Research News
Here you'll find all the latest news in PN research. There will be information on work the Foundation is funding plus other industry news. The connections to some of the website may take some time based on the speed of your PC; please be patient as you access the articles.
Chemo Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy:
Drug Combination Improves Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
August 2010: A combination of older chemotherapeutic durgs have improved the median overall survival of certain patients with pancreatic cancer as reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Source: Clinical Oncology
Peripheral Neuropathy: managing the side effects of chemotherapy
June 2010: Sheryl Ness, Nurse educator at the MayoClinic has published an article outlining the symptoms of chemo induced PN and steps you can take to releive some of the symptoms.
Source: MayoClinic
Paclitaxel Combos Useful as Breast Cancer Adjuvant Therapy
June 2010: Resarchers are finding that combination therapy involving paclitaxel and doxorubicin with or without cyclophophamide is beneficial to acheiving good treatment results. Overall survival rates were 82% wtih a cyclophosphamide regimen and 87% with dose-dense paclitaxel.
Source: CureToday
Cabazitaxel: A First in Metastatic Prostate Cancer but Toxicity is 'Concerning'
June 2010: For the first time, a therapy has shown a survival benefit in men with metastatic prostate cancer after failure on docetaxel-based chemotherapy. This new data was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Source: MedScape
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy:
Acupuncture for Diabetic Neuropathy
August 2010: Diabetic neuropathy can be treated with conventional medications, but drugs are not always effective and can be quite expensive, even with medical insurance. How did one patient was willing to try something different.
Source: Associated Content
Replacing White Rice with Brown Rice May Reduce Diabetes Risk
August 2010: Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have published a new study indicating replacing white rice in your diet with brown rice and other whole grains may reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Since Type 2 diabetes is a primary cause of peripheral neuropathy, this news may help some people avoid developing diabetes and its complications.
Source: Science Daily
Treatment-Induced Diabetic Neuropathy: A Reversible Painful Autonomic Neuropathy
June 2010: Drs. Roy Freeman and Christopher Gibbons, of the Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, have been studying acute severe neuopathic pain in diabetic patients. While uncommon, there are several situation when this acute pain can occur. Their findings were published recently by the American Neurological Association.
Source: Dr. Roy Freeman
Diabetes Experts Call for Early, Integrated Treatment Approach to Help Prevent Complications and Improve Patient Outcomes
June 2010: An online study of more than 300 practicing endocrinologists and family medicine physicans show that a large majority of physicians indicated that using a team of specialists early in the course of type-2 diabetes (T2D) treatment can help or prevent serious complications. Naming diabetic neuropathy as one of the primary complications of T2D, the cost of complications to our healthcare system more than doubled between 2002 and 2007.
Source: MediLexicon
Diabetes PN Pain Worse at Night
June 2010: A study at the Comprehensive Pain Center in Oregon found that in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, pain exhibits a temporal effect, with peak intensity in the evening hours. This information, with accompanying statistics, was presented at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society.
Source: Doctor's Guide
Clinical Trial for Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Northwestern University (Chicago) is currently recruiting subjects for a clinical research study. Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) is a protein that your body naturally produces in small amounts. Researchers have discovered that it can cause the growth of new blood vessels and protect nerves. The purpose of this study is to introduce an additional amount of the genes responsible for directing the production of HGF in your body to evaluate if it changes your pain form the disease. To find out if you are eligible to participate, please ckick on the link below.
Source: Northwestern University
Diabetes Cases to Double and Costs to Triple by 2034
In the next 25 years, the number of Americans living with diabetes will nearly double, increasing from 23.7 million in 2009 to 44.1 million in 2034. The 2009 Diabetes Care study places increased emphasis on changes in demographics, advances in treatment, and the natural history of this disease, including the timing and frequency of its costly complications.
Source: Science Daily
HIV Peripheral Neuropathy:
Pregabalin for Painful HIV Neuropathy
June 2010: Dr. David Simpson and a team of researchers have been evaluating effective treatments for painful HIV neuropathy. Their current findings, 'A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial' have been published in the Neurology journal.
Source: Dr. Simpson, Mount Sinai
Learn more about Dr. Simpson's research with Capsaicin. .
Alternative Treatments
Acetyl-L-Carnitine May Reduce Pain from Antiretroviral Toxic Neuropathy, but More Research is Needed
June 2010:Some scientists have found that acetyl-L-carnitine, a natural antioxidant, has the potential to alleviate some of the effects of antretroviral toxic neuropathyl, commonly knows as HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Treatment focuses on the management of symptoms, especially pain.
Source: AIDS Beacon
Alternative Treatment for Diabetic Neuropathy
June 2010:Alpha lipoic acid is a compound that is essential for human life. Researchers in the Netherlands recently found that alpha lipoic acid could reduce the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy by 50%.
Source: Daily Herald
Agent Orange and the VA:
Agent Orange was used in Vietnam to protect U.S. troops.
Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam to kill unwanted plants and to remove leaves from trees that otherwise provided cover for the enemy. The name, “Agent Orange,” came from the orange stripe on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored. VA has recognized a number of conditions for “service-connection” based on evidence of an association with Agent Orange (or other herbicides used in Vietnam) for these veterans: chloracne (a skin disorder), porphyria cutanea tarda, acute or subacute peripheral neuropathy (a nerve disorder), type 2 diabetes, and numerous cancers [non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer, and respiratory cancers (including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus)].
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Couple fights for veterans assistance
When Robert and Barbara Beckwith bought a three-story house on several acres in 2001, they never imagined it would be nearly impossible for Robert to make his way through the home. But the onset of health problems four or five years ago, caused by his service in Vietnam, now has Robert using a wheelchair. Barbara Beckwith said doctors recently determined some of her husband's health problems were caused by Agent Orange. "They've decided he's got neuropathy....."
Source: CJOnline.com
Other PN research:
Marijuana Derivative Could Be Useful for Pain Treatment
August 2010: A new compound similar to the active ingredient of marijuana, cannabis, might provide effective pain relief without the mental and physical side effects of cannabis.
Source: Science Daily
VA Easing Rules for Users of Medical Marijuana
August 2010:The Department of Veterans Affairs will formally allow patients treated at its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal.
Source: NY Times
New Method Helps Nerves Grow After Trauma or Injury
August 2010: Scientists at the University of Calgary have discovered a way to enhance nerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system which could lead to new treatments for nerve damage caused by diabetes or traumatic injury.
Source: Science Daily
Novel Therapies - Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Ahmet Hoke, Professor and Director of the Neuromuscular Division, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, received a grant from the Foundation to study challenges to the development of effective therapies for peripheral neuropathies and to develop novel regenerative treatments. Dr. Hoke's laboratory screened a library of drugs for their ability to regenerate nerve fibers and have identified two compounds as potentially enhancing nerve regeneration. Now, they plan to test the utility of these compounds in enhancing nerve regeneration in laboratory animals. In addition, Dr. Hoke's laboratory is studying molecular mechanisms as to why human nerves do not regenerate as well as laboratory animals. This project may offer clues as to new drug targets to enhance nerve regeneration in humans. As these projects demonstrate, Dr. Hoke's laboratory is focused on identifying novel therapies that enhance nerve regeneration and restore health to nerve cells injured in peripheral neuropathies.
Medical Marijuana Policy Catches Up with Science
Marijuana's recorded use as a medicine goes back nearly 5,000 years. The ban on such use is a much newer phenomenon - 72 years in the U.S. - and one whose unhappy tenure is now apparently near an end. Simply put, research has made that ban increasingly untenable. New policies make it clear that this shift was driven by research into medical marijuana for neuropathic pain. This type of pain, stemming from nerve damage that can be caused by a wide variety of illnesses (including HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and diabetes) and injuries, is notoriously hard to treat. The need for better treatments is universally recognized.
Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
GlaxoSmithKline Pulls Denture Adhesive citing Risk of Zinc Overdose
June 2010: In an update to our previous article, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the make of Super Poligrip, has decided to stop manufacturing three varieties of the denture adhesive. Read more about their decision. You should now be able to find new zinc-free Superpoligrip in your local stores.
Source: Denver Post
Adhesives Blamed for Nerve Damage
Zinc in denture adhesives has been blamed in dozens of cases of nerve damage, including that of a North Carolina man who says 20 years of using the glues caused him to become disabled. The poison is in the dose. Although zinc is an esential mineral for cell function, it can be harmful in high doses because it inhibits the absorption of other minerals. As a result, people who ingest too much zinc develop copper and iron deficiencies that can lead to severe numbness and weakness from nerve damage.
Source: The Omaha World-Herald Health
New research for Charcot Marie Tooth
A new, collaborative research study has been published by Nature Gentetics, a publisher of high quality genetic research. The team of researchers include Dr. Teepu Siddique, one of our FPN Database Consortium members. He is from the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurosciences and the Interdpartmental Neuroscience Program at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Source: Nature Genetics
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Interesting Tidbit
Costs of Neuropathic Pain
Results of a review of health care claims indicate the annual excess health care costs associated with peripheral neuropathic pain ranges from $1,600 - $7,000, depending on the specific pain condition.
Source: Journal of Pain, American Pain Society