Jet Lag News and Research

RSS

Jet lag, medically referred to as "desynchronosis," is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

Researchers find new drug to treat circadian rhythm disorders

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have successfully used a drug to reset and restart the natural 24 hour body clock of mice in the lab. The ability to do this in a mammal opens up the possibility of dealing with a range of human difficulties including some psychiatric disorders, jet lag and the health impacts of shift work.

24 Aug 2010

Impact of circadian dysregulation on mental, physical health

Circadian (daily) rhythms are found in all functions - e.g. performance, mood, endocrine rhythms, behaviour, sleep timing. The biological clocks that control circadian rhythms are based on a genetic programme of interacting molecules in cells throughout the body, coordinated by a ´master clock´ in the brain and synchronised by external cues, mainly light.

16 Jul 2010

Phase II trial of NUVIGIL Tablets for treatment of schizophrenia fails to meet primary endpoint: Cephalon

Cephalon, Inc. today announced that the primary endpoint was not met in a Phase II clinical trial that examined NUVIGIL (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV] as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which include problems with motivation and emotional withdrawal.

3 Jun 2010

Dietary MSC can help reset cell's biological clock to prevent development of breast cancer: Study

Usually when all else fails with a technical device, a "reset" button can be pressed, preventing a glitch from going any further. What if that could be done with threats to a person's health? Investigators from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute which is jointly administered by UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, have discovered that a form of a dietary trace element known as selenium can help reset a cell's "biological clock" when it is disrupted by a chemical cancer-causing agent (carcinogen).

28 Apr 2010

Checklist to stay healthy and active during summer season

There are millions of vacation destinations to visit this summer and thousands of sights to see, but there is one surefire way to ruin your trip -- getting sick. Although you may not be thinking about viruses and bacterial infections when you plan your trip, there are a few nasty bugs you should be aware of as you pack your bags.

13 Apr 2010

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority hires two Patient Safety Liaisons for Southeast region

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has hired its final two Patient Safety Liaisons for the Southeast region to serve as educational patient safety consultants to healthcare facilities that submit reports through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System.

30 Mar 2010

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals submits Acetadote sNDA for non-acetaminophen acute liver failure

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. has submitted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the use of Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection in patients with non-acetaminophen acute liver failure. Acetadote was launched by Cumberland in 2004 as the first U.S.-approved injectable drug to treat acetaminophen overdose.

30 Mar 2010

NICE appraisal committee publishes preliminary recommendation of Multaq for AF

Sanofi-aventis announced today that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in England and Wales, has just published a new appraisal consultation document for Multaq(R) (dronedarone) indicating its intention to recommend Multaq(R) use for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation.

30 Mar 2010

GenVec announces discontinuation of TNFerade PACT trial for pancreatic cancer

GenVec, Inc. announced today that it is discontinuing its Phase 3 clinical trial of TNFerade™ in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer based on results of an interim analysis. This interim analysis of overall survival, conducted after the 184th death (two-thirds of total expected events), was designed to determine whether the study should continue.

30 Mar 2010

Cephalon receives FDA Complete Response Letter for NUVIGIL supplemental new drug application

Cephalon, Inc. today announced the company has received a Complete Response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its supplemental new drug application for NUVIGIL® (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV] in the treatment of patients with excessive sleepiness associated with jet lag disorder resulting from eastbound travel.

30 Mar 2010

Astellas Pharma, OSIP enter into confidentiality agreement

Astellas Pharma Inc. confirmed today that it has entered into a confidentiality agreement with OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Under the agreement, OSI will provide Astellas with access to certain non-public information. This follows Astellas' approach to OSI after OSI's announcement that its board of directors had instructed its management and financial advisors to contact interested third parties regarding a potential transaction.

30 Mar 2010

Trius Therapeutics' Phase 1 trial establishes safety and tolerability of IV torezolid phosphate for MRSA

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. today announced results from its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of the intravenous (IV) dosage form of torezolid phosphate, an IV and orally administered second generation oxazolidinone for the treatment of serious gram positive infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

30 Mar 2010

Oxidative stress could lead to health problems and premature death

If you aren't getting a good, consistent and regular night's sleep, a new study suggests it could reduce your ability to handle oxidative stress, cause impacts to your health, increase motor and neurological deterioration, speed aging and ultimately cut short your life.

2 Mar 2010

Mathematics of sleep-wake cycle

Why can't I fall asleep? Will this new medication keep me up all night? Can I sleep off this cold? Despite decades of research, answers to these basic questions about one of our most essential bodily functions remain exceptionally difficult to answer. In fact, researchers still don't fully understand why we even sleep at all. In an effort to better understand the sleep-wake cycle and how it can go awry, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are taking a different approach than the traditional brain scans and sleep studies. They are using mathematics.

26 Feb 2010

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are available to offer expert medical insight and commentary during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on issues ranging from the effects of performance enhancing drugs to concerns about the spread of novel H1N1, head trauma and more.

3 Feb 2010

Thomas S. Kilduff named a Fellow of the AAAS

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, announced today that Thomas S. Kilduff, Ph.D., director of SRI International's Center for Neuroscience, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

22 Jan 2010