Melatonin News and Research

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Melatonin, also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes. In animals, circulating levels of the hormone melatonin vary in a daily cycle, thereby allowing the entrainment of the circadian rhythms of several biological functions.

Light may just be the answer for solving sleep problems among lung cancer patients

When you're having trouble sleeping, light is the last thing you assume you need. But according to a pilot study attempting to solve insomnia among lung cancer patients led by University at Buffalo sleep researcher Grace Dean, light may just be the answer.

26 Jun 2015

Researchers suggest link between solar storms and incidences of RA and GCA

What began as a chat between husband and wife has evolved into an intriguing scientific discovery. The results, published in May in BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal) Open, show a "highly significant" correlation between periodic solar storms and incidences of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), two potentially debilitating autoimmune diseases.

16 Jun 2015

New study suggests that bright light after night shift may have potential to improve driving performance

A new study suggests that bright light at the end of a night shift may have potential as a countermeasure to improve driving performance, particularly for low light work environments and commutes that occur before dawn.

12 Jun 2015

New technologies for preventing preterm labor, inducing labor process heading to marketplace

Preventing preterm labor with light and inducing labor using a side effect-free drug are two new technologies based on Florida State University research that are heading to the marketplace.

30 Apr 2015

New Johns Hopkins mobile app educates care providers on improving sleep, overall health of patients

Experts from the Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep hope to help patients get a better night’s sleep by providing health care staff members with a basic educational tool on their smartphones.

31 Mar 2015

UConn Health cancer epidemiologist reveals effect of artificial light on health

Modern life, with its preponderance of inadequate exposure to natural light during the day and overexposure to artificial light at night, is not conducive to the body's natural sleep/wake cycle.

23 Mar 2015

Naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall asleep

If you walk into your local drug store and ask for a supplement to help you sleep, you might be directed to a bottle labeled "melatonin." The hormone supplement's use as a sleep aid is supported by anecdotal evidence and even some reputable research studies.

9 Mar 2015

Anticholinergic medications associated with pneumonia risk in older people

Taking commonly used medications with anticholinergic effects is associated with a significantly higher risk for developing pneumonia in a study of more than 3,000 older Group Health patients living in the community--not in nursing homes.

3 Mar 2015

Researchers warn doctors, parents not to give melatonin drug to control sleep problems in children

Sleep researchers at the University of Adelaide are warning doctors and parents not to provide the drug melatonin to children to help control their sleep problems.

26 Feb 2015

International study shows potential new therapy to treat patients with neuropathic pain

An international study led by scientists at McGill University reports, for the first time, that drugs that selectively target the melatonin MT2 receptor represent a novel class of analgesic drugs that could be used to treat patients with neuropathic pain.

19 Feb 2015

Three tips to maintain regular sleep schedule

Does your holiday wish list include getting more sleep? With an increase in parties and get-togethers, increased food and alcohol consumption and a general disruption of normal routines, the month of December can be exhausting.

23 Dec 2014

Disruption of circadian rhythm linked to breast cancer, shows study

The disruption of a person's circadian rhythm—their 24-hour biological clock—has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to new University of Georgia research. The culprit, in this study in particular, is artificial light.

20 Oct 2014

Montmorency cherry concentrate helps reduce effects of gout

Drinking Montmorency concentrate significantly helps to reduce the effects of the painful condition gout, according to new research.

3 Oct 2014

Cochrane review finds little evidence to support use of sleep or wake drugs for shift workers

Shift workers are taking drugs to help them stay awake or get to sleep despite weak evidence for their benefit, according to a new Cochrane review.

12 Aug 2014

Scientists study how artificial light influences biological clock

Researchers at Inserm, led by Claude Gronfier (Inserm Unit 846: Stem Cell and Brain Institute), have, for the first time, conducted a study under real conditions on the body clocks of members of the international polar research station Concordia.

31 Jul 2014

Melatonin has protective effects on traumatic brain injury-induced cerebral cortex

Traumatic brain injury can cause post-traumatic neurodegenerations with an increase in reactive oxygen species and reactive oxygen species-mediated lipid peroxidation. Melatonin, a non-enzymatic antioxidant and neuroprotective agent, has been shown to counteract oxidative stress-induced pathophysiologic conditions like cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, neuronal excitotoxicity and chronic inflammation.

26 Jul 2014

Exposure to light at night renders breast cancer completely resistant to drug

Exposure to light at night, which shuts off nighttime production of the hormone melatonin, renders breast cancer completely resistant to tamoxifen, a widely used breast cancer drug, says a new study by Tulane University School of Medicine cancer researchers.

25 Jul 2014

Signaling pathway may help explain why body clocks of people with bipolar disease

Alterations in a cellular signaling pathway called cAMP-CREB may help explain why the body clocks of people with bipolar disease are out of sync, according to a new European Journal of Neuroscience study.

17 Jun 2014

Vanda’s HETLIOZ MAA for Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder accepted for evaluation by the EMA

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for oral HETLIOZ™ (tasimelteon) capsules has been accepted for evaluation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24).

3 Jun 2014

McGill researchers show melatonin supplements may make bones stronger in old rats

McGill researchers have shown that melatonin supplements may make bones stronger in old rats. This suggests a possible avenue for the prevention of osteoporosis.

27 May 2014