Pharmacology News and Research

Latest Pharmacology News and Research

VCU receives federal grant totaling $6.9 million to study genetics of alcohol abuse

Virginia Commonwealth University has received a federal grant totaling $6.9 million to study the genetics of alcohol abuse and alcoholism - work that may lead to further advances in its treatment, control and prevention.

20 Aug 2014

Researchers shed light on the dual action of aspirin

Hugely popular non-steroidal anti-inflammation drugs like aspirin, naproxen (marketed as Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) all work by inhibiting or killing an enzyme called cyclooxygenase - a key catalyst in production of hormone-like lipid compounds called prostaglandins that are linked to a variety of ailments, from headaches and arthritis to menstrual cramps and wound sepsis.

19 Aug 2014

Research findings call for clinical testing of relevant drugs to prevent NASH

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common affliction, affecting almost 30 percent of Americans, with a significant number suffering from its most severe form, called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In recent years, NASH has become the leading cause of liver transplantation.

19 Aug 2014

Research findings may lead to novel target for chemoresistant cancer cells

Dartmouth cancer researchers at Norris Cotton Cancer Center found a means of causing the elimination of a protein that maintains cancer cell viability; the results of the study appear in the August 8 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

17 Aug 2014

Hippo pathway identifies and prevents progression of abnormal cells into cancer

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine report that a tumor suppressor pathway, called the Hippo pathway, is responsible for sensing abnormal chromosome numbers in cells and triggering cell cycle arrest, thus preventing progression into cancer.

16 Aug 2014

Vitamin D deficiency linked to higher surgical risk

Patients with low blood levels of vitamin D are at increased risk of death and serious complications after noncardiac surgery, suggests a study in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

16 Aug 2014

Finding suggests that aspirin could play role in reducing breast cancer mortality

Researchers have discovered that women who had been prescribed aspirin regularly before being diagnosed with breast cancer are less likely to have cancer that spread to the lymph-nodes than women who were not on prescription aspirin. These women are also less likely to die from their breast cancer.

15 Aug 2014

Clinical trial tests COXEN model in bladder cancer to find promising treatment

Imagine being able to match a cancer's genes to the best treatment. That's the promise of COXEN (CO eXpression ExtrapolatioN) - a computer program that looks at a panel of cancer genes in a patient's tumor to predict whether it will respond to chemotherapy.

14 Aug 2014

Researchers identify mechanism used by deadly MERS virus to transmit from bats to humans

Researchers have identified the mechanism used by the deadly MERS virus to transmit from bats to humans. Bats are a native reservoir for MERS and the finding could be critical for understanding the animal origins of the virus, as well as preventing and controlling the spread of MERS and related viruses in humans.

13 Aug 2014

Study provides new insight into neuroprotective effects of Asiaticoside

In the central nervous system, Asiaticoside has been shown to attenuate in vitro neuronal damage caused by exposure to β-amyloid.

12 Aug 2014

Researchers discover how immunosensory system attacks viruses on a molecular level

Our immunosensory system detects virus such as influenza via specific characteristics of viral ribonucleic acid. Previously, it was unclear how the immune system prevents viruses from simply donning molecular camouflage in order to escape detection.

11 Aug 2014

TAXIS acquires novel antimicrobial drug candidates from Biota

TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the acquisition of a group of novel antimicrobial drug candidates from Biota Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Atlanta, GA.

11 Aug 2014

Patient with mechanical heart pump receives new gene therapy for heart failure

For the first time in the world, a patient with a mechanical heart pump has received a new gene therapy for heart failure at Harefield Hospital, London.

11 Aug 2014

Three Scottish universities to offer a new course in stratified medicine

Stratified medicine, which uses the genetic make-up of patients and their differing responses to drugs to create more personalised and effective forms of treatment, has been hailed as one of the most important concepts to emerge in 21st century clinical science.

7 Aug 2014