Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

Immune-suppressing protein may predict how patients respond to treatment

The presence of an immune-suppressing protein in non-cancerous immune cells may predict how patients with different types of cancer respond to treatment, a multi-center phase I study using an investigational immune therapy drug has found.

27 Nov 2014

Leeds researchers identify gene associated with autism symptoms

Researchers at the University of Leeds have shed light on a gene mutation linked to autistic traits. The team already knew that some people with autism were deficient in a gene called neurexin-II.

26 Nov 2014

Research sheds light on gene mutation linked to autistic traits

Researchers at the University of Leeds have shed light on a gene mutation linked to autistic traits.

25 Nov 2014

Five USF faculty members named AAAS Fellow

Five faculty members from the University of South Florida in Tampa have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

24 Nov 2014

Cocaine disrupts woman's estrus cycle, may explain sex differences in cocaine addiction

Women are more sensitive to the effects of cocaine and more susceptible to cocaine abuse than men. Cocaine's ability to disrupt a woman's estrus cycle may explain the sex differences in cocaine addiction, and new evidence that caffeine may be neuroprotective and able to block cocaine's direct effects on the estrus cycle reveals novel treatment possibilities, according to an article published in Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

21 Nov 2014

Blocking key brain receptor cell could neutralize biological consequences of Alzheimer's

Blocking a key receptor in brain cells that is used by oxygen free radicals could play a major role in neutralizing the biological consequences of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at Temple University.

19 Nov 2014

Researchers discover second protein associated with membranous nephropathy

An international team of researchers from France, Germany, and the US have identified a protein that turns a person's immune system against itself in a form of kidney disease called membranous nephropathy (MN). The new research was presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 in Philadelphia and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

18 Nov 2014

Common antimicrobial in household items causes liver fibrosis, cancer in mice

Triclosan is an antimicrobial commonly found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and many other household items. Despite its widespread use, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report potentially serious consequences of long-term exposure to the chemical.

18 Nov 2014

A single gene mutation can halve the risk of heart disease

Recent research has shown that inactivation of a single gene reduces the risk of heart attack by 50%.

14 Nov 2014

Alzheimer's drug may reduce addictive and impulsive behavior associated with binge eating

The Alzheimer's drug memantine may perform double-duty helping binge eaters control their compulsion.

14 Nov 2014

Research shows mustard and garlic receptor is linked to cold-induced pain

Some people experience cold not only as feeling cold, but actually as a painful sensation. This applies even to fairly mild temperatures - anything below 20°C.

14 Nov 2014

Bevacizumab–erlotinib combined efficacy may depend on VEGF level

Bevacizumab may enhance the antitumour activity of erlotinib by increasing the intratumoural concentration of erlotinib in some non-small-cell lung cancers expressing high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, Japanese researchers report.

13 Nov 2014

AACN invites nurses, other healthcare professionals for NTI 2015

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses invites nurses and other healthcare professionals who care for high acuity and critically ill patients and their families to its 2015 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) in San Diego, May 18-21, with preconferences May 17.

13 Nov 2014

Mice may hold clues in development of ADHD, autism and bipolar disorder

A darting mouse may hold an important clue in the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism and bipolar disorder, according to a study by a Vanderbilt University-led research team recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Nov 2014

New treatment could halt growth of tumours in prostate cancer patients

Scientists believe a new treatment, shown to be effective in mice, could halt the growth of tumours in patients with prostate cancer.

11 Nov 2014

Researchers obtain detailed picture of how Gas5 RNA interacts with steroid hormone receptors

It arises from what scientists previously described as "junk DNA" or "the dark matter of the genome," but this gene is definitely not junk.

7 Nov 2014

NSAIDs protect against colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against the development of colorectal cancer by inducing cell suicide pathways in intestinal stem cells that carry a certain mutated and dysfunctional gene, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the School of Medicine.

4 Nov 2014

Major research project aims to reduce chances of hair loss after chemotherapy treatment

Cancer suffers who lose their hair as a consequence of chemotherapy will benefit from a major research project that will improve the scalp cooling technology that prevents hair loss.

From Paxman 30 Oct 2014

Genetic differences contribute to risk for autism

Small differences in as many as a thousand genes contribute to risk for autism, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and the Autism Sequencing Consortium, and published today in the journal Nature.

29 Oct 2014

Rapamycin and dasatinib combination may be beneficial in treating breast cancer, say scientists

The uncontrolled growth of cancer cells arises from their ability to hijack the cell’s normal growth program and checkpoints. Usually after therapy, a second cancer-signaling pathway will open after the primary one shuts down — creating an ingenious escape route for the cancer cell to survive. The answer, say Case Western Reserve researchers, is to anticipate and block that back-up track by prescribing two drugs from the start.

29 Oct 2014