Innovative Transplant for ParkinsonÃs Patients Safe, Ready for Controlled Trials
PARKINSONÃS RELEASE EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 8:00 A.M. ET
An innovative surgical procedure designed to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain of ParkinsonÃs disease patients is now ready to be tested in controlled patient trials. Based on preliminary clinical trials, doctors at the Boston University School of Medicine are reporting that the procedure is safe and that some patients have shown significant improvement.
The results are being presented at the 11th Annual Symposia on Etiology, Pathogenesis and Prevention of ParkinsonÃs Disease and Hyperkinetic Movement Disorders on September 28 in San Diego by Samuel Ellias, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neurology and director of the Turnbull Lab for Study of Motor Control and Tremor, a section of the American ParkinsonÃs Advanced Center for Research at Boston Medical Center. According to Ellias, some of the patients showed significant improvement following the experimental transplant. ìWhile the results are preliminary, weÃre extremely encouraged by what weÃve seen so far,î he says. ìWe now know itÃs safe, and controlled clinical trials are being planned for the near future.î
The procedure, in which fetal pig cells are transplanted into a region of the patientÃs brain called the striatum, is designed to restore a chemical called dopamine to its natural levels. Those who suffer from ParkinsonÃs disease--a disease which afflicts over 500,000 people in the United States--cannot produce enough dopamine, making it difficult for the brain to communicate with the body, leading to such common symptoms as a shuffling gait, rigid muscles, tremor and slowness. Of the 12 patients who underwent the surgery, a number have experienced a decrease in their symptoms. None of the patients have shown any signs of rejecting the transplant.
ìItÃs a good start for us,î says Ellias, whose BU neurology team is working with neurologists and neurosurgeons at the Lahey-Hitchcock Clinic in Burlington, MA as well as researchers at Diacrin, Inc. and Genzyme Tissue Repair. ìSome patients have been followed for more than two years now, and have not had any adverse effects from the surgery. WeÃre looking forward to finding out how much potential this promising treatment holds for ParkinsonÃs disease patients.î The controlled patient trials could begin as early as November.
Massachusetts Adolescents DonÃt Seek HIV Testing; Likely Represents National Trend
NO EMBARGO ON FOLLOWING RELEASE
Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health report that sexually active teenagers in Massachusetts rarely seek Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing, and many have fundamental misconceptions about the efficacy and privacy surrounding the test. According to Jeffrey Samet, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and public health at the Boston University School of Medicine, the data, which was published in the September issue of Pediatrics, may well hold true for teenagers across the country. ìTeenagers in Massachusetts are typically better educated than those from other states because of the stateÃs aggressive public health campaigns. So if the national picture is different, itÃs probably worse,î he says.
While 56 percent of teens believed that it was at least ìa little likelyî that they will get AIDS, only 10 percent had ever sought and obtained HIV testing. Moreover, there were some common--and alarming--misconceptions among the group: 35 percent did not believe or know that HIV tests were kept in confidence; 19 percent thought that AIDS testers informed partners if the tests were positive; and 30 percent believed the HIV test was not accurate (the HIV test is 99.9 percent accurate). ìThese misunderstandings about HIV tests may well be barriers to voluntary testing,î Samet notes.
One important factor that influenced a teenÃs decision to test for HIV was if the teen had discussed HIV with a doctor. ìIf doctors have discussions with teens about HIV, then teens are more likely to get tested. This is the one area where doctors can have acritical impact,î Samet says. ìWe primary care physicians have a lot on our plate when we meet with our patients, but adding this issue would yield significant dividends.î
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