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Thanks so much for sending this information. The part about the unleaded gas made me take notice. David owned a service station. This, I believe, is what poisoned both his brother (now deceased) and himself. I'm taking him to a new neuro on Friday, and will bring the article. In fact, if I can get his website, I'll email the article to him ahead of time. Thanks, again. It's very interesting research in David's case. Bev cg/David 70/59/31? ----- Original Message ----- From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, June 11, 2006 1:09 AM Subject: Tuberculosis drug may cure Parkinson's-like illness > Tuberculosis drug may cure Parkinson's-like illness > Jun. 7, 2006 > > > > Researchers have discovered that a drug used to treat tuberculosis > apparently cures patients of a Parkinson's-like illness suffered by > thousands > of mineworkers, welders and others exposed to high levels of the metal > manganese. Manganese is used to produce steel alloys and as a coating on > welding rods, among other industrial applications. It replaced lead > decades > ago as a component in unleaded gasoline, increasing the risks of manganese > intoxication for the general public, said one of the researchers, Wei > Zheng, > a professor and University Faculty Scholar in Purdue's School of Health > Sciences. When manganese builds up in toxic levels in the body, people > suffer > from "occupational manganese parkinsonism," which causes symptoms similar > to > Parkinson's disease. Victims experience hand tremors, poor coordination, > unsteady gait and a masklike inability to show facial expressions, Zheng > said. Manganese contained in the coating of welding rods is released in > fumes. Welders involved in manufacturing vehicles, tanks and ships are > especially prone to manganese intoxication because they work in close > quarters, increasing their exposure to the metal, Zheng said. "There are > about 430,000 welders in the United States alone, and even more in China, > so > manganese intoxication likely affects many people, including workers > involved > in manganese mining and steel production," he said. "In Beijing, we found > a > high percentage of welders have these symptoms." While the condition's > symptoms are similar to those of Parkinson's disease, the standard > treatments > for Parkinson's disease, including the drug levodopa, are not effective > for > manganese intoxication. A chemical compound called EDTA has been used to > help > patients eliminate manganese in the urine. The drug's effectiveness, > however, > is limited because it is water-soluble, preventing it from readily passing > through membranes in the "blood-brain barrier," layers of cells > surrounding > blood vessels that block substances from traveling from the blood into > brain > tissue. Ten researchers from institutions around the world - including > Purdue > - conducted a 17-year medical follow-up study on a manganese-poisoned > worker > and about 80 other patients. The researchers learned that an aspirinlike > drug > called sodium para-aminosalicylic acid, or PAS, dramatically reduces > symptoms > on a long-term basis. "The amazing thing is that this drug reverses > Parkinson-type symptoms of manganese intoxication," Zheng said. "We see > remarkable improvement after treatment with this drug even 17 years > later." > PAS has been used for decades to treat tuberculosis and apparently can > cross > the blood-brain barrier because it is fat-soluble, or lipophilic. That's > because the drug contains a structure known as a benzene ring, which > enables > it to penetrate the membranes. Findings will appear in the June issue of > the > Journal of Occupational Environmental Medicine. The paper was written by > Yue-Ming Jiang, Xue-An Mo, Feng-Qi Du, Xue Fu and Xia-Yan Zhu, from > Guangxi > Medical University in China; Hong-Yu Gao and Feng-Ling Liao, from Wuzhou > Center for Disease Prevention and Control in China; Jin-Lan Xie from the > Wuzhou Worker's Hospital in China; Enrico Pira from the University of > Turin > in Italy; and Zheng. The research has focused on China because that > country > is a major manganese ore producer and provides one-third of the world's > supply of steel alloys. The paper includes data from research involving a > female Chinese mineworker who suffered debilitating symptoms, including > lack > of coordination, trouble walking and writing, and a masklike appearance > caused by tense facial muscles. The woman's symptoms nearly disappeared > after > treatment with PAS in 1987, and she remained free of symptoms when > re-examined during a follow-up study in 2004. The researchers suggest > several > possible mechanisms that enable the drug to reverse symptoms of the > illness. > One is that the drug may contain "chelating arms" that grab manganese. > "However, we are not just looking at this drug as a chelating compound, > but > also as an anti-inflammatory, like aspirin," Zheng said. "Historically, we > have believed that neurodegeneration is permanent and cannot be reversed, > but > PAS appears to shed light on a reversal mechanism. "It may possibly repair > neurons. If this is true, this would be a major finding, but further > research > will be needed to study this possibility. We think the bigger picture is > that > the drug might also be used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, but > much > more work is needed to confirm this theory." > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn