Scientists know that some gene changes can affect the way we process certain drugs. Sometimes, the gene changes mean we need more of less of a drug. Other times it means a drug will not work for us. If we do not take the right amount of a drug for Read more…
Doctors prescribe drugs for a lot of reasons. Some we take for a short time. Like those that help us fight an infection. We may need to take other drugs longer. Like those that help us deal with depression, or high blood pressure. Drugs can have side effects. Some happen Read more…
Risperidone is a drug that treats behavior issues. These may include anger, a bad temper, being anxious or self-harm behavior. It is often given to 10-17 year olds with schizophrenia, mania or bipolar disease. The drug also helps with the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome and autism. Changes in genes can Read more…
Colorectal cancer is cancer that starts in the colon or rectum. The colon is your large intestine. It is the lower part of your digestive system. The rectum is the last few inches of your colon. Most cases start as polyps, or small clumps of cells. Over time, some polyps Read more…
Cisplatin is a type of drug to treat certain cancers. These include head, neck, testicular, ovarian, breast, and lung cancers. For some cancers, it works well. But, in some people, it can cause serious side effects. One of them is nephrotoxicity. This is when a drug damages the kidneys so Read more…
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroids produced by your body. They are part of our normal response to stress and help us use the nutrients in foods. GCs also reduce inflammation, or swelling, in your body. Doctors use GCs to treat a variety of diseases. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, and Read more…
Hypertension means high blood pressure. High blood pressure is when pressure in your arteries stays higher than it should. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood to the body. Pulmonary hypertension (PAH) is a special type of high blood pressure. This type affects the arteries in your lungs and the right side of Read more…
Inflammation is how the body heals an infection or injury. Swelling, redness, and pain are signs of inflammation. But sometimes this happens even when there is no infection or injury. This is the case in conditions like arthritis. PDE4 is a protein. It does many things in the body. One Read more…
In some patients, certain drugs can cause side effects. In other patients, certain drugs may not work as well as they are supposed to. Severe drug effects can even lead to death in some cases in hospital patients. Being able to predict which patients may process the drugs differently than Read more…
In type 2 diabetes, blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, high blood sugar can damage the kidneys, heart, eyes, nerves and other organs. Many people with diabetes take the drug metformin to help control blood sugar. But the drug works better for some people than others. Drug transporters Read more…