News by Subject Chemistry & Physics

A University of Houston College of Pharmacy associate professor has discovered a new biomarker in cancer stem cells that govern cancer survival and spread, and it's raising hope that drug discovery to kill cancer stem cells could follow suit.

Researchers at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed a new, promising class of active ingredients against resistant bacteria. In initial tests in cell cultures and insects, the substances were at least as effective as common antibiotics. The new compounds target a special enzyme that only appears in bacteria in this specific form and that was not previously the target of other antibiotics. The team reported on its work in the journal "Antibiotics".

Discount cards for brand-name drugs provided to patients increased private insurer costs by 46% and varied in their impact on out-of-pocket payments by patients, found new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Neuroblastoma, the most common cancer outside of the brain in infants and young children, often fails to respond to therapy. To improve treatment outcomes for these patients, C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine's Cancer Center, and a team of colleagues completed a study using fenretinide to boost the effects of venetoclax, an inhibitor of a protein (BCL-2) that helps neuroblastoma cells survive and grow.

Results from a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology may help explain why cannabidiol -- a chemical component of marijuana with no psychoactive properties -- reduces the frequency of seizures in patients with a severe form of epilepsy.

The deadly superbug, Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), is putting up a winning fight against hospital-grade disinfectants meant to kill it, reports UH pharmacy professor Kevin Garey in a study that helps explain why C. diff is so hard to eradicate. The survival of C. diff in hospitals and nursing homes is especially hazardous -- within one month of diagnosis, one in 11 people over age 65 died of a health care-associated C. diff infection.

'Vapers' should avoid mixing e-liquids for their electronic (e-) cigarettes themselves. This applies especially when consumers do not possess sufficient knowledge and experience. DIY mixing, for example, involves the risk of mineral and vegetable oils being used. Liquids should never contain fatty oils, which may lead to serious respiratory disorders if inhaled. E-cigarettes and mixtures (e-liquids) of uncertain origin and composition should also be avoided.