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Australian funding to assist with the investigation of clandestine laboratory operations

"Clandestine amphetamine laboratories have increased by 300 per cent and it is important that forensic experts have the opportunity to work together in what is one of the most important areas in the fight against illegal drugs," Senator Ellison said.

13 Aug 2004

Scopolamine prevents and relieves motion sickness - but possibly with more adverse effects than alternatives

Researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration have analysed all trials of scopolamine for motion sickness. They found 12 trials, mostly done in healthy young men in the navy.

12 Aug 2004

Investigation into mTOR protein function is far from over

Discovery of the mTOR protein and the role it plays in cell growth, a process often linked to diseases such as cancer, was part serendipity and part good detective work. And like any good whodunit, the mTOR story wouldn’t be complete without an unexpected twist.

12 Aug 2004

Thyroid expert concerned about recently approved generic levothyroxine preparations

Levothyroxine is taken by more than 13 million Americans to treat an underactive thyroid, thyroid gland enlargement, nodules, or cancer. In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that several generic levothyroxine preparations had the same clinical effect and safety profile as certain branded products.

11 Aug 2004

What is Telomere crisis?

Telomere crisis is an important early event in the development of breast cancer, and its occurrence can be identified with precision, according to recent findings by a team of scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at San Francisco.

11 Aug 2004

Drug interactions between prescription medication and herbal supplements can be extremely dangerous

Herbal supplements may be natural, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are safe.

11 Aug 2004

The U.S. FDA approves 2 drugs for treating radiation contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs, pentetate calcium trisodium injection (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinc trisodium injection (Zn-DTPA) for treating certain kinds of radiation contamination. The FDA is approving these two drugs as part of its ongoing effort to provide the American public the best available protection against nuclear accidents and terrorist threats.

11 Aug 2004

Stanford researchers identify leukemia stem cells

A handful of leukemia cells constantly replenish the supply of cancerous cells, according to new work by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers.

11 Aug 2004

John Kerry outlines plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs

Armed with the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans, Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry Wednesday outlined his plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs as part of his overall plan to make health care more affordable for all Americans.

11 Aug 2004

New biotech alliance to focus on diseases of nerve injury and pain

NeuroTargets Ltd, a discovery-led biotechnology company ‘spun-out’ from the University of Bristol, has formed an exciting new alliance with BioFocus plc, a world leader in collaborative drug discovery, to focus on diseases of nerve injury and pain.

11 Aug 2004

Scientists identify compounds that mimic calorie restriction

Investigators from an international consortium of research institutes, including the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, have identified compounds that mimic the effects of a low calorie diet without changing the amount of essential nutrients.

11 Aug 2004

New survey shows that more people on Medicare dislike a new drug benefit law

A new survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health shows that more people on Medicare dislike a new law that adds a drug benefit to the Medicare program.

11 Aug 2004

Serious new side effects of performance enhancing drugs

As the countdown continues to the Athens Olympics, a new Australian study by a team of Southern Cross University (SCU) scientists has revealed serious new side effects of performance enhancing drugs.

11 Aug 2004

New service-oriented laboratory focused on bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics

Oregon Health & Science University researchers will more quickly move benchtop discoveries toward drug discoveries with the help of a new, service-oriented laboratory focused on bioanalysis and pharmacokinetics.

11 Aug 2004

Not only has life evolved, but life has evolved to evolve

That's the conclusion drawn by two Rice University scientists who have designed a computer simulation to test the idea that evolvability — the likelihood of genetic mutation — is a trait that can itself be favored or disfavored through the process of natural selection.

11 Aug 2004

Frog science helps to explain how the environment may have permanent effects on the nervous system

Scientists studying how the nervous system develops in frogs have found that altering the pattern of electrical signaling in individual neurons changes the kinds of neurotransmitters they produce.

11 Aug 2004

Important for physicians to identify patients at risk for hyperkalemia and implement corresponding measures when using ACE inhibitors

Some patients with hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases should be closely monitored in order to maintain safe potassium levels in the body when prescribed certain medications, counsels a nephrologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

11 Aug 2004

IBM and Cellomics offer new solution to accelerate cell-based drug discovery

IBM and Cellomics have announced they have launched a customized information technology (IT) solution that allows biopharmaceutical scientists and academic researchers to better understand how potential drug candidates or targets of interest affect cellular function.

11 Aug 2004

Bionomics BNO69 angiogenesis gene discovery published

Bionomics has announced that research conducted by Bionomics and its collaborators at the Hanson Centre of the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science ("IMVS") in Adelaide, Australia, relating to Bionomics' proprietary angiogenesis drug target BNO69, has been published in the high ranking scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS).

10 Aug 2004

Elderly people in the U.S. are being inappropriately prescribed medications

In the U.S. only 15 percent of the population is aged 65 years or older, but this group account for 33 percent of prescription drug users. Elderly persons are also more likely to take several drugs concurrently, the article states.

10 Aug 2004