Past appendectomy may be related to early cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: The vermiform appendix is a potential site of initiation of Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. We hypothesized that the appendectomy earlier in life may alter the clinical expression of PD.

Objective: To explore the effects of appendectomy prior to onset of PD motor symptoms on patients' symptoms, in particular on cognitive dysfunction.

Alginate microspheres prepared by internal gelation: development and effect on insulin stability.

Recombinant human insulin was encapsulated within alginate microspheres by the emulsification/internal gelation technique with the objective of preserving protein stability during encapsulation procedure. The influence of process and formulation parameters was evaluated on the morphology and encapsulation efficiency of insulin. The in vitro release of insulin from microspheres was studied under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and the in vivo activity of protein after processing was assessed by subcutaneous administration of extracted insulin from microspheres to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.