Below research indicates a role Of inflammation in PD.
I take Glucosamine for my joints! I understand it is anti-inflammatory so it may help my PD too????????? ... any opinions????

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...28012008-1.htm
January 28, 2008: 07:00 AM EST


MISSISSAUGA, ON, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Vasogen Inc. , a biotechnology company engaged in the research and commercial development of therapies designed to target the destructive inflammatory process associated with the development and progression of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders, today announced the publication of preclinical findings demonstrating that Vasogen's VP025, the leading candidate from its VP series of drugs, provides a significant neuroprotective effect in a model of Parkinson's disease. The research, which was conducted at the University College Cork, Ireland, was published in the European Journal of Neuroscience (Vol 27, pp.294-300, 2008).

Evidence is accumulating that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Microglial cells (immune cells resident in the brain) are activated in Parkinson's disease, producing pro-inflammatory factors that result in the death of nerve cells in an area of the brain called the nigrostriatal pathway. The published research was based on a well-established model of Parkinson's disease that involves the generation of a lesion on one side of the brain by the introduction of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), inducing abnormal behaviour resulting in rotational movement. Both Parkinson's disease and 6-OHDA administration are associated with inflammatory processes that lead to the death of certain nerve cells, the dopaminergic neurons, which produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. It is the loss of these neurons and thereby the dopamine they produce that results in the movement abnormalities seen in this model.

The published study assessed the effect of pre-treatment with VP025 on 6-OHDA-induced rotational behaviour in response to amphetamine. Treatment with VP025 prior to 6-OHDA administration led to behavioural improvement demonstrated by a substantial (50-75%) and significant (p<0.001) reduction in rotation rate. VP025 also protected against the loss of dopaminergic neurons and provided significant protection against the reduction in levels of striatal dopamine induced by OHDA. The absence of rotations was maintained for up to three weeks while partial protection against the loss of dopaminergic neurons and reduction in striatal dopamine levels was still evident four weeks after lesion induction, indicating that VP025 has a potential long-term neuroprotective effect in this model.

Parkinson's disease, a chronic and progressive neurological condition, affects up to 1.5 million Americans.

While its cause is unknown, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease are primarily the result of degeneration of areas of the brain that control and modulate movement. Symptoms include a number of movement abnormalities such as tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness and rigidity of limbs, and gait or balance problems. As the disease progresses, these symptoms usually increase and impact a person's ability to work and function.

VP025, the lead product candidate from a new class of structurally related drugs, is being developed for the treatment of chronic neuro-inflammatory disorders. VP025 is designed to interact with immune cells leading to the modulation of cytokines - potent chemical messengers that regulate and control inflammation. Neurological conditions that are associated with an inflammatory response in the central nervous system include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). These indications are characterized by increased levels of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, leading to the death of nerve cells and the eventual loss of functional activity. Due to the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality associated with neuro-inflammatory diseases, they represent a significant medical, social, and financial burden.

About Vasogen:

Vasogen is a biotechnology company engaged in the research and commercial development of therapies designed to target the destructive inflammatory process associated with the development and progression of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. The Company's lead product, the Celacade(TM) System, is designed to activate the immune response to apoptosis - an important physiological process that regulates inflammation. Celacade has received European regulatory approval under the CE Mark for chronic heart failure and is being marketed in the EU by Grupo Ferrer Internacional, S.A. Celacade is also in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of chronic heart failure in the United States. Vasogen is also developing a new class of drugs for the treatment of certain neuro-inflammatory disorders. VP025 is the lead candidate from this new class of drugs

... any opinions? pls see below link (old)
http://www.caregivershome.com/news/article.cfm?UID=1581

November 13, 2007

Aspirin May Reduce Parkinson's Risk

While some widely-used pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, have become suspects in increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers now think they may have a beneficial effect too, reducing a person’s risk of Parkinson’s disease.

NSAIDs are a class of anti-inflammatory drug that includes the common aspirin as well as ibuprofen (such as Motrin), naproxens (Aleve, Naprosyn), oxaprozin (Daypro), and celecoxib (Celebrex). Not all NSAIDs are sold over-the-counter, including Celebrex, which is a Cox-2 inhibitor that has been suspected as having a role with heart attack and stroke.

"Given our results and the growing burden of Parkinson’s disease as people age, there’s a pressing need for further studies explaining why these drugs may play a protective role," said study author Angelika D. Wahner, PhD, with the UCLA School of Public Health in Los Angeles. The findings are in a study published in the November 6 issue of the journal Neurology.

The study involved 579 men and women, half of whom had Parkinson’s disease. The participants were asked if they had taken aspirin and if they had taken non-aspirin NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, once a week or more at any point in their life for at least a month.

Participants were considered regular users of aspirin or non-aspirin NSAIDs if they took two or more pills a week for at least one month. Non-regular users were those who took fewer pills.

The study found regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by as much as 60% compared to non-regular users and non-users. Women who were regular users of aspirin reduced their risk of Parkinson’s disease by 40%, especially among those who regularly used aspirin for more than two years.

"Our findings suggest NSAIDs are protective against Parkinson’s disease, with a particularly strong protective effect among regular users of non-aspirin NSAIDs, especially those who reported two or more years of use," said Wahner. "Interestingly, aspirin only benefited women. It may be that men are taking lower doses of aspirin for heart problems, while women may be using higher doses for arthritis or headaches."

"It’s possible the anti-inflammatory agent in NSAIDs may contribute to the observed protective effect of the drugs, but the exact mechanism isn’t clear and further research is needed," said the study’s principal investigator Dr. Beate Ritz, with UCLA School of Public Health.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the American Parkinson Disease Association.

(Article courtesy of ConsumerAffairs.com)

dear imark,
I take motrin - it thins your blood also, I would rather not take any drug,
yet since - I am in this disease -I want out of it!

also have you wondered why we have an epidemic of PD in the USA?
if we have a million diabetics - it's an epidemic... too many large people - like 300 lbs plus....
all we have in common is actually - we all eat, and drink... but what we eat maybe doing us in -our sodapop? aspartame, fast food, transfat lovers of french fries, donuts, addictions to sugar -sugar -sugar...crapola food


unlearning a bad way of life - and how to learn about putting nuturing back into our nature, and care about people -all people...
we have become a throw away society... unfortunately...
lovers of stuff -lovers of the quick fix... lovers of the mirror image:
I do not like what I see...

quote:
Parkinson's disease, a chronic and progressive neurological condition, affects up to 1.5 million Americans.

we eat terrible, fast food -msg - drugs -pills - the quick fix -over medicated-
too much stress - not enough probiotics - too many prescriptions for antibiotics - we live and die from too much TV, too many yakers on the
tube, we believe verbatim what ever the docs tell us -without getting a second opinion -our government has become tyrannically ran...
we/ some of the people of the U.S. believe in WAR...

we/ some of us... rush around like chickens with our heads cut off -and I have no idea why?

we are in a rush to finish life? ...

Dear Tena,
Salam (peace) upon your heart ... I agree with every word you say .. I also don't like the rush and all the bad things you mention in our present culture ..
Some times I think my PD was necessary for me ! a blessing in disguise which freed me (to some extent) from my slavery to mundane things and guilt..
It is my parachute to land easily to a better other world which is more to do with peace of the spirit.
( I am exaggerating -as usual- to make my point )