All posts; Tags Include "Pharmacology"
- December 7, 2012
- 04:28 AM
- 226 views
Fasting could help epileptic patients in their treatment; Research
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Researchers have found that fasting could help the patients of epilepsy in the treatment.
This research has been published online in the journal of Epilepsy Research.
Researchers did a little study and worked on children with epileptic disorder and found that high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, if combined with periodic fasting, could lead to better therapy in the children with persistent and drug-resistant seizures.
"Our findings suggest that fasting does not merely intensi........ Read more »
Hartman, A., Rubenstein, J., & Kossoff, E. (2012) Intermittent fasting: A “new” historical strategy for controlling seizures?. Epilepsy Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2012.10.011
- December 6, 2012
- 11:39 PM
- 426 views
Research suggestions for H5N1 influenza virus infection
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
H5N1 influenza virus infection is a problem for which there is no experience of real-life treatment.
This infection results in varying number of mortality rates in the different countries and the factors associated with the host, virus and/or medical intervention resulting in this difference is still not known. Moreover, Indonesia, which has the greatest number of H5N1 human cases and mortalities in the world, has no clear seasonal pattern for this infection. Genetic variations of this virus ........ Read more »
To, K., Ng, K., Que, T., Chan, J., Tsang, K., Tsang, A., Chen, H., & Yuen, K. (2012) Avian influenza A H5N1 virus: a continuous threat to humans. Emerging Microbes , 1(9). DOI: 10.1038/emi.2012.24
Davis, C., Balish, A., O'Neill, E., Nguyen, C., Cox, N., Xiyan, X., Klimov, A., Nguyen, T., & Donis, R. (2010) Detection and Characterization of Clade 7 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses in Chickens Seized at Ports of Entry and Live Poultry Markets in Vietnam. Avian Diseases, 54(s1), 307-312. DOI: 10.1637/8801-040109-ResNote.1
- December 3, 2012
- 09:34 PM
- 307 views
Bacteria in intestine needs iron to stay there; Research
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Researchers have found that iron is important for infections causing bacteria.
This research has been published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
Researchers in this study have shown the mechanism through which the bacteria accumulate in the body of the animals resulting in the first stages of microbial disease.
"This paper establishes that iron uptake in the host is a crucial parameter in bacterial infection of animals," Phillip Klebba, professor and head of the department of b........ Read more »
Pi, H., Jones, S., Mercer, L., Meador, J., Caughron, J., Jordan, L., Newton, S., Conway, T., & Klebba, P. (2012) Role of Catecholate Siderophores in Gram-Negative Bacterial Colonization of the Mouse Gut. PLoS ONE, 7(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050020
- December 3, 2012
- 11:20 AM
- 341 views
Cellular component that is important in mobility of cancer cells; Research
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Scientists have found a cellular component that is involved in mobility of cancer to other body parts and inhibition of which could increase the tumor formation.
This research has been published online in the journal Cancer Cell.
Scientists in this study worked on various animal models including chicken, zebrafish and mouse, and patient samples and have found a cellular component; Prrx1 that stops the cancer cells from staying in organs.
Usually metastasis – spread of cancer from ........ Read more »
Ocaña, O., Córcoles, R., Fabra, �., Moreno-Bueno, G., Acloque, H., Vega, S., Barrallo-Gimeno, A., Cano, A., & Nieto, M. (2012) Metastatic Colonization Requires the Repression of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Inducer Prrx1. Cancer Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.10.012
- November 29, 2012
- 08:30 PM
- 394 views
Is Digoxin a Killer?
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is an antiarrhythmic drug, which means that it is also a proarrhythmic drug. Any drug that affects the heart’s conduction system can produced changes that are bad, good, or a combination of the two. Digoxin has been associated with a higher death rate, but is that because it is prescribed to sicker patients?... Read more »
Whitbeck, M., Charnigo, R., Khairy, P., Ziada, K., Bailey, A., Zegarra, M., Shah, J., Morales, G., Macaulay, T., Sorrell, V.... (2012) Increased mortality among patients taking digoxin-analysis from the AFFIRM study. European Heart Journal. DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehs348
- November 27, 2012
- 12:33 PM
- 424 views
Ecstasy Used for Treating PTSD Proven Effective
by DJ Busby in Astronasty
Just like medical marijuana, another illicit drug heals.... Read more »
Mithoefer, M., Wagner, M., Mithoefer, A., Jerome, L., & Doblin, R. (2010) The safety and efficacy of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(4), 439-452. DOI: 10.1177/0269881110378371
- November 20, 2012
- 08:00 AM
- 689 views
A Meal More Powerful Than The NFL
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Tryptophan gets a bad rap at Thanksgiving. This essential amino acid is indeed a part of the well-being and sleep promoting cascades, but it is so much more. Recent evidence shows that tryptophan and its metabolism have significant effects on mood. For example, polymorphisms in tryptophan hydroxylase are associated with suicidal ideation during treatment of depression, a lack of dietary tryptophan is associated with relapse in bulimics, while increased tryptophan can prevent seizures in epilepti........ Read more »
Musil, R., Zill, P., Seemüller, F., Bondy, B., Meyer, S., Spellmann, I., Bender, W., Adli, M., Heuser, I., Fisher, R.... (2012) Genetics of emergent suicidality during antidepressive treatment—Data from a naturalistic study on a large sample of inpatients with a major depressive episode. European Neuropsychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2012.08.009
Russo, E., Scicchitano, F., Citraro, R., Aiello, R., Camastra, C., Mainardi, P., Chimirri, S., Perucca, E., Donato, G., & De Sarro, G. (2012) Protective activity of α-lactoalbumin (ALAC), a whey protein rich in tryptophan, in rodent models of epileptogenesis. Neuroscience, 282-288. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.09.021
- November 17, 2012
- 05:59 AM
- 441 views
Amelioration of Colitis by Parasites - or "An Elliott & Weinstock Special"
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
Common parasites such as Blastocystis and Dientamoeba fragilis are often incriminated of causing chronic or intermittent diarrhoea or other intestinal symptoms despite the absence of compelling evidence. What most of us probably fail to realise is that parasites may actually prevent and ameliorate intestinal illness, including inflammatory bowel disease, other types of colitis, and other types of autoimmune diseases.... Read more »
Jostins L, Ripke S, Weersma RK, Duerr RH, McGovern DP, Hui KY, Lee JC, Schumm LP, Sharma Y, Anderson CA.... (2012) Host-microbe interactions have shaped the genetic architecture of inflammatory bowel disease. Nature, 491(7422), 119-24. PMID: 23128233
Berger, A. (2000) Science commentary: Th1 and Th2 responses: what are they?. BMJ, 321(7258), 424-424. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.321.7258.424
Elliott, D., & Weinstock, J. (2012) Where are we on worms?. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 28(6), 551-556. DOI: 10.1097/MOG.0b013e3283572f73
Elliott, D., & Weinstock, J. (2012) Helminth-host immunological interactions: prevention and control of immune-mediated diseases. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1247(1), 83-96. DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06292.x
Weinstock, J. (2012) Autoimmunity: The worm returns. Nature, 491(7423), 183-185. DOI: 10.1038/491183a
Elliott DE, Summers RW, & Weinstock JV. (2007) Helminths as governors of immune-mediated inflammation. International journal for parasitology, 37(5), 457-64. PMID: 17313951
- November 14, 2012
- 08:00 PM
- 291 views
Is a clot-busting drug safe for 6 hours after stroke symptom onset – or only for an hour and a half? – Part II
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
It has been a couple of months since I wrote Part I and I have not been that motivated to write this part, but Dr. Jerome R Hoffman and Dr. Richelle J Cooper have been busy with the topic. Their paper appears in the current Emergency Medicine Australasia.
"Just before the release of the results of the third inter-national stroke trial (IST-3),1 the largest trial of thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), the journal Stroke published a remarkable pre-emptive strike – a comm........ Read more »
Hoffman, J., & Cooper, R. (2012) How is more negative evidence being used to support claims of benefit: The curious case of the third international stroke trial (IST-3). Emergency Medicine Australasia, 24(5), 473-476. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2012.01604.x
Lyden PD. (2012) In anticipation of International Stroke Trial-3 (IST-3). Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation, 43(6), 1691-4. PMID: 22556196
IST-3 collaborative group, Sandercock P, Wardlaw JM, Lindley RI, Dennis M, Cohen G, Murray G, Innes K, Venables G, Czlonkowska A.... (2012) The benefits and harms of intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator within 6 h of acute ischaemic stroke (the third international stroke trial [IST-3]): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 379(9834), 2352-63. PMID: 22632908
- November 14, 2012
- 08:00 AM
- 520 views
Tricky Little Buggers
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Evolution brings wisdom with age – and bacteria are ancient. Bacteria have evolved defenses ranging from evasion or inhibition of immune systems to protecting crucial functions from environmental injury. But recent work has focused on bacteriocin toxins and the ability of bacteria to attack or inhibit other bacteria. New studies have identified spring-loaded spikes that can be assembled and disassembled for puncturing other bacteria and delivering bacteriocins, while other work is focused ........ Read more »
Basler, M., Pilhofer, M., Henderson, G., Jensen, G., & Mekalanos, J. (2012) Type VI secretion requires a dynamic contractile phage tail-like structure. Nature, 483(7388), 182-186. DOI: 10.1038/nature10846
Saeidi, N., Wong, C., Lo, T., Nguyen, H., Ling, H., Leong, S., Poh, C., & Chang, M. (2011) Engineering microbes to sense and eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a human pathogen. Molecular Systems Biology. DOI: 10.1038/msb.2011.55
- November 4, 2012
- 08:38 PM
- 540 views
Ketamine for depression via neurogenesis?
by TheCellularScale in The Cellular Scale
A lot of fuss has been made recently about the street drug "Special K" (ketamine). It's basically an anesthetic used in labs and veterinary offices to tranquilize mice, rats, cats, and (famously) horses, but recently its been lauded as a newer faster anti-depressant. Ketamine: from the dealer or from the doctor? (image source)The possibility that it might have near immediate anti-depressant effects on humans has been around for a little while, but the concept is picking up steam as new r........ Read more »
Duman RS, & Li N. (2012) A neurotrophic hypothesis of depression: role of synaptogenesis in the actions of NMDA receptor antagonists. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 367(1601), 2475-84. PMID: 22826346
Li N, Lee B, Liu RJ, Banasr M, Dwyer JM, Iwata M, Li XY, Aghajanian G, & Duman RS. (2010) mTOR-dependent synapse formation underlies the rapid antidepressant effects of NMDA antagonists. Science (New York, N.Y.), 329(5994), 959-64. PMID: 20724638
- November 1, 2012
- 11:25 AM
- 365 views
Red Bull and Driving Performance
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
In previous posts, I have examined some recent research using driving simulation technology. These posts examined the effect of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and sleep apnea on driving performance.In the next two posts, I will take a look at a couple of studies focusing on the effect of pharmacological and training interventions on driving performance. Driving simulators are very useful in examining the response to specific interventions on driving performance.Mets and her........ Read more »
Howland J, Rohsenow DJ, Arnedt JT, Bliss CA, Hunt SK, Calise TV, Heeren T, Winter M, Littlefield C, & Gottlieb DJ. (2011) The acute effects of caffeinated versus non-caffeinated alcoholic beverage on driving performance and attention/reaction time. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 106(2), 335-41. PMID: 21134017
- October 30, 2012
- 11:39 AM
- 377 views
Driving Simulation and Sleep Apnea
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
In a previous post, I examined a research study simulator of the effect of mild to moderateAlzheimer's disease on driving performance. This study found that even mild probable Alzheimer'sdisease subjects demonstrated significant impairment in a variety of driving performance domains.In this post, I will summarize three research studies related to driving performance in the sleepdisorder sleep apnea. The first study focused on changes in driving performance following theinitiatio........ Read more »
Vakulin A, Baulk SD, Catcheside PG, Antic NA, van den Heuvel CJ, Dorrian J, & McEvoy RD. (2011) Driving simulator performance remains impaired in patients with severe OSA after CPAP treatment. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 7(3), 246-53. PMID: 21677893
Williams SC, Marshall NS, Kennerson M, Rogers NL, Liu PY, & Grunstein RR. (2010) Modafinil effects during acute continuous positive airway pressure withdrawal: a randomized crossover double-blind placebo-controlled trial. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 181(8), 825-31. PMID: 20056901
Tippin J, Sparks J, & Rizzo M. (2009) Visual vigilance in drivers with obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of psychosomatic research, 67(2), 143-51. PMID: 19616141
- October 23, 2012
- 11:41 AM
- 360 views
Alcohol, Cannabis and Accident Risk
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
TThe magnitude of risk for motor vehicle accident (MVA) with alcohol consumption is well known. However, the risk for MVA with other drugs is less clear. Additionally, the risk for the combination of alcohol with other drugs has received limited study. This is despite the fact that alcohol-impaired drivers commonly have additional psychotropic and illicit drugs in their system. Kuypers and colleagues from the Netherlands and Belgium have recently published an informative s........ Read more »
Kuypers KP, Legrand SA, Ramaekers JG, & Verstraete AG. (2012) A case-control study estimating accident risk for alcohol, medicines and illegal drugs. PloS one, 7(8). PMID: 22952694
- October 19, 2012
- 02:58 PM
- 569 views
Does Marijuana Withdrawal Matter?
by Dirk Hanson in Addiction Inbox
What happens to some smokers when they cut out the cannabis.
People who say they are addicted to marijuana tend to exhibit a characteristic withdrawal profile. But is cannabis withdrawal, if it actually exists, significant enough to merit clinical attention? Does it lead to relapse, or continued use despite adverse circumstances? Should it be added to the list of addictive disorders in the rewrite of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) currently in progress?
Ma........ Read more »
Allsop, D., Copeland, J., Norberg, M., Fu, S., Molnar, A., Lewis, J., & Budney, A. (2012) Quantifying the Clinical Significance of Cannabis Withdrawal. PLoS ONE, 7(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044864
- October 17, 2012
- 04:00 PM
- 429 views
Nitroglycerin for Treatment of Acute, Hypertensive Heart Failure – Bolus, Drip or Both?
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
If standard doses of nitrate – NTG, ISDN, or ISMN improve outcomes for CHF/ADHF patients, and larger IV doses are more effective than standard doses,[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12] what method(s) of drug delivery works best?
High dose IV drip?
High dose IV bolus?
A high dose IV bolus combined with a high dose IV drip?... Read more »
Kwiatkowski, G.M.; Saely, S.; Purakal, J.; Mahajan, A.; Levy, P.D. (2012) Nitroglycerin for Treatment of Acute, Hypertensive Heart Failure - Bolus, Drip or Both?. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 60(4), 59-59. info:/
- October 11, 2012
- 07:15 PM
- 416 views
Is Epinephrine a Rat Poison AND a Human Poison?
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
Dr. Minh LeCong has been a proponent of epinephrine in cardiac arrest, but he is now realizing that the evidence in favor of epinephrine is weak, old, and limited to animal studies. In humans, the evidence for epinephrine is based on an unreasonable infatuation with the temporary production of a pulse.
... Read more »
Krishnamoorthy V, Hiller DB, Ripper R, Lin B, Vogel SM, Feinstein DL, Oswald S, Rothschild L, Hensel P, Rubinstein I.... (2012) Epinephrine Induces Rapid Deterioration in Pulmonary Oxygen Exchange in Intact, Anesthetized Rats: A Flow and Pulmonary Capillary Pressure-dependent Phenomenon. Anesthesiology, 117(4), 745-754. PMID: 22902967
- October 11, 2012
- 09:41 AM
- 438 views
Gene therapy goes... topical
The paper I'm discussing today is so cool, I don't know how I missed it when it came out last July. As the name implies, gene therapy is a technique used to "fix" defective genes either by replacing them with fully functional ones or by silencing them with the use of antisense RNA. Defective genes either fail to produce the proteins they code for, or produce defective proteins, thus causing genetic disorders. A defective gene can be silenced (so that it will no longer produce the defective prote........ Read more »
Dan Zheng, David A. Giljohann, David L. Chen, Matthew D. Massich, Xiao-Qi Wang, Hristo Iordanov, Chad A. Mirkina, & Amy S. Paller. (2012) Topical delivery of siRNA-based spherical nucleic acid nanoparticle conjugates for gene regulation. PNAS. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118425109
- October 3, 2012
- 10:58 AM
- 390 views
Nicotine, Neuropeptide Y and Weight
by William Yates, M.D. in Brain Posts
In a previous post, I summarized a review of the weight gain associated with smoking cessation. The mechanism for nicotine to influence appetite and energy metabolism is the topic of significant research.In this post I will take a look two studies. The first is a free access article summarizing the effects of cigarette smoking and brain regulation of energy metabolism. The second study examined the effect of smoking cessation on plasma neuropeptide Y and leptin levels.Chen and ........ Read more »
Chen H, Saad S, Sandow SL, & Bertrand PP. (2012) Cigarette smoking and brain regulation of energy homeostasis. Frontiers in pharmacology, 147. PMID: 22848202
Hussain T, Al-Daghri NM, Al-Attas OS, Draz HM, Abd Al-Rahman SH, & Yakout SM. (2012) Plasma neuropeptide Y levels relate cigarette smoking and smoking cessation to body weight regulation. Regulatory peptides, 176(1-3), 22-7. PMID: 22387704
- October 3, 2012
- 08:00 AM
- 589 views
The Dirt On Staying Healthy
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
The hygiene hypothesis states that our modern environments are too clean to be healthy. Triclosan use in antimicrobial products may contribute to the increases in asthma and allergy. New evidence suggests that triclosan causes specific problems with cardiac and voluntary muscle function, as well as contributing to bacterial resistance and food allergy. The link between triclosan, allergy and hygiene is growing.... Read more »
Gennady Cherednichenkoa, Rui Zhanga, Roger A. Bannisterb,Valeriy Timofeyevc, Ning Lic, Erika B. Fritscha, Wei Fenga, Genaro C. Barrientosa, Nils H. Schebbd, Bruce D. Hammockd, Kurt G. Beame, Nipavan Chiamvimonvatc, and Isaac N. Pessaha. (2012) Triclosan impairs excitation–contraction coupling and Ca2 dynamics in striated muscle. PNAS. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211314109
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