Drugs News and Research

RSS

Designer molecules that combine metals such as copper with natural organic materials could treat diseases in the body

That's the finding of chemists at Ohio State University, who have successfully tested such molecules against portions of HIV and Hepatitis C virus RNA in the laboratory. They've also created molecules that act like ACE, or angiotensin-converting enzyme, inhibitors - drugs that are used to lower blood pressure.

30 Aug 2005

Opiate drugs such as morphine leave animals more vulnerable to stress

A new study has found that opiate drugs such as morphine leave animals more vulnerable to stress. This means that stress and opiates are in a vicious cycle: Not only does stress trigger drug use, but in return the drug leaves animals more vulnerable to stress.

30 Aug 2005

Australian National University facility to help reveal secrets of life

High technology that will enhance the ability of biologists to conduct cutting-edge research has been opened at the Research School of Biological Sciences (RSBS) at the Australian National University.

30 Aug 2005

Teenage drug use can lead to adult addiction and heart attack

A new study from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne may help explain why people who experimented with amphetamines, such as 'speed', as teenagers are more likely to become addicted and more susceptible to heart attack following re-use of the drug as adults.

30 Aug 2005

Bush pushing seniors to sign up for prescription drug benefit program

Senior citizens skeptical about signing up for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit program, are being urged by President George Bush to enroll in the scheme which is promising a choice of plans with monthly premiums as low as $20.

30 Aug 2005

Asthmatics don't need to hear the word "wheeze"

According to a new study, as far as asthmatics are concerned, just the mention of words such as "wheeze" can activate an attack.

30 Aug 2005

Statins reduce heart attack deaths by 50%

According to a U.S. study, giving a heart attack patient a statin drug as soon as possible reduces the chance he or she will die by 50 percent.

30 Aug 2005

Blocking Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) with anticancer drugs

A class of anticancer drugs currently being evaluated in phase 3 clinical trials may also be an effective treatment for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a fatal genetic disorder that causes premature aging.

29 Aug 2005

Drugs known as farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) may hold promise for premature aging disorder

In a surprising development, a research team led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), has found that a class of experimental anti-cancer drugs also shows promise in laboratory studies for treating a fatal genetic disorder that causes premature aging.

29 Aug 2005

Relative of the celebrated COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib is tough tumor fighter

A close structural relative of the celebrated COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (brand name: Celebrex) is a potent tumor fighter, able to wipe out tumor cells that are resistant to conventional chemotherapies, according to an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Southern California.

29 Aug 2005

First genetic evidence that protein synthesis is critical for the regulation of memory formation

A group of Montreal researchers has discovered that GCN2, a protein in cells that inhibits the conversion of new information into long-term memory, may be a master regulator of the switch from short-term to long-term memory.

29 Aug 2005

Depressant benzodiazepine especially effective at treating seizure in alcohol withdrawal syndrome patients

Tranquilizers work better than placebos at treating the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome but they may not work better than other drugs, according to a new review of recent studies.

29 Aug 2005

New laboratory method for quickly detecting active anthrax proteins

A new laboratory method for quickly detecting active anthrax proteins within an infected blood sample at extremely low levels has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Cancer Institute.

29 Aug 2005

Molecular missing link between fasting and acute attacks of porphyria

A team of researchers has discovered a molecular missing link that helps explain why fasting brings on acute attacks of the genetic disease hepatic porphyria, according to a new report in the 26 August issue of the journal Cell.

29 Aug 2005

Leading medical journal says homeopathy no better than dummy drugs

Leading medical journal The Lancet has rubbished homeopathy and says it is no more value than dummy drugs.

29 Aug 2005

Supermolecules strike blow to cancer cells

Chemistry and biology researchers at Virginia Tech have enhanced the abilities of the molecules they are creating to deliver killing blows to cancer cells. The man-made molecular complexes enter cancer cells and, when signaled, deliver killing medicine or cause the cell to change.

29 Aug 2005

Minimally invasive prostate removal aided by a robot has possible benefits, high cost

Although minimally invasive prostate removal aided by a robot can lead to less blood loss, shorter hospital stays and fewer complications, there is no evidence that the procedure improves cure rates, according to a new technology assessment.

29 Aug 2005

Study reveals functional link between emotion processing centers in the brain and certain physiological processes relevant to disease

The mere mention of a stressful word like "wheeze" can activate two brain regions in asthmatics during an attack, and this brain activity may be associated with more severe asthma symptoms, according to a study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers and collaborators.

29 Aug 2005

New vaccine protects more effectively against tuberculosis

Max Planck researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which the new genetically engineered tuberculosis vaccine functions.

28 Aug 2005

Neurotransmitter orexin influences reward processing - associated with pleasure and reward pathways in the brain

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that the recently identified neurotransmitter orexin (also known as hypocretin) influences reward processing by activating neurons in the lateral hypothalamus region of the brain.

28 Aug 2005