 |
 |
You've read my mind...coping one day or one hour at a time seems to work best for me too...a simple prayer to guide me through...God, grant me the Serenity to Accept that which I cannot change...the Courage to change the things I can...and the Wisdom to know the difference...there is always reason to hope for a miracle....my prayers are with you... ----- Original Message ----- From: Marjorie L. Moorefield <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 6:57 AM Subject: Re: NEWS: Nando:/Michel > Michel, my love, > > It seems we are two cynics in a pod. > Add to that I am a PWP and you are an > overworked, loving, caregiver to Barbara, who has a disease > they are saying is not fatal, and yet she is indeed , dying > of it. > I'm sorry, but it makes me want to scream! > > I think one of the reasons they have never found a cure > for PD is the misconception that PD is not a fatal disease. > So they don't want to spend precious research monies on it. > Generally, we do die of something else first, but the underlying > cause is PD. > > I probably wasted a good 3 years of my life fighting my PD, > denying it, praying each day when I opened the newspaper > that a cure would be announced. > The Mother Hen in me wants to spare my friends from the > same fate! > > It takes too much energy to continually be battered on the > "Sea of False Hope". Energy which could be better spent > on learning to live today, and tomorrow ,and next week, > next year. Then if a miracle happens, and they do find > a cure, at least we'll be able to live with the damage > PD has already caused to our bodies. > > In spite of everything, there is a lot of life left for PWP's, > if they learn to accept it, and work with it instead of > against it. It takes too much energy to fight what you > can't change! > > All my love to you and Barbara. > > just me, cynical Marjorie,67/58/55 > > > > > > > > > > > > At 01:10 AM 10/28/2000 -0400, you wrote: > >Marjorie, I still love you, but you are too cynical. All this is of course > >too > >late for us, but I wrote comments below. > >Michel > > > >From: "Marjorie L. Moorefield" <[log in to unmask]> > >To: <[log in to unmask]> > >Sent: Friday, October 27, 2000 9:38 AM > >Subject: Re: NEWS: Nando: Gene therapy used to turn back clock on > >Parkinson's > > > > > > > I hate it when only specific parts of articles are picked and quoted. > > > In my morning newspaper there is in the same previously quoted article, a > > > statement which would certainly make me take it with a grain of salt. > > Scientific papers that may be of interest to certain people are > > often summarized and translated into common language so > > that the world at large may understand it. > > > > > Since our PD is not chemically induced > > That has not been established. > > > > > and since the brains of monkeys are not the same as humans, > > Primates (humans, apes, monkeys, etc) have more than 98% > > of their genes identical. > > > > > this make persons grasping for straws only hope for something > > > which ,more than likely will never happen. I think this is cruel to > > > publish such hopeful things to the public, and I think researchers > > > only do it to try to get more research money. > > Scientists tend to publish the results of their research when > > possible if that does not reveal potential information that > >might > > have commercial value to competitors. The papers are usually > > reviewed by peers before it is accepted for publication. > > The publication or presentation of research is an important > >tool > > of the scientist and allows them to exchange ideas, and that > > can often lead to new leads. The media seek out scientific > > information that might be of interest to the world at large, > >and > > unfortunatly at times, that information may be misleading or > >twisted. > > > > > > > If all of the studies go smoothly, said Kordower, the gene therapy could > >be > > > ready for human testing in three to five years. > > > > > > > I'll believe it when I see it. > > > > > > > > > > > > At 09:00 AM 10/27/2000 -0400, you wrote: > > > >Gene therapy used to turn back clock on Parkinson's > > > > > > > >(October 27, 2000 12:01 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Researchers > > > >at a Chicago medical center have successfully used gene therapy to > >reverse > > > >the damage of Parkinson's disease in the brains of aged monkeys, and to > > > >stop the progression of the disease in its early stages in younger > >animals. > > > > > > > >By inserting a gene that increases the production of the chemical nerve > > > >transmitter dopamine directly into the animals' brains, scientists at > > > >Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center and Lausanne University in > > > >Switzerland were able to significantly reverse the cellular brain damage. > > > > > > > >Doctors now usually try to make up for the loss of dopamine with a drug > > > >that helps the brain produce it, but the effect eventually wears off. > >Some > > > >success has been achieved by grafting fetal nerve tissue into brains of > > > >Parkinson's patients, but this doesn't stop the loss of the original > >cells. > > > >The big hope lies in some way of stopping the loss of the critical > > > >dopamine-producing cells before the disease advances too far. > > > > > > > >"The study suggests a new approach to forestall disease progression in > > > >newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease patients," said Jeffrey Kordower, > > > >director of the Research Center for Brain Repair at Rush and lead author > >of > > > >a report on the research published in the journal Science on Friday. > > > > > > > >Key to the treatment is a special virus, called lenti-GDNF, developed by > > > >Swiss researchers, that can deliver the gene for glial-derived > >neurotrophic > > > >factor into the brains of the primates. > > > > > > > >Kordower said it is expected that clinical testing of the lenti viral > > > >delivery system for GDNF on humans will begin in Switzerland and the > >United > > > >States in less than five years, depending on the outcome of a safety > >review > > > >by the Food and Drug Administration. > > > > > > > >Parkinson's is a slowly progressive disease that degenerates a small part > > > >of the mid-brain called the substantia nigra, which causes production of > > > >dopamine to slump. That chemical sends signals in the brain that allows > > > >people to move smoothly. > > > > > > > >The disease can cause tremors, limb stiffness, balance and gait problems, > > > >and contribute to dementia. Parkinson's affects nearly 1 million > >Americans, > > > >most of them over the age of 60, although some people develop the disease > > > >much earlier. The cause of the disease is unknown, but thought to have > >both > > > >genetic and environmental factors. There is no known cure. > > > > > > > >In the study, researchers found that the GDNF gene not only boosted > > > >dopamine production, but also the production of GDNF itself, a nutrient > > > >that strengthens and protects the brain cells that die due to > >Parkinson's. > > > > > > > >Two groups of monkeys were tested. The first group of eight monkeys, each > > > >about 25 years old, all had brains that displayed cellular changes > > > >associated with early Parkinson's - the cells are still intact, but have > > > >either stopped making dopamine or are making very little. They got six > > > >injections of the special delivery virus, lenti-GDNF. > > > > > > > >After three months of treatment, tests showed a dramatic increase in > > > >dopamine production, similar to the levels found in the brains of young > > > >monkeys. > > > > > > > >The second group consisted of 20 young adult monkeys with no symptoms. > > > >These primates had been trained to perform a specific hand-reach task for > >a > > > >food reward. They were given a chemical that initiates Parkinson's-like > > > >symptoms, then were retested, and then treated with lenti-GDNF. > > > > > > > >The animals showed great difficulty in performing the tasks after > >receiving > > > >the chemical. Following three months of treatment, their performance > > > >returned to near-normal. Brain scans showed the treatment had completely > > > >prevented degeneration of the monkeys' dopamine-producing system, with > > > >brain cells and their fibers preserved. > > > > > > > > > > > >By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service > > > >Copyright 2000 Nando Media > > > >Copyright 2000 Scripps Howard News Service > > > > > > > > > >http://www.nandotimes.com/noframes/story/0,2107,500273007-500426081-5026660 > >5 > > > >2-0,00.html > > > > > > > >janet paterson > > > >53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd > > > >TEL: 613 256 8340 URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ > > > >EMAIL: [log in to unmask] SMAIL: PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 > >Canada > > >