Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Bifunctional nanobodies with antitoxin potencies could protect against botulinum neurotoxins

New study reveals potential for developing novel antibody-based antitoxins against botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), including the most commonly used, yet most toxic one, Botox.

27 Feb 2020

Cases of poisoning attributed to manipulated cannabidiol liquids in e-cigarettes

The health risks of e-cigarettes have come into focus after the deaths of several “vapers” due to lung injury in the USA recently.

27 Feb 2020

Large non-protein coding gene regulates process vital to placental implantation in early pregnancy

Abnormal formation and growth of the placenta is considered an underlying cause of various pregnancy complications such as miscarriages, preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction.

25 Feb 2020

Prolonged exposure to a pair of antioxidant proteins may fuel liver enlargement

All life is challenged by oxidants -- reactive molecules or compounds that remove electrons from other molecules -- often with adverse effect, commonly referred to as oxidative stress.

25 Feb 2020

Discovery may open up new avenues into improving cancer immunotherapy

New cancer immunotherapy approaches are revolutionizing treatment options for breast cancer patients. However, many lead to insufficient immune responses rendering the therapies incapable of completely eradicating tumors.

23 Feb 2020

More research urgently needed on the use of antibiotics in animals

A special issue of Animal Health Research Reviews turns the spotlight on the science underlying this growing crisis - looking at the evidence base for using antibiotics to prevent illness in beef and dairy cattle, swine, and broiler poultry.

23 Feb 2020

New study uncovers human genes controlling HIV infection

Viruses are parasites. The only way they can grow is by hijacking their hosts. When they infect a human host, viruses use human proteins to multiply and modify the human cells to sustain the infection. At the same time, the human host activates defense mechanisms to fight the infection.

20 Feb 2020

Targeted combinatorial drug treatment restores beta cell function in mice

The loss of the identity of insulin-secreting beta cells in the islet of Langerhans, a process also called beta cell dedifferentiation, has been proposed to be a main reason for the development of diabetes.

20 Feb 2020

The fat around our arteries may play key role in keeping the blood vessels healthy

A Michigan State University researcher is adding new evidence to the argument that the fat around our arteries may play an important role in keeping those blood vessels healthy.

20 Feb 2020

Researchers identify possible new therapy for concussion-related headaches

As she jumped to head a soccer ball during her junior year of college, Kelly Farrell collided skulls with a teammate. She later was diagnosed with a concussion, which proved to be severely debilitating.

19 Feb 2020

Researchers find the potential of opioid drug to help mask fear memory

Anxiety disorders such as phobias and PTSD are fairly common problems in society. One of the prime causes of anxiety disorders is the inability to overcome the fear for certain contexts when they no longer apply.

19 Feb 2020

Study reveals underlying mechanism for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias

Low oxygen levels in the heart have long been known to produce life-threatening arrhythmias, even sudden death. Until now, it was not clear how.

18 Feb 2020

NUS researchers identify new protein to prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

A team of researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has identified a novel protein that would prevent the development of neuropathy in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy.

18 Feb 2020

Antioxidant in mushrooms may relieve symptoms of pre-eclampsia

Pregnancy hypertension, or Pre-eclampsia, is a complex disorder of pregnancy. Treatment of elevated blood pressure can manage the condition in the mother, but in severe cases delivery is needed, which can present a major problem to the baby if it is born prematurely.

18 Feb 2020

Research suggests new approach to block tau pathology in FTLD, Alzheimer's

The protein β-arrestin-2 increases the accumulation of neurotoxic tau tangles, a cause several forms of dementia, by interfering with removal of excess tau from the brain, a new study by the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine found.

17 Feb 2020

Scientists pinpoint protein that plays key role in lung cancer and melanoma progression

Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University, University of Geneva (Switzerland), Minjiang University, and Fuzhou University (China) pointed out WDR74 protein playing an important role in lung cancer and melanoma primary tumors/metastases progression.

16 Feb 2020

UIC researchers discover unique organ-specific signatures for endothelial cells

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered that endothelial cells - those that create the inner lining of blood vessels - have unique genetic signatures based on their location in the body.

14 Feb 2020

Treating soft tissue sarcoma with shorter radiation treatment found to be safe, effective

A new study led by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that treating soft tissue sarcoma with radiation over a significantly shorter period of time is safe, and likely just as effective, as a much longer conventional course of treatment.

13 Feb 2020

Molecular study defines the contributions of key genes, proteins to endometrial cancer

The most comprehensive molecular study of endometrial cancer to date has further defined the contributions of key genes and proteins to the disease, say its authors.

13 Feb 2020