Thanks so much for sending this information.  The part about the unleaded
gas made me take notice.  David owned a service station.  This, I believe,
is what poisoned both his brother (now deceased) and himself.  I'm taking
him to a new neuro on Friday, and will bring the article.  In fact, if I can
get his website, I'll email the article to him ahead of time.

Thanks, again.  It's very interesting research in David's case.

Bev  cg/David  70/59/31?
----- Original Message -----
From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2006 1:09 AM
Subject: Tuberculosis drug may cure Parkinson's-like illness


> Tuberculosis drug may cure Parkinson's-like illness
> Jun. 7, 2006
>
>
>
>  Researchers have discovered that a drug used to treat tuberculosis
> apparently cures patients of a Parkinson's-like illness suffered by
> thousands
> of mineworkers, welders and others exposed to high levels of the metal
> manganese. Manganese is used to produce steel alloys and as a coating on
> welding rods, among other industrial applications. It replaced lead
> decades
> ago as a component in unleaded gasoline, increasing the risks of manganese
> intoxication for the general public, said one of the researchers, Wei
> Zheng,
> a professor and University Faculty Scholar in Purdue's School of Health
> Sciences. When manganese builds up in toxic levels in the body, people
> suffer
> from "occupational manganese parkinsonism," which causes symptoms similar
> to
> Parkinson's disease. Victims experience hand tremors, poor coordination,
> unsteady gait and a masklike inability to show facial expressions, Zheng
> said. Manganese contained in the coating of welding rods is released in
> fumes. Welders involved in manufacturing vehicles, tanks and ships are
> especially prone to manganese intoxication because they work in close
> quarters, increasing their exposure to the metal, Zheng said. "There are
> about 430,000 welders in the United States alone, and even more in China,
> so
> manganese intoxication likely affects many people, including workers
> involved
> in manganese mining and steel production," he said. "In Beijing, we found
> a
> high percentage of welders have these symptoms." While the condition's
> symptoms are similar to those of Parkinson's disease, the standard
> treatments
> for Parkinson's disease, including the drug levodopa, are not effective
> for
> manganese intoxication. A chemical compound called EDTA has been used to
> help
> patients eliminate manganese in the urine. The drug's effectiveness,
> however,
> is limited because it is water-soluble, preventing it from readily passing
> through membranes in the "blood-brain barrier," layers of cells
> surrounding
> blood vessels that block substances from traveling from the blood into
> brain
> tissue. Ten researchers from institutions around the world - including
> Purdue
> - conducted a 17-year medical follow-up study on a manganese-poisoned
> worker
> and about 80 other patients. The researchers learned that an aspirinlike
> drug
> called sodium para-aminosalicylic acid, or PAS, dramatically reduces
> symptoms
> on a long-term basis. "The amazing thing is that this drug reverses
> Parkinson-type symptoms of manganese intoxication," Zheng said. "We see
> remarkable improvement after treatment with this drug even 17 years
> later."
> PAS has been used for decades to treat tuberculosis and apparently can
> cross
> the blood-brain barrier because it is fat-soluble, or lipophilic. That's
> because the drug contains a structure known as a benzene ring, which
> enables
> it to penetrate the membranes. Findings will appear in the June issue of
> the
> Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine. The paper was written by
> Yue-Ming Jiang, Xue-An Mo, Feng-Qi Du, Xue Fu and Xia-Yan Zhu, from
> Guangxi
> Medical University in China; Hong-Yu Gao and Feng-Ling Liao, from Wuzhou
> Center for Disease Prevention and Control in China; Jin-Lan Xie from the
> Wuzhou Worker's Hospital in China; Enrico Pira from the University of
> Turin
> in Italy; and Zheng. The research has focused on China because that
> country
> is a major manganese ore producer and provides one-third of the world's
> supply of steel alloys. The paper includes data from research involving a
> female Chinese mineworker who suffered debilitating symptoms, including
> lack
> of coordination, trouble walking and writing, and a masklike appearance
> caused by tense facial muscles. The woman's symptoms nearly disappeared
> after
> treatment with PAS in 1987, and she remained free of symptoms when
> re-examined during a follow-up study in 2004. The researchers suggest
> several
> possible mechanisms that enable the drug to reverse symptoms of the
> illness.
> One is that the drug may contain "chelating arms" that grab manganese.
> "However, we are not just looking at this drug as a chelating compound,
> but
> also as an anti-inflammatory, like aspirin," Zheng said. "Historically, we
> have believed that neurodegeneration is permanent and cannot be reversed,
> but
> PAS appears to shed light on a reversal mechanism. "It may possibly repair
> neurons. If this is true, this would be a major finding, but further
> research
> will be needed to study this possibility. We think the bigger picture is
> that
> the drug might also be used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, but
> much
> more work is needed to confirm this theory."
>
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