Parkinson S Disease

Hospital to hold Parkinson's talk As part of the Senior Series 2006 educational luncheons, Carroll Hospital Center will present "Parkinson's Disease," at noon June 13 at the Women's Place. Rebecca Dunlop, registered nurse of the Johns Hopkins Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center, will discuss the disease and treatment options. A question-and-answer session will follow and lunch will be served. Registration is required at 410-848-2244. Camp SHAKE focuses on health and safety Carroll Hospital Center will hold a summer Camp SHAKE (Safety and Health Care Awareness for Kids Everyday)

Events Coping with Alzheimer's -- The Baltimore County Department of Aging, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, will sponsor free sessions at local senior centers throughout this month. For a list of times and locations, call 410-887-2594. JCC health fair -- Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC, Meyerhoff Health and Fitness Wing Lobby, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills / Professionals will discuss various stress reduction therapies such as acupressure, acupuncture, hypnotherapy and holistic medicine.

Carl N. Karcher, 90 Founder of fast-food chain Carl N. Karcher, who parlayed a $325 investment in a hot-dog cart into one of the biggest hamburger chains in the western U.S., died last week. He suffered from Parkinson's disease and was being treated for pneumonia. Mr. Karcher founded Carl's Jr., which has more than 1,000 locations.

In a move that will give it access to $40 million of its own money, Baltimore's Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. said yesterday that it has refinanced a restrictive lease on its research-and-development facility in Holabird Industrial Park. Guilford - which has been on a roller-coaster of good and bad news in recent years - said the $18.8 million loan agreement with Wachovia Bank will help it in two ways. First, the agreement essentially provides a $40 million boost in working capital by removing lease covenants that had restricted its maneuverability, said Andrew R. Jordan, Guilford's executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotechnology company based in Baltimore, said yesterday that it has struck an alliance with Daiichi Radioisotope Laboratories of Japan to develop and market Dopascan.Guilford says the product, now in clinical testing, is the first developed specifically for Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder.Under the deal, Daiichi, a radiopharmaceutical company, will receive exclusive marketing, sales and distribution rights to Dopascan in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

MILWAUKEE - A new skin patch to treat Parkinson's disease significantly improved symptoms, according to a study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin and several other institutions. By using a transdermal patch instead of conventional oral medication, doctors hope to get better control of Parkinson's symptoms while avoiding side effects. The study used a new drug, rotigotine, administered through an abdominal patch. One problem with oral Parkinson's drugs is that levels of the drugs can vary substantially from hour to hour depending on how often the drugs are taken and how quickly they are cleared from the body.