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Dear Linda,

Many thanks for your rapid and very interesting reply. I will be in touch. I hope to read your e-mial in greater deepth this
eveing.

Thanking you again,

Gerald

Linda Carlton wrote:

> Hi! Gerald, I have clipped some messages together, just some notes
> on what I have found out about herpes and PD. Sorry I am so busy
> these days and I have not had time to put it all together. I hope
> they make some sense.         Best Wishes, Linda Forrest's Mom
> And remember this is just a theory. Detecting Herpes Simplex Virus
> in brain tissue is very difficult and can or will sometimes result
> in a false-negative testing. Yet, Herpes Simplex is just one of
> the members of the herpes family that can cause CNS damage.
>
> As a recent intestinal-permeability study showed, "familial" does not
> always imply "genetic". Interestingly, a gene-therapy being tried for PD
> is based upon "attenuated" herpes-simplex-virus as the carrier. Why?
> Because HSV can travel into monoamergic neurons, including those
> affected in PD.
>
> <2>  Sanders VJ et al.
> PRESENCE OF HERPES SIMPLEX DNA IN SURGICAL TISSUE FROM HUMAN EPILEPTIC
> SEIZURE FOCI DETECTED BY POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION - PRELIMINARY STUDY
>      Archives of Neurology.  54(8):954-960, 1997 Aug.
>   Objectives: To determine whether herpes simplex virus causes monofocal
>   epilepsy and to assess the presence of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
> and HSV-2 in surgical specimens from patients with epilepsy by using
>   polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analysis.
>   Background: Herpes simplex virus is a common neurotropic virus capable
> of latency within the central nervous system; it has a predilection for
> the temporal lobe. Central nervous system infection with HSV has been
>   associated with seizure activity.
>   Design and Methods: Surgical specimens were removed from 50 patients
> as part of a treatment protocol for monofocal epilepsy.
> Neuropathological classification was done, and adjacent sections were
> screened for HSV by using polymerase chain reaction. Tissues obtained
> post mortem from the temporal lobe cortex of persons with Alzheimer
> disease (n = 17), Parkinson disease (n = 14), or nonneurological disease
> (n = 17) served as controls.
>   Results: Twenty (40%) of the 50 epilepsy cases and 2 (4%) of the 48
>   control cases had at least one sample that tested positive for HSV (P
> <.001). Sixty-seven percent (8/12) of the epilepsy cases with
> heterotopia were positive for HSV.
>   Conclusions: There was a statistically significant difference in the
>   frequency of HSV-positive surgical specimens from monofocal seizure
>   epicenters compared with nonepilepsy control specimens. These data
> suggest an association of the virus with seizure activity. All specimens
> positive for HSV (surgical specimens and control specimens) should be
> examined to determine the activity or latency state of the virus and
> cellular localization. [References: 21]
>
> Gerald P. Connolly wrote:
> >
> > Dear Larry,
> >
> > My Partner is suspected of having PD, to be tested next month.
> > She has had chicken pox when young, and shingles recently.
> > She seemed to develope PD about 6 months latter and has never been her old
> > self. since then.
> > Please keep me informed of your findings.
> > I belive there is a virus-infection that can trigger PD?
> > Any info. most wellcome.
> >
> > Gerald
> >
> > Flemco- wrote:
> >
> > > Dear Listmembers,
> > >
> > > The following is from Encarta:
> > > Herpes Zoster
> > >
> > > "Known as shingles, this is a one-time recurrence of the symptoms of
> > > chicken pox, usually during adulthood. It is caused by the chicken pox
> > > virus attacking a sensory nerve. The skin over the nerve generally breaks
> > > out in blisters a few days after the onset of the disorder, which is
> > > accompanied by pain and frequent numbness or hypersensitivity along the
> > > course of the nerve, usually the trunk. The blisters are at first clear,
> > > but become cloudy within a few days and form crusts that dry up after five
> > > or ten days.
> > > The skin manifestation of herpes zoster is not serious, but the pain caused
> > > by the inflammation of the underlying nerve can be severe, lasting for
> > > weeks; recovery may be followed by persistence of neuralgia in the area of
> > > the involved nerve. High doses of acyclovir can significantly reduce the
> > > symptoms of herpes zoster. Normally, medication relieves pain, and the
> > > disease subsides spontaneously. More severe cases may be treated with such
> > > steroids as cortisone. In cases of persistent pain, the involved nerve may
> > > be either blocked by drugs or cut."
> > >
> > > I had shingles and chicken pox as a child and shingles again in my
> > > mid-30's.  I remember my adult episode occurring during a period of
> > > extraordinary stress in my life (job and family related).  As a child, I
> > > don't know what I was stressed about.
> > >
> > > Have any of you suffered from shingles and do you suspect any relationship
> > > with PD?
> > >
> > > How many have had chicken pox?
> > >
> > > Did we not have some postings this past fall concerning herpes?
> > >
> > > Any comments?  This is not intended to be a survey.  I was just curious and
> > > wondered if others had similar experiences.
> > >
> > > Larry Fleming 51/1
> > > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >                                                   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >   Dr. Gerald P. Connolly <[log in to unmask]>
> >
> >   Dr. Gerald P. Connolly
> >                          <[log in to unmask]>
> >   Purine Research Lab,   Work: 0171-955-8718
> >   London Bridge,         Fax: 0171-407-6689
> >   LONDON                 Netscape Conference Address
> >   UK
> >   SE1 9RT
> >   ENGLAND
> >   Additional Information:
> >   Last Name Connolly
> >   First NameDr. Gerald P.
> >   Version   2.1



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