All posts; Tags Include "Pharmacology"
- May 6, 2013
- 07:38 AM
- 818 views
It’s Not the Sugar That Rots Teeth
by Andrew Porterfield in United Academics
You’ve been hearing it for years; don’t eat too much sugar, because sugar rots your teeth. It turns out that sugar isn’t the real culprit behind tooth decay. Researchers, looking at the bacteria responsible for dental cavities, had found a molecule that can stop these common dental problems.
Jose Cordova, a Yale University researcher, and Erich Astudillo, from the University of Chile, identified the new molecule, called Keep32, that kills the Streptococcus Mutans bacteria an........ Read more »
Pacey, L. (2012) Chile creates cavity killer. BDJ, 213(5), 202-202. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2012.793
- May 5, 2013
- 05:57 AM
- 1,133 views
More on 'Bugs as Drugs'
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
A follow-up on Carl Zimmer's post in "Phenomena" (National Geographic) on 'Bugs as Drugs'.... Read more »
Hyman P, Atterbury R, & Barrow P. (2013) Fleas and smaller fleas: virotherapy for parasite infections. Trends in microbiology. PMID: 23540830
van Nood E, Vrieze A, Nieuwdorp M, Fuentes S, Zoetendal EG, de Vos WM, Visser CE, Kuijper EJ, Bartelsman JF, Tijssen JG.... (2013) Duodenal infusion of donor feces for recurrent Clostridium difficile. The New England journal of medicine, 368(5), 407-15. PMID: 23323867
Weinstock JV. (2012) Autoimmunity: The worm returns. Nature, 491(7423), 183-5. PMID: 23135449
- May 2, 2013
- 10:38 AM
- 1,247 views
Redefining Mental Disorders as Brain Disorders: TED Talk of Thomas Insel
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Components of Brain Limbic SystemAdvances in the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism are a public health priority.Dr. Thomas Insel, director at NIMH recently presented a TED talk that emphasized the need to rethink how we conceptualize and study these types of disorders. He argues for a need to redefine mental disorders as brain disorders. Advances in brain research tools are likely to provide improvements in early diagnosis and ........ Read more »
Collins, P., Insel, T., Chockalingam, A., Daar, A., & Maddox, Y. (2013) Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health: Integration in Research, Policy, and Practice. PLoS Medicine, 10(4). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001434
Insel, T. (2011) A bridge to somewhere. Translational Psychiatry, 1(4). DOI: 10.1038/tp.2011.4
- May 2, 2013
- 08:27 AM
- 590 views
Bodyweight loss – a new industry benchmark to improve animal welfare in preclinical safety assessment
by Dr Fiona Sewell in NC3Rs Blog
Evidence from a multinational pharmaceutical industry collaboration shows this week that upper limits of bodyweight loss of 10 per cent in rats and dogs are sufficient for setting the maximum-tolerated dose in short-term toxicity studies. Where there has been no previously accepted evidence-based assessment criteria before now, Dr Fiona Sewell, NC3Rs, describes how the new recommendations were developed to improve the welfare of thousands of animals used in regulatory studies each year.... Read more »
Chapman, K., Sewell, F., Allais, L., Delongeas, J., Donald, E., Festag, M., Kervyn, S., Ockert, D., Nogues, V., Palmer, H.... (2013) A global pharmaceutical company initiative: An evidence-based approach to define the upper limit of body weight loss in short term toxicity studies. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2013.04.003
- May 1, 2013
- 11:54 AM
- 864 views
Advances In Parkinson's Disease Treatment: Part II
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
Globus Pallidus Region of Brain Targeted in DBS in YellowIn a previous post, I summarized some of the highlights of a recent review of Parkinson's disease management by the German neurologists Pedrosa and Timmerman.The first post can be located here and was limited to the drug treatment of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease.In part II, I want to focus on deep brain stimulation and the treatment of non-motor symptoms.The authors of the review note the following key points regarding deep br........ Read more »
Pedrosa, D., & Timmermann, . (2013) Review: management of Parkinson's disease. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 321. DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S32302
- May 1, 2013
- 08:10 AM
- 2,076 views
Venomous Plants – A Hairy Situation
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
There are many thousands of poison plants, but not too many are venomous. The nettles and the dendrocnidaes have hollow spines that deliver neurotoxins when they stab you. Recent research has shown that nettle toxin is beneficial in liver regeneration. It stimulates cell proliferation and reduces apoptosis. In an opposite effect, the dendrocnidae toxin called moroidin is a mitotic spindle inhibitor. It may prove useful as an anticancer drug.... Read more »
Oguz, S., Kanter, M., Erboga, M., Toydemir, T., Sayhan, M., & Onur, H. (2013) Effects of Urtica dioica on oxidative stress, proliferation and apoptosis after partial hepatectomy in rats. Toxicology and Industrial Health. DOI: 10.1177/0748233713480211
Hammond-Tooke, G., Taylor, P., Punchihewa, S., & Beasley, M. (2007) Urtica ferox neuropathy. Muscle , 35(6), 804-807. DOI: 10.1002/mus.20730
- April 30, 2013
- 11:31 AM
- 914 views
Treatment Advances in Parkinson's Disease: Part I
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
3D Molecular Model of L-DopaDrug treatment of Parkinson's disease is a complex clinical problem. This complexity relates to several factors including incomplete response, multiple symptom domains and adverse effects of commonly used drugs.David Pedrosa and Lars Timmerman from the Department of Neurology at University Hospital Cologne in Germany have recently published an excellent review of Parkinson's disease management.The review is packed with comprehensive tables with specific drug inf........ Read more »
Pedrosa, D., & Timmermann, . (2013) Review: management of Parkinson's disease. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 321. DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S32302
- April 29, 2013
- 10:37 AM
- 725 views
Essential Tremor as a Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
The number people suffereing from Parkison's disease in the United States is estimated to be between 500,000 and 1,000,000.The key symptoms of Parkinson's disease include tremor and slowed movement or bradykinesia.Known risk factors for Parkinson's disease include advanced age, male gender, family history of Parkinson's disease and exposure to pesticides.Of note, smokers appear to have a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease although the mechanism for this protective effect is unknown.Romero and c........ Read more »
Romero JP, Benito-León J, & Bermejo-Pareja F. (2012) The NEDICES Study: Recent Advances in the Understanding of the Epidemiology of Essential Tremor. Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). PMID: 23439396
- April 17, 2013
- 04:30 PM
- 1,352 views
Is Nitroglycerin Bad for Severe Sepsis?
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
Yesterday at "The Paramedic's Edge," this was the topic of discussion of a possible use of NTG (NiTroGlycerin – GTN GlycerylTriNitrate in Commonwealth countries).
NTG is a vasodilator and sepsis is a vasodialtion problem. There are other problems with sepsis, but vasodilation may be the primary problem.... Read more »
Guglin, M., & Postler, G. (2009) High dose nitroglycerin treatment in a patient with cardiac arrest: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 3(1), 8782. DOI: 10.4076/1752-1947-3-8782
SPRONK, P., INCE, C., GARDIEN, M., MATHURA, K., & ZANDSTRA, D. (2003) Nitroglycerin for septic shock. The Lancet, 361(9360), 880-880. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12692-X
Spronk, P., Ince, C., Gardien, M., Mathura, K., Straaten, H., & Zandstra, D. (2002) Nitroglycerin in septic shock after intravascular volume resuscitation. The Lancet, 360(9343), 1395-1396. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11393-6
- April 15, 2013
- 12:00 PM
- 897 views
The Taste of Beer May Stir Alcohol Cravings
by Shawn Radcliffe in Shawn Radcliffe | Health and Science Writer
Beer can be an acquired taste, but the taste of beer can still affect your brain's reward center and may increase alcohol cravings.... Read more »
Oberlin, B., Dzemidzic, M., Tran, S., Soeurt, C., Albrecht, D., Yoder, K., & Kareken, D. (2013) Beer Flavor Provokes Striatal Dopamine Release in Male Drinkers: Mediation by Family History of Alcoholism. Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.91
- April 12, 2013
- 01:28 AM
- 775 views
A new cure for insomnia?
by Shelly Fan in Neurorexia
Many a nights I’ve tossed and turned, willing my brain to STFU and let me sleep. I’m not alone in this battle. 10-15% of adults suffer from insomnia, and up to a third take prescription sleeping pills to bring on the snooze – for a heavy cognitive price. Current sleeping drugs, such as Ambien and [...]... Read more »
Uslaner JM, Tye SJ, Eddins DM, Wang X, Fox SV, Savitz AT, Binns J, Cannon CE, Garson SL, Yao L.... (2013) Orexin receptor antagonists differ from standard sleep drugs by promoting sleep at doses that do not disrupt cognition. Science translational medicine, 5(179). PMID: 23552372
- April 11, 2013
- 10:50 AM
- 698 views
Human organ-on-chips: An alternative approach to drug and toxin testing?
by Professor Donald Ingber in NC3Rs Blog
In this first post, our 2012 NC3Rs 3Rs Prize winner, Professor Donald Ingber at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, USA, describes how his prize-winning lung-on-a-chip microdevice could change the face of how we test drugs and model human disease in the future.... Read more »
Huh, D., Leslie, D., Matthews, B., Fraser, J., Jurek, S., Hamilton, G., Thorneloe, K., McAlexander, M., & Ingber, D. (2012) A Human Disease Model of Drug Toxicity-Induced Pulmonary Edema in a Lung-on-a-Chip Microdevice. Science Translational Medicine, 4(159), 159-159. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3004249
- April 2, 2013
- 07:52 PM
- 874 views
Antidepressant epigenetic action of a common fitness supplement
by Shelly Fan in Neurorexia
A short note on the history of antidepressant research: From MAOIs/SSRIs to ketamine and BDNF Traditional antidepressants, like Prozac, don’t work too well. Back in the 50s, researchers thought that depression was caused by a depletion of a group of neurotransmitters in the brain known chemically as the monoamines (i.e. serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine). Hence, the [...]... Read more »
Nasca C, Xenos D, Barone Y, Caruso A, Scaccianoce S, Matrisciano F, Battaglia G, Mathé AA, Pittaluga A, Lionetto L.... (2013) L-acetylcarnitine causes rapid antidepressant effects through the epigenetic induction of mGlu2 receptors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(12), 4804-9. PMID: 23382250
- April 2, 2013
- 11:28 AM
- 862 views
Film preparations for oral drug delivery
by Maren Preis in Pharmaceutical Solid State Research Cluster (PSSRC)
Oral films have gained interest in the last couple of years. Films for oral application offer an interesting new approach for drug administration. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) can be implemented in thin-sheeted polymer film matrices. These dosage forms are intended to be placed in mouth to dissolve in the saliva without the need of additional liquid and without swallowing of a solid dosage form.... Read more »
Preis, M., Pein, M., & Breitkreutz, J. (2012) Development of a Taste-Masked Orodispersible Film Containing Dimenhydrinate. Pharmaceutics, 4(4), 551-562. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics4040551
Garsuch V, & Breitkreutz J. (2010) Comparative investigations on different polymers for the preparation of fast-dissolving oral films. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology, 62(4), 539-45. PMID: 20604845
Hoffmann EM, Breitenbach A, & Breitkreutz J. (2011) Advances in orodispersible films for drug delivery. Expert opinion on drug delivery, 8(3), 299-316. PMID: 21284577
Janßen E.M., Schliephacke R,, Breitenbach A,, & Breitkreutz J. (2013) Drug-printing by flexographic printing technology—A new manufacturing process for orodispersible films. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 441(1-2), 818-825. info:/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2012.12.023
Garsuch V, & Breitkreutz J. (2009) Novel analytical methods for the characterization of oral wafers. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 73(1), 195-201. PMID: 19482082
Woertz K, Tissen C, Kleinebudde P, & Breitkreutz J. (2011) Taste sensing systems (electronic tongues) for pharmaceutical applications. International journal of pharmaceutics, 417(1-2), 256-71. PMID: 21094230
- March 29, 2013
- 06:41 PM
- 858 views
Antibodies stymie rheumatoid arthritis
by Valerie Ashton in The Molecular Scribe
What do comedian Lucille Ball, impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, actress Kathleen Turner, chemist Dorothy Hodgkin and physician Christiaan Barnard share in common? Apart from being famous, they all had rheumatoid arthritis.... Read more »
Scott DL, Wolfe F, & Huizinga TW. (2010) Rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet, 376(9746), 1094-108. PMID: 20870100
John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science. (2012) Drug Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Comparative Effectiveness. Agency for Heathcare Research and Quality. PMID: 23285486
Maini RN, & Taylor PC. (2000) Anti-cytokine therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Annual review of medicine, 207-29. PMID: 10774461
Bartelds GM, Krieckaert CL, Nurmohamed MT, van Schouwenburg PA, Lems WF, Twisk JW, Dijkmans BA, Aarden L, & Wolbink GJ. (2011) Development of antidrug antibodies against adalimumab and association with disease activity and treatment failure during long-term follow-up. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association, 305(14), 1460-8. PMID: 21486979
Scolnik PA. (2009) mAbs: a business perspective. mAbs, 1(2), 179-84. PMID: 20061824
- March 22, 2013
- 10:00 AM
- 876 views
Equipoise and Ethics and IRBs, Oh My!
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
In the comments to what I wrote yesterday about seizures and a study comparing lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), and placebo,[1] Brooks Walsh had the following comment –
"Although I’ve read the study before, I am only wondering now how the IRB for Alldredge 2001 thought there was 'equipoise' between placebo and benzos."... Read more »
Alldredge BK, Gelb AM, Isaacs SM, Corry MD, Allen F, Ulrich S, Gottwald MD, O’Neil N, Neuhaus JM, Segal MR, Lowenstein DH. (2001) A Comparison of Lorazepam, Diazepam, and Placebo for the Treatment of Out-of-Hospital Status Epilepticus. New England Journal of Medicine, 345(25), 1860-1860. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM200112203452521
Callaway, C. (2012) Questioning the Use of Epinephrine to Treat Cardiac Arrest. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(11), 1198. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2012.313
Hagihara A, Hasegawa M, Abe T, Nagata T, Wakata Y, Miyazaki S. (2012) Prehospital Epinephrine Use and Survival Among Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(11), 1161. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2012.294
- March 13, 2013
- 08:00 AM
- 1,792 views
One Man’s Poison Is Another Man’s Cure
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
In the early 16th century Paracelsus stated that it is the dose that makes the poison. He had to be thinking about botulinum toxin. This most potent of all toxins known to man has been used as a cosmetic agent for several years, but is now moving into the realm of the necessary pharmacopia, not merely the vanity market.
Use as a muscle relaxant in spasmodic dysphonic and even plantar fasciitis is common now, but a new study links botulinum toxin to chronic pain treatment. It seems that opiod........ Read more »
Vacca, V., Marinelli, S., Luvisetto, S., & Pavone, F. (2013) Botulinum toxin A increases analgesic effects of morphine, counters development of morphine tolerance and modulates glia activation and μ opioid receptor expression in neuropathic mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.01.088
- February 20, 2013
- 10:05 PM
- 1,046 views
Polypharmacology – a novel and rising concept in treatment of the diseases
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Polypharmacology is the rising innovative concept that focuses on the multi-target drugs. This field is separated from the classical “one drug, one target” philosophy.
This concept has been gaining a growing attention since the 1990s.
Definition of Polypharmacology:
Polypharmacology is the treatment of diseases by modulating more than one target.
According to Andrew L. Hopkins from Department of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, University of Dundee, UK, Polyph........ Read more »
Durrant, J., Amaro, R., Xie, L., Urbaniak, M., Ferguson, M., Haapalainen, A., Chen, Z., Di Guilmi, A., Wunder, F., Bourne, P.... (2010) A Multidimensional Strategy to Detect Polypharmacological Targets in the Absence of Structural and Sequence Homology. PLoS Computational Biology, 6(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000648
- February 14, 2013
- 07:20 PM
- 779 views
Antiviral drugs to fight the flu: yes or no?
Disclaimer: I'm not a medical doctor. I cannot recommend taking or not taking a certain drug. However, I am a human being, I've got kids who do get sick from time to time, and I work on viruses. So when I heard that people were battling the unusually nasty flu this year with antiviral drugs, well, I had to do a bit of research. Antiviral drugs have become increasingly popular after the highly pathogenic avian flu strain emerged. The idea is that in order to be prepared for a possible pandemic, w........ Read more »
Jefferson, T., Jones, M., Doshi, P., & Del Mar, C. (2009) Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ, 339(dec07 2). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b5106
Kay Wang, Matthew Shun-Shin, Peter Gill, Rafael Perera, Anthony Harnden. (2012) Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in children (published trials only). The Cochrane Library. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002744.pub4
Tom Jefferson, Mark A Jones, Peter Doshi, Chris B Del Mar, Carl J Heneghan, Rokuro Hama, Matthew J Thompson. (2012) Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children. The Cochrane Library. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008965.pub3
Urushihara, H., Doi, Y., Arai, M., Matsunaga, T., Fujii, Y., Iino, N., Kawamura, T., & Kawakami, K. (2011) Oseltamivir Prescription and Regulatory Actions Vis-à-Vis Abnormal Behavior Risk in Japan: Drug Utilization Study Using a Nationwide Pharmacy Database. PLoS ONE, 6(12). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028483
- February 11, 2013
- 12:02 PM
- 631 views
A GPS for Personalized Medicine
by Matt Wood in ScienceLife
The 1200 Patients Project creates a database of how patients with particular genetic profiles react to specific drugs, and then puts that information online to help doctors make better decisions for their patients.... Read more »
O'Donnell PH, Bush A, Spitz J, Danahey K, Saner D, Das S, Cox NJ, & Ratain MJ. (2012) The 1200 patients project: creating a new medical model system for clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics. Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, 92(4), 446-9. PMID: 22929923
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