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Study shows link between use of benzodiazepines and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

The use of benzodiazepines and related drugs (Z drugs) is associated with a modestly increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland.

13 Aug 2018

College students may experience pressures from secondary exposure to opioid abuse

About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate Penn State Lehigh Valley researchers.

13 Aug 2018

MSU researchers uncover the effects of aging on regenerative ability of kidneys

Autophagy is a process of destruction and processing of damaged cell components by the cells themselves. It is used by a cell to clean itself of excessive organelles and sometimes for self-execution. This adaptive mechanism supports a healthy phenotype on the cellular level.

13 Aug 2018

FDA permits marketing of first mobile medical app for contraceptive use to prevent pregnancy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today permitted marketing of the first mobile medical application (app) that can be used as a method of contraception to prevent pregnancy.

13 Aug 2018

FDA approves first oral medication for treatment of adults with Fabry disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Galafold (migalastat), the first oral medication for the treatment of adults with Fabry disease.

10 Aug 2018

FDA approves first vaginal ring contraceptive that can be used for one year

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Annovera (segesterone acetate and ethinyl estradiol vaginal system), which is a combined hormonal contraceptive for women of reproductive age used to prevent pregnancy and is the first vaginal ring contraceptive that can be used for an entire year.

10 Aug 2018

Psychedelics may one day be used to treat mental health disorders

Many people think of psychedelics as relics from the hippie generation or something taken by ravers and music festival-goers, but they may one day be used to treat disorders ranging from social anxiety to depression, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

10 Aug 2018

FDA approves first targeted RNA-based treatment for rare, fatal genetic disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Onpattro (patisiran) infusion for the treatment of peripheral nerve disease (polyneuropathy) caused by hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR) in adult patients.

10 Aug 2018

Scientists uncover mechanisms responsible for development of fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an incurable lung disease of unknown origin with limited treatment options. Research suggests that the signaling molecule WNT5A plays a key role in the pathogenic process.

10 Aug 2018

Researchers uncover new details in how the olfactory epithelium develops

Dogs, known for their extraordinarily keen senses of smell, can be trained to use their sensitive sniffers to find drugs, bombs, bed bugs, missing hikers and even cancer. Among dogs and other animals that rely on smell, at least one factor that may give them an advantage is a sheet of tissue in the nasal cavity.

10 Aug 2018

PARP inhibitors show promise for treating and preventing brain disorders

A class of cancer drugs called PARP inhibitors could be useful for treating and preventing brain disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, and some forms of frontotemporal degeneration, by halting the misplacement of specific proteins that affect nerve cells, according to a study published in Molecular Cell by researchers in the the School of Arts and Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

10 Aug 2018

Trump administration sinks teeth into paring down drug prices, on 5 key points

Three months after President Donald Trump announced his blueprint to bring down drug prices, administration officials have begun putting some teeth behind the rhetoric.

10 Aug 2018

New laboratory-synthesized molecule appears to fight malaria effectively

A novel laboratory-synthesized molecule based in natural compounds found in marine gliding bacteria - known as marinoquinolines - is a strong candidate for the development of a new antimalarial drug.

10 Aug 2018

Clinicians who learn of a patient’s opioid death modestly cut back on prescriptions

Physicians and other medical providers modestly reduced the volume of opioids they prescribed after being told one of their patients had died of an overdose, according to research published Thursday.

10 Aug 2018

Increasing alcohol taxes appears to be cost-effective method to reduce alcohol harms

Increasing taxes on alcohol is one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing the harms caused by alcohol consumption, according to research in the new issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

10 Aug 2018

Scientists define key binding characteristics of protein associated with heart disease and breast cancer

Galectins attach to other proteins via the carbohydrates on their surfaces (sugar-binding proteins). As such they impact on a range of processes in the cell associated with a number of diseases, including heart disease and breast cancer – the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012 alone.

10 Aug 2018

Collaboration between Merck and InnoCore could improve biologic drug delivery

Following today’s (Friday 3 August) announcement of Merck and InnoCore’s collaboration, Rahael Maladwala, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on what this might mean for biologic drug delivery:

10 Aug 2018

Physicians who come to know about overdose deaths reduce opioid prescription

Will clinicians become more careful in prescribing opioids if they are made of aware of the risks of these drugs first-hand?

10 Aug 2018

New combination therapy for cancer cells could soon be a reality

A new cancer therapy using nanoparticles to deliver a combination therapy direct to cancer cells could be on the horizon, thanks to research from the University of East Anglia.

From Precision NanoSystems Inc. 10 Aug 2018

Study of proteins' interaction in brain cells may help develop new therapies for epilepsy

New therapies could be on the horizon for people living with epilepsy or anxiety, thanks to a breakthrough discovery by UNLV, Tufts University School of Medicine, and an international team of researchers studying how proteins interact to control the firing of brain cells.

10 Aug 2018