Insomnia is a highly prevalent condition, with up to a third of the general adult populace thought to suffer from insomnia at some time. Insomnia is generally associated with a negative impact on day-to-day functioning and has been noted to have co-morbid associations with a variety of psychiatric conditions. Melatonin, an endogenous sleep regulating hormone,… Read more »
Various studies have suggested that a genetic test for the efficacy of the commonly used breast cancer drug, tamoxifen, is an effective predictor of how patients will respond to the drug. Tamoxifen undergoes metabolism upon oral administration, and it is widely accepted that the majority of the anti-proliferative effects of tamoxifen occur via its active… Read more »
Producing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) has the potential to revolutionize drug discovery and regenerative medicine. These cells have an advantage over embryonic stem cells, which face both ethical concerns and the technical difficulties isolating cells from human embryos. Takahashi and Yamanaka’s breakthrough study in 2006 showed that pluripotent stem cells could be directly generated… Read more »
As a core area of molecular biology, the study of protein structure is integral to elucidating pathological processes. Protein structure prediction has become one of the most important goals of pharmaceutical and biochemical industries. With the correctly folded 3D structure of a protein often being integral to its function, the demand for the development of… Read more »
3Drug-based enhancement is no longer an underground phenomenon but is now firmly focused within the mainstream consciousness. Performance-enhancing drugs are no longer used solely for personal gratification, but also for competitive advantage in a gamut of fields – ranging from the highest academic circles through to elite sporting events. In a new commentary published in… Read more »
In a first step towards establishing whether or not performance in cognitive tests is related to differences in brain structure, researchers writing in BMC Research Notes recently used brain scans from 40 volunteers to find out how well the results of eight vocational guidance tests correlated to the distribution of gray matter in their brains. Despite the… Read more »