Pharmacology

A new analysis of data shows the medical community may need to rethink the optimal strategy for treating blood clots and bleeding in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU) prescribed full-dose blood thinners were significantly more likely to experience heavy bleeding than patients prescribed a smaller yet equally effective dose - nearly 1 in 7 COVID-19 patients in the ICU experienced severe bleeding when given full-dose blood thinners. Almost all patients who experienced significant bleeding were mechanically ventilated and receiving full-dose…

As of now, 18 states have legalized recreational marijuana use while 36 have 'medical' cannabis laws but there is still debate about how cannabis may affect the abilities, real and perceived, of drivers under the influence. A two-year randomized trial, conducted at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at University of California San Diego School of Medicine hopes to add some science to the anecdotes. Researchers recruited 191 regular cannabis users to partake of cannabis containing different levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis or a…

Magnesium is important in the immune system’s ability to tackle pathogens and even cancer cells but that doesn't mean you should run to a supplement huckster or naturopath. It is magnesium in blood that is needed for T cells to operate efficiently and that means science and medicine, not woo. Some studies, though only in mice so strictly observational, found that cancerous growths spread faster when the animals received a low-magnesium diet – and also that their defense against flu viruses was also impaired. Lacking a plausible biological mechanism for exactly how this mineral affects the…

As Peru's Wari kingdom sought to shore up their crumbling empire over 1,000 years ago they did it with their own form of bread and circuses - cocaine, ayahuasca, and a beer with psychedelics mixed in. Since the concoction was only made by elites without a penalty of death, festivals became a way to exercise political control among friends and challengers alike. It obviously didn't work forever, the Incas conquered them, but the archaeological evidence provides a compelling look into South American culture of 1000 AD. What the study found was that Incas clearly learned the technique from…

A new study finds that what once were just alcohol-related car crashes have now involved marijuana as the former illegal drug has been legalized and normalized in the last 20 years.  Fatal car accidents involving alcohol have remained relatively constant over the last two decades, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with 2019 reaching the lowest levels since 1982. In the past two decades, car crashes involving marijuana/cannabis have more than doubled. In that time, 19 states, including large populations like New York and California, legalized cannabis…

Even at prescription strength doses, purified omega-3 fatty acid did not reduce incidents of hospitalizations and/or deaths among people with COVID-19, according to results from Scientific Sessions 2021.  The Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 With EPA in Subjects at Risk - Intervention Trial (PREPARE-IT 2) included approximately 2,000 men and women, ages 40 and older, who tested positive for COVID-19 and experienced symptoms of the infection (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or muscle aches) for 7 days or less prior to study enrollment but did not clearly require…

Ivermectin is an over 30-year-old wonder drug that treats life- and sight-threatening parasitic infections. Its lasting influence on global health has been so profound that two of the key researchers in its discovery and development won the Nobel Prize in 2015. I’ve been an infectious disease pharmacist for over 25 years. I’ve also managed patients who delayed proper treatment for their severe COVID-19 infections because they thought ivermectin could cure them. Although ivermectin has been a game-changer for people with certain infectious diseases, it isn’t going to save patients from COVID-…

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that arises from imbalances of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. This disorder manifests as recurring seizure, unconsciousness and momentary loss of memory. These events are frequent and unpredictable. This is because the brain cells called neurons either overwork or are unable to balance the release of two chemicals that are vital for normal brain function: gamma aminobutyric acid and glutamate. The burden of epilepsy in Nigeria is high, with estimated prevalence of eight per 1,000 people. Adults over 55 years of age have a higher risk factor of…

Dietary supplements containing Garcinia cambogia extract and green tea can cause similar liver, finds an analysis of the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network. G. cambogia, alone or with green tea, are touted by companies who sell alternatives to medicine and bought by people who believe in them, commonly for weight loss. But the analysis reveals that in the period covered the drug-induced liver injury caused by the supplement led to 91% being hospitalized, while 2 died and 1 survived due to a liver transplant G. cambogia is often marketed with green tea and its target market is young women,…

In an observational study using data from the Veterans Health Administration for 2,344 U.S. veterans hospitalized with COVID-19, remdesivir treatment was associated with prolonged hospitalization but wasn't associated with improved survival.  This retrospective cohort study used data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to identify adult patients in 123 VHA hospitals who had a first hospitalization with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from May 1 to October 8, 2020. Propensity score matching of patients initiating remdesivir treatment to control patients who had not initiated…