Ray
Rayilyn Brown
Past Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation



From: Diane Wyshak 
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 5:05 PM
To: ray ; Dr. Kong 
Subject: Fw: PDtrials March 2010 - Announcing Seven New Clinical Trials!



----- Original Message ----- 
From: PDtrials 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 5:08 PM
Subject: PDtrials March 2010 - Announcing Seven New Clinical Trials!



     
                 




                    Parkinson's Clinical 
                   Research Newsletter  
                   
                 
                  March 2010
                 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.


                    

                  The QE3 Study: Finding Ways to Slow the Progression of PD 
                    Dr. Flint Beal  
                  By Flint Beal, M.D.

                  Although tremendous advances have been made in the treatment of Parkinson's Disease (PD), they have mostly been focused on symptomatic improvement.  Currently, available treatments address tremor, rigidity and slowness of movement experienced by people living with Parkinson's. However, they do not have any effect on slowing the progression of the illness and treating the underlying disease process.  This is a major area of therapies development for people living with Parkinson's.  If one could slow the disease progression, one could avoid many of the long range complications of PD such as dyskinesias and eventually perhaps cognitive impairment. 

                 

                 

                 

                 

                  New Clinical Trials  
                  Study of Rasagiline as Add-on to Dopamine Agonists in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease 
                  Dopamine agonists are increasingly used as first-line therapy for those who are newly diagnosed with PD. As the disease progresses, dopamine agonists alone do not fully control the symptoms of PD and additional dopaminergic therapy is needed. Three hundred sixty participants at many sites around the U.S. will be enrolled in this study based on need for additional PD symptom control despite dopamine agonist treatment, and will be dispensed rasagiline or matching placebo in order to assess the efficacy of rasagiline as add-on treatment to dopamine agonist therapy in people with early PD not optimally treated on dopamine agonists. Learn more. 
                  Singing in Groups for Parkinson's Disease (SING-PD)
                  The main purpose of this study is to find out if singing in groups helps the voice and speech problems related to PD more than speech therapy without singing. The investigators are using standard measures of symptoms before and after therapy to look for improvement. This study will involve weekly treatment sessions where 32 participants will receive training in vocal exercises from a speech-language pathologist with expertise in PD, as well as instructions for structured home practice. Learn more.

                  A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of IPX066 in Advanced Parkinson's Disease
                  This is a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an experimental drug, IPX066 in advanced PD. Four hundred twenty participants will be randomly selected to orally take either IPX066 or regular carbidopa-levodopa (CD-LD) treatment. The duration of this study is approximately 22 weeks. Learn more.

                  A Study of Rating Scales for Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease
                  Dyskinesias, or involuntary jerking movements, are troublesome problems for many people with PD, and because dyskinesias cause various degrees of difficulty for people with PD, the rating of dyskinesias remains a scientific challenge.  This study will examine a wide gamut of available rating scales to determine which one(s) detect change during dyskinesia treatment. Establishing excellent measurement tools of dyskinesias will allow future treatments to be evaluated in a maximally effective manner. This will be a double-blind, randomized trial of 60 participants administered with amantadine or placebo for 8 weeks. Learn more. 

                  Study of Naltrexone for Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease
                  Impulse control disorders (ICDs), including compulsive gambling, sexual behavior, buying, and eating, are increasingly recognized as a significant clinical problem in PD. Dopamine agonist (DA) treatment is thought to be the primary risk factor for the development of ICDs in PD. People with PD may be reluctant to discontinue DA treatment due to the motor benefits derived from treatment, so they often have chronic symptoms. Forty-eight PD participants with an ICD will be treated either with naltrexone or placebo for a period of eight weeks. The study will assess if naltrexone improves ICD symptoms in PD and is well tolerated. Learn more.

                  Colonoscopic Screening for Autonomic Pathology in Parkinson's Disease
                  The purpose of this study is to determine whether the abnormal protein build-up seen in the brains of people with PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is also present in the nerves that line the intestine. This information would guide future research designed to diagnose people at the earliest stage of these diseases. Such information could help with research on new therapies designed to slow progression of (or even prevent) PD and DLB. This study will recruit 70 participants in Utah with PD or DLB, as well as people (over age 50) who do not have a neurologic condition. Learn more.

                  Study of Rasagiline Mesylate in People with Multiple System Atrophy of the Parkinsonian Subtype (MSA-P)
                  Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disease marked by a combination of symptoms affecting movement, blood pressure, and other body functions; hence the label "multiple system" atrophy. The purpose of this study is to test the clinical effect of rasagiline on people with MSA of the parkinsonian subtype (initials symptoms are similar to PD). Forty study participants around the country will receive either rasagiline mesylate or matching placebo for 48 weeks. Learn more. 

                 

                 

                 

                  Smoking Years Key Factor in Lower Parkinson's Risk 
                  Several studies have shown that smokers have a lower risk of developing PD. A new study shows that it's how many years of smoking a person has under their belt -- rather than how much they smoke every day -- that matters. "Smoking is bad for you and no one should advocate smoking just for prevention of Parkinson's," Dr. Honglei Chen of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, one of the study's authors, emphasized in comments to Reuters Health. But the findings could help researchers who are trying to figure out the underlying cause of the disease.

                 

                 

                 

                 

                  Melanoma Risk Higher in Parkinson's Patients 
                  Exams of more than 2,000 people with PD found that about one percent currently had melanoma, Dr. John M. Bertoni of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and his colleagues found. Based on the findings, they say, people with the degenerative nerve disease should receive regular skin cancer screening.

                 

                  Parkinson's Patients Have Trouble Recognizing Emotions 
                  Scientists are beginning to find out why people with PD often feel socially awkward. Parkinson's patients find it harder to recognize expressions of emotion in other people's faces and voices, report two studies published by the American Psychological Association.

                 

                 

                 

                 

                  Partners in Progress Forum to be Held in Chicago Area
                 
                  Chicago area residents are invited to attend an educational forum on April 24th sponsored by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation in collaboration with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Rush University Medical Center and University of Chicago Medical Center. The forum, Partners in Progress: The Essential Role that People with Parkinson's Play in Finding New Treatments and a Cure, will feature presentations from leaders in Parkinson's clinical research as well as a panel of people with Parkinson's who will share their insights and perspectives on participating in clinical studies.
                   
                  RSVP by April 16 to Nicole Rabin at [log in to unmask] or (800) 457-6676.
                   
                  Saturday, April 24, 2010
                  1 PM to 3:30 PM
                  Chicago Marriott O'Hare and Suites
                  6155 North River Road
                  Rosemont, Illinois 

                  Have You Participated in a Parkinson's Clinical Study? Join the Partners in Progress Honor Roll Today!   
                  If you have participated in a Parkinson's clinical study, we'd like to recognize your very personal commitment to help move Parkinson's clinical research forward by providing you with a PDtrials baseball cap as a token of our thanks and adding you to our Partners in Progress Honor Roll. Take a look at our Honor Roll of participants here, and if you would like to be included, contact us today! 

                  PDtrials is Now on Facebook...Join our Network Today!   
                  PDtrials has launched a page on Facebook -- the world's most widely-used social networking website. Visit our new page to preview events hosted by PDtrials and our partners, view photos of our Partners in Progress Honor Roll, and join discussions about clinical research for Parkinson's. Visit us on Facebook here and become a Fan! 
           
           
                  In This Issue
                 

                 
                  The QE3 Study: Finding Ways to Slow the Progression of PD

                 
                  New Clinical Trials

                 
                  Smoking Years Key Factor in Lower Parkinson's Risk

                 
                  Melanoma Risk Higher in Parkinson's Patients

                 
                  Parkinson's Patients Have Trouble Recognizing Emotions

                 
                  Partners in Progress Forum to be Held in Chicago Area

                 
                  Join the Partners in Progress Honor Roll 

                 
                  PDtrials on Facebook

                 

                 

                 

                 

                 

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