Friday, May 30, 2008
THANKS ROBYN............
~~ When we choose to place our lives on hold until we think we are good enough or attractive enough or thin enough or rich enough or wise enough, we quite often discover, to our dismay, that life simply isn’t long enough. You did not come here to wait. You came to live. Start living today! ~~
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Formalized Lithium study in USA - Houston TX - no placebo!!!
http://www.methodisthealth.com/tmhs/basic.do?channelId=-1073831484&contentId=1073905984&contentType=SERVICE_CONTENT_TYPE#alstherapy
LITHIUM TRIAL
A Multi-Center Controlled Screening Trial of Safety and Efficacy of Lithium Carbonate in Subjects with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
The purpose of this study is to find out if lithium carbonate is safe to be used in people with ALS and if it has some potential to slow the progression of the disease.
Lithium carbonate has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is also known as ‘manic depresive’ disorder. People with manic depression (bipolar) have periods of high activity and high mood, then they also have periods where they are very depressed and often unable to perform regular daily activities such as going to work. Lithium is used at much higher doses (2 to 4 times higher) for bipolar disorder than will be used in this study. Lithium carbonate has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ALS.
There is new evidence from the laboratory and from one small pilot study in people with ALS that shows that lithium carbonate may be safe in people with ALS and it may slow down the rate of new weakness. It is not well understood why lithium carbonate might be helpful but it is believed that it may play a role in protecting the motor nerves from the damage of ALS.
This is an ‘open-label’ study. That means that all participants will receive the medication. There is no placebo in this study. The data from this lithium study will be compared to placebo data from three recent ALS drug trials. This ‘historical’ data will act as the ‘placebo’ group. A ‘placebo’ group is a group that does not get the study medication but usually takes something that looks like the study medication. The group that takes the study medication is compared to the group that takes the placebo (fake, no active drug) substance to see if the medication works better than nothing.
Lithium Carbonate will be given by pill twice a day at a dose of 150 mg. This means that you will take 300 mg in a day. Lithium blood levels will be closely monitored. Some people will be asked to take an additional tablet of lithium carbonate (3 per day, 450 mg total) if their lithium blood levels are low.
ENROLLMENT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN THE END OF MAY 2008
PLEASE NOTE:
To be involved in these drug trials, you must be evaluated and followed at the Methodist Neurological Institute – MDA/ALS Center.
For more information about these studies, please contact: Valrie Bickley
Research Coordinator
Methodist Neurological Institute
6560 Fannin Street, Suite 802
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-441-5192
Fax : 713-793-7273
vbickley@tmhs.org
Angela Lavespere
Research Coordinator
Methodist Neurological Institute
6560 Fannin Street, Suite 802
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-441-3420
Fax: 713-793-7273
aslavespere@tmhs.org
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/54752.php
Transplanted Immune Cells Prolong Life In ALS Studies
Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 23 Oct 2006 - 0:00 PDT
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Researchers at the Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) have demonstrated that the immune cells of the spinal cord and brain contribute significantly to prolonging survival in a model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that results in paralysis and eventual death, according to a study published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A.
By performing bone marrow transplants in mice that are born without immune systems, transplanted cells slowed the loss of motoneurons and increased life expectancy by 40 percent.
The most common inherited form of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is caused by dominant mutations in a gene known as SOD1. NI scientists showed that in a mouse model of inherited ALS, normal microglia derived from transplanted bone marrow protected motoneurons in the spinal cord. Motoneurons are the cells that stimulate skeletal muscle movement. This study also demonstrated that microglia expressing mutant SOD1 were more toxic and contributed to motoneuron injury.
"What the study shows is through bone marrow transplants in this animal model of ALS, we replaced spinal cord mutant SOD1 expressing microglia, which are predominantly toxic, with normal microglia, which are more protective," said Dr. David R. Beers, first author on the paper and a lead ALS researcher at the NI.
Dr. Jenny S. Henkel, co-first author on the paper, said, "With the recognition that cells of the immune system can contribute to motoneuron protection, other stem cell strategies, including those engineered to produce protective factors, could lead to novel treatments for ALS patients."
Microglia are the innate immune cells of the central nervous system that play numerous roles in protecting and injuring neurons. One mission of the NI scientists is to determine how and when protective microglia become harmful to motoneurons and how to transform these cells back into protective microglia. In addition to ALS, microglia are thought to play major roles in other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis.
"We've long supported the concept that neurons do not die by themselves, but that the inflammatory process plays a significant role in motoneuron injury," according to Dr. Stanley H. Appel, chairman of the department of neurology and medical director of the MDA/ALS Clinic at the Methodist NI. "By establishing that these transplanted cells slowed motoneuron loss and prolonged survival, our research findings could have a significant impact on how we approach treatment in patients with ALS, and how we move forward with other ALS research. Our continued ALS research is immensely important because an estimated 30,000 people throughout the U.S. have ALS and 5,000 new cases are diagnosed each year."
In the majority of ALS cases, there is no known cause. Approximately 10 percent of all ALS cases are inherited.
Appel holds the Peggy and Gary Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair for the Treatment and Research of ALS. The research presented in PNAS was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Muscular Dystrophy Association and The Houston Endowment Inc.
About the Methodist Neurological Institute
The Methodist Neurological Institute houses the practice and research activities of the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, neuro-oncology and neuro-rehabilitation of The Methodist Hospital. The close collaboration between these departments offers patients the most advanced treatment options available. The mission of the NI is to advance the discovery of the origins, mechanisms and treatment of neurological disease and to provide comprehensive care for patients with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord.
The Methodist Hospital is one of the nation's largest private, non-profit general hospitals. Methodist is primarily affiliated with Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital. The hospital is also affiliated with the University of Houston.
Methodist is ranked among the country's top centers in six specialties in U.S News & World Report's 2006 America's Best Hospitals issue. The hospital ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in Houston, and is 10th on the list for neurology and neurosurgery.
For more on the Methodist Neurological Institute, visit http://www.methodistneuroinstitute.com
Methodist Hospital, Houston
6565 Fannin St.
Houston, Tx 77030
United States
http://www.methodisthealth.com
Great quote!
Gina
i love this... i wish i would have read this yrs ago.. but better late than never!
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