ABSTRACT
Levodopa remains a 'gold standard' for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but its chronic use is accompanied by fluctuations of symptoms and dyskinesias related to unfavorable pharmacokinetics of levodopa and progressing loss of the nigrostriatal neurons. Prescribing inhibitors of catechol-O-methyl-transferase (enzyme of dopamine metabolism), entacapone or tolcapone, is a perspective approach to the correction of the above-mentioned complications. We followed up 402 patients with PD who received long-term therapy with a combined preparation Stalevo (levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone) for 2-5 years (2.9 ± 0.9 years). The high (92.8%) compliancy and good tolerance of the drug in patients with PD was shown. Stalevo leads to the stabilization of the response to levodopa, improvement of patients' functional capacities, increase in their everyday activity, and improvement of quality of life. Stalevo may be regarded as a preparation of choice in the treatment of motor complications in elderly patients, correction of night symptoms of PD and in a number of other clinical situations arising in hospital and outpatient practice.
Subject(s)
Carbidopa/administration & dosage , Catechols/administration & dosage , Dopamine Agonists/administration & dosage , Levodopa/administration & dosage , Parkinson Disease/drug therapy , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Carbidopa/adverse effects , Catechols/adverse effects , Dopamine Agonists/adverse effects , Drug Administration Schedule , Drug Combinations , Female , Humans , Levodopa/adverse effects , Male , Middle Aged , Parkinson Disease/physiopathology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease whose pathogenesis involves a number of genes and environmental factors. The FGF20 gene encoding the fibroblast growth factor and paying an important role neuron proliferation and survival is one of candidate genes of PD. There is evidence that this gene is also involved in the control of alpha-synuclein (SNCA) gene expression. The rs12720208 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the FGF20 gene has been found to be associated with PD; it has been located to the 3'-UTR binding site for microRNA-433, which is involved in the control of FGF20 expression. Therefore, the frequency distribution of rs12720208 genotypes in the FGF20 gene has been analyzed in a sample of patients with sporadic PD and a control sample of the Russian population. The results have not shown any effect of rs12720208 in the FGF20 gene on the risk of PD in patients residing in Russia (OR = 0.95, the 95% confidence interval (CI) is 0.55-1.63, p = 0.9).
Subject(s)
Fibroblast Growth Factors/genetics , Parkinson Disease/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , 3' Untranslated Regions , Gene Expression , Gene Frequency , Genetic Association Studies , Humans , Linkage Disequilibrium , Russia , White People , alpha-Synuclein/metabolismABSTRACT
The Parkinson disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disorder that arises due to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. The causes of this disease are still unknown, but a number of genes involved in pathogenesis of familial and sporadic forms of PD has been identified. According to recent data of genome wide association studies (GWAS), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes (including MAPT locus) may play an important role in the development of PD. Therefore, we analyzed distribution of genotype frequencies of SNP rs415430 in the WNT3 gene in the Russian patients with sporadic PD and in the Russian population controls (OR = 0.84, Confidence Interval (95% CI) 0.58-1.23, p = 0.39). It was concluded that SNP rs415430 in the WNT3 gene was not associated with the risk of development of PD.
Subject(s)
Parkinson Disease/genetics , Wnt Proteins/genetics , Female , Genetic Association Studies , Humans , Male , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Russia , Wnt3 ProteinABSTRACT
An abnormal hyperechogenecity of substantia nigra is thought to be the most characteristic sonographic feature in Parkinson's disease (PD). However specificity and sensitivity of the ultrasound method should be refined. Using transcranial sonography, authors have examined 168 patients with different clinical signs of parkinsonism, including 99 patients with idiopathic PD, and 56 patients without extrapyramidal disorders. Hyperechogenecity of substantia nigra was found in 93% of patients and in 14% of controls. It has been shown that this biomarker can successfully discriminate PD from a number of similar disorders (essential tremor, atypical parkinsonian syndromes). Sonographic features of late, early and genetically determined parkinsonism specifying some pathogenetic aspects of these pathologies are described. Taking into account the data obtained, transcranial sonography can be considered as a highly informative method in the differential and early diagnosis of PD.
