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Briefly 6-24

Parkinson’s gene therapy used

            ` NEW YORK - In what could be a breakthrough in neurological disease treatment, a team led by physician/scientists at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center completed the first ever phase 1 clinical trial using gene therapy to battle Parkinson's disease. The study of 11 men and one woman with the progressive neurodegenerative illness found the procedure - in which surgeons inject a harmless gene-bearing virus into the brain - was safe and resulted in improved motor function for Parkinson's patients over one year. The findings were in The Lancet. "These exciting results need to be validated in a larger trial, but we believe this is a milestone not only for treatment of Parkinson's but also for use of gene-based therapies against neurological conditions generally," says lead researcher Dr. Michael Kaplitt, associate professor of neurological surgery and the Victor and Tara Menezes Clinical Scholar in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, and director of Movement Disorders Surgery at New York-Presbyterian.

            ` WASHINGTON - Most sunscreens on the U.S. market either fall short of claims or contain unsafe ingredients, states an environmental watchdog group told MedPage Today. In an analysis of 785 different products, the Environmental Working Group found 84 of those with a sun-protection factor ( SPF ) of 15 or higher didn’t give users the protection they boasted. "Only 16 products are safe and effective, blocking ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards," the group reported. More than half contained unstable ingredients that can break down under sunlight, leaving the user unwittingly exposed, and many products make unsupported claims about efficacy or stability, authors asserted. The group posted its findings on a Web site, including products it found to be acceptable and unacceptable. "EWG conducted this research because the FDA failed to do so," said Jane Houlihan, EWG vice president/research.

            NEW YORK - Patients with radiation retinopathy destined to go blind within five years can keep sight longer through localized treatment with Avastin, a cancer drug, a two-year study in the Archives of Ophthalmology found. “This is a major breakthrough for eye cancer patients treated with radiation therapy and who commonly develop radiation retinopathy,” said Dr. Paul Finger, lead author of the study and director of Ocular Tumor Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. “Avastin cuts abnormal blood vessel growth, stops leakage in the eye, and patients wind up seeing better. This is a first.” Until now, patients with inflammation or cancer of the eye’s choroid, retina, orbit, and paranasal sinuses were confronted with a treatment catch-22. Radiation therapy is the treatment of choice for most patients; commonly it causes radiation retinopathy. Dr. Finger references six patients who had plaque radiation therapy and developed radiation retinopathy, but he has treated 28 patients successfully with Avastin, he says. “The drug improved or stabilized visual acuity in all cases by reducing dramatically blood vessel leakage and swelling of the macula, the major causes of irreversible vision loss in radiation retinopathy,” he said. He noted “before these Avastin findings, there was no effective treatment for macular radiation retinopathy.”

            WASHINGTON - The Associated Press reported more than 5 million of us are living with Alzheimer's disease, a 10% hike since the last Alzheimer's Association (AA) estimate in 2002 - a count that supports the long-forecast dementia epidemic as the population grays. Age is the big risk factor, and the report shows the U.S. is on track for skyrocketing Alzheimer's once the baby boomers start turning 65 in 2011. Already, one in eight people 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, and nearly one in two people over 85. Unless scientists find a way to delay Alzheimer's brain attack, some 7.7 million people are expected to have it by 2030, the report says. In fighting heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, "we're keeping people alive so they can live long enough to get Alzheimer's," said AA vice president Steve McConnell. Figures in 2006 showed dips in U.S. deaths from most leading killers 2000-2004 as Alzheimer's deaths jumped 33%. The report had a startling finding: 200,000-500,000 people under 65 have either early-onset Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.

            DALLAS - Disrupt the gene that runs biological clocks in mice and they become manic, showing behaviors like humans with bipolar disorder, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center scientists found. In a study online at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, UT scientists show the "Clock" gene, which controls the body’s circadian rhythms, may be involved integrally in developing bipolar disorder. Circadian rhythms include the daily ups-and-downs of waking, eating, and processes such as blood pressure, temperature, hormone levels, and heart activity. “There’s evidence suggesting circadian genes may be involved in bipolar disorder,” said Dr. Colleen McClung, assistant professor of psychiatry and the study’s senior author. “What we’ve done is taken earlier findings a step further engineering a mutant mouse model [with] an overall profile strikingly similar to human mania, which will give us the opportunity to study why people develop mania or bipolar disorder and how they can be treated.” Bipolar disorder, a.k.a. manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes dramatic shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function - much more severe than normal ups and downs most people experience. About 2.6% of U.S. adults suffer the psychiatric disorder.

            WASHINGTON - Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. noted the National Organization on Disability (www.nod.org) has a National Partnership Awards program (deadline: Aug. 31). It’s a competition for 40 eligible U.S. non-disability associations designed to recognize their work for people with disabilities. The groups are invited to demonstrate leadership in supporting local initiatives that benefit people with disabilities. The competition, sponsored by Prudential Financial Inc., marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of NOD. Five winning groups will receive $2,000 each to denote  a chapter or affiliate for an outstanding program or project that showcases how their members help citizens with disabilities participate in and contribute to the economic, social, and cultural vitality of the community. Eligible groups, program guidelines, and entry form are at the NOD Web site.

            PHILADELPHIA - MedPage Today disclosed a checklist for prospective surgical outpatients the most likely to be surgical inpatients. The list includes those who are older, set for longer surgery, who will have regional or general anesthesia, or have one or more of five co-morbidities, scientists say. Those with at least four risk factors were more than 30 times more likely to require hospitalization than those with one risk factor or none, said Dr. Lee Fleisher, of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues in the Archives of Surgery. Determining the risk score preoperatively may help clinicians and patients set the most appropriate setting for a procedure, they said. "This isn’t to suggest patients with an outpatient surgery admission index of four or higher should universally undergo inpatient surgery," they wrote. "Rather, clinicians should consider surgery on these patients where there is additional medical support to treat acute adverse events and to permit rapid transfer to an inpatient hospital." The study included 783,539 procedures at hospital-based and free-standing ambulatory surgery centers in New York in 1997, recorded in an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality database. Researchers excluded cardiac catheterizations, endoscopies, cataract operations, and discharges other than routine or short-term hospitalization. Most procedures were done in a hospital-based facility (95%).

            WASHINGTON - The Associated Press reported the typical Chinese restaurant menu is a sea of nutritional no-nos, a consumer group found. A plate of General Tso's chicken has about 40% more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs daily. The battered, fried chicken with vegetables has 1,300 calories, 3,200mg of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat. That's before rice (200 calories a cup), and egg rolls (200 calories and 400mg of sodium). Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said, " American restaurants need to cut back on calories and salt, and people should think of each meal as two, and bring home half for tomorrow." The average adult needs around 2,000 calories a day and about one teaspoon of salt, note U.S. guidelines. In some ways, Liebman said, Italian and Mexican restaurants are worse; their food is higher in saturated fat, which can hike heart disease risk. Chinese food does offer vegetable-rich dishes and the fat that's not bad for the heart. Still, a plate of stir-fried greens has 900 calories and 2,200mg of sodium; eggplant in garlic sauce has 1,000 calories and 2,000mg of sodium. Six steamed pork dumplings has 500 calories. The group found that not much has changed since it examined Chinese food 15 years ago. Liebman said, "We were glad not to find anything different."