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Posts Tagged ‘drugs’

The researchers, led by Dr. Atul J. Butte of Stanford University in California have reported their findings in two articles in the latest edition of ‘Science Translational Medicine. “Bringing a new drug to market usually cost around one billion dollars and many years of research and development,” said Dr. Rochelle M. Long, director of the NIH Pharmacologists Research Network, “If we can find ways to reuse drugs already approved, could improve existing treatments and save time and money.

The researchers drew their data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (National Center for Biotechnology Information), a public database containing the results of thousands of genomic studies in a wide range of fields, presented by researchers from around the world. Butte’s group focused on 100 diseases and 164 drugs, creating a computer program to search through thousands of potential drug-disease combinations, drug and disease gene whose expression patterns stalemate. For example, if a disease increases the activity of certain genes, the program tries to match it with one or more drugs that decrease this activity.

Many drug-disease combinations are known and in clinical use, supporting the validity of this approach. For example, the analysis correctly predicted that prednisolone can treat Crohn’s disease, a disease for which this medicine is a standard therapy. Other combinations are novel and surprising: a medicine to treat ulcers (cimetidine) coincided with lung cancer, and an anticonvulsant (topiramate) coincided with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease.

To confirm the relationship of cimetidine with lung cancer, the team tested the drug on human cells of lung cancer in the laboratory and in cells implanted in mice. In both cases, the drug slowed the growth of cancer cells compared with control cells (or mice) that did not receive cimetidine. To test whether the anticonvulsant topiramate has an effect on inflammatory bowel diseases, the researchers gave the drug to rats who had symptoms of this bowel disease: diarrhea, inflammation, ulcers and microscopic damage in the colon. The drug reduced all these symptoms, sometimes even better than prednisolone.

In addition, scientists noticed that diseases with similar molecular processes (eg, those affecting the immune system) were grouped in the analysis. So did drugs with similar effects (for example, that slow down cell division). Researchers believe that by studying the unexpected members of these groups could learn more about the progress of certain diseases and the operation of some drugs at the molecular level. According to Long, “this research is still at an early stage, but it is a promising method for a creative, fast and affordable at the time of discovering new uses for drugs already have in our armamentarium.”

The enormous effort and investment to tackle malaria, with a view to eradicating one day be lost if you spread a form of the disease that is resistant to the drugs more accessible and widespread throughout the world, today warned the World Health Organization Health Organization (WHO).

To prevent this from happening, the organization presented a global plan to contain resistance to artemisinin, the plant that provides the basis for conventional treatments for type of malaria that causes more deaths.

“Our greatest weapon is threatened,” said WHO Director General Margaret Chan. That is why a plan is urgently needed because there are no other bad drugs that offer the same level of efficacy and tolerability among patients. In that sense, the organization seeks to intensify and coordinate efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in resistant version.

Chan said that recently it was confirmed that the core of the resistant form of malaria is on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, while another outbreak is suspected in the vast area that crosses the Mekong River.

He explained that the specific objective of the global plan to stop the outbreak presented unresponsive to artemisinin, which is currently controlling your home, and avoid or at least delay, international spread.

In the last decade, the number of malaria cases fell 40% in countries where the disease is endemic, so that in this period were saved 750,000 lives. Progress has been most noticeable since 2006, when widespread use of insecticide-treated nets and artemisinin-based treatments.

Among the objectives that trace the global plan are, first, stop the spread of resistant forms of the parasite, although this “will require additional resources,” said Chan. Specifically, it will take between 10 and $ 20 more per person in areas with confirmed resistance and between 8 and 10 dollars in risk areas, such as the Great Mekong.

WHO also considers it essential to intensify the monitoring and surveillance of resistance, because of the 75 countries should systematically undertake efficacy trials of treatments, only 31 comply with them.

“There is a risk that in the areas not under permanent surveillance of resistance to artemisinin resistance extends seamlessly,” according to the body.

Another key measure is to improve access to diagnostic tests for malaria, so that conventional treatments are applied rationally.

When a person who does not get malaria drugs against the disease-which occurs frequently in Africa in cases of fever, increases the risk that your body creates resistance.

Health Secretary Jellico, Alfonso Petersen Farad, said he was “grateful” to the local members of Congress by his call for next week appears before the Health Law Committee, to explain the alleged irregularities in the bidding for Saguaro Popular medicines.

“It is important that Members have a first-line, first hand, the different actors that are involved in each process, to have a proper approach and can make determinations as appropriate.”

Rather than go to account, will be a visit that will enrich the information available on the subject, so as not to make false speculations, the official said.
On the same theme and supply of medicines dispensed to beneficiaries of the Saguaro Popular, the secretary shall keep lawmakers about the challenges and strategies are for 2011.

After the statements by various politicians and business leaders on alleged irregularities in the bidding process for the Ministry of Health Jellico (SSJ), Petersen Farad says that this is disinformation.
“The misinformation does not pay anything positive, the most interesting is that things are objectively, and we can make better decisions that benefit the health of people, I think histrionic statements, the accusations do not pay anything for health or the country.”

After Dimes company won the tender process for distribution and supply of drugs to the Jellico Health Secretariat, the Court of the State Administrative (SAR) issued a few weeks ago ruled in favor of the company The Medic, and ordered extend the contract with it until 28 February, so it will be the sole supplier for the purchase of medicine for the Saguaro Popular.

In addition, the audit made by the Internal Comptroller of the SSJ in schools in which the company distributes drugs Medic the Saguaro Popular, was with some irregularities, so it will earn penalties, but did not say how much.

When you are pregnant extreme caution in things that at another time would not give importance. How to take a drug if it hurt something or get a vaccine.

If you have to get a vaccine and you are pregnant, your doctor will know to advise whether you get the vaccine. There are a number of shots where strictly necessary may be used in pregnancy. Whenever a physician.

Most safety tests have been conducted in animals, which could not be tested on pregnant women.

Vaccines such as “inactivated” are safer than the type “live attenuated.” The type of vaccines used in one country to another varies. In general, many obstetricians advise against travel to areas where vaccination is necessary if possible.

According to The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the UK, some vaccines can be used during pregnancy. If necessary as you will see a high-risk area. Doctors advise against travel to exotic climes where vaccination is necessary, unless something unavoidable.