Tag Archives:drugs
Duloxetine: a promising perioperative analgesic
Duloxetine is a dual serotonin-norepinephrine receptor inhibitor that is commonly used as an antidepressant. This drug has traditionally been used for chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia and back pain, showing positive recovery outcomes. Given these analgesic
How we can curb deaths from heroin use
Evidence from many countries shows an alarmingly high death rate amongst former prisoners with histories of heroin addiction in the two weeks following their prison release. A heroin overdose is the most common cause of death in
Heparan sulphate; inspiration for new leishmaniasis drugs
Leishmaniasis is a group of tropical parasitic diseases caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania and is endemic in 98 countries, with approximately 2 million new cases annually. Infection occurs when someone is bitten by an
Rethinking drugs’ development in acute heart failure?
急性心力衰竭(AHF)影响1 - 2%的成年人n developed countries. It strikes mainly people above the age 60, peeking in those older than 85 (prevalence ~ 17.4%). AHF is a life threatening medical event, with gradual
Statins: Good for the heart, but do they impact the brain?
High cholesterol, termed hyperlipidemia, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, keeping cholesterol levels low through diet and exercise has proven benefits for reducing heart disease risk. For adults who cannot meet their cholesterol targets through
A new strategy to drug development for neuromuscular disorder
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neuron (MN) loss in both the spinal cord and motor cortex causes progressive paralysis, muscle atrophy, and death. So far,
Profiling biologics in circulating human whole blood
Functional and safety assessments of biologics prior to first-in-human (FIH) is key to understand the mode-of-action and safety profile. We have made use of an ex-vivo whole blood assay for its potential in assessment of antibody-based drug
Skin cells help to find new drugs for dying neurons
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited disease that causes the progressive death of nerve cells in the brain structure. In mid ages this leads to several symptoms including uncontrolled twitching movements, called chorea, emotional problems, and loss
Clinical studies ask: “Are less expensive ‘biosimilar’ drugs as effective and safe as current drugs?”
Several debilitating diseases caused by disorders in a patient’s immune system – often called ‘immune-mediated diseases’ – have become easier to treat in the last two decades following the discovery of drugs called ‘biologics’. Biologics act on
Fish are exposed to hundreds of pharmaceuticals. How to identify drugs that pose the greatest aquatic risk?
After consumption, human and veterinary drugs or their breakdown products end up in streams and rivers via wastewater effluent discharges into water bodies. Since this is a continuous process, aquatic animals are chronically (low concentration, long-term) being
Targeting cancer’s sweet tooth
The primary source of energy for nearly all living cells is glucose. This simple molecule of sugar, a so-called monosaccharide can be found not only in sweets but also from the digestion of more complex carbohydrates molecules
Using Google Search engine for predicting popularity and harm of psychoactive agents
Misuse of psychoactive agents is one of the most serious social issues. They are often illegal but readily available on the black market. Psychoactive drugs may lead to addiction, affect human brain, human behaviour, mood or perception
New app revolutionising assessment in youth mental healthcare
Across the population, young people are at the highest risk of developing mental health disorders but are the least likely to receive the support they require. Barriers to care been attributed to a range of issues with
Drugs and drowning
Electrical activity of the heart is commonly monitored by the electrocardiogram (ECG). Such electrical activity depends on certain proteins called ion channels. These channels control the timing and the flow of electrically charged particles (ions) in and
Glucosamine reduces the need for pain medications in osteoarthritis, but the correct formulation is essential
For osteoarthritis, drugs that can delay disease progression have the potential to reduce the need for additional pain medications. But be careful which drug you chose: this effect is only shown with the prescription patented crystalline glucosamine
How safe are we handling cytotoxics in academic laboratories in the UK?
Cytotoxics between practice and research Cytotoxics, mainly used in cancer treatment, are defined as agents that are toxic to living cells. Therefore, their handling needs to be carefully monitored in order to protect the user. The latter
New systems capable of stimuli-controlled release of drugs
The search for new medical strategies with high therapeutic efficiencies and reduced adverse side-effects remains a challenge for the scientific community. The development of new drug delivery systems (DDS) to generate new solid forms of active pharmaceutical
A cost-effective approach to new drug discovery and chemical safety
Modern lifestyle is highly dependent on the use of thousands of chemicals in the form of life-saving drugs as well as specialty substances like pesticides, herbicides, cosmetics, solvents, etc. Today the discovery of a new drug costs
TGFbeta signalopathies as a paradigm for translation medicine
Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a disorder that affects different organ systems, such as the heart, aorta, eyes and the skeleton. Typically MFS patients present with tall stature, hands with long fingers, chest deformity. One of its most
Can pharmacogenetics testing help reduce psychiatric suffering?
Pharmacogenetics testing is relatively new to the field of psychiatry having been introduced only within recent years and at an affordable cost in the clinical setting. The case history illustrated in this report describes how pharmacogenetics testing
