Entacapone improves complex movement performance in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Background: A possible strategy to prolong plasma metabolism of Levodopa/Carbidopa (LD/CD) is Entacapone addition (EN), which improves impaired motor behaviour in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Aims Of The Study: Objectives were to evaluate the clinical response to an increased dopaminergic substitution with EN by clinical rating and assessment of complex motions and to investigate the change of movement in PD patients during repeat drug administration during an eight hour interval.

Methods: We used peg insertion with a computer based device and clinical rating for assessment of motor function in 20 treated PD patients.

Impact of gastric emptying on levodopa pharmacokinetics in Parkinson disease patients.

Adjunction of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor entacapone (EN) to levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD) improves motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) by a prolonged elimination of LD. But it is not known whether EN addition influences gastric emptying and thus LD pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Objectives were to simultaneously determine plasma LD elimination, gastric emptying, and clinical response after a single intake of the same LD dosage as LD/CD--or as (LD/CD/EN) formulation on 2 consecutive days.

Pharmacokinetic behaviour of levodopa and 3-O-methyldopa after repeat administration of levodopa/carbidopa with and without entacapone in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Addition of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor entacapone (EN) prolongs plasma metabolism of levodopa (LD). Objectives were to determine the clinical response after EN addition and the plasma degradation of LD and 3-O-methyldopa [3-OMD]. Not optimum treated hospitalised patients with Parkinson's disease received the same LD dosage on the first day only with carbidopa (CD) and on the second day with CD and EN (t.

Inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase contributes to more stable levodopa plasma levels.

The short plasma half-life limits the antiparkinsonian efficacy of levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD). Administration of LD/CD with the catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor entacapone in one tablet (LCE) may extend plasma half-life of LD and thus its effect on motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The objectives of this study were to monitor the motor response to a switch from LD/CD to LCE by a simultaneous performance of an instrumental motor test and rating of motor symptoms and to compare the LD plasma behavior between both conditions in terms of stability.

[Indirect costs in idiopathic Parkinson's disease].

The economic impact of parkinsonism has been getting more significant due to the increasing prevalence of Parkinson's disease and the modern therapies available nowadays. The present study is supposed to update the existing databases and to provide a sound foundation for rational decision-making in the health care sector. It does not only focus on the direct costs of this disease incurred by 75 patients over a longer period, but also and for the first time, takes a look on the indirect cost as well.

Entacapone increases and prolongs the central effects of l-DOPA in the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat.

Long-term palliative treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) with the dopamine precursor l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ( l-DOPA, levodopa) is compromised by the occurrence of motor complications, most notably motor fluctuations and involuntary movements, l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of adding the catechol- O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor entacapone to chronic treatment with l-DOPA/benserazide. It was hoped that the administration of entacapone would prolong and smooth the central effect of l-DOPA exposure and that this would result in a reduced risk of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia induction by lowering the l-DOPA dose.

Levodopa therapy with entacapone in daily clinical practice: results of a post-marketing surveillance study.

The catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor entacapone is given in combination with levodopa/dopa decarboxylase inhibitor for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients experiencing end-of-dose wearing-off. This 4-week post-marketing surveillance study was undertaken to assess patients' responses to levodopa combined with entacapone in a real clinical practice setting. Overall, 466 patients with idiopathic PD treated with levodopa and experiencing symptoms of wearing-off were recruited.

[Analysis of direct costs in therapy of Parkinson disease].

The increasing prevalence of Parkinson syndrome and its cost-intensive modern therapies make for a growing economic burden. Studies on cost to date have limited validity owing to the various methods employed (retrospective, focus on partial expenses, minimal case numbers, etc.).

Cooperative interception of neuronal apoptosis by BCL-2 and BAG-1 expression: prevention of caspase activation and reduced production of reactive oxygen species.

Neuronally differentiated PC12 cells undergo synchronous apoptosis when deprived of nerve growth factor (NGF). Here we show that NGF withdrawal induces actinomycin D- and cycloheximide-sensitive caspase (ICE-like) activity. The peptide inhibitor of caspase activity, N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde, was more potent than acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethyl ketone in preventing NGF withdrawal-induced apoptosis, suggesting an important role for caspase-3 (CPP32)-like proteases.

Hypericin-induced apoptosis of human malignant glioma cells is light-dependent, independent of bcl-2 expression, and does not require wild-type p53.

Hypericin and tamoxifen are experimental agents for the adjuvant chemotherapy of malignant glioma. We report that hypericin and tamoxifen induce apoptosis of 7 human malignant glioma cell lines in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Illumination is essential for the cytotoxicity of hypericin but not tamoxifen.

NADPH-diaphorase reactivity in the Mauthner cells of the swordtail fish, Xiphophorus helleri.

The presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPHDH) in fixed tissue was histochemically demonstrated in the Mauthner cells of the teleost fish Xiphophorus helleri. This is the first detection of the enzyme in these giant neurons (which are restricted to fishes and amphibians) of a gnathostomate vertebrate. NADPHDH reactivity in fixed tissue is thought to reflect the activity of nitric oxide synthase.