_ Better Drugs for Diabetes? By Jane Farrell article New research has found that a crucial signaling pathway, already implicated in the development of cancer, is also linked to … Read More→
Obesity Are Weight Loss Drugs Fueling the Obesity Epidemic? By Jane Farrell article Consumers place great faith in weight loss pills and remedies, buying and using them more than ever before. American obesity … Read More→
_ Prescription Drugs What You Need to Know About Generic Drugs By Jane Farrell article EditorΓÇÖs note: No matter what prescription drugs youΓÇÖre taking, there are several issues you should be aware of: how effective … Read More→
_ An Update on Alzheimer's Drugs By article EditorΓÇÖs Note: AlzheimerΓÇÖs, a frightening and ultimately fatal disease, is becoming a more crucial issue with every passing year. An … Read More→
Prescription Drugs prescription medicines Safety Concerns About New Drugs By Sondra Forsyth article The authors of a study published in the August 2014 issue of Health Affairs contend that when the FDA approval process for medications changed in 1992 with the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which allowed the FDA to collect fees to expedite drug approvals, the new process may have led to the release of drugs before they could be adequately evaluated for safety issues.
Breast Cancer Some Cancers Respond to Anti-Inflammatory Drugs By Sondra Forsyth article Research done at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis raises the possibility that some cancer patients with aggressive tumors may benefit from a class of anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The investigators published their findings in a 2014 issue of the journal Cell Reports.
_ A Cellular Path to Anti-Aging Drugs By Jane Farrell article Researchers have devised an algorithm that can help in the ongoing search for anti-aging drugs. The scientists, from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Genetics. In their investigation, the researchers compared the cells of young and elderly patients, focusing on signaling pathways. The pathways play a crucial part in a process that ultimately results in either normal or pathological changes in cells.
Why Seniors Get Addicted to Drugs By Jane Farrell article For older people who have chronic conditions or find themselves in a lot of pain temporarily, medicine can be a godsend that vastly improves quality of life. But senior citizens may find it all too easy to abuse prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Just because such medicines are bought in drugstores rather than on the street, say, doesn’t mean that they are any less dangerous. Overuse of drugs can lead to additional health problems, family problems, and even fatalities.
_ Dementia Drugs Not Always Necessary By Jane Farrell article Experts say a team-based approach to handling undesirable behaviors in dementia patients could lead to a reduction in the use of psychiatric drugs. The approach is known as DICE – Describe, Investigate, Evaluate and Create. The researchers said they hope that using the DICE approach will create better teamwork among people who care for dementia patients at home, in hospitals and clinics and in residential facilities. The panel of experts published their analysis in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
_ Sleep Health Get Back to Sleep - Without Drugs By Jane Farrell article From the Cleveland Clinic We’ve all been there. You are wide awake at 3 a.m., your mind racing with a rising sense of panic about the difficult day ahead if you don’t fall back to sleep. What you’re experiencing is a type of insomnia, says sleep disorders specialist Harneet Walia, MD, DABSM, of Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center.
_ The FDA May Not Know Enough About the Drugs It Approves By Jane Farrell article Although many of us assume that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bases its approval of drugs on solid evidence, that may not be the case, a new study shows. Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine found that between 2005 and 2012, the clinical trials used by the FDA to approve new drugs varied widely in their thoroughness. The study, published in JAMA, is the first systematic analysis of the standards used by the FDA in making decisions about drug approval.
_ New Drugs Could Help Treat Addiction By Jane Farrell article Scientists are zeroing in on a new treatment for disorders, including pain and addiction.
_ Improved Delivery of Anti-Cancer Drugs By Jane Farrell article Scientists have taken a significant step in the field of nanomedicine, in which infinitesimal particles fight cancer by delivering a targeted drug to affected cells. Now, they have found out how to use nanoparticles to sequentially deliver the drugs to different parts of a cancer cell.
_ Drugs Protect Against Post-Stroke Damage By article Anticoagulant medications such as Warfarin have long been known to help prevent strokes, but now a large Danish study has shown that the blood thinners can also reduce the risk of death and brain damage when a stroke happens anyway. The research was published in Stroke - Journal of the American Heart Association.
Quick and Effective Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain Without Drugs By Jane Farrell blog According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. The list below shows the number of chronic pain sufferers compared to other major health conditions. Chronic Pain 100 million Americans
_ Giant Pandas Could Be Source of Drugs By Jane Farrell article Giant pandas produce a powerful antibiotic in their blood stream that may be a rich source of powerful new drugs, Chinese scientists say. The substance, which kills bacteria and fungi, could lead to new treatments against drug resistant superbugs and other diseases, they said. Researchers at Nanjing Agricultural University identified the substance, cathelicidin-AM, by analyzing panda DNA, The Daily Telegraph of London reported Sunday.
_ Menopause A pragmatic approach to the management of menopause By Jane Farrell article KEY POINTS Menopausal symptoms can occur for as long as 10 years before the last menstrual period and are associated … Read More→
_ High blood pressure / hypertension Who is At Risk for Hypertension, the Medical Term for High Blood Pressure? By Jane Farrell article Sometimes national statistics are so shocking that people have to stop and take notice. This is certainly the case for … Read More→