Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Antidepressant could help the workings of anticancer drug used in leukemia

The study by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research found that tranylcypromine (TCP) – which can be used to treat psychotic depressive states - can make cancer cells vulnerable to the effects of a vitamin A-derivative drug called ATRA.

13 Mar 2012

Study describes horrific experiences of poor organ trafficking victims

A Michigan State University anthropologist who spent more than a year infiltrating the black market for human kidneys has published the first in-depth study describing the often horrific experiences of poor people who were victims of organ trafficking.

13 Mar 2012

Reviva to initiate enrollment in RP503 phase 2 study for schizophrenia

Reviva Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held drug discovery and development company, today announced enrollment of patients in its phase 2 clinical study of RP503 for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

13 Mar 2012

Watson commences Esmya Phase 3 trial in women with anemia linked to uterine leiomyomas

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced it has initiated its Phase 3 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Esmya (ulipristal acetate) in women with anemia associated with uterine leiomyomas, a medical condition often referred to as uterine fibroids (myomas). Leiomyomata are benign solid tumors that often lead to excessive menstrual bleeding, anemia and pain, which ultimately may require surgical intervention.

12 Mar 2012

FDA denies AstraZeneca Citizen Petitions on SEROQUEL labeling

AstraZeneca today announced that on March 7, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration denied Citizen Petitions requesting that the FDA withhold finally approving any generic quetiapine product with labeling that omits certain hyperglycemia warning language that the FDA required AstraZeneca to include in the labeling for SEROQUEL (quetiapine fumarate) tablets and SEROQUEL XR (quetiapine fumarate) extended-release tablets.

12 Mar 2012

UCSD now offer novel weight-loss surgery, gastric plication

Patients seeking a weight-loss surgery that does not require an implanted device or permanent change to their anatomy, have a new clinical trial option at UC San Diego Health System. Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery, and his team, now offer gastric plication, a novel surgery that folds the stomach into a smaller, more compact size.

12 Mar 2012

LSD for alcohol addiction: Study

Hallucinogenic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s. A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients. It said there was a “significant beneficial effect” on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

12 Mar 2012

Root cause of dental phobia

Women in their forties are more likely to have dental anxiety than any other age group according to a University of Sydney study into dental anxiety and phobia.

11 Mar 2012

Middle aged ignoring health messages on alcohol consumption

A new survey finds that adults aged 45 and over are more than three times as likely to drink alcohol almost every day as those under 45. This could mean that the middle aged population is ignoring the serious health risks associated with excessive drinking. The age disparity is most pronounced among women. Those aged 65 and over are 12 times more likely than those aged between 16 and 24 to drink on a near-daily basis according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

11 Mar 2012

Concerns about aging in good health

Do men harbour concerns about aging in good health? Do they confide these concerns to their physicians? Are men's concerns the same as women's? The answers to these questions can be found in a large cross-sectional survey of 2325 Canadian men, aged 55 to 97 years old, led by Dr. Cara Tannenbaum, Geriatrician and the Michel Saucier Endowed Chair in Geriatric Pharmacology, Health and Aging at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM) which is affiliated with the Université de Montréal.

10 Mar 2012

Women exposed to SSRIs during pregnancy are less likely to initiate breastfeeding

Researchers at the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) Pregnancy Health Information Line, a statewide non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have found women exposed to certain antidepressants during pregnancy were significantly less likely to breastfeed their babies compared to unexposed women.

9 Mar 2012

FDA approves Teva's ProAir HFA with dose counter for asthma, COPD and EIB

Teva Respiratory announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ProAir HFA with a dose counter for use in patients 4 years of age and older for the treatment or prevention of bronchospasm with reversible obstructive airway disease and for the prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm.

8 Mar 2012

Scientists believe that ageing can be programmed in the womb

Ageing is a complex process involving physical, psychological, and environmental factors. Scientists believe that ageing can be programmed in the womb. One example of stress during pregnancy is the administration of glucocorticoids, i. e. synthetic stress hormones to accelerate fetal lung maturation in premature labor to allow breathing after birth. Could exposure to these stress hormones have an effect on health later in life?

8 Mar 2012

States use retiree health care, Medicaid cuts to stare down budget gaps

State budget cuts are targeting health care and retiree health care programs in states around the U.S. In Maryland, a "doomsday" budget scenario could reduce Medicaid spending by $101 million while advocates push for reinstatement of Medicaid dollars in Idaho and Arizona.

8 Mar 2012

CB2 receptor involved in regulating impulsive behaviour

A new study lead by the Neuroscience Institute of Alicante reveals how manipulating the endocannabinoid system can modulate high levels of impulsivity. This is the main problem in psychiatric illnesses such a schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.

8 Mar 2012

Loss of glutamate receptor linked to negative effects of chronic stress

Chronic stress has a more powerful effect on the brain during adolescence than in adulthood and now there's proof at the molecular level, according to findings published in Neuron by University at Buffalo researchers.

8 Mar 2012

Transcranial direct current stimulation safe and effective treatment for depression

Stimulating the brain with a weak electrical current is a safe and effective treatment for depression and could have other surprise benefits for the body and mind, a major Australian study of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has found.

7 Mar 2012

Yoga may be effective in treating patients with stress-related psychological and medical conditions

An article by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), New York Medical College (NYMC), and the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (CCPS) reviews evidence that yoga may be effective in treating patients with stress-related psychological and medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiac disease.

7 Mar 2012

Persistent depression may increase risk of cognitive decline in older patients with CAD

Persistent depression symptoms may be associated with significantly greater declines in cognitive performance in older patients with coronary artery disease who underwent cardiac catheterization, according to a study published in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Mar 2012

SSRIs appear to reduce depressive symptoms, fetal head growth during pregnancy

Treating pregnant women with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appears to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms, reduced fetal head growth and a higher risk for preterm birth, but not with a delay in fetal body growth, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Mar 2012