Pharmacology

Some studies show that estrogen is 'an elixir for the brain', sharpening mental performance in humans and animals and showing promise as a treatment for disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.  And don't get us started on what it's doing to males through pollution. Yet long-term estrogen therapy, once prescribed routinely for menopausal women, is shown to increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. If the benefits are real, can you get them without the risks (which are definitely real)?  Northwestern Medicine researchers say that using a…

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has brought children to millions who otherwise had difficulty conceiving so it should be a happy time.   Yet over 20% of women who undergo IVF report symptoms of depression. The belief has been that the common denominator in women who undergo IVF - hormone therapy - is the culprit, but new Tel Aviv University shows that other factors have a large influence in who gets depressed and why and resolving those issues will make the success of the IVF greater. Different hormonal states are  triggers for depression during IVF, both for long- and short-term…

Several media outlets reported last week that Omega-3 fish oil supplements fail to show positive results for Alzheimer's patients, based on the study Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation and Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer Disease: A Randomized Trial in JAMA. The researchers reported that supplementation with DHA compared with placebo did not slow cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.  Robert Orr, Chairman of Ocean Nutrition Canada, a fish oil supplement company, noted that fish oil was not used in the study and it clearly stated the…

New research from a four-year study shows that 'gender bending' chemicals which find their way from human products into rivers and oceans can have a significant impact on the ability of fish to breed, which could have important implications for ecosystem health and possibly humans. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) disrupt the ways that hormones work in the bodies of vertebrates, including humans.    They can be found in everything from female contraceptive drugs and hormone replacement therapy pills to cleaning soap - most well studied EDCs are those that mimic estrogen. EDCs…

There is no quick fix for obesity - exercise devices on TV targeting fat are a hoax, for example.  Where is the first place most people lose weight?  Their face, yet no one is exercising their face. So-called natural remedies for people desiring quick obesity fixes are also a lucrative market but a new study of medical records in Hong Kong revealed 66 cases where people were suspected to have been poisoned by a 'natural' slimming therapy. In eight cases the people became severely ill, and in one case the person died.  To find out why, the researchers looked at the ingredients…

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that it has notified the European Medicines Agency (EMA) of its intention to request a re-examination of the opinion issued by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in September regarding Cladribine Tablets as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory condition of the central nervous system and is the most common, non-traumatic, disabling neurological disease in young adults. It is estimated that approximately two million…

What happens to sunscreens when they are exposed to sunlight?   They degrade, and how the skin is affected by those degradation products is the subject of research at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology presented at a dermatologist conference in Gothenburg. Concerns about a hole in the ozone layer and a change in sunbathing habits have brought an increase in the number of cases of skin cancer worldwide. One way of dealing with this has been to advocate sunscreens, though greater use of these products has alsi triggered an increase in contact allergies and…

A systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements for the treatment of anxiety disorders says it has found strong evidence for the use of extracts of passionflower or kava and combinations of L-lysine and L-arginine. They pooled the results of 24 studies involving a total of more than 2000 participants, showing that some nutritional and herbal supplements can be effective, without the risk of serious side effects. The research, carried out by Shaheen Lakhan and Karen Vieira from the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation charity, advocates for herbal supplements in…

Oxytocin (alpha-hypophamine ) is a nine amino acid peptide more commonly known as a neurotransmitter in the brain - a love hormone. There have been many studies trying to discern the impact of oxytocin on things like maternal behavior and sex but researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine wanted to find out if oxytocin helped us to 'understanding' other people in ordinary social encounters. Result:  They determined oxytocin selectively improves social cognitive abilities for less socially proficient individuals, but has little effect on those who are more socially proficient. …

India, due to its unique variety of geographical and climatic factors, has a rich and varied flora of medicinal plants. No wonder that out of a total number of over 15,000 plant species in India, about 2,000 are known to have medicinal properties and some of them are used even as home remedies in the rural and remotest parts of our country (Arora, 1985). Ethnobotany The glimpses of Indian ethnobotany by Jain (1981) and the Bibliography of Ethnobotany by Jain (1964) form the first books of the subject in India. Of the several field workers in the tribal community of India, the noteworthy ones…