Volume 1 #1, 2004

Dear Friend of the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy,

We are pleased to send you the inaugural issue of the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about the latest news and developments at the Jack Miller Center. You can also visit our website at http://millercenter.uchicago.edu

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IN THIS ISSUE:

• Can Pre-Diabetes Cause Neuropathy?
• Clinical Trials Update: University of Chicago Recruiting Patients for New Study
• 2004 Symposium on Nerve Development and Function
• The Hidden Disease: June 21 Educational Seminar in Northbrook, IL
• Research Update: New Discovery May Help Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries
• Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy
• How You Can Help

Can Pre-Diabetes Cause Neuropathy? Is there a link between pre-diabetes and peripheral neuropathy? Diabetes=is the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy in the US and Europe -- with 60 percent of diabetes suffering some form of mild-to-extreme nerve damage. The government has just released startling new estimates about the number of Americans who have “pre-diabetes”, a condition where the body has higher than normal blood sugar levels, but not high enough to be diagnosed as true diabetes. If left untreated, people with pre-diabetes (also known as impaired glucose tolerance or IGT) have a substantially greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure and nerve damage -- which could result in peripheral neuropathy. Approximately 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 41 – 74 (41 million people) currently have pre-diabetes, according to new figures announced last month at a meeting sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and based on a revised and more accurate definition of pre-diabetes from the American Diabetes Association. The new figures double previous estimates of 20 million Americans with the condition. People with pre-diabetes often have no symptoms. People who actually have diabetes -- and who therefore are at greater risk of developing peripheral neuropathy -- often don't re= alize it because the symptoms of diabetes come on so gradually. Diabetes symptoms include frequent urination, constant thirst, blurred vision, fatigue, cuts and bruises that heal slowly, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. You might want to consider being screened for pre-diabetes if you are over the age of 45, overweight and not physically active, have a family history of diabetes, and belong to an ‘at-risk’ ethnic or minority group. Diet and exercise can often delay, if not prevent, the onset of diabetes in many people. Learn More

Clinical Trials Update: University of Chicago Recruiting Patients for Neuropathy and Pre-Diabetes Study The University of Chicago is recruiting patients with a painful peripheral neuropathy (numbness, tingling, pain and/or weakness) and pre-diabetes, also called impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), for a research study to clarify whether a mild pre-diabetic state can cause neuropathy. This study involves 2 clinic appointments, urine and blood tests, and an eye examination (which includes special pictures from the blood vessels at the back of your eyes). For more information about participating in this study, click on the "Clinical Trial Information" link below. Clinical Trial Information

Jack Miller Center 2004 Symposium on Nerve Development and Function On May 7, 2004, the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy hosted the 2004 symposium on Nerve Development and Function: Implications for Disease. Six of the country's leading neuroscientists and neurologists came to the University of Chicago campus to discuss the latest developments in research on peripheral nerve disorders and repair. The speakers included David J. Anderson, Ph.D. (California Institute of Technology), Ardem Patapoutian, Ph.D. (The Scripps Research Institute), Scott T. Brady, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Chicago), Stephen M. Strittmatter, M.D., Ph.D., (Yale School of Medicine), James R. Lupski, M.D., Ph.D. (Baylor College of Medicine), and John W. Griffin, M.D. (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine). The one-day program, the Jack Miller Center’s first scientific symposium on peripheral nerve disorders, drew more than 175 registrants from 16 universities and organizations in 8 states. The morning session began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Brian Popko, Jack Miller Professor in Neurological Diseases, Dr. Raymond Roos, Chair, Department of Neurology, and Mr. Jack Miller, Chair, Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy Board of Advisors. Photos from the Symposium are available on our website (see link below). You may download a pdf of the symposium poster here. Symposium Photos

“The Hidden Disease” Educational Seminar: June 21 at the Northbrook (IL) Public Library=20 The Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy and the Northbrook (Illinois) Public Library will host Peripheral Neuropathy: The Hidden Disease, an educational seminar for patients and their families, on Monday, June 21 at 3:00 p.m., in the Northbrook Public Library’s Ryan Auditorium, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, IL. Brian Popko, Ph.D., Director of the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy, and Raymond Roos, M.D., Chair, Department of Neurology, will discuss peripheral neuropathy and provide an update on clinical and scientific research at the University of Chicago. Jack Miller (founder and past chairman and president of Chicago-based Quill Corp.), whose search for treatment alternatives led to the establishment of the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy, will talk about the importance of public awareness Seating for this program is limited and pre-registration is requested. To register, or for more infor= mation, please contact Nancy Herman, Director of Programs and Development, at 773.834.8973.

Research Update: New Discovery May Help Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries A team of scientists led by Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy researcher Yimin Zou, Assistant Professor in Neurobiology, Pharmacology & Physiology, has discovered a crucial signaling pathway that controls the growth of nascent nerves within the spinal cord, guiding them toward the brain during development. The study, published in the journal Science, solves a long-standing scientific mystery. It may also help restore function to people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries. Read the Article

The Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy Peripheral neuropathy is a general term for disorders of the peripheral nerves—the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. Peripheral neuropathy is often a complication of another condition such as diabetes, bacterial or viral infections, autoimmune diseases, vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, inherited diseases, physical trauma, or as a reaction to medications such as those used to treat cancer and HIV/AIDS. When the cause of a person's peripheral neuropathy cannot be determined, it is called 'idiopathic'—a term for a disease or disorder having no known cause. Peripheral neuropathy usually starts with numbness, prickling or tingling in the toes or fingers. It may spread up to the feet or hands and cause burning, freezing, throbbing and/or shooting pain that is often worse at night. The pain can be either constant or periodic, but usually the pain is felt equally on both sides of the body—in both hands or in both feet. Some types of peripheral neuropathy develop suddenly, while others progress more slowly over many years. Learn more about the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy by clicking on the link below. Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy

How You Can Help Your tax-deductible donation to the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy can make a difference. Scientific research is expensive and very few laboratories - public or private - focus on peripheral neuropathy. Corporate and government funding for this disorder is limited. By making a gift to the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy, you can support our efforts to identify the causes and potential cures for peripheral neuropathy, through research, and professional and public education. To send a donation by mail or fax, click on the link below to print the donor form, and send your check, payable to the Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy, or credit card information to: The Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy The University of Chicago 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 2030 Chicago, IL 60637 Fax: 773.702.5577 For additional information, please contact: Nancy Herman, Director of Programs and Development The Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy 773.834.8973 Click here for donor form

Thank you for helping support our efforts to identify causes and cures for peripheral neuropathy.

Sincerely,

The Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy