Marijuana Derivative Could Be Useful for Pain Treatment
August 2010: A new compound similar to the active ingredient of marijuana, cannabis, might provide effective pain relief without the mental and physical side effects of cannabis.
Learn more about Marijuana Derivative Could Be Useful for Pain Treatment
Source: Science Daily
VA Easing Rules for Users of Medical Marijuana
August 2010: The Department of Veterans Affairs will formally allow patients treated at its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal.
Learn more about VA Easing Rules for Users of Medical Marijuana
Source: NY Times
New Method Helps Nerves Grow After Trauma or Injury
August 2010: Scientists at the University of Calgary have discovered a way to enhance nerve regeneration in the peripheral nervous system which could lead to new treatments for nerve damage caused by diabetes or traumatic injury.
Learn More about New Method Helps Nerves Grow After Trauma or Injury
Source: Science Daily
Novel Therapies – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Ahmet Hoke, Professor and Director of the Neuromuscular Division, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, received a grant from the Foundation to study challenges to the development of effective therapies for peripheral neuropathies and to develop novel regenerative treatments. Dr. Hoke’s laboratory screened a library of drugs for their ability to regenerate nerve fibers and have identified two compounds as potentially enhancing nerve regeneration. Now, they plan to test the utility of these compounds in enhancing nerve regeneration in laboratory animals. In addition, Dr. Hoke’s laboratory is studying molecular mechanisms as to why human nerves do not regenerate as well as laboratory animals. This project may offer clues as to new drug targets to enhance nerve regeneration in humans. As these projects demonstrate, Dr. Hoke’s laboratory is focused on identifying novel therapies that enhance nerve regeneration and restore health to nerve cells injured in peripheral neuropathies.
Medical Marijuana Policy Catches Up with Science
Marijuana’s recorded use as a medicine goes back nearly 5,000 years. The ban on such use is a much newer phenomenon – 72 years in the U.S. – and one whose unhappy tenure is now apparently near an end. Simply put, research has made that ban increasingly untenable. New policies make it clear that this shift was driven by research into medical marijuana for neuropathic pain. This type of pain, stemming from nerve damage that can be caused by a wide variety of illnesses (including HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and diabetes) and injuries, is notoriously hard to treat. The need for better treatments is universally recognized.
Learn More about Medical Marijuana Policy Catches Up with Science
Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
GlaxoSmithKline Pulls Denture Adhesive citing Risk of Zinc Overdose
June 2010: In an update to our previous article, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the make of Super Poligrip, has decided to stop manufacturing three varieties of the denture adhesive. Read more about their decision. You should now be able to find new zinc-free Superpoligrip in your local stores.
Learn more about GlaxoSmithKline Pulls Denture Adhesive citing Risk of Zinc Overdose
Source: Denver Post
Adhesives Blamed for Nerve Damage
Zinc in denture adhesives has been blamed in dozens of cases of nerve damage, including that of a North Carolina man who says 20 years of using the glues caused him to become disabled. The poison is in the dose. Although zinc is an essential mineral for cell function, it can be harmful in high doses because it inhibits the absorption of other minerals. As a result, people who ingest too much zinc develop copper and iron deficiencies that can lead to severe numbness and weakness from nerve damage.
Learn More about Adhesives Blamed for Nerve Damage
Source: The Omaha World-Herald Health
New research for Charcot Marie Tooth
A new, collaborative research study has been published by Nature Genetics, a publisher of high quality genetic research. The team of researchers include Dr. Teepu Siddique, one of our FPN Database Consortium members. He is from the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurosciences and the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Learn More about New research for Charcot Marie Tooth
Source: Nature Genetics