People with more friends have higher pain tolerance, recent research has suggested. Katerina Johnson, a doctoral student in the University of Oxford Departments of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology, was studying whether differences in our neurobiology may help explain why some of us have larger social networks than others. She explained, ‘I was particularly interested in [...]
A landmark clinical trial is underway, to study the effectiveness of three hepatitis C medications. The initial patient at University of Florida Health has begun a 12-week drug regimen and is one of 3,750 people who will be randomly assigned one of the medications as part of the five-year trial, said David R Nelson, MD, [...]
Parasitic bacteria that are reliant on the other bacteria they infect have been investigated following their first-time discovery – in human spit. As reported in New Scientist, while the small cells have gone undetected for decades, they’re in fact seemingly related to gum disease, cystic fibrosis, and antimicrobial resistance. This type – Bdellovibrio – is [...]
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is arguing that despite GPs being highly trained to care for patients with asthma, they need more investment to meet demand. Dr Maureen Baker, Chair of the RCGP, said, ‘Asthma is a distressing condition that affects millions of people across the UK, and patients should be reassured that [...]
Researchers have found that an existing diabetes drug can be used to halt progression of another disease that is a leading cause of liver transplants. A three-year clinical trial led by University of Florida Health Researcher Kenneth Cusi, MD, found that the drug pioglitazone is safe and effective in certain patients who have nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, [...]
Researchers have discovered a protein involved in skin psoriasis, a highly common disease, opening up new potentials for therapy. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a new molecular target for potential therapies. A small protein in the skin called Rac1, which is involved in wound repair, appears to link well-known environmental triggers of [...]
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales has announced that Suzanne Scott-Thomas has been re-elected to serve a second term as Chair of the Welsh Pharmacy Board, while Paul Harris has also been re-elected as Vice Chair and assembly member. Speaking after her re-election, Suzanne said, ‘I really am delighted to be re-elected as Chair of [...]
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which reviews newly-licensed medicines, has published advice accepting four new medicines for routine use by NHS Scotland. Co-careldopa (Duodopa) for advanced Parkinson’s disease and blinatumomab (Blincyto) for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were both accepted after consideration under SMC’s Patient and Clinician Engagement process (PACE) for medicines that treat end of [...]
Following the announcement that Elizabeth Fagan is taking up the role as the new Boots UK Managing Director, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association Union’s (PDA) Assistant General Secretary, Mark Koziol, has outlined the urgent change in culture which must now be delivered, as reported in The Guardian. Mark stated, ‘We sincerely hope that the new Boots [...]
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has today published updated professional guidance for the prescribers of Specials which is endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and the Royal College of Nursing. In 2012 the National Prescribing Centre and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the original [...]
