Pharmacology

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Will Taking Lipitor Increase Your Chances of Diabetes? Yes. Should You Stop Taking It? Probably Not.

Pharmacology ryanluce |
Research was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology today with analysis of three different clinical trials that looked at Lipitor (scientific name: atorvastatin).  The authors found new evidence that taking Lipitor slightly increased your chance of eventually getting diabetes.  There have been several studies before this, and this research increases the evidence of this effect. Interestingly, the effect seems to be most pronounced among individuals who already have other risk factors for diabetes.  From a Reuters Health article about the study: "But it…
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Spice Up Your Love Life - Literally

Pharmacology News Account |
Ginseng and saffron are sexual performance boosters, according to a new scientific review of natural aphrodisiacs, but while the more obscure Spanish fly and Bufo toad are purported to be sexually enhancing, they produced the opposite result and can even be toxic.    Wine and chocolate are okay, though it's all in your head, say the findings by Massimo Marcone, a professor in Guelph's Department of Food Science, and master's student John Melnyk in Food Research International. "Aphrodisiacs have been used for thousands of years all around the world, but the science behind the claims…
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Actos May Help Prevent Diabetes - But You Probably Don't Want It (Yet)

Pharmacology ryanluce |
The big news in the diabetes world this week is a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine (link here) about how Actos (scientific name: pioglitazone) can help prevent the development of diabetes in folks with prediabetes.  The American Diabetes Association has a handy page for helping determine if you have "prediabetes" (link here).  If you're looking at HbA1c, it means that you are between 5.7% and 6.4%. Dr. Ralph DeFronzo at the University of Texas Health Center - San Antonio was the lead author and researcher on the study.  During the clinical trial, they…
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Sunlight's Impact On Medicines

Pharmacology News Account |
The body's ability to break down medicines may be closely related to exposure to sunlight, according to a study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.   This could mean drug metabolism is influenced by seasons and might explain individual differences in the effects of drugs, and how the surroundings can influence the body's ability to deal with toxins. The connection between sunlight, vitamin D and variations in drug concentration is believed to arise from the activation by vitamin D of the detoxification system of the liver by increasing the amount of an…
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Thunder God Vine - Ancient Chinese Arthritis Secret Uncovered

Pharmacology News Account |
The smartest, and yet most disingenuous thing, the homeopathy industry did was conscript 'natural medicine' as part of its umbrella.    Homeopathy is clearly snake oil whereas natural remedies have worked since man discovered plants. Scientists understand the distinction, even if proponents of homeopathy do not - or pretend they don't, if it will bilk unsuspecting people out of money.    And because scientists understand the value of natural medicine the goal has always been to understand why things work and, when possible, to synthesize them and make them affordable.…
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Bovine Colostrum - The Next Performance Enhancement For Athletes?

Pharmacology News Account |
Athletes will always look for a competitive edge and 'natural' performance enhancements that can escape scrutiny are a frequent goal.    Scientists have found that bovine colostrum can massively reduce gut permeability, otherwise known as 'leaky gut syndrome' and the results may also be applicable to sufferers of heatstroke. Gut disorders induced by exercise are common in runners; the body's response to increased permeability is to clear the gut contents, giving rise to symptoms such as diarrhea to avoid toxins from gut organisms entering the bloodstream, as these lead to…
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Snake Bites Get You High

Pharmacology Hank |
In the ongoing concern about future generations not being as intelligent as prior ones, due to computers, video games and what not (in my day it was calculators that would lead to brain rot) the many examples of creative people doing things we never would have thought of are lost. I can't go to the pharmacy cold medicine aisle and buy Drixoral these days - I instead have to go the pharmacist and sign some document to get it and I finally, owing to the need to buy some every three years or so, asked the pharmacist why.    Turns out young people had discovered that they could make…
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Birth Control Pills Don't Cause Weight Gain - Study

Pharmacology News Account |
Do birth control pills cause weight gain?   Virtually since their introduction it was believed to be true but new research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health&Science University says that is not the case. To conduct their research, scientists and physicians studied a group of rhesus macaque monkeys at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center for almost a year. Rhesus monkeys were used in this study because their reproductive system is nearly identical to humans. However, unlike human studies, more variables can be controlled and measured…
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SHBG - How Does Coffee Protect Against Diabetes?

Pharmacology News Account |
The American Diabetes Association estimates that nearly 24 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of these cases. Some studies have shown that coffee may be protective against type 2 diabetes.  No one has determined why but researchers at UCLA have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect.  The protein sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the biological activity of the body's sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which have…
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Resveratrol Increases Beneficial Fat Hormone

Pharmacology News Account |
The compound resveratrol found in grapes displays not only antioxidant but other positive properties, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Resveratrol stimulates the expression of adiponectin, a hormone derived from cells that manufacture and store fat, the research team found.  Adiponectin has a wide range of beneficial effects on obesity-related medical complications, said senior author Feng Liu, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and member of the Barshop Institute of…
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