=============================================================== == == == ----------- ALS INTEREST GROUP ----------- == == ALS Digest (#80, 24 January 1994) == == == == ----- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) == == ----- motor neurone disease (MND) == == ----- Lou Gehrig's disease == == ----- == == This e-mail list has been set up to serve the world-wide == == ALS community. That is, ALS patients, ALS researchers, == == ALS support/discussion groups, ALS clinics, etc. Others == == are welcome (and invited) to join. Currently there are == == 200+ subscribers. == == == == To subscribe, to unsubscribe, to contribute notes, == == etc. to ALS Digest, please send e-mail to: == == bro@huey.met.fsu.edu (Bob Broedel) == == == == All interested people may "broadcast" messages to == == ALS Digest (not a peer reviewed journal, and not edited == == by an MD) subscribers by sending to: == == als@huey.met.fsu.edu == == == == Bob Broedel; P.O. Box 20049; Tallahassee, FL 32316 USA == =============================================================== == Back issues are available via e-mail from: == == LISTSERV@mailer.fsu.edu == == send an e-mail message that says INDEX ALS == == Also available via anonymous FTP at mailer.fsu.edu == == directory ftp/pub/als == == Hardcopy versions (with extensive indexing) available == == from Grant Nicholas (gnicholas@pcgate.lanl.gov) == =============================================================== == == == GLOBAL INDEX of ALS DIGEST. Grant Nicholas has created an == == important document. It is a 150,000 byte ASCII text file == == that is an INDEX of the first 75 issues of ALS DIGEST. == == Soon this document will be made available via FTP. More == == about this in the next issue. We all owe a big thanks to == == Grant for creating this important document! == == == =============================================================== CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE: 1 .. searching for an Alzheimers list 2 .. samples of new ALS-related citations 3 .. an ALS question (from another list) 4 .. need sera from patients with neurodegenerative disorders 5 .. re: dextromethorphan & ALS 6 .. NEW LIST: schizophrenia 7 .. new databases (1) ===== searching for an Alzheimers list ========== Date : Fri, 14 Jan 1994 14:45:26 -0600 (CST) >From : Terry Maton - Subject: Alzheimers List? Does anyone know of a similar list to this for Alzheimers disease? Thanks! Terry (2) ===== sample references to new literature on ALS ========== =============================================== Title : IgG from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients : increases current through P-type calcium channels in : mammalian cerebellar Purkinje cells and in isolated : channel protein in lipid bilayer Author : Llinas R.; Sugimori M.; Cherksey B.D.; Smith R.G.; : Delbono O.; Stefani E.; Appel S.; Source : 1993 90/24 (11743-11747) PNASA Proceedings of the : National Academy of Sciences of the United States of : America Abstract : The effect of the IgG from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis : (ALS) patients was tested on the voltage-dependent : barium currents (I(Ba)) in mammalian dissociated Purkinje : cells and in isolated P-type calcium channels in lipid : bilayers. Whole cell clamp of Purkinje cells demonstrates : that ALS IgG increases the amplitude of I(Ba) without : modifying their voltage kinetics. This increased I(Ba) : could be blocked by a purified nonpeptide toxin from : Agelenopsis aperta venom (purified funnel-web spider : toxin) or by a synthetic polyamine analog (synthetic : funnel-web spider toxin) and by a peptide toxin from : the same spider venom, omega-Aga-IVA. Similar results : were obtained on single-channel recordings from purified : P channel protein. The addition of ALS IgG increased : single-channel I(Ba) open time without affecting slope : conductance. The results described above were not seen : with normal human IgG nor with boiled ALS IgG. It is : concluded that ALS IgG enhances inward current : through P-type calcium channels. Since P-type Ca2+ : channels are present in motoneuron axon terminals, we : propose that the enhanced calcium current triggered by : ALS IgG may contribute to neuronal damage in ALS. =============================================== Title : Branched-chain amino acids and amyotrophic lateral : sclerosis: A treatment failure? Author : Beghi E.; Fiordelli E.; Mora G.; Mazzini L.; Poloni M.; : Pinelli P.; Testa D.; Cornelio F.; Leone M.; Bottacchi E.; : Chio A.; Schiffer D.; Magi S.; Sabatelli M.; Tonali P.; : Formica A.; Berardelli A.; Manfredi M.; Cattich N.; et al.; Source : 1993 43/12 I (2466-2470) NEURA Neurology Abstract : We initiated a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to : test the efficacy and safety of branched-chain amino acids : (BCAA) (L-leucine 12 g, L-isoleucine 6 g, and L-valine 6 g : daily) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. : There was an excess mortality in subjects randomized to : active treatment (24 BCAA, 13 placebo) when a total of : 126 ALS patients had been recruited. This finding, : associated with the lack of efficacy of BCAA (measured by : comparing the disability scales in the two treatment : groups), led the Data Monitoring Committee to require : cessation of the trial. =============================================== Title : Monitoring clinical trials Author : Barnett H.J.M.; Sackett D.L.; Source : 1993 43/12 I (2437-2438) NEURA Neurology Abstract : none (3) ===== from another list, an ALS question ========== Date : Wed, 19 Jan 1994 10:30:28 EST Sender : L-HCAP List >From : Bill McGarry Subject: Handicap Digest # 3383 To subscribe to the Handicap Digest mailing list or have your thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses: UUCP: uunet!bunker!wtm INTERNET: wtm@bunker.afd.olivetti.com BITNET: l-hcap@ndsuvm1.bitnet Fidonet: The Handicap News BBS (141/420) 1-203-926-6168 (300 - 14,400 baud, 24 hours) National VideoText Network (NVN): BillSysop Compuserve: 73170,1064 ------ Subject : Lou Gehrig's Disease >From : shea@marcam.com (Tim Shea) Organization: Marcam Corporation My Uncle has Lou Gehrig's disease. I would appreciate it very much if anyone with experience with this disease can help with some practical suggestions for his family. In particular, I have 4 specific questions below. Current Condition ----------------- He can't move his legs or arms much and his speech has become pretty difficult to understand. His mental faculties are unimpaired. He is approximately 170 lbs. He is cared for at home by his family (and a physician). Communication/Frustration ------------------------- (1) He's gregarious, and it is very frustrating for him not to be able to speak. His daughter made up a card with common phrases on it (e.g. "Thirsty", "Watch TV"), which is OK. But he really wants to be able to construct a sentence, or tell an occasional joke. Are there any strategies or technologies which could help him put together sentences, given his limited mobility? (2) His family is particularly concerned about what they will do should his speech degerate even further. Are there any strategies for communicat- ing with someone who can only grunt or blink? Sleep/Comfort ------------- (3) Staying in bed for long periods is uncomfortable. His wife and he only sleep in fits and starts at night, since he can't move his body and she must wake up frequently to reposition him due to his discomfort. His daughter and I were wondering whether soaking in a warm tub might help relieve his discomfort by temporarily reducing the pressure/weight on his body. Does anyone have experience with this (did it help?), or suggestions about appropriate types of tubs, or advice on how to do this safely? Is there any type of tall tub with a door or something so that he could be wheeled into? (His daughter already gives him massages, which he loves.) Alternative Therapies? ---------------------- This disease is considered untreatable. A gene which causes Lou Gehrig's disease has recently been isolated at Mass General Hospital in Boston, but I was told by his family that this is not the cause in his case (i.e. his version of the disease is not genetic). I understand that the substance which causes the disease to progress (a certain enzyme or something which attacks the nerves, I think) is known, but apparently there is no therapy for this. (4) His family is willing to consider alternative therapies either here or overseas, if there are any which seem reasonably plausible. Does this newsgroup have any readers who know of any alternative therapies? Thanks in advance for any help you can give on this. Tim Shea shea@marcam.com (617) 965-0220 (9am-5pm Eastern Std. Time USA) (508) 287-0420 (home) ------ (4) ===== need sera from patients ========== Topic 757 sera from patients with neurodegenerative disorders bionet.neuroscience 6:50 pm Jan 18, 1994 Can anyone provide sera (or information about who has) on patients with various neurodegenerative disorders eg.Alzheimers, Huntingtons, etc. for assay for some excitotoxic amino acids, which have never been measured before. We have developed a GC-MS assay for some of these compounds. thanks my fax# is 303 270 8477 my email is santhosc@essex.hsc.colorado.edu (5) ===== re: dextromethorphan and ALS ========== ========================================================= Title : Dextromethorphan: enhancing its systemic availability : by way of low-dose quinidine-mediated inhibition of : cytochrome P4502D6. Author : Zhang Y;Britto MR;Valderhaug KL;Wedlund PJ;Smith RA Source : Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics : 1992 Jun;51(6):647-55 Abstract : There has been a substantial amount of interest in : the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective actions of : dextromethorphan. Its therapeutic efficacy, however, : is limited by its extensive first-pass elimination by : way of the cytochrome P4502D6 enzyme in humans. The : purpose of this research was to determine whether : quinidine (a selective inhibitor of cytochrome P4502D6) : could improve dextromethorphan systemic delivery in : patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a neuro- : degenerative disease). In the absence of quinidine, : 60 mg dextromethorphan every 12 hours resulted in : plasma concentrations of only 12 +/- 13 ng/ml (range, : less than 5 to 40 ng/ml; n = 7). The same dose of : dextromethorphan in the presence of 75 mg quinidine : every 12 hours resulted in dextromethorphan plasma : concentrations of 241 +/- 94 ng/ml (range, 157 to 402 : ng/ml; n = 5). The achievement of higher dextromethorphan : plasma concentrations was also associated with an : increased occurrence of adverse effects in some patients. : Based on the brain/plasma ratio for dextromethorphan in : rats, it is estimated that brain dextromethorphan : concentrations of 1.0 to 10 micrograms/gm may be : attainable in humans by inhibition of cytochrome : P4502D6 activity with quinidine. ========================================================= Title : A pilot trial of dextromethorphan in amyotrophic lateral : sclerosis. Author : Askmark H;Aquilonius SM;Gillberg PG;Liedholm LJ;Stalberg E; : Wuopio R Source : Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry : 1993 Feb;56(2):197-200 Abstract : Assuming the presence of glutamate-induced neurotoxicity : in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 14 patients were treated : with dextromethorphan, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor : antagonist. The patients were treated with 150 mg : dextromethorphan or placebo daily for 12 weeks in a : double-blind crossover trial, with a wash out period : of 4 weeks between the two treatment periods. : Thereafter the surviving patients were treated with : 300 mg dextromethorphan daily for up to 6 months in : an open trial. No positive effects on clinical or : neurophysiological parameters (relative number of axons, : and compound muscle action potentials in the abductor : digiti minimi muscle) were observed either in the : double-blind trial or in the open trial. ========================================================= (6) ===== NEW LIST: schizophrenia ========== Date : Thu, 13 Jan 1994 22:49:15 CST Sender : NEW-LIST - New List Announcements >From : Steven Roy Daviss Subject: NEW: SCHIZ-L - Schizophrenia Research Discussion List -------------------------------------------------------------------- SCHIZ-L on LISTSERV@UMAB.UMD.EDU Clinical and Basic Science Research or LISTSERV@UMAB.BITNET in Schizophrenia SCHIZ-L is an unmoderated discussion list devoted to schizophrenia research. The objective of the list is to provide a forum for communications among researchers and others interested in this mental illness. It is hoped that this forum will facilitate discussion of both published and unpublished findings and ideas, foster potential collaborations between investigators, and develop into an information resource for those in this field. Pertinent topics include: epidemiology, phenomenology/psychopath- ology, psychopharmacology, structural and functional imaging, biochemical/neurochemical studies, genetics, neuroanatomy/neuro- pathology, postmortem studies, histological methodologies, neurodevelopment, neuropsychological assessments, comments on journal articles, data analysis, use of computer and Internet resources, conferences, meetings, etc. To subscribe send the message subscribe schiz-l firstname lastname (in the BODY of the message) to LISTSERV@UMAB.UMD.EDU or to LISTSERV@UMAB.BITNET To post a message to the list send the message to SCHIZ-L@UMAB.UMD.EDU or to SCHIZ-L@UMAB.BITNET . Owner: Steven Roy Daviss sdaviss@cosy.ab.umd.edu (7 ) ===== new databases ========== Date : Wed, 5 Jan 1994 15:05:58 PST Sender : Medical Libraries Discussion List : >From : RLG Sales Associates Subject: NEW FROM RLG ----------------------------------------------------------------- (The following is a news release from the Research Libraries Group; it is being cross-posted to other library-related listservs.) RLG ADDS FOUR CAMBRIDGE SCIENTIFIC DATABASES TO ITS CITADEL SERVICE MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., January 3, 1993 -- The Research Libraries Group, Inc. (RLG) and Cambridge Scientific Abstracts announced today a major addition of scientific literature abstracts to CitaDel, RLG's citation access and document delivery service. In early 1994 four Cambridge Scientific databases will be added to the CitaDel service: Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management -- A comprehensive multidisciplinary database covering 1,500 core journals, monographs, and conference proceedings, and providing selective coverage of 5,500 secondary sources. Records from 1983 to the present, updated monthly. Expanded Life Sciences Collection with Bioengineering -- Comprehensive interdisciplinary coverage of the medical and biological sciences in over 1,400 fully treated core sources and 5,500 selectively treated secondary sources. Records from 1983 to the present, updated monthly. Marine Biology, including Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts -- The most comprehensive coverage of the field. Monitors over 6,500 core journals and secondary sources of relevant articles and gray literature; core sources are fully treated, peripheral sources, selectively. Records from 1983 to the present, updated monthly. Conference Papers Index for Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, & Engineering -- The scientific community's premier source of citations in the life sciences, engineering, and physical sciences. Approximately 72,000 individual papers are cited annually, and conference and papers are separately indexed. Records from 1988 to the present, updated bimonthly. For more information, please contact an RLG sales associate at 800-537-7546 or send e-mail to bl.sal@rlg.bitnet or bl.sal@rlg.stanford.edu. == end of als 80 ==