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  Parkinson's Clinical  Research Newsletter  
 
October 2008
www.PDtrials.org


Greetings!

Thank you for signing up to receive the PDtrials Parkinson's Clinical Research Newsletter. This regular email newsletter provides you with information on Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical trials that are actively looking for participants, as well as news on Parkinson's research and treatments. 

PDtrials is a collaborative initiative of Parkinson's organizations and is dedicated to increasing awareness and education about Parkinson's clinical trials. Please contact us if you would like more information about this effort.

New Clinical Trials

Strength Training and Medication Effects on Gait and Balance Disturbances in PD

Gait disturbances are often a prominent symptom of PD, including specifically hypokinesia, or abnormally diminished muscular function or mobility. Hypokinesia during gait initiation and gait are events that can precipitate movement deficits such as bradykinesia and falls. This trial will examine the effects of high force resistance training on muscle structure, muscle force output, and hypokinesia in people with moderate PD and is enrolling 50 people in the Utah area.  Read more. http://www.pdtrials.org/en/browse/all/view/242

Attention and Gait in People with PD
This study's purpose is to examine the effects of differences in disease severity across the right and left sides of the body, as well as the effects of directed attention on walking patterns in people with PD. The investigators will need 25 participants with PD from unknown causes (idiopathic). They will measure height, weight, leg length, and disease severity using motor, cognitive and sensory assessments. This study will be enrolling participants in or near the University of Michigan area.  Read more. http://www.pdtrials.org/en/browse/all/view/243


For full news articles, see:
http://www.pdtrials.org/

Parkinson's Patients More Prone to Vitamin D Deficiency PD patients are more likely than healthy people or Alzheimer's patients to have vitamin D deficiency, say researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. They compared vitamin D levels in 100 Parkinson's patients, 97 Alzheimer's patients, and 99 healthy people matched for age and other factors.
   

Diabetes Not a Risk Factor for PD
Although the likelihood of having diabetes diagnosed is increased around the time PD is identified, diabetes does not appear to increase the risk of PD, according to findings published in Diabetes Care. Some studies have found a positive association between diabetes and PD, Dr. Jane A. Driver of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues point out. It has been suggested that diabetes might promote PD through various pathways, including suppressing neurotransmitter levels, inflammation, oxidative stress, and cerebrovascular disease.
   

End of Clinical Trial Disappoints Parkinson's Sufferer, His Family
A Cambridge man who might have benefited from a novel therapy for PD is disappointed that clinical trials have been halted. Kees Vreugdenhil had adult eye cells injected into his brain 16 months ago in hopes of relieving some of his symptoms and helping advance research into Parkinson's. The 70-year-old's sister and cousin also have a neurological movement disorder. Vreugdenhil was excited to learn in August from Boston University Medical Center, where he was enrolled in the multi-site study, that he had actually received the treatment.
   

Researchers Create Embryonic-Like Stem Cells From Human Testes
European researchers say they've figured out how to coax sperm-producing testicular cells into embryonic-like stem cells. The findings are the latest in a flurry of published research that seeks to duplicate embryonic stem cell behavior and biology while sidestepping the political and ethical obstacles associated with their use. "The ability to make a pluripotent stem cell from an individual without the ethical and immunological problems associated with human embryonic stem cells is a big deal," said Peter J. Donovan, a stem cell expert at the University of California, Irvine.

   

Unlocking Stem Cell, DNA Secrets to Speed Therapies 
In a groundbreaking study led by a molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized. The findings bridge a critical knowledge gap for stem cell biologists, enabling them to better understand the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation -- when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions.
   

Tell Us Your Story!
At times, we receive correspondence from people living with Parkinson's about their clinical trial experience, and these stories are often featured in the Participant Testimonials section of PDtrials.org. If you have participated in a clinical trial for PD we'd love to hear from you. Sharing your story provides insight into the clinical trial experience that only you can offer. Please email us at [log in to unmask] to contribute your testimonial.


Help Inform Others About Clinical Trials!
Do you find the information in this email bulletin and on PDtrials.org to be a helpful resource? If so, won't you take a moment and send this email bulletin to others?
 
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In This Issue

New Clinical Trials

Parkinson's Patients More Prone to Vitamin D Deficiency

Diabetes Not a Risk Factor for PD

End of Clinical Trial Disappoints Parkinson's Sufferer

Researchers Create Embryonic-Like Stem Cells From Human Testes

Unlocking Stem Cell, DNA Secrets to Speed Therapies



 2008 PDtrials. All Rights Reserved.

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