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Researchers have pinpointed specific gene and protein over-production in metastatic melanoma

Gene amplification is a process that often happens in cancer cells when the normal DNA replication process is altered, causing many copies of the gene to be produced instead of a single copy of a region of a chromosome.

12 Jul 2005

Gambling and sex addiction caused by Parkinson's drug

According to a doctor at a clinic in the U.S., a certain category of drug, which is often prescribed for Parkinson's disease, can cause some patients to become compulsive gamblers or addicted to sex.

11 Jul 2005

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

A recently released report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University suggests between 1992 and 2003, more Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together.

11 Jul 2005

Study confirms you're either gay, straight or lying!

According to Freud and Kinsey, some people are sexually attracted to both men and women.

7 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

Findings suggest important differences among smokers in brain responses that underlie the smoking habit

Not all smokers are alike when it comes to cravings, and a new study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center suggests the difference may lie in their brains' sensitivity to drug cues.

29 Jun 2005

Office-based buprenorphine treatment for drug abuse shows promise

Patients who receive buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction in an office-based setting are more likely than those receiving methadone treatment to be young men, new to drug use, and with no history of methadone treatment, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

28 Jun 2005

Bishop of Manchester addresses doctors at BMA Annual Conference

In a robust address at the annual British Medical Association Conference Service, on Sunday 26th June, the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Revd. Nigel McCulloch accused the government of undermining trust between the medical profession and the public. He said:

26 Jun 2005

What are the links between psychological trauma and addiction?

Childhood sexual abuse, as well as combat stress among ex-soldiers, are forms of trauma that are linked to drug and/or alcohol abuse, according to a new study.

21 Jun 2005

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed to gain accurate, impartial information about the true extent of usage and the acute and long-term health effects, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005

Buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction shows promise

16 Jun 2005

Causes, consequences and clinical implications of alcohol-related brain shrinkage

Previous studies have demonstrated that the brains of alcoholics are smaller, lighter and "shrunken" when compared to nonalcoholic brains.

14 Jun 2005

Doctors call for education programmes for health professionals and patients about available over-the-counter (OTC) medicines

In a British Medical Association (BMA) report launched today (14 June 2005) doctors are calling for education programmes for health professionals and patients about available over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.

13 Jun 2005

BMA response to BBC research on alcohol and drug abuse among doctors

Responding to the BBC survey (published 13 June 2005), which reveals a problem of drink and drug abuse among medical staff, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the British Medical Association's (BMA) Head of Science and Ethics, said:

13 Jun 2005

Circadian clock gene also plays pivotal role in drug addiction

The gene that regulates the body's main biological clocks also may play a pivotal role in drug addiction, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

13 Jun 2005

Crystal Meth Summit in Canada wants drug re-classified

Crystal meth, a powerful addictive drug has now become such a problem in Canada that law enforcement officials met in Regina last week for a Crystal Meth Summit.

12 Jun 2005

Dutch team shows cost effectiveness of heroin prescriptions

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam say there are strong reasons to support the practice of prescribing heroin to drug misusers.

6 Jun 2005

Doctors in the UK demand that junk food television advertisors pay for public health messages

Delegates to the British Medical Association's public health medicine and community health annual conference want a 'fairness doctrine' adopted by advertisers, and the motion has been backed and put forward by alcohol addiction and research council chairman Dr Noel Olsen.

5 Jun 2005

Tobacco companies designed cigarettes "to addict women"

A new analysis of tobacco industry documents provides evidence that cigarette companies intentionally modified their products to promote female smoking by emphasizing attributes they knew would appeal to women - stylishness and taste, as well as perceived health benefits.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly one out of two visits to a doctor's office for help with a sleep disorder result in the prescription of potentially addictive medications

The drugs, called benzodiazepines, are often a cheaper alternative to some newer types of medicines that don't have the same potentially addictive side effects, said Rajesh Balkrishnan, the study's lead author and the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

1 Jun 2005