Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Leads to Compulsive Gambling

August 3rd, 2005 Symptoms in mice that mimic Parkinson’s disease are reversed by treatment with amphetamines, including Ecstasy, according to a new study by Marc Caron of Duke University, US. The drugs seem to work through a pathway not involving the chemical dopamine, which surprised the researchers since dopamine deficiency is the cause of Parkinson’s.

April 4th, 2005 NASH, a liver disease that resembles alcoholic liver disease but occurs in patients who drink little or no alcohol. NASH occurs most often in adults over the age of 40 who are overweight or have diabetes, insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), or hyperlipidemia (excess concentrations of fatty materials in the blood).

August 13th, 2005 Pig brain cells could be implanted into human brains in USA by the beginning of next year if trials of a pioneering treatment for Huntington's disease are approved by FDA. Similar tests on primates have proved "astonishingly successful" in treating the degenerative brain disease, according to researchers who carried out the work at Living Cell Technologies (LCT) in Auckland, New Zealand.

July 17th, 2005 The European study of patients with Type I diabetes found that short-term treatment lowered insulin dependence by 12 percent and increased insulin-making capabilities for at least 18 months. "The results are very promising.

February 17th, 2006 5 years in slammer seems a bit too much punishment for simply playing online poker, isn't it? The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act proposes to make it illegal for Americans to use the Internet for gambling and would authorize law enforcement officials to stop credit card payments and other forms of electronic payments. Violators would be subject to up to five years in prison.

May 23rd, 2005 University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers are running two new studies on hepatitis C, which could revolutionise treatment for the virus. It is hoped that one study could lead to cure rates of almost 100 percent in those who have just been infected with the virus.

July 21st, 2005 One-day treatment with the anticancer drug carboplatin is as effective and less toxic than three weeks radiation therapy for a type of testicular cancer, according to a report published in this week's issue of The Lancet. For the last 50 years standard care for stage 1 seminoma - a cancer of the testes - has been surgical removal of the cancerous testicle (hemi-castration) followed by three weeks radiotherapy.

March 14th, 2005 A discussion on immune system re-education results.

August 24th, 2005 In recent years, cord blood transplants, peripheral blood stem cell transplants and bone marrow transplants have become mainstream treatments for patients with certain life-threatening blood, genetic or immune system disorders. They offer hope of remission or cure for people with diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, severe aplastic anemia, severe combined immunodeficiency, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, thalassemia major and sickle cell disease.

February 27th, 2007 DCA has generated quite an interest in patients with Cancer, many even contemplating self-treatment for cure. The key points we know about DCA so far are: 1.

August 11th, 2005 Moderately elevated levels of insulin increase the levels of inflammatory markers and beta-amyloid in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid, and these markers may contribute to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study posted online today from Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The study will be published in the October print edition of the journal.

April 7th, 2005 for those afflicted with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN), Missouri Southern Healthcare has a new therapy program that has shown great strides in returning circulation to feet, lowering the pain and frequency of falls that most people with diabetes suffer. The therapy must be given in 40-minute increments three times a week for 10 to 20 weeks.

July 21st, 2006 Dr. Charles Hux, MD, high risk Ob/Gyn and a geneticist, commented on the stem cell veto by US President Mr. Bush and the impact of stem cell research.

August 15th, 2005 Impressive progress has been made in the treatment of haemophilia using gene therapy. Professor Katherine High, a leading researcher from Philadelphia USA, is examining the obstacles to successful gene therapy in human patients with haemophilia.

September 27th, 2005 Pfizer Inc. said U.S. regulators (FDA) have approved its cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor. Lipitor is used to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in diabetic patients.