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

It has been suggested that patients with Parkinson disease partially compensate for neuron loss by developing denervation supersensitivity, and, if so, that prolonged levodopa (L-dopa) therapy might lead to desensitization. As a preliminary test of this hypothesis, and in order to study whether it was possible to "resensitize" a patient who had already presumably been desensitized by previous L-dopa therapy, a patient who had become unpredictably responsive to L-dopa was investigated. The patient had been taking L-dopa for eight years and had exhibited severe dyskinesia-akinesia oscillation ("on-off" phenomenon) before the study. There was no consistent response to his hourly doses of Prolopa (L-dopa and benserazide in a 4:1 ratio). He was first lowered, over 33 days, to 20% of his original Prolopa dose. The dosage was then increased until a consistent response was observed. The three main results achieved were, first, overall reduction by 64% of the daily requirement for L-dopa; second, conversion from a previously unpredictable to a predictable response to each dose of L-dopa; and, third, change in his movement fluctuations to a pattern more typical of "end-of-dose" akinesia than the "on-off" phenomenon. The results support the idea of dopamine receptor resensitization upon reduction of the L-dopa dosage.
Ann Neurol 1978 Dec
PMID:The L-dopa on-off effect in Parkinson disease: treatment by transient drug withdrawal and dopamine receptor resensitization. 74 58

The clues vary, and many of the "typical" signs are misleading or even contradictory. One patient acts impetuously while another seems to have lost his spontaneity. Still another shows aggressive, animalistic behavior--or becomes apathetic, perhaps curling up in the fetal position or sucking, rooting, or grasping as an infant does. Some patients can memorize and recite a long list of numbers, remember events of the day before, and recall many of their childhood experiences--yet they "forget to remember" why they went to the store. When this happens, it's likely that the frontal lobe isn't performing its goal-orienting function as it should. If a patient takes small steps, has trouble initiating a step, or can't seem to find and keep his center of gravity--or if he involuntarily resists or aids an attempt to move his neck, arms, or legs--he doesn't necessarily have Parkinson's disease; he may have a frontal lobe lesion instead. Usually--but not always--the easiest way to find out is to check for a resting tremor.
Geriatrics 1976 Dec
PMID:Exploring the enigmas of frontal lobe dysfunction. 82 57

Bromocriptine in high doses (up to 100 mg per day) was administered to 14 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease whose disorder was progressing despite optimum treatment with levodopa combined with a peripheral dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (carbidopa). In 10, bromocriptine (mean dose, 57 mg) induced a statistically significant (P less than 0.01) improvement in rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia, gait disturbance and total score. In seven patients levodopa with carbidopa was completely replaced by bromocriptine (mean dose, 70 mg), with improvement in four. Adverse effects were similar to those observed with levodopa and carbidopa, except that in individual patients abnormal involuntary movements and diurnal oscillations in performance (on-off effect) were decreased whereas orthostatic hypotension and mental changes were increased. Bromocriptine appears to be a major new agent in Parkinson's disease that is especially promising in patients no longer responding to levodopa.
N Engl J Med 1976 Dec 16
PMID:Treatment of parkinson's disease with bromocriptine. 98 85

The authors, by describing their own observations made on eight patients showing extrapyramidal syndromes as side effects of metoclopramide (Cerucal) medication, report the various kinds of possible side effects, discussing their conformity with side effects produced by conventional neuroleptics and showing methods of treatment. Metoclopramide is known to produce three froms of extrapyramidal and motor side effects, namely: 1. Dyskinetic syndrome; 2. acathisia; and 3. Parkinson's syndrome. Therapy is in the following form regardless of the particular side effect produced by the said drug: 1. Administration of antiparkinsonian remedies; 2. administration of coffein; and 3. discontinuation or drastic reduction, respectively, of the daily dose of Cerucal.
Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol (Leipz) 1976 Dec
PMID:[Extrapyramidal syndromes as side-effects of metoclopramide (Cerucal) medication]. 101 73

The clinical features of 175 cases of essential tremor are related. This disorder is prevalent among a population of the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It affects predominantly women in middle and old age; only 27 per cent of the cases were males. The disorder is slowly progressive and significant disability appears in elderly women when the trunk muscles are involved. Epidemiological studies have shown that the presence of tremor can be correlated with linguistic distinctions between high and low prevalence populations. Although only 30 patients reported a first degree relative with tremor, the syndrome would seem to stem from a genetic predisposition. In a number of patients essential tremor appeared to be associated with Parkinson's disease.
Brain 1976 Dec
PMID:Essential tremor in Papua, New Guinea. 102 90

A 50-year-old white woman with an 8-month history of Parkinson's syndrome which did not respond to levodopa therapy was found on pathological examination to have the topographical lesions of striato-nigral degeneration. In addition to those characteristic lesions, an associated degeneration of the optic pathways, from the level of the optic nerve to the geniculo-collicular fibers, of the corticospinal tract and of the olivo-dentate axis, were found. While offering further evidence for the concept of "multiple system degeneration", no pathogenetic relationship either to previous cases of striato-nigral degeneration or to other multiple system degenerations is implied.
J Neurol Sci 1975 Dec
PMID:Striato-nigral degeneration. Report of a case with an unusually short course and multiple system degenerations. 120 31

This investigation was conducted to clarify the epidemiology of Parkinson's disease in Finland. A community survey was made in a selected area in southwest Finland in addition to an analysis of Finnish mortality statistics for Parkinson's disease. The annual mortality rate from Parkinson's disease was found to average 2 per 100,000 population. Almost 70 per cent of the deaths occurred between 65-79 years of age. The total and age-specific mortality rates for males were greater than those for females whereas the proportionate mortality rates were almost identical. This was considered to indicate that suggestions of greater male prevalence, based on mortality statistics, do not appear justified. On prevalence day, Dec. 31st, 1971, 484 patients with Parkinson's disease (of which 444 were personally examined) lived in the area of investigation (population 402,988), the prevalence rate being 120.1 per 100,000 population. The highest annual incidence rate was 16.6 per 100,000 population. The age-specific prevalence rates showed a rapid increase after the 50th year of age. The greatest prevalence was shown by the age group 70-79 years of age in which almost 0.8 per cent of the population are affected. Age-specific incidence rates also displayed an increase after the 50th year of age. The greatest incidence was observed in the age group 70-79 years of age in which almost 1 per 1,000 of the population are annually affected by the disease. A difference between the sexes was demonstrable in the prevalence and incidence rates showing greater values for females, but in the age-specific frequencies the differences were reduced. This probably reflects the difference between the age structures of the male and female populations, suggesting that both sexes have a similar risk of being affected by the disease. The permanent age structure shown by idiopathic patients in comparison with previous investigations as well as the increased mean age and proportionate decrease of postencephalitic patients was found to be in disagreement with the cohort theory according to which all parkinsonian patients are previously victims of encephalitis lethargica.
 ...
PMID:Epidemiology of Parkinson's disease in Finland. 126 65

Three main current hypotheses, concerning etiopathogenetic mechanisms of Parkinson's Disease are presented. Various aspects of MPTP activity, free radical involvement and genetic factors are discussed.
Cas Lek Cesk 1992 Dec 17
PMID:[Parkinson disease. The newest etiopathogenic concepts]. 128 88

A4 protein (beta-protein, beta-amyloid) deposits were identified with silver stains in postmortem brainstem sections from 13 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), 6 patients with mixed Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease (AD-PD), 5 disease controls, and 2 elderly controls. A rostro-caudal gradient of A4 was found in patients with AD and AD-PD, such that A4 was most prevalent in the midbrain and least prevalent in the medulla. The brainstem of the controls contained little or no A4. The midbrain tectum and tegmentum contained the greatest densities of A4, but the red nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata were largely spared. This distribution of A4 suggests that A4 deposition is a function of synaptic connectivity rather than passive diffusion from vascular sources.
Neurosci Lett 1992 Dec 14
PMID:Distribution of amyloid in the brainstem of patients with Alzheimer disease. 130 Apr 98

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in Parkinson's disease (PD) were significantly lower than those in controls, especially in a treated PD group. However, SOD activities in an untreated PD group did not decrease. There was a significant correlation between SOD activities and the duration of illness in the treated PD group (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between SOD activities and the present doses of L-DOPA/carbidopa in the treated PD group.
Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol 1992 Dec
PMID:Decreased superoxide dismutase activity in erythrocyte in Parkinson's disease. 130 19


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