People with long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides have a 70 per cent higher incidence of Parkinson's disease than people who have not been exposed much to bug sprays, US researchers say. (theage.com)

March 20, 2006

Many people with Parkinson's disease who are taking dopamine agonists such as Mirapex and Permax are finding that they have new problems: compulsive gambling, overactive sex drive, and other compulsive behaviors. Some patients are suing the drug companies "to recover the money they lost gambling, on the grounds that the companies did not do enough to warn about these risks." The drug companies say there's no scientific proof that their drugs cause comulsive behavior. However:

... a recent analysis headed by FDA scientist Ana Szarfman found a strong association between pathological gambling and dopamine agonists. The statistics from a federal adverse-events database are not conclusive, but FDA officials regularly mine the data to spot red flags. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

January 26, 2006

Researchers said yesterday that they have identified a single genetic mutation that accounts for more than 20 percent of all cases of Parkinson's disease in Arabs, North Africans and Jews, a big surprise for a major disease in which genetics was thought to play a relatively minor role. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

July 11, 2005

Joe Neglia was a retired government intelligence worker with Parkinson's disease when he suddenly developed what he calls a gambling habit from hell. After losing thousands of dollars playing slot machines near his California home several times a day for nearly two years, Neglia stumbled across an Internet report linking a popular Parkinson's drug he used with compulsive gambling. (AP)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

June 17, 2005

A vaccine that could possibly prevent the debilitating effects of Parkinson's disease was shown to be effective in studies involving mice, according to a study in the latest issue of Neuron. (myDNA News)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

April 07, 2005

"Middle-aged men who drink a glass or two of milk each day may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, new research suggests. The ingredient or possible contaminant in milk responsible for this effect is unclear, but the current findings suggest it's not the calcium."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

April 02, 2005

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II, the Polish pontiff who led the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century and became history's most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment. He was 84.

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

"Pope John Paul II is fading out of consciousness, the Vatican said today, though he had been alert enough on Friday night to express thanks for the tens of thousands gathering on St. Peter's Square as he lay on his deathbed."

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April 01, 2005

"Pope John Paul II suffered heart failure and was in very grave condition Friday, but he was lucid and spent the morning celebrating Mass and receiving top aides, asking one to read him the biblical account of Christ's Crucifixion and burial, the Vatican said."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

December 26, 2004

"Regular use of anti-inflammatory drugs appears to lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, perhaps by protecting brain cells that would otherwise die."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease

October 23, 2004

"Researchers have found a new gene mutation responsible for a common form of inherited Parkinson's disease, a discovery that may eventually aid in treating all types of the degenerative brain disorder."

"Scientists studying an animal model of narcolepsy have found that histamine-activated brain cells are key to wakefulness."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Parkinson's Disease