News

Way of Diagnosing Parkinson’s by ‘Skin Smell’ Test Detailed in Study

Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease might be a matter of using artificial intelligence to “smell” patients’ skin, scientists in China reported. The artificial intelligence smell system they developed is detailed in study, “Artificial Intelligent Olfactory System for the Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease,” published in ACS Omega. No single test can…

GI Dysfunction Can Impair Effects of Duodopa/Duopa

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility, or lack of movement, can impair the absorption and delay the effects of levodopa-based medication in people with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Notably, the study describes the cases of two Parkinson’s patients who stopped responding to levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel — available under the brand name…

Chinese Medicine Restores Neurons, Movement in Zebrafish Model

Treatment with an herbal preparation called Tongtian oral liquid, long used in traditional Chinese medicine, helped to prevent nervous system damage and normalize movement in a zebrafish model of Parkinson’s. Scientists in China reported these findings in the study, “Neuroprotective effects of Tongtian oral liquid, a…

Dhivy, Carbidopa/Levodopa in Divisible Tablet for Dosing, Enters US

A new carbidopa/levodopa oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease, called Dhivy, is now available in the U.S., its manufacturer Avion Pharmaceuticals announced. According to Avion, Dhivy is the first and only such therapy available as a tablet with four snappable segments, allowing for more precise dosing of carbidopa/levodopa. “The…

Blood Metabolites May Help Diagnose Men With LRRK2 Mutations

Metabolomics — global analyses of the many small, biologically relevant molecules in blood — may help to identify males with Parkinson’s disease who carry a mutation in the LRRK2 gene, allowing for earlier diagnosis, a study reported. The study, “Plasma Metabolite Signature Classifies Male LRRK2 Parkinson’s Disease…

Analyzing Finger Taps, Voice on Cellphone May Help in Diagnosis

Collecting finger tapping, voice, and walking data on a smartphone to be digitally processed by deep machine learning tools can accurately distinguish between people with and without Parkinson’s disease, a study of more than 7,000 people reported. This approach, known integrative digital biomarkers, may help to diagnose the disease…

Ontario to Compensate Miners With Parkinson’s Due to McIntyre Powder

In the culmination of a woman’s 10-year campaign, the government of Ontario, Canada, has agreed to recognize Parkinson’s disease (PD) as an occupational disorder linked to the use of McIntyre powder, an aluminum-based inhalant, in mining and other industries. The decision by Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) was…

DJ-1 Protein Loss Linked to Longer-lasting Immune Response

Loss of a protein called DJ-1, which is linked to the development of early-onset Parkinson’s disease, may also mean a longer-lasting immune response, according to a new study. Researchers observed that immunoaging — a decline in immune function with aging — was slowed in a man with Parkinson’s who…

Buspirone, for Anxiety, Helps to Prevent Disease in Mouse Model

Mice in a Parkinson’s disease model treated at higher doses with the anti-anxiety medication buspirone had lesser evidence of nerve cell degeneration in the brain and more normalized behaviors than untreated mice, a pair of researchers in Australia reported. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the ability…