news

Health - Pharmacology - 24.03.2023

Novel Regulatory Mechanism of Blood Clotting Discovered
The glycoprotein V of the blood platelets is an important switch point for haemostasis and thrombus formation. This new finding could have great clinical potential. When our blood vessels are injured by cuts, abrasions, or bruises, it is vital that the bleeding is stopped, and the wound is sealed. This process is called hemostasis and involves two main components: First, blood platelets attach to the wound edges, form a plug and provisionally seal the injury.

Health - Pharmacology - 24.03.2023

’Smart’ Bandages Monitor Wounds and Provide Targeted Treatment
Most of the time, when someone gets a cut, scrape, burn, or other wound, the body takes care of itself and heals on its own. But this is not always the case. Diabetes can interfere with the healing process and create wounds that will not go away and that could become infected and fester. These kinds of chronic wounds are not just debilitating for the people suffering from them.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.03.2023

Covid-19: infection-vaccination combination best protects against reinfection with SARS-CoV-2
Publication of the CIRI in the journal Science Translational Medicine on March 15, 2023. Press realease of the INSERM on March 17, 2023. A large proportion of the population has developed immunity to SARS-CoV-2 following infection and/or vaccination. In addition, some infected patients benefit from a so-called "hybrid" immunity when they have been vaccinated after their infectious episode.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.03.2023

Any type of hormonal contraceptive may increase risk of breast cancer
An analysis of data by researchers at Oxford Population Health's Cancer Epidemiology Unit has shown that use of progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives is associated with a 20-30% higher risk of breast cancer. The results are published in PLOS Medicine . Previous studies have shown that use of the combined contraceptive pill, which combines oestrogen and progestogen, is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer that declines after stopping use.

Pharmacology - Health - 23.03.2023

Preventing cancer relapse with a genetic test
Date Scientists have found a new way to predict which myeloma patients will benefit the most from a treatment often used to help keep the blood cancer from coming back after a stem cell transplant. For people with certain high-risk genetic features in their cancer cells, the drug, called lenalidomide, cut their risk of seeing their cancer progress or dying by up to 40-fold.

Life Sciences - Pharmacology - 21.03.2023

Advanced brain imaging study hints at how DMT alters perception of reality
Scientists have gleaned new insights into how psychedelics alter conscious experience via their action on brain activity. In a study at Imperial College London, detailed brain imaging data from 20 healthy volunteers revealed how the potent psychedelic compound, DMT (dimethyltryptamine), alters brain function.

Health - Pharmacology - 21.03.2023

Targeted computer modelling to accelerate antiviral drug development
Effective drugs against viral diseases like COVID-19 are urgently needed now and in the future. The emergence of viral mutants and yet unknown viruses could push vaccines to their limits. The DZIF scientist and bioinformatician Andreas Dräger from the University of Tübingen is working on a computer-based method that can help to accelerate the time-consuming identification and development of antiviral agents.

Pharmacology - Health - 21.03.2023

New U.S. data reveals significant disparities among groups, regions regarding prescription opioid use
In one of the most comprehensive studies to date, the findings showed more than one in ten Americans used prescription opioids in the past 12 months By Western Communications , March 21, 2023 By Western Communications , March 21, 2023 More than 30 million Americans – roughly 12 per cent of the U.S. population – rely on prescription opioids.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.03.2023

Milestone in pulmonary hypertension therapy
In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the small vessels in the lungs become increasingly narrow and obstruct the transport of blood to the lungs. A new drug can stop this change and possibly even reverse it. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a special form of pulmonary hypertension. It occurs because the small arteries in the lungs narrow as a result of progressive changes in the blood vessels.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.03.2023

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Great trust, little evidence
Studies & Further Education People in Austria have great confidence in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diagnostic and therapeutic methods of TCM should also be strengthened further in national healthcare systems. A recent publication by MedUni Vienna found a clear divergence between the perceived and actual scientific character of TCM.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.03.2023

Underactive immune response may explain obesity link to COVID-19 severity
Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists. During the pandemic, the majority of younger patients I saw on the COVID wards were obese. I would have said that it was most likely due to excessive inflammation.

Health - Pharmacology - 20.03.2023

SARS-CoV-2: Only neutralising antibodies allow conclusions to be drawn about protection against new infections
Medicine & Science Mutations of virus and illnesses caused by new variants are still to be expected even in a SARS-CoV-2 situation that has now become endemic. Although the population has developed specific immune responses due to previous infections and vaccinations, vaccinated and vulnerable individuals continue to contract COVID-19.

Health - Pharmacology - 17.03.2023

Small cell lung cancer: New therapy option being explored
Medicine & Science Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of all lung cancer cases and is still associated with a particularly high mortality rate. According to a recent multicenter study led by MedUni Vienna, SCLC can be classified into specific molecular subtypes. New research from the same international team now suggests that a novel combination drug therapy could be an effective option for patients with specific molecular backgrounds.

Pharmacology - Health - 17.03.2023

UW study investigates how ’vaccine shopping’ impacts rollout during pandemic
When COVID-19 vaccines became obtainable in the United States, the policy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was that individuals should receive the first available vaccine. New research from the University of Washington suggests that might not have been the most effective strategy. The study , recently published online in the journal Production and Operations Management, considers whether individuals should be able to select their vaccine type.

Health - Pharmacology - 15.03.2023

Bypassing antibiotic resistance with a combination of drugs
By combining an antibiotic with an anti-cancer agent, an international team has developed a treatment capable of circumventing the antibiotic resistance of the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's most pressing health challenges: in 2019, nearly 5 million people died from an infection associated with or attributed to antibiotic resistance.

Health - Pharmacology - 14.03.2023

Pancreatic cancer: discovery of a molecular test allows for personalized treatment
Inserm researchers at the Marseille Cancer Research Center (CRCM - AMU/Inserm/CNRS/IPC) and clinicians at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute (IPC) have identified a molecular test for personalized treatment of pancreatic cancer. This new strategy, based on the prediction of the sensitivity of each patient to the different chemotherapy protocols currently available, opens the way to personalized treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Pharmacology - Health - 14.03.2023

Receptor ’blasting’ visualised
Adhesion GPCRs are a group of G protein-coupled receptors associated with many body functions and diseases. However, they have not yet been sufficiently studied to be used for therapies. Two research groups at the Rudolf Schönheimer Institute at the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University have now jointly developed a technology to change this.

Health - Pharmacology - 13.03.2023

Test for spiking to reduce psychological distress
A review of the evidence into the psychological impacts of spiking highlights that victims of suspected attacks are not routinely tested for drugs or alcohol. More should be done to help victims of suspected spiking attacks process the psychological trauma of the event by testing patients who arrive in hospital intoxicated by drink or drunks, say the authors of a new study.

Health - Pharmacology - 13.03.2023

Shifts in human gut microbiome due to COVID-19
COVID-19, caused by an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in March 2020. While some people developed severe illness and required medical care, many people reported only mild-to-moderate symptoms, if any at all. However, many of the infected individuals have experienced persisting symptoms or frequent other infections months after the initial infection even if they weren-t much impacted by the disease to begin with.

Health - Pharmacology - 13.03.2023

New tool to diagnose and assess the severity of sarcopenia
Recerca La sarcopènia és una malaltia degenerativa caracteritzada per una disminució patològica de la força muscular que afecta especialment les persones de més edat. Investigadors de la Universitat de Barcelona han desenvolupat una nova eina per avaluar la presència i la gravetat d'aquesta insuficiència muscular.