Anti-addiction medication

Drug addiction continues to plague vast numbers of people across the world, destroying and ending lives, while attempts to develop more effective pharmaceutical addiction treatments continue.
Vigabatrin is an anti-epilepsy medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that has also been shown to be effective against addiction to cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine, heroin and alcohol in animal models.

In humans, vigabatrin eliminates cocaine addiction in 28 percent of patients. It works by blocking an enzyme-aminobutyric acid (GABA) aminotransferase, which breaks down GABA. The result is higher levels of this neurotransmitter in the brain and diminished narcotic-activated release of dopamine. Long-term vigabatrin therapy can have serious side effects however, causing eye damage in up to 40 percent of those treated.

In previous work, the researchers designed a compound, CPP-115, that is 186 times more efficient in inactivating GABA aminotransferase than vigabatrin. In this study, they used computational molecular dynamics simulations of CPP-115 in complex with the enzyme to develop a new and improved agent with 10 times greater efficiency.

The drug should also be less likely to cause side effects, as it has fewer off-target activities in in vitro tests. In initial rat experiments, the new compound was far better at blocking dopamine release after a cocaine or nicotine stimulus than CPP-115.
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How to prevent opioid addiction after surgery

The American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends using prescription painkillers sparingly, if at all, after surgery. There are effective alternatives and many people don't need opioids at all or at least should drastically reduce the amount they take. Opioid painkillers like OxyContin (oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone/acetaminophen) are addictive, the addiction can develop after taking just a few of them.

Post-surgical prescription have played a role in opioid epidemic. Despite the risk of dependence, many surgery patients receive prescriptions for a month's supply or more of opioid pills. And some of the patients are still using them three months or longer after their surgery.

More than 2 million Americans abuse opioids, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2000, opioid overdose deaths in the United States have increased 200 percent. To reduce reliance on painkillers, the anesthesiologists' group offers advice for coping with discomfort as you recover from surgery:
Only take opioids when in extreme pain . Medications such as ibuprofen (Motrin), naproxen (Aleve) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can manage pain and soreness. These medications are not addictive and are far less risky than opioids.

Understand that soreness and discomfort after surgery are normal and will improve within a day or two. These sensations are different than pain, which is typically sharp or intense. While in recovery after surgery, try to be clear when asked if you are in pain. Specify if you are sore, uncomfortable or in serious pain.

If you have significant pain, ask that an opioid prescription be limited to a small amount, such as five pills. If you do take opioids, take them only for a day or two after surgery, three days at most. Your pain will improve significantly within a few days whether or not you take opioids. Those who are in continued severe pain after surgery can engage in exercise, use nerve blocks and non-opioid medications.
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Control diabetes with diet and exercise

According to latest research, dieting and regular exercise can be more effective at controlling type 2 diabetes than medication. Patients who take part in weight loss programmes are less likely to need drugs and tend to have healthier blood sugar levels. Regular exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy helps people to lose weight.

A sensible diet can control diabetes more effectively than drugs, people who completed the weeks regime saw no increase in the diabetes pills they had to take. They were also half as likely to see their condition progress to the extent that they needed to take insulin.

A single workout could save your life, diabetes sufferers who lost at least 11lb also had a significant reduction in their blood sugar levels in the following three years. A real-life structured weight management intervention can reduce weight in the medium term, result in improved glycaemic control with fewer medications, and may be more effective than pharmacological alternatives.

The course involved 90-minute classes every fortnight for four months, in which patients were given exercise advice and told to follow a diet of 1,400 calories a day for women and 1,900 a day for men.
They also underwent cognitive behavioural therapy to help them lose weight. Study leader Dr Jennifer Logue, from the University of Glasgow, said: ‘This is the first real-world study to show that the lifestyle weight management programmes delivered in the NHS can have a long-lasting meaningful clinical effect.’
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Acetaminophen in pregnancy may cause language delays

According to new study, children whose mothers used acetaminophen-known as Tylenol early in pregnancy may have an increased risk of language delays. Researchers found that when pregnant women used the painkiller during the first trimester, their daughters were more likely to have language delays, such link was not  seen among boys.

A "language delay" meant the child was using fewer than 50 words, according to the report. This medication should probably be used only with caution, and limited to absolute need," said Christina Chambers, a pediatrics professor at the University of California, San Diego. Chambers, who also co-directs the university's Center for Better Beginnings.

Doctors consider its pain and fever reliever of choice during pregnancy. That's because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-including aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen haverisks, particularly later in pregnancy, according to the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. The group tracks research on medication and other exposures during pregnancy.

There is no good alternative to acetaminophen, evidence is growing that there can be risks from taking the drug during pregnancy, especially more than occasionally. One recent study found that when women used acetaminophen for more than a month during pregnancy, their children had a higher risk of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD.

It's not clear that the drug causes developmental problems, but researchers have speculated that it might interfere with hormones that are important in fetal brain development. Acetaminophen is hormonally active, any hormonal effects might affect girls and boys differently. The findings are based on Swedish women who enrolled in a long-term health study during their first trimester. Overall, 59 percent said they'd taken acetaminophen since becoming pregnant.

Their children had their language development assessed at 30 months of age. Roughly 4 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys were found to have a delay. Among girls, the study found, the risk of language delay rose in accordance with mothers' prenatal acetaminophen use. If a pregnant woman had taken more than six tablets in the first trimester, her daughter's risk of language delay was about six times higher, versus girls whose mothers did not use the drug.
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Hair transplant may prevents migraine

According to latest research, hair transplants cure migraines, the cosmetic procedure prevents headaches in people who have suffered crippling pain for up to 20 years, a Turkish study found.
After undergoing hair transplants, migraine sufferers who experienced agonising discomfort for up to four hours, several times a month, no longer require any pain-relieving medication.

It is unclear how hair transplants prevent migraines, however, it may be linked to the surgery destroying nerve endings in the scalp, reducing signals that trigger such pain. Migraine is the third most common condition in the world, affecting around one in seven people. Researchers from the SO-EP Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery Clinic, Turkey, analysed six patients who suffered from migraines and underwent hair transplants.

Of the study's participants, two suffered pain at the front and base of their heads; two at the base and around the ear; and the remainder at the front, base and surrounding ear area. On average, they experienced such headaches for six days a month, with the pain lasting around four hours.

 Their pain scores were between five and eight out of 10. All of the participants tried pain-relieving medication for their headaches before having their hair transplants. Some of them had suffered with migraines for up to 20 years.

After their hair transplants, each participant was checked once in the first month and then every three months. Results reveal all of the participants stopped experiencing migraines after their hair transplants and no longer require pain-relieving medication. Hair plantation in bald migraine patients may be an alternative to migraine treatment.
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Exercise improves memory and thinking

Mild cognitive impairment is an intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia. Symptoms can involve problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes. Generally, these changes aren't severe enough to significantly interfere with day-to-day life and usual activities.

 A new guideline for medical practitioners says they should recommend twice-weekly exercise to people with mild cognitive impairment to improve memory and thinking. However, mild cognitive impairment may increase the risk of later progressing to dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease or other neurological conditions.

But some people with mild cognitive impairment never get worse, and a few eventually get better. Engaging in aerobic exercise like walking briskly, jogging, whatever you like for more than 100 minutes a week can improve memory. The level of exertion should be enough to work up a bit of a sweat but doesn't need to be so rigorous that you can't hold a conversation. Exercising might slow down the rate at which you would progress from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
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Dangers of painkiller drugs

Commonly prescribed painkillers need to be given for shorter periods of time to reduce the risk of obesity and sleep deprivation. Findings show that medications commonly used to treat pain, like gabapentinoids such as gabapentin, pregabilin and opiates, increased the risk of obesity and were associated with poor sleep.

Scientists assessed the cardio-metabolic health - the inter-relationship between metabolic and cardiovascular disease in many participants. Body Mass Index, waist circumference and blood pressure were compared between those taking painkillers for chronic, non-cancer pain and cardio-metabolic drugs, compared to those prescribed cardio-metabolic treatment only. Conditions that can require the use of this treatment include migraine, diabetic neuropathy and chronic lower back pain.

Findings of the new study show people on opiates and cardio-metabolic drugs reported 95% rates of obesity, 82% 'very high' waist circumference and 63% hypertension, as opposed to those on cardio-metabolic drugs only. Results suggest that chronic pain medications should be prescribed for shorter periods of time to limit serious health complications. Opioids are recognised as being among the most dangerous prescription painkillers because they are addictive which can lead to them being abused.

Patients can require continuous use of the drugs to feel normal and avoid symptoms of withdrawal.
In the last decade, the number prescribed has doubled and long-term use has become increasingly controversial as the medication causes sleep disorders, daytime sedation and accidental overdose.

There are a number of possible reasons why opioids can be associated with significant weight gain and obesity. For example, they can act as a sedative which makes patients less active and they have been shown to alter taste perception with a craving for sugar and sweet foods. Opioids are also known to worsen snoring and untreated sleep apnea, as well as causing problems with nocturnal hypertension.
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Anti-malarial drug for Zika virus treatment

Medication used to prevent and treat malaria may also be effective for Zika virus. The drug, called chloroquine, has a long history of safe use during pregnancy. Zika causes mild flu-like symptoms. But in pregnant women, the virus can cause serious birth defects in babies-including microcephaly-a neurological condition in which newborns have unusually small heads and fail to develop properly.

Presently, there is no treatment or way to reverse the condition. The latest research suggests the anti-malaria drug chloroquine may be an effective drug to treat and prevent Zika infections. Reseachers examined the effect of chloroquine in human brain organoids and pregnant mice infected with the virus, and found the drug markedly reduced the amount of Zika virus in maternal blood and neural progenitor cells in the fetal brain.

Pregnant mice received chloroquine through drinking water in dosages equivalent to acceptable levels used in humans. Although chloroquine did not completely clear Zika from infected mice it did reduce the viral load, suggesting it could limit the neurological damage found in newborns infected by the virus.
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Vaping not better than smoking before surgery

Despite being perceived as a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes, vaping liquid contains nicotine, which may significantly increase the risk for complications related to surgery and anesthesia, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists AANA. The AANA is supporting this effort by urging individuals not to vape or smoke before surgery.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which can cause addiction.The nicotine found in vapes and tobacco results in poor wound healing, increases anesthesia risk, and may lead to a host of other potential complications for surgery patients. Despite being perceived as a better alternative to tobacco cigarettes, vaping liquid contains nicotine, which significantly increases the risk for complications during and after surgery.

 It's common knowledge that patients should quit smoking cigarettes at least a few weeks before and after surgery, vaping is not good as well. Nicotine can lower the effectiveness of certain medications or interfere with the way the way drugs work; it can also impact healing and lead to infection and greater discomfort after surgery.
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Abilify MyCite for treating schizophrenia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug with a digital ingestion tracking system. Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor) has an ingestible sensor embedded in the pill that records that the medication was taken. The product is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and for use as an add-on treatment for depression in adults.

The system works by sending a message from the pill’s sensor to a wearable patch. The patch transmits the information to a mobile application so that patients can track the ingestion of the medication on their smart phone. Patients can also permit their caregivers and physician to access the information through a web-based portal. Being able to track ingestion of medications prescribed for mental illness may be useful for some patients.

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder. Symptoms of those with schizophrenia include hearing voices, believing other people are reading their minds or controlling their thoughts, and being suspicious or withdrawn. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is another brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

The symptoms of bipolar disorder include alternating periods of depression and high or irritable mood, increased activity and restlessness, racing thoughts, talking fast, impulsive behavior and a decreased need for sleep. Abilify MyCite contains a Boxed Warning alerting health care professionals that elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death.

Abilify MyCite is not approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis. The Boxed Warning also warns about an increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents and young adults taking antidepressants. The safety and effectiveness of Abilify MyCite have not been established in pediatric patients. Patients should be monitored for worsening and emergence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Abilify MyCite must be dispensed with a patient Medication Guide that describes important information about the drug’s uses and risks.

In the clinical trials for Abilify, the most common side effects reported by adults taking Abilify were nausea, vomiting, constipation, headache, dizziness, uncontrollable limb and body movements (akathisia), anxiety, insomnia, and restlessness. Skin irritation at the site of the MyCite patch placement may occur in some patients.
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HIV treatment prevents cognitive decline

HIV-positive patients have the same risk of dementia as any other person if they take viral-suppressing medication and live a healthy lifestyle. One of the most debilitating effects of HIV is the neurocognitive decline, which can range from memory and language issues to dementia. Until now, research suggested that even those who take anti-retroviral therapy, the viral suppressing drug, had a higher risk of brain disorders than the general population.

Those who successfully suppress their viral load and live healthily have the same lifetime risk of dementia and other brain disorders as any other person. Older patients' brains may already have been ravaged by the disease, and medication couldn't reverse the damage, which would typically trigger symptoms within three or four years.

Researchers examined adults with HIV treated with cART with good viral suppression as well as those who did not have HIV for comparison. Both groups were about half women, with an average age of around 48 for the HIV-positive adults and 51 for the HIV-negative adults. Over the course of two years, the researchers assessed their brain changes using MRI scans.

They focused on the cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. They also assessed their cognitive performance using neuropsychological assessments. Those with HIV had poorer cognition and reduced brain thickness and volume than adults without HIV. However, by the end of the study, there were barely any differences between the two groups.
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Air pollution can cause kidney disease

According to American Society of Nephrology, air pollution - even in small amounts can damage kidneys. Air pollution has been linked to heart disease, strokes, cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Inhaling tiny specks of dust, dirt, smoke, soot and liquids in polluted air move to the bloodstream, when kidneys are filtering the blood, the particles can damage them. Exposure to any amount of air pollution, no matter how small, can harm the kidneys the same way it harms other organs such as the heart and lungs.

Human kidneys filter out waste products from the blood before converting them into urine and also maintain blood pressure. Chronic kidney disease CKD is a long-term condition where the kidneys could not function properly.

The risk of CKD increases with age, CKD does not usually cause any symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage. It can be detected early by blood and urine tests. The main symptoms of advanced kidney disease include tiredness, swollen ankles or hands, shortness of breath, nausea and blood in urine.

Those with the condition have a greater risk of having a stroke or heart attack. It can also cause kidney failure, when sufferers will need to have dialysis and transplant. Lifestyle changes and medication can stop it from getting worse if it's diagnosed at an early stage.
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Using antidepressants in pregnancy may affects fetus mental development

Latest research shows that there is an increased risk involved in using antidepressants during pregnancy, children born to mothers who were on antidepressants during pregnancy may develop psychological disorder later in life.

Researchers divided children into four groups: the children in group 1 had not been exposed to antidepressants in the womb. In group 2, the mothers had been taking antidepressants before pregnancy, but not during.

In group 3, the mothers were using antidepressants both before and during the pregnancy. Group 4 consisted of children, whose mothers were new users of antidepressants and had started taking the medication during the pregnancy.

The result of the study showed an increased number of children with psychiatric disorders in the group in which the mothers had been using antidepressants during their pregnancy. Psychiatric disorders are hereditary
being exposed to antidepressants in the womb can increase the risk.
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Gocovri drug for treatment of dyskinesia

Gocovri (amantadine) drug has been approved for treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medications.

Gocovri is a high dose 274 mg amantadine (equivalent to 340 mg amantadine HCl) taken once-daily at bedtime that delivers consistently high levels of amantadine from the morning and throughout the day when dyskinesia occurs.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. It results from a loss of dopamine in the brain and is commonly treated by levodopa and dopaminergic therapies that replace lost dopamine.

Dyskinesia is a consequence of levodopa-based Parkinson's disease treatment and is characterized by involuntary and non-rhythmic movements that are purposeless and unpredictable, which impact the activities of daily living.

Common adverse reactions of Gocovri are: hallucinations, dizziness, dry mouth, peripheral edema, constipation, fall and orthostatic hypotension.
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Fasting diet in a healthy way

Calories restrictions extends lifespan and prevents sicknesses and diseases. Fasting has been used for thousands of years for health benefits. It can improve glucose tolerance. Insulin resistance is generally caused as a result of the body's reduced ability to remove excess glucose from the blood either because insufficient insulin is released or the glucose receptors have become less sensitive.

Excess glucose will be converted to fat and stored in tissues not suitable for fat storage. As the body uses fat as a fuel during intermittent fasting, fat stores will reduce allowing the cells to regain insulin function and glucose sensitivity.
Intermittent fasting can improve pre-diabetic and insulin resistant.

 Short term intermittent fasting may be a safe and tolerable dietary intervention for those already diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and may improve body weight and reducing glucose levels. Fasting diet in a healthy way improves skin health. Intermittent fasting's ability to reduce weight will result in lower body fat. This improves heart function, prevents cancer and improves immune system.

Eat healthy foods during intermittent fasting to ensure the body's processes are taking place efficiently and effectively. Add fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and protein to every meal.
Reduce intake of junk foods and carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. The simple concept is to aim to fast every day for 16-18 hours a day and only consume food in the remaining six to eight hours.

 Increase the gap between dinner and breakfast; if you eat dinner at 6pm, then you would not eat your next meal until 12pm the following day, allowing an 18-hour fast in between. People that are underweight, sick or using drugs must not fast. Children, pregnant women and nursing mother should avoid fasting.
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Use synbiotics for gut health

Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for digestive system. Probiotics are said to keep gut and digestion healthy by replacing the bad bacteria with good one.

Synbiotics combined a probiotic bacterial strain with prebiotics, which actually feed and increase the good bacteria in the gut.

Probiotics can not survive for a long periods of time, heat and stomach acid can kill them, making them ineffective before digestion.

 Synbiotics are the best way to ensure a maximum benefit from the ingested probiotics. It is the combination of probiotics and prebiotics to feed the human microbiome. Synbiotics could have beneficial effects on obesity and diabetes.

Research has linked our gut health to a range of conditions like obesity, depression, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Probiotics may prevent and treat fatty liver disease and keep it from advancing to liver cancer.

 Pre-and pro-biotics work together to provide a combined benefit, while the probiotic settles in and pushes out the bad bacteria, the prebiotic feeds the growth of positive strains.

A healthy, balanced microbiome breaks down foods, protects human from infection, trains immune system and produces vitamins K and B12. It also controls mood, anxiety and appetite.
Imbalances in the gut are linked to a range of conditions.

The composition of human gut microbiota is determined by genes but it can also be influenced by lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol intake, exercise, and medications.
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ARV injection as effective as ART pills

Monthly AIDS injection may be as effective as daily pill for controlling the AIDS virus. Presently, there is no cure for AIDS, HIV patients must take daily doses of anti-retroviral therapy ART that keeps the HIV virus under control.

Failure to take ART daily may leads to the virus developing resistance to drugs which is very dangerous for the patient and increase the chance of spreading the deadly virus.

HIV patients always start their treatment with an initial course of daily pills to bring the virus under control when they discovered that they have the virus.

After that, some continued with the oral treatment as maintenance to subdued the virus while the rest are shifted onto the prototype, injectable ARV, every four weeks.

Viruses can become resistant to drugs when people take incorrect doses of their prescribed medication at the wrong time or forget to take the drug.
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How to manage asthma

Asthma is a respiratory condition marked by attacks of spasm in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing.

Treatment of asthma starts with the
controlling the symptoms, normalizing the lungs function and adjusting medication in response to changes.

Bronchodilator is used for treatment of chronic asthma. Acute exacerbations in people with mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent asthma.

A bronchodilator is a substance that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles, decreasing resistance in the respiratory airway and increasing airflow to the lungs.

Inhaler is recommended for all asthma patients, patients with more constant asthma should use asthma maintenance medications.

Effective treatment for asthma must involve a physical and breathing examination, spirometry testing should be repeated every year if the patient did not get better.

Chest imaging is recommended if the patient has a smoking history, chemical exposure, lungs disease and lungs cancer.

Asthma control medication
For mild intermittent asthma- Cromolyn sodium, nedocromil, low-dose inhaled corticosteroid and leukotriene modifier are used.

Moderate persistent asthma medium dose inhaled corticosteroid alone with cromolyn sodium or nedocromil, leukotriene modifier and long-acting bronchodilator.

Severe persistent asthma - High-dose inhaled corticosteroids, oral corticosteroids; high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus leukotriene modifier, plus long-acting bronchodilator, plus leukotriene modifier, plus long-acting bronchodilator.
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Yoga and meditation reduce the risk of cancer

Yoga and meditation reduce our risk of cancer by changing our DNA,
Practising mind-body interventions (MBI), like as yoga, meditation and Tai Chi, produce lower amounts of molecules that enable inflammation-causing genes.

MBIs enable the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path which improves health.

Inflammation has been linked to cancer, accelerated ageing and poor mental health.

Researchers analysed 18 studies with 846 participants conducted over 11 years. Studies were included in the analysis if they measured gene expression after a MBI.

Reserchers discovered that people who practice MBIs produce lower amounts of molecules that enable inflammation-causing genes.


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HIV lesions treatments

HIV alters the body's immune system and this can leads to development of many health problem like skin infections.

Lesions are abnormal growths on the skin, it can grow on the skin of people who are not suffering from HIV, but it is common in people who are HIV positive.

It may develop as side effect of HIV medication, CD4 count is a blood test that measure the level of white blood cells in the body, if CD4 count is very low, the rate of developing skin lesions will be very high.

Common HIV skin lesions:
• Bullous impetigo
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) warts
• Prurigo nodularis
• Molluscum contagiosum
• Herpes simplex lesions
• Kaposi's sarcoma

Treatments
1. Taking antiviral medication according to Doctor's prescription may increase CD4 cells.
2. Eating balanced diet
3. Getting enough rest
4. Regular exercise