It certainly fills up spaces in the great jigsaw puzzle...

Nic 63/21

On 11 November 2015 at 04:00, Kathleen Cochran <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Very interesting. Does this relate somehow to inosine, which affects urate
> levels? And might this have something to do with how dogs pick up the smell
> of PD?
>
> I swear, for the last year or so, I've been aware of an ammonia smelll that
> seems to emanate from me. I wonder if this smell masks other odors,
> resulting in the anosmia experienced by many of us PD sufferers.
>
> Could PD be a  urea cycle disorder?
>
> Kathleen
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From the University of Rochester, here is something on ammonia testing.
>
> Link:
>
>
> https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=167&ContentID=ammonia
> Ammonia Does this test have other names?
>
> Blood ammonia test, NH3
> What is this test?
>
> This test checks the level of ammonia in your blood. The test helps find
> out why you may have changes in consciousness and also helps diagnose a
> liver disease called hepatic encephalopathy. This disease affects how your
> brain works, because of excess toxins, or poisons, in your body.
>
> Your liver may not work properly if you have high levels of ammonia in your
> blood. Ammonia is a chemical made by bacteria in your intestines and your
> body's cells while you process protein. Your body treats ammonia as a waste
> product. It turns it into an amino acid called glutamine and a chemical
> compound called urea. Your bloodstream moves the urea to your kidneys,
> where it is eliminated in your urine.
>
> But ammonia will build up in your body if you can't get rid of urea. This
> can sometimes happen if you have kidney or liver failure. It can also
> happen if you have a urea cycle disorder, a genetic disorder that means
> your body is missing one of the enzymes that remove ammonia from the blood.
> The ammonia blood test is the gold standard for diagnosing urea cycle
> disorders.
>
> On 9 November 2015 at 20:04, Rayilyn Brown <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >             another abstract from Joanie McGuire
> >
> >             Program#/Poster#:
> >            12.02
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Presentation Title:
> >            Stopping progression of Parkinson's disease with the drug
> > phenylbutyrate
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Location:
> >            N230
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Presentation time:
> >            Saturday, Oct 17, 2015, 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Topic:
> >            ++C.03.a. Human studies
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Authors:
> >            *C. R. FREED1, M. WANG1, J. CUMMISKEY1, K. B. BJUGSTAD1, B. A.
> > SYMMES1, C. A. JOHNSON2, R. C. MURPHY2, M. A. LEEHEY3, W. ZHOU1;
> >             1Div. of Clin. Pharmacol., 2Dept. of Pharmacol., 3Dept. of
> > Neurol., Univ. Colorado Sch. of Med., Aurora, CO
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Abstract:
> >            Parkinson's disease has excellent symptomatic treatment with
> > drugs such as L-DOPA, but the underlying disease process causes a
> > relentless downhill course.
> >
> >
> >
> >             Several drugs have been tested in an effort to alter disease
> > progression, but all have failed. We have developed a new concept for
> > stopping the progression of Parkinson’s disease by turning on a
> > neuroprotective gene with an FDA-approved drug. In Parkinson’s disease,
> the
> > protein alpha-synuclein forms abnormal deposits called Lewy bodies as
> well
> > as toxic fibrils which contribute to the death of dopamine neurons. We
> have
> > discovered that the drug phenylbutyrate can prevent aggregation of
> > alpha-synuclein in transgenic mice which are genetically programmed to
> > develop a form of Parkinson’s disease as they age.
> >
> >
> >
> >             The drug works by upregulating the neuroprotective gene DJ-1.
> > Gene activation leads to an increase in lysosome and exosome activity,
> > promoting transfer of alpha-synuclein from neurons into the bloodstream
> > where the protein is eliminated. In mice, phenylbutyrate increased plasma
> > alpha-synuclein by about 100 per cent compared to non-treated control
> > animals.
> >
> >
> >
> >             To see if phenylbutyrate has the same effect in people, we
> > have given the drug for three weeks to 20 people with newly diagnosed
> > Parkinson’s disease and to 20 age-matched subjects without the disease.
> We
> > found that the drug increased the level of alpha-synclein in plasma of
> all
> > 40 subjects from 50 to 150 per cent of baseline values, just as it had
> done
> > in transgenic mice, strongly suggesting that the drug can mobilize
> > alpha-synuclein from neurons into blood plasma. While baseline plasma
> > alpha-synuclein varied between subjects, the average alpha-synuclein
> plasma
> > concentrations at baseline and during phenylbutyrate administration did
> not
> > differ between patients with Parkinson's disease and normal subjects.
> > Results are compatible with a neuroprotective effect of phenylbutyrate by
> > accelerating clearance of alpha-synuclein from brain into plasma.
> >
> >
> >
> >             A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in newly diagnosed
> > Parkinson patients will be needed to prove whether phenylbutyrate can
> stop
> > the progression of Parkinson’s disease in humans.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Disclosures:
> >              C.R. Freed: C. Other Research Support (receipt of drugs,
> > supplies, equipment or other in-kind support); Hyperion Pharmaceuticals.
> M.
> > Wang: None. J. Cummiskey: None. K.B. Bjugstad: None. B.A. Symmes:None.
> C.A.
> > Johnson: None. R.C. Murphy: None. M.A. Leehey: None. W. Zhou: None.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Keyword (s):
> >            PARKINSON'S DISEASE
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            NEUROPROTECTION
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            DOPAMINE
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >             Support:
> >            Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Foundation
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            Michael J. Fox Foundation
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            Mr. Charles Ackerman
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            Mr. Ray Sidhom
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >            Mr. John Anderson
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Ray
> > Rayilyn Brown
> > Past Director AZNPF
> > Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> >
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