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Improved methods for decontamination of bioterrorism hazards

In October 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others.

30 Jan 2008

AstraZeneca submits sNDAs for SEROQUEL XR for bipolar symptoms

AstraZeneca has announced that the company has submitted two separate supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for once-daily SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) Extended-Release Tablets to seek approval for the treatment of manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder and the treatment of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder.

3 Jan 2008

Stable sleep patterns and regular routines may improve outcomes in bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic-depressive disorder, is highly influenced by the circadian system - the body's internal clock - and a specific kind of psychotherapy may help decrease irregularities in the circadian system that can trigger key symptoms of bipolar disorder, according to a study presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting.

10 Dec 2007

Lithium commonly used to treat bi-polar disorder increases lifespan in Nematode worms

Nematode worms treated with lithium show a 46 percent increase in lifespan, raising the tantalizing question of whether humans taking the mood affecting drug are also taking an anti-aging medication.

31 Oct 2007

Researchers discover drug-craving brain region in rats

Chilean researchers have identified a region of the brain - the insular cortex - that plays a role in drug craving in amphetamine-addicted rats, according to a report published in the 26 October issue of the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the nonprofit science society.

25 Oct 2007

Breast cancer drug tamoxifen helps treat symptoms of bipolar disease

Government researchers in the United States have found that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen helped treat the manic symptoms of bipolar disease.

13 Sep 2007

Urgent need for better understanding of bipolar disease in children and adolescents

The number of visits to a doctor's office that resulted in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents has increased by 40 times over the last decade, reported researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

4 Sep 2007

Risperdal approved for psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Risperdal (risperidone) for the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents, ages 13 to 17, and for the short-term treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder in children and adolescents ages 10 to 17.

24 Aug 2007

Antipsychotic drug Risperdal approved for use in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given approval for the antipsychotic drug Risperdal to be used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children and teenagers.

23 Aug 2007

Lithium promotes better bone healing

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found a molecular pathway that plays a critical role in bone healing and have found that the drug lithium can improve the healing process.

1 Aug 2007

Inner-city Baltimore not safe for young kids

Infants and young children living in Baltimore's inner-city homes are at risk for serious perils, including fires, falls and poisoning, according to a small but revealing study from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

25 Jul 2007

Jefferson scientist shares patent for DNA analysis

A basic scientist in the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson has shared a patent on what may someday be a ubiquitous tool in DNA analysis.

19 Jul 2007

Study to evaluate lithium for the treatment of bipolar disorder

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are participating in a national study to evaluate lithium for the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.

18 Jul 2007

Adding medication improves recovery for elderly with depression

Adding a medication to a standard treatment regimen for major depressive disorder in the elderly improves chances of recovery in those who do not adequately respond to the first-course therapy or who relapse from it, finds a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

3 Jun 2007

Bipolar all too often misdiagnosed

According to researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) there are twice as many Americans with bipolar disorder as previously thought, and many are untreated.

9 May 2007

Bipolar disorder - the clue may be in the genes

The first scan of the entire human genetic code has revealed that developing bipolar disorder may to some extent depend on the combined effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself.

9 May 2007

Genetics of bipolar disorder

The likelihood of developing bipolar disorder depends in part on the combined, small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself, a new study shows.

9 May 2007

Bipolar disorder may be more accurately characterized as a spectrum disorder

A new study supports earlier estimates of the prevalence of bipolar disorder in the U.S. population, and suggests the illness may be more accurately characterized as a spectrum disorder.

8 May 2007

Lithium increases gray matter in bipolar brains

Neuroscientists at UCLA have shown that lithium, long the standard treatment for bipolar disorder, increases the amount of gray matter in the brains of patients with the illness.

11 Apr 2007

Intensive therapy helps in battle against bipolar disorder

New results from the largest federally funded bipolar study ever conducted show that patients who receive psychotherapy in addition to medication get better faster from bipolar disorder's debilitating depression and stay better longer, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher involved in the study.

4 Apr 2007