Cover_Jan 05 (Page 2) - The Parklander Magazine

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Continued from page 35
In The Works
• A drug to cure Alzheimer’s disease Merck and
Company is targeting a new drug that will inhibit the production
of amyloid beta, thus preventing the buildup of plaques
in the brain. Merck hopes the drug will work using the dual
strategy of both boosting one of the brain’s essential neurotransmitters,
acetylcholine, and inhibiting the production of
amyloid beta. The drug is now undergoing Phase III human
testing in Europe under the name phenserine.
• A device that automatically detects early symptoms of
congestive heart failure. The device, built by Medtronic
Inc.and called the InSync Sentry device, was approved by the
Food and Drug Administration last month and is designed to
allow patients to get treatment earlier and stay healthier.
When fluid levels around the heart get too high, they can
interfere with a normal heartbeat and cause death. The device
monitors the amount of fluid in the chest. If there is a buildup,
doctors can prescribe medication to reduce it. Two devices
have been implanted in patients to date. The device, is about
the size of a cigarette lighter, transmits radio signals that can
yield a computer readout on the heart, costs about $30,000,
lasts five to seven years and should be available for widespread
use by February.
• The search for genetic mutations linked to complex
genetic conditions such as heart diseases will be helped with
the completion this year of the “HapMap” project — a map of
the millions of common tiny genetic variations in the human
population. ● P
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the PARKLANDER