R&D

Successful insomnia treatment may require nothing more than a placebo

A new study published in Brain indicates that successful treatment for insomnia may not actually require complicated neurofeedback (direct training of brain functions). Rather, it appears patients who simply believe they're getting neurofeedback training appear to get the same benefits.

Online pharmacies could fuel antibiotic resistance

The researchers from Imperial College London analysed 20 pharmacies that were available for UK citizens to access online. This is one of the few studies to have examined the online availability of antibiotics and to have explored the potential effects on public health. The research is published in Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Vitamin D protects against colds and flu, finds major global study

Vitamin D supplements protect against acute respiratory infections including colds and flu, according to a study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The study provides the most robust evidence yet that vitamin D has benefits beyond bone and muscle health, and could have major implications for public health policy, including the fortification of foods with vitamin D to tackle high levels of deficiency in the UK.

DNA computer brings 'intelligent drugs' a step closer

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) present a new method that should enable controlled drug delivery into the bloodstream using DNA computers. In the journal Nature Communications the team, led by biomedical engineer Maarten Merkx, describes how it has developed the first DNA computer capable of detecting several antibodies in the blood and performing subsequent calculations based on this input.

Your computer can help scientists search for new childhood cancer treatments

Medical researchers and IBM (NYSE: IBM) are asking the public's help in finding prospective treatments for childhood cancers, the top worldwide cause of death by disease for children. Scientists are searching for chemical drug candidates that can affect the key molecules and proteins that control cancer cells in several common childhood cancers. However, finding drug candidates is an expensive and slow process.

Statin side effects are strongest predictor of failure to meet cholesterol targets

Statin side effects are the strongest predictor of failure to meet low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol targets, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Other predictors were statin non-adherence and use of weaker statins.

Immune cell study prompts rethink on how to tackle infections

Fresh insights into how immune cells are regulated could signal a new approach to tackling infections. Researchers have found that oxygen levels in the body can profoundly change the way immune cells behave. Scientists say the findings pave the way for new therapies that target the immune response to infection, with the potential to boost existing antibiotic treatments.

Research & Development

Successful insomnia treatment may require nothing more than a placebo

Online pharmacies could fuel antibiotic resistance

Vitamin D protects against colds and flu, finds major global study

DNA computer brings 'intelligent drugs' a step closer

Your computer can help scientists search for new childhood cancer treatments

Statin side effects are strongest predictor of failure to meet cholesterol targets

Immune cell study prompts rethink on how to tackle infections

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