Category Archives: Medicine

Chemistry of Morphine, Heroin, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Sharon Neufeldt

You’ve heard the warnings – don’t eat poppy seeds before taking a drug test. The seeds can trigger a false positive reading for opioids, making your potential employer think you could be a heroin addict. A few years back, Mythbusters … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry, Fun Stuff, Medicine | 26 Comments

Blinged-Out Fat Blob Nanotrucks for Targeted Drug Delivery

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Sharon Neufeldt

Targeted drug delivery is a popular area of research that melds together the disciplines of chemistry, medicine, and materials. The basic idea is to develop ways to give a person a and somehow get that medicine to go to exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Bacteria, Chemistry, Materials, Medicine | Comments Off on Blinged-Out Fat Blob Nanotrucks for Targeted Drug Delivery

Blood Vessel Growth Inhibitors Mediate Negative Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Sharon Neufeldt

Doctors and researchers have observed an improvement in the survival rate of cancer patients when they are given a combination of a chemotherapeutic drug (cancer-killing drug) and an antiangiogenic drug (a drug that inhibits the growth of new blood vessels). … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Medicine | 5 Comments

Trespassing Viruses Will Be Killed on Contact

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to start thinking about the flu!

Posted in Chemistry, Medicine, Viruses | 3 Comments

Dad’s Bad Eating Habits Can Cause Metabolism Problems in Children

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

A recent study published in Nature reveals that a person’s risk of developing diabetes could be strongly influenced by their father’s bad eating habits back before he became a dad.

Posted in Genetics, Medicine | Comments Off on Dad’s Bad Eating Habits Can Cause Metabolism Problems in Children

Pass Me the Insulin, I’m Glowing Again

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Sharon Neufeldt

New technology could allow for continuous blood glucose monitoring by checking if a patch of your skin is glowing or not.  A paper published in this week describes a development that sounds like a crazy idea… so crazy that it … Continue reading →

Posted in Materials, Medicine | 1 Comment