–New Parkinson’s Treatment Book Translated into 20+ Languages–

MIAMI, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Parkinson Foundation’s (NPF) medical director, Michael S. Okun, M.D., has released a new book titled, “Parkinson’s Treatment: 10 Secrets to a Happier Life.” Published this month, in conjunction with Parkinson’s Awareness Month, the book is now available in more than twenty languages to help people all over the world live their best life with Parkinson’s disease.

“Through my interactions with thousands of Parkinson’s patients, I have come to realize you do not have to be defined by the disease,” said Okun, NPF medical director and co-director of UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, an NPF Center of Excellence. “The purpose of this book is to provide a roadmap to health, hope and happiness for a full and meaningful life with Parkinson’s.”

Based on Okun’s experience as a movement disorders specialist, the book addresses the issues surrounding Parkinson’s disease and the secrets that have helped people live well and live longer. The comprehensive book includes chapters on issues such as medication timing, deep brain stimulation surgery, depression, sleep and exercise.

“Dr. Okun’s book is a must-read for anyone who has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s or is a caregiver of someone with the disease, ” said Joyce Oberdorf, NPF’s president and CEO. “People with Parkinson’s can live decades with the disease; therefore, it is crucial that they understand that lifestyle adjustments, such as incorporating more exercise into their day, can improve their quality of life. This book provides people with the healthy living tools they need for their Parkinson’s toolbox.”

Okun is a world-renowned authority on Parkinson’s disease and deep brain stimulation surgery. He has served as NPF’s medical director since 2006 and answers NPF’s “Ask the Doctor” free online forum and writes a monthly blog, “What’s Hot in Parkinson’s Disease?”. Okun is also the author of two other books, “Ask the Doctor about Parkinson’s Disease” and “Lessons from the Bedside.”

In order to reach people worldwide, Okun has worked with international colleagues to translate the book into more than twenty languages, including: Arabic, Spanish, German, French, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, and more.

To learn more about the book or to purchase it on Amazon, visit www.parkinsonsecrets.com.

About Parkinson’s Disease (PD)

Affecting an estimated one million Americans and four to six million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14(th) leading cause of death in the United States. There is no cure for PD and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.

About the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF)

Founded in 1957, the National Parkinson Foundation’s mission it to improve the quality of care for people with Parkinson’s disease through research, education and outreach. NPF has funded more than $172 million in research and support services to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s.

For more information about NPF, visit www.parkinson.org, or call the NPF Helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636).

Media Contact:

Leilani Pearl

Director of Communications

305-243-7951

lpearl@parkinson.org

SOURCE National Parkinson Foundation

/Web site: http://www.parkinson.org

Badal Juneja, a UF graduate student in Biomedical Engineering won the Lawrence Fitzgerald award in recognition of the best student presentation for his project entitled Characterization of x-ray source and detector geometry for the Compton Backscatter imaging system for medical applications. Mr. Juneja is working in the laboratory of Dr. Bova, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Florida.

Dr. Bova’s lab performs research on technologies and software relating to radiosurgery, imaging aids and virtual reality applications for performing surgery of all kinds and for training surgeons.

Founded by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) in 1981, the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation (NREF) is the premier foundation supporting neurosurgical research. It supports neurosurgical residents and young neurosurgical faculty in North America conducting basic science, patient-oriented clinical, and outcomes research. This NREF-supported research — on neurosurgical disorders ranging from brain tumors and epilepsy to spine disorders and Parkinson’s Disease — seeks to improve patient care and quality of life through advances in disorder diagnosis and treatment.  For More about NREF Fellowship Program, visit www.aans.org

Dr. Weaver also won the Apfelbaum Award from the AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerve.

Deep-Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease

CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS

Deep-Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease

M.S. Okun

Parkinson’s disease typically develops between the ages of 55 and 65 years and occurs in 1 to 2% of persons over the age of 60 years. Approximately 0.3% of the general population is affected, and the prevalence is higher among men than women, with a ratio of 1.6 to 1.0.

Clinical Pearls

What are classic manifestations of Parkinson’s disease?

Motor manifestations of the disorder commonly include a resting tremor, a soft voice, small handwriting (micrographia), stiffness (rigidity), slowness of movements (bradykinesia), shuffling steps, and difficulties with balance. A classic symptom is resting tremor, although 20% of patients do not have it. Parkinson’s disease also has a multitude of nonmotor manifestations, including disturbances of mood (e.g., depression, anxiety, and apathy), cognition (e.g., frontal-lobe dysfunction, memory difficulties, and dementia), and sleep (e.g., apnea and sleep disorders), as well as autonomic dysfunction (e.g., sexual dysfunction, digestive problems, and orthostasis).

What medication-related complications typically develop in patients with Parkinson’s disease?

Typically, patients with Parkinson’s disease have a robust response to one or more medications. However, after 5 years of therapy, medication-related complications develop in a majority of patients. Such complications include dyskinesia and “on–off” fluctuations, in which a sudden, sometimes unpredictable loss of benefit from medication occurs, characterized by reduced mobility, tremor, rigidity, and other motor and nonmotor manifestations. Some symptoms (e.g., difficulties with gait, balance, speech, swallowing, or cognition) may become progressively resistant to carbidopa–levodopa and other pharmacologic therapies.

Morning Report Questions

Q. Which patients are candidates for deep-brain stimulation?

A. Deep-brain stimulation was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 “as an adjunctive therapy in reducing some of the symptoms of advanced, levodopa-responsive Parkinson’s disease that are not adequately controlled by medication.” Most centers select patients for deep-brain stimulation on the basis of the nature of the patient’s symptoms and the likelihood of a response to the therapy. Typically, levodopa-responsive symptoms, tremor, on–off fluctuations, and dyskinesia are most likely to improve with deep-brain stimulation, whereas impairments in gait, balance, and speech are less likely to improve and may in some cases worsen. Patients should be considered for deep-brain stimulation only if adequate trials of multiple medications for Parkinson’s disease (e.g., carbidopa–levodopa, dopamine agonists, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and amantadine) have been unsuccessful.

Table 1. Characteristics of Candidates for Deep-Brain Stimulation.

Q. What adverse events are associated with the use of deep-brain stimulation?

A. Among the most worrisome adverse events associated with placement of leads for deep-brain stimulation are infection and intracranial hemorrhage. In recent large series, rates of infection requiring further surgery have ranged from 1.2 to 15.2%. Infections most often require device removal and a period of antibiotic treatment before consideration of device replacement. In an extensive literature review, the overall rate of intracranial hemorrhage was calculated to be 5.0%; symptomatic hemorrhage occurred in 2.1% of patients, and hemorrhage causing permanent deficit or death occurred in 1.1%. Postprocedural seizures have also been reported, with an estimated incidence of 2.4% in one review of the literature. Neurologic side effects of deep-brain stimulation include cognitive impairment, memory deficits, difficulties with speech, disequilibrium, dysphagia, and motor and sensory disturbances. Emotional or psychological side effects have included mania, depression, apathy, laughter, crying, panic, fear, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

Dr Erin Dunbar discusses a unique approach to treating movement disorders in brain tumor patients taken at the Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, and related research, presented at the Conference Centre, Dublin in the Movement Disorder Society’s 16th International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders.  20 June 2012.
Video supplied by IMI and can also be seen on www.medicalupdateonline.com

Award Amount: Up to $15,000

Purpose: For residents, fellows or fully trained neurosurgeons interested in clinical, translational or basic science with a focus on tumor research.

Eligibility: The fellowship is open to all neurosurgical residents, fellows and fully trained neurosurgeons at any stage of their career. The fellow will spend 12 months in formal training under the direction of a specific sponsor on a defined clinical research project as relevant to tumor research. A specific clinical research proposal is required.

Eligible Expenses: The amount of support will depend on the location and duration of the fellowship. Budget support of up to $15,000 is available. Detailed budget justification and an account of expenses incurred following completion of the fellowship are required. Residents will not be paid extra salary support that is already covered by the clinical residency program. In addition to the budgeted expenses, the CNS will extend complimentary CNS Annual Meeting registration.

Application Requirements:

Complete the application requirements listed below:

Complete the online CNS Fellowship Application form.

• Include a detailed description of the grant project.
• Include applicant’s curriculum vitae.
• Include personal statement detailing the reasons for pursuing the fellowship and plans thereafter.
• Include detailed budget plan for the proposed fellowship expenses and salary justification costs.
• Attach a letter of support written by the proposed sponsor and a biographical sketch of the sponsor.
• If the applicant is a resident, attach a letter from the program director supporting the application. In addition, residents must print a copy of the confirmation page in Section One of the application and obtain the signature of their program director to be mailed or faxed to the CNS.
• Attach two letters of support from neurosurgeons or other professional medical references familiar with the applicant and his/her goals and commitment.
• Attach any reprints of previous publications by the applicant that are pertinent to the application.
• Attach a headshot photograph.
• Apply for Membership to the CNS.

2012-2013 Fellowship Application Deadline: November 30, 2011 at 11:00 PM CST.

Congress of Neurological Surgeons Steven N. Kalkanis, MD Chairman, CNS Fellowships Committee 10 North Martingale Road, Suite 190 Schaumburg, IL 60173