Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0030567 (Parkinson's disease)
 63,064 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We studied the dopaminergic control of lactotroph cells in the anterior pituitary of parkinsonian patients and age-matched normal subjects. The resting levels of prolactin and the TRH-induced rise in prolactin were normal in Parkinson disease. Levodopa elicited a normal suppression of prolactin concentrations in parkinsonian subjects; the major abnormality to emerge was attenuation of the response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the parkinsonian patients following administration of Sinemet (levodopa plus carbidopa) or bromocriptine. These findings imply pathology of extrastriatal dopamine systems in Parkinson disease. Since the addition of carbidopa enhanced the suppression of prolactin induced by levodopa, exogenous levodopa probably acts predominantly through the formation of dopamine in the hypothalamus, but inside the blood-brain barrier, rather than as a direct effect of circulating dopamine on the anterior pituitary or areas of the hypothalamus outside the blood-brain barrier.
 ...
PMID:Prolactin secretion in Parkinson disease. 681 Feb 4

Thirty-seven patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who initially tolerated, and responded to bromocriptine therapy were followed for 12 to 50 (mean 28) months. Using a method of gradual increase of bromocriptine, with concomitant levodopa reduction, the peak effect of the drug was apparent by three months, at which time the mean daily dose of bromocriptine was 23.9 mg and Sinemet (levodopa + carbidopa) had been reduced by 34 percent. Eight patients had sustained improvement without further drug changes for an average of 29 (range 14-50) months. After periods of improvement varying between 3 and 30 months, 29 patients had a fall-off from peak effect. Peak effect was regained in 21 of these 29 patients for an average of 16 additional months by initially increasing bromocriptine or Sinemet, or by eventually increasing both drugs. The main adverse effect was a confusional state which necessitated late withdrawal of bromocriptine in four patients. The best results were in younger patients with end-of-dose deterioration and levodopa induced dyskinesias. With cautious introduction, and intermittent dosage adjustment, bromocriptine can be of long-term benefit to patients with advance Parkinson's disease. The majority of patients have a gradual late fall-off in effect which can frequently be reversed with dosage adjustment.
 ...
PMID:Bromocriptine in the long-term management of advanced Parkinson's disease. 686 Oct 13

Lisuride, a semisynthetic ergoline and potent central dopamine and serotonin agonist, was combined with levodopa in 20 patients with advanced Parkinson disease who were no longer responding satisfactorily to levodopa, including 14 patients with "on-off' phenomena. Every patient who completed the 8-week trial improved significantly (p greater than or equal to 0.01), with a decrease in all symptoms. The mean dose of lisuride was 2.4 mg per day. The dose of levodopa (mg of levodopa in Sinemet) was reduced from 1030 to 920 mg. Among the patients with "on-off' phenomena, there was a significant increase in the time in which they were 'on' (mobile) from 4.6 to 9.6 hours. In 5 of 10 patients who have been on lisuride for at least 1 year, there has been no decline in efficacy.
 ...
PMID:Lisuride combined with levodopa in advanced Parkinson disease. 703 4

We conducted a prospective study of thyroid function in 46 patients with Parkinson disease and 46 age- and sex-matched controls with other neurologic disease. There was no statistical difference in serum thyroxine (T4) and T3 resin uptake (T3U) between the two groups. Neither the duration nor the quantity of L-dopa or carbidopa/L-dopa (Sinemet) therapy influenced these assessments of thyroid function. However, 3 of 46 Parkinson patients were hypothyroid, whereas none of 46 controls was hypothyroid. There was one hyperthyroid individual in each group. Early evaluation of thyroid function in all patients with Parkinson disease is recommended because of the unexpected frequency of hypothyroidism and because hypothyroid symptoms may be masked.
 ...
PMID:Thyroid function in Parkinson disease. 719 33

1. A randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind cross-over study was conducted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the anticholinergic agent, benztropine mesylate (CogentinR) in 29 patients with mild to moderate, idiopathic Parkinson disease. 2. Patients were maintained on a stable, therapeutically optimal dosage and schedule of levadopa-carbidopa (Sinemet) throughout the study. 3. Both the neurologist's and the patient's global assessments of treatment efficacy indicated that Sinemet plus benztropine mesylate resulted in significantly greater improvement than Sinemet plus placebo. 4. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations of relevant neurologic functions showed small, but statistically significant improvements for rigidity, finger tapping speed and activities of daily living in patients during the Sinemet plus benztropine mesylate treatment period. 5. At the completion of the study 16 patients chose to continue taking benztropine mesylate as an adjuvant to Sinemet. 6. No important adverse side effects occurred during the study.
 ...
PMID:Parkinson's disease: Cogentin with Sinemet, a better response. 720 30

Using a method of a gradual increase of bromocriptine with a concomitant reduction of Sinemet (levodopa 250 mg + carbidopa 25 mg), 19 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease have been treated for periods of up to 22 months and 16 of them have shown improvements of varying degrees. Eighteen patients were able to tolerate bromocriptine addition, with early transient adverse effects occurring in seven cases. In contrast to several previously reported studies, it was found necessary to withdraw bromocriptine in only one case. With the drugs currently available, bromocriptine has a role in the management of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. The method described here may allow a greater number of patients to be given a trial with this drug.
 ...
PMID:Method of addition of bromocriptine to the drug regime of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. 722 54

The authors report the results of treatment of hereditary extrapyramidal diseases with new preparations acting upon neurotransmitter systems. Patients with torsion dystonia, Huntington's chorea, Parkinson's disease, hereditary tremor, myoclonic epilepsy were followed-up for several years.. The best results in akinetic-rigidity syndromes (Parkinson's disease, rigid froms of torsion dystonia, Hallevorden-Spatz disease) were obtained with L-DOPA (including Sinemet, Nacom, Madopar) and in many patients these preparations were given in combination with other drugs (cholinolytic agents, Midantan) which contributed to compensation of the disturbed equilibrium of neurotransmitter systems and reduction of side effects. For decreasing the side effects of L-DOPA (hyperkineses of dystonic type, chorea and myoclonia) preparations from the group of phenothiazine and diazepine were given. In many cases improvement was achieved by slover increase of L-DOPA doses. In the hyperkinetic syndromes (Huntington's chorea, idiopathic tremor, myoclonic epilepsy, hyperkinetic torsion dystonia) preparations of phenothiazine, butyrophenone and new drugs active on the GABAergic system (Baclophen, Lyoresal, Pantogam) and diazepine (Clonazepam) were used. The analysis of the results shows that disturbed equilibrium of central neurotransmitters plays and important role in the pathogenesis of hereditary extrapyramidal system diseases.
 ...
PMID:[Pathogenetic treatment of various hereditary extrapyramidal disorders with new drugs]. 732 7

Madopar, a combination of levodopa with benserazide, induced an inconsistent rise in plasma growth hormone in unmedicated patients with Parkinson's disease and in controls, and a greater growth hormone rise in Parkinsonian subjects on chronic Madopar therapy. In subjects on chronic therapy with levodopa and carbidopa (Sinemet), the growth hormone releasing effect of Madopar was blunted. Madopar increased plasma prolactin (PRL) in controls, unmedicated patients and patients on Madopar therapy while in patients on Sinemet therapy the PRL-releasing effect of Madopar was strikingly reduced. Since these data were interpreted as due to a defective dopamine tone in the hypothalamus of Parkinsonian subjects on Madopar but not Sinemet therapy, a direct dopamine receptor agonist, lisuride was administered. Lisuride, however, elicited a blunted growth hormone response both in patients on Madopar and Sinemet therapy, without revealing a state of supersensitivity of dopamine receptors for growth hormone control in Parkinsonian subjects on Madopar therapy. No difference was present in the PRL-lowering effect of lisuride in the different experimental groups. These findings suggest that: (1) hypothalamic dopamine function is impaired in Parkinsonian subjects on Madopar therapy, preserved in unmedicated patients and enhanced in patients on Sinemet therapy; (2) the endocrine effects observed in Parkinsonian subjects on chronic Madopar therapy may be due to some penetration of benserazide across the blood brain barrier in the region of the hypothalamus; (3) since Madopar and Sinemet are in essence equally effective antiparkinsonian remedies, penetration of benserazide does not occur across the blood brain barrier surrounding the nigrostriatal system.
 ...
PMID:Growth hormone and prolactin stimulation by Madopar in Parkinson's disease. 733 6

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was designed to compare two ratios of carbidopa to levodopa (10 mg of carbidopa to 100 mg of levodopa [Sinemet 10/100] and 20 mg of carbidopa to 100 mg of levodopa [Sinemet 20/100]) with levodopa (100 mg) alone. Twenty-nine male patients (46 to 78 years of age) with clinically definite idiopathic Parkinson's disease of mild to moderate severity were selected and hospitalized for the three-week period of the study. Medications being taken at time of entry were phased out during week 1. Fixed daily increments of medications were given during week 2, and adjusted during week 3 to achieve best clinical response with fewest side effects. Qualitative and quantitative examinations of neurologic function showed that upper extremity measurements of resting tremor, rigidity, and finger-tapping speed, and lower extremity measurements of foot coordination and tandem gait (both types of speed tests) showed significantly more improvement in patients receiving the 20:100 combination than in those receiving the 10:100 combination or levodopa alone. Adverse effects were similar and minimal in each of the three groups. Results indicate that increasing the amount of carbidopa from 10 to 20 mg per 100-mg dose of levodopa gives a greater therapeutic response in Parkinson's disease than does a 10:100 carbidopa-levodopa ratio or levodopa alone.
 ...
PMID:Increased ratio of carbidopa to levodopa in treatment of Parkinson's disease. 743 17

The peripheral decarboxylase inhibitors benserazide and carbidopa, often administered in combination with L-dopa in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, are also very good inhibitors of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO). In untreated patients and in patients treated with L-dopa alone, plasma SSAO activity is normal. In patients treated with L-dopa plus benserazide or carbidopa (Madopar or Sinemnet), however, plasma SSAO activity is strongly inhibited, contrary to the paradoxical 3-fold increase in plasma aromatic-L-amino acid decarboxylase activity we reported previously. Single-dose and longitudinal studies show that the SSAO inhibition proceeds rapidly and increases even further to nearly complete inhibition after continued treatment, while aromatic-L-amino acid decarboxylase activity only transiently decreases after a single dose and increases slowly with continued treatment above pretreatment levels. Dialysis experiments confirm that the binding of benserazide to SSAO is irreversible, especially after chronic treatment. The lack of knowledge about the exact function of SSAO precludes definite conclusions about the effect of this chronic SSAO inhibition on patients. Careful follow-up studies of patients treated with Madopar or Sinemet might provide further information about the possible physiological role of SSAO.
 ...
PMID:Contrasting effects of peripheral decarboxylase inhibitors on plasma activity of aromatic-L-amino acid decarboxylase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in Parkinson's disease. 747 17


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10