X-Message-Number: 15861 Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 09:56:20 -0800 From: Kennita Watson <> Subject: NPR report on Parkinson's Scott Badger wrote: > And to Ruthanna: > Hmmm. The NPR interview was definitely focusing on the positives. Sorry, > but I doubt the interview was archived on NPR's site. Thanks for the NYT > link. (BTW, "the NYT link" referred to is Parkinson's Research Is Set Back by Failure of Fetal Cell Implants http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/08/health/08PARK.html) Here's a show (3/8/2001) that includes the report I thimk you were referring to. Why would you have expected it not to be there? They seem to archive *everything* :-) . The URL is *really* gnarly, but it's easy to find -- just go to npr.org and search for "parkinson's"; the report in question is probably the first one returned. There's a 4 min 17 sec audio segment. ----- Study: Fetal Cells Fail to Cure Parkinson's Disease Thursday, 03-08-01 A report in the latest New England Journal of Medicine says surgery to transplant cells from aborted fetuses into the brains of those who suffer from Parkinson's disease may be less promising than once thought. In tests on 40 volunteers, researchers found that patients over 60 years of age who received the transplanted brain cells fared no better than people who were brought into the operating room but were not given the transplanted cells. Most people who suffer from Parkinson's, a neurological disease, are over 60. The transplant technique seemed to help some people under 60, but the benefits were limited and experts disagreed on their significance. In addition, 15 percent of the transplant recipients who improved during the first year after surgery subsequently developed disabling muscle movements. Despite these equivocal results, experts believe some form of cell transplant will someday be useful in treating neurologic diseases. Listen as NPR's Joe Palca reports on the latest finding for All Things Considered. For more on the study, visit the New England Journal of Medicine Web site. Copyright 2001 National Public Radio. -- Live long and prosper, Kennita -- Kennita Watson | I vote Libertarian. | Find out why. http://www.kennita.com | http://www.lp.org/intro Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=15861