Using methamphetamines, opiates, cocaine and cannabis, as well as acute alcohol consumption (alcohol consumption within a week preceding an atrial fibrillation event) may increase the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2021. The meeting will be fully…
Prostate cancer drugs could be effectively repurposed to inhibit melanoma in men
New research shows that testosterone promotes melanoma proliferation by activating a newly recognized nonclassical testosterone receptor in melanoma cells called ZIP9 (encoded by the SLC39A9 gene), a zinc transporter that is not intentionally targeted by any available therapeutics but is widely expressed in human melanoma. The new study from researchers…
Congress cites KHN investigation in probe of national academies
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is requesting a ream of documents from the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, spurred by a recent KHN investigation that revealed deep ties between pharmaceutical companies and two members of a committee that took a pharma-friendly stance in a recent…
Ultrasound-based technology for measuring brain pressure could replace surgery
A new invention may be on the verge of replacing a costly cranial surgical procedure currently being performed on some traffic accident victims and other patient groups. The ultrasound-based technology has now been granted CE approval for the European market. "We're through the eye of the needle on this one",…
How Aussie drugs in the pipeline could treat COVID-19
While widespread vaccination is key in our fight against COVID-19, people who are infected still need better treatment to improve their chance of survival and making a full recovery. Early on, the world had high hopes for a range of repurposed medications which had previously been approved to treat other…
Medicare negotiation could save billions of dollars in lower commercial health insurance costs by 2030
As Congress considers legislation to reform prescription drug pricing, a new analysis conducted by the West Health Policy Center and released by its Council for Informed Drug Spending Analysis (CIDSA) estimates that the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) could result in hundreds of billions of…
Fungal disease is emerging among hundreds of COVID-19 patients in India, shows study
Authorities scramble to provide drugs to treat a fungal disease affecting India's COVID-19 patients. A fungal disease called mucormycosis is emerging among hundreds of COVID-19 patients in India, placing further strain on hospitals already at breaking point. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that mucormycosis, also…
Scientists investigate the role played by genes and environment in multiple substance use
Many drug addicts take not only one substance but rather several. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen have investigated the role that genes and the environment play in the development of such multiple substance consumption or polytoxicomania. Their results show that, in addition to genetic…
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic underscores importance of understanding evolution of RNA genomes
The current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), underscores the importance of understanding the evolution of ribonucleic acid (RNA) genomes. Scientists Zachary W. Kockler and Dmitry A. Gordenin, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US National Institutes of Health,…
Plant-derived compound isorhamnetin may have antiviral potential against SARS-CoV-2
The lack of new or repurposed drugs to treat patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been one of the biggest hurdles to reducing mortality rates in the ongoing pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A new study, published online in the…
BGU researchers identify probiotic yogurt-based drug candidates
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have for the first time identified new drug candidates based on molecules isolated from probiotic Kefir yogurt for combating pathogenic bacteria and treating various inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and COVID-19 related cytokine storms. The research, published in Microbiome, a…