sodium-ethylxanthate and Parkinson-Disease

To evaluate the effects of a progressive resistance training (RT) on cardiac autonomic modulation and on cardiovascular responses to autonomic stress tests in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).. Randomized clinical trial.. The Brazil Parkinson Association.. Patients (N=30) with PD (modified Hoehn & Yahr stages 2-3) were randomly divided into 2 groups: a progressive RT group (PD training [PDT] group) and a control group (PD control [PDC] group). In addition, a group of paired healthy control (HC) subjects without PD was evaluated.. The PDT group performed 5 resistance exercises, 2 to 4 sets, 12 to 6 repetitions maximum per set. Individuals in the PDC group maintained their usual lifestyle.. The PDT and PDC groups were evaluated before and after 12 weeks. The HC group was evaluated once. Autonomic function was assessed by spectral analysis of heart rate variability and cardiovascular responses to autonomic stress tests (deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, orthostatic stress).. Compared with baseline, the normalized low-frequency component of heart rate variability decreased significantly after 12 weeks in the PDT group only (PDT: 61±17 normalized units [nu] vs 47±20nu; PDC: 60±14nu vs 63±10nu; interaction P<.05). A similar result was observed for systolic blood pressure fall during orthostatic stress that also was reduced only in the PDT group (PDT: -14±11mmHg vs -6±10mmHg; PDC: -12±10mmHg vs -11±10mmHg; interaction P<.05). In addition, after 12 weeks, these parameters in the PDT group achieved values similar to those in the HC group.. In patients with PD, progressive RT improved cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction.

Topics: Age Factors; Aged; Autonomic Nervous System; Blood Pressure; Brazil; Female; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle Strength; Parkinson Disease; Prospective Studies; Resistance Training; Sex

Recognition of facial expressions of emotion was investigated in people with medicated and unmedicated Parkinson's disease (PD) and matched controls (unmedicated PD, n=16; medicated PD, n=20; controls, n=40). Participants in the medicated group showed some visual impairment (impaired contrast sensitivity) and performed less well on perception of unfamiliar face identity, but did not show significant deficits in the perception of sex, gaze direction, or familiar identity from the face. For both Parkinson's disease groups, there was evidence of impaired recognition of facial expressions in comparison to controls. These deficits were more consistently noted in the unmedicated group, who were also found to perform worse than the medicated group at recognising disgust from prototypical facial expressions, and at recognising anger and disgust in computer-manipulated images. Although both Parkinson's disease groups showed impairments of facial expression recognition, the consistently worse recognition of disgust in the unmedicated group is consistent with the hypothesis from previous studies that brain regions modulated by dopaminergic neurons are involved in the recognition of disgust.

Topics: Aged; Case-Control Studies; Choice Behavior; Cues; Discrimination Learning; Dopamine Agents; Emotions; Facial Expression; Female; Form Perception; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Parkinson Disease; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Recognition, Psychology; Sex; Visual Perception

Previous studies reported an association between cortical Lewy body (LB) formation and dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is unclear whether cognitive decline in this disorder is related to specific patterns of LB distribution within the cerebral cortex. Moreover, the prediction of cognitive status based on concomitant assessment of LB and Alzheimer's disease lesions has led to conflicting results. We performed a clinicopathological study in 22 elderly PD patients in whom parkinsonism preceded cognitive decline by at least 3 years. Cognitive status was assessed prospectively using the clinical dementia rating scale (CDR); quantitative assessment of LB, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), and senile plaques (SP) was performed in Brodmann areas 9, 21, 24, 40 and the entorhinal cortex. Statistical analysis was performed using both correlation coefficients and logistic regression models. There was a highly significant correlation between CDR scores and regional LB scores in the entorhinal cortex and area 24. LB and SP densities in the entorhinal cortex accounted for 36.2% and 19.3% of the variability in CDR scores. LB densities in area 24 could explain 25.2% of this variability. NFT densities did not predict cognitive status. In multivariate models only LB densities in the entorhinal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex were significantly associated with CDR scores. These results imply that an assessment of LB pathology limited to the entorhinal cortex and area 24 may be sufficient to predict cognition in PD. They also suggest that LB formation in limbic areas may be crucial for the development of PD dementia.

Topics: Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cell Count; Cerebral Cortex; Cognition Disorders; Disease Progression; Entorhinal Cortex; Female; Humans; Lewy Bodies; Male; Middle Aged; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Neurofibrillary Tangles; Neuropsychological Tests; Parkinson Disease; Plaque, Amyloid; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Regression Analysis; Sex; Synucleins

We evaluated the sexual function of 41 married men with Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relation to age, severity of PD, and depression. We used a group of 29 married men with arthritis for comparison. Total sexual functioning and categories of desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction did not differ significantly between patients with PD and arthritis. For both PD and arthritis, increased age, severity of illness, and depression were associated with reduced sexual function. These results suggest that sexual dysfunction is common in married men with PD, but no more so than in men with another chronic illness that does not involve the nervous system.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Arthritis; Humans; Male; Marriage; Middle Aged; Parkinson Disease; Regression Analysis; Sex; Sexual Behavior; Surveys and Questionnaires

Topics: Counseling; Female; Humans; Male; Parkinson Disease; Priapism; Sex; Vagina

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aging; Bronchopneumonia; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Muscular Diseases; Neoplasms; Parkinson Disease; Sex; Tremor; Urinary Tract Infections

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Agglutination Tests; Aging; Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; Asthma; Carcinoma; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Diabetes Mellitus; Female; Fractures, Bone; Geography; Humans; Latex Fixation Tests; Male; Parkinson Disease; Rheumatoid Factor; Sex; Statistics as Topic