By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pain & Central Nervous System Week -- Researchers detail new data in Parkinson's disease. According to news reporting originating from Kenmore, Washington, by NewsRx correspondents, researchers stated "Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are well known to contribute to the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PO). Clinical trials of antioxidants are currently underway in PD patients, however, antioxidant research has been hindered by a lack of peripheral biomarkers."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research by the authors from Bastyr University, "Twenty-two patients with PD elected to have a novel antioxidant assessment (Functional Intracellular Assay (FIA), SpectraCell Lab, Houston, TX) performed between 2004 and 2008. Each PD case was compared to four age- and gender-matched controls (n = 88) in four separate, random iterations using laboratory data submitted during the same time period. Logistic regression was used to determine the odds of functional deficiency in antioxidant nutrients (i.e., glutathione, coenzyme Q10, selenium, vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid) by case-control status. The proportion of cases with functional deficiency was also compared to that for controls by chi(2) test. Compared to cases, PD patients had a significantly greater odds of deficiency in coenzyme Q10 status (OR: 4.7-5.4; 95% CI: 1.5-17.7; P = 0.003-0.009) based on FIA results, but not of vitamin E, selenium, lipoic acid, or glutathione (all P> 0.05). The proportion of cases with coenzyme Q10 deficiency was also significantly greater in cases than in controls (32-36% vs. 8-9%; P = 0.0012-0.006)."

According to the news editors, the researchers concluded: "Deficiency of coenzyme Q10 assessed via FIA should be explored as a potential peripheral biomarker of antioxidant status in PD."

For more information on this research see: Coenzyme Q10 deficiency in patients with Parkinson's disease. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 2012;318(1-2):72-75. Journal of the Neurological Sciences can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Bv, PO Box 211, 1000 Ae Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of the Neurological Sciences - www.elsevier.com/wps/product/cws_home/506078)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting L.K. Mischley, Bastyr Univ, Res Inst, Kenmore, WA, United States (see also Parkinson's Disease).

Keywords for this news article include: Antioxidants, Kenmore, Vitamin E, Washington, Glutathione, United States, Gender Health, Oligopeptides, Brain Diseases, Women's Health, Protective Agents, Movement Disorders, Parkinson's Disease, Enzymes and Coenzymes, Basal Ganglia Diseases, Parkinsonian Disorders, North and Central America, Neurodegenerative Diseases

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