A systematic review of five controlled studies has concluded that resistance training can provide benefits to patients with Parkinson’s disease (Brienesse et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013;14:236-241).
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Uric acid and Parkinson’s disease
April 10, 2013Uric acid (UA) is the end product of purine metabolism in which adenosine, guanosine and inosine are broken down to form xanthine, which is converted to UA by xanthine oxidoreductase. In most mammals and other species, UA is further metabolized to allantoin by urate oxidase. In humans, a mutation to the UOx gene early in our evolution resulteprogred in an absence of functioning urate oxidase. In consequence, UA levels are as much as 10-fold higher in humans compared to other species (Alvarez-Lario & Macarron-Vicente. Rheumatology 2010;49:2010-2015).
Lower zolpidem dosing advised
April 10, 2013The U.S. FDA has issued an advisory recommending a lower dose for products containing the hypnotic zolpidem, such as Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, and Zolpimist. In Canada, zolpidem is sold under the trade name Sublinox. Dosing for Intermezzo, a zolpidem formulation for middle-of-the-night awakening, is unaffected.
Alemtuzumab: phase III results
April 10, 2013The results of the phase III trials, CARE MS-I and CARE MS-II, show that alemtuzumab significantly reduces relapse rate by about 50% compared to interferon-beta-1a SC (Cohen et al. Lancet 2012; 380:1819-1828).