#92: Nerve University, Installment #4 [35:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (348)

Education, Research and Scholarship in Neurology

Hear these reports and discussions:

• Gene Variants May Confer Sporadic ALS Susceptibility
• Sago Palm As A Cause Of ALS (likely involves glutamate neurotoxicity). Might other toxins be involved in causing ALS too (depending on genetic susceptibility)?
• Military Veterans Have Almost 60% Greater Chance Of Getting ALS Than The General Population.
• Hereditary ALS Linked To Low Electrical Charges In The Cells - resulting in clumping of SOD enzyme.
  
• Genetic Cause Discovered For Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
• Schizophrenia Risk Genes Affect Even Healthy Individuals
• Einstein Researchers Used Novel Approach to Uncover Genetic Components of Aging
• A New Brake On Cellular Energy Production Has Been Discovered
• PINK1 Gene Protects from Parkinson Disease
• Parkinson’s Protein’ – ‘Parkin’ - Protects Neurons From Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Death By Activating Specific Survival Mechanisms
• Nobel Prize In Physiology And Medicine For 2007 Awarded To Doctors Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans And Oliver Smithies For Their Work On Gene Modification (In Mice).

Next week’s show: Reap The Sleep - Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders.

 

 #91: Movement Disorder Quarter, Installment #2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (337)

Steadying Guidance on Motor Disturbances

Hear these reports:

• Gene Therapy Showed Promise for Parkinson Disease
• NIH Examines Creatine for Parkinson’s Therapy
• Tips for Calming Motor Fluctuations
• Parkinson’s Drug Permax Withdrawn from Market
• Parkinson’s Rotigotine Patch Treatment Approved
• Safinamide Enhances Control of Parkinson’s: Combining the drug with dopamine enhanced the latter’s efficacy, which can lessen over time
• Simvastatin Found to Reduce Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s Risk
  

We also reviewed these reports from previous STAT! episodes:

• sNNOO31 neural stem cell differentiator protein for Parkinson’s (from episode #7)
• Stereotactic implantation of human cadaveric dopamine-producing retinal pigment epithelial cells into the striatum of Parkinson’s patients shows promise. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study underway (from episode #7)
• Parkinson’s may improve when H. pylori infections eradicated (from episode #73)

Weblinks to:

• Genomic Pathway Approach to a Complex Disease
• Coenzyme Q10 supplementation may slow disease progression in early-stage Parkinson’s disease.

Citations (other): Depletion of CoQ10 by Statin Drugs:

• Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated depletion of coenzyme Q10. A review of animal and human publications. Biofactors 2003;18:101-11.
• Jula A, Marniemi J, Huupponen R, Virtanen A, Rastas M, Ronnemaa T. Effects of diet and simvastatin on serum lipids, insulin, and antioxidants in hypercholesterolemic men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002;287:598-605.

Next week’s show: Our 4th installment of Nerve University – Education, Research And Scholarship In Neurology. We’ll continue our discussion on genetics and gene therapies - their potential for diagnosing and treating a number of neurological disorders.

 

 #51 - Neurology's Believe it or Not - Curiosities from the Neurology Treasure Trove. [33:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (614)

Publication Date: Jan 5, 2007.

Show Notes: What ubiquitous dietary factor has recently been documented (using MRI) to result in brain atrophy and neurodegeneration in large numbers of humans? Listen and learn. And what substance normal to our physiology - at high-normal levels in the serum - is linked to significantly lower rates of progression of Parkinson’s disease? And last, but not least - believe it or not - the Institute for Condom Consultancy hopes to roll out a provoking new product in 2007.

Show website reference: www.celiac.com