Antidepressant may help combat the course of multiple sclerosis
The antidepressant clomipramine may also alleviate symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), specifically in its progressive form, i.e. when it occurs without relapses or remissions. As yet, drugs for this type of MS have been virtually non-existent. Researchers collaborating with Prof V. Wee Yong, PhD, from the University of Calgary and Dr Simon Faissner from Ruhr-Universität Bochum screened 1,040 generic therapeutics and, based on preclinical studies, identified one that is suitable for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
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Arthritis drug could help treat advanced skin cancer
Treatment for the most deadly form of skin cancer could be more effective if combined with a well-known drug for rheumatoid arthritis, new research has shown. The study, by scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA), found that in mice, using the two treatments together almost completely stopped the growth of a melanoma tumour. Although only five per cent of skin cancer cases involve melanoma, it causes the majority of deaths from the disease.
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Distinct human mutations can alter the effect of medicine
Every person has a unique DNA sequence in their genome. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge have tried to quantify what these differences in the genome mean in the context of the genes targeted by drugs. In a new study published in the scientific journal Cell they look at certain receptors (GPCRs) in the human cell.
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Nanoparticles as a solution against antibiotic resistance?
Around one in 3,300 children in Germany is born with Mucoviscidosis. A characteristic of this illness is that one channel albumen on the cell surface is disturbed by mutations. Thus, the amount of water of different secretions in the body is reduced which creates a tough mucus. As a consequence, inner organs malfunction. Moreover, the mucus blocks the airways. Thus, the self regulatory function of the lung is disturbed, the mucus is colonized by bacteria and chronic infections follow.
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Steroid study sheds light on long-term side effects of medicines
Fresh insights into key hormones found in commonly prescribed medicines have been discovered, providing further understanding of the medicines' side effects. The study in immune cells may help to explain why some people develop resistance to these drugs, which have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. Its findings are significant because glucocorticoid hormones - also known as steroids - are also found naturally in the body and regulate its response to stress.
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Tapeworm drug could lead the fight against Parkinson's disease
Researchers at Cardiff University, in collaboration with the University of Dundee, have identified a drug molecule within a medicine used to treat tapeworm infections which could lead to new treatments for patients with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that, according to the charity, Parkinson's UK, affects one person in every 500. That means an estimated 127,000 people are currently living with Parkinson's disease in the UK alone.
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Novel compound restores immune response in patients with melanoma
A novel compound may restore immune response in patients with melanoma, according to a study presented at the ESMO Immuno Oncology Congress 2017. (1) This open label, multicentre, phase 1B trial investigated the safety and efficacy of omaveloxolone in combination with the checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab or nivolumab. The study included 30 patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, of whom seven were naïve to checkpoint inhibitors and 23 had prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment.
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