(Press-News.org) ST. PAUL, Minn. – New research suggests that ibuprofen may offer protection against developing Parkinson's disease, according to one of the largest studies to date investigating the possible benefits of the over-the-counter drug on the disease. The study is published in the March 2, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that causes tremors and difficulty with movement and walking. It affects about one million people in the United States.
"Our results show that ibuprofen may protect the brain in ways that other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and analgesics, such as aspirin or acetaminophen, cannot," said Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, with Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
For the study, researchers analyzed data taken from 98,892 female nurses and 37,305 male health professionals. Participants reported their use of ibuprofen and other NSAIDS. Taking ibuprofen two or more times per week was considered regular use. After six years, 291 were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Scientists found that people who took ibuprofen regularly had a 38 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared to those who did not take ibuprofen. After a larger analysis that combined several other studies on ibuprofen and other NSAID use, the researchers found that ibuprofen users had a 27 percent lower risk of developing the disease compared to non-users.
"One possibility as to why ibuprofen may have this effect against Parkinson's disease is that it may target a certain receptor in the brain called the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor y (PPARy). Studies in animals have also suggested this effect," said Gao.
Editorial author James H. Bower, MD, MSc, with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said the study does not mean people should begin taking ibuprofen regularly to avoid developing Parkinson's disease. "Long-term ibuprofen use has a lengthy list of risks," he said. "However, the idea that ibuprofen may have these neuroprotective effects unique from other NSAIDS is cause for more research. Additionally, the use of ibuprofen may not be directly reducing the risk of Parkinson's. It may be related to some other unrecognized factor that is actually reducing the risk."
INFORMATION:
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 22,500 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/AANChannel
TEXT: http://www.aan.com/press
TWEETS: http://www.twitter.com/AANPublic
Media Contacts:
Rachel Seroka, rseroka@aan.com, (651) 695-2738
Angela Babb, ababb@aan.com, (651) 695-2789
END
The current clinical trial process in the United States is on shaky ground. In this era of personalized medicine, as diseases are increasingly defined by specific genetic and biologic markers and treatments are tailored accordingly, patient populations for new therapies grow smaller and smaller. Coupled with skyrocketing costs and expanding regulatory requirements, the completion of trials that are essential in bringing new and effective therapies to patients is no easy task.
Change is needed.
Today, in the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of renowned researchers ...
Immigration debates are often fueled more by rhetoric than by actual facts and figures. Fortunately, the non-partisan Pew Research Center (which does not take positions on policy issues) offers objective statistics on immigration in their annual survey of national and state trends in immigration, as published by the Pew Hispanic Center.
The national highlights from Pew's 2010 immigration report include:
- Unauthorized immigrants make up about 3.7 percent of the nation's population --approximately 11.2 million persons. That number is statistically unchanged from last ...
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a potential target to treat an aggressive type of prostate cancer. The target, a gene called SPINK1, could be to prostate cancer what HER2 has become for breast cancer.
Like HER2, SPINK1 occurs in only a small subset of prostate cancers – about 10 percent. But the gene is an ideal target for a monoclonal antibody, the same type of drug as Herceptin, which is aimed at HER2 and has dramatically improved treatment for this aggressive type of breast cancer.
"Since SPINK1 ...
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — What makes a man? His clothes? His car? His choice of scotch? The real answer, says Brown University biologist Erica Larschan, is the newly understood activity of a protein complex that, like a genetic power tool, gives enzymes on the X-chromosome an extra boost to increase gene expression. The process is described in the March 3, 2011, issue of the journal Nature.
Women have two X-chromosomes in their genomes while males have an X and a Y. Gender is defined by that difference, but for men to live, the genetic imbalance must be remedied. ...
The recent sentencing of a 28-year-old Gaston County man for multiple sex offenses, including second-degree sex offense of a child and one count of indecent liberties with a child, reveals the severe consequences that a conviction or guilty plea can bring. Marcus Stephen Archer pleaded guilty to two of six counts and faces up to ten years in prison as well as lifetime registration as a sex offender. He will also be required to submit to satellite monitoring after his release from prison.
Archer admits not remembering the events due to heavy drug use during the time the ...
With the steep decline in populations of many animal species, from frogs and fish to tigers, some scientists have warned that Earth is on the brink of a mass extinction like those that occurred only five times before during the past 540 million years.
Each of these 'Big Five' saw three-quarters or more of all animal species go extinct.
In a study to be published in the March 3 issue of the journal Nature, University of California, Berkeley, paleobiologists assess where mammals and other species stand today in terms of possible extinction, compared with the past 540 ...
Thousands, if not millions of people worldwide, use Tylenol or Tylenol-related products with the active ingredient Acetaminophen each week. The over-the-counter drug is labelled as an effective treatment method to reduce a fever and relieve minor aches and pains. While it is considered safe by medical professionals in some circles, new information about the risks of prolonged use, overuse and even common use have raised red flags for medical professionals.
It is well-known that excessive use of Acetaminophen (may be abbreviated as APAP on drug labels), such as an accidental ...
Physicists and mathematicians from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain are putting paid to the theory that two languages cannot co-exist in one society.
Analysing the pattern of populations speaking Castilian, the most common language spoken in Spain, and Galician, a language spoken in Galicia, the North West autonomous community of Spain, the researchers have used mathematical models to show that levels of bilingualism in a stable population can lead to the steady co-existence of two languages.
The research, published today, Thursday 3 March 2011, in ...
(March 2, 2011—Toronto, ON and Helsinki, Finland) Dr. Andras Nagy's laboratory at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital and Dr. Timo Otonkoski's laboratory at Biomedicum Stem Cell Center (University of Helsinki), as well as collaborators in Europe and Canada have identified genetic abnormalities associated with reprogramming adult cells to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. The findings give researchers new insights into the reprogramming process, and will help make future applications of stem cell creation and subsequent use safer.
The study ...
Atlanta SEO company Cardinal Web Solutions takes a proactive approach in its client's SEO and Internet marketing campaigns. While the recent announcement from Google of an updated search engine algorithm has shaken up the SEO industry, Cardinal Web Solutions sees these changes as a reinforcement of the company's focus on quality.
Cardinal Web Solutions is a leading Atlanta SEO company that provides search engine optimization and internet marketing.
In February, Matt Cutts of Google described on the company's blog what he called a "pretty big algorithmic improvement" ...
