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Health - Pharmacology - 26.02.2021

Single dose of vaccine acts as ’booster’ in those with prior COVID-19 infection
People who have previously had COVID-19 have an enhanced antibody response with a single dose of RNA vaccine, finds new research co-led by UCL researchers. These are the findings of a study, published as a research letter* in the Lancet , of 51 UK healthcare workers, around half of whom had a previous laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Health - Pharmacology - 26.02.2021

Embed Germ Defence behaviours at home to reduce virus spread now and in the future
As COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out, a roadmap for unlocking Britain is announced, new research which looked at data from over 28,000 users of the website 'Germ Defence' since May 2020 highlights the continued, critical importance of breaking chains of virus transmission within our homes.

Health - Pharmacology - 25.02.2021

Opioid agonist treatment could substantially reduce drug related deaths if used more widely
New evidence that opioid agonists such as methadone and buprenorphine could substantially reduce drug related deaths if more widely used in the community and prison, and for longer, has been published in Lancet Psychiatry today [25 February]. Treatment of people addicted to opioids with methadone or buprenorphine also known as 'opioid agonist treatment' (OAT) reduces many of the harms associated with injecting drug use including death by overdose, suicide, injury, or other causes.

Physics - Pharmacology - 25.02.2021

Light-twisting ’chiral’ nanotechnology could accelerate drug screening
In a new drug screening technique that relies on gold nanorods to twist light, a red glow can signal the failure of a medication being designed to treat "amyloid” diseases such as Type II diabetes and pancreatic cancer. The technique was developed by researchers from the University of Michigan, Jilin University in China and the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil.

Pharmacology - Health - 25.02.2021

Prioritizing oldest for COVID-19 vaccines saves more lives, years of life
On Dec. 8 in Coventry, England, Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first patient in the U.K. to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. (AP photo by Jacob King) Challenging the idea that older people with shorter life expectancies should rank lower in coronavirus immunization efforts, new UC Berkeley research shows that giving vaccine priority to those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 will save the maximum number of lives, and their potential or future years of life.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.02.2021

Scientists model a peculiar type of breast cancer
Scientists led by EPFL have developed a breakthrough in vivo model for invasive lobular carcinoma, a serious yet understudied type of breast cancer. The work will open up previously inaccessible study of the tumor's biology and help discover new therapies. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is a type of breast cancer that begins in the milk-producing glands (lobules) of the breast.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.02.2021

Some men with testicular cancer may benefit from fewer CT scans
Patients who have had treatment for early-stage testicular cancer could benefit from fewer monitoring scans, reducing the harmful radiation they are exposed to from computerized tomography (CT) imaging, according to the results of a new clinical trial involving UCL researchers. Funded by Cancer Research UK and led by researchers at UCL, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Leeds/Huddersfield, the study found that using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instead of CT scans was as effective at picking up signs of cancer relapse.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.02.2021

Scientists launch a pre-emptive strike on deadly post-transplant infection
A potential new treatment to protect  immunosuppressed  patients from human  cytomegalovirus  ( HCMV ) has been discovered by scientists at the University of Cambridge. Their study shows that certain epigenetic inhibitors expose and help to destroy dormant  HCMV  infections, which often reactivate to cause serious illness and death in these vulnerable groups.

Pharmacology - 23.02.2021

Drug-checking services: effective approach to harm reduction
Drug-checking services with substance analyses help reduce the risks associated with drug use. A study commissioned by the FOPH shows that this service helps protect users from overdoses and adverse reactions to adulterants. The study also underlines the potential of drug checking for identifying vulnerable individuals at an early stage and for monitoring the drug market.

Health - Pharmacology - 22.02.2021

Vaccine roll-out working, first national study
Vaccination has been linked to a substantial reduction in the risk of Covid-19 admissions to Scotland's hospitals, landmark research suggests. The study is the first to describe across an entire country the effect of the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs in the community on preventing severe illness resulting in hospitalisation.

Health - Pharmacology - 18.02.2021

Heart damage in half of COVID-19 patients with raised protein levels
More than 50% of patients hospitalised with COVID-19, who had raised levels of a protein called troponin, have some heart damage, finds a new magnetic resonance imaging study, led by UCL scientists. More than 50% of patients hospitalised with COVID-19, who had raised levels of a protein called troponin, have some myocardial injury (heart damage), finds a new magnetic resonance imaging study, led by UCL scientists.

Health - Pharmacology - 18.02.2021

Vulnerable groups often overlooked in clinical trials of new treatments for COVID-19
UChicago Medicine study finds hospitals conducting drug trials treat relatively few Black, Hispanic patients Studies examining the effectiveness of treatments for COVID-19 often do not include the very populations hardest hit by the disease, according to a new review by University of Chicago Medicine researchers.

Pharmacology - Health - 17.02.2021

Hide-and-Seek Can Lead to Higher Drug Prices
Pharmaceutical manufacturers and national authorities often negotiate secret rebates when determining drug prices. A UZH study shows that these rebate systems may hamper patient access to drugs. In the medium term, this practice can even lead to increasing drug prices. In Switzerland and other European countries, drug prices are regulated to ensure affordable access to drugs.

Health - Pharmacology - 16.02.2021

Higher Covid-19 risk for middle-aged people with type 2 diabetes
A large-scale analysis involving UCL and funded by Diabetes UK has found a disproportionately higher Covid-19 death risk in middle-aged people with type 2 diabetes, raising questions over vaccination strategies across Europe. The study, published in the journal Diabetologia , found that compared to people of a similar age without type 2 diabetes, the additional COVID-19 mortality risk from having type 2 diabetes increases the younger someone is.

Health - Pharmacology - 16.02.2021

Oxford-led technology to help those at high risk from COVID-19
Research led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, with collaborators across the UK, found that there are several health and personal factors which, when combined, could mean someone is at a higher risk from COVID-19. These include characteristics like age, ethnicity and BMI, as well as certain medical conditions and treatments.

Pharmacology - Health - 15.02.2021

Existing Heart Failure Drug May Treat Potential COVID-19 Long-Hauler Symptom
UC San Diego clinical trial suggests ivabradine may be effective in treating postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome In a new study out of University of California San Diego School of Medicine, researchers found a drug used for heart failure improves symptoms associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, otherwise known as POTS.

Health - Pharmacology - 12.02.2021

Medication-based starvation of cancer cells
Findings on cancer medication reveal protein regulation mechanism Immunomodulatory drugs, including the Contergan derivatives lenalidomide and pomalidomide have significantly improved the therapy of hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now further decoded the mode of action in this class of medications.

Health - Pharmacology - 12.02.2021

Synthetic "mini" receptors block atherosclerosis
New synthetic peptides could attenuate atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis, a lipid-triggered chronic inflammatory disease of our arteries, is the main cause of strokes and heart attacks. An international team of researchers led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the LMU University Hospital has developed novel synthetic peptides that can help to prevent atherosclerosis in vitro, that is in the test tube, as well as in animal models.

Health - Pharmacology - 11.02.2021

Tocilizumab reduces deaths in patients hospitalised with COVID-19
The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) has demonstrated that an anti-inflammatory treatment, tocilizumab, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The study also showed that tocilizumab shortens the time until patients are successfully discharged from hospital and reduces the need for a mechanical ventilator.

Pharmacology - Health - 09.02.2021

The therapeutic potential of peptides
Currently there are more than 80 peptide drugs on the global market and about twice as many in clinical development. Due to their beneficial properties, these biomolecules play already an important role in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hormone disorders, HIV infection, and multiple sclerosis.