You've read my mind...coping one day or one hour at a time seems to work
best for me too...a simple prayer to guide me through...God, grant me the
Serenity to Accept that which I cannot change...the Courage to change the
things I can...and the Wisdom to know the difference...there is always
reason to hope for a miracle....my prayers are with you...
----- Original Message -----
From: Marjorie L. Moorefield <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 6:57 AM
Subject: Re: NEWS: Nando:/Michel


> Michel, my love,
>
> It seems we are two cynics in a pod.
> Add to that I am a PWP and you are an
> overworked, loving, caregiver to Barbara, who has a disease
>   they are saying is not fatal, and yet she is indeed , dying
> of it.
> I'm sorry, but it makes me want to scream!
>
> I think one of the reasons they have never found a cure
> for PD is the misconception that PD is not a fatal disease.
> So they don't want to spend precious research monies on it.
> Generally, we do die of something else first, but the underlying
> cause is PD.
>
> I probably wasted a good 3 years of my life fighting my PD,
> denying it, praying each day when I opened the newspaper
> that a cure would be announced.
> The Mother Hen in me wants to spare my friends from the
> same fate!
>
> It takes too much energy to continually be battered on the
> "Sea of False Hope". Energy which could be better spent
> on learning to live today, and tomorrow ,and next week,
> next year. Then if a miracle happens, and they do find
> a cure, at least we'll be able to live with the damage
> PD has already caused to our bodies.
>
> In spite of everything, there is a lot of life left for PWP's,
> if they learn to accept it, and work with it instead of
> against it.  It takes too much energy to fight what you
> can't change!
>
> All my love to you and Barbara.
>
> just me, cynical Marjorie,67/58/55
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> At 01:10 AM 10/28/2000 -0400, you wrote:
> >Marjorie, I still love you, but you are too cynical.  All this is of
course
> >too
> >late for us, but I wrote comments below.
> >Michel
> >
> >From: "Marjorie L. Moorefield" <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sent: Friday, October 27, 2000 9:38 AM
> >Subject: Re: NEWS: Nando: Gene therapy used to turn back clock on
> >Parkinson's
> >
> >
> > > I hate it when only specific parts of articles are picked and quoted.
> > > In my morning newspaper there is in the same previously quoted
article, a
> > > statement which would certainly make me take it with a grain of salt.
> >             Scientific papers that may be of interest to certain people
are
> >             often summarized and translated into common language so
> >             that the world at large may understand it.
> >
> > > Since our PD is not chemically induced
> >              That has not been established.
> >
> > > and since the brains of monkeys are not the same as humans,
> >               Primates (humans, apes, monkeys, etc) have more than 98%
> >               of their genes identical.
> >
> > > this make persons grasping for straws only hope for something
> > > which ,more than likely will never happen.  I think this is cruel to
> > > publish such hopeful things to the public, and I think researchers
> > > only do it to try to get more research money.
> >                Scientists tend to publish the results of their research
when
> >                possible if that does not reveal potential information
that
> >might
> >                have commercial value to competitors.  The papers are
usually
> >                reviewed by peers before it is accepted for publication.
> >                The publication or presentation of research is an
important
> >tool
> >                of the scientist and allows them to exchange ideas, and
that
> >                can often lead to new leads.  The media seek out
scientific
> >                information that might be of interest to the world at
large,
> >and
> >                unfortunatly at times, that information may be misleading
or
> >twisted.
> >
> >
> > > If all of the studies go smoothly, said Kordower, the gene therapy
could
> >be
> > > ready for human testing in three to five years.
> >
>
>
>
> >  I'll believe it when I see it.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > At 09:00 AM 10/27/2000 -0400, you wrote:
> > > >Gene therapy used to turn back clock on Parkinson's
> > > >
> > > >(October 27, 2000 12:01 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -
Researchers
> > > >at a Chicago medical center have successfully used gene therapy to
> >reverse
> > > >the damage of Parkinson's disease in the brains of aged monkeys, and
to
> > > >stop the progression of the disease in its early stages in younger
> >animals.
> > > >
> > > >By inserting a gene that increases the production of the chemical
nerve
> > > >transmitter dopamine directly into the animals' brains, scientists at
> > > >Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and Lausanne University
in
> > > >Switzerland were able to significantly reverse the cellular brain
damage.
> > > >
> > > >Doctors now usually try to make up for the loss of dopamine with a
drug
> > > >that helps the brain produce it, but the effect eventually wears off.
> >Some
> > > >success has been achieved by grafting fetal nerve tissue into brains
of
> > > >Parkinson's patients, but this doesn't stop the loss of the original
> >cells.
> > > >The big hope lies in some way of stopping the loss of the critical
> > > >dopamine-producing cells before the disease advances too far.
> > > >
> > > >"The study suggests a new approach to forestall disease progression
in
> > > >newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease patients," said Jeffrey Kordower,
> > > >director of the Research Center for Brain Repair at Rush and lead
author
> >of
> > > >a report on the research published in the journal Science on Friday.
> > > >
> > > >Key to the treatment is a special virus, called lenti-GDNF, developed
by
> > > >Swiss researchers, that can deliver the gene for glial-derived
> >neurotrophic
> > > >factor into the brains of the primates.
> > > >
> > > >Kordower said it is expected that clinical testing of the lenti viral
> > > >delivery system for GDNF on humans will begin in Switzerland and the
> >United
> > > >States in less than five years, depending on the outcome of a safety
> >review
> > > >by the Food and Drug Administration.
> > > >
> > > >Parkinson's is a slowly progressive disease that degenerates a small
part
> > > >of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra, which causes production
of
> > > >dopamine to slump. That chemical sends signals in the brain that
allows
> > > >people to move smoothly.
> > > >
> > > >The disease can cause tremors, limb stiffness, balance and gait
problems,
> > > >and contribute to dementia. Parkinson's affects nearly 1 million
> >Americans,
> > > >most of them over the age of 60, although some people develop the
disease
> > > >much earlier. The cause of the disease is unknown, but thought to
have
> >both
> > > >genetic and environmental factors. There is no known cure.
> > > >
> > > >In the study, researchers found that the GDNF gene not only boosted
> > > >dopamine production, but also the production of GDNF itself, a
nutrient
> > > >that strengthens and protects the brain cells that die due to
> >Parkinson's.
> > > >
> > > >Two groups of monkeys were tested. The first group of eight monkeys,
each
> > > >about 25 years old, all had brains that displayed cellular changes
> > > >associated with early Parkinson's - the cells are still intact, but
have
> > > >either stopped making dopamine or are making very little. They got
six
> > > >injections of the special delivery virus, lenti-GDNF.
> > > >
> > > >After three months of treatment, tests showed a dramatic increase in
> > > >dopamine production, similar to the levels found in the brains of
young
> > > >monkeys.
> > > >
> > > >The second group consisted of 20 young adult monkeys with no
symptoms.
> > > >These primates had been trained to perform a specific hand-reach task
for
> >a
> > > >food reward. They were given a chemical that initiates
Parkinson's-like
> > > >symptoms, then were retested, and then treated with lenti-GDNF.
> > > >
> > > >The animals showed great difficulty in performing the tasks after
> >receiving
> > > >the chemical. Following three months of treatment, their performance
> > > >returned to near-normal. Brain scans showed the treatment had
completely
> > > >prevented degeneration of the monkeys' dopamine-producing system,
with
> > > >brain cells and their fibers preserved.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service
> > > >Copyright 2000 Nando Media
> > > >Copyright 2000 Scripps Howard News Service
> > > >
> > >
> >
>http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500273007-500426081-5026660
> >5
> > > >2-0,00.html
> > > >
> > > >janet paterson
> > > >53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd
> > > >TEL: 613 256 8340 URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/
> > > >EMAIL: [log in to unmask] SMAIL: PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0
> >Canada
> > >