Three patients are reported who developed a melanoma while taking levodopa for Parkinson's disease. There were two cutaneous melanomas and one metastatic melanoma with occult primary. The literature on the association of Parkinson's disease, levodopa therapy and melanoma is reviewed. The capacity of levodopa to induce melanomas and its alleged adverse effect on the clinical course of the diseas...

Growth hormone and prolactin response to levodopa were evaluated before and after long-term phenytoin treatment in five men with previously untreated partial epilepsy. After phenytoin treatment, growth hormone response to levodopa increased. There was a close relationship between growth hormone response to levodopa and plasma phenytoin concentrations. These findings suggest a phenytoin-induced ...

There is a consensus that in Parkinson's disease, the extent of preoperative levodopa responsiveness predicts the efficacy of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS). However, this may be the result of statistical methods and primary assumptions. We were able to reproduce previously published correlation results on our data (N = 49 patients). Yet, these same results were demonstrat...

Recent studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) have provided evidence that dopamine released from spared serotonin afferents can act as a trigger of dyskinetic movements induced by repetitive, low doses of levodopa. Serotonin neurons have the capacity to store and release dopamine synthesized from systemically administered levodopa. However, because of the lack of any autoregulator...

The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between serum 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD) and the clinical effects of entacapone. The 3-OMD and maximum serum concentration (Cmax) of levodopa were measured in 21 Parkinson's Disease patients who took 100 mg levodopa / dopa decarboxylase inhibitor. After the administration of entacapone, the 3-OMD concentration and percentage of "on" time during w...

Diabetes Increases the Incidence of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson’s Disease; A Case-Control Study

Objectives-To establish, in a double blind manner, the antiparkinsonian effects of repeated dosing with entacapone, a peripheral COMT inhibitor. Methods-A one month, cross over study was conducted. During the two four-week treatment periods, entacapone (200 mg) or placebo was given with each levodopa dose four to 10 times daily. Motor responses were repeatedly quantified using the motor part of...

OBJECTIVE To quantify postural sway in subjects with Parkinson's disease and elderly controls, and determine the effects of Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation, levodopa, and their interactions on postural control during quiet stance. METHODS Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacement under each foot was measured during three 60 s trials of quiet stance with eyes open in 11 controls a...

Methods In this pragmatic, open-label randomised trial, patients newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease were randomly assigned (by telephone call to a central offi ce; 1:1:1) between levodopa-sparing therapy (dopamine agonists or MAOBI) and levodopa alone. Patients and investigators were not masked to group assignment. Primary outcomes were the mobility dimension on the 39-item patient-rated ...

OBJECTIVE We studied the prevalence and related risk factors of impulse control disorders in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients. METHOD We screened all non-demented Parkinson's disease patients attending our Parkinson's disease clinic from August 2009 to March 2010. The clinical characteristics of patients with impulse control disorders and those without were compared. RESULTS Of the 213 ...