Health News

U.S. medical programs missing millions of kids: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An estimated five million uninsured children in the United States were eligible for Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) but were not enrolled in either plan, according to a new report. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Some donated malaria drugs being stolen in Africa (AP)

AP - Millions of free malaria drugs are sent to Africa every year by international donors. New research is now providing evidence for what health workers have long suspected: some of the donated medication is being stolen and resold on commercial markets.

God Not Needed To Create Universe, Hawking Says
In his new book, The Grand Design, the British physicist says unraveling a complex series of theories will explain the universe. The book, written with American physicist and author Leonard Mlodinow, will be published Sept. 9.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

Prescription Drug Use Rising in U.S., CDC Reports (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Over the last 10 years, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased from 44 percent to 48 percent, says a federal government study released Thursday.

Clinical Trials Update: Aug. 24, 2010 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Effect of the CYP2D6*10 Genotype on Tolterodine Pharmacokinetics [ARTICLES]

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the reduced function allele CYP2D6*10, which can be the cause of an intermediate metabolizer (IM), on tolterodine pharmacokinetics. Tolterodine is mainly metabolized to an active 5-hydroxymethyl metabolite (5-HM) by CYP2D6, and 5-HM is also metabolized by CYP2D6. Asian and white healthy volunteers (n = 108) received once daily multiple doses of tolterodine, and the serum concentrations of tolterodine and 5-HM were measured. All subjects were genotyped for CYP2D6. Tolterodine exposures [area under the curve (AUC)] increased in order of CYP2D6*1/*1 [extensive metabolizer (EM)] < CYP2D6*1/*10 < CYP2D6*10/*10 < CYP2D6*5/*10. It was expected that the order of 5-HM exposure would be reversed. However, the 5-HM AUC increased in the same order as that of tolterodine. This phenomenon was explained by considering CYP2D6 mediation of both production and elimination of 5-HM. The tolterodine and 5-HM exposures in CYP2D6*10/*10 were statistically higher than those for CYP2D6*1/*1 (3- and 1.5-fold, respectively). In CYP2D6*4/*4 [poor metabolizer (PM)], 5-HM was not produced and tolterodine exposure was 20-fold higher than that in CYP2D6*1/*1. With consideration for higher protein binding of tolterodine than 5-HM, the exposure as a sum of the unbound fraction of tolterodine and 5-HM (active moiety) in CYP2D6*10/*10 was 1.8-fold higher than that in CYP2D6*1/*1 and was also higher than that in CYP2D6*4/*4. Simulation using the values of EM and PM demonstrated that the maximum possible active moiety exposure was around the observed values of CYP2D6*5/*10, which were 1.9-fold higher than those for CYP2D6*1/*1. This is the first report to provide an example in which the IM shows higher exposure to pharmacological active moiety than the EM and PM.

Teen Pot Smoking Won't Lead to Other Drugs as Adults
New research finds little support for the hypothesis that marijuana is a "gateway" drug leading to the use of harder drugs in adulthood. (Source: WebMD Health)