In September 2010 scientists from the University of Nottingham found a new use for cockroaches. This group of researchers has identified up to nine different molecules in the brain and nervous tissue of cockroaches that are toxic to bacteria. With further research, it is possible that these molecules may be developed into treatments for bacterial infections. Perhaps what is most promising is that preliminary studies have demonstrated that the tissues from the brain and nervous system were able to...

Ritalin, also known as methylphenidate is a drug that is frequently used as part of a treatment program for controlling symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is prescribed to treat both adults and children with ADHD as well as to treat patients diagnosed with narcolepsy (narcolepsy is a sleep disorder where patients present with excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden ???sleep attacks???). This pharmacologic agent is a central nervous system stimulant, and effectively alters...

A study published in The Canadian Medical Association Journal(September 2010) demonstrated that three puffs of marijuana per day can provide mild pain relief for patients that suffer from chronic pain. These patients were all diagnosed with persistent nerve damage and were unresponsive to the other drugs commonly prescribed for pain. Interestingly, the patients that puffed marijuana seemingly got relief from pain, had less anxiety, and claimed they slept better ??? all without feeling ???high???...

Tuberculosis, known more commonly as TB, is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. People diagnosed with TB usually present with the following symptoms: coughing up blood and/or mucus, chills, fever, general weakness or fatigue, night sweats, weight loss. Treating TB is notoriously time and resource intensive, usually involving several medicines over a long period of time. If a patient does not receive proper treatment, TB may be deadly. TB kills approximately 1.8 million people...

???NSAIDs??? are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that provide pain relief. Advil and Motrin are popular NSAIDs that are currently available as an OTC pill. However, in order to get topical NSAID creams or gels in the United States you need a prescription. The primary advantage of administering a drug topically is that the drug can bypass the stomach, and thus is more concentrated on the problem area. This is because the drug does not enter the bloodstream to the extent it does when administered...

An alarming trend has begun to emerge. Children are being prescribed more and more potent drugs. According to a study by researchers from Columbia University (January 2010), between the years of 2000 and 2007, the rate that antipsychotic drugs are being prescribed to treat privately insured children, ages two to five years old, has doubled. Perhaps, just as stunning is that only 40 percent of these children had received a proper mental health assessment. Another study conducted by the U.S. Food and...

In the field of Alzheimer???s research, there was a recent setback when a drug being tested by Eli Lilly (Semagacestat) seemed to do more harm than good and the clinical trials were discontinued. Semagacestat was targeting a particular enzyme involved in the production of beta amyloid called gamma secretase. Researchers described this drug as acting like a ???sledgehammer??? because it completely stopped the function of this enzyme, which was important in a number of other reactions. The researchers...

Allergan, the makers of BOTOX, agreed to pay a penalty of $600 million in September 2010 to settle charges that the pharmaceutical company engaged in illegally promoting the drug for off-label promotion. Simply put, an ???off-label??? use is when a pharmaceutical agent is being used in a way not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These off-label violations usually fall into one of three categories: The drug is used for a different medical condition or disease. The drug...

A clinical trial sponsored but Abbot Laboratories, the makers of the diet pill Meridia, reported in September 2010 that using Meridia resulted in an increased risk for heart attacks and stroke. Additionally, in 10,000 overweight or obese patients, there was little evidence to show that the patients experienced the positive effects of Meridia ??? namely a slimmer waist (average loss of weight was 9 pounds over a period of about 3.5 years). Three of the authors of this study, which was published in...

A professor of psychiatry from Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Richard Friedman, published an article in theNew York Times (August 2010), in which he described the experience of one of his patients who had abused cocaine. In this article, Dr. Friedman describes how cocaine abuse altered his patient???s ability to derive pleasure from things in his life. The patient, like many other people that are drug abusers, liked the high he received from cocaine better than anything he ever experienced ???...