Topic
Pharmacology research, explained
9 open-access pharmacology studies, each with a flashcard deck and a quiz.
- Does taking gabapentin with opioids raise overdose death risk?
People on prescription opioids who were also given gabapentin had about 50% higher odds of dying from an opioid overdose, with the greatest risk at moderate-to-high gabapentin doses.
- Which Indian traditional medicines are being eyed for COVID-19?
This review prioritizes AYUSH formulations and Indian plants with antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory records for COVID-19 testing amid India’s then-<1.5% case fatality narrative.
- What’s being done for T2DM care across Africa?
With ~19M adults with diabetes (→47M by 2045 if unchecked), African systems are expanding diagnosis/adherence programs—but major gaps remain, especially with HIV/TB co-morbidity.
- Why do some HIV patients get side effects from efavirenz?
Most Ugandan patients starting the HIV drug efavirenz had neuropsychiatric side effects such as vivid dreams, and these were linked to higher blood levels of the drug, which in turn depended on a patient's CYP2B6 gene variant, while taking TB drugs at the same time made no difference.
- Does an inhaled PDE4 blocker dampen allergic asthma attacks?
A week of an inhaled PDE4 inhibitor substantially reduced the drop in lung function that people with allergic asthma had after breathing in an allergen, while barely reaching the bloodstream.
- Why do people on the same HIV drug dose reach different blood levels?
Two variants of the liver enzyme gene CYP2B6, along with body weight and sex, together explained about 55% of the person-to-person variation in how quickly patients cleared efavirenz.
- Can a hydrogen sulfide donor protect the liver from cyclophosphamide?
In rats, 10-day NaHS pretreatment lowered CP-driven ALT/AST spikes and suppressed TLR2/4–JNK/NF-κB inflammatory signaling linked to hepatotoxicity.
- Do GLP-1 drugs help as add-ons in type 1 diabetes?
Across 11 RCTs (2,856 adults), GLP-1 RA add-on therapy modestly lowered HbA1c (−0.21%), weight (−4.04 kg), and insulin doses without more severe hypo/DKA, but GI adverse events rose (OR 2.96).
- Do amygdala astrocytes help or hurt chronic neuropathic pain?
CeA GFAP rose at 4 weeks (not 1 week) after SNL; inhibiting astrocytes with FCA increased CeLC excitability and facilitated mechanical/affective pain behaviors, suggesting beneficial astrocyte roles.