[Mexidant increases the effectiveness of levadopa treatment of Parkinson's disease].

The efficiency of mexidant therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) has been evaluated. The study included 49 patients aged 58-65 with a trembling-rigid and trembling forms of PD at an disease duration of 6.5 +/- 3.

Analysis of PARK2 gene exon rearrangements in Russian patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease.

Background: Deletions and duplications of single exons or exon groups account for a large proportion of the PARK2 gene mutations described in juvenile autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We analyzed rearrangements in exons 1 to 12 of the PARK2 gene in Russian sporadic patients with early-onset PD (EOPD) and late-onset PD (LOPD).

Results: The frequency of EOPD and LOPD patients carrying these mutations was 12.

[Analysis of the alpha-synuclein gene dosage variation associated with autosomal dominant form of ParkinsonTs disease].

Fifty-two patients that had ParkinsonTs disease with autosomal dominant type of inheritance were analyzed for the presence of duplications and triplications in exons 4--6 of alpha-synuclein gene using real-time PCR with Taq-Man probes. No mutations involving the examined exons dosage were revealed in alpha-synuclein gene. Thus, mutations modifying copy number of alpha-synuclein gene do not significantly affect the pathogenesis of the autosomal dominant form of ParkinsonTs disease in patients from Russia.

Carnosine [corrected] increases efficiency of DOPA therapy of Parkinson's disease: a pilot study.

The addition of the neuropeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) as a food additive to the basic protocol of Parkinson's disease treatment results in significant improvement of neurological symptoms, along with increase in red blood cell Cu/Zn-SOD and decrease in blood plasma protein carbonyls and lipid hydroperoxides, with no noticeable change in platelets MAO B activity. The combination of carnosine with basic therapy may be a useful way to increase efficiency of PD treatment.

[A PARK8 form of Parkinson's disease: a mutational analysis of the LRRK2 gene in Russian population].

A recently described form of Parkinson's disease - PARK8 - is caused by mutations in the novel LRRK2 gene on chromosome 12q12. The most common mutation in this gene is the substitution G2019S and we studied it for the first time in a large group of Russian Slavonic patients (311 patients) with Parkinson's disease including 295 sporadic and 16 familial cases. The mutation LRRK2-G2019S was identified in 1% of patients examined (3 cases) and was not found in a group of population control.