Drugs in urine for a good reason

by pylbug
Urine samples could be used to predict responses to drugs, say researchers:
[Via Eureka! Science News - Popular science news]

Researchers may be able to predict how people will respond to particular drugs by analysing their urine samples, suggest scientists behind a new study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Examining metabolites in urine to determine how well people will deal with drugs is an interesting idea. Here it is just looking at a simple painkiller but there are all sorts of drugs where the pharmacokinetics can very a lot. Knowing how people metabolize the drug, individuals, not groups, would permit much more personalized approaches to using drugs. It would make them more efficient also.

The other important thing is that the effects also have something to do with the bacterial fauna we each have in our guts. They create an internal environment that can affect how we metabolize drugs. So simply knowing someone’s genetic information would not be totally useful as the self-contained microbial environment could alter metabolic responses.

It truly demonstrates that genes and environment are totally linked.

Technorati Tags: Health

Great news

Scientists make multiple types of white blood cells directly from embryonic and adult stem cells:
[Via Eureka! Science News - Popular science news]

In an advance that could help transform embryonic stem cells into a multipurpose medical tool, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have transformed these versatile cells into progenitors of white blood cells and into six types of mature white blood and immune cells.

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This could have a huge effect since these are just the sorts of cells that are critical for fighting many diseases. Being able to work with a large number of these cells can be very useful. In the short term, these can be used to model disease or to examine the toxicity of drugs.

But it could also be important in bone marrow research and cancer therapies. As we get better at manipulating stem cells, the ability to effectively deal with a wide range of human diseases become a reality.

Technorati Tags: Health

TB may never leave

New drug-resistant TB strains could become widespread says new study:
[Via Eureka! Science News - Popular science news]

The emergence of new forms of tuberculosis could swell the proportion of drug-resistant cases globally, a new study has found. The finding raises concern that although TB incidence is falling in many regions, the emergence of antibiotic resistance could see virtually untreatable strains of the disease become widespread.

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TB has been around infecting humans for over 4000 years (features of TB have been found in Egyptian mummies). Some prehistoric humans may have been infected. It is possible we that TB, like so many of our disease, came from our domestication of animals, as the TB bacterium has been found in ancient bovines.

The first written accounts appeared about 2500 years ago. Mass movements of people insured its spread. Only the development of antibiotics really slowed its progress.

Now we are seeing that thin reed of hope disappear. The BCG vaccine offers some hope but mainly in childre. New approaches offers some hope but we will have to move fast.

Technorati Tags: Health, Science

DDT and malaria

Berenbaum on DDT and malaria:
[Via Deltoid]

May Berenbaum is an entomologist at UIUC and been correcting the Rachel-Carson-killed-millions hoax for a while now. Public Radio International has interviewed Berenbaum for a podcast on DDT and malaria. She is also answering questions on the forum there. Predictably Marjorie Mazel Hecht, editor of Larouche’s 21st Century Science & Technology has shown up to push the line that all that you have to do is spray DDT to solve the malaria problem.

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Almost anything spouted by a Larouche organization deals with misrepresentations. africa still uses DDT to fight malaria, as part of a multi-functional approach that includes, nets, medicines and social changes.

The scientific discussion is really very interesting.

Technorati Tags: Health, Science