Safety and Tolerability of Active Immunotherapy Targeting α-Synuclein with PD03A in Patients with Early Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1 Study.

Background: Immunotherapies targeting α-synuclein aim to limit its extracellular spread in the brain and prevent progression of pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD). PD03A is a specific active immunotherapy (SAIT) involving immunization with a short peptide formulation.

Objective: This phase 1 study characterized the safety and tolerability of PD03A in patients with early PD.

A Phase 1 Randomized Trial of Specific Active α-Synuclein Immunotherapies PD01A and PD03A in Multiple System Atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease with limited symptomatic treatment options. Aggregation of α-synuclein in oligodendrocytes is believed to be a central mechanism of the neurodegenerative process. PD01A and PD03A are 2 novel therapeutic vaccine candidates containing short peptides as antigenic moieties that are designed to induce a sustained antibody response, specifically targeting pathogenic assemblies of α-synuclein.

Safety and immunogenicity of the α-synuclein active immunotherapeutic PD01A in patients with Parkinson's disease: a randomised, single-blinded, phase 1 trial.

Background: Robust evidence supports the role of α-synuclein pathology as a driver of neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. PD01A is a specific active immunotherapy with a short peptide formulation targeted against oligomeric α-synuclein. This phase 1 study assessed the safety and tolerability of the PD01A immunotherapeutic in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Sensor-based gait analysis of individualized improvement during apomorphine titration in Parkinson's disease.

Mobile, sensor-based gait analysis in Parkinson's disease (PD) facilitates the objective measurement of gait parameters in cross-sectional studies. Besides becoming outcome measures for clinical studies, the application of gait parameters in personalized clinical decision support is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether the individual response of PD patients to dopaminergic treatment may be measured by sensor-based gait analysis.

Optimizing odor identification testing as quick and accurate diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate odor identification testing as a quick, cheap, and reliable tool to identify PD.

Methods: Odor identification with the 16-item Sniffin' Sticks test (SS-16) was assessed in a total of 646 PD patients and 606 controls from three European centers (A, B, and C), as well as 75 patients with atypical parkinsonism or essential tremor and in a prospective cohort of 24 patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (center A). Reduced odor sets most discriminative for PD were determined in a discovery cohort derived from a random split of PD patients and controls from center A using L1-regularized logistic regression.

Long-term effects of STN DBS on mood: psychosocial profiles remain stable in a 3-year follow-up.

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus significantly improves motor function in patients with severe Parkinson's disease. However, the effects on nonmotor aspects remain uncertain. The present study investigated the effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on mood and psychosocial functions in 33 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease in a three year follow-up.

Ropinirole is effective in the long-term management of restless legs syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

The objective of this study was to investigate the long-term efficacy of ropinirole in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) and to assess the potential for relapse after the discontinuation of active treatment. Patients with primary RLS (n = 202) received single-blind ropinirole for 24 weeks. Patients meeting treatment continuation criteria were randomized to double-blind treatment with ropinirole or placebo for a further 12 weeks.

[Benefits of an add-on treatment with the synthetic cannabinomimetic nabilone on patients with chronic pain--a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and efficiency of an add-on treatment with the synthetic cannabinomimetic nabilone on patients with chronic pain. Of major interest were the evaluation of the influence the treatment had on pain and on quality of life as well as the subjective assessment of positive effects and side effects by the study participants.

Methods: The placebo-controlled double-blinded pilot study was divided into a 14 week cross-over period (two 4 week medication phases plus wash-out phases) followed by a 16 week medication switch period with free choice of the study drugs (drug A and drug B) by the study participants.

Budipine provides additional benefit in patients with Parkinson disease receiving a stable optimum dopaminergic drug regimen.

Background: The complex pharmacological profile of the antiparkinsonian drug budipine influences neurotransmission beyond the dopaminergic system. Previous studies have demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of budipine on motor symptoms in insufficiently treated patients with Parkinson disease.

Objective: To demonstrate the efficacy of 20 mg of budipine, 3 times daily, in addition to a stable, prior, optimum-titrated dopaminergic substitution consisting of a combination of levodopa and a dopa decarboxylase inhibitor, bromocriptine mesylate, and optional selegiline hydrochloride in 99 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease in a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.