Drugs and Pharmacology, Seventeenth Edition

Welcome to the seventeenth edition of Drugs and Pharmacology. Today, we discuss how banning over-the-counter drugs to thwart drug abuse could affect you, how bacteria respond to antibacterials, the link between a popular asthma medication and suicide, how vitamins may actually worsen prostate cancer, and other topics.

Remember, we review the latest blogs related to drugs — medicinal, recreational, interactional, personal, professional, or any other aspect. If you were left out in this round, just leave a comment with your blog entry. You can check out the archives for every edition of this carnival.

For future editions, please remember to submit your blog entries using the online submission form. We will do our best to review and include your entry! Enjoy your readings…

A Dark and Sinister Force for Good writes Pseudo-poppycock:

Let’s take a look at the probable consequences of this action: A drug that anyone can now pick up at any grocery store or drug store for about six dollars will now only be available after paying a doctor upwards of fifty dollars for an office visit. Because the common, inexpensive drug must now be carried in the security of a drug store safe and only dispensed by licensed pharmacists, the cost per unit will have to be raised (to pay for the additional paperwork, among other things). Law-abiding citizens stricken with sinus headaches, allergies, or sinusitis will now have to wait until they can be seen by a doctor before getting any relief at all. The best part of the whole plan, of course, is that this will have almost no measurable effect on the production and sale of meth

Lab Rat writes Cell wall under attack – bacterial response to antibiotics:

The bacterial cell wall is made up of glycopeptide molecules (sugars and proteins joined together) and surrounds the whole cell. Without it, bacteria swiftly loose their integrity and salt-balance across the membrane, which is why many antibiotics target the cell wall in order to kill bacteria. Both for antibiotic resistance, and for surviving conditions that could damage the cell wall, bacteria have a system of monitoring the state of thee cell membrane and responding quickly to any changes.

Healthcare Hacks writes Aspirin may lower risk of cancer fatalities:

Of the group of patients who did not take any aspirin, about 19% died from the disease. However, when the patient took aspirin on a regular basis after their diagnosis, about 15% died from their cancer. When such risk factors as family history and lifestyle were taken into account, the difference between the two groups amounted to a nearly 30% reduction in the risk of cancer death.

Clinical Depression: Symptoms and Treatment writes Is there a Link between Singulair and Depression?:

In January 2009, the FDA announced that an investigation into Merck’s clinical trial data did not discover a link between Singulair (montelukast) and suicidal behavior. The investigation, which began 9 months before, was prompted by a number of reported suicides, especially that of 15-year-old Cody Miller who took the drug and appeared to have no history of mood or behavioral problems.

Scientific Living writes Vaccine Scandal:

Vaccines undergo extremely strict procedures for production. The chance that this was an accident is almost zero. Of all things that could have “accidentally” contaminated a vaccine, this contaminant happened to be a life threatening virus. But who can say for sure whether or not this was an accident.

How To Live a Longer Life writes Vitamin Supplements Can Worsen Prostate Cancer:

There has been a number of studies over the years suggesting a link between multivitamin usage and fatal prostate cancer however a recent study published in May of 2007 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute tracked more than 300,000 men where roughly 100,000 took a daily multivitamin and 15,000 of which took more than one a day. The results of the study showed that those who took the vitamins more than once a day had a rate of fatal prostate cancer within five years at roughly twice the rate of everybody else.