Pharmacology

Gefitinib Iressa Just As Effective As Chemotherapy For Lung Cancer, According To Clinical Trial

Gefitinib, also known as Iressa, the once-promising targeted therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, has proven as effective as chemotherapy as a second-line therapy for the disease with far fewer side effects, according to an internationa ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 20 2008 - 9:59pm

Hairspray Linked To Hypospadias Genital Birth Defect In Boys

Women who are exposed to hairspray in the workplace during pregnancy have more than double the risk of having a son with the genital birth defect hypospadias, according to a new study published today in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.  The s ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 21 2008 - 12:21pm

IGF-1 Growth Hormone No Benefit For ALS

A growth hormone that had shown some promise for treating people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) showed no benefit in a new study published in Neurology.  Two previous, shorter studies using growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, t ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 24 2008 - 8:18pm

Estrogen Therapy Could Be Dangerous For Women With Existing Heart Risk

Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests.  The research also showed that in women without existing ath ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 30 2008 - 12:30am

Nifedipine No Better Than Placebo For Preventing Premature Births, Says Study

When a pregnant woman goes into early labor, her obstetrician may give her drugs to quiet the woman's uterus and prevent premature birth. New research shows, however, that one popular drug works no better than a placebo at maintaining pregnancy after ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 27 2008 - 12:30am

Thiazolidinediones For Diabetes Double Risk Of Fractures In Women

Two common diabetes drugs — rosiglitazone and pioglitazone — are linked to higher fracture rates in women, according to a meta-analysis in CMAJ by a team of researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and Wake Forest University in ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 10 2008 - 10:54am

Low Vitamin D Implicated In Weight Gain And Stunted Growth In Girls

Insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth and foster weight gain during puberty, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology&Metabolism. Even in sun-drenched California, where scientists from the McGill University Health C ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 11 2008 - 1:40am

Oxytocin Reduces Stress Hormones In Arguing Couples

A dose of the hormone Oxytocin reduces the stress hormone Cortisol in arguing couples. In addition, Oxytocin strengthens positive behaviour, as researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered. Various studies in recent years have shown that the hor ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 15 2008 - 1:19am

Vocalzone Fine Tunes Tom Jones' Vocal Cords

As a result of Sir Tom Jones citing his use of Vocalzone on Top Gear (14/12/2008) Kestrel, the (Poole based) makers of the Throat Pastille which is also known to be used Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Joss Stone and Robbie Williams, has been inundated with enquirie ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 22 2008 - 1:48pm

Phytochemicals Make Olive Oil Even More Awesome Than Previously Believed

Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, ' phytochemicals ', that can trigger cancer cell death. New research published in the open access journal BMC Cancer sheds more light on the suspected association between oli ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 18 2008 - 11:03am