Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Suicide victims who were abused have genetic brain difference

Canadian researchers have found that childhood abuse victims who later commit suicide have marked genetic differences in their brains.

7 May 2008

Blocked brain enzyme shows potential as target for appetite control, weight loss and blood sugar management

Imagine being able to tone down appetite and promote weight loss, while improving the body's ability to handle blood sugar levels.

6 May 2008

New understanding of how a mole develops into melanoma

Researchers have discovered how a mole develops into melanoma by showing the interaction of two key proteins involved in 60-70 percent of tumors. The Penn State scientists also demonstrate that therapeutic targeting of these proteins is necessary for drugs to effectively treat this deadly form of cancer.

6 May 2008

Drinking patterns in adolescents may be set after only a few exposures to alcohol

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have shown a connection between early drinking patterns and a tendency to be a heavy drinker in adulthood, in a study of adolescent rats.

5 May 2008

Discovery of new way to prevent cardiac fibrosis

In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis - the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage - researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response.

22 Apr 2008

Chronic inflammation triggers cell fusions that could protect neurons

Chronic inflammation triggers bone marrow-derived blood cells to travel to the brain and fuse with a certain type of neuron up to 100 times more frequently than previously believed, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

20 Apr 2008

Experimental study on most common form of heart valve disease in Western countries may lead to new treatments

A team of scientists from the University of Montreal and the Montreal Heart Institute Research Centre, led by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, has completed an important study that show how a new type of medication can lead to an improvement in the aortic valve narrowing

18 Apr 2008

Inhibiting stress oxidant may be new therapy for COPD

The study "Oxidative Stress is an Important Component of Airway Inflammation in Mice Exposed to Cigarette Smoke or Lipopolysaccharide" investigates the inflammatory responses in oxidative stress-deficient mice exposed to cigarette smoke.

18 Apr 2008

Naftidrofuryl for leg pain

Patients with pain caused by narrowed arteries in their legs have 37% more pain-free walking if they take naftidrofuryl (200mg three times a day) than those taking placebos, a Cochrane Review has found.

17 Apr 2008

Purdue's new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu

A new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu and its evolving forms, according to researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who discovered the new preventative drug and have tested it in mice.

17 Apr 2008

Stem cell marker controls two key cancer pathways

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that a gene associated with human breast stem cells can stimulate development of mammary cells by activating two critical cancer pathways.

15 Apr 2008

Brain study may lead to improved epilepsy treatments

Using a rodent model of epilepsy, researchers found one of the body's own neurotransmitters released during seizures, glutamate, turns on a signaling pathway in the brain that increases production of a protein that could reduce medication entry into the brain.

15 Apr 2008

Targeted therapy combo overcomes treatment resistance in liver cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Abramson Cancer Center reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research that combining two targeted therapies overcomes treatment resistance in liver cancer cell lines.

13 Apr 2008

Targeted therapies overcome treatment resistance in liver cancer cell lines

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Abramson Cancer Center reported today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research that combining two targeted therapies overcomes treatment resistance in liver cancer cell lines.

13 Apr 2008

Rreishi mushroom and green tea for cancer prevention

Both the reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum; Lingzhi) and green tea have long held a place in traditional medicine in China and other Asian countries, for the general promotion of health and long life and for the treatment of specific diseases.

9 Apr 2008

Stress worsens symptoms of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a poorly understood condition that incapacitates and affects the productivity and lifestyle of millions of women around the world.

8 Apr 2008

New decontamination agent

A new decontamination agent devised by US chemists can deactivate toxic chemicals such as nerve agents and pesticides - leaving only non-toxic, easily disposable by-products, according to research in the New Journal of Chemistry.

8 Apr 2008

Roswell Park Cancer Institute awarded three-years funding for ovarian cancer vaccine

The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund has awarded a $900,000 research grant to Kunle Odunsi, MD, Department of Gynecologic Oncology, and his colleagues at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) to collaborate on developing a promising vaccine to unleash the power of the immune system against cancer.

7 Apr 2008

New research in monkeys may lead to new strategy for treating cocaine addiction

New research in monkeys suggests the feasibility of treating cocaine addiction with a "replacement" drug that mimics the effects of cocaine but has less potential for abuse - similar to the way nicotine and heroin addictions are treated.

7 Apr 2008

Cholesterol in Parkinson's disease

In 2006, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers published a study that found people with low levels of LDL cholesterol are more likely to have Parkinson's disease than people with high LDL levels.

7 Apr 2008