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
Plasma produces KO cocktail for MRSA
Nov 26, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (16) |
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MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and other drug-resistant bacteria could face annihilation as low-temperature plasma prototype devices have been developed to offer safe, quick, easy and un ...
Dopamine enhances expectation of pleasure in humans
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 12, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (10) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Enhancing the effects of the brain chemical dopamine influences how people make life choices by affecting expectations of pleasure, according to new research from the UCL Institute of Neurology.
Two-In-One Punch Knocks Out Drug Resistant Cancer Cells
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Nov 04, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cancer cells, like bacteria, can develop resistance to drug therapy, leading to relapse of disease. One approach showing promise in overcoming multidrug resistance in tumors is to combine two different anticancer ...
Smart drug delivery system -- Gold nanocage covered with polymer (w/ Video)
Nov 01, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or ...
Magnetism Turns Drug Release On and Off
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Many medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and chronic pain, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. A few delivery techniques ...
Nanodiamonds Advance Anticancer Gene Therapy
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Sep 25, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of cancer as well as a large number of other diseases. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been ...
Britain bans 'legal high' drugs
Dec 23, 2009 |
4 / 5 (4) |
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Britain banned several drugs known as "legal highs" Wednesday amid mounting public concern about their health risks.
Up a little on the left... now, over to the right... Scientists find a source of nonallergic itch
Dec 22, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
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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.
Teen marijuana use tilts up, while some drugs decline in use
Dec 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Marijuana use among American adolescents has increased gradually over the past two years (three years among 12th-graders) following years of declining use, according to the latest Monitoring the Future study, ...
Nanoprobes hit targets in tumors, could lessen chemo side effects
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Dec 14, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny nanoprobes have shown to be effective in delivering cancer drugs more directly to tumor cells - mitigating the damage to nearby healthy cells - and Purdue University research has shown that the nanoprobes ...
DNA needs a good editor: Researchers unravel the mysteries of DNA packaging
Dec 14, 2009 |
3.4 / 5 (5) |
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Imagine a huge spool of film containing thousands of sequences of random scenes. Without a talented editor, a screening would have no meaning.
The hidden lives of proteins
Dec 02, 2009 |
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An important Brandeis study appearing in the December 3 issue of Nature raises the curtain on the hidden lives of proteins at the atomic level. The study reports that for the first time, researchers used x ...
Brain Scan Study Shows Cocaine Abusers Can Control Cravings
Nov 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- When asked to inhibit their response to a "cocaine-cues" video, active cocaine abusers were, on average, able to suppress activity in brain regions linked to drug craving, according to a new ...
Drug users know their stuff
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (21) |
5
Drug users are well informed about the harms associated with the drugs they use, and perceive alcohol and tobacco to be amongst the most dangerous substances, according to a survey by UCL (University College ...
A coating for life: Biodegradable fibers advance stent technology and brain surgery, then disappear
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
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Stents that keep weakened and flabby arteries from collapsing have been true life-savers. But after six months, those stents are no longer needed -- once the arteries are strengthened, they become unnecessary. ...
