PHARMA PULSE

EARLY DETECTION OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE USING BIOMARKERS

BY LINU MOHAN .P,

ASST PROFESSOR

·         Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a noticeable tremor in just one hand. Major symptoms include muscle rigidity, tremors, and changes in speech and gait. Making an accurate diagnosis of Parkinson’s particularly in its early stages is difficult. There are no standard diagnostic tests for Parkinson’s disease. So the diagnosis rests on the clinical information provided by the person with Parkinson’s and the findings of the neurological exam, which results in poor disease management. Typically, Parkinson’s disease is not diagnosed before 70 per cent of the dopaminergic neurons have died .This common neurogenerative disease can be treated well, if it is possible to identify the disease in its early stage, by the time of first symptom appears.

·         The scientists have now developed a mass spectrometry based screening method that can focus on and quantify Parkinson’s disease specific protein in cerebrospinal fluid. It is revealed that patients who are in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease have lower level of certain protein in their spinal fluid. As a result of identifying these protein biomarkers, the disease can be detectable by examining spinal fluid far earlier which could change the way the neurodegenerative disease is diagnosed and treatedwithindividualized treatment plans.

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·          URINE TEST TO DETECT CERVICAL CANCER VIRUS

·         The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, the place where a baby grows during pregnancy. Cervical cancer forms in tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow growing cancer that may not have symptoms. It can be found with regular Pap test, which is a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope. Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

·         The regular screening Pap test is an  uncomfortable sometimes painful process of extracting samples from the uterus to test and require an annual visit to the hospital. Now the scientists have developed a simple, non-invasive urine test, which may replace Pap test. The urine test would screen for human papillomavirus. The HPV viral DNA will be detected in urine sample during the test.

·         This particular test could be useful in situations where rates of cervical cancer are often far higher, and the infrastructure for screening and preventative treatment is lacking. The advantage of such a self-administered urine test is it may improve uptake of cervical screening.

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·         LOW PROFILE BRAIN STENT TO TREAT ANEURYSMS

·         An aneurysm is an abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel that causes an outward bulging or ballooning of the arterial wall. A brain (cerebral) aneurysm is a bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. A person may inherit the tendency to form aneurysms, or aneurysms may develop because of hardening of the arteries and aging.

·         It is often discovered when they rupture, causing bleeding in to the brain or the space closely surrounding the brain called the sub arachnoid space. Subarachnoid haemorrhage from a ruptured brain aneurysm can lead to a haemorrhagic stroke, brain damage and death of the patient.

·         An unruptured aneurysm will cause problems by pressing on areas in the brain. When this happens, the person may suffer from severe headaches, blurred vision, changes in speech, and neck pain, depending on what areas of the brain are affected.

·         Neurosurgeons use stents, to provide a scaffold for aneurysm coiling, the process of placing tiny platinum coils into the aneurysm to reduce the chances of aneurysm rupture.
This invasive procedure is challenging to perform on complex cases because it may be difficult to navigate the stent through the twists and turns of the blood vessels. The only other option for repair is clipping, a surgical procedure that requires a craniotomy, an opening of the skull surgically.

·         Recently FDA had given approval for a new device to treat brain aneurysms which is having is a stent and a delivery system. The stent is a self-expanding, nickel-titanium (nitinol) single wire braid. The delivery system consists of an introducer and delivery wire and is used to deliver the stent to the aneurysm. The stent keeps the soft platinum coils that are put into the aneurysm from slipping back into the main blood vessel. Using a guide wire, a small catheter (micro catheter) is advanced into the blood vessel along the aneurysm. The guide wire is removed and the micro catheter remains in place allowing for the proper insertion of the device. The physician positions the device to be released and carefully retracts the micro catheter. After the micro catheter is positioned in the aneurysm, soft platinum coils are delivered into the aneurysm to block the flow of blood.It serves as a support for the coils to prevent them from moving back into the blood vessel. Most patients treated with the device for an unruptured aneurysm can expect to live normal and productive lives.

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