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- November 14th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Bromelain
Bromelain is an enzyme, or group of enzymes, contained in the stems and fruit of pineapples. The enzymes are called proteases because they degrade proteins. Bromelain is concentrated in the stem; eati…
- November 12th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Proliferative Injection Therapy
Proliferative injection therapy, or prolotherapy, was first investigated in the 1940s. It is a procedure designed to strengthen connective tissue, such as ligaments and tendons, and relieve pain. The…
- November 10th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Anthocyanins
Recently, researchers have developed purple tomatoes. The colour is due to compounds called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are antioxidants, those molecules that reduce cellular damage caused by free radi…
- November 7th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Valproic Acid for Cognition
Valproic acid, or valproate, is an anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Its antiepileptic properties were discovered by accident: valproic acid was used as a vehicle during inve…
- November 5th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Caffeine and Fetal Growth Restriction
In the last post, I described research showing that flaxseed oil may cause premature birth. Continuing with the pregnancy theme, today I will describe some data that show caffeine can restrict fetal g…
- November 3rd, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Flaxseed Oil and Pregnancy
Complementary and alternative medicine can be dangerous. The idea that natural products are safe is a misconception. One example comes immediately to mind: kava. This plant is used for depression and…
- October 31st, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
The Clozapine Story
Chlorpromazine, a modified antihistamine, was the first drug designed solely for people with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is thought to result from an overactivation of dopamine receptors, and chlorpr…
- October 29th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Discovery of Chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was the first drug developed to treat schizophrenia. Schizophrenia had been treated in several different ways before the drug was synthesized. Some methods included inductio…
- October 24th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Black Cohosh
Black cohosh is a perennial plant native to wooded areas of eastern North America. It grows approximately 0.5 metres tall and flowers in late spring. Native Americans used the plant for various ailmen…
- October 22nd, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
A New Use for Artemisinin
Artemisinin is a popular antimalarial, and it is used primarily in African and Asian countries. It is extracted from a Chinese plant, the wormwood. The drug may have other medicinal applications howev…
- October 20th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Artemisinin and its Derivatives
Malaria is a major health concern in many countries, especially those of Africa. One of the mainstays of malaria treatment is artemisinin and related compounds. Artemisinin is extracted from the sweet…
- October 17th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Fetal Anticonvulsant Syndrome
Women with epilepsy who want to have a child face a tough dilemma: should they discontinue their anticonvulsant medicine and risk the pregnancy or continue with treatment and put the fetus at risk for…
- October 8th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Vitamin C Reduces Effectiveness of Chemotherapy…in Mice
Several weeks ago I mentioned in a post some of the anecdotal evidence for the use of vitamin C use in the treatment of cancer. The data is far from convincing, but many proponents of complementary me…
- October 6th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
Antipsychotics, also called neuroleptics, are used to reduce the psychosis associated with schizophrenia. They were developed in the 1950s, and newer versions have slightly different mechanisms of act…
- October 3rd, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
The Serotonin Syndrome
Serotonin, which is also called 5-hydroxytryptophan, is a neurotransmitter that regulates many bodily functions. It primarily influences the gastrointestinal tract, but is also important for brain fun…
- October 1st, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Detergent Suicide
Japan is ranked among the top ten countries with respect to suicides. Now, the Japanese have found a new way to do the deed, thanks to the internet. A recent news story in the Canadian Medical Associa…
- September 19th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Pot in the Periphery
Cannabis would be a great therapeutic drug for pain and appetite if it was not for the psychoactive effects. Well, the smoke is harmful too, so a pill would be nice. Marijuana acts on proteins called…
- September 17th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Expanding the Antidepressant Market
Pharmaceutical companies usually try to find new uses for their aging drugs. This holds off the companies that prepare generic forms and sell them at cheaper prices. Besides, expanding the market for…
- September 15th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Pharmacogenetics and Breast Cancer
Pharmacogenetics is the study of how genes influence the effectiveness and safety of drugs. One example is the effect of mutations in genes encoding the cyochrome P450 system of enzymes. These protein…
- September 12th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Folate and Colon Cancer
Folatte (folic acid, vitamin B9) is an essential vitamin. Essential means that it is not made by our bodies and we must acquire it from food. Folate participates in growth and division of cells. It he…
- September 10th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
A Nicotine Vaccine
Nicotine is the compound in tobacco that keeps addicts coming back for more. Many of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, however, may be attributed to other compounds in the tobacco such as carb…
- September 8th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Jimson Weed
Jimson weed is a popular hallucinogen, especially for teenagers searching for a cheap thrill. In fact, the weed is sometimes celebrated at parties. In some people, the effects of the weed do not manif…
- September 5th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Killer Caterpillars
A case report recently appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal of a 22-year-old woman with discoloured blotches on her skin.(1) These patches had been spreading over her skin, primarily o…
- September 3rd, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Antidepressant Publication Bias
An argument has been made that antidepressants don’t work. Often trials of antidepressants show small effect sizes and the influence of confounders cannot always be ruled out. Another problem, which…
- September 1st, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Vitamin C Revival
Linus Pauling was probably the most famous advocate of mega ddose vitamin C. The Nobel Prize winner thought that the vitamin could prevent colds and even ward off cancer. Vitamin C is an antioxidant,…
- August 29th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Poisoned Meat
Here in Ontario we have recently had an outbreak of listeriosis, which has resulted in several deaths. The source was contaminated processed meat from Maple Leaf Foods. Currently, the plant is shut do…
- August 27th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Aromatase Inhibitors
Estrogen levels drop over 80% in postmenopausal Women. During menopause, estrogen production switches from the ovaries to other organs such as fat, breast, and muscle. The enzyme aromatase converts a…
- August 25th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Drug Interactions with Grapefruit Juice
In 1989, the journal Clinical Investigations in Medicine published a study that looked at the interaction between alcohol and felodipine.(1) Felodipine is a calcium channel blocker that is used to tre…
- August 21st, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Odour-ing a MATE
Several years ago, a study showed that human females tend to choose a mate based on body odour. The particular odours are produced by genes that encode proteins of the major histocompatibility complex…
- August 19th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Age-Dependent Placebo Effects
A recent study in PLOS Medicine compared the effects of placebos in adults in children. Placebos are sugar pills; they are used to establish whether a drug has an effect. Placebos account for patient…
- August 15th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
New, Improved Cancer Therapy
I studied pharmacology and toxicology for my Ph.D. I was an undergraduate at the University of Western Ontario in the early to mid-nineties. At that time, the majority of drugs used to treat cancer ha…
- August 13th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Mycotoxins
Approximately 25% of the world’s crops are contaminated with unicellular, filamentous fungi, also called molds. These fungi produce mycotoxins, frequently as a byproduct of metabolism. Some of these…
- August 11th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
RNA Interference
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006 was awarded for the discovery of RNA interference in nematodes (a worm). The technique has great potential in the treatment of a variety of diseases,…
- August 8th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Smoking Cessation Strategies
A week or two ago I described some of the pharmacologic strategies used to help treat alcohol dependence. In July of this year the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study comparing the…
- August 6th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Strychnine
In February of this year, two men--a 19-year-old and 21-year-old--drank a poisonous liquid while walking down a road near Melbourne, australia. They were dead within 90 minutes of calling for help. Wh…
- August 4th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Acetaminiphen, the Liver, and N-acetylcysteine
Acetaminophen (Tylenol), also called paracetamol in many countries, can be a very harmful drug. It is used as an over-the-counter pain relief and fever medication. It is a relatively safe drug; the ma…
- July 30th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Naturopathic Medicine Works…Sometimes
Many of the drugs used today have their origins in naturopathy. The historical record is full of people chewing bark, boiling leaves, munching berries, or partaking of nature’s pharmacy in other way…
- July 28th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Doctrine of Signatures
The doctrine of signatures is a philosophy that “like cures like.” It is an ancient European philosophy that many people still believe today, and forms the basis of homeopathy. The doctrine says t…
- July 25th, 2008
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neil73 has posted a new entry on: pharmacofiles
Treatment of Alcohol Dependence
In the United States, three drugs are approved to help individuals overcome dependence on alcohol: disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate. Disulfiram has been used the longest. Alcohol is metabolized…
