Summary: Researchers examined the death rates from the incorrect use of prescriptions in the home, called FMEs. There are four types of FMEs as classified by the researchers. Type one is the domestic use of prescriptions with street drugs or alcohol, which has increased by 3,196% between 1983 and 2004. Type 2 is the domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, which has increased 5%. Type 3 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions with drugs or alcohol, and has increased 564%, and type 4 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, and has increased by 555%.

Comment: While many of the medications involved were safe in a clinical setting is has been suggested that they are more dangerous when used at home, since an incorrect dose or use with drugs or alcohol are more likely. It is suggested that more research is done about the safety of medications at home or work and that patients are especially careful when taking prescriptions at home.

Summary: With proper stimulation adult stem cells can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury. Scientists have newly discovered that these cells exist in a different part of the brain that commonly believed and that they are, in fact, the ependymal cells that line the ventricles in the brain and spinal cord instead of cells in the subventricular zone.

Comment: Researchers note that knowing the precise location of these cells is cruical when attempting to develop stem cell based therapies. This research also lays the groundwork for therapies in which a patients own stem cells can produce neurological cells.

Summary: A collaboration between neurologists and a pharmocologist has led to interesting connections between blood-related genetic mechanisms and Parkinson's disease. It has been discovered that genetic mechanisms at play in blood cells also control a gene and protein that cause Parkinson's disease. Patients with Parkinson's disease were shown to have elevated levels of the alpha-synuclein protein in their brain. Clumping of this protein causes the death of neurons and produces the brain chemical dopamine.

Comment: The discovery of this link and the data and new knowledge collected from this study has given scientists a molecular switch that may trigger Parkinson's disease.

Summary: A new study shows that most people, about 78%, do not completely understand their doctor's instructions upon leaving the emergency room. Many of these people, about 80%, also are not aware that they do not comprehend all of the instructions given. 34% of the comprehension deficits were in the category of post emergency department care, meaning that one-third of the people in the study did not completely know what to do when the got home from the hospital.

Comment: Follow-up care after leaving the emergency room is very important to the recovery of the patient. If they do not fully understand their instructions they could encounter complications. People should always be careful to completely understand their doctor’s instructions, whether leaving the emergency room or just a normal checkup, to be sure that they will receive the best care possible.

Summary: Tremor is quite a common symptom in Parkinson's patients. However, only recently have scientists been able to discover the mechanisms by which these tremors occur. Tremors are caused by neuron clusters in the depths of the brain.

Comment: This new discover supports current treatment research centering around deep brain stimulation therapy. New deep brain pacemakers may be able to help Parkinson's patients on a large scale by 2009.

Summary: Researchers have identified to key pathways in adult stem cells which control the repair and replacement of damaged tissue. The used this information to slightly change the cells to react to certain biochemical signals, giving the older stem cells the ability to repair almost as well as younger stem cells.

Comment: This research could create a new and extremely effective method for the treatment of age-related degenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. Also, this study's use of adult stem cells, already present in existing tissue, eliminates the moral and ethical concerns often associated will stem cell treatments.

Summary: Scientists have identified molecules which will allow them to awaken or put to sleep brain cells. The activation of these cells may allow scientists to transform them into neurons, which can, in turn, be employed in the repair of damaged brain tissue. The impact of this research may be far reaching, allowing for new methods of treating Alzheimer's and Parkinsons's diseases.

Comment: It was previously thought that stem cells to be used in this process could only be found in two parts of the brain. This research, however, has proved that stem cells can be found throughout the brain, giving doctors and scientists much greater possibilities in the development of this treatment.

Summary: Two studies at the Mayo Clinic in Florida conclude that Parkinson's disease is caused primarily by inherited genetic mutations passed through families over several hundred years. These findings overturn common beliefs that the disease is due primarily to either environmental or random factors.

Comment: The gene in question, LRRK2, can carry at least seven mutations that are linked to typical, late onset development of Parkinson's disease in populations around the world. The research may eventually allow scientists to predict how common genes combine with environmental risks to make some people susceptible to the disease.

Summary: The drug Botulinum Toxin has been shown to be safe and effective for treating cervical dystonia, a condition of involuntary head tilt or neck movement, and spasticity and other forms of muscle overactivity that interfere with movement in adults and children with an upper motor neuron syndrome. The drug, which is injected into affected muscles, is the most effective treatment for numerous movement disorders.

Comment: Botulinum Toxin may also be effective for treating lower back pain, hemifacial spasm (involuntary facial contractions), blepharospasm, (involuntary eye closure), some voice disorders (adductor laryngeal dystonia), focal limb dystonias (such as writer’s cramp), essential tremor and some forms of spastic bladder disorders.

Summary: Researchers at Rush University Medical Center and Emory University have developed a cell-based therapy that shows promise in patients with Parkinson's disease. The therapy, called Spheramine, involves implanting retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in the brain. Patients experienced improvement in tremor, rigidity, slowness of movements, balance, and coordination.

Comment: The pilot study involved only six patients. But considering the positive results, including that the therapy was well tolerated by patients, researchers started a Phase IIb involving another 71 patients. There is no cure for Parkinson's disease. But this research promises to develop a therapy to relieve some of the symptoms of the disease.