Summary: Recent statistics show that in 2007 56% of Americans adults, which is more than 122 million people, attempted to find information about a personal health concern from a source other than their physician. This statistic is up from 38% in 2001. Education levels were a key factor in determining whether a person sought medical information, 72% of those with a graduate degree compared to 42% of those with only a high school diploma. The number of Americans using the internet for medical information doubled from 16% in 2001 to 32% in 2007.

Comment: More than half of the people reported that the information changed their general approach to their health care, and 80% reported that the information helped them better understand treatments of their condition or illness. Doctors are always a good source of medical information, but it can often be hard to consult a doctor with every concern. Finding more information on medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, can help patients better understand their health.

Summary: Inpatient medication reconciliation was made a National Patient Safety Goal in 2005 and nationwide attention was soon focused on the issue of errors in these medication records as patients move in and out of hospitals. However, a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital has shown that inpatients experience and average of one and a half potentially harmful errors in their records during the course of their hospital stay. The study also attempted to identify the frequency of specific kinds of errors, at what point during a patient's stay these errors occur, and factors which put a patient at risk for errors to occur.

Comment: Dr. Jeffrey Schnipper, MD, MPH senior author and Hospitalist at BWH stated his hope that, "This information can help guide hospitals in determining where to focus their efforts for addressing this problem." He also noted that patients today are often on more medications than they have been in the past, raising the stakes along with the risks. Information collected by this study will, no doubt, have a significant effect in reducing the frequency of these errors, thus reducing the risk for all patients.

Summary: In a recent study researchers found that about 82% of Americans believe that the health care system in America needs to be reformed. 90% believed that the presidential candidates need to develop health care reform plans to improve the quality and coverage of health care. 90% also believe that it is important to have one doctor responsible for their primary care and for coordinating care with specialists. 90% also reported believing that having access to their medical records, and doctors having the same access was important.

Comment: Parkinson's disease requires the best medical care possible, and many people in America do not believe that they are getting the level of care that they need. People with Parkinson's, and all other people in America, can affect their health care system by contacting their representatives and voicing their concerns and thoughts about the current health care system.

Summary: Researchers examined the death rates from the incorrect use of prescriptions in the home, called FMEs. There are four types of FMEs as classified by the researchers. Type one is the domestic use of prescriptions with street drugs or alcohol, which has increased by 3,196% between 1983 and 2004. Type 2 is the domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, which has increased 5%. Type 3 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions with drugs or alcohol, and has increased 564%, and type 4 is the non-domestic use of prescriptions without drugs or alcohol, and has increased by 555%.

Comment: While many of the medications involved were safe in a clinical setting is has been suggested that they are more dangerous when used at home, since an incorrect dose or use with drugs or alcohol are more likely. It is suggested that more research is done about the safety of medications at home or work and that patients are especially careful when taking prescriptions at home.

Summary: With proper stimulation adult stem cells can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury. Scientists have newly discovered that these cells exist in a different part of the brain that commonly believed and that they are, in fact, the ependymal cells that line the ventricles in the brain and spinal cord instead of cells in the subventricular zone.

Comment: Researchers note that knowing the precise location of these cells is cruical when attempting to develop stem cell based therapies. This research also lays the groundwork for therapies in which a patients own stem cells can produce neurological cells.

Summary: A collaboration between neurologists and a pharmocologist has led to interesting connections between blood-related genetic mechanisms and Parkinson's disease. It has been discovered that genetic mechanisms at play in blood cells also control a gene and protein that cause Parkinson's disease. Patients with Parkinson's disease were shown to have elevated levels of the alpha-synuclein protein in their brain. Clumping of this protein causes the death of neurons and produces the brain chemical dopamine.

Comment: The discovery of this link and the data and new knowledge collected from this study has given scientists a molecular switch that may trigger Parkinson's disease.

Summary: A new study shows that most people, about 78%, do not completely understand their doctor's instructions upon leaving the emergency room. Many of these people, about 80%, also are not aware that they do not comprehend all of the instructions given. 34% of the comprehension deficits were in the category of post emergency department care, meaning that one-third of the people in the study did not completely know what to do when the got home from the hospital.

Comment: Follow-up care after leaving the emergency room is very important to the recovery of the patient. If they do not fully understand their instructions they could encounter complications. People should always be careful to completely understand their doctor’s instructions, whether leaving the emergency room or just a normal checkup, to be sure that they will receive the best care possible.

Summary: Tremor is quite a common symptom in Parkinson's patients. However, only recently have scientists been able to discover the mechanisms by which these tremors occur. Tremors are caused by neuron clusters in the depths of the brain.

Comment: This new discover supports current treatment research centering around deep brain stimulation therapy. New deep brain pacemakers may be able to help Parkinson's patients on a large scale by 2009.

Summary: Researchers have identified to key pathways in adult stem cells which control the repair and replacement of damaged tissue. The used this information to slightly change the cells to react to certain biochemical signals, giving the older stem cells the ability to repair almost as well as younger stem cells.

Comment: This research could create a new and extremely effective method for the treatment of age-related degenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. Also, this study's use of adult stem cells, already present in existing tissue, eliminates the moral and ethical concerns often associated will stem cell treatments.

Summary: Scientists have identified molecules which will allow them to awaken or put to sleep brain cells. The activation of these cells may allow scientists to transform them into neurons, which can, in turn, be employed in the repair of damaged brain tissue. The impact of this research may be far reaching, allowing for new methods of treating Alzheimer's and Parkinsons's diseases.

Comment: It was previously thought that stem cells to be used in this process could only be found in two parts of the brain. This research, however, has proved that stem cells can be found throughout the brain, giving doctors and scientists much greater possibilities in the development of this treatment.