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Antibiotic resistance: A serious threat to human health

The World Health Organization has identified antibiotic resistance as a serious threat to human health across the world. The Journal of Environmental Quality recently published a special section titled "Antibiotics in Agroecosystems" to address the science of this important topic.

4 Mar 2016

Antidepressant initiation more frequent among people with Alzheimer's disease even before diagnosis

Antidepressants are frequently initiated in persons with Alzheimer's disease already before the diagnosis, shows a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland. Among persons with Alzheimer's disease, the initiation of antidepressant use was most common during the six months after the Alzheimer's diagnosis, and more frequent than among comparison persons without Alzheimer's disease even 4 years after the diagnosis. The results were published in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

4 Mar 2016

P53 genetic variant heavily implicated in metabolism, new research finds

The study may also provide an evolutionary explanation for differences in populations living farther away from the Equator. Human ancestors may have undergone this change in R72 to promote energy storage in cold climates and during times of famine. However, in modern society, the need for this type of variant in our genes is unnecessary, leading instead to increased risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is also a risk factor for certain types of cancer, so these findings may also explain why the R72 variant of p53 might predispose certain people to cancer.

4 Mar 2016

Inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uptake specifically toxic to cancer cells

Inhibiting the transfer of calcium ions into the cell's powerhouse is specifically toxic to cancer cells, according to an article published this week in Cell Reports by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

4 Mar 2016

Cardiac reprogramming could shrink heart scar tissue, improve patients' heart function

Patients with heart failure often have a buildup of scar tissue that leads to a gradual loss of heart function. In a new study published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine report significant progress toward a novel approach that could shrink the amount of heart scar tissue while replenishing the supply of healthy heart muscle.

4 Mar 2016

Healthy cells actively collaborate with tumours to promote growth of new blood vessels

Healthy cells actively collaborate with tumours by creating a mesh of collagen that encourages cancer cells to build new blood vessels, a new study shows.

4 Mar 2016

Pregnant women with acute migraine more likely to experience adverse birth outcomes

Women who have acute migraine attacks that are severe enough to prompt them to seek care may be more likely to have complications when giving birth, including preterm delivery, preeclampsia and low birthweight. Women 35 and older were seven times more likely to have these complications.

4 Mar 2016

Women need antiviral medication Truvada more than men to prevent HIV infection

Women need daily doses of the antiviral medication Truvada to prevent HIV infection while men only need two doses per week due to the way the drug accumulates in different body tissues, according to a new study from pharmacy researchers the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

4 Mar 2016

Lifestyle change decreases cholesterol levels, reduces cardiovascular disease risk

Cholesterol levels - the most common risk factor for heart attacks - have decreased in northern Sweden over the last 20 years. Since medical drugs only account for a third of the decrease, the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease is greatly thanks to a change in lifestyle.

3 Mar 2016

Kids who take ADHD medications show decreased bone density

Children and adolescents who take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show decreased bone density, according to a large cross-sectional study presented today at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

3 Mar 2016

Modified protein appears to reverse liver fibrosis, cirrhosis in rats

A protein modified to increase the amount of time it circulates in the bloodstream appears to reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in rats, according to results of a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers.

3 Mar 2016

Botulinum toxin A injections combat neuropathic pain

Botulinum toxin A injections have a sustained beneficial effect in patients with neuropathic pain, shows a randomised trial.

3 Mar 2016

Researchers discover unexpected mechanism linked to aldosterone-induced heart damage

When the heart begins to fail, the body does everything in its power to fix the situation. But sometimes, those compensatory mechanisms ultimately do more harm than good. Such is the case with the adrenal hormone aldosterone, which stimulates the heart to pump harder, causing greater damage to the heart muscle.

3 Mar 2016

Preoperative hip and knee injections may increase risk for infection

Injections received in the months prior to total knee (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR) surgery may increase the risk for infection and related complications, according to two studies--among the largest conducted on this topic--presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

3 Mar 2016

Genetic errors may reduce heart attack risk, study finds

To reduce risk of heart attack, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are clear. But genetics can still stack the deck. Some people's genes bestow a natural advantage — or disadvantage — in protecting against heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

3 Mar 2016

Experts work towards optimizing global diabetes care

Diabetes is a significant global health problem, afflicting 382 million people worldwide with increasing prevalence rates and adverse effects on health, wellbeing, and society in general. In this special issue of the Annals of Global Health, "Global Dimensions of Diabetes Care," experts from around the world synthesize a core set of recommendations using information from 14 countries as a basis in order to work towards optimizing diabetes care globally - a critically important initiative to help stem the diabetes epidemic.

3 Mar 2016

U-M researchers develop novel mouse model of children's brain cancer

Children with brain cancer may soon get some help from mice with the same disease, thanks to new research from University of Michigan Medical School scientists and their colleagues.

3 Mar 2016

Hypothermia associated with increased risk for infection in patients undergoing surgery

A Henry Ford Hospital finds that hypothermia, a relatively common but unintentional occurrence during surgery, is associated with an increased risk for infection in patients who undergo surgery to repair a hip fracture.

3 Mar 2016

Researchers find key brain receptor linked to depression, drug addiction and Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that a key receptor in the brain, once thought to only strengthen synapses, can also weaken them, offering new insights into the mechanisms driving depression, drug addiction and even Alzheimer's disease.

3 Mar 2016

First-ever research programme launched to tackle superbugs

To meet the challenge of the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria, national charity ‘Antibiotic Research UK is commissioning the first ever research programme to screen antibiotic resistance breakers against antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria.

2 Mar 2016

Drugs News and Research

Antibiotic resistance: A serious threat to human health

Antidepressant initiation more frequent among people with Alzheimer's disease even before diagnosis

P53 genetic variant heavily implicated in metabolism, new research finds

Inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uptake specifically toxic to cancer cells

Cardiac reprogramming could shrink heart scar tissue, improve patients' heart function

Healthy cells actively collaborate with tumours to promote growth of new blood vessels

Pregnant women with acute migraine more likely to experience adverse birth outcomes

Women need antiviral medication Truvada more than men to prevent HIV infection

Lifestyle change decreases cholesterol levels, reduces cardiovascular disease risk

Kids who take ADHD medications show decreased bone density

Modified protein appears to reverse liver fibrosis, cirrhosis in rats

Botulinum toxin A injections combat neuropathic pain

Researchers discover unexpected mechanism linked to aldosterone-induced heart damage

Preoperative hip and knee injections may increase risk for infection

Genetic errors may reduce heart attack risk, study finds

Experts work towards optimizing global diabetes care

U-M researchers develop novel mouse model of children's brain cancer

Hypothermia associated with increased risk for infection in patients undergoing surgery

Researchers find key brain receptor linked to depression, drug addiction and Alzheimer's disease

First-ever research programme launched to tackle superbugs

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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