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hi all At 22:11 2001/04/02 -0700, Murray Charters wrote: >Clinic focuses on Parkinson's research >Tuesday, April 3, 2001 >By Tom Corwin Staff Writer > >For Jeana Bartlett, the new clinic at Medical College of Georgia >Hospital is a place to address all of the ways Parkinson's disease >affects her life and the life of her caregiver and husband, Richard. > >For doctors and researchers at MCG, it is a chance to share >information across disciplines and give patients access to >cutting-edge treatment. > >That could mean everything from deciphering how toxins such >as pesticides might be causing Parkinson's or offering patients >the latest in experimental drugs that might prevent the disease. > >The MCG Movement Disorders Clinic, scheduled to open in May, >is one of 62 centers of excellence worldwide that are recognized >by the National Parkinson's Foundation. > >On Monday, the foundation's chairman of the board, Nathan Slewitt, >came to view the clinic. The foundation provides some funding for >the clinic, such as helping pay a portion of nurse clinician Joan >Carpenter's salary. > >``You'll play a powerful role in finding the cause and cure for >Parkinson's,'' Mr. Slewitt told clinicians and patients Monday. > >Getting the designation from the foundation, and the prominent >recognition of physicians in the Department of Neurology, was >part of the reason MCG Health Inc. chose to make neurosciences >its first center of excellence, said Don Snell, president and chief >executive of MCG Health. > >The designation and the backing from administration has allowed >MCG to expand what it can offer in basic research and clinical >research trials, said the clinic director, Kapil D. Sethi, a neurologist >at MCG. > >The clinic ``treats patients as whole unit, patients and their >caregivers,'' Dr. Sethi said. ``These are very exciting times.'' > >Although MCG has always been involved in later-stage drug >trials, the clinic is now involved in earlier drug trials that could >offer an earlier chance at a promising therapy, Dr. Sethi said. >For instance, two of the study drugs target proteins involved >in the cell death of neurons, potentially protecting and preserving >them, Dr. Sethi said. > >``The next big step is going to be slowing down the disease,'' >Dr. Sethi said. > >Others, such as neurotoxicologist Debra Gearhart at MCG, are >looking at toxins as a potential cause of the disease. A contaminant >of illegal drugs called MPTP attracted the attention of researchers >because it caused symptoms similar to Parkinson's in its users, Dr. >Gearhart said. The compound becomes something called MPP-plus >in the brain and might lead to increased oxidative stress to the >neurons, leading to damage or death, Dr. Gearhart said. She would >like to test Parkinson's patients for levels of the toxin in their blood, >and the clinic gives her a chance to do that, she said. > >For Mrs. Bartlett, it is a place to get assessed by Dr. Sethi, and also >physical and occupational therapy. > >``I'm very excited,'' she said. > >For more information on studies at the MCG Movement Disorders >Clinic, or for information on area support groups, call (706) 721-9445. > >The CSRA Parkinson's Support Group meets the fourth Tuesday of >every month at 6 p.m. at St. John Towers, 724 Greene St. The Aiken >area group meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Aiken >Area Council on Aging, 159 Morgan St. N.W. > >Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213. > >http://augustachronicle.com/stories/040301/tec_071-6109.000.shtml jeana bartlett's hole-in-the-head gang page: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/pienet/bartlett/ janet paterson, an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit perky, parky PD: 54/41/37 CD: 54/44/43 TEL: 613 256 8340 EMAIL: [log in to unmask] "A New Voice" home page: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ . "New Voice News" latest posts: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nvnNET/ . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn