Related topics: cancer , patients , food and drug administration
Drug
hideA drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.
In pharmacology, Dictionary.com defines a drug as "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being." Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.
Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens. They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.
Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.[citation needed] For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.[citation needed]
Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.
For more information about Drug, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with drug
Up a little on the left... now, over to the right... Scientists find a source of nonallergic itch
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists from Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch.
Britain bans 'legal high' drugs
21 hours ago |
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Britain banned several drugs known as "legal highs" Wednesday amid mounting public concern about their health risks.
Cannabis and adolescence
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Canadian teenagers are among the largest consumers of cannabis worldwide. The damaging effects of this illicit drug on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to new research by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a psychiatric ...
The use and misuse of alcohol and marijuana can be traced to a common set of genes
Dec 18, 2009 |
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Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Roughly eight to 12 percent of marijuana users are considered "dependent" and, just like alcohol, the severity of symptoms increases with heavier use. ...
Researchers Identify Tuberculosis Strain That Thrives on Antibiotic
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have identified a strain of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis that thrives in the presence of rifampin, a front-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. The bacterium was identified in a patient ...
New compounds may control deadly fungal infections
Dec 22, 2009 |
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An estimated 25,000 Americans develop severe fungal infections each year, leading to 10,000 deaths despite the use of anti-fungal drugs. The associated cost to the U.S. health care system has been estimated at $1 billion ...
Feds mull regulating drugs in water
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation's drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some ...
High-blood-pressure treatment for the over-80s too aggressive, warns expert
23 hours ago |
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People over 80 years are being treated too aggressively for high blood pressure, warns an expert in an editorial in BMJ Clinical Evidence this week.
Antidepressants cut risk of hospital readmission for suicidal youth
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.
Researchers creating model of HIV care for developing nations
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Expanding Michigan State University's global health outreach, a team of researchers is working in the Dominican Republic to establish a model for HIV/AIDS care that can be exported to other resource-limited ...
Nasal swine flu vaccine recalled over potency
Medicine & Health / Medications
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Drugmaker Medimmune is recalling nearly 5 million doses of swine flu vaccine because the nasal spray appears to lose strength over time.
New study shows rise in drug resistance of dangerous infection in US hospitals
14 hours ago |
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A new study in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology reports a surge in drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter, a dangerous type of bacteria that is becoming increasingly common in U.S. hospitals. This ...
Figitumumab has anti-tumor activity in Ewing's sarcoma
10 hours ago |
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A preliminary study of the anticancer drug figitumumab has found that it has antitumour activity in Ewing's sarcoma—a cancer which affects mainly teenage boys. The results have led to the drug's progression to a Phase 2 trial ...
