Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Prescription medications may affect 17-OHPC metabolism in women

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that prescription medications may affect the body's ability to metabolize 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), the only FDA approved medication for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth.

10 Feb 2012

EUSARNAD study focuses on anxiety disorders

Researchers from the University of Southampton are leading an international research exchange that aims to develop a greater understanding of anxiety disorders and develop more effective treatments for patients.

8 Feb 2012

Scientists reveal how psychostimulant drugs work to control hyperactivity

It has long been known that psychostimulant drugs have the paradoxical effect of reducing hyperactivity. [Psychostimulant drugs include methylphenidate - known by the trade names Ritalin, Concerta, and Methylin - and methamphetamine]. Since the mid-1950s, millions of children and adults have been prescribed stimulant medications to control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

8 Feb 2012

Soft drink consumption associated with increased chance of asthma, COPD

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that a high level of soft drink consumption is associated with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

8 Feb 2012

FGF21 hormone causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice

An endocrine hormone used in clinical trials as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drug causes significant and rapid bone loss in mice, raising concerns about its safe use, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have shown.

7 Feb 2012

High soft drink consumption associated with asthma and COPD

A new study published in the journal Respirology reveals that a high level of soft drink consumption is associated with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

7 Feb 2012

TGen to host Pediatric Cancer Translational Genomics in Scottsdale

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) will host Pediatric Cancer Translational Genomics Feb. 6-8 at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, bringing together more than 150 leading pediatric cancer researchers, clinicians and foundations to promote the exchange of information and ideas for advancing pediatric cancer research and treatment.

7 Feb 2012

Epilepsy surgery improves QOL and long-term seizure control

While epilepsy surgery is a safe and effective intervention for seizure control, medical therapy remains the more prominent treatment option for those with epilepsy. However, a new 26-year study reveals that following epilepsy surgery, nearly half of participants were free of disabling seizures and 80% reported better quality of life than before surgery.

7 Feb 2012

Mineral and multivitamin supplements can lower risk of colon cancer

Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (CJPP) found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.

4 Feb 2012

AACN launches Critical Care Pharmacology

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and Elsevier | MC Strategies announce the launch of AACN: Critical Care Pharmacology, a comprehensive, evidence-based online nursing course to help nurses further develop their competencies in the safe administration of medications commonly used in critical care.

4 Feb 2012

Addiction could be a legacy from parents: Study

Researchers have found that like other inherited traits – addiction could be a legacy from parents. A child of drug-addicted parents is eight times more likely to become an addict than a child growing up in a drug-free home. However in families whose very brains seem primed for addiction, some children still go on to lead productive lives free of drugs, according to new research.

3 Feb 2012

Binge drinking and moderate drinking do not differ in risk for ischemic heart disease or mortality

Most studies have found that binge drinking is associated with a loss of alcohol's protective effect against ischemic heart disease (IHD) and most studies have found an increase of coronary risk among binge drinkers.

3 Feb 2012

GIS study sheds light on complex regulation of gene expression

2 Feb 2012

Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit to be held Feb. 23-25

The final agenda is now available online for the Complex PCI: Left Main and CTO Summit at http://www.complexpci.com/conference/agenda.html. The Summit is a three-day conference featuring state-of-the-art technologies, research findings and new developments in therapeutic procedures essential for interventional cardiologists to optimize success in chronic total coronary occlusions and left main coronary interventions.

2 Feb 2012

Scientists reveal novel mechanism underpinning age-dependent changes to cognitive abilities

New findings, led by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol and published this week in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, reveal a novel mechanism through which the brain may become more reluctant to function as we grow older.

2 Feb 2012

Researchers identify mechanism that leads to ischemia-reperfusion damage

For patients with incurable pulmonary conditions, a lung transplantation is the only available treatment option. However, suitable donor organs are scarce, and even getting them to prospective recipients is not easy. As Professor Alexander Dietrich of the Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at LMU explains, "An isolated lung which is no longer perfused with blood can become so severely damaged that it is no longer functional. This so-called ischemia-reperfusion injury is one of the major problems in the field of lung transplantation."

2 Feb 2012

Singapore scientists lead in 3D mapping of human genome

Genome Institute of Singapore's (GIS) Associate Director of Genomic Technologies, Dr Yijun RUAN, led a continuing study on the human genome spatial/structural configuration, revealing how genes interact/communicate and influence each other, even when they are located far away from each other. This discovery is crucial in understanding how human genes work together, and will re-write textbooks on how transcription regulation and coordination takes place in human cells.

1 Feb 2012

General anesthesia may lower recurrence risk in patients with HCC

For patients undergoing a minimally invasive treatment for liver cancer, the risk of recurrent cancer appears lower with general anesthesia compared to regional (epidural) anesthesia, reports a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

1 Feb 2012

Continuous wound infusion with local anesthetic reduces pain after hip surgery

In patients undergoing hip replacement surgery, using a special wound catheter to infuse local anesthetic directly into the hip joint provides significant and lasting improvements in postoperative pain control, reports a study in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

1 Feb 2012

e-health technology slashes hospital prescribing errors

Medication prescribing errors can be reduced by as much as 66 percent with the introduction of electronic prescribing technology in hospitals, new Australia-first research has found.

31 Jan 2012