willingness to pay (WTP). To assess Parkinson's disease (PD) patients' WTP for newly developed microtablets of levodopa in combination with a drug-delivering electronic device (M/E) compared to standard treatment with levodopa in combination with the COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase)-inhibitor entacapone (L/e). A total of 2,000 randomly included PD patients had a postal questionnaire covering demographics, disease-specific issues, views on medication and WTP in different hypothetical scenarios. The first scenario was M/E with no change in effects or side effects; the second scenario was M/E with same effect and less side effects; and the third scenario was M/E with improved effect and less side effects. These scenarios were coupled to different costs to choose from. A total of 999 patients (50%) responded, mean age of 71 years and a mean PD duration of 9 years. Of all respondents, 50% preferred M/E before L/e in scenario one with increasing preference to scenario three. The average monthly WTP among all respondents in scenario one was SEK 230 and SEK 226 in L/e, both with an almost longitudinal doubling up to scenario three. Duration of PD-related symptoms, high education, and high medication intake implied a higher WTP in all scenarios in contrast to age, sex, and extra doses of levodopa. WTP for M/E increased gradually with high medication intake and education as well as with expected increased reduction of PD symptoms.

  11. Baicalein antagonizes rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to Parkinsonism

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Two active compounds, baicalein and its glycoside baicalin were found in the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, and reported to be neuroprotective in vitro and in vivo. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of baicalein on the rotenone-induced apoptosis in dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells related to parkinsonism. Methods Cell viability and cytotoxicity were determined by MTT assay. The degree of nuclear apoptosis was evaluated with a fluorescent DNA-binding probe Hoechst 33258. The production of reactive oxidative species (ROS) and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) were determined by fluorescent staining with DCFH-DA and Rhodanmine 123, respectively. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was determined by the Western blots. Results Baicalein significantly increased viability and decreased rotenone-induced death of SH-SY5Y cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pre- and subsequent co-treatment with baicalein preserved the cell morphology and attenuated the nuclear apoptotic characteristics triggered by rotenone. Baicalein antagonized rotenone-induced overproduction of ROS, loss of ΔΨm, the increased expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and phosphorylated ERK1/2 and the decreased expression of Bcl-2. Conclusion The antioxidative effect, mitochondrial protection and modulation of anti-and pro-apoptotic proteins are related to the neuroprotective effects of baicalein against rotenone induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. PMID:22264378

  12. Hitler's parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Boettcher, Lillian B; Bonney, Phillip A; Smitherman, Adam D; Sughrue, Michael E

    2015-07-01

    Of the multitude of medical and psychiatric conditions ascribed to Hitler both in his lifetime and since his suicide in April 1945, few are more substantiated than parkinsonism. While the timeline of the development of this condition, as well as its etiology, are debated, there is clear evidence for classic manifestations of the disease, most prominently a resting tremor but also stooped posture, bradykinesia, micrographia, and masked facial expressions, with progression steadily seen over his final years. Though ultimately speculation, some have suggested that Hitler suffered from progressive cognitive and mood disturbances, possibly due to parkinsonism, that affected the course of events in the war. Here, the authors discuss Hitler's parkinsonism in the context of the Third Reich and its eventual destruction, maintaining that ultimately his disease had little effect on the end result.

  13. Pulmonary and generalized lysosomal storage induced by amphiphilic drugs.

    PubMed Central

    Hruban, Z

    1984-01-01

    Administration of amphiphilic drugs to experimental animals causes formation of myelinoid bodies in many cell types, accumulation of foamy macrophages in pulmonary alveoli and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. These changes are the result of an interaction between the drugs and phospholipids which leads to an alteration in physicochemical properties of the phospholipids. Impairment of the digestion of altered pulmonary secretions in phagosomes of macrophages results in accumulation of foam cells in pulmonary alveoli. Impairment of the metabolism of altered phospholipids removed by autophagy induces an accumulation of myelinoid bodies. The administration of amphiphilic compounds thus causes pulmonary intra-alveolar histiocytosis which is a part of a drug-induced lysosomal storage or generalized lipidosis. The accumulation of drug-lipid complexes in myelinoid bodies and in pulmonary foam cells may lead to alteration of cellular functioning and to clinical disease. Currently over 50 amphiphilic drugs are known. Unique pharmacological properties necessitate clinical use of some of these drugs. The occurrence and severity of potential clinical side effects depend on the nature of each drug, dosage and duration of treatment, simultaneous administration of other drugs and foods, individual metabolic pattern of the patient and other factors. Further studies on factors preventing and potentiating adverse effects of amphiphilic drugs are indicated. Images FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5. FIGURE 6. FIGURE 7. FIGURE 8. FIGURE 9. FIGURE 10. PMID:6376111

  14. Hereditary Parkinson s Disease Natural History Protocol

    ClinicalTrials.gov

    2018-03-27

    Parkinson Disease 6, Early-Onset; Parkinson Disease (Autosomal Recessive, Early Onset) 7, Human; Parkinson Disease Autosomal Recessive, Early Onset; Parkinson Disease, Autosomal Recessive Early-Onset, Digenic, Pink1/Dj1

  15. Botulinum toxin in parkinsonism: The when, how, and which for botulinum toxin injections.

    PubMed

    Cardoso, Francisco

    2018-06-01

    The aim of this article is to provide a review of the use of injections of botulinum toxin in the management of selected symptoms and signs of Parkinson's disease and other forms of parkinsonism. Sialorrhea is defined as inability to control oral secretions, resulting in excessive saliva in the oropharynx. There is a high level of evidence for the treatment of sialorrhea in parkinsonism with injections of different forms of botulinum toxin type A as well as botulinum toxin type B. Tremor can be improved by the use of botulinum toxin injections but improved tremor control often leads to concomitant motor weakness, limiting its use. Levodopa induced dyskinesias are difficult to treat with botulinum toxin injections because of their variable frequency and direction. Apraxia of eyelid opening, a sign more commonly seen in progressive supranuclear palsy and other tauopathies, often improves after botulinum toxin injections. Recent data suggest that regardless of the underlying mechanism, pain in parkinsonism can be alleviated by botulinum toxin injections. Finally, freezing of gait, camptocormia and Pisa syndrome in parkinsonism almost invariably fail to respond to botulinum toxin injections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Acute organic brain syndrome due to drug-induced eosinophilia.

    PubMed

    Ng, S C; Lee, M K; Teh, A

    1989-11-01

    A 72 year old man developed acute organic brain syndrome associated with marked eosinophilia following self medication with a variety of drugs. Investigations revealed no other known causes of eosinophilia. Withdrawal of drugs resulted in dramatic drop in eosinophil count paralleled by clinical resolution of neurological problems. To our knowledge drug-induced eosinophilia has not previously been associated with acute organic brain syndrome.

  17. Drugp-Induced Rhabdomyolysis Atlas (DIRA) for idiosyncratic adverse drug reaction management.

    PubMed

    Wen, Zhining; Liang, Yu; Hao, Yingyi; Delavan, Brian; Huang, Ruili; Mikailov, Mike; Tong, Weida; Li, Menglong; Liu, Zhichao

    2018-06-11

    Drug-induced rhabdomyolysis (DIR) is an idiosyncratic and fatal adverse drug reaction (ADR) characterized in severe muscle injuries accompanied by multiple-organ failure. Limited knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of rhabdomyolysis is the main obstacle to developing early biomarkers and prevention strategies. Given the lack of a centralized data resource to curate, organize, and standardize widespread DIR information, here we present a Drug-Induced Rhabdomyolysis Atlas (DIRA) that provides DIR-related information, including: a classification scheme for DIR based on drug labeling information; postmarketing surveillance data of DIR; and DIR drug property information. To elucidate the utility of DIRA, we used precision dosing, concomitant use of DIR drugs, and predictive modeling development to exemplify strategies for idiosyncratic ADR (IADR) management. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. [Machine Learning-based Prediction of Seizure-inducing Action as an Adverse Drug Effect].

    PubMed

    Gao, Mengxuan; Sato, Motoshige; Ikegaya, Yuji

    2018-01-01

     During the preclinical research period of drug development, animal testing is widely used to help screen out a drug's dangerous side effects. However, it remains difficult to predict side effects within the central nervous system. Here, we introduce a machine learning-based in vitro system designed to detect seizure-inducing side effects before clinical trial. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 alveus in acute mouse neocortico-hippocampal slices that were bath-perfused with each of 14 different drugs, and at 5 different concentrations of each drug. For each of these experimental conditions, we collected seizure-like neuronal activity and merged their waveforms as one graphic image, which was further converted into a feature vector using Caffe, an open framework for deep learning. In the space of the first two principal components, the support vector machine completely separated the vectors (i.e., doses of individual drugs) that induced seizure-like events, and identified diphenhydramine, enoxacin, strychnine and theophylline as "seizure-inducing" drugs, which have indeed been reported to induce seizures in clinical situations. Thus, this artificial intelligence-based classification may provide a new platform to pre-clinically detect seizure-inducing side effects of drugs.

  19. Endurance exercise modulates levodopa induced growth hormone release in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Müller, Thomas; Welnic, Jacub; Woitalla, Dirk; Muhlack, Siegfried

    2007-07-11

    Acute levodopa (LD) application and exercise release human growth hormone (GH). An earlier trial showed, that combined stimulus of exercise and LD administration is the best provocative test for GH response in healthy participants. Objective was to show this combined effect of LD application and exercise on GH response and to investigate the impact on LD metabolism in 20 previously treated patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We measured GH- and LD plasma concentrations following soluble 200 mg LD/50 mg benserazide administration during endurance exercise and rest on two separate consecutive days. GH concentrations significantly increased on both days, but GH release was significantly delayed during rest. LD metabolism was not altered due to exercise in a clinical relevant manner. Exercise induced a significant faster LD stimulated GH release in comparison with the rest condition. We did not find the supposed increase of LD induced GH release by endurance exercise. We assume, that only a limited amount of GH is available for GH release in the anterior pituitary following an acute 200 mg LD administration. GH disposal also depends on growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), which is secreted into hypothalamic portal capillaries. During the exercise condition, the resulting higher blood pressure supports blood flow and thus GHRH transport towards the GH producing cells in the pituitary. This might additionally have caused the significant faster GH release during exercise.

  20. Extracellular Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers Induce Parkin S-Nitrosylation: Relevance to Sporadic Parkinson's Disease Etiopathology.

    PubMed

    Wilkaniec, Anna; Lenkiewicz, Anna M; Czapski, Grzegorz A; Jęśko, Henryk M; Hilgier, Wojciech; Brodzik, Robert; Gąssowska-Dobrowolska, Magdalena; Culmsee, Carsten; Adamczyk, Agata

    2018-04-21

    α-Synuclein (ASN) and parkin, a multifunctional E3 ubiquitin ligase, are two proteins that are associated with the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Excessive release of ASN, its oligomerization, aggregation, and deposition in the cytoplasm contribute to neuronal injury and cell death through oxidative-nitrosative stress induction, mitochondrial impairment, and synaptic dysfunction. In contrast, overexpression of parkin provides protection against cellular stresses and prevents dopaminergic neural cell loss in several animal models of PD. However, the influence of ASN on the function of parkin is largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of extracellular ASN oligomers on parkin expression, S-nitrosylation, as well as its activity. For these investigations, we used rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line treated with exogenous oligomeric ASN as well as PC12 cells with parkin overexpression and parkin knock-down. The experiments were performed using spectrophotometric, spectrofluorometric, and immunochemical methods. We found that exogenous ASN oligomers induce oxidative/nitrosative stress leading to parkin S-nitrosylation. Moreover, this posttranslational modification induced the elevation of parkin autoubiquitination and degradation of the protein. The decreased parkin levels resulted in significant cell death, whereas parkin overexpression protected against toxicity induced by extracellular ASN oligomers. We conclude that lowering parkin levels by extracellular ASN may significantly contribute to the propagation of neurodegeneration in PD pathology through accumulation of defective proteins as a consequence of parkin degradation.

  1. [Perioperative management of Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Mariscal, A; Medrano, I Hernández; Cánovas, A Alonso; Lobo, E; Loinaz, C; Vela, L; Espiga, P García-Ruiz; Castrillo, J C Martínez

    2012-01-01

    One of the particular characteristics of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the wide clinical variation as regards the treatment that can be found in the same patient. This occurs with specific treatment for PD, as well as with other drug groups that can make motor function worse. For this reason, the perioperative management of PD requires experience and above all appropriate planning. In this article, the peculiarities of PD and its treatment are reviewed, and a strategy is set out for the perioperative management of these patients. Copyright © 2010 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  2. Anti-Parkinson Activity of Petroleum Ether Extract of Ficus religiosa (L.) Leaves

    PubMed Central

    Bhangale, Jitendra O.; Acharya, Sanjeev R.

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, we evaluated anti-Parkinson's activity of petroleum ether extract of Ficus religiosa (PEFRE) leaves in haloperidol and 6 hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced experimental animal models. In this study, effects of Ficus religiosa (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) were studied using in vivo behavioral parameters like catalepsy, muscle rigidity, and locomotor activity and its effects on neurochemical parameters (MDA, CAT, SOD, and GSH) in rats. The experiment was designed by giving haloperidol to induce catalepsy and 6-OHDA to induce Parkinson's disease-like symptoms. The increased cataleptic scores (induced by haloperidol) were significantly (p < 0.001) found to be reduced, with the PEFRE at a dose of 200 and 400 mg/kg (p.o.). 6-OHDA significantly induced motor dysfunction (muscle rigidity and hypolocomotion). 6-OHDA administration showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation level and depleted superoxide dismutase, catalase, and reduced glutathione level. Daily administration of PEFRE (400 mg/kg) significantly improved motor performance and also significantly attenuated oxidative damage. Thus, the study proved that Ficus religiosa treatment significantly attenuated the motor defects and also protected the brain from oxidative stress. PMID:26884755

  3. Cue-Induced Craving to Paraphernalia and Drug Images in Opioid Dependence

    PubMed Central

    McHugh, R. Kathryn; Fulciniti, Francesca; Mashhoon, Yasmin; Weiss, Roger D.

    2016-01-01

    Background and Objectives Stimuli that are repeatedly paired with substance use, such as drug paraphernalia, can themselves elicit drug craving. The aim of this study was to examine whether particular cue types elicit greater craving responses than others among individuals with opioid dependence. Methods Participants seeking inpatient treatment for opioid dependence were recruited for a study of cue-induced craving. This sample (N=50), included 25 primary heroin users, 20 primary prescription opioid users, and 5 users of heroin and prescription opioids equally. Participants completed a cue reactivity task, in which images of drug-related stimuli were presented on a computer screen, each followed by a question assessing state drug craving. Results Overall, participants reported higher craving following paraphernalia stimuli relative to drug stimuli. However, this was moderated by opioid type; there was significantly higher craving in response to images of paraphernalia cues in the heroin group, and higher craving in response to drug cues in the prescription opioid group. Discussion and Conclusions These findings highlight potential differences in cue reactivity to opioid paraphernalia and drug cues, which appears to be moderated by drug type. Scientific Significance Cue-induced craving is an important factor in relapse. This study adds further to the literature on cue-induced craving in opioid dependence, suggesting that craving may vary based on both cue type and opioid type. Future studies designed to discriminate the impact of substance of abuse, route of administration, and cue type will help to further understand cue-induced craving in this population. PMID:26848719

  4. Can loss of the swallow tail sign help distinguish between Parkinson Disease and the Parkinson-Plus syndromes?

    PubMed

    Oustwani, Christopher Sami; Korutz, Alexander William; Lester, Malisa Siri; Kianirad, Yasaman; Simuni, Tanya; Hijaz, Tarek Aref

    To determine if loss of the swallow tail sign (STS) can distinguish Parkinson Disease (PD) from the Parkinson-Plus syndromes. Twenty-five patients with PD, 21 with Parkinson-Plus syndromes, and 14 control patients were included. Presence of the STS was assessed. The STS was present in 79% of controls, statistically greater than the PD/Parkinson-Plus patients. There was no difference in the presence of the STS between the PD/Parkinson-Plus subgroups or when scanning at 1.5 T or 3 T. Loss of the STS could not distinguish between PD and Parkinson-Plus patients. The STS can be identified at both 1.5 T and 3 T. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Molecular imaging to track Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonisms: New imaging frontiers.

    PubMed

    Strafella, Antonio P; Bohnen, Nicolaas I; Perlmutter, Joel S; Eidelberg, David; Pavese, Nicola; Van Eimeren, Thilo; Piccini, Paola; Politis, Marios; Thobois, Stephane; Ceravolo, Roberto; Higuchi, Makoto; Kaasinen, Valtteri; Masellis, Mario; Peralta, M Cecilia; Obeso, Ignacio; Pineda-Pardo, Jose Ángel; Cilia, Roberto; Ballanger, Benedicte; Niethammer, Martin; Stoessl, Jon A

    2017-02-01

    Molecular imaging has proven to be a powerful tool for investigation of parkinsonian disorders. One current challenge is to identify biomarkers of early changes that may predict the clinical trajectory of parkinsonian disorders. Exciting new tracer developments hold the potential for in vivo markers of underlying pathology. Herein, we provide an overview of molecular imaging advances and how these approaches help us to understand PD and atypical parkinsonisms. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  6. Different Functional and Microstructural Changes Depending on Duration of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson Disease.

    PubMed

    Shin, N-Y; Shin, Y S; Lee, P H; Yoon, U; Han, S; Kim, D J; Lee, S-K

    2016-05-01

    The higher cortical burden of Lewy body and Alzheimer disease-type pathology has been reported to be associated with a faster onset of cognitive impairment of Parkinson disease. So far, there has been a few studies only about the changes of gray matter volume depending on duration of cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease. Therefore, our aim was to evaluate the different patterns of structural and functional changes in Parkinson disease with mild cognitive impairment according to the duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment. Fifty-nine patients with Parkinson disease with mild cognitive impairment were classified into 2 groups on the basis of shorter (<1 year, n = 16) and longer (≥1 year, n = 43) durations of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment. Fifteen drug-naïve patients with de novo Parkinson disease with intact cognition were included for comparison. Cortical thickness, Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, and seed-based resting-state functional connectivity analyses were performed. Age, sex, years of education, age at onset of parkinsonism, and levodopa-equivalent dose were included as covariates. The group with shorter duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean and radial diffusivity values in the frontal areas compared with the group with longer duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment (corrected P < .05). The group with shorter duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased resting-state functional connectivity in the default mode network area when the left or right posterior cingulate was used as a seed, and in the dorsolateral prefrontal areas when the left or right caudate was used as a seed (corrected P < .05). The group with longer duration of parkinsonism before mild cognitive impairment showed decreased resting-state functional connectivity mainly in the medial prefrontal cortex when the left or right

  7. Pain processing in atypical Parkinsonisms and Parkinson disease: A comparative neurophysiological study.

    PubMed

    Avenali, Micol; Tassorelli, Cristina; De Icco, Roberto; Perrotta, Armando; Serrao, Mariano; Fresia, Mauro; Pacchetti, Claudio; Sandrini, Giorgio

    2017-10-01

    Pain is a frequent non-motor feature in Parkinsonism but mechanistic data on the alteration of pain processing are insufficient to understand the possible causes and to define specifically-targeted treatments. we investigated spinal nociception through the neurophysiological measure of the threshold (TR) of nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) and its temporal summation threshold (TST) comparatively in 12 Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) subjects, 11 Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) patients, 15 Parkinson's disease (PD) subjects and 24 healthy controls (HC). We also investigated the modulatory effect of L-Dopa in these three parkinsonian groups. We found a significant reduction in the TR of NWR and in the TST of NWR in PSP, MSA and PD patients compared with HC. L-Dopa induced an increase in the TR of NWR in the PSP group while TST of NWR increased in both PSP and PD. Our neurophysiological findings identify a facilitation of nociceptive processing in PSP that is broadly similar to that observed in MSA and PD. Specific peculiarities have emerged for PSP. Our data advance the knowledge of the neurophysiology of nociception in the advanced phases of parkinsonian syndromes and on the role of dopaminergic pathways in the control on pain processing. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Subthalamic nucleus stimulation-induced regional blood flow responses correlate with improvement of motor signs in Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Karimi, M; Golchin, N; Tabbal, S D; Hershey, T; Videen, T O; Wu, J; Usche, J W M; Revilla, F J; Hartlein, J M; Wernle, A R; Mink, J W; Perlmutter, J S

    2008-10-01

    Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) improves motor symptoms in idiopathic Parkinson's disease, yet the mechanism of action remains unclear. Previous studies indicate that STN DBS increases regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in immediate downstream targets but does not reveal which brain regions may have functional changes associated with improved motor manifestations. We studied 48 patients with STN DBS who withheld medication overnight and underwent PET scans to measure rCBF responses to bilateral STN DBS. PET scans were performed with bilateral DBS OFF and ON in a counterbalanced order followed by clinical ratings of motor manifestations using Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale 3 (UPDRS 3). We investigated whether improvement in UPDRS 3 scores in rigidity, bradykinesia, postural stability and gait correlate with rCBF responses in a priori determined regions. These regions were selected based on a previous study showing significant STN DBS-induced rCBF change in the thalamus, midbrain and supplementary motor area (SMA). We also chose the pedunculopontine nucleus region (PPN) due to mounting evidence of its involvement in locomotion. In the current study, bilateral STN DBS improved rigidity (62%), bradykinesia (44%), gait (49%) and postural stability (56%) (paired t-tests: P < 0.001). As expected, bilateral STN DBS also increased rCBF in the bilateral thalami, right midbrain, and decreased rCBF in the right premotor cortex (P < 0.05, corrected). There were significant correlations between improvement of rigidity and decreased rCBF in the SMA (r(s) = -0.4, P < 0.02) and between improvement in bradykinesia and increased rCBF in the thalamus (r(s) = 0.31, P < 0.05). In addition, improved postural reflexes correlated with decreased rCBF in the PPN (r(s) = -0.38, P < 0.03). These modest correlations between selective motor manifestations and rCBF in specific regions suggest possible regional selectivity for improvement of different motor

  9. Subthalamic nucleus stimulation-induced regional blood flow responses correlate with improvement of motor signs in Parkinson disease

    PubMed Central

    Karimi, M.; Golchin, N.; Tabbal, S. D.; Hershey, T.; Videen, T. O.; Wu, J.; Usche, J. W. M.; Revilla, F. J.; Hartlein, J. M.; Wernle, A. R.; Mink, J. W.

    2008-01-01

    Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) improves motor symptoms in idiopathic Parkinson's disease, yet the mechanism of action remains unclear. Previous studies indicate that STN DBS increases regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in immediate downstream targets but does not reveal which brain regions may have functional changes associated with improved motor manifestations. We studied 48 patients with STN DBS who withheld medication overnight and underwent PET scans to measure rCBF responses to bilateral STN DBS. PET scans were performed with bilateral DBS OFF and ON in a counterbalanced order followed by clinical ratings of motor manifestations using Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale 3 (UPDRS 3). We investigated whether improvement in UPDRS 3 scores in rigidity, bradykinesia, postural stability and gait correlate with rCBF responses in a priori determined regions. These regions were selected based on a previous study showing significant STN DBS-induced rCBF change in the thalamus, midbrain and supplementary motor area (SMA). We also chose the pedunculopontine nucleus region (PPN) due to mounting evidence of its involvement in locomotion. In the current study, bilateral STN DBS improved rigidity (62%), bradykinesia (44%), gait (49%) and postural stability (56%) (paired t-tests: P < 0.001). As expected, bilateral STN DBS also increased rCBF in the bilateral thalami, right midbrain, and decreased rCBF in the right premotor cortex (P < 0.05, corrected). There were significant correlations between improvement of rigidity and decreased rCBF in the SMA (rs = –0.4, P < 0.02) and between improvement in bradykinesia and increased rCBF in the thalamus (rs = 0.31, P < 0.05). In addition, improved postural reflexes correlated with decreased rCBF in the PPN (rs = –0.38, P < 0.03). These modest correlations between selective motor manifestations and rCBF in specific regions suggest possible regional selectivity for improvement of different motor signs

  10. Neuroprotective and Therapeutic Effect of Caffeine on the Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease Induced by Rotenone.

    PubMed

    Khadrawy, Yasser A; Salem, Ahmed M; El-Shamy, Karima A; Ahmed, Emad K; Fadl, Nevein N; Hosny, Eman N

    2017-09-03

    The present study aimed to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of caffeine on rotenone-induced rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rats were divided into control, PD model induced by rotenone (1.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) for 45 days), protected group injected with caffeine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and rotenone for 45 days (during the development of PD model), and treated group injected with caffeine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) for 45 days after induction of PD model. The data revealed a state of oxidative and nitrosative stress in the midbrain and the striatum of animal model of PD as indicated from the increased lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide levels and the decreased reduced glutathione level and activities of glutathione-S-transferase and superoxide dismutase. Rotenone induced a decrease in acetylcholinesterase and Na + /K + -ATPase activities and an increase in tumor necrosis factor-α level in the midbrain and the striatum. Protection and treatment with caffeine ameliorated the oxidative stress and the changes in acetylcholinesterase and Na + /K + -ATPase activities induced by rotenone in the midbrain and the striatum. This was associated with improvement in the histopathological changes induced in the two areas of PD model. Caffeine protection and treatment restored the depletion of midbrain and striatal dopamine induced by rotenone and prevented decline in motor activities (assessed by open field test) and muscular strength (assessed by traction and hanging tests) and improved norepinephrine level in the two areas. The present study showed that caffeine offered a significant neuroprotection and treatment against neurochemical, histopathological, and behavioral changes in a rotenone-induced rat model of PD.

  11. Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: a narrative review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Raggi, Alberto; Bella, Rita; Pennisi, Giovanni; Neri, Walter; Ferri, Raffaele

    2013-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is classically considered to be a motor system affliction; however, also non-motor alterations, including sleep disorders, are important features of the disease. The aim of this review is to provide data on sleep disturbances in PD in the following grouping: difficulty initiating sleep, frequent night-time awakening and sleep fragmentation, nocturia, restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movements, sleep breathing disorders, drug induced symptoms, parasomnias associated with rapid eye movements (REM) sleep, sleep attacks, reduced sleep efficiency and excessive daytime sleepiness. Research has characterized some of these disturbances as typical examples of dissociated states of wakefulness and sleep that are admixtures or incomplete declarations of wakefulness, REM sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Moreover, sleep disorders may precede the typical motor system impairment of PD and their ability to predict disease has important implications for development of neuroprotective treatment; in particular, REM sleep behavior disorder may herald any other clinical manifestation of PD by more than 10 years.

  12. Acute organic brain syndrome due to drug-induced eosinophilia.

    PubMed Central

    Ng, S. C.; Lee, M. K.; Teh, A.

    1989-01-01

    A 72 year old man developed acute organic brain syndrome associated with marked eosinophilia following self medication with a variety of drugs. Investigations revealed no other known causes of eosinophilia. Withdrawal of drugs resulted in dramatic drop in eosinophil count paralleled by clinical resolution of neurological problems. To our knowledge drug-induced eosinophilia has not previously been associated with acute organic brain syndrome. PMID:2616421

  13. Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Initiates Autophagy and Potentiates MPTP-Induced Autophagic Cell Death of Human Neuroblastoma Cells, SH-SY5Y: an Inside in the Pathology of Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Niranjan, Rituraj; Mishra, Kaushal Prasad; Thakur, Ashwani Kumar

    2018-03-01

    Cyclooxygenase-2 or COX-2 has been known to be crucial for Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis; however, its exact role is still not known. We first time report that inhibition of COX-2 promotes 1-methyl-4-phenyl 1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neuronal cell death via induction of autophagic mechanisms. We found that treatment with MPTP induced cell death of neuroblastoma cells SH-SY5Y in a dose dependent manner. Treatment of MPTP has also upregulated the expressions of autophagic proteins such as LC3, beclin, ATG-5, and p62. Interestingly, nimesulide, a preferential COX-2 inhibitor, further potentiated the MPTP-induced cell death of human neuroblastoma cells. Treatment of nimesulide with MPTP further potentiated expressions of p62, ATG-5, beclin-1, LC3 autophagic proteins. Furthermore, nimesulide with MPTP increased apoptotic protein cleaved caspase-3 and also induced expression of p53 gene. Interestingly, it was observed that Akt inhibitor significantly increased MPTP-induced cell death of neuroblastoma cells. However, (-) deprenyl, a monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) inhibitor, attenuated MPTP-induced autophagic response and protected cell death. The prior treatment with prostaglandin E2 protected against nimesulide induced-death of neuronal cells. This study confirms that neuroinflammation is associated to the autophagy and may be one of the main pathological mechanisms in Parkinson's disease and other inflammation-associated disorders.

  14. Visual System Involvement in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Parkinson Disease.

    PubMed

    Arrigo, Alessandro; Calamuneri, Alessandro; Milardi, Demetrio; Mormina, Enricomaria; Rania, Laura; Postorino, Elisa; Marino, Silvia; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Anastasi, Giuseppe Pio; Ghilardi, Maria Felice; Aragona, Pasquale; Quartarone, Angelo; Gaeta, Michele

    2017-12-01

    Purpose To assess intracranial visual system changes of newly diagnosed Parkinson disease in drug-naïve patients. Materials and Methods Twenty patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease and 20 age-matched control subjects were recruited. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging) was performed with a 3-T MR imager. White matter changes were assessed by exploring a white matter diffusion profile by means of diffusion-tensor imaging-based parameters and constrained spherical deconvolution-based connectivity analysis and by means of white matter voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Alterations in occipital gray matter were investigated by means of gray matter VBM. Morphologic analysis of the optic chiasm was based on manual measurement of regions of interest. Statistical testing included analysis of variance, t tests, and permutation tests. Results In the patients with Parkinson disease, significant alterations were found in optic radiation connectivity distribution, with decreased lateral geniculate nucleus V2 density (F, -8.28; P < .05), a significant increase in optic radiation mean diffusivity (F, 7.5; P = .014), and a significant reduction in white matter concentration. VBM analysis also showed a significant reduction in visual cortical volumes (P < .05). Moreover, the chiasmatic area and volume were significantly reduced (P < .05). Conclusion The findings show that visual system alterations can be detected in early stages of Parkinson disease and that the entire intracranial visual system can be involved. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

  15. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus improves pain in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Pellaprat, Jean; Ory-Magne, Fabienne; Canivet, Cindy; Simonetta-Moreau, Marion; Lotterie, Jean-Albert; Radji, Fatai; Arbus, Christophe; Gerdelat, Angélique; Chaynes, Patrick; Brefel-Courbon, Christine

    2014-06-01

    In Parkinson's disease (PD), chronic pain is a common symptom which markedly affects the quality of life. Some physiological arguments proposed that Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN-DBS) could improve pain in PD. We investigated in 58 PD patients the effect of STN-DBS on pain using the short McGill Pain Questionnaire and other pain parameters such as the Bodily discomfort subscore of the Parkinson's disease Questionnaire 39 and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale section II (UPDRS II) item 17. All pain scores were significantly improved 12 months after STN-DBS. This improvement was not correlated with motor improvement, depression scores or L-Dopa reduction. STN-DBS induced a substantial beneficial effect on pain in PD, independently of its motor effects and mood status of patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Parkinsonism Associated with Glucocerebrosidase Mutation

    PubMed Central

    Sunwoo, Mun-Kyung; Kim, Seung-Min; Lee, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    Background Gaucher's disease is an autosomal recessive, lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations of the β-glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA). There is increasing evidence that GBA mutations are a genetic risk factor for the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). We report herein a family of Koreans exhibiting parkinsonism-associated GBA mutations. Case Report A 44-year-old woman suffering from slowness and paresthesia of the left arm for the previous 1.5years, visited our hospital to manage known invasive ductal carcinoma. During a preoperative evaluation, she was diagnosed with Gaucher's disease and double mutations of S271G and R359X in GBA. Parkinsonian features including low amplitude postural tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia and shuffling gait were observed. Genetic analysis also revealed that her older sister, who had also been diagnosed with PD and had been taking dopaminergic drugs for 8-years, also possessed a heterozygote R359X mutation in GBA. 18F-fluoropropylcarbomethoxyiodophenylnortropane positron-emission tomography in these patients revealed decreased uptake of dopamine transporter in the posterior portion of the bilateral putamen. Conclusions This case study demonstrates Korean familial cases of PD with heterozygote mutation of GBA, further supporting the association between PD and GBA mutation. PMID:21779299

  17. Toxin-Induced Models of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Bové, Jordi; Prou, Delphine; Perier, Céline; Przedborski, Serge

    2005-01-01

    Summary: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease that appears essentially as a sporadic condition. It results mainly from the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. PD etiology remains mysterious, whereas its pathogenesis begins to be understood as a multifactorial cascade of deleterious factors. Most insights into PD pathogenesis come from investigations performed in experimental models of PD, especially those produced by neurotoxins. Although a host of natural and synthetic molecules do exert deleterious effects on dopaminergic neurons, only a handful are used in living laboratory animals to recapitulate some of the hallmarks of PD. In this review, we discuss what we believe are the four most popular parkinsonian neurotoxins, namely 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), rotenone, and paraquat. The main goal is to provide an updated summary of the main characteristics of each of these four neurotoxins. However, we also try to provide the reader with an idea about the various strengths and the weaknesses of these neurotoxic models. PMID:16389312

  18. Identifying clinically relevant drug resistance genes in drug-induced resistant cancer cell lines and post-chemotherapy tissues.

    PubMed

    Tong, Mengsha; Zheng, Weicheng; Lu, Xingrong; Ao, Lu; Li, Xiangyu; Guan, Qingzhou; Cai, Hao; Li, Mengyao; Yan, Haidan; Guo, You; Chi, Pan; Guo, Zheng

    2015-12-01

    Until recently, few molecular signatures of drug resistance identified in drug-induced resistant cancer cell models can be translated into clinical practice. Here, we defined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between pre-chemotherapy colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples of non-responders and responders for 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based therapy as clinically relevant drug resistance genes (CRG5-FU/L-OHP). Taking CRG5-FU/L-OHP as reference, we evaluated the clinical relevance of several types of genes derived from HCT116 CRC cells with resistance to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, respectively. The results revealed that DEGs between parental and resistant cells, when both were treated with the corresponding drug for a certain time, were significantly consistent with the CRG5-FU/L-OHP as well as the DEGs between the post-chemotherapy CRC specimens of responders and non-responders. This study suggests a novel strategy to extract clinically relevant drug resistance genes from both drug-induced resistant cell models and post-chemotherapy cancer tissue specimens.

  19. Follow-up of patients affected by manganese-induced Parkinsonism after treatment with CaNa2EDTA.

    PubMed

    Herrero Hernandez, Elena; Discalzi, Gianluigi; Valentini, Consuelo; Venturi, Fabrizio; Chiò, Adriano; Carmellino, Caterina; Rossi, Luigi; Sacchetti, Anna; Pira, Enrico

    2006-05-01

    In the period of 1998-2004, seven workers affected by manganese-induced Parkinsonism were diagnosed, studied and treated with CaNa2EDTA at our Occupational Health Ward. Biological markers, as well as magnetic resonance imaging and clinical examinations, were used to assess the disease trend. Those workers still employed were immediately removed from exposure. Our results seem to confirm that very good clinical, biological and neuroradiological results can be obtained by timely removal from exposure and chelating treatment, and that amelioration can persist in time. Manganism is, however, a severe condition that can also progress independent of further exposure. Therefore, chelating treatment can be a great aid in overt manganism, but particular attention must be paid to primary prevention, as this disease should now be totally preventable and definitely merits eradication.

  20. Effect of Parkinson's Disease in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Syeda, Farheen; Magsood, Hamzah; Lee, Erik; El-Gendy, Ahmed; Jiles, David; Hadimani, Ravi

    Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a non-invasive clinical therapy used to treat depression and migraine, and shows further promise as treatment for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurological disorders. However, it is yet unclear as to how anatomical differences may affect stimulation from this treatment. We use finite element analysis to model and analyze the results of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in various head models. A number of heterogeneous head models have been developed using MRI data of real patients, including healthy individuals as well as patients of Parkinson's disease. Simulations of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation performed on 22 anatomically different models highlight the differences in induced stimulation. A standard Figure of 8 coil is used with frequency 2.5 kHz, placed 5 mm above the head. We compare cortical stimulation, volume of brain tissue stimulated, specificity, and maximum E-field induced in the brain for models ranging from ages 20 to 60. Results show that stimulation varies drastically between patients of the same age and health status depending upon brain-scalp distance, which is not necessarily a linear progression with age.

  1. [Clinical and medicine characteristics of patients with Parkinson's syndrome].

    PubMed

    Liu, Huan; Xie, Yan-Ming; Yi, Dan-Hui; Wang, Yong-Yan

    2014-09-01

    This study analyze the characteristics and clinical medicine in 17 hospitals all over China, based on hospital information system diagnostic information database, including 4 497 cases of hospitalized patients with Parkinson's syndrome. Results indicate, the most common comorbidities are infarction, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes and lung infections, including cerebral infarction, the combined incidence of hypertension in men reached 33.46% and 30.05%, respectively, it is slightly lower in the females. Men with coronary heart disease are more than women, women with diabetes and bone disease are more than men. Combined incidence of the disease increases with age, vascular factors occupy an important position. The most common combined diseases in patients with 90 years of age or older are coronary heart disease, lung infection, and often accompanied by metabolic disorders and nutritional emergency, critical care. Constipation, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, cognitive impairment are common non-motor symptoms. The drug categories associated with Parkinson's core symptoms treatment are about 20% to 30% of clinical medicine, the others are associated with the treatment of combined disease, clinical medicine and disease spectrum consistent. Blood circulation topped Chinese agents applied frequency, reaching 44.52%; laxative drugs accounted for 11.66%; detoxification agent representing 9.46%. The first twenty Chinese medicine of the applying frequency reached 56.07% of the total utilization, including 12 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine injections, accounting for 60%. Therefore, in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinsons syndrome, the treatment of comorbidities is very important, more attentions should be paid to vascular factors of the disease, Chinese medicine should be more concerned to improve the non-motor symptoms, give full play to the pharmaceutical multi-target, the overall regulation of advantages, integrative medicine, and improve

  2. A mixed-methods study into ballet for people living with Parkinson's1

    PubMed Central

    Houston, Sara; McGill, Ashley

    2012-01-01

    Background: Parkinson's is a neurological disease that is physically debilitating and can be socially isolating. Dance is growing in popularity for people with Parkinson's and claims have been made for its benefits. The paper details a mixed-methods study that examined a 12-week dance project for people with Parkinson's, led by English National Ballet. Methods: The effects on balance, stability and posture were measured through the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale and a plumb-line analysis. The value of participation and movement quality were interpreted through ethnographic methods, grounded theory and Effort analysis. Results: Triangulation of results indicates that people were highly motivated, with 100% adherence, and valued the classes as an important part of their lives. Additionally, results indicated an improvement in balance and stability, although not in posture. Conclusions: Dancing may offer benefit to people with Parkinson's through its intellectual, artistic, social and physical aspects. The paper suggests that a range of research methods is fundamental to capture the importance of multifaceted activity, such as dance, to those with Parkinson's. PMID:23805165

  3. AgHalo: A Facile Fluorogenic Sensor to Detect Drug-Induced Proteome Stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yu; Fares, Matthew; Dunham, Noah P; Gao, Zi; Miao, Kun; Jiang, Xueyuan; Bollinger, Samuel S; Boal, Amie K; Zhang, Xin

    2017-07-17

    Drug-induced proteome stress that involves protein aggregation may cause adverse effects and undermine the safety profile of a drug. Safety of drugs is regularly evaluated using cytotoxicity assays that measure cell death. However, these assays provide limited insights into the presence of proteome stress in live cells. A fluorogenic protein sensor is reported to detect drug-induced proteome stress prior to cell death. An aggregation prone Halo-tag mutant (AgHalo) was evolved to sense proteome stress through its aggregation. Detection of such conformational changes was enabled by a fluorogenic ligand that fluoresces upon AgHalo forming soluble aggregates. Using 5 common anticancer drugs, we exemplified detection of differential proteome stress before any cell death was observed. Thus, this sensor can be used to evaluate drug safety in a regime that the current cytotoxicity assays cannot cover and be generally applied to detect proteome stress induced by other toxins. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Nimodipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker attenuates mitochondrial dysfunctions to protect against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinsonism in mice.

    PubMed

    Singh, Alpana; Verma, Poonam; Balaji, Gillela; Samantaray, Supriti; Mohanakumar, Kochupurackal P

    2016-10-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder, results from loss of dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta. These neurons exhibit Cav1.3 channel-dependent pacemaking activity. Epidemiological studies suggest reduced risk for PD in population under long-term antihypertensive therapy with L-type calcium channel antagonists. These prompted us to investigate nimodipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker for neuroprotective effect in cellular and animal models of PD. Nimodipine (0.1-10 μM) significantly attenuated 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium ion-induced loss in mitochondrial morphology, mitochondrial membrane potential and increases in intracellular calcium levels in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line as measured respectively employing Mitotracker green staining, TMRM, and Fura-2 fluorescence, but only a feeble neuroprotective effect was observed in MTT assay. Nimodipine dose-dependently reduced 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced parkinsonian syndromes (akinesia and catalepsy) and loss in swimming ability in Balb/c mice. It attenuated MPTP-induced loss of dopaminergic tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons in substantia nigra, improved mitochondrial oxygen consumption and inhibited reactive oxygen species production in the striatal mitochondria measured using dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence, but failed to block striatal dopamine depletion. These results point to an involvement of L-type calcium channels in MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal death in experimental parkinsonism and more importantly provide evidences for nimodipine to improve mitochondrial integrity and function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Role of Neurotrophic Factors in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Tome, Diogo; Fonseca, Carla Pais; Campos, Filipa Lopes; Baltazar, Graca

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is an age-associated progressive neurodegenerative disorder that has gained crescent social and economic impact due to the aging of the western society. All current therapies are symptomatic and fail to reverse or halt the progression of dopaminergic neurons loss. The discovery of the capability of neurotrophic factors to protect these neurons lead numerous research groups to focus their efforts in developing therapies aiming at promoting the control of Parkinson´s disease through the delivery of neurotrophic factors to the brain or by boosting their endogenous levels. Both strategies were successful in inducing protection of dopaminergic neurons and motor recovery in preclinical models of the disease. Contrariwise, very limited success was obtained in clinical studies, where glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and neurturin were the neurotrophic factors of choice for Parkinson's disease therapy. These drawbacks motivate the development of novel forms of delivery or the modification of the injected molecules aiming at providing a more stable and effective administration with improved diffusion in the target tissue, and without the immune responses observed in the earliest clinical studies. Although promising results were obtained with some of these new approaches performed in experimental models of the disease, they were not yet tested in human studies. In this review, we present the current knowledge on neurotrophic factors and their role in Parkinson's disease, focusing on the strategies that have been developed to increase their levels in target areas of the brain to achieve protection of dopaminergic neurons and motor behaviour recovery. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  6. Population genetic approaches to neurological disease: Parkinson's disease as an example

    PubMed Central

    Gandhi, S; Abou-Sleiman, P.M; Healy, D.G; Weale, M; Gilks, W; Ahmadi, K; Goldstein, D.B; Wood, N.W

    2005-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common, progressive, incurable disabling condition. The cause is unknown but over the past few years tremendous progress in our understanding of the genetic bases of this condition has been made. To date, this has almost exclusively come from the study of relatively rare Mendelian forms of the disease and there are no currently, widely accepted common variants known to increase susceptibility. The role that the ‘Mendelian’ genes play in common sporadic forms of PD is unknown. Moreover, most studies in PD can really be described as candidate polymorphism studies rather than true and complete assessments of the genes themselves. We provide a model of how one might tackle some of these issues using Parkinson's disease as an illustration. One of the emerging hypotheses of gene environment interaction in Parkinson's disease is based on drug metabolizing (or xenobiotic) enzymes and their interaction with putative environmental toxins. This motivated us to describe a tagging approach for an extensive but not exhaustive list of 55 drug metabolizing enzyme genes. We use these data to illustrate the power, and some of the limitations of a haplotype tagging approach. We show that haplotype tagging is extremely efficient and works well with only a modest increase in effort through different populations. The tagging approach works much less well if the minor allele frequency is below 5%. However, it will now be possible using these tags to evaluate these genes comprehensively in PD and other neurodegenerative conditions. PMID:16096106

  7. Specificity and sensitivity of transcranial sonography of the substantia nigra in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: prospective cohort study in 196 patients

    PubMed Central

    Bouwmans, Angela E P; Vlaar, Annemarie M M; Mess, Werner H; Kessels, Alfons; Weber, Wim E J

    2013-01-01

    Objective Numerous ultrasound studies have suggested that a typical enlarged area of echogenicity in the substantia nigra (SN+) can help diagnose idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). Almost all these studies were retrospective and involved patients with well-established diagnoses and long-disease duration. In this study the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial sonography (TCS) of the substantia nigra in the patient with an undiagnosed parkinsonian syndrome of recent onset has been evaluated. Design Prospective cohort study for diagnostic accuracy. Setting Neurology outpatient clinics of two teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients 196 consecutive patients, who were referred to two neurology outpatient clinics for analysis of clinically unclear parkinsonism. Within 2 weeks of inclusion all patients also underwent a TCS and a 123I-ioflupane Single Photon Emission CT (FP-CIT SPECT) scan of the brain (n=176). Outcome measures After 2 years, patients were re-examined by two movement disorder specialist neurologists for a final clinical diagnosis, that served as a surrogate gold standard for our study. Results Temporal acoustic windows were insufficient in 45 of 241 patients (18.67%). The final clinical diagnosis was IPD in 102 (52.0%) patients. Twenty-four (12.3%) patients were diagnosed with atypical parkinsonisms (APS) of which 8 (4.0%) multisystem atrophy (MSA), 6 (3.1%) progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 6 (3.1%) Lewy body dementia and 4 (2%) corticobasal degeneration. Twenty-one (10.7%) patients had a diagnosis of vascular parkinsonism, 20 (10.2%) essential tremor, 7 (3.6%) drug-induced parkinsonism and 22 (11.2%) patients had no parkinsonism but an alternative diagnosis. The sensitivity of a SN+ for the diagnosis IPD was 0.40 (CI 0.30 to 0.50) and the specificity 0.61 (CI 0.52 to 0.70). Hereby the positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.53 and the negative predictive value (NPV) 0.48. The sensitivity and specificity of FP-CIT SPECT scans for diagnosing

  8. Safinamide for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Kandadai, Rukmini Mridula; Jabeen, Shaik Afshan; Kanikannan, Meena A; Borgohain, Rupam

    2014-11-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a complex interaction of loss of dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems. Drugs acting on the dopaminergic pathways are the mainstay of treatment for motor symptoms today. Safinamide (NW-1015) is a novel drug with multiple actions. It is a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor and improves dopaminergic transmission. In addition, it has antiglutamatergic effects and can thus reduce dyskinesias, which is a side effect limiting most dopaminergic therapy. In Phase III trials, safinamide has been found to be a useful adjunctive to dopamine agonists in early PD and has been shown to increase time without increasing troublesome dyskinesias when used as an adjunct to levodopa in patients with advanced PD. A possible neuroprotective role in inhibiting PD disease progression is envisaged and warrants future studies.

  9. Safinamide for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    deSouza, Ruth Mary; Schapira, Anthony

    2017-06-01

    The major unmet needs in the medical treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) are reduction of motor side effects from dopaminergic drugs, management of non-motor symptoms and disease modification. Areas covered: Motor fluctuations and OFF periods are a significant determinant of quality of life in PD and reducing their duration and severity can significantly improve motor function. This aim may be partly facilitated by the development of effective adjunctive drugs for dopamine replacement. Safinamide (Xadago), which is a first generation anticonvulsant, has pharmacological properties which are of interest in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, leading to research into its potential as an adjunct to levodopa in PD. Expert opinion: Although its mechanism has not been fully defined, safinamide provides enhanced symptom control of motor function in advanced PD and improves quality of life.

  10. Adolf Hitler had post-encephalitic Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Lieberman, A

    1996-04-01

    Adolf Hitler had Parkinson symptoms in 1934, at age 45 years. He may have had transient symptoms in 1923, at age 34 years. Young-onset parkinsonism, during the 1920s, favored a diagnosis of post-encephalitic rather than idiopathic parkinsonism. Hitler had oculogyric crises, phenomena only associated with post-encephalitic parkinsonism. In addition, he had dystonic facial spasms, palilalia and a sleep disorder, phenomena more likely to be associated with post-encephalitic than idiopathic parkinsonism. In November 1918, at age 29 years, Hitler may have had von Economo's encephalitis, while he was a patient in a hospital, recovering from poison gas. This paper looks at the possible relationship of von Economo's encephalitis to Hitler's asocial behavior; his obsessions and compulsions, his cruelty and rages. The influence of Hitler's parkinsonism on his conduct during World War II is discussed.

  11. Drug-induced acne and rose pearl: similarities*

    PubMed Central

    Pontello Junior, Rubens; Kondo, Rogerio Nabor

    2013-01-01

    Drug-induced acne is a common skin condition whose classic symptoms can be similar to a rose pearl, as in the case of a male patient presenting with this condition after excessive use of a cream containing corticosteroids. PMID:24474128

  12. Alteration of Striatal Tetrahydrobiopterin in Iron-Induced Unilateral Model of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Aryal, Bijay; Lee, Jin-Koo; Kim, Hak Rim

    2014-01-01

    It has been suggested that transition metal ions such as iron can produce an oxidative injuries to nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, like Parkinson's disease (PD) and subsequent compensative increase of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) during the disease progression induces the aggravation of dopaminergic neurodegeneration in striatum. It had been established that the direct administration of BH4 into neuron would induce the neuronal toxicity in vitro. To elucidate a role of BH4 in pathogenesis in the PD in vivo, we assessed the changes of dopamine (DA) and BH4 at striatum in unilateral intranigral iron infused PD rat model. The ipsistriatal DA and BH4 levels were significantly increased at 0.5 to 1 d and were continually depleting during 2 to 7 d after intranigral iron infusion. The turnover rate of BH4 was higher than that of DA in early phase. However, the expression level of GTP-cyclohydrolase I mRNA in striatum was steadily increased after iron administration. These results suggest that the accumulation of intranigral iron leads to generation of oxidative stress which damage to dopaminergic neurons and causes increased release of BH4 in the dopaminergic neuron. The degenerating dopaminergic neurons decrease the synthesis and release of both BH4 and DA in vivo that are relevance to the progression of PD. Based on these data, we propose that the increase of BH4 can deteriorate the disease progression in early phase of PD, and the inhibition of BH4 increase could be a strategy for PD treatment. PMID:24757374

  13. Distinct Nrf2 Signaling Mechanisms of Fumaric Acid Esters and Their Role in Neuroprotection against 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine-Induced Experimental Parkinson's-Like Disease.

    PubMed

    Ahuja, Manuj; Ammal Kaidery, Navneet; Yang, Lichuan; Calingasan, Noel; Smirnova, Natalya; Gaisin, Arsen; Gaisina, Irina N; Gazaryan, Irina; Hushpulian, Dmitry M; Kaddour-Djebbar, Ismail; Bollag, Wendy B; Morgan, John C; Ratan, Rajiv R; Starkov, Anatoly A; Beal, M Flint; Thomas, Bobby

    2016-06-08

    A promising approach to neurotherapeutics involves activating the nuclear-factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element signaling, which regulates expression of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective genes. Tecfidera, a putative Nrf2 activator, is an oral formulation of dimethylfumarate (DMF) used to treat multiple sclerosis. We compared the effects of DMF and its bioactive metabolite monomethylfumarate (MMF) on Nrf2 signaling and their ability to block 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced experimental Parkinson's disease (PD). We show that in vitro DMF and MMF activate the Nrf2 pathway via S-alkylation of the Nrf2 inhibitor Keap1 and by causing nuclear exit of the Nrf2 repressor Bach1. Nrf2 activation by DMF but not MMF was associated with depletion of glutathione, decreased cell viability, and inhibition of mitochondrial oxygen consumption and glycolysis rates in a dose-dependent manner, whereas MMF increased these activities in vitro However, both DMF and MMF upregulated mitochondrial biogenesis in vitro in an Nrf2-dependent manner. Despite the in vitro differences, both DMF and MMF exerted similar neuroprotective effects and blocked MPTP neurotoxicity in wild-type but not in Nrf2 null mice. Our data suggest that DMF and MMF exhibit neuroprotective effects against MPTP neurotoxicity because of their distinct Nrf2-mediated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and mitochondrial functional/biogenetic effects, but MMF does so without depleting glutathione and inhibiting mitochondrial and glycolytic functions. Given that oxidative damage, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction are all implicated in PD pathogenesis, our results provide preclinical evidence for the development of MMF rather than DMF as a novel PD therapeutic. Almost two centuries since its first description by James Parkinson, Parkinson's disease (PD) remains an incurable disease with limited symptomatic treatment. The current study provides

  14. A Drug Combination Screen Identifies Drugs Active against Amoxicillin-Induced Round Bodies of In Vitro Borrelia burgdorferi Persisters from an FDA Drug Library

    PubMed Central

    Feng, Jie; Shi, Wanliang; Zhang, Shuo; Sullivan, David; Auwaerter, Paul G.; Zhang, Ying

    2016-01-01

    Although currently recommended antibiotics for Lyme disease such as doxycycline or amoxicillin cure the majority of the patients, about 10–20% of patients treated for Lyme disease may experience lingering symptoms including fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. Under experimental stress conditions such as starvation or antibiotic exposure, Borrelia burgdorferi can develop round body forms, which are a type of persister bacteria that appear resistant in vitro to customary first-line antibiotics for Lyme disease. To identify more effective drugs with activity against the round body form of B. burgdorferi, we established a round body persister model induced by exposure to amoxicillin (50 μg/ml) and then screened the Food and Drug Administration drug library consisting of 1581 drug compounds and also 22 drug combinations using the SYBR Green I/propidium iodide viability assay. We identified 23 drug candidates that have higher activity against the round bodies of B. burgdorferi than either amoxicillin or doxycycline. Eleven individual drugs scored better than metronidazole and tinidazole which have been previously described to be active against round bodies. In this amoxicillin-induced round body model, some drug candidates such as daptomycin and clofazimine also displayed enhanced activity which was similar to a previous screen against stationary phase B. burgdorferi persisters not exposure to amoxicillin. Additional candidate drugs active against round bodies identified include artemisinin, ciprofloxacin, nifuroxime, fosfomycin, chlortetracycline, sulfacetamide, sulfamethoxypyridazine and sulfathiozole. Two triple drug combinations had the highest activity against amoxicillin-induced round bodies and stationary phase B. burgdorferi persisters: artemisinin/cefoperazone/doxycycline and sulfachlorpyridazine/daptomycin/doxycycline. These findings confirm and extend previous findings that certain drug combinations have superior activity against B. burgdorferi

  15. A Drug Combination Screen Identifies Drugs Active against Amoxicillin-Induced Round Bodies of In Vitro Borrelia burgdorferi Persisters from an FDA Drug Library.

    PubMed

    Feng, Jie; Shi, Wanliang; Zhang, Shuo; Sullivan, David; Auwaerter, Paul G; Zhang, Ying

    2016-01-01

    Although currently recommended antibiotics for Lyme disease such as doxycycline or amoxicillin cure the majority of the patients, about 10-20% of patients treated for Lyme disease may experience lingering symptoms including fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. Under experimental stress conditions such as starvation or antibiotic exposure, Borrelia burgdorferi can develop round body forms, which are a type of persister bacteria that appear resistant in vitro to customary first-line antibiotics for Lyme disease. To identify more effective drugs with activity against the round body form of B. burgdorferi, we established a round body persister model induced by exposure to amoxicillin (50 μg/ml) and then screened the Food and Drug Administration drug library consisting of 1581 drug compounds and also 22 drug combinations using the SYBR Green I/propidium iodide viability assay. We identified 23 drug candidates that have higher activity against the round bodies of B. burgdorferi than either amoxicillin or doxycycline. Eleven individual drugs scored better than metronidazole and tinidazole which have been previously described to be active against round bodies. In this amoxicillin-induced round body model, some drug candidates such as daptomycin and clofazimine also displayed enhanced activity which was similar to a previous screen against stationary phase B. burgdorferi persisters not exposure to amoxicillin. Additional candidate drugs active against round bodies identified include artemisinin, ciprofloxacin, nifuroxime, fosfomycin, chlortetracycline, sulfacetamide, sulfamethoxypyridazine and sulfathiozole. Two triple drug combinations had the highest activity against amoxicillin-induced round bodies and stationary phase B. burgdorferi persisters: artemisinin/cefoperazone/doxycycline and sulfachlorpyridazine/daptomycin/doxycycline. These findings confirm and extend previous findings that certain drug combinations have superior activity against B. burgdorferi

  16. Methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic toxicity prevented owing to the neuroprotective effects of salicylic acid.

    PubMed

    Thrash-Williams, Bessy; Karuppagounder, Senthilkumar S; Bhattacharya, Dwipayan; Ahuja, Manuj; Suppiramaniam, Vishnu; Dhanasekaran, Muralikrishnan

    2016-06-01

    Methamphetamine (Schedule-II drug, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) is one of the most abused illicit drug following cocaine, marijuana, and heroin in the USA. There are numerous health impairments and substantial economic burden caused by methamphetamine abuse. Salicylic acid, potent anti-inflammatory drug and a known neuroprotectant has shown to protect against toxicity-induced by other dopaminergic neurotoxins. Hence, in this study we investigated the neuroprotective effects of salicylic acid against methamphetamine-induced toxicity in mice. The current study investigated the effects of sodium salicylate and/or methamphetamine on oxidative stress, monoamine oxidase, mitochondrial complex I & IV activities using spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods. Behavioral analysis evaluated the effect on movement disorders-induced by methamphetamine. Monoaminergic neurotransmitter levels were evaluated using high pressure liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection. Methamphetamine caused significant generation of reactive oxygen species and decreased complex-I activity leading to dopamine depletion. Striatal dopamine depletion led to significant behavioral changes associated with movement disorders. Sodium salicylate (50 & 100mg/kg) significantly scavenged reactive oxygen species, blocked mitochondrial dysfunction and exhibited neuroprotection against methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity. In addition, sodium salicylate significantly blocked methamphetamine-induced behavioral changes related to movement abnormalities. One of the leading causative theories in nigral degeneration associated with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease is exposure to stimulants, drugs of abuse, insecticide and pesticides. These neurotoxic substances can induce dopaminergic neuronal insult by oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. Salicylic acid due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects could provide neuroprotection against the

  17. Neural correlates of stress-induced and cue-induced drug craving: influences of sex and cocaine dependence.

    PubMed

    Potenza, Marc N; Hong, Kwang-ik Adam; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Fulbright, Robert K; Tuit, Keri L; Sinha, Rajita

    2012-04-01

    Although stress and drug cue exposure each increase drug craving and contribute to relapse in cocaine dependence, no previous research has directly examined the neural correlates of stress-induced and drug cue-induced craving in cocaine-dependent women and men relative to comparison subjects. Functional MRI was used to assess responses to individualized scripts for stress, drug/alcohol cue and neutral-relaxing-imagery conditions in 30 abstinent cocaine-dependent individuals (16 women, 14 men) and 36 healthy recreational-drinking comparison subjects (18 women, 18 men). Significant three-way interactions between diagnostic group, sex, and script condition were observed in multiple brain regions including the striatum, insula, and anterior and posterior cingulate. Within women, group-by-condition interactions were observed involving these regions and were attributable to relatively increased regional activations in cocaine-dependent women during the stress and, to a lesser extent, neutral-relaxing conditions. Within men, group main effects were observed involving these same regions, with cocaine-dependent men demonstrating relatively increased activation across conditions, with the main contributions from the drug and neutral-relaxing conditions. In men and women, subjective drug-induced craving measures correlated positively with corticostriatal-limbic activations. In cocaine dependence, corticostriatal-limbic hyperactivity appears to be linked to stress cues in women, drug cues in men, and neutral-relaxing conditions in both. These findings suggest that sex should be taken into account in the selection of therapies in the treatment of addiction, particularly those targeting stress reduction.

  18. Rotigotine transdermal patch and sleep in Parkinson's disease: where are we now?

    PubMed

    Rosa-Grilo, Miguel; Qamar, Mubasher A; Taddei, Raquel N; Pagonabarraga, Javier; Kulisevsky, Jaime; Sauerbier, Anna; Chaudhuri, K Ray

    2017-01-01

    A wide range of sleep dysfunction complicates Parkinson's disease during its course from prodromal to palliative stage. It is now increasingly acknowledged that sleep disturbances are thus integral to the disease and pose a significant burden impacting on quality of life of patients. Sleep fragmentation, restless legs syndrome, nocturia, and nocturnal pain are regarded as one of the main components of night-time sleep dysfunction with possible secondary impact on cognition and well-being. The role of dopaminergic therapies, particularly using a continuous drug delivery strategy in managing some of these sleep issues, have been reported but the overall concept remains unclear. This review provides an overview of several aspects of night-time sleep dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and describes all available published open-label and blinded studies that investigated the use of rotigotine transdermal patch targeting sleep. Blinded studies have suggested beneficial effects of rotigotine transdermal patch on maintenance insomnia and restless legs syndrome in Parkinson's disease patients. Open-label studies support these observations and also suggest beneficial effects on nocturia and nocturnal pain.

  19. Environmental risk factors and Parkinson's disease: An umbrella review of meta-analyses.

    PubMed

    Bellou, Vanesa; Belbasis, Lazaros; Tzoulaki, Ioanna; Evangelou, Evangelos; Ioannidis, John P A

    2016-02-01

    Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder with complex pathogenesis implicating both environmental and genetic factors. We aimed to summarise the environmental risk factors that have been studied for potential association with Parkinson's disease, assess the presence of diverse biases, and identify the risk factors with the strongest support. We searched PubMed from inception to September 18, 2015, to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies that examined associations between environmental factors and Parkinson's disease. For each meta-analysis we estimated the summary effect size by random-effects and fixed-effects models, the 95% confidence interval and the 95% prediction interval. We estimated the between-study heterogeneity expressed by I(2), evidence of small-study effects and evidence of excess significance bias. Overall, 75 unique meta-analyses on different risk factors for Parkinson's disease were examined, covering diverse biomarkers, dietary factors, drugs, medical history or comorbid diseases, exposure to toxic environmental agents and habits. 21 of 75 meta-analyses had results that were significant at p < 0.001 by random-effects. Evidence for an association was convincing (more than 1000 cases, p < 10(-6) by random-effects, not large heterogeneity, 95% prediction interval excluding the null value and absence of hints for small-study effects and excess significance bias) for constipation, and physical activity. Many environmental factors have substantial evidence of association with Parkinson's disease, but several, perhaps most, of them may reflect reverse causation, residual confounding, information bias, sponsor conflicts or other caveats. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. [Talc-induced pulmonary granulomas in drug addicts].

    PubMed

    Latartseva, L N; Kryvenko, O N

    2013-01-01

    Among the diseases accompanied by granuloma formation in the lung, there is so-called granulomatosis developing in injection drug users who have been long injecting suspensions of oral medications containing talc and other water insoluble fillers. 102 deaths of chronic intravenous drug users were examined; 12 of whom showed pulmonary talc-induced granulomatosis. Their morphology was studied using polarized light microscopy. The main mechanisms of thanatogenesis in lethal cases within the first hours after intravenous injection of talc-containing oral medication suspensions are explained.

  1. The serotonergic system in Parkinson's patients with dyskinesia: evidence from imaging studies.

    PubMed

    Pagano, Gennaro; Niccolini, Flavia; Politis, Marios

    2017-12-20

    The purpose of review is to review the current status of positron emission tomography (PET) molecular imaging of serotonergic system in Parkinson's patients who experience levodopa-induced (LIDs) and graft-induced dyskinesias (GIDs). PET imaging studies have shown that Parkinson's disease is characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. Parkinson's patients who experienced LIDs and GIDs have an aberrant spreading of serotonergic terminals, which lead to an increased serotonergic/dopaminergic terminals ratio within the putamen. Serotonergic terminals convert exogenous levodopa into dopamine in a non-physiological manner and release an abnormal amount of dopamine without an auto-regulatory feedback. This results in higher swings in synaptic levels of dopamine, which leads to the development of LIDs and GIDs. The modulation of serotonergic terminals with 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 1B receptors agonists partially reduced these motor complications. In vivo PET studies confirmed that abnormal spreading of serotonergic terminals within the putamen has a pivotal role in the development of LIDs and GIDs. However, glutamatergic, adenosinergic, opioid systems, and phosphodiesterases 10A may also play a role in the development of these motor complications. An integrative multimodal imaging approach combining PET and MRI imaging techniques is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the development of LIDs and GIDs.

  2. Antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis.

    PubMed

    Sun, Ming-Tsung; Tsai, Chen-Hao; Shih, Kuang-Chung

    2009-08-01

    Antithyroid drugs are widely used to treat hyperthyroidism, especially Graves' disease, but they tend to cause agranulocytosis, which increases the mortality rate. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor decreases the duration of recovery from agranulocytosis. We retrospectively studied cases of antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis over the past 10 years in a northern Taiwan medical center. A clinical evaluation was conducted, including a review of complete blood cell counts and differential counts. Four cases were included in this analysis. Agranulocytosis persisted in 2 cases despite a change in therapy from propylthiouracil to methimazole. Fever, sore throat, and diarrhea were common symptoms of agranulocytosis. Initial white blood cell counts ranged from 450 to 1,710/microL. Only 1 case had a positive result from a throat swab culture (Staphylococcus aureus). Three of 4 cases received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy, and the recovery time ranged from 3 to 13 days. All of the patients recovered from agranulocytosis. We concluded that: (1) conducting a routine complete blood cell count is beneficial in alerting caregivers to the possibility of agranulocytosis; (2) educating patients about the common symptoms of agranulocytosis may contribute to an early diagnosis; (3) providing granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy to patients results in good prognosis; and (4) monitoring for cross-reactions between drugs should be performed to prevent further episodes of agranulocytosis.

  3. Drug related problems with Antiparkinsonian agents: consumer Internet reports versus published data.

    PubMed

    Schröder, Sabrina; Zöllner, York Francis; Schaefer, Marion

    2007-10-01

    There is currently a lack of detailed information concerning drug related problems in the outpatient treatment of Parkinson's disease. Problems associated with drug treatment communicated anonymously in Parkinson's disease online forums were therefore retrospectively searched and documented for 1 year. Based on postings concerning 12 drugs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, a total of 238 drug related problems were identified and categorised using the Problem Intervention Documentation (PI-Doc). Of these, 153 were adverse drug reactions. Adverse drug reactions associated with the skin were relatively common, but central effects such as cognitive or psychiatric changes, effects on the sleep/waking system and other problems like headache and dizziness accounted for the highest percentage of adverse events. A comparison with data from scientific literature revealed a number of differences. This means that an analysis of online forums detected a number of drug related problems that were otherwise largely invisible. These were mainly associated with the qualitative aspects of treatment such as medication handling, dosage and individual problems concerning adverse events. In addition, the described method of identifying and classifying drug related problems in Internet forums may also be seen as a contribution to the international discussion about consumer reports and pharmacovigilance. The information about adverse drug reactions given by Internet users can be seen as a valuable adjunct to clinical trial data and as being very timely with regard to the event itself. Online forums may be considered as a suitable source of observational information to complement data from randomised clinical trials.

  4. Programming for Stimulation-Induced Transient Nonmotor Psychiatric Symptoms after Bilateral Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Xi; Qiu, Yiqing; Simfukwe, Keith; Wang, Jiali; Chen, Jianchun

    2017-01-01

    Background Stimulation-induced transient nonmotor psychiatric symptoms (STPSs) are side effects following bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We designed algorithms which (1) determine the electrode contacts that induce STPSs and (2) provide a programming protocol to eliminate STPS and maintain the optimal motor functions. Our objective is to test the effectiveness of these algorithms. Materials and Methods 454 PD patients who underwent programming sessions after STN-DBS implantations were retrospectively analyzed. Only STPS patients were enrolled. In these patients, the contacts inducing STPS were found and the programming protocol algorithms used. Results Eleven patients were diagnosed with STPS. Of these patients, two had four episodes of crying, and two had four episodes of mirthful laughter. In one patient, two episodes of abnormal sense of spatial orientation were observed. Hallucination episodes were observed twice in one patient, while five patients recorded eight episodes of hypomania. There were no statistical differences between the UPDRS-III under the final stimulation parameter (without STPS) and previous optimum UPDRS-III under the STPSs (p = 1.000). Conclusion The flow diagram used for determining electrode contacts that induce STPS and the programming protocol employed in the treatment of these symptoms are effective. PMID:28894620

  5. Machine learning-based prediction of adverse drug effects: An example of seizure-inducing compounds.

    PubMed

    Gao, Mengxuan; Igata, Hideyoshi; Takeuchi, Aoi; Sato, Kaoru; Ikegaya, Yuji

    2017-02-01

    Various biological factors have been implicated in convulsive seizures, involving side effects of drugs. For the preclinical safety assessment of drug development, it is difficult to predict seizure-inducing side effects. Here, we introduced a machine learning-based in vitro system designed to detect seizure-inducing side effects. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 alveus in acute mouse neocortico-hippocampal slices, while 14 drugs were bath-perfused at 5 different concentrations each. For each experimental condition, we collected seizure-like neuronal activity and merged their waveforms as one graphic image, which was further converted into a feature vector using Caffe, an open framework for deep learning. In the space of the first two principal components, the support vector machine completely separated the vectors (i.e., doses of individual drugs) that induced seizure-like events and identified diphenhydramine, enoxacin, strychnine and theophylline as "seizure-inducing" drugs, which indeed were reported to induce seizures in clinical situations. Thus, this artificial intelligence-based classification may provide a new platform to detect the seizure-inducing side effects of preclinical drugs. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Rasagiline for dysexecutive symptoms during wearing-off in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Rinaldi, Domiziana; Assogna, Francesca; Sforza, Michela; Tagliente, Stefania; Pontieri, Francesco E

    2018-01-01

    Wearing-off refers to the predictable worsening of motor and sometimes non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease occurring at the end of levodopa dose that improves with the next drug dose. Here, we investigated the efficacy of rasagiline on executive functions at the end of levodopa dose in patients displaying symptoms of wearing-off. Rasagiline was well-tolerated and produced a significant improvement at the Frontal Assessment Battery, together with improvement of motor symptoms at the end of levodopa dose. These results suggest that treatment of motor symptoms of wearing-off with rasagiline may be accompanied by improvement of executive functions, and further support the need for optimizing dopamine replacement therapy in fluctuating Parkinson's disease patients.

  7. Generalized mathematical-computational-electronic model of MPTP- induced Parkinsonism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaramillo Raquejo, Daniela

    2013-05-01

    The substance 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6 tetrahy dropyridine (MPTP) has been studied as a major cause of neurodegeneration dopaminica, which is specifically related to Parkinson's disease. The analysis is in terms of the diffusion of the substance to the mammalian brain, by evaluating the diffusion equation in a spherical coordinate system, being η (collective diffusion term) spatially modulated. Although the progress of the disease with respect to time has not been established with certainty, an attempt to find a stable pattern of the concentration of MPTP and its effects has been made.

  8. Screening drug-induced arrhythmia [corrected] using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and low-impedance microelectrode arrays.

    PubMed

    Navarrete, Enrique G; Liang, Ping; Lan, Feng; Sanchez-Freire, Verónica; Simmons, Chelsey; Gong, Tingyu; Sharma, Arun; Burridge, Paul W; Patlolla, Bhagat; Lee, Andrew S; Wu, Haodi; Beygui, Ramin E; Wu, Sean M; Robbins, Robert C; Bers, Donald M; Wu, Joseph C

    2013-09-10

    Drug-induced arrhythmia is one of the most common causes of drug development failure and withdrawal from market. This study tested whether human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) combined with a low-impedance microelectrode array (MEA) system could improve on industry-standard preclinical cardiotoxicity screening methods, identify the effects of well-characterized drugs, and elucidate underlying risk factors for drug-induced arrhythmia. hiPSC-CMs may be advantageous over immortalized cell lines because they possess similar functional characteristics as primary human cardiomyocytes and can be generated in unlimited quantities. Pharmacological responses of beating embryoid bodies exposed to a comprehensive panel of drugs at 65 to 95 days postinduction were determined. Responses of hiPSC-CMs to drugs were qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the reported drug effects in literature. Torsadogenic hERG blockers, such as sotalol and quinidine, produced statistically and physiologically significant effects, consistent with patch-clamp studies, on human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes hESC-CMs. False-negative and false-positive hERG blockers were identified accurately. Consistent with published studies using animal models, early afterdepolarizations and ectopic beats were observed in 33% and 40% of embryoid bodies treated with sotalol and quinidine, respectively, compared with negligible early afterdepolarizations and ectopic beats in untreated controls. We found that drug-induced arrhythmias can be recapitulated in hiPSC-CMs and documented with low impedance MEA. Our data indicate that the MEA/hiPSC-CM assay is a sensitive, robust, and efficient platform for testing drug effectiveness and for arrhythmia screening. This system may hold great potential for reducing drug development costs and may provide significant advantages over current industry standard assays that use immortalized cell lines or animal models.

  9. Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment.

    PubMed

    Ashraghi, Mohammad R; Pagano, Gennaro; Polychronis, Sotirios; Niccolini, Flavia; Politis, Marios

    2016-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying Parkinson's are still unknown. Mitochondrial dysfunction, abnormal protein aggregation, increased neuroinflammation and impairment of brain glucose metabolism are shared processes among insulinresistance, diabetes and neurodegeneration and have been suggested as key mechanisms in development of Parkinson's and cognitive impairment. To review experimental and clinical evidence of underlying Parkinson's pathophysiology in common with diabetes and cognitive impairment. Anti-diabetic agents and recent patents for insulin-resistance that might be repositioned in the treatment of Parkinson's also have been included in this review. A narrative review using MEDLINE database. Common antidiabetic treatments such as DPP4 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists and metformin have shown promise in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and cognitive impairment in animals and humans. Study of the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration common between diabetes and Parkinson's disease has given rise to new treatment possibilities. Patents published in the last 5 years could be used in novel approaches to Parkinson's treatment by targeting specific pathophysiology proteins, such as Nurr1, PINK1 and NrF2, while patents to improve penetration of the blood brain barrier could allow improved efficacy of existing treatments. Further studies using GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors to treat PD are warranted as they have shown promise.

  10. Identifying clinically relevant drug resistance genes in drug-induced resistant cancer cell lines and post- chemotherapy tissues

    PubMed Central

    Tong, Mengsha; Zheng, Weicheng; Lu, Xingrong; Ao, Lu; Li, Xiangyu; Guan, Qingzhou; Cai, Hao; Li, Mengyao; Yan, Haidan; Guo, You; Chi, Pan; Guo, Zheng

    2015-01-01

    Until recently, few molecular signatures of drug resistance identified in drug-induced resistant cancer cell models can be translated into clinical practice. Here, we defined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between pre-chemotherapy colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples of non-responders and responders for 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based therapy as clinically relevant drug resistance genes (CRG5-FU/L-OHP). Taking CRG5-FU/L-OHP as reference, we evaluated the clinical relevance of several types of genes derived from HCT116 CRC cells with resistance to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, respectively. The results revealed that DEGs between parental and resistant cells, when both were treated with the corresponding drug for a certain time, were significantly consistent with the CRG5-FU/L-OHP as well as the DEGs between the post-chemotherapy CRC specimens of responders and non-responders. This study suggests a novel strategy to extract clinically relevant drug resistance genes from both drug-induced resistant cell models and post-chemotherapy cancer tissue specimens. PMID:26515599

  11. Mechanisms of the hepatoprotective effects of tamoxifen against drug-induced and chemical-induced acute liver injuries

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yoshikawa, Yukitaka; Miyashita, Taishi; Higuchi, Satonori

    Although estrogen receptor (ER)α agonists, such as estradiol and ethinylestradiol (EE2), cause cholestasis in mice, they also reduce the degree of liver injury caused by hepatotoxicants as well as ischemia–reperfusion. The functional mechanisms of ERα have yet to be elucidated in drug-induced or chemical-induced liver injury. The present study investigated the effects of an ERα agonist, selective ER modulators (SERMs) and an ER antagonist on drug-induced and chemical-induced liver injuries caused by acetaminophen, bromobenzene, diclofenac, and thioacetamide (TA). We observed hepatoprotective effects of EE2, tamoxifen (TAM) and raloxifene pretreatment in female mice that were exposed to a variety of hepatotoxicmore » compounds. In contrast, the ER antagonist did not show any hepatoprotective effects. DNA microarray analyses suggested that monocyte to macrophage differentiation-associated 2 (Mmd2) protein, which has an unknown function, is commonly increased by TAM and RAL pretreatment, but not by pretreatment with the ER antagonist. In ERα-knockout mice, the hepatoprotective effects of TAM and the increased expression of Mmd2 mRNA were not observed in TA-induced liver injury. To investigate the function of Mmd2, the expression level of Mmd2 mRNA was significantly knocked down to approximately 30% in mice by injection of siRNA for Mmd2 (siMmd2). Mmd2 knockdown resulted in a reduction of the protective effects of TAM on TA-induced liver injury in mice. This is the first report of the involvement of ERα in drug-induced or chemical-induced liver injury. Upregulation of Mmd2 protein in the liver was suggested as the mechanism of the hepatoprotective effects of EE2 and SERMs. -- Highlights: ► Liver injury induced by drugs or chemicals was investigated in mice. ► Liver injury was suppressed by pretreatment with tamoxifen in female mice. ► Mmd2, whose function was unknown, could be a candidate gene for liver protection. ► Tamoxifen up-regulated Mmd2 m

  12. [Sexual delinquency and Parkinson's disease].

    PubMed

    Berger, Ch; Mehrhoff, F W; Beier, K M; Meinck, H-M

    2003-04-01

    The risk of aberrant sexual behaviour such as hypersexuality, exhibitionism, or pederasty may be underestimated in Parkinson's disease and its therapy with high-dosage L-dopa or dopamine agonists. We describe two legal cases which are representative of the forensic assessment of these side effects. The first case brought to court was a 45-year-old man suffering for 20 years from Parkinson's disease who developed hypersexuality and exhibitionism under high-dose therapy with ropinirol. The second patient, a 57-year-old man with an 11-year history of Parkinson's disease, developed increased libido and pederasty under therapy with L-dopa and bromocriptine. We discuss the present literature concerning hypersexuality and sexually deviant behaviour in Parkinson's disease and dopaminergic therapy in the German legal context. Doctors treating Parkinson patients should be aware of increased sexual impulses or reduced behavioural control and ask specifically about them during anamnesis, and counteractive therapeutic strategies should be considered to prevent the occurrence of illegal sexually aberrant behavioural disorders.

  13. A new tool to adapt the treatment of Parkinson's disease patients in nursing homes.

    PubMed

    Geny, Christian; Verna, Claudia; Arifi, Alexia; Ferreira, Ernestine; Boubakri, Choukri; Blain, Hubert

    2018-03-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common condition in nursing home (NH) residents. The primary treatment for Parkinson's disease is levodopa therapy to relieve motor symptoms and maximize physical function. Non-motor symptoms are highly prevalent in NH residents with Parkinson's disease and dramatically decrease quality of life. Choices in drug treatment need to take into account the complex interactions between aging, comorbidity and non-motor symptoms. Optimal management requires expertise and cooperative effort from prescribing neurologists and nursing home health professionals. The objective is to evaluate the pertinence of the CHEF, a new tool to screen daily life clinical data helpful for the management of neurologist consultants. NH nurses were asked to briefly report falls and gait problems, hallucinations, sleep disorders and motor fluctuations. Analysis of the results obtained in 26 patients showed that CHEF was perceived as a helpful complement to existing ressources. The use of this tool has the potential to enhance the quality of NH care of Parkinsonian patients.

  14. Predicting early cognitive decline in newly-diagnosed Parkinson's patients: A practical model.

    PubMed

    Hogue, Olivia; Fernandez, Hubert H; Floden, Darlene P

    2018-06-19

    To create a multivariable model to predict early cognitive decline among de novo patients with Parkinson's disease, using brief, inexpensive assessments that are easily incorporated into clinical flow. Data for 351 drug-naïve patients diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson's disease were obtained from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Baseline demographic, disease history, motor, and non-motor features were considered as candidate predictors. Best subsets selection was used to determine the multivariable baseline symptom profile that most accurately predicted individual cognitive decline within three years. Eleven per cent of the sample experienced cognitive decline. The final logistic regression model predicting decline included five baseline variables: verbal memory retention, right-sided bradykinesia, years of education, subjective report of cognitive impairment, and REM behavior disorder. Model discrimination was good (optimism-adjusted concordance index = .749). The associated nomogram provides a tool to determine individual patient risk of meaningful cognitive change in the early stages of the disease. Through the consideration of easily-implemented or routinely-gathered assessments, we have identified a multidimensional baseline profile and created a convenient, inexpensive tool to predict cognitive decline in the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease. The use of this tool would generate prediction at the individual level, allowing clinicians to tailor medical management for each patient and identify at-risk patients for clinical trials aimed at disease modifying therapies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Management of neurodegenerative disorders: Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Pal, P K; Netravathi, M

    2005-03-01

    Neurodegenerative disorders result from premature progressive degeneration of specific neurons, and manifest as diseases or syndromes with varied combinations of cognitive, motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. The management involves pharmacotherapy as well as non-pharmacological measures and also to lessen the burden of the care-givers. The medications available for medical treatment are: Levodopa, dopamine agonists, amantadine, anticholinergics, enzyme inhibitors, etc. Advanced Parkinson's disease is concerned with management of motor complications and non-motor complications. Recently surgical treatment is a great option for managing motor complication. Orthostatic hypotension, gait distiurbances, emotional and psychiatric problems, sleep disturbances can be managed and had been discussed in brief. Currently there is no medication available for the cure of Alzheimer's disease. The specific medications claimed to improve patient's well being and cognition include cholinesterase inhibitors, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, anti-oxidants, and anti-amyloid therapy. While medical and surgical treatments for Parkinson's disease have revolutionised the management, still drug therapy for Alzheimer's disease is dismal.

  16. Drug-induced liver injury due to antimicrobials, central nervous system agents, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

    PubMed

    Devarbhavi, Harshad; Andrade, Raúl J

    2014-05-01

    Antimicrobial agents including antituberculosis (anti-TB) agents are the most common cause of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and drug-induced liver failure across the world. Better molecular and genetic biomarkers are acutely needed to help identify those at risk of liver injury particularly for those needing antituberculosis therapy. Some antibiotics such as amoxicillin-clavulanate and isoniazid consistently top the lists of agents in retrospective and prospective DILI databases. Central nervous system agents, particularly antiepileptics, account for the second most common class of agents implicated in DILI registries. Hepatotoxicity from older antiepileptics such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, and phenobarbital are often associated with hypersensitivity features, whereas newer antiepileptic drugs have a more favorable safety profile. Antidepressants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs carry very low risk of significant liver injury, but their prolific use make them important causes of DILI. Early diagnosis and withdrawal of the offending agent remain the mainstays of minimizing hepatotoxicity. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  17. Therapeutic potential of targeting group III metabotropic glutamate receptors in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

    PubMed Central

    Duty, Susan

    2010-01-01

    Current drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), for example, L-DOPA and dopamine agonists, are very effective at reversing the motor symptoms of the disease. However, they do little to combat the underlying degeneration of dopaminergic neurones in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and their long-term use is associated with the appearance of adverse effects such as L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia. Much emphasis has therefore been placed on finding alternative non-dopaminergic drugs that may circumvent some or all of these problems. Group III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors were first identified in the basal ganglia a decade ago. One or more of these receptors (mGlu4, mGlu7 or mGlu8) is found on pre-synaptic terminals of basal ganglia pathways whose overactivity is implicated not only in the generation of motor symptoms in PD, but also in driving the progressive SNc degeneration. The finding that drugs which activate group III mGlu receptors can inhibit transmission across these overactive synapses has lead to the proposal that group III mGlu receptors are promising targets for drug discovery in PD. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the role and target potential of group III mGlu receptors in the basal ganglia. Overwhelming evidence obtained from in vitro studies and animal models of PD supports group III mGlu receptors as potentially important drug targets for providing both symptom relief and neuroprotection in PD. PMID:20735415

  18. Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Poewe, Werner; Seppi, Klaus; Tanner, Caroline M; Halliday, Glenda M; Brundin, Patrik; Volkmann, Jens; Schrag, Anette-Eleonore; Lang, Anthony E

    2017-03-23

    Parkinson disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects 2-3% of the population ≥65 years of age. Neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, which causes striatal dopamine deficiency, and intracellular inclusions containing aggregates of α-synuclein are the neuropathological hallmarks of Parkinson disease. Multiple other cell types throughout the central and peripheral autonomic nervous system are also involved, probably from early disease onwards. Although clinical diagnosis relies on the presence of bradykinesia and other cardinal motor features, Parkinson disease is associated with many non-motor symptoms that add to overall disability. The underlying molecular pathogenesis involves multiple pathways and mechanisms: α-synuclein proteostasis, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis, axonal transport and neuroinflammation. Recent research into diagnostic biomarkers has taken advantage of neuroimaging in which several modalities, including PET, single-photon emission CT (SPECT) and novel MRI techniques, have been shown to aid early and differential diagnosis. Treatment of Parkinson disease is anchored on pharmacological substitution of striatal dopamine, in addition to non-dopaminergic approaches to address both motor and non-motor symptoms and deep brain stimulation for those developing intractable L-DOPA-related motor complications. Experimental therapies have tried to restore striatal dopamine by gene-based and cell-based approaches, and most recently, aggregation and cellular transport of α-synuclein have become therapeutic targets. One of the greatest current challenges is to identify markers for prodromal disease stages, which would allow novel disease-modifying therapies to be started earlier.

  19. Large-Scale Wearable Sensor Deployment in Parkinson's Patients: The Parkinson@Home Study Protocol.

    PubMed

    Silva de Lima, Ana Lígia; Hahn, Tim; de Vries, Nienke M; Cohen, Eli; Bataille, Lauren; Little, Max A; Baldus, Heribert; Bloem, Bastiaan R; Faber, Marjan J

    2016-08-26

    Long-term management of Parkinson's disease does not reach its full potential because we lack knowledge about individual variations in clinical presentation and disease progression. Continuous and longitudinal assessments in real-life (ie, within the patients' own home environment) might fill this knowledge gap. The primary aim of the Parkinson@Home study is to evaluate the feasibility and compliance of using multiple wearable sensors to collect clinically relevant data. Our second aim is to address the usability of these data for answering clinical research questions. Finally, we aim to build a database for future validation of novel algorithms applied to sensor-derived data from Parkinson's patients during daily functioning. The Parkinson@Home study is a two-phase observational study involving 1000 Parkinson's patients and 250 physiotherapists. Disease status is assessed using a short version of the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative protocol, performed by certified physiotherapists. Additionally, participants will wear a set of sensors (smartwatch, smartphone, and fall detector), and use these together with a customized smartphone app (Fox Insight), 24/7 for 3 months. The sensors embedded within the smartwatch and fall detector may be used to estimate physical activity, tremor, sleep quality, and falls. Medication intake and fall incidents will be measured via patients' self-reports in the smartphone app. Phase one will address the feasibility of the study protocol. In phase two, mathematicians will distill relevant summary statistics from the raw sensor signals, which will be compared against the clinical outcomes. Recruitment of 300 participants for phase one was concluded in March, 2016, and the follow-up period will end in June, 2016. Phase two will include the remaining participants, and will commence in September, 2016. The Parkinson@Home study is expected to generate new insights into the feasibility of integrating self-collected information from

  20. Case ascertainment and estimated incidence of drug-induced long-QT syndrome: study in Southwest France

    PubMed Central

    Molokhia, Mariam; Pathak, Atul; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse; Caturla, Laetitia; Montastruc, Jean Louis; McKeigue, Paul

    2008-01-01

    AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and reporting rate of drug-induced long-QT syndrome (LQTS) in France [defined by evidence of torsades de pointes (TdP), QT prolongation and exposure to a relevant drug] and to assess feasibility of case collection for drug-induced LQTS. METHODS A retrospective population-based study was carried out in Southwest France in five institutions: three main hospitals, one private clinic and one cardiac emergency unit, searched from 1 January 1999 to 1 January 2005 (population coverage of 614 000). The study population consisted of 861 cases with International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnostic codes for ventricular tachycardia (I147.2), ventricular fibrillation (I149.0) and sudden cardiac death (I146.1) from hospital discharge summaries, supplemented by cases reported to national or regional pharmacovigilance systems, and voluntary reporting by physicians, validated according to internationally defined criteria for drug-induced LQTS. RESULTS Of 861 patients coded with arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death, there were 40 confirmed surviving acquired cases of drug-induced LQTS. We estimated that the incidence of those who survive to reach hospital drug-induced LQTS is approximately 10.9 per million annually in France (95% confidence interval 7.8, 14.8). CONCLUSIONS Many cases of drug-induced LQTS may not survive before they reach hospital, as the reporting rate for drug-induced LQTS identified through the cardiology records and also reported to pharmacovigilance systems for the Midi-Pyrenees area is 3/40 (7.5%). Using the methods outlined it is possible to assemble cases to study genetic susceptibility to drug-induced LQTS and adapt these methods more widely. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT Drug-induced long-QT syndrome (LQTS) is a potentially fatal condition that has led to a number of postmarketing withdrawals in recent years. However, many cases may not survive long enough to reach hospital, and

  1. Dysphagia and sialorrhea: the relationship to Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Nicaretta, Denise Hack; Rosso, Ana Lucia; Mattos, James Pitágoras de; Maliska, Carmelindo; Costa, Milton M B

    2013-01-01

    Dysphagia and sialorrhea in patients with Parkinson's disease are both automatically accepted as dependent on this neurological disease. The aim were to establish if these two complaints are a consequence or associated manifestations of Parkinson's disease. Two Parkinson's diseases groups from the same outpatients' population were studied. Patients in the first group, with dysphagia, were studied by videofluoroscopy. The second, with sialorrhea, were studied by the scintigraphic method, Videofluoroscopic examination of the oral, pharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing showed that 94% of Parkinson's diseases patients present, structural causes, not related to Parkinson's diseases, able to produce or intensify the observed disphagia. The scintigraphic examination of Parkinson's diseases patients with sialorrhea showed that there is no increase of serous saliva production. Nevertheless, showed a significantly higher velocity of saliva excretion in the Parkinson's diseases patients. Dysphagia can be due to the muscular rigidity often present in the Parkinson's diseases patient, or more usually by non Parkinson's disease associated causes. In Parkinson's diseases patients, sialorrhea is produced by saliva retention. Nevertheless, sialorrhea can produce discomfort in swallowing, although without a formal complaint of dysphagia. In this case, subclinical dysphagia must be considered. Sialorrhea is indicative of dysphagia or at least of subclinical dysphagia. As final conclusion, Parkinson's diseases can be an isolated cause of dysphagia and/or sialorrhea, but frequently, a factor unrelated to Parkinson's diseases is the main cause of or at least aggravates the dysphagia.

  2. A prediction model of drug-induced ototoxicity developed by an optimal support vector machine (SVM) method.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Shu; Li, Guo-Bo; Huang, Lu-Yi; Xie, Huan-Zhang; Zhao, Ying-Lan; Chen, Yu-Zong; Li, Lin-Li; Yang, Sheng-Yong

    2014-08-01

    Drug-induced ototoxicity, as a toxic side effect, is an important issue needed to be considered in drug discovery. Nevertheless, current experimental methods used to evaluate drug-induced ototoxicity are often time-consuming and expensive, indicating that they are not suitable for a large-scale evaluation of drug-induced ototoxicity in the early stage of drug discovery. We thus, in this investigation, established an effective computational prediction model of drug-induced ototoxicity using an optimal support vector machine (SVM) method, GA-CG-SVM. Three GA-CG-SVM models were developed based on three training sets containing agents bearing different risk levels of drug-induced ototoxicity. For comparison, models based on naïve Bayesian (NB) and recursive partitioning (RP) methods were also used on the same training sets. Among all the prediction models, the GA-CG-SVM model II showed the best performance, which offered prediction accuracies of 85.33% and 83.05% for two independent test sets, respectively. Overall, the good performance of the GA-CG-SVM model II indicates that it could be used for the prediction of drug-induced ototoxicity in the early stage of drug discovery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Drug-, toxin-, and radiation therapy-induced eosinophilic pneumonia.

    PubMed

    Solomon, Joshua; Schwarz, Marvin

    2006-04-01

    A significant number of drugs and toxins have been associated with eosinophilic pneumonia. Antibiotics and NSAID, are the most commonly reported drugs. Toxins suspected to cause eosinophilic pneumonia include cigarette smoke and illicit drugs. Drug- or toxin-induced eosinophilic pneumonia is indistinguishable from idiopathic acute or chronic eosinophilic pneumonia by clinical, radiographic, and histopathologic criteria. The diagnosis is supported by a temporal relationship to a drug or toxin. The condition usually resolves with removal from the agent and recurs with rechallenge. Treatment involves discontinuation of the offending drug or toxin and treatment with corticosteroids in severe respiratory failure. There are also mass outbreaks of eosinophilic pneumonia reported, such as the toxic-oil syndrome in 1981 and the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome related to the ingestion of L-tryptophan in 1989. A recent report has described an outbreak of acute eosinophilic pneumonia found in soldiers in Iraq. Radiation therapy has also been associated with the development of eosinophilic pneumonia in patients receiving this treatment for breast cancer.

  4. Coordinated reset neuromodulation for Parkinson's disease: Proof-of-concept study

    PubMed Central

    Adamchic, Ilya; Hauptmann, Christian; Barnikol, Utako Brigit; Pawelczyk, Norbert; Popovych, Oleksandr; Barnikol, Thomas Theo; Silchenko, Alexander; Volkmann, Jens; Deuschl, Günter; Meissner, Wassilios G; Maarouf, Mohammad; Sturm, Volker; Freund, Hans-Joachim; Tass, Peter Alexander

    2014-01-01

    Background The discovery of abnormal synchronization of neuronal activity in the basal ganglia in Parkinson's disease (PD) has prompted the development of novel neuromodulation paradigms. Coordinated reset neuromodulation intends to specifically counteract excessive synchronization and to induce cumulative unlearning of pathological synaptic connectivity and neuronal synchrony. Methods In this prospective case series, six PD patients were evaluated before and after coordinated reset neuromodulation according to a standardized protocol that included both electrophysiological recordings and clinical assessments. Results Coordinated reset neuromodulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) applied to six PD patients in an externalized setting during three stimulation days induced a significant and cumulative reduction of beta band activity that correlated with a significant improvement of motor function. Conclusions These results highlight the potential effects of coordinated reset neuromodulation of the STN in PD patients and encourage further development of this approach as an alternative to conventional high-frequency deep brain stimulation in PD. © 2014 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. PMID:24976001

  5. Cannabis for dyskinesia in Parkinson disease: a randomized double-blind crossover study.

    PubMed

    Carroll, C B; Bain, P G; Teare, L; Liu, X; Joint, C; Wroath, C; Parkin, S G; Fox, P; Wright, D; Hobart, J; Zajicek, J P

    2004-10-12

    The long-term treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) may be complicated by the development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Clinical and animal model data support the view that modulation of cannabinoid function may exert an antidyskinetic effect. The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial to examine the hypothesis that cannabis may have a beneficial effect on dyskinesia in PD. A 4-week dose escalation study was performed to assess the safety and tolerability of cannabis in six PD patients with levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Then a randomized placebo-controlled crossover study (RCT) was performed, in which 19 PD patients were randomized to receive oral cannabis extract followed by placebo or vice versa. Each treatment phase lasted for 4 weeks with an intervening 2-week washout phase. The primary outcome measure was a change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) (items 32 to 34) dyskinesia score. Secondary outcome measures included the Rush scale, Bain scale, tablet arm drawing task, and total UPDRS score following a levodopa challenge, as well as patient-completed measures of a dyskinesia activities of daily living (ADL) scale, the PDQ-39, on-off diaries, and a range of category rating scales. Seventeen patients completed the RCT. Cannabis was well tolerated, and had no pro- or antiparkinsonian action. There was no evidence for a treatment effect on levodopa-induced dyskinesia as assessed by the UPDRS, or any of the secondary outcome measures. Orally administered cannabis extract resulted in no objective or subjective improvement in dyskinesias or parkinsonism.

  6. Antiparkinson drug--Mucuna pruriens shows antioxidant and metal chelating activity.

    PubMed

    Dhanasekaran, Muralikrishnan; Tharakan, Binu; Manyam, Bala V

    2008-01-01

    Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder for which no neurorestorative therapeutic treatment is currently available. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. The ancient Indian medical system, Ayurveda, traditionally uses Mucuna pruriens to treat Parkinson's disease. In our earlier studies, Mucuna pruriens has been shown to possess antiparkinson and neuroprotective effects in animal models of Parkinson's disease. The antioxidant activity of Mucuna pruriens was demonstrated by its ability to scavenge DPPH radicals, ABTS radicals and reactive oxygen species. Mucuna pruriens significantly inhibited the oxidation of lipids and deoxyribose sugar. Mucuna pruriens exhibited divalent iron chelating activity and did not show any genotoxic/mutagenic effect on the plasmid DNA. These results suggest that the neuroprotective and neurorestorative effect of Mucuna pruriens may be related to its antioxidant activity independent of the symptomatic effect. In addition, the drug appears to be therapeutically safe in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Deanol in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias.

    PubMed

    Klawans, H L; Topel, J L; Bergen, D

    1975-03-01

    Levodopa-induced dyskinesias frequently limit the clinical efficacy of levodopa therapy in Parkinson's disease. Deanol recently has been reported to be of value in relieving the dyskinesias by acting through a central cholinergic mechanism. Seventeen outpatients with levodopa-induced dyskinesias were given deanol in dosages of 300 to 900 mg per day. The dyskinesias improved in four of the patients, remained unchanged in five, and worsened in eight. In all four patients who showed improvement after institution of deanol therapy, the improvement continued after the patients were switched to a placebo. One of these patients also demonstrated improvement in his parkinsonism, while two others experienced a worsening in their parkinsonism. Deanol does not appear to be effective in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias.

  8. Parkinson's disease management strategies.

    PubMed

    Rajput, Alex; Rajput, Ali H

    2006-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment strategies should consider each patient individually. Drug therapy is the mainstay of treatment. An average 62-year-old male first diagnosed with PD will likely live for 20 years and treatment should be geared for long-term control of symptoms and quality of life. Of the currently available drugs, none are neurotoxic to the human substantia nigra and none are neuroprotective. As PD is a progressive disorder, all drugs have adverse effects and reduced efficacy with time. PD patients need regular follow-ups to make necessary medication adjustments. There is no perfect treatment. The authors have discussed their treatment methods and the reasoning behind it. Depending on the patient's age, the predominant symptoms and quality of life, treatment is individualized. In an average patient the least potent drugs, such as anticholinergics or amantadine, are administered first adding a dopamine agonist later on. Levodopa (LD) remains the most useful drug for PD and is reserved for later stages of disease. The objective is to keep the patient at Hoehn and Yahr Stage 2.0 or lower level of disability (bilateral findings with preserved postural reflexes) during off-stage and to avoid adverse effects. There is no long-term difference between standard preparations and control release formulations of LD/carbidopa or LD/benserazide. In older subjects, the first choice is LD. In patients who cannot be managed medically, surgical treatment is an option in selected patients (nondemented, <70 years old, previous good LD response). The surgical treatment of choice is currently subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation. Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy are valuable in advanced PD cases.

  9. Role of dermatology in pharmacogenomics: drug-induced skin injury.

    PubMed

    Borroni, Riccardo G

    2015-01-01

    Different individuals may respond diversely to the same drug, in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Adverse drug reactions cause about 6% of all hospital admissions and account for up to 9% of hospitalization costs. Drug-induced skin injury (DISI) is the most common presentation of adverse drug reactions, ranging from maculopapular eruptions to severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions (SCARs) with mortality of up to 40%. Specific genetic polymorphisms confer susceptibility to different types of DISI. Identifying patients genetically at risk for SCARs is one of the goals of pharmacogenomics. In this article, the aspects of clinical dermatology relevant to the pharmacogenetics of DISI are reviewed. Many SCARs are now preventable, with consequent reduction of morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs.

  10. Cardiac abnormalities in Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism.

    PubMed

    Scorza, Fulvio A; Fiorini, Ana C; Scorza, Carla A; Finsterer, Josef

    2018-07-01

    Though there is increasing evidence for primary cardiac disease in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinsonism (PS), this evidence is hardly included in the general management of these patients. Literature review. PD is one of the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Epidemiological studies have shown that PD is accompanied by high rates of premature death compared with the general population. In general, death in PD/PS is usually caused by determinant factors such as pneumonia, cerebrovascular, and cardiovascular disease. There is a significant body of literature demonstrating involvement of the heart in PD/PS. Cardiac involvement in PD/PS includes cardiac autonomic dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, conduction defects, and sudden cardiac death (SCD), and sudden unexpected death in Parkinson's disease (SUDPAR). Cardiac abnormalities found in PD/PS are manifold but the most prominent is cardiac autonomic dysfunction. The frequency of coronary heart disease in PD is a matter of debate. Only rarely reported in PD/PS are cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death, and SUDPAR. It is particularly recommended that PD/PS patients are more intensively investigated cardiologically as soon as the diagnosis is established. Early recognition of cardiac involvement is important for preventing SCD and SUDPAR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Reynosin protects against neuronal toxicity in dopamine-induced SH-SY5Y cells and 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats as models of Parkinson's disease: Reciprocal up-regulation of E6-AP and down-regulation of α-synuclein.

    PubMed

    Ham, Ahrom; Kim, Dong-Woo; Kim, Kyeong Ho; Lee, Sung-Jin; Oh, Ki-Bong; Shin, Jongheon; Mar, Woongchon

    2013-08-02

    Aggregation of α-synuclein (ASYN) is considered a major determinant of neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease (PD). E6-associated protein (E6-AP), an E3 ubiquitin protein ligase, has been known to promote the degradation of α-synuclein. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the sesquiterpene lactone reynosin on dopamine (DA)-induced neuronal toxicity and regulation of E6-associated protein and α-synuclein proteins in both in vitro and in vivo models of Parkinson's disease. Usi"ng flow cytometry and western blot analysis, we determined that reynosin significantly protected both against cell death from dopamine-induced toxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and against the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats (a rodent Parkinson's disease model system). In addition, reynosin made up-regulation of E6-associated protein expression and down-regulation of the over-expression of α-synuclein protein in both dopamine-treated SH-SY5Y cells and 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. These results suggest that the protective effect of reynosin against dopamine-induced neuronal cell death may be due to the reciprocal up-regulation of E6-associated protein and down-regulation of α-synuclein protein expression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Cytidine deamination induced HIV-1 drug resistance

    PubMed Central

    Mulder, Lubbertus C. F.; Harari, Ariana; Simon, Viviana

    2008-01-01

    The HIV-1 Vif protein is essential for overcoming the antiviral activity of DNA-editing apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide 3 (APOBEC3) cytidine deaminases. We show that naturally occurring HIV-1 Vif point mutants with suboptimal anti-APOBEC3G activity induce the appearance of proviruses with lamivudine (3TC) drug resistance-associated mutations before any drug exposure. These mutations, ensuing from cytidine deamination events, were detected in >40% of proviruses with partially defective Vif mutants. Transfer of drug resistance from hypermutated proviruses via recombination allowed for 3TC escape under culture conditions prohibitive for any WT viral growth. These results demonstrate that defective hypermutated genomes can shape the phenotype of the circulating viral population. Partially active Vif alleles resulting in incomplete neutralization of cytoplasmic APOBEC3 molecules are directly responsible for the generation of a highly diverse, yet G-to-A biased, proviral reservoir, which can be exploited by HIV-1 to generate viable and drug-resistant progenies. PMID:18391217

  13. Antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis complicated by pneumococcal sepsis and upper airway obstruction.

    PubMed

    Ishimaru, Naoto; Ohnishi, Hisashi; Nishiuma, Teruaki; Doukuni, Ryota; Umezawa, Kanoko; Oozone, Sachiko; Kuramoto, Emi; Yoshimura, Sho; Kinami, Saori

    2013-01-01

    Streptococcus pneumoniae is a rare pathogen of sepsis in patients with antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis. We herein describe a case of antithyroid drug-induced agranulocytosis complicated by pneumococcal sepsis and upper airway obstruction. A 27-year-old woman who was previously prescribed methimazole for nine months presented with a four-day history of a sore throat. She nearly choked and was diagnosed with febrile agranulocytosis. She was successfully treated with intubation, intravenous antibiotics and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Her blood cultures yielded S. pneumoniae. Emergency airway management, treatment of sepsis and the administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor can improve the clinical course of antithyroid drug-induced pneumococcal sepsis in patients with airway obstruction.

  14. Michael J. Fox: Spurring Research on Parkinson's

    MedlinePlus

    ... on. Feature: Parkinson's Disease Michael J. Fox: Spurring Research on Parkinson's Past Issues / Winter 2014 Table of ... founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in the year 2000. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock " ...

  15. Role of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease as risk factor for drug-induced hepatotoxicity

    PubMed Central

    Massart, Julie; Begriche, Karima; Moreau, Caroline; Fromenty, Bernard

    2017-01-01

    Background Obesity is often associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which refers to a large spectrum of hepatic lesions including fatty liver, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. Different investigations showed or suggested that obesity and NAFLD are able to increase the risk of hepatotoxicity of different drugs. Some of these drugs could induce more frequently an acute hepatitis in obese individuals whereas others could worsen pre-existing NAFLD. Aim The main objective of the present review was to collect the available information regarding the role of NAFLD as risk factor for drug-induced hepatotoxicity. For this purpose, we performed a data-mining analysis using different queries including drug-induced liver injury (or DILI), drug-induced hepatotoxicity, fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (or NAFLD), steatosis and obesity. The main data from the collected articles are reported in this review and when available, some pathophysiological hypotheses are put forward. Relevance for patients Drugs that could pose a potential risk in obese patients include compounds belonging to different pharmacological classes such as acetaminophen, halothane, methotrexate, rosiglitazone, stavudine and tamoxifen. For some of these drugs, experimental investigations in obese rodents confirmed the clinical observations and unveiled different pathophysiological mechanisms which could explain why these pharmaceuticals are particularly hepatotoxic in obesity and NAFLD. Other drugs such as pentoxifylline, phenobarbital and omeprazole might also pose a risk but more investigations are required to determine whether this risk is significant or not. Because obese people often take several drugs for the treatment of different obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease, it is urgent to identify the main pharmaceuticals that can cause acute hepatitis on a fatty liver background or induce NAFLD worsening

  16. Neuroprotective Effects of Filgrastim in Rotenone-Induced Parkinson's Disease in Rats: Insights into its Anti-Inflammatory, Neurotrophic, and Antiapoptotic Effects.

    PubMed

    Azmy, Mariama S; Menze, Esther T; El-Naga, Reem N; Tadros, Mariane G

    2018-01-11

    All current treatments of Parkinson's disease (PD) focus on enhancing the dopaminergic effects and providing symptomatic relief; however, they cannot delay the disease progression. Filgrastim, a recombinant methionyl granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, demonstrated neuroprotection in many neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. This study aimed to assess the neuroprotective effects of filgrastim in rotenone-induced rat model of PD and investigate the potential underlying mechanisms of filgrastim actions. The effects of two doses of filgrastim (20 and 40 μg/kg) on spontaneous locomotion, catalepsy, body weight, histology, and striatal dopamine (DA) content, as well as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and α-synuclein expression, were evaluated. Then, the effective dose was further tested for its potential anti-inflammatory, neurotrophic, and antiapoptotic effects. Filgrastim (40 μg/kg) prevented rotenone-induced motor deficits, weight reduction, striatal DA depletion, and histological damage. Besides, it significantly inhibited rotenone-induced decrease in TH expression and increase in α-synuclein immunoreactivity in the midbrains and striata of the rats. These effects were associated with reduction of rotenone-induced neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor depletion. Collectively, these results suggest that filgrastim might be a good candidate for management of PD.

  17. The effect of pramipexole therapy on balance disorder and fall risk in Parkinson's disease at early stage: clinical and posturographic assessment.

    PubMed

    Güler, Sibel; Bir, Levent Sinan; Akdag, Beyza; Ardıc, Fusun

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine balance problems and severity and ratio of postural instability of newly diagnosed, early stage Parkinson's patients who did not receive any antiparkinson treatment before, to evaluate fall risk clinically and posturographically and to examine the effects of pramipexole on these signs and symptoms. Detailed posturographic assessments which involved central vestibular, visual, peripheric vestibular somatosensory field tests were applied to both patient and control subjects and fall risk was determined. There was not statistically significant difference between patients and control subjects before and after drug therapy in the assesment of fall risk in posturography and there was not any improvement with drug usage in the patient group. However, in the analysis of subsystems separately, only the involvement in central vestibular field was more severe and could appear at all positions in Parkinson's patients comparing with the control group, and pramipexole was partially effective in improving this disorder. Central vestibular field is the subsystem that should be examined with first priority. Posturography is relatively reliable in defining fall risk and postural instability ratio in Parkinson's disease. But it should be considered that clinical assessment tools can be more sensitive in the evaluation of balance and postural disorders and in the follow-up of the response to drug therapy.

  18. Parkinson's disease and systemic inflammation.

    PubMed

    Ferrari, Carina C; Tarelli, Rodolfo

    2011-02-22

    Peripheral inflammation triggers exacerbation in the central brain's ongoing damage in several neurodegenerative diseases. Systemic inflammatory stimulus induce a general response known as sickness behaviour, indicating that a peripheral stimulus can induce the synthesis of cytokines in the brain. In Parkinson's disease (PD), inflammation was mainly associated with microglia activation that can underlie the neurodegeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Peripheral inflammation can transform the "primed" microglia into an "active" state, which can trigger stronger responses dealing with neurodegenerative processes. Numerous evidences show that systemic inflammatory processes exacerbate ongoing neurodegeneration in PD patient and animal models. Anti-inflammatory treatment in PD patients exerts a neuroprotective effect. In the present paper, we analyse the effect of peripheral infections in the etiology and progression in PD patients and animal models, suggesting that these peripheral immune challenges can exacerbate the symptoms in the disease.

  19. A validated chiral liquid chromatographic method for the enantiomeric separation of safinamide mesilate, a new anti-Parkinson drug.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Kai; Xue, Na; Shi, Xiaowei; Liu, Weina; Meng, Jing; Du, Yumin

    2011-04-28

    A enantioselective reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the enantiomeric resolution of safinamide mesilate, 2(S)-[4-(3-fluorobenzyloxy)benzylamino] propionamide methanesulfonate, a neuroprotectant with antiparkinsonian and anticonvulsant activity for the treatment of Parkinson disease. The enantiomers of safinamide mesilate were baseline resolved on a Chiralcel OD-RH (150mm×4.6mm, 5μm) column using a mobile phase system containing 300mM sodium di-hydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 3.0):methanol:acetonitrile (65:25:10, v/v/v). The resolution between the enantiomers was not less than 3.0. The pH value of buffer solution in the mobile phase has played a key role in enhancing chromatographic efficiency and resolution between the enantiomers. The developed method was validated and proved to be robust. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of (R)-enantiomer were found to be 15 and 50ng/mL, respectively, for 20μL injection volume. The percentage recovery of (R)-enantiomer was ranged from 94.2 to 103.7 in bulk drug samples of safinamide mesilate. The sample solution and mobile phase were found to be stable at least for 48h. The final optimized method was successfully applied to separate (R)-enantiomer from safinamide mesilate and was proven to be reproducible and accurate for the quantitative determination of (R)-enantiomer in bulk drugs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Apolipoprotein E4 serum concentration for increased sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of drug treated Alzheimer's disease patients vs. drug treated parkinson's disease patients vs. age-matched normal controls.

    PubMed

    Goldknopf, Ira L; Park, Helen R; Sabbagh, Marwan

    2012-12-01

    Inasmuch as Alzheimer's disease (AD) is difficult to diagnose, patients with suspected dementias are often given FDA approved medications, including donepezil, rivastigmine, memantine HCl, or a combination, prior to diagnosis, and some respond with improved cognition. The present study demonstrates how concentrations of a select group of serum protein biomarkers can provide the basis for sensitive and specific differential diagnosis of AD in drug treated patients. Optimization is addressed by taking into account whether the patients and controls have or do not have increased risk of AD die to the presence or absence of Apolipoprotein E4. For differential diagnosis of AD, prospectively collected newly drawn blood serum samples were obtained from drug treated Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease patients from a first (39 drug treated DTAD, and 31 age matched normal controls) and second medical center (56 drug treated DTPD, 47 age-matched normal controls). Analytically validated quantitative 2D gel electrophoresis (%CV ≤ 20%; LOD ≥ 0.5 ng/spot, 300 μg/ml of blood serum) was employed with patient and control sera for differential diagnosis of AD. Protein quantitation was subjected to statistical analysis by single variable Dot, Box and Whiskers and Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC) plots for individual biomarker performance, and multivariate linear discriminant analysis for joint performance of groups of biomarkers. Protein spots were identified and characterized by LC MS/MS of in-gel trypsin digests, amino acid sequence spans of the identified peptides, and the protein spot molecular weights and isoelectric points. The single variable statistical profiles of 58 individual protein biomarker concentrations of the DTAD patient group differed from those of the normal and/or the disease control groups. Multivariate linear discriminant analysis of blood serum concentrations of the 58 proteins distinguished drug treated Alzheimer's disease (DTAD) patients

  1. Changes in insomnia subtypes in early Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Tholfsen, Lena K; Larsen, Jan P; Schulz, Jörn; Tysnes, Ole-Bjørn; Gjerstad, Michaela D

    2017-01-24

    To examine the development of factors associated with insomnia in a cohort of originally drug-naive patients with incident Parkinson disease (PD) during the first 5 years after diagnosis. One hundred eighty-two drug-naive patients with PD derived from a population-based incident cohort and 202 control participants were assessed for insomnia before treatment initiation and were repeatedly examined after 1, 3, and 5 years. Insomnia was diagnosed according to the Stavanger Sleepiness Questionnaire. The Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale was used to differentiate sleep initiation problems from problems of sleep maintenance. Generalized estimating equation models were applied for statistical measures. The prevalence of insomnia in general was not higher in patients with PD compared to controls at the 5-year follow-up. There were changes in the prevalence of the different insomnia subtypes over the 5-year follow-up. The prevalence of solitary problems in sleep maintenance increased from 31% (n = 18) in the drug-naive patients at baseline to 49% (n = 29) after 1 year and were associated with the use of dopamine agonists and higher Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores. The prevalence of solitary sleep initiation problems decreased continuously from 21% (n = 12) at baseline to 7.4% (n = 4) after 5 years; these were associated with less daytime sleepiness. The prevalence rates of the different insomnia subtypes changed notably in patients with early PD. The frequency of sleep maintenance problems increased, and these problems were associated with dopamine agonist use and depressive symptoms, while the total number of patients with insomnia remained stable. Our findings reflect the need for early individual assessments of insomnia subtypes and raise the possibility of intervention to reduce these symptoms in patients with early PD. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

  2. Alleviation by garlic of antitumor drug-induced damage to the intestine.

    PubMed

    Horie, T; Awazu, S; Itakura, Y; Fuwa, T

    2001-03-01

    Antitumour drugs such as methotrexate (MTX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induce intestinal damage. This is a serious side effect of cancer chemotherapy. The present studies examined whether or not aged garlic extract (AGE) protects against damage from these antitumor drugs. Both drugs were administered orally for 4 or 5 d to rats fed a standard laboratory diet with and without 2% AGE. The small intestinal absorption of the poorly absorbable compound, fluorescein isothiocyanate--labeled dextran (FD-4; average molecular weight, 4400) was used to evaluate the damage to the intestine using the in vitro everted intestine technique and the in situ intestinal loop technique. FD-4 absorption increased in the antitumour drug-treated rats fed the diet without garlic. Interestingly, FD-4 absorption was depressed in rats fed the diet containing AGE. These results suggest that AGE may protect the small intestine of rats from antitumour drug-induced damage.

  3. Treatment of early Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Pahwa, Rajesh; Lyons, Kelly E

    2014-08-01

    This review summarizes currently available treatment options and treatment strategies, investigational treatments, and the importance of exercise for early Parkinson's disease. The available treatment options for early Parkinson's disease have changed little in the past decade and include carbidopa/levodopa, dopamine agonists, and monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors. However, we discuss changes in treatment strategies, including dosing and the use of combination therapy used in an attempt to reduce or delay the appearance of motor complications and other adverse events. We will also review several investigational treatments that have shown promise for the treatment of early Parkinson's disease, including a new extended release formulation of carbidopa/levodopa (IPX066), safinamide which inhibits MAO-B, dopamine uptake and glutamate and pardoprunox which is a 5HT-1A agonist and a partial dopamine agonist. Finally, we discuss recent studies focusing on exercise as an important component in the management of early Parkinson's disease. Advances in the management of early Parkinson's disease include evolving treatment strategies, new investigational treatments, and earlier implementation of various forms of exercise.

  4. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), its cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), other catecholamine-related enzymes, and their human genes in relation to the drug and gene therapies of Parkinson's disease (PD): historical overview and future prospects.

    PubMed

    Nagatsu, Toshiharu; Nagatsu, Ikuko

    2016-11-01

    Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which was discovered at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1964, is a tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)-requiring monooxygenase that catalyzes the first and rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of catecholamines (CAs), such as dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline. Since deficiencies of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain stem, caused by neurodegeneration of dopamine and noradrenaline neurons, are mainly related to non-motor and motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), we have studied human CA-synthesizing enzymes [TH; BH4-related enzymes, especially GTP-cyclohydrolase I (GCH1); aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC); dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH); and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)] and their genes in relation to PD in postmortem brains from PD patients, patients with CA-related genetic diseases, mice with genetically engineered CA neurons, and animal models of PD. We purified all human CA-synthesizing enzymes, produced their antibodies for immunohistochemistry and immunoassay, and cloned all human genes, especially the human TH gene and the human gene for GCH1, which synthesizes BH4 as a cofactor of TH. This review discusses the historical overview of TH, BH4-, and other CA-related enzymes and their genes in relation to the pathophysiology of PD, the development of drugs, such as L-DOPA, and future prospects for drug and gene therapy for PD, especially the potential of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

  5. Drug-Induced Nephrotoxicity and Dose Adjustment Recommendations: Agreement Among Four Drug Information Sources.

    PubMed

    Bicalho, Millena Drumond; Soares, Danielly Botelho; Botoni, Fernando Antonio; Reis, Adriano Max Moreira; Martins, Maria Auxiliadora Parreiras

    2015-09-09

    : Hospitalized patients require the use of a variety of drugs, many of which individually or in combination have the potential to cause kidney damage. The use of potentially nephrotoxic drugs is often unavoidable, and the need for dose adjustment should be evaluated. This study is aimed at assessing concordance in information on drug-induced nephrotoxicity and dose adjustment recommendations by comparing four drug information sources (DRUGDEX(®), UpToDate(®), Medscape(®) and the Brazilian Therapeutic Formulary) using the formulary of a Brazilian public hospital. A total of 218 drugs were investigated. The global Fleiss' kappa coefficient was 0.265 for nephrotoxicity (p < 0.001; CI 95%, 0.211-0.319) and 0.346 for recommendations (p < 0.001; CI 95%, 0.292-0.401), indicating fair concordance among the sources. Anti-infectives and anti-hypertensives were the main drugs cited as nephrotoxic by the different sources. There were no clear definitions for qualitative data or quantitative values for dose adjustments among the four information sources. There was no advice for dosing for a large number of the drugs in the international databases. The National Therapeutic Formulary offered imprecise dose adjustment recommendations for many nephrotoxic drugs. Discrepancies among information sources may have a clinical impact on patient care and contribute to drug-related morbidity and mortality.

  6. Motor complications in Parkinson's disease: Striatal molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms of dyskinesias.

    PubMed

    Picconi, Barbara; Hernández, Ledia F; Obeso, Jose A; Calabresi, Paolo

    2017-12-08

    Long-term levodopa (l-dopa) treatment in patients with Parkinson´s disease (PD) is associated with the development of motor complications (ie, motor fluctuations and dyskinesias). The principal etiopathogenic factors are the degree of nigro-striatal dopaminergic loss and the duration and dose of l-dopa treatment. In this review article we concentrate on analysis of the mechanisms underlying l-dopa-induced dyskinesias, a phenomenon that causes disability in a proportion of patients and that has not benefited from major therapeutic advances. Thus, we discuss the main neurotransmitters, receptors, and pathways that have been thought to play a role in l-dopa-induced dyskinesias from the perspective of basic neuroscience studies. Some important advances in deciphering the molecular pathways involved in these abnormal movements have occurred in recent years to reveal potential targets that could be used for therapeutic purposes. However, it has not been an easy road because there have been a plethora of components involved in the generation of these undesired movements, even bypassing the traditional and well-accepted dopamine receptor activation, as recently revealed by optogenetics. Here, we attempt to unify the available data with the hope of guiding and fostering future research in the field of striatal activation and abnormal movement generation. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2017 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  7. [Assessment on the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders: a questionnaire survey].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Sheng-yu; Zhao, Hai; Tang, Tao; Guan, Wei

    2014-12-01

    To understand the assessment on the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders and judicial experts' opinions. The judicial experts from institutes of forensic psychiatry in Shanghai were selected. They were asked to finish a self-made questionnaire of assessment on the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders by letters and visits. Most of experts knew the special regulation, "not suitable for evaluation" towards the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders of the guideline promulgated by Ministry of Justice. Before and after the guideline was issued, no expert made a no-responsibility opinion in such cases. After the guideline was issued, some experts made a full-responsibility or limited-responsibility opinion in such cases. There was a little disagreement among the experts in the case that the crime was unrelated with mental symptoms or the criminals used drugs even though he knew it could induced insanity. But there were still many obvious disagreements among experts in the case that crime was related to such symptoms and person was no ability to debate. Most experts agreed to settle the disagreements with improved legislative perfection. Most experts are not strictly complying with the assessment guidelines during their practice, and there is still an obvious disagreement towards the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders.

  8. Partial dopaminergic denervation-induced impairment in stimulus discrimination acquisition in parkinsonian rats: a model for early Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Eagle, Andrew L; Olumolade, Oluyemi O; Otani, Hajime

    2015-03-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) produces progressive nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) denervation resulting in cognitive and motor impairment. However, it is unknown whether cognitive impairments, such as instrumental learning deficits, are associated with the early stage PD-induced mild DA denervation. The current study sought to model early PD-induced instrumental learning impairments by assessing the effects of low dose (5.5μg), bilateral 6OHDA-induced striatal DA denervation on acquisition of instrumental stimulus discrimination in rats. 6OHDA (n=20) or sham (n=10) lesioned rats were tested for stimulus discrimination acquisition either 1 or 2 weeks post surgical lesion. Stimulus discrimination acquisition across 10 daily sessions was used to assess discriminative accuracy, or a probability measure of the shift toward reinforced responding under one stimulus condition (Sd) away from extinction, when reinforcement was withheld, under another (S(d) phase). Striatal DA denervation was assayed by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining intensity. Results indicated that 6OHDA lesions produced significant loss of dorsal striatal TH staining intensity and marked impairment in discrimination acquisition, without inducing akinetic motor deficits. Rather 6OHDA-induced impairment was associated with perseveration during extinction (S(Δ) phase). These findings suggest that partial, bilateral striatal DA denervation produces instrumental learning deficits, prior to the onset of gross motor impairment, and suggest that the current model is useful for investigating mild nigrostriatal DA denervation associated with early stage clinical PD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

  9. Memantine and reduced time with dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Wictorin, K; Widner, H

    2016-05-01

    The partial glutamate antagonist amantadine is currently used in clinical practice, to reduce dyskinesia developing as a side-effect of levodopa treatment in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD). This study was aimed at evaluating the antidyskinetic effect of another glutamate antagonist, memantine. We performed a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial of memantine (20 mg), with a 3-week treatment period, and 15 patients completed the study. The primary outcome measure, a change in observed dyskinesia ratings, did not reach significance. Seven of the 15 patients reduced the L-dopa-induced dyskinesias by 32%, whereas for three patients, they increased by 33%, and for five patients, they did not change. Data from the self-administered diaries, as a secondary outcome measure, did show a significant 35% reduction in the percentage of time of the day spent with dyskinesia, from 25% (placebo) to 16% (memantine). Memantine was well tolerated, without any serious adverse events, or worsening in the parkinsonian motor score. The results suggest that memantine may be a useful antidyskinetic drug, and a larger clinical study is warranted. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Drug induced hypertension--An unappreciated cause of secondary hypertension.

    PubMed

    Grossman, Alon; Messerli, Franz H; Grossman, Ehud

    2015-09-15

    Most patients with hypertension have essential hypertension or well-known forms of secondary hypertension, such as renal disease, renal artery stenosis, or common endocrine diseases (hyperaldosteronism or pheochromocytoma). Physicians are less aware of drug induced hypertension. A variety of therapeutic agents or chemical substances may increase blood pressure. When a patient with well controlled hypertension is presented with acute blood pressure elevation, use of drug or chemical substance which increases blood pressure should be suspected. Drug-induced blood pressure increases are usually minor and short-lived, although rare hypertensive emergencies associated with use of certain drugs have been reported. Careful evaluation of prescription and non-prescription medications is crucial in the evaluation of the hypertensive individual and may obviate the need for expensive and unnecessary evaluations. Discontinuation of the offending agent will usually achieve adequate blood pressure control. When use of a chemical agent which increases blood pressure is mandatory, anti-hypertensive therapy may facilitate continued use of this agent. We summarize the therapeutic agents or chemical substances that elevate blood pressure and their mechanisms of action. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Placebo-controlled trial of lubiprostone for constipation associated with Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Ondo, W G; Kenney, C; Sullivan, K; Davidson, A; Hunter, C; Jahan, I; McCombs, A; Miller, A; Zesiewicz, T A

    2012-05-22

    To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lubiprostone (Amitiza) for constipation in Parkinson disease (PD) in a double-blind, randomized, controlled study. Patients with PD and clinically meaningful constipation (constipation rating scale score > 10 [range: 0-28]) were recruited from 2 academic movement disorder centers to participate in the study. After enrollment, patients were initially followed for 2 weeks and then were randomly assigned 1:1 to lubiprostone, and the dose was titrated up to 48 μg/day. They returned 4 weeks later for a final assessment. Data included stool diaries and global impressions (co-primary endpoints), demographics, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores, constipation scale scores, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, a stool diary, and adverse events. Fifty-four subjects (39 male, mean age 67.0 ± 10.1 years, and mean duration of PD 8.3 ± 5.4 years) were randomly assigned to lubiprostone or placebo. One patient in the drug group discontinued the study because of logistics, and one patient in the placebo group discontinued the study because of lack of efficacy. A marked or very marked clinical global improvement was reported by 16 of 25 (64.0%) subjects receiving drug vs 5 of 27 (18.5%) subjects receiving placebo (p = 0.001). The constipation rating scale (p < 0.05), VAS (p = 0.001), and stools per day in the diary (p < 0.001) all improved with drug compared with placebo. Adverse events with drug were mild, most commonly intermittent loose stools. In this randomized controlled trial, lubiprostone seemed to be well tolerated and effective for the short-term treatment of constipation in PD.

  12. 78 FR 21613 - Prescription Drug User Fee Act Patient-Focused Drug Development; Announcement of Disease Areas...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-11

    ... syndrome; narcolepsy; neurological manifestations of inborn errors of metabolism; Parkinson's disease and... available therapies. Patients who live with a disease have a direct stake in the outcome of FDA's decisions... of applications for new drugs in certain disease areas. For FDA's review divisions, this kind of...

  13. Neurocognitive correlates of medication-induced addictive behaviours in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review.

    PubMed

    Dawson, Andrew; Dissanayaka, Nadeeka N; Evans, Andrew; Verdejo-Garcia, Antonio; Chong, Trevor T J; Frazzitta, Giuseppe; Ferrazzoli, Davide; Ortelli, Paola; Yücel, Murat; Carter, Adrian

    2018-05-01

    Dopaminergic medication can induce severe addictive behaviours (e.g., pathological gambling) in susceptible Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. It is still unknown which particular neurocognitive processes become exacerbated or dysfunctional in PD patients with addictive behaviours. We sought to systematically review the relevant literature to identity potential neurocognitive correlates of medication-induced addictive behaviours in PD. We framed our review around neurocognitive processes central to four dominant accounts of substance addiction: 'aberrant learning', 'incentive sensitization', 'impulsivity to compulsivity' and 'impaired response inhibition and salience attribution'. Searches of the PubMed and Scopus databases were completed on June 23, 2017. To be included, studies were required to involve: (a) medicated PD patients, without a history of deep brain stimulation, with and without addictive behaviours; (b) a reward-related or decision-making task; and (c) statistical comparison of addictive and non-addictive groups' 'on' medication performance on the task(s). Studies were summarised qualitatively with statistically significant (p<.05) group differences and effect sizes (Cohen's d) highlighted. 35 studies were included. Findings showed that the extant literature is highly heterogeneous. The domains of reward and punishment learning, reflection impulsivity and disadvantageous decision-making exemplify this. More homogeneity exists in domains in which (a) neurocognitive dysfunction is not apparent (motor control, cognitive/attentional flexibility and cognitive control) or (b) typical neurocognitive processes appear exacerbated by medication (reward motivation and choice impulsivity). Future large-scale neurocognitive studies are still required to develop our scientific understanding of addictive behaviours in PD and aid their clinical treatment and prediction. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

  14. Neuroprotective effect of Tinospora cordifolia ethanol extract on 6-hydroxy dopamine induced Parkinsonism

    PubMed Central

    Kosaraju, Jayasankar; Chinni, Santhivardhan; Roy, Partha Deb; Kannan, Elango; Antony, A. Shanish; Kumar, M. N. Satish

    2014-01-01

    Objective: The present study investigates the neuroprotective activity of ethanol extract of Tinospora cordifolia aerial parts against 6-hydroxy dopamine (6-OHDA) lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Materials and Methods: T. cordifolia ethanol extract (TCEE) was standardized with high performance thin layer chromatography using berberine. Experimental PD was induced by intracerebral injection of 6-OHDA (8 μg). Animals were divided into five groups: sham operated, negative control, positive control (levodopa 6 mg/kg) and two experimental groups (n = 6/group). Experimental groups received 200 and 400 mg/kg of TCEE once daily for 30 days by oral gavage. Biochemical parameters including dopamine level, oxidative stress, complex I activity and brain iron asymmetry ratio and locomotor activity including skeletal muscle co-ordination and degree of catatonia were assessed. Results: TCEE exhibited significant neuroprotection by increasing the dopamine levels (1.96 ± 0.20 and 2.45 ± 0.40 ng/mg of protein) and complex I activity (77.14 ± 0.89 and 78.50 ± 0.96 nmol/min/mg of protein) at 200 and 400 mg/kg respectively when compared with negative control group. Iron asymmetry ratio was also significantly attenuated by TCEE at 200 (1.57 ± 0.18) and 400 mg/kg (1.11 ± 0.15) when compared with negative control group. Neuroprotection by TCEE was further supported by reduced oxidative stress and restored locomotor activity in treatment groups. Conclusion: Results show that TCEE possess significant neuroprotection in 6-OHDA induced PD by protecting dopaminergic neurons and reducing the iron accumulation. PMID:24741189

  15. Drug-induced liver injury: present and future

    PubMed Central

    Suk, Ki Tae

    2012-01-01

    Liver injury due to prescription and nonprescription medications is a growing medical, scientific, and public health problem. Worldwide, the estimated annual incidence rate of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is 13.9-24.0 per 100,000 inhabitants. DILI is one of the leading causes of acute liver failure in the US. In Korea, the annual extrapolated incidence of cases hospitalized at university hospital is 12/100,000 persons/year. Most cases of DILI are the result of idiosyncratic metabolic responses or unexpected reactions to medication. There is marked geographic variation in relevant agents; antibiotics, anticonvulsants, and psychotropic drugs are the most common offending agents in the West, whereas in Asia, 'herbs' and 'health foods or dietary supplements' are more common. Different medical circumstances also cause discrepancy in definition and classification of DILI between West and Asia. In the concern of causality assessment, the application of the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method (RUCAM) scale frequently undercounts the cases caused by 'herbs' due to a lack of previous information and incompatible time criteria. Therefore, a more objective and reproducible tool that could be used for the diagnosis of DILI caused by 'herbs' is needed in Asia. In addition, a reporting system similar to the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) in the US should be established as soon as possible in Asia. PMID:23091804

  16. Effect and Potential Mechanism of Electroacupuncture Add-On Treatment in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Fang; Sun, Li; Zhang, Xiao-zhe; Jia, Jun; Liu, Zhuo; Huang, Xi-yan; Yu, Shu-yang; Zuo, Li-jun; Cao, Chen-jie; Wang, Xiao-min; Zhang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. To explore effectiveness and mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) add-on treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods. Fifty PD patients were randomly assigned to drug plus EA (D + EA) group and drug alone (D) group. Subjects in D + EA group received stimulation in points of bilateral fengfu, fengchi, hegu, and central dazhui. Participants were evaluated by scales for motor and nonmotor symptoms. Levels of neuroinflammatory factors and neurotransmitters in serum were detected. Results. EA add-on treatment remarkably reduced scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III and its subitems of tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia and conspicuously decreased UPDRS III scores in patients with bradykinesia-rigidity and mixed types and mild severity. Depression and sleep disturbances were eased, which were reflected by decreased scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and elevated noradrenaline level. Effects of EA add-on treatment on motor symptoms and sleep disturbances were superior to drug alone treatment, markedly improving life quality of PD patients. EA add-on treatment decreased nitric oxide level in serum. Conclusions. EA add-on treatment is effective on most motor symptoms and some nonmotor symptoms and is particularly efficacious in PD patients at early stage. Antineuroinflammation may be a mechanism of EA add-on treatment. PMID:26351515

  17. Targeting striatal metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 in Parkinson's disease: bridging molecular studies and clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Vallano, A; Fernandez-Duenas, V; Garcia-Negredo, G; Quijada, M A; Simon, C P; Cuffí, M L; Carbonell, L; Sanchez, S; Arnau, J M; Ciruela, F

    2013-12-01

    Metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors are G protein-coupled receptors expressed primarily on neurons and glial cells modulating the effects of glutamatergic neurotransmission. The pharmacological manipulation of these receptors has been postulated to be valuable in the management of some neurological disorders. Accordingly, the targeting of mGlu5 receptors as a therapeutic approach for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been proposed, especially to manage the adverse symptoms associated to chronic treatment with classical PD drugs. Thus, the specific pharmacological blocking of mGlu5 receptors constitutes one of the most attractive non-dopaminergic-based strategies for PD management in general and for the L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in particular. Overall, we provide here an update of the current state of the art of these mGlu5 receptor-based approaches that are under clinical study as agents devoted to alleviate PD symptoms.

  18. Phytotherapy of nephrotoxicity-induced by cancer drugs: an updated review

    PubMed Central

    Heidari-Soreshjani, Saeid; Asadi-Samani, Majid; Yang, Qian; Saeedi-Boroujeni, Ali

    2017-01-01

    Context: Kidney is one of the vital organs maintaining homeostasis of body and thus dysfunction of kidney affects quality of life and health severely. Anticancer drugs, particularly chemotherapeutic agents, cause high toxicity leading kidney dysfunction and irreparable kidney injury. Therefore, attention has recently been paid to seeking out alternatives such as nature-based drugs that are effective but less toxic. In this regard, this systematic review article is to report and introduce the most important medicinal plants and their derivatives that are used to reduce anticancer drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Evidence Acquisitions: The word nephrotoxicity alongside the words cancer or chemotherapy in combination with some herbal terms such as medicinal plant, plants, herbs, and extracts were administered to search for relevant publications indexed in PubMed. Results: According to this study, 16 medicinal plants, 12 plant-based derivatives, and three traditional plant-based formulations were found to help control and modulate anticancer drug-induced nephrotoxicity indices. Conclusions: Anticancer drugs cause nephrotoxicity through activating pathways of oxidative stress, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) production, inflammatory processes, and cell apoptosis, while medicinal plants and their derivatives can cause reduction in nephrotoxicity and anticancer drugs side effects via their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. PMID:28975109

  19. Parkinson's Disease: The Newest Advances

    MedlinePlus

    Skip Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Parkinson's Disease: The Newest Advances Past Issues / Summer 2006 Table ... number of genes that cause or contribute to Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as potential environmental risk factors. ...

  20. Evaluation of In Silico Anti-parkinson potential of β-asarone.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Meenakshi; Kant, Kamal; Sharma, Ruchika; Kumar, Anoop

    2018-04-16

    Parkinson's disease is affecting millions of people worldwide. The prevalence of Parkinson's disease is 0.3% globally, rising to 1% in more than 60 years of age and 4% in more than 80 years of age and the figures are thought to be doubled by 2030. Thus, there is a great need to identify novel therapeutic strategies or candidate drug molecule which can rescue neuronal degeneration. β-asarone has potential to act as a neuroprotective agent but regarding its role in Parkinson disease, very few reports are available. Thus, this study was undertaken to unlock the potential of β-asarone against Parkinson's disease. The Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME) analysis has been done by using Swiss ADME Predictor. The interactions of β-asarone towards dopaminergic receptors were investigated by Glide Program 5.0. The crystal structures of dopamine receptors were retrieved from Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics- Protein Data Bank (RCSB-PDB). The structure of β-asarone was drawn in Chem Draw Ultra 7.0.1. Finally, the toxicity of β-asarone has been predicted by using online web-servers like Lazar and Protox. The ADME data of current investigation has shown good oral bioavailability of β-asarone. It also showed a good binding affinity towards dopaminergic receptors. Further, it was found to be interacting through hydrogen bond with different amino acid residues of D2 and D3 receptors. However, β-asarone was predicted to be toxic in various species of rodents, as per the results of toxicity online web servers. Based on the current finding from ADME and docking studies, these preliminary results may act as effective precursor tool for development of β-asarone as a promising anti-Parkinson agent. However, furthermore experimental validation using in-vitro & in-vivo studies is needed to explore their therapeutic & toxic effects. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  1. Cyclosporine A: Novel concepts in its role in drug-induced gingival overgrowth

    PubMed Central

    Ponnaiyan, Deepa; Jegadeesan, Visakan

    2015-01-01

    Cyclosporine is a selective immunosuppressant that has a variety of applications in medical practice. Like phenytoin and the calcium channel blockers, the drug is associated with gingival overgrowth. This review considers the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and unwanted effects of cyclosporine, in particular the action of the drug on the gingival tissues. In addition, elucidates the current concepts in mechanisms of cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth. Clinical and cell culture studies suggest that the mechanism of gingival overgrowth is a result of the interaction between the drug and its metabolites with susceptible gingival fibroblasts. Plaque-induced gingival inflammation appears to enhance this interaction. However, understanding of the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth is incomplete at best. Hence, it would be pertinent to identify and explore possible risk factors relating to both prevalence and severity of drug-induced gingival overgrowth. Newer molecular approaches are needed to clearly establish the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth and to provide novel information for the design of future preventive and therapeutic modalities. PMID:26759584

  2. Cyclosporine A: Novel concepts in its role in drug-induced gingival overgrowth.

    PubMed

    Ponnaiyan, Deepa; Jegadeesan, Visakan

    2015-01-01

    Cyclosporine is a selective immunosuppressant that has a variety of applications in medical practice. Like phenytoin and the calcium channel blockers, the drug is associated with gingival overgrowth. This review considers the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and unwanted effects of cyclosporine, in particular the action of the drug on the gingival tissues. In addition, elucidates the current concepts in mechanisms of cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth. Clinical and cell culture studies suggest that the mechanism of gingival overgrowth is a result of the interaction between the drug and its metabolites with susceptible gingival fibroblasts. Plaque-induced gingival inflammation appears to enhance this interaction. However, understanding of the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth is incomplete at best. Hence, it would be pertinent to identify and explore possible risk factors relating to both prevalence and severity of drug-induced gingival overgrowth. Newer molecular approaches are needed to clearly establish the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth and to provide novel information for the design of future preventive and therapeutic modalities.

  3. Asymmetrical Pedaling Patterns in Parkinson's Disease Patients

    PubMed Central

    Penko, Amanda L.; Hirsch, Joshua R.; Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia; Martin, Philip E.; Blackburn, Gordon; Alberts, Jay L.

    2015-01-01

    Background Approximately 1.5 million Americans are affected by Parkinson's disease [1] which includes the symptoms of postural instability and gait dysfunction. Currently, clinical evaluations of postural instability and gait dysfunction consist of a subjective rater assessment of gait patterns using items from the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, and assessments can be insensitive to the effectiveness of medical interventions. Current research suggests the importance of cycling for Parkinson's disease patients, and while Parkinson's gait has been evaluated in previous studies, little is known about lower extremity control during cycling. The purpose of this study is to examine the lower extremity coordination patterns of Parkinson's patients during cycling. Methods Twenty five participants, ages 44-72, with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease participated in an exercise test on a cycle ergometer that was equipped with pedal force measurements. Crank torque, crank angle and power produced by right and left leg were measured throughout the test to calculate Symmetry Index at three stages of exercise (20 Watt, 60 Watt, maximum performance). Findings Decreases in Symmetry Index were observed for average power output in Parkinson's patients as workload increased. Maximum power Symmetry Index showed a significant difference in symmetry between performance at both the 20 Watt and 60 Watt stage and the maximal resistance stage. Minimum power Symmetry Index did not show significant differences across the stages of the test. While lower extremity asymmetries were present in Parkinson's patients during pedaling, these asymmetries did not correlate to postural instability and gait dysfunction Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores. Interpretation This pedaling analysis allows for a more sensitive measure of lower extremity function than the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and may help to provide unique insight into current and

  4. Moving Parkinson care to the home.

    PubMed

    Dorsey, E Ray; Vlaanderen, Floris P; Engelen, Lucien Jlpg; Kieburtz, Karl; Zhu, William; Biglan, Kevin M; Faber, Marjan J; Bloem, Bastiaan R

    2016-09-01

    In many ways, the care of individuals with Parkinson disease does not meet their needs. Despite the documented benefits of receiving care from clinicians with Parkinson disease expertise, many patients (if not most) do not. Moreover, current care models frequently require older individuals with impaired mobility, cognition, and driving ability to be driven by overburdened caregivers to large, complex urban medical centers. Moving care to the patient's home would make Parkinson disease care more patient-centered. Demographic factors, including aging populations, and social factors, such as the splintering of the extended family, will increase the need for home-based care. Technological advances, especially the ability to assess and deliver care remotely, will enable the transition of care back to the home. However, despite its promise, this next generation of home-based care will have to overcome barriers, including outdated insurance models and a technological divide. Once these barriers are addressed, home-based care will increase access to high quality care for the growing number of individuals with Parkinson disease. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2016 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  5. Cellular replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease--where we are today?

    PubMed

    Redmond, D Eugene

    2002-10-01

    The concept of replacing lost dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease using mesencephalic brain cells from fetal cadavers has been supported by over 20 years of research in animals and over a decade of clinical studies. The ambitious goal of these studies was no less than a molecular and cellular "cure" for Parkinson's disease, other neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord injury. Much research has been done in rodents, and a few studies have been done in nonhuman primate models. Early uncontrolled clinical reports were enthusiastic, but the outcome of the first randomized, double blind, controlled study challenged the idea that dopamine replacement cells can cure Parkinson's disease, although there were some significant positive findings. Were the earlier animal studies and clinical reports wrong? Should we give up on the goal? Some aspects of the trial design and implantation methods may have led to lack of effects and to some side effects such as dyskinesias. But a detailed review of clinical neural transplants published to date still suggests that neural transplantation variably reverses some aspects of Parkinson's disease, although differing methods make exact comparisons difficult. While the randomized clinical studies have been in progress, new methods have shown promise for increasing transplant survival and distribution, reconstructing the circuits to provide dopamine to the appropriate targets and with normal regulation. Selected promising new strategies are reviewed that block apoptosis induced by tissue dissection, promote vascularization of grafts, reduce oxidant stress, provide key growth factors, and counteract adverse effects of increased age. New sources of replacement cells and stem cells may provide additional advantages for the future. Full recovery from parkinsonism appears not only to be possible, but a reliable cell replacement treatment may finally be near.

  6. Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells: a platform for human disease modeling and drug discovery.

    PubMed

    Jang, Jiho; Yoo, Jeong-Eun; Lee, Jeong-Ah; Lee, Dongjin R; Kim, Ji Young; Huh, Yong Jun; Kim, Dae-Sung; Park, Chul-Yong; Hwang, Dong-Youn; Kim, Han-Soo; Kang, Hoon-Chul; Kim, Dong-Wook

    2012-03-31

    The generation of disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from patients with incurable diseases is a promising approach for studying disease mechanisms and drug screening. Such innovation enables to obtain autologous cell sources in regenerative medicine. Herein, we report the generation and characterization of iPSCs from fibroblasts of patients with sporadic or familial diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), juvenile-onset, type I diabetes mellitus (JDM), and Duchenne type muscular dystrophy (DMD), as well as from normal human fibroblasts (WT). As an example to modeling disease using disease-specific iPSCs, we also discuss the previously established childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CCALD)- and adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN)-iPSCs by our group. Through DNA fingerprinting analysis, the origins of generated disease-specific iPSC lines were identified. Each iPSC line exhibited an intense alkaline phosphatase activity, expression of pluripotent markers, and the potential to differentiate into all three embryonic germ layers: the ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. Expression of endogenous pluripotent markers and downregulation of retrovirus-delivered transgenes [OCT4 (POU5F1), SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC] were observed in the generated iPSCs. Collectively, our results demonstrated that disease-specific iPSC lines characteristically resembled hESC lines. Furthermore, we were able to differentiate PD-iPSCs, one of the disease-specific-iPSC lines we generated, into dopaminergic (DA) neurons, the cell type mostly affected by PD. These PD-specific DA neurons along with other examples of cell models derived from disease-specific iPSCs would provide a powerful platform for examining the pathophysiology of relevant diseases at the cellular and molecular levels and for developing new drugs and therapeutic regimens.

  7. Advantageous use of HepaRG cells for the screening and mechanistic study of drug-induced steatosis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tolosa, Laia

    Only a few in vitro assays have been proposed to evaluate the steatotic potential of new drugs. The present study examines the utility of HepaRG cells as a cell-based assay system for screening drug-induced liver steatosis. A high-content screening assay was run to evaluate multiple toxicity-related cell parameters in HepaRG cells exposed to 28 compounds, including drugs reported to cause steatosis through different mechanisms and non-steatotic compounds. Lipid content was the most sensitive parameter for all the steatotic drugs, whereas no effects on lipid levels were produced by non-steatotic compounds. Apart from fat accumulation, increased ROS production and altered mitochondrialmore » membrane potential were also found in the cells exposed to steatotic drugs, which indicates that all these cellular events contributed to drug-induced hepatotoxicity. These findings are of clinical relevance as most effects were observed at drug concentrations under 100-fold of the therapeutic peak plasmatic concentration. HepaRG cells showed increased lipid overaccumulation vs. HepG2 cells, which suggests greater sensitivity to drug-induced steatosis. An altered expression profile of transcription factors and the genes that code key proteins in lipid metabolism was also found in the cells exposed to drugs capable of inducing liver steatosis. Our results generally indicate the value of HepaRG cells for assessing the risk of liver damage associated with steatogenic compounds and for investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in drug-induced steatosis. - Highlights: • HepaRG cells were explored as an in vitro model to detect steatogenic potential. • Multiple toxicity-related endpoints were analysed by HCS. • HepaRG showed a greater sensitivity to drug-induced steatosis than HepG2 cells. • Changes in the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism were revealed. • HepaRG allow mechanistic understanding of liver damage induced by steatogenic drugs.« less

  8. Novel therapy in Parkinson's disease: adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists.

    PubMed

    Szabó, Nikoletta; Kincses, Zsigmond Tamás; Vécsei, László

    2011-04-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. To date, most of the currently available therapies in PD target the dopaminergic system and none of these therapeutic approaches have been proven to modify the course of the disease. To various extents, these drugs can also cause motor and non-motor complications. A novel target, the adenosine A(2A) receptor (AA2AR), was recently identified, blockade of which may alleviate Parkinsonian symptoms, reduce motor fluctuations and potentially afford neuroprotection. This review is based on a PubMed search covering the relationship of the adenosine receptors and PD. The role of the AA2AR is reviewed and the results of preclinical investigations of antagonists are assessed. A synopsis of current drug development is provided, with a special focus on the pharmacokinetics and relevant clinical trials. The localization of the AA2AR in the central nervous system, the ultra structural localization and the molecular mechanism of its action reveal the potential importance of the AA2AR in movement disorders. The theoretical background and experimental data indicate that AA2AR antagonists may have a potential therapeutic effect in Parkinson's disease. More importantly, the putative neuroprotective effect needs further investigation.

  9. Near-Infrared Fluorescent Nanoprobes for Revealing the Role of Dopamine in Drug Addiction.

    PubMed

    Feng, Peijian; Chen, Yulei; Zhang, Lei; Qian, Cheng-Gen; Xiao, Xuanzhong; Han, Xu; Shen, Qun-Dong

    2018-02-07

    Brain imaging techniques enable visualizing the activity of central nervous system without invasive neurosurgery. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter. Its fluctuation in brain leads to a wide range of diseases and disorders, like drug addiction, depression, and Parkinson's disease. We designed near-infrared fluorescence dopamine-responsive nanoprobes (DRNs) for brain activity imaging during drug abuse and addiction process. On the basis of light-induced electron transfer between DRNs and dopamine and molecular wire effect of the DRNs, we can track the dynamical change of the neurotransmitter level in the physiological environment and the releasing of the neurotransmitter in living dopaminergic neurons in response to nicotine stimulation. The functional near-infrared fluorescence imaging can dynamically track the dopamine level in the mice midbrain under normal or drug-activated condition and evaluate the long-term effect of addictive substances to the brain. This strategy has the potential for studying neural activity under physiological condition.

  10. Solvents and Parkinson disease: A systematic review of toxicological and epidemiological evidence

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lock, Edward A., E-mail: e.lock@ljmu.ac.uk; Zhang, Jing; Checkoway, Harvey

    2013-02-01

    Parkinson disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative motor disorder, with its motor symptoms largely attributable to loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The causes of PD remain poorly understood, although environmental toxicants may play etiologic roles. Solvents are widespread neurotoxicants present in the workplace and ambient environment. Case reports of parkinsonism, including PD, have been associated with exposures to various solvents, most notably trichloroethylene (TCE). Animal toxicology studies have been conducted on various organic solvents, with some, including TCE, demonstrating potential for inducing nigral system damage. However, a confirmed animal model of solvent-induced PD has not been developed.more » Numerous epidemiologic studies have investigated potential links between solvents and PD, yielding mostly null or weak associations. An exception is a recent study of twins indicating possible etiologic relations with TCE and other chlorinated solvents, although findings were based on small numbers, and dose–response gradients were not observed. At present, there is no consistent evidence from either the toxicological or epidemiologic perspective that any specific solvent or class of solvents is a cause of PD. Future toxicological research that addresses mechanisms of nigral damage from TCE and its metabolites, with exposure routes and doses relevant to human exposures, is recommended. Improvements in epidemiologic research, especially with regard to quantitative characterization of long-term exposures to specific solvents, are needed to advance scientific knowledge on this topic. -- Highlights: ► The potential for organic solvents to cause Parkinson's disease has been reviewed. ► Twins study suggests etiologic relations with chlorinated solvents and Parkinson's. ► Animal studies with TCE showed potential to cause damage to dopaminergic neurons. ► Need to determine if effects in animals are relevant to human

  11. Mechanism of drug-induced gingival overgrowth revisited: a unifying hypothesis

    PubMed Central

    Brown, RS; Arany, PR

    2015-01-01

    Drug-induced gingival overgrowth (DIGO) is a disfiguring side effect of anti-convulsants, calcineurin inhibitors, and calcium channel blocking agents. A unifying hypothesis has been constructed which begins with cation flux inhibition induced by all three of these drug categories. Decreased cation influx of folic acid active transport within gingival fibroblasts leads to decreased cellular folate uptake, which in turn leads to changes in matrix metalloproteinases metabolism and the failure to activate collagenase. Decreased availability of activated collagenase results in decreased degradation of accumulated connective tissue which presents as DIGO. Studies supporting this hypothesis are discussed. PMID:24893951

  12. The Antiparkinsonian and Antidyskinetic Mechanisms of Mucuna pruriens in the MPTP-Treated Nonhuman Primate

    PubMed Central

    Lieu, Christopher A.; Venkiteswaran, Kala; Gilmour, Timothy P.; Rao, Anand N.; Petticoffer, Andrew C.; Gilbert, Erin V.; Deogaonkar, Milind; Manyam, Bala V.; Subramanian, Thyagarajan

    2012-01-01

    Chronic treatment with levodopa (LD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) can cause drug induced dyskinesias. Mucuna pruriens endocarp powder (MPEP) contains several compounds including natural LD and has been reported to not cause drug-induced dyskinesias. We evaluated the effects of Mucuna pruriens to determine if its underlying mechanistic actions are exclusively due to LD. We first compared MPEP with and without carbidopa (CD), and LD+CD in hemiparkinsonian (HP) monkeys. Each treatment ameliorated parkinsonism. We then compared the neuronal firing properties of the substantia nigra reticulata (SNR) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in HP monkeys with MPEP+CD and LD+CD to evaluate basal ganglia circuitry alterations. Both treatments decreased SNR firing rate compared to HP state. However, LD+CD treatments significantly increased SNR bursting firing patterns that were not seen with MPEP+CD treatments. No significant changes were seen in STN firing properties. We then evaluated the effects of a water extract of MPEP. Oral MPWE ameliorated parkinsonism without causing drug-induced dyskinesias. The distinctive neurophysiological findings in the basal ganglia and the ability to ameliorate parkinsonism without causing dyskinesias strongly suggest that Mucuna pruriens acts through a novel mechanism that is different from that of LD. PMID:22997535

  13. The Antiparkinsonian and Antidyskinetic Mechanisms of Mucuna pruriens in the MPTP-Treated Nonhuman Primate.

    PubMed

    Lieu, Christopher A; Venkiteswaran, Kala; Gilmour, Timothy P; Rao, Anand N; Petticoffer, Andrew C; Gilbert, Erin V; Deogaonkar, Milind; Manyam, Bala V; Subramanian, Thyagarajan

    2012-01-01

    Chronic treatment with levodopa (LD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) can cause drug induced dyskinesias. Mucuna pruriens endocarp powder (MPEP) contains several compounds including natural LD and has been reported to not cause drug-induced dyskinesias. We evaluated the effects of Mucuna pruriens to determine if its underlying mechanistic actions are exclusively due to LD. We first compared MPEP with and without carbidopa (CD), and LD+CD in hemiparkinsonian (HP) monkeys. Each treatment ameliorated parkinsonism. We then compared the neuronal firing properties of the substantia nigra reticulata (SNR) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in HP monkeys with MPEP+CD and LD+CD to evaluate basal ganglia circuitry alterations. Both treatments decreased SNR firing rate compared to HP state. However, LD+CD treatments significantly increased SNR bursting firing patterns that were not seen with MPEP+CD treatments. No significant changes were seen in STN firing properties. We then evaluated the effects of a water extract of MPEP. Oral MPWE ameliorated parkinsonism without causing drug-induced dyskinesias. The distinctive neurophysiological findings in the basal ganglia and the ability to ameliorate parkinsonism without causing dyskinesias strongly suggest that Mucuna pruriens acts through a novel mechanism that is different from that of LD.

  14. Sleep disorders and Parkinson disease; lessons from genetics.

    PubMed

    Gan-Or, Ziv; Alcalay, Roy N; Rouleau, Guy A; Postuma, Ronald B

    2018-01-31

    Parkinson disease is a common, age-related neurodegenerative disorder, projected to afflict millions of individuals in the near future. Understanding its etiology and identifying clinical, genetic or biological markers for Parkinson disease onset and progression is therefore of major importance. Various sleep-related disorders are the most common group of non-motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson disease, but they can also occur during its prodromal phase. However, with the exception of REM sleep behavior disorder, it is unclear whether they are part of the early pathological process of Parkinson disease, or if they develop as Parkinson disease advances because of treatments and neurodegeneration progression. The advancements in genetic studies in the past two decades have generated a wealth of information, and recent genetic studies offer new insight on the association of sleep-related disorders with Parkinson disease. More specifically, comparing genetic data between Parkinson disease and sleep-related disorders can clarify their association, which may assist in determining whether they can serve as clinical markers for Parkinson disease risk or progression. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the genetics of sleep-related disorders in Parkinson disease context, and the potential implications on research, diagnosis, counseling and treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Use of antidepressants in Parkinson's disease: A Swedish register-based study of over 1.5 million older people.

    PubMed

    Haasum, Ylva; Fastbom, Johan; Johnell, Kristina

    2016-06-01

    It has been suggested that depression in Parkinson's Disease (PD) is often unrecognized and undertreated. However, few previous studies have studied the use of antidepressants in a large sample of both home-dwelling and institutionalized elderly persons with PD. We aimed to study the use of antidepressants in older persons using anti-parkinson drugs (APD, used as a proxy for PD), stratified by residential setting. We analyzed individual data on age, sex, residential setting and drug use in over 1.5 million older persons in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register on 31th of December 2013. Twenty-two percent of the home-dwellers and 50% of the institutionalized elderly persons with APD used antidepressants. Persons with APD had a higher probability of use of any antidepressant compared to persons without APD. A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) was the most commonly used antidepressants in both settings followed by mirtazapin. The high use of antidepressants among older persons with APD warrants further studies on the quality of treatment of depression in PD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. In silico prediction of drug-induced myelotoxicity by using Naïve Bayes method.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui; Yu, Peng; Zhang, Teng-Guo; Kang, Yan-Li; Zhao, Xiao; Li, Yuan-Yuan; He, Jia-Hui; Zhang, Ji

    2015-11-01

    Drug-induced myelotoxicity usually leads to decrease the production of platelets, red cells, and white cells. Thus, early identification and characterization of myelotoxicity hazard in drug development is very necessary. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a prediction model of drug-induced myelotoxicity by using a Naïve Bayes classifier. For comparison, other prediction models based on support vector machine and single-hidden-layer feed-forward neural network  methods were also established. Among all the prediction models, the Naïve Bayes classification model showed the best prediction performance, which offered an average overall prediction accuracy of [Formula: see text] for the training set and [Formula: see text] for the external test set. The significant contributions of this study are that we first developed a Naïve Bayes classification model of drug-induced myelotoxicity adverse effect using a larger scale dataset, which could be employed for the prediction of drug-induced myelotoxicity. In addition, several important molecular descriptors and substructures of myelotoxic compounds have been identified, which should be taken into consideration in the design of new candidate compounds to produce safer and more effective drugs, ultimately reducing the attrition rate in later stages of drug development.

  17. Gut microbiota in Parkinson disease in a northern German cohort.

    PubMed

    Hopfner, Franziska; Künstner, Axel; Müller, Stefanie H; Künzel, Sven; Zeuner, Kirsten E; Margraf, Nils G; Deuschl, Günther; Baines, John F; Kuhlenbäumer, Gregor

    2017-07-15

    Pathologic and epidemiologic studies suggest that Parkinson disease (PD) may in some cases start in the enteric nervous system and spread via the vagal nerve to the brainstem. Mounting evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the communication between gut and brain and that alteration of the gut microbiome is involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, including Parkinson disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether Parkinson disease is associated with qualitative or quantitative changes in the gut microbiome. We analyzed the gut microbiome in 29 PD cases and 29 age-matched controls by next-generation-sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and compared diversity indices and bacterial abundances between cases and controls. Alpha diversity measures and the abundance of major phyla did not differ between cases and controls. Beta diversity analyses and analysis on the bacterial family level revealed significant differences between cases and controls for four bacterial families. In keeping with recently published studies, Lactobacillaceae were more abundant in cases. Barnesiellaceae and Enterococcacea were also more abundant in cases in this study but not in other studies. Larger studies, accounting for drug effects and further functional investigations of the gut microbiome are necessary to delineate the role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of PD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Dopamine-Independent Locomotor Actions of Amphetamines in a Novel Acute Mouse Model of Parkinson Disease

    PubMed Central

    Sotnikova, Tatyana D; Beaulieu, Jean-Martin; Barak, Larry S; Wetsel, William C; Gainetdinov, Raul R

    2005-01-01

    Brain dopamine is critically involved in movement control, and its deficiency is the primary cause of motor symptoms in Parkinson disease. Here we report development of an animal model of acute severe dopamine deficiency by using mice lacking the dopamine transporter. In the absence of transporter-mediated recycling mechanisms, dopamine levels become entirely dependent on de novo synthesis. Acute pharmacological inhibition of dopamine synthesis in these mice induces transient elimination of striatal dopamine accompanied by the development of a striking behavioral phenotype manifested as severe akinesia, rigidity, tremor, and ptosis. This phenotype can be reversed by administration of the dopamine precursor, L-DOPA, or by nonselective dopamine agonists. Surprisingly, several amphetamine derivatives were also effective in reversing these behavioral abnormalities in a dopamine-independent manner. Identification of dopamine transporter- and dopamine-independent locomotor actions of amphetamines suggests a novel paradigm in the search for prospective anti-Parkinsonian drugs. PMID:16050778

  19. Parkinson's Disease and Systemic Inflammation

    PubMed Central

    Ferrari, Carina C.; Tarelli, Rodolfo

    2011-01-01

    Peripheral inflammation triggers exacerbation in the central brain's ongoing damage in several neurodegenerative diseases. Systemic inflammatory stimulus induce a general response known as sickness behaviour, indicating that a peripheral stimulus can induce the synthesis of cytokines in the brain. In Parkinson's disease (PD), inflammation was mainly associated with microglia activation that can underlie the neurodegeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Peripheral inflammation can transform the “primed” microglia into an “active” state, which can trigger stronger responses dealing with neurodegenerative processes. Numerous evidences show that systemic inflammatory processes exacerbate ongoing neurodegeneration in PD patient and animal models. Anti-inflammatory treatment in PD patients exerts a neuroprotective effect. In the present paper, we analyse the effect of peripheral infections in the etiology and progression in PD patients and animal models, suggesting that these peripheral immune challenges can exacerbate the symptoms in the disease. PMID:21403862

  20. Neuroprotective potential of spermidine against rotenone induced Parkinson's disease in rats.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Sunaina; Kumar, Puneet; Deshmukh, Rahul

    2018-06-01

    Parkinson's disease is a leading hypokinetic disorder characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) region of mid-brain. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons is considered to be due to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, disturbed calcium homeostasis and glutamate excitotoxicity etc. Spermidine is a polyamine which counteracts age associated cell death by scavenging free radical formation, activates authophagic machinery by enhancing formation of autophagosome, and antagonizes NMDA receptor. In the current study we investigated the neuroprotective potential of spermidine against rotenone induced PD in rats. Rats were treated subcutaneously with rotenone 1.5 mg/kg daily for 28 days. Spermidine 5&10 mg/kg was administered orally 1 h prior to rotenone administration from 15 to 28. Rotenone caused significant reduction in motor functioning and elevated levels of oxidative stress markers and proinflammatory cytokines levels (IL-1β, IL6 and TNF-α). The neurochemical analysis revealed a significant decrease in serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine and their metabolites accompanied by a significant loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc following ROT injection. However, treatment with spermidine rescued DAergic neurons in SNpc and nerve terminals in the striatum following ROT insult. Spermidine treatment also attenuated oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and restored striatal neurochemistry. Results of our study suggest that spermidine has promising neuroprotective effect against degenerative changes in experimental PD, and the protective effects are mediated through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Cardiovascular safety of prokinetic agents: A focus on drug-induced arrhythmias.

    PubMed

    Giudicessi, J R; Ackerman, M J; Camilleri, M

    2018-02-14

    Gastrointestinal sensorimotor dysfunction underlies a wide range of esophageal, gastric, and intestinal motility and functional disorders that collectively constitute nearly half of all referrals to gastroenterologists. As a result, substantial effort has been dedicated toward the development of prokinetic agents intended to augment or restore normal gastrointestinal motility. However, the use of several clinically efficacious gastroprokinetic agents, such as cisapride, domperidone, erythromycin, and tegaserod, is associated with unfavorable cardiovascular safety profiles, leading to restrictions in their use. The purpose of this review is to detail the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead commonly to drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias, specifically drug-induced long QT syndrome, torsades de pointes, and ventricular fibrillation, to examine the cardiovascular safety profiles of several classes of prokinetic agents currently in clinical use, and to explore potential strategies by which the risk of drug-induced cardiac arrhythmia associated with prokinetic agents and other QT interval prolonging medications can be mitigated successfully. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Decreased expression of serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) promotes alpha-synuclein increase related with down-regulation of dopaminergic cell in the Substantia Nigra of chronic MPTP-induced Parkinsonism mice and in SH-SY5Y cells.

    PubMed

    Yeo, Sujung; Sung, Backil; Hong, Yeon-Mi; van den Noort, Maurits; Bosch, Peggy; Lee, Sook-Hyun; Song, Jongbeom; Park, Sang-Kyun; Lim, Sabina

    2018-06-30

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronically progressive neurodegenerative disease, with its main pathological hallmarks being a dramatic loss of dopaminergic neurons predominantly in the Substantia Nigra (SN), and the formations of intracytoplasmic Lewy bodies and dystrophic neurites. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn), widely recognized as the most prominent element of the Lewy body, is one of the representative hallmarks in PD. However, the mechanisms behind the increased α-syn expression and aggregation have not yet been clarified. To examine what causes α-syn expression to increase, we analyzed the pattern of gene expression in the SN of mice intoxicated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), where down-regulation of dopaminergic cells occurred. We identified serum- and glucocorticoid-dependent kinase 1 (SGK1) as one of the genes that is evidently downregulated in chronic MPTP-intoxication. The results of Western blot analyses showed that, together with the down-regulation of dopaminergic cells, the decrease in SGK1 expression increased α-syn expression in the SN in a chronic MPTP-induced Parkinsonism mouse. For an examination of the expression correlation between SGK1 and α-syn, SH-5YSY cells were knocked down with SGK1 siRNA then, the downregulation of dopaminergic cells and the increase in the expression of α-syn were observed. These results suggest that decreased expression of SGK1 may play a critical role in increasing the expression of α-syn, which is related with dopaminergic cell death in the SN of chronic MPTP-induced Parkinsonism mice and in SH-SY5Y cells. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  3. Drug-Induced Anaphylaxis in Latin American Countries.

    PubMed

    Jares, Edgardo José; Baena-Cagnani, Carlos E; Sánchez-Borges, Mario; Ensina, Luis Felipe C; Arias-Cruz, Alfredo; Gómez, Maximiliano; Cuello, Mabel Noemi; Morfin-Maciel, Blanca María; De Falco, Alicia; Barayazarra, Susana; Bernstein, Jonathan A; Serrano, Carlos; Monsell, Silvana; Schuhl, Juan; Cardona-Villa, Ricardo

    2015-01-01

    Information regarding the clinical features and management of drug-induced anaphylaxis (DIA) in Latin America is lacking. The objective of this study was to assess implicated medications, demographics, and treatments received for DIA in Latin American patients referred to national specialty centers for evaluation. A database previously used to compile information on drug-induced allergic reactions in 11 Latin American countries was used to identify and characterize patients presenting specifically with a clinical diagnosis of DIA. Information regarding clinical presentation, causative agent(s), diagnostic studies performed, treatment, and contributing factors associated with increased reaction severity was analyzed. There were 1005 patients evaluated for possible drug hypersensitivity reactions during the study interval, and 264 (26.3%) met criteria for DIA. DIA was more frequent in adults and in elderly females (N = 129 [76.6%] and N = 30 [75%], respectively) compared with children and/or adolescents (N = 21 [42.9%], P < .01). Severe DIA was less frequent with underlying asthma (N = 22 vs 35 [38.6% vs 61.4%], P < .05) or atopy (N = 62 vs 71 [43% vs 59% ], P < .01). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (N = 178 [57.8%]), beta-lactam antibiotics (N = 44 [14.3%]), and other antibiotics (N = 16 [5.2%]) were the most frequently implicated drug classes. Anaphylaxis was rated as severe in N = 133 (50.4%) and anaphylactic shock (AS) was present in N = 90 (34.1%). Epinephrine was only used in N = 73 (27.6%) overall, but in N = 70 (77.8%) of patients with AS. In Latin American patients referred for evaluation of DIA, NSAIDs and antibiotics were implicated in approximately 80% of cases. Most of these reactions were treated in the emergency department. Epinephrine was administered in only 27.6% of all cases, although more frequently for anaphylactic shock. Dissemination of anaphylaxis guidelines among emergency department physicians should be encouraged to improve

  4. Photo-inducible Crosslinked Nanoassemblies for pH-Controlled Drug Release

    PubMed Central

    Dickerson, Matthew; Winquist, Nickolas; Bae, Younsoo

    2014-01-01

    Purpose To control drug release from block copolymer nanoassemblies by variation in the degree of photo-crosslinking and inclusion of acid sensitive linkers. Methods Poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(aspartate-hydrazide-cinnamate) (PEG-CNM) block copolymers were prepared and conjugated with a model drug, doxorubicin (DOX), through acid sensitive hydrazone linkers. The block copolymers formed photo-inducible, self-assembled nanoassemblies (piSNAs), which were used to produce photo-inducible crosslinked nanoassemblies (piCNAs) through UV crosslinking. The nanoassemblies were characterized to determine particle size, surface charge, pH- and crosslinking-dependent DOX release, in vitro cytotoxicity, and intracellular uptake as a function of photo-crosslinking degree. Results Nanoassemblies with varying photo-crosslinking degrees were successfully prepared while retaining particle size and surface charge. Photo-crosslinking caused no noticeable change in DOX release from the nanoassemblies at pH 7.4, but the DOX-loaded nanoassemblies modulated drug release as a function of crosslinking at pH 6.0. The nanoassemblies showed similar cytotoxicity regardless of crosslinking degrees, presumably due to the low cellular uptake and cell nucleus drug accumulation. Conclusion Photo-crosslinking is useful to control drug release from pH-sensitive block copolymer nanoassemblies as a function of crosslinking without altering the particle properties, and thus providing unique tools to investigate the pharmaceutical effects of drug release on cellular response. PMID:24254196

  5. Is the Parkinson Anxiety Scale comparable across raters?

    PubMed

    Forjaz, Maria João; Ayala, Alba; Martinez-Martin, Pablo; Dujardin, Kathy; Pontone, Gregory M; Starkstein, Sergio E; Weintraub, Daniel; Leentjens, Albert F G

    2015-04-01

    The Parkinson Anxiety Scale is a new scale developed to measure anxiety severity in Parkinson's disease specifically. It consists of three dimensions: persistent anxiety, episodic anxiety, and avoidance behavior. This study aimed to assess the measurement properties of the scale while controlling for the rater (self- vs. clinician-rated) effect. The Parkinson Anxiety Scale was administered to a cross-sectional multicenter international sample of 362 Parkinson's disease patients. Both patients and clinicians rated the patient's anxiety independently. A many-facet Rasch model design was applied to estimate and remove the rater effect. The following measurement properties were assessed: fit to the Rasch model, unidimensionality, reliability, differential item functioning, item local independency, interrater reliability (self or clinician), and scale targeting. In addition, test-retest stability, construct validity, precision, and diagnostic properties of the Parkinson Anxiety Scale were also analyzed. A good fit to the Rasch model was obtained for Parkinson Anxiety Scale dimensions A and B, after the removal of one item and rescoring of the response scale for certain items, whereas dimension C showed marginal fit. Self versus clinician rating differences were of small magnitude, with patients reporting higher anxiety levels than clinicians. The linear measure for Parkinson Anxiety Scale dimensions A and B showed good convergent construct with other anxiety measures and good diagnostic properties. Parkinson Anxiety Scale modified dimensions A and B provide valid and reliable measures of anxiety in Parkinson's disease that are comparable across raters. Further studies are needed with dimension C. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  6. Vaccination strategies for Parkinson disease

    PubMed Central

    Romero-Ramos, Marina; von Euler Chelpin, Marianne; Sanchez-Guajardo, Vanesa

    2014-01-01

    Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the world, but there is currently no available cure for it. Current treatments only alleviate some of the symptoms for a few years, but they become ineffective in the long run and do not stop the disease. Therefore it is of outmost importance to develop therapeutic strategies that can prevent, stop, or cure Parkinson disease. A very promising target for these therapies is the peripheral immune system due to its probable involvement in the disease and its potential as a tool to modulate neuroinflammation. But for such strategies to be successful, we need to understand the particular state of the peripheral immune system during Parkinson disease in order to avoid its weaknesses. In this review we examine the available data regarding how dopamine regulates the peripheral immune system and how this regulation is affected in Parkinson disease; the specific cytokine profiles observed during disease progression and the alterations documented to date in patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We also review the different strategies used in Parkinson disease animal models to modulate the adaptive immune response to salvage dopaminergic neurons from cell death. After analyzing the evidence, we hypothesize the need to prime the immune system to restore natural tolerance against α-synuclein in Parkinson disease, including at the same time B and T cells, so that T cells can reprogram microglia activation to a beneficial pattern and B cell/IgG can help neurons cope with the pathological forms of α-synuclein. PMID:24670306

  7. Phenomenology and management of cognitive and behavioral disorders in Parkinson's disease. Rise and logic of dementia in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Potagas, Constantin; Papageorgiou, Sokratis

    2006-08-08

    An overview of studies on the issue of dementia in Parkinson's disease shows that, over time, there has been an evolution in the perception of the magnitude of the problem and of its nature. Dementia seems today to be part of the disease. This change in the understanding of the disease can be accounted for by various methodological problems and by difficulties, on one hand, in the definition of dementia and its differentiation from other conditions, and, on the other hand, in the diagnosis of the disease itself in individual cases. Optimal therapeutic strategies are also examined, either based on cholinesterase inhibitors or antiparkinsonian drugs and symptomatic measures.

  8. Drug-induced liver injury due to antibiotics.

    PubMed

    Björnsson, Einar S

    Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important differential diagnosis in patients with abnormal liver tests and normal hepatobiliary imaging. Of all known liver diseases, the diagnosis of DILI is probably one of the most difficult one to be established. In all major studies on DILI, antibiotics are the most common type of drugs that have been reported. The clinical phenotype of different types of antibiotics associated with liver injury is highly variable. Some widely used antibiotics such as amoxicillin-clavulanate have been shown to have a delayed onset on liver injury and recently cefazolin has been found to lead to liver injury 1-3 weeks after exposure of a single infusion. The other extreme is the nature of nitrofurantoin-induced liver injury, which can occur after a few years of treatment and lead to acute liver failure (ALF) or autoimmune-like reaction. Most patients with liver injury associated with use of antibiotics have a favorable prognosis. However, patients with jaundice have approximately 10% risk of death from liver failure and/or require liver transplantation. In rare instances, the hepatoxicity can lead to chronic injury and vanishing bile duct syndrome. Given, sometimes very severe consequences of the adverse liver reactions, it cannot be over emphasized that the indication for the different antibiotics should be evidence-based and symptoms and signs of liver injury from the drugs should lead to prompt cessation of therapy.

  9. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herb-induced Liver Injury: Comparison with Drug-induced Liver Injury.

    PubMed

    Jing, Jing; Teschke, Rolf

    2018-03-28

    Cases of suspected herb-induced liver injury (HILI) caused by herbal Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) and of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) are commonly published in the scientific literature worldwide. As opposed to the multiplicity of botanical chemicals in herbal TCM products, which are often mixtures of several herbs, conventional Western drugs contain only a single synthetic chemical. It is therefore of interest to study how HILI by TCM and DILI compare with each other, and to what extent results from each liver injury type can be transferred to the other. China is among the few countries with a large population using synthetic Western drugs as well as herbal TCM. Therefore, China is well suited to studies of liver injury comparing drugs with TCM herbs. Despite some concordance, recent analyses of liver injury cases with verified causality, using the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method, revealed major differences in HILI caused by TCMs as compared to DILI with respect to the following features: HILI cases are less frequently observed as compared to DILI, have a smaller proportion of females and less unintentional rechallenge events, and present a higher rate of hepatocellular injury features. Since many results were obtained among Chinese residents who had access to and had used Western drugs and TCM herbs, such ethnic homogeneity supports the contention that the observed differences of HILI and DILI in the assessed population are well founded.

  10. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Herb-induced Liver Injury: Comparison with Drug-induced Liver Injury

    PubMed Central

    Jing, Jing; Teschke, Rolf

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Cases of suspected herb-induced liver injury (HILI) caused by herbal Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) and of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) are commonly published in the scientific literature worldwide. As opposed to the multiplicity of botanical chemicals in herbal TCM products, which are often mixtures of several herbs, conventional Western drugs contain only a single synthetic chemical. It is therefore of interest to study how HILI by TCM and DILI compare with each other, and to what extent results from each liver injury type can be transferred to the other. China is among the few countries with a large population using synthetic Western drugs as well as herbal TCM. Therefore, China is well suited to studies of liver injury comparing drugs with TCM herbs. Despite some concordance, recent analyses of liver injury cases with verified causality, using the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method, revealed major differences in HILI caused by TCMs as compared to DILI with respect to the following features: HILI cases are less frequently observed as compared to DILI, have a smaller proportion of females and less unintentional rechallenge events, and present a higher rate of hepatocellular injury features. Since many results were obtained among Chinese residents who had access to and had used Western drugs and TCM herbs, such ethnic homogeneity supports the contention that the observed differences of HILI and DILI in the assessed population are well founded. PMID:29577033

  11. Pragmatic communication is impaired in Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Hall, Deborah; Ouyang, Bichun; Lonnquist, Eryn; Newcombe, Jill

    2011-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether severity of disease, cognitive function, age, gender, or amount of social interaction were associated with pragmatic dysfunction in Parkinson disease. No studies have previously been done to investigate variables that may be associated with pragmatic dysfunction in Parkinson disease. A case-control study was conducted with 17 Parkinson disease patients and 17 convenience controls. Each Parkinson disease patient and a control were interviewed, and their pragmatic skills were evaluated using a scale of pragmatic communication skills. Correlation analysis was used to determine what factors were associated with pragmatic dysfunction in the Parkinson disease patients. Cases scored lower on the pragmatic scale with a mean of 29.7 compared with 38.9 in the controls (p < .001) out of 40 possible points. The score on the scale of pragmatic communication skills had moderate to strong correlations with the MMSE (r = .81, p = .002), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score (r = -.71, p = .002), and duration of disease (r = -.53, p = .03). These results show that Parkinson disease patients have impaired pragmatic function compared with controls on both verbal and nonverbal sections, and this impairment correlates with mental state, duration, and severity of disease.

  12. Stimulus Timing by People with Parkinson's Disease

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wearden, J. H.; Smith-Spark, J. H.; Cousins, Rosanna; Edelstyn, N. M. J.; Cody, F. W. J.; O'Boyle, D. J.

    2008-01-01

    Previous literature suggests that Parkinson's disease is marked by deficits in timed behaviour. However, the majority of studies of central timing mechanisms in patients with Parkinson's disease have used timing tasks with a motor component. Since the motor abnormalities are a defining feature of the condition, the status of timing in Parkinson's…

  13. Confinement-Induced Drug-Tolerance in Mycobacteria Mediated by an Efflux Mechanism

    PubMed Central

    Luthuli, Brilliant B.; Purdy, Georgiana E.; Balagaddé, Frederick K.

    2015-01-01

    Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s deadliest curable disease, responsible for an estimated 1.5 million deaths annually. A considerable challenge in controlling this disease is the prolonged multidrug chemotherapy (6 to 9 months) required to overcome drug-tolerant mycobacteria that persist in human tissues, although the same drugs can sterilize genetically identical mycobacteria growing in axenic culture within days. An essential component of TB infection involves intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria that multiply within macrophages and are significantly more tolerant to antibiotics compared to extracellular mycobacteria. To investigate this aspect of human TB, we created a physical cell culture system that mimics confinement of replicating mycobacteria, such as in a macrophage during infection. Using this system, we uncovered an epigenetic drug-tolerance phenotype that appears when mycobacteria are cultured in space-confined bioreactors and disappears in larger volume growth contexts. Efflux mechanisms that are induced in space-confined growth environments contribute to this drug-tolerance phenotype. Therefore, macrophage-induced drug tolerance by mycobacteria may be an effect of confined growth among other macrophage-specific mechanisms. PMID:26295942

  14. Exercise hemodynamics in Parkinson's disease and autonomic dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Low, David A; Vichayanrat, Ekawat; Iodice, Valeria; Mathias, Christopher J

    2014-05-01

    To clarify the characteristics of hemodynamic responses to exercise and orthostasis in Parkinson's disease patients, especially those with autonomic failure. Clinical audit of supine cycling exercise test data (with active standing tests pre- and post-exercise) of Parkinson's patients with autonomic dysfunction. 23 patients (71 ± 7 yr, 7 females) with a confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's were identified. Group mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) fell during pre-exercise standing (-39 ± 29 mmHg, P < 0.001, 17 patients had orthostatic hypotension (OH)), while heart rate (HR) increased (+13 ± 7 beats min(-1), P < 0.001). SBP (P < 0.001) increased during exercise with a wide variation in responses. SBP increased in 13 patients (INC; +30 ± 14 mmHg) and either did not change or decreased in 10 patients (DEC -12 ± 11 mmHg, P < 0.001 vs INC). The increase in HR was not different between sub-groups (30 ± 12 vs 25 ± 10 beats min(-1), INC vs. DEC, P = 0.29). The size of the pre-exercise stand SBP reduction was greater in DEC vs INC (-64 ± 23 (10 out of 10 had OH) vs -19 ± 16 mmHg (7 out of 13 had OH), respectively, P < 0.001). The HR elevation was not different between sub-groups (13 ± 8 vs 13 ± 4 beats min(-1), DEC vs INC, P = 0.94). Post-exercise SBP/DBP were lower for both sub-groups compared to pre-exercise and the standing SBP reduction post-exercise was not greater relative to pre-exercise in either sub-group. Exercise-induced hypotension can occur in Parkinson's disease patients with autonomic failure with the magnitude of the exercise response being related to the severity of autonomic dysfunction. Exercise does not appear to worsen OH in this sample of Parkinson's patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The oscillatory boundary conditions of different frequency bands in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Hu, Bing; Shi, Qianqian; Guo, Yu; Diao, Xiyezi; Guo, Heng; Zhang, Jinsong; Yu, Liang; Dai, Hao; Chen, Luonan

    2018-08-14

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is common in the elderly population. The most important pathological change in PD is the degeneration and death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, which results in a decrease in the dopamine (DA) content of the striatum. The exact cause of this pathological change is still unknown. Numerous studies have shown that the evolution of PD is associated with abnormal oscillatory activities in the basal ganglia, with different oscillation frequency ranges, such as the typical beta band (13-30 Hz), the alpha band (8-12 Hz), the theta band (4-7 Hz) and the delta band (1-3 Hz). Although some studies have implied that abnormal interactions between the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus (GP) neurons may be a key factor required to induce these oscillations, the relative mechanism is still unclear. The effects of other nerve nuclei in the basal ganglia, such as the striatum, on these oscillations are still unknown. The thalamus and cortex both have close input and output relationships with the basal ganglia, and many previous studies have indicated that they may also exert effects on Parkinson's disease oscillation, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. In this paper, we built a corticothalamic-basal ganglia (CTBG) mean firing-rate model to explore the onset mechanisms of these different oscillation phenomena. We found that, in addition to the STN-GP network, Parkinson's disease oscillations may also be induced by changing the coupling strength and delays in other pathways. Different frequency bands appear in the oscillating region, and various boundary conditions are depicted in parameter diagrams. The onset mechanism is well explained both by the model and by the numerical simulation results. Therefore, this model provides a unifying framework for studying the mechanism of Parkinson's disease oscillations, and we hope that the results obtained in this work can inspire

  16. Mirtazapine has a therapeutic potency in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mice model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Kadoguchi, Naoto; Okabe, Shinji; Yamamura, Yukio; Shono, Misaki; Fukano, Tatsuya; Tanabe, Akie; Yokoyama, Hironori; Kasahara, Jiro

    2014-06-25

    Mirtazapine, a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA), shows multiple pharmacological actions such as inhibiting presynaptic α2 noradrenaline receptor (NAR) and selectively activating 5-hydroxytriptamine (5-HT) 1A receptor (5-HT1AR). Mirtazapine was also reported to increase dopamine release in the cortical neurons with 5-HT dependent manner. To examine whether mirtazapine has a therapeutic potency in Parkinson's disease (PD), we examined this compound in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated mice model of PD. Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to MPTP treatment to establish a PD model. Mirtazapine was administered once a day for 3 days after MPTP treatment. MPTP-induced motor dysfunction, assessed by beam-walking and rota-rod tests, was significantly improved by administration of mirtazapine. Biochemical examinations by high performance liquid chromatography and western blot analysis suggested mirtazapine facilitated utilization of dopamine by increasing turnover and protein expression of transporters, without affecting on neurodegenerative process by MPTP. These therapeutic effects of mirtazapine were reduced by administration of WAY100635, an inhibitor for 5HT1AR, or of clonidine, a selective agonist for α2-NAR, or of prazosin, an inhibitor for α1-NAR, respectively. Our results showed mirtazapine had a therapeutic potency against PD in a mouse model. Because PD patients sometimes show depression together, it will be a useful drug for a future PD treatment.

  17. Neurophysiology of Drosophila Models of Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    West, Ryan J. H.; Furmston, Rebecca; Williams, Charles A. C.; Elliott, Christopher J. H.

    2015-01-01

    We provide an insight into the role Drosophila has played in elucidating neurophysiological perturbations associated with Parkinson's disease- (PD-) related genes. Synaptic signalling deficits are observed in motor, central, and sensory systems. Given the neurological impact of disease causing mutations within these same genes in humans the phenotypes observed in fly are of significant interest. As such we observe four unique opportunities provided by fly nervous system models of Parkinson's disease. Firstly, Drosophila models are instrumental in exploring the mechanisms of neurodegeneration, with several PD-related mutations eliciting related phenotypes including sensitivity to energy supply and vesicular deformities. These are leading to the identification of plausible cellular mechanisms, which may be specific to (dopaminergic) neurons and synapses rather than general cellular phenotypes. Secondly, models show noncell autonomous signalling within the nervous system, offering the opportunity to develop our understanding of the way pathogenic signalling propagates, resembling Braak's scheme of spreading pathology in PD. Thirdly, the models link physiological deficits to changes in synaptic structure. While the structure-function relationship is complex, the genetic tractability of Drosophila offers the chance to separate fundamental changes from downstream consequences. Finally, the strong neuronal phenotypes permit relevant first in vivo drug testing. PMID:25960916

  18. Parkinson's disease dementia: a neural networks perspective.

    PubMed

    Gratwicke, James; Jahanshahi, Marjan; Foltynie, Thomas

    2015-06-01

    In the long-term, with progression of the illness, Parkinson's disease dementia affects up to 90% of patients with Parkinson's disease. With increasing life expectancy in western countries, Parkinson's disease dementia is set to become even more prevalent in the future. However, current treatments only give modest symptomatic benefit at best. New treatments are slow in development because unlike the pathological processes underlying the motor deficits of Parkinson's disease, the neural mechanisms underlying the dementing process and its associated cognitive deficits are still poorly understood. Recent insights from neuroscience research have begun to unravel the heterogeneous involvement of several distinct neural networks underlying the cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease dementia, and their modulation by both dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic transmitter systems in the brain. In this review we collate emerging evidence regarding these distinct brain networks to give a novel perspective on the pathological mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease dementia, and discuss how this may offer new therapeutic opportunities. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

  19. [Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: insomnia and sleep fragmentation, daytime hypersomnia, alterations to the circadian rhythm and sleep apnea syndrome].

    PubMed

    Mondragón-Rezola, E; Arratíbel-Echarren, I; Ruiz-Martínez, J; Martí-Massó, J F

    2010-02-08

    Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease are present in 60-98% of patients and reduce their quality of life. To review the pathophysiology, diagnostic approach and management of the different sleep disorders. We describe the pathophysiology associated with neurodegeneration, due to symptoms (motor and nonmotor) and drug therapies. This article reviews insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, circadian sleep disorders and sleep apnea. Subjective or objective sleepiness assessment should routinely be performed by physicians looking after Parkinson's disease patients. Management is difficult and should be targeted to the specific sleep disorder and its likely cause.

  20. Complete Comparison Display (CCD) evaluation of ethanol extracts of Centella asiatica and Withania somnifera shows that they can non-synergistically ameliorate biochemical and behavioural damages in MPTP induced Parkinson's model of mice.

    PubMed

    Bhatnagar, Maheep; Goel, Ishan; Roy, Tathagato; Shukla, Sunil Dutt; Khurana, Sukant

    2017-01-01

    Parkinson's disease remains as one of the most common debilitating neurodegenerative disorders. With the hopes of finding agents that can cure or reduce the pace of progression of the disease, we studied two traditional medicinal plants: Centella asiatica and Withania somnifera that have been explored in some recent studies. In agreement with the previous work on ethanol extracts of these two plants in mice model, we saw an improvement in oxidative stress profile as well as behavioral performance in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced Parkinson-like symptoms in Balb/c mice. Given the known potential of both the herbal extracts in improving Parkinson-like symptoms, we expected the combination of the two to show better results than either of the two but surprisingly there was no additivity in either oxidative stress or behavioural recovery. In fact, in some assays, the combination performed worse than either of the two individual constituents. This effect of mixtures highlights the need of testing mixtures in supplements market using enthomedicine. The necessity of comparing multiple groups in this study to get most information from the experiments motivated us to design a ladder-like visualization to show comparison with different groups that we call complete comparison display (CCD). In summary, we show the potential of Centella asiatica and Withania somnifera to ameliorate Parkinson's disorder.

  1. Safinamide: a new hope for Parkinson's disease?

    PubMed

    Teixeira, Fábio G; Gago, Miguel F; Marques, Paulo; Moreira, Pedro Silva; Magalhães, Ricardo; Sousa, Nuno; Salgado, António J

    2018-03-01

    The loss of dopaminergic neurons (DAn) and reduced dopamine (DA) production underlies the reasoning behind the gold standard treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) using levodopa (L-DOPA). Recently licensed by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), safinamide [a monoamine oxidase B (MOA-B) inhibitor] is an alternative to L-DOPA; as we discuss here, it enhances dopaminergic transmission with decreased secondary effects compared with L-DOPA. In addition, nondopaminergic actions (neuroprotective effects) have been reported, with safinamide inhibiting glutamate release and sodium/calcium channels, reducing the excitotoxic input to dopaminergic neuronal death. Effects of safinamide have been correlated with the amelioration of non-motor symptoms (NMS), although these remain under discussion. Overall, safinamide can be considered to have potential antidyskinetic and neuroprotective effects and future trials and/or studies should be performed to provide further evidence for its potential as an anti-PD drug. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The Neuroprotective Mechanism of Low-Frequency rTMS on Nigral Dopaminergic Neurons of Parkinson's Disease Model Mice

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Qiaoyun; Wang, Yanyong; Gu, Ping; Shao, Rusheng; Zhao, Li; Liu, Xiqi; Wang, Zhanqiang; Wang, Mingwei

    2015-01-01

    Background. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease in elder people, pathophysiologic basis of which is the severe deficiency of dopamine in the striatum. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of low-frequency rTMS on Parkinson's disease in model mice. Methods. The effects of low-frequency rTMS on the motor function, cortex excitability, neurochemistry, and neurohistopathology of MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice were investigated through behavioral detection, electrophysiologic technique, high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection, immunohistochemical staining, and western blot. Results. Low-frequency rTMS could improve the motor coordination impairment of Parkinson's disease mice: the resting motor threshold significantly decreased in the Parkinson's disease mice; the degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neuron and the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase were significantly improved by low-frequency rTMS; moreover, the expressions of brain derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor were also improved by low-frequency rTMS. Conclusions. Low-frequency rTMS had a neuroprotective effect on the nigral dopaminergic neuron which might be due to the improved expressions of brain derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. The present study provided a theoretical basis for the application of low-frequency rTMS in the clinical treatment and recovery of Parkinson's disease. PMID:25883828

  3. High rates of parkinsonism in adults with autism.

    PubMed

    Starkstein, Sergio; Gellar, Scott; Parlier, Morgan; Payne, Leslie; Piven, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    While it is now recognized that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is typically a life-long condition, there exist only a handful of systematic studies on middle-aged and older adults with this condition. We first performed a structured examination of parkinsonian motor signs in a hypothesis-generating, pilot study (study I) of 19 adults with ASD over 49 years of age. Observing high rates of parkinsonism in those off atypical neuroleptics (2/12, 17 %) in comparison to published population rates for Parkinson's disease and parkinsonism, we examined a second sample of 37 adults with ASD, over 39 years of age, using a structured neurological assessment for parkinsonism. Twelve of the 37 subjects (32 %) met the diagnostic criteria for parkinsonism; however, of these, 29 subjects were on atypical neuroleptics, complicating interpretation of the findings. Two of eight (25 %) subjects not taking atypical neuroleptic medications met the criteria for parkinsonism. Combining subjects who were not currently taking atypical neuroleptic medications, across both studies, we conservatively classified 4/20 (20 %) with parkinsonism. We find a high frequency of parkinsonism among ASD individuals older than 39 years. If high rates of parkinsonism and potentially Parkinson's disease are confirmed in subsequent studies of ASD, this observation has important implications for understanding the neurobiology of autism and treatment of manifestations in older adults. Given the prevalence of autism in school-age children, the recognition of its life-long natural history, and the recognition of the aging of western societies, these findings also support the importance of further systematic study of other aspects of older adults with autism.

  4. Increased risk of parkinsonism associated with welding exposure

    PubMed Central

    Racette, Brad A.; Criswell, Susan R.; Lundin, Jessica I.; Hobson, Angela; Seixas, Noah; Kotzbauer, Paul T.; Evanoff, Bradley A.; Perlmutter, Joel S.; Zhang, Jing; Sheppard, Lianne; Checkoway, Harvey

    2013-01-01

    Objective Manganese (Mn), an established neurotoxicant, is a common component of welding fume. The neurological phenotype associated with welding exposures has not been well described. Prior epidemiologic evidence linking occupational welding to parkinsonism is mixed, and remains controversial. Methods This was a cross-sectional and nested case–control study to investigate the prevalence and phenotype of parkinsonism among 811 shipyard and fabrication welders recruited from trade unions. Two reference groups included 59 non-welder trade workers and 118 newly diagnosed, untreated idiopathic PD patients. Study subjects were examined by a movement disorders specialist using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale motor subsection 3 (UPDRS3). Parkinsonism cases were defined as welders with UPDRS3 score ≥15. Normal was defined as UPDRS3 < 6. Exposure was classified as intensity adjusted, cumulative years of welding. Adjusted prevalence ratios for parkinsonism were calculated in relation to quartiles of welding years. Results The overall prevalence estimate of parkinsonism was 15.6% in welding exposed workers compared to 0% in the reference group. Among welders, we observed a U-shaped dose–response relation between weighted welding exposure-years and parkinsonism. UPDRS3 scores for most domains were similar between welders and newly diagnosed idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) patients, except for greater frequency of rest tremor and asymmetry in PD patients. Conclusion This work-site based study among welders demonstrates a high prevalence of parkinsonism compared to nonwelding-exposed workers and a clinical phenotype that overlaps substantially with PD. PMID:22975422

  5. [The experimental models of Parkinson's disease in animals].

    PubMed

    Grigor'ian, G A; Bazian, A S

    2007-01-01

    The current review describes the modem Parkinson's disease models in animals, their advantages, limitations and disadvantages. It was noted that the most widespread up-to-date models based on etiology of the Parkinson's disease. Although toxins mostly produce the Parkinson's disease, a study of involved genes allows investigating not only inherited but also sporadic (not inherited) forms of disease since the same genes are involved in both cases. Mutations of genes lead to formation of "mutant" toxic proteins, which produce a death of the specialized neurons of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system and the development of Parkinson's disease. A significant place in the review takes adescription of characteristics of the toxic models produced by 6-OHDA, MPTP and rotenone, their similarities and differences in pathogenetic mechanisms of the Parkinson's disease development. On the basis of the considered experimental models of Parkinson's disease a conclusion has been done that none of these models may in full and adequate scale imitate the entire clinical, pathophysiological, morphological, biochemical and other aspects of the Parkinson's disease development.

  6. Electromagnetized gold nanoparticles mediate direct lineage reprogramming into induced dopamine neurons in vivo for Parkinson's disease therapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoo, Junsang; Lee, Euiyeon; Kim, Hee Young; Youn, Dong-Ho; Jung, Junghyun; Kim, Hongwon; Chang, Yujung; Lee, Wonwoong; Shin, Jaein; Baek, Soonbong; Jang, Wonhee; Jun, Won; Kim, Soochan; Hong, Jongki; Park, Hi-Joon; Lengner, Christopher J.; Moh, Sang Hyun; Kwon, Youngeun; Kim, Jongpil

    2017-10-01

    Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are physical energy fields generated by electrically charged objects, and specific ranges of EMF can influence numerous biological processes, which include the control of cell fate and plasticity. In this study, we show that electromagnetized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the presence of specific EMF conditions facilitate an efficient direct lineage reprogramming to induced dopamine neurons in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, electromagnetic stimulation leads to a specific activation of the histone acetyltransferase Brd2, which results in histone H3K27 acetylation and a robust activation of neuron-specific genes. In vivo dopaminergic neuron reprogramming by EMF stimulation of AuNPs efficiently and non-invasively alleviated symptoms in mouse Parkinson's disease models. This study provides a proof of principle for EMF-based in vivo lineage conversion as a potentially viable and safe therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

  7. Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Borchert, Robin J; Rittman, Timothy; Passamonti, Luca; Ye, Zheng; Sami, Saber; Jones, Simon P; Nombela, Cristina; Vázquez Rodríguez, Patricia; Vatansever, Deniz; Rae, Charlotte L; Hughes, Laura E; Robbins, Trevor W; Rowe, James B

    2016-01-01

    Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but often not improved by dopaminergic treatment. New treatment strategies targeting other neurotransmitter deficits are therefore of growing interest. Imaging the brain at rest (‘task-free') provides the opportunity to examine the impact of a candidate drug on many of the brain networks that underpin cognition, while minimizing task-related performance confounds. We test this approach using atomoxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor that modulates the prefrontal cortical activity and can facilitate some executive functions and response inhibition. Thirty-three patients with idiopathic PD underwent task-free fMRI. Patients were scanned twice in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, following either placebo or 40-mg oral atomoxetine. Seventy-six controls were scanned once without medication to provide normative data. Seed-based correlation analyses were used to measure changes in functional connectivity, with the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) a critical region for executive function. Patients on placebo had reduced connectivity relative to controls from right IFG to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and to left IFG and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Atomoxetine increased connectivity from the right IFG to the dorsal anterior cingulate. In addition, the atomoxetine-induced change in connectivity from right IFG to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was proportional to the change in verbal fluency, a simple index of executive function. The results support the hypothesis that atomoxetine may restore prefrontal networks related to executive functions. We suggest that task-free imaging can support translational pharmacological studies of new drug therapies and provide evidence for engagement of the relevant neurocognitive systems. PMID:26837463

  8. Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Borchert, Robin J; Rittman, Timothy; Passamonti, Luca; Ye, Zheng; Sami, Saber; Jones, Simon P; Nombela, Cristina; Vázquez Rodríguez, Patricia; Vatansever, Deniz; Rae, Charlotte L; Hughes, Laura E; Robbins, Trevor W; Rowe, James B

    2016-07-01

    Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but often not improved by dopaminergic treatment. New treatment strategies targeting other neurotransmitter deficits are therefore of growing interest. Imaging the brain at rest ('task-free') provides the opportunity to examine the impact of a candidate drug on many of the brain networks that underpin cognition, while minimizing task-related performance confounds. We test this approach using atomoxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor that modulates the prefrontal cortical activity and can facilitate some executive functions and response inhibition. Thirty-three patients with idiopathic PD underwent task-free fMRI. Patients were scanned twice in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, following either placebo or 40-mg oral atomoxetine. Seventy-six controls were scanned once without medication to provide normative data. Seed-based correlation analyses were used to measure changes in functional connectivity, with the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) a critical region for executive function. Patients on placebo had reduced connectivity relative to controls from right IFG to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and to left IFG and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Atomoxetine increased connectivity from the right IFG to the dorsal anterior cingulate. In addition, the atomoxetine-induced change in connectivity from right IFG to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was proportional to the change in verbal fluency, a simple index of executive function. The results support the hypothesis that atomoxetine may restore prefrontal networks related to executive functions. We suggest that task-free imaging can support translational pharmacological studies of new drug therapies and provide evidence for engagement of the relevant neurocognitive systems.

  9. Effects of Rotigotine on REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson Disease

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yan; Yang, Yuechang; Wu, Huijuan; Lan, Danmei; Chen, Ying; Zhao, Zhongxin

    2016-01-01

    Study Objectives: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a common manifestation of Parkinson disease (PD). In this study, we assessed the effects of rotigotine transdermal patch on RBD features in patients with PD. Methods: In this prospective open-label study, eleven PD patients with untreated RBD were administered rotigotine patches for up to seven months to ameliorate their parkinsonism. The severities of their RBD symptoms before and after rotigotine therapy were evaluated through patient and bed partner interviews, a validated evaluation scale (REM sleep behavior disorder questionnaire-Hong Kong, RBDQ-HK), and blinded assessments based on video-polysomnographic (VPSG) measure. Results: Rotigotine improved parkinsonism and subjective sleep quality in PD patients with RBD. The RBDQ-HK total score, especially the Factor 2 score, was decreased, which demonstrated that the subjective severity of RBD symptoms was improved after rotigotine treatment, especially the frequency and severity of abnormal RBD-related motor behaviors. The VPSG analyses showed that the total sleep time (TST) and stage 1% were increased and that the PLMS index was decreased. However, no differences in the RBD-related sleep measures were observed. Conclusions: The improved RBD symptoms and VPSG measures of PD patients in this study (TST, stage 1%, and PLMS index) suggest that, in PD, rotigotine may partially improve RBD-related symptoms. Rotigotine should be considered to be an optional drug for the treatment of RBD symptoms in PD. Citation: Wang Y, Yang Y, Wu H, Lan D, Chen Y, Zhao Z. Effects of rotigotine on REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson disease. J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(10):1403–1409. PMID:27568909

  10. Drug-induced death signaling strategy rapidly predicts cancer response to chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Montero, Joan; Sarosiek, Kristopher A; DeAngelo, Joseph D; Maertens, Ophélia; Ryan, Jeremy; Ercan, Dalia; Piao, Huiying; Horowitz, Neil S; Berkowitz, Ross S; Matulonis, Ursula; Jänne, Pasi A; Amrein, Philip C; Cichowski, Karen; Drapkin, Ronny; Letai, Anthony

    2015-02-26

    There is a lack of effective predictive biomarkers to precisely assign optimal therapy to cancer patients. While most efforts are directed at inferring drug response phenotype based on genotype, there is very focused and useful phenotypic information to be gained from directly perturbing the patient's living cancer cell with the drug(s) in question. To satisfy this unmet need, we developed the Dynamic BH3 Profiling technique to measure early changes in net pro-apoptotic signaling at the mitochondrion ("priming") induced by chemotherapeutic agents in cancer cells, not requiring prolonged ex vivo culture. We find in cell line and clinical experiments that early drug-induced death signaling measured by Dynamic BH3 Profiling predicts chemotherapy response across many cancer types and many agents, including combinations of chemotherapies. We propose that Dynamic BH3 Profiling can be used as a broadly applicable predictive biomarker to predict cytotoxic response of cancers to chemotherapeutics in vivo. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Drug-induced abnormalities of potassium metabolism.

    PubMed

    Kokot, Franciszek; Hyla-Klekot, Lidia

    2008-01-01

    Pharmacotherapy has progressed rapidly over the last 20 years with the result that general practioners more and more often use drugs which may influence potassium metabolism at the kidney or gastrointestinal level, or the transmembrane transport of potassium at the cellular level. Potassium abnormalities may result in life-theatening clinical conditions. Hypokalemia is most frequently caused by renal loss of this electrolyte (thiazide, thiazide-like and loop diuretics, glucocorticoids) and the gastrointestinal tract (laxatives, diarrhea, vomiting, external fistula), and may be the result of an increased intracellular potassium influx induced by sympathicomimetics used mostly by patients with asthma, or by insulin overdosage in diabetic subjects. The leading symptoms of hypokalemia are skeletal and smooth muscle weakness and cardiac arrhythmias. Hyperkalemia may be caused by acute or end-stage renal failure, impaired tubular excretion of potassium (blockers of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclosporine, antifungal drugs, potassium sparing diuretics), acidemia, and severe cellular injury (tumor lysis syndrome). Hyperkalemia may be the cause of severe injury of both skeletal and smooth muscle cells. The specific treatment counteracting hyperkalemia is a bolus injection of calcium salts and, when necessary, hemodialysis.

  12. Great shakes: famous people with Parkinson disease.

    PubMed

    Jones, Jeffrey M

    2004-12-01

    James Parkinson is credited with the first complete clinical description of the syndrome attributed to his name, Parkinson disease. It is recognized as the first syndrome defined after neurology became a specialty. Descriptions of Parkinson features are rare in antiquity, and famous people with this disorder have not been found before the 1800s. During the 20th century, more and more famous people appear to be afflicted with Parkinson, and this article reviews some of those who have withstood the "test of Time magazine," and examines some of the reasons why the syndrome is a relatively recent disorder.

  13. Brain dopamine neurone 'damage': methamphetamine users vs. Parkinson's disease - a critical assessment of the evidence.

    PubMed

    Kish, Stephen J; Boileau, Isabelle; Callaghan, Russell C; Tong, Junchao

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence that recreational methamphetamine exposure might damage dopamine neurones in human brain, as predicted by experimental animal findings. Brain dopamine marker data in methamphetamine users can now be compared with those in Parkinson's disease, for which the Oleh Hornykiewicz discovery in Vienna of a brain dopamine deficiency is established. Whereas all examined striatal (caudate and putamen) dopamine neuronal markers are decreased in Parkinson's disease, levels of only some (dopamine, dopamine transporter) but not others (dopamine metabolites, synthetic enzymes, vesicular monoamine transporter 2) are below normal in methamphetamine users. This suggests that loss of dopamine neurones might not be characteristic of methamphetamine exposure in at least some human drug users. In methamphetamine users, dopamine loss was more marked in caudate than in putamen, whereas in Parkinson's disease, the putamen is distinctly more affected. Substantia nigra loss of dopamine-containing cell bodies is characteristic of Parkinson's disease, but similar neuropathological studies have yet to be conducted in methamphetamine users. Similarly, it is uncertain whether brain gliosis, a common feature of brain damage, occurs after methamphetamine exposure in humans. Preliminary epidemiological findings suggest that methamphetamine use might increase risk of subsequent development of Parkinson's disease. We conclude that the available literature is insufficient to indicate that recreational methamphetamine exposure likely causes loss of dopamine neurones in humans but does suggest presence of a striatal dopamine deficiency that, in principle, could be corrected by dopamine substitution medication if safety and subject selection considerations can be resolved. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Virtual house calls for Parkinson disease (Connect.Parkinson): study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Achey, Meredith A; Beck, Christopher A; Beran, Denise B; Boyd, Cynthia M; Schmidt, Peter N; Willis, Allison W; Riggare, Sara S; Simone, Richard B; Biglan, Kevin M; Dorsey, E Ray

    2014-11-27

    Interest in improving care for the growing number of individuals with chronic conditions is rising. However, access to care is limited by distance, disability, and distribution of doctors. Small-scale studies in Parkinson disease, a prototypical chronic condition, have suggested that delivering care using video house calls is feasible, offers similar clinical outcomes to in-person care, and reduces travel burden. We are conducting a randomized comparative effectiveness study (Connect.Parkinson) comparing usual care in the community to usual care augmented by virtual house calls with a Parkinson disease specialist. Recruitment is completed centrally using online advertisements and emails and by contacting physicians, support groups, and allied health professionals. Efforts target areas with a high proportion of individuals not receiving care from neurologists. Approximately 200 individuals with Parkinson disease and their care partners will be enrolled at 20 centers throughout the United States and followed for one year. Participants receive educational materials, then are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to continue their usual care (control arm) or usual care and specialty care delivered virtually (intervention arm). Care partners are surveyed about their time and travel burden and their perceived caregiver burden. Participants are evaluated via electronic survey forms and videoconferencing with a blinded independent rater at baseline and at 12 months. All study activities are completed remotely.The primary outcomes are: (1) feasibility, as measured by the proportion of visits completed, and (2) quality of life, as measured by the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include measures of clinical benefit, quality of care, time and travel burden, and caregiver burden. Connect.Parkinson will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using technology to deliver care into the homes of individuals with Parkinson disease. The trial may serve as a

  15. Nuclear microscopy in Parkinson's disease

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watt, F.; Lee, T.; Thong, P. S. P.; Tang, S. M.

    1995-09-01

    Rats have been subjected to unilateral lesioning with the selective neurotoxin 6-OHDA in order to induce Parkinsonism. Analysis using the NUS Nuclear Microscope facility have shown that iron levels are raised by an average of 26% in the lesioned subtantia nigra region of the brain compared with the non-lesioned side. In addition the background tissue level of iron is also elevated by 31% in the lesioned side, indicating that there is a general increase in iron levels as a result of the lesioning. This result is consistent with the other observations that other diseases of the brain are frequently associated with altered iron levels (eg. progressive nuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, Alzheimers disease, multiple sclerosis).

  16. Loss of collapsin response mediator protein 4 suppresses dopaminergic neuron death in an 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Tonouchi, Aine; Nagai, Jun; Togashi, Kentaro; Goshima, Yoshio; Ohshima, Toshio

    2016-06-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Several lines of evidence suggest that neurodegeneration in PD is accelerated by a vicious cycle in which apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons triggers the activation of microglia and harmful inflammatory processes that further amplify neuronal death. Recently, we demonstrated that the deletion of collapsin response mediator protein 4 (CRMP4) suppresses inflammatory responses and cell death in a mouse model of spinal cord injury, leading to improved functional recovery. We thus hypothesized that Crmp4-/- mice may have limited inflammatory responses and a decrease in the loss of SNc dopaminergic neurons in an 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model. We observed CRMP4 expression in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia/macrophages following the injection of 25 mg/kg MPTP. We compared the number of dopaminergic neurons and the inflammatory response in SNc between Crmp4+/+ and Crmp4-/- mice after MPTP injection. Limited loss of SNc dopaminergic neurons and decreased activations of microglia and astrocytes were observed in Crmp4-/- mice. These results suggest that CRMP4 is a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of PD patients. We demonstrated that genetic CRMP4 deletion delays a vicious cycle of inflammation and neurodegeneration in a Parkinson's disease mouse model. MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) injection to wild-type mice induces collapsin response mediator protein 4 (CRMP4) up-regulation in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. CRMP4-deficient mice show reduced inflammation and suppressed dopaminergic neuronal death after MPTP injection. These findings suggest that CRMP4 deletion may be a new therapeutic strategy against Parkinson's diseases. © 2016 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  17. Cortical Regulation of Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Dendritic Remodeling in Parkinsonism: Modulation of Glutamate Release Reverses Dopamine Depletion–Induced Dendritic Spine Loss

    PubMed Central

    Garcia, Bonnie G.; Neely, M. Diana

    2010-01-01

    Striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) receive glutamatergic afferents from the cerebral cortex and dopaminergic inputs from the substantia nigra (SN). Striatal dopamine loss decreases the number of MSN dendritic spines. This loss of spines has been suggested to reflect the removal of tonic dopamine inhibitory control over corticostriatal glutamatergic drive, with increased glutamate release culminating in MSN spine loss. We tested this hypothesis in two ways. We first determined in vivo if decortication reverses or prevents dopamine depletion–induced spine loss by placing motor cortex lesions 4 weeks after, or at the time of, 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the SN. Animals were sacrificed 4 weeks after cortical lesions. Motor cortex lesions significantly reversed the loss of MSN spines elicited by dopamine denervation; a similar effect was observed in the prevention experiment. We then determined if modulating glutamate release in organotypic cocultures prevented spine loss. Treatment of the cultures with the mGluR2/3 agonist LY379268 to suppress corticostriatal glutamate release completely blocked spine loss in dopamine-denervated cultures. These studies provide the first evidence to show that MSN spine loss associated with parkinsonism can be reversed and point to suppression of corticostriatal glutamate release as a means of slowing progression in Parkinson's disease. PMID:20118184

  18. Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease-What Is It?

    PubMed

    Weil, Rimona S; Costantini, Alyssa A; Schrag, Anette E

    2018-03-10

    Mild cognitive impairment is a common feature of Parkinson's disease, even at the earliest disease stages, but there is variation in the nature and severity of cognitive involvement and in the risk of conversion to Parkinson's disease dementia. This review aims to summarise current understanding of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. We consider the presentation, rate of conversion to dementia, underlying pathophysiology and potential biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Finally, we discuss challenges and controversies of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Large-scale longitudinal studies have shown that cognitive involvement is important and common in Parkinson's disease and can present early in the disease course. Recent criteria for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's provide the basis for further study of cognitive decline and for the progression of different cognitive phenotypes and risk of conversion to dementia. Improved understanding of the underlying pathology and progression of cognitive change are likely to lead to opportunities for early intervention for this important aspect of Parkinson's disease.

  19. Kidney-on-a-Chip: a New Technology for Predicting Drug Efficacy, Interactions, and Drug-induced Nephrotoxicity.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jeonghwan; Kim, Sejoong

    2018-03-08

    The kidneys play a pivotal role in most drug-removal processes and are important when evaluating drug safety. Kidney dysfunction resulting from various drugs is an important issue in clinical practice and during the drug development process. Traditional in vivo animal experiments are limited with respect to evaluating drug efficacy and nephrotoxicity due to discrepancies in drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics between humans and animals, and static cell culture experiments cannot fully reflect the actual microphysiological environment in humans. A kidney-on-a-chip is a microfluidic device that allows the culture of living renal cells in 3-dimensional channels and mimics the human microphysiological environment, thus simulating the actual drug filtering, absorption, and secretion process.. In this review, we discuss recent developments in microfluidic culturing technique and describe current and future kidney-on-a-chip applications. We focus on pharmacological interactions and drug-induced nephrotoxicity, and additionally discuss the development of multi-organ chips and their possible applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  20. Neuromotor Adverse Effects in 342 Youth During 12 Weeks of Naturalistic Treatment With 5 Second-Generation Antipsychotics.

    PubMed

    Carbon, Maren; Kapoor, Sandeep; Sheridan, Eva; Al-Jadiri, Aseel; Azzo, Sally; Sarkaria, Tania; Kane, John M; Saito, Ema; Correll, Christoph U

    2015-09-01

    Second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) effects in youth were monitored to quantify extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) and to identify risk profiles for treatment-emergent EPS. Data were analyzed for the nonrandomized, prospective Second-generation Antipsychotic Treatment Indications, Effectiveness and Tolerability in Youth (SATIETY) inception cohort study. EPS were assessed at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after naturalistic SGA initiation for schizophrenia, mood, disruptive behavior, and autism spectrum disorders using the Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS), Barnes Akathisia Scale, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS), and Treatment Emergent Side Effect Scale. Drug-induced parkinsonism was defined by incident mean SAS score >0.33, anticholinergic initiation, or increasing total SAS score ≥2 in patients with baseline EPS. In 342 youth aged 13.6 ± 3.5 years (male = 58.2%, antipsychotic-naive = 65.8%), 15.2% developed drug-induced parkinsonism. Raw SGA-grouped drug-induced parkinsonism rates were as follows: quetiapine = 1.5%, olanzapine = 13.8%, risperidone = 16.1%, ziprasidone = 20.0%, and aripiprazole = 27.3%. SGA type, dose, higher age, and lower baseline functioning were jointly associated with drug-induced parkinsonism (R(2) = 0.18; p < .0001). Controlling for these factors, drug-induced parkinsonism rates were significantly lower only for quetiapine and olanzapine. Subjectively reported EPS (5%), EPS-related treatment discontinuation (3.3%), and anticholinergic initiation (3%) were infrequent. Anticholinergic initiation was most frequent with risperidone (10.2%; p = .0004). Treatment-emergent dyskinesia ranged from 4.5% (aripiprazole) to 15.5% (olanzapine). SGA type, younger age, white race/ethnicity, and baseline AIMS were jointly associated with treatment-emergent dyskinesia (R(2) = 0.31; p < .0001). Controlling for these factors, treatment-emergent dyskinesia rates differed among SGA subgroups, with higher rates with olanzapine and ziprasidone. At baseline