Clinical Trials & Research

Cigarettes are one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the U.S.
Nicotine is highly addictive. The tar in cigarettes increases a smoker's risk of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disorders. The carbon monoxide in smoke increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases. Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults and greatly increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children.

Few experiences match the drama of a convulsive seizure. A person having a severe seizure may cry out, fall to the floor unconscious, twitch or move uncontrollably, drool, or even lose bladder control. Within minutes, the attack is over, and the person regains consciousness but is exhausted and dazed. This is the image most people have when they hear the word epilepsy. However, this type of seizure -- a generalized tonic-clonic seizure -- is only one kind of epilepsy. There are many other kinds, each with a different set of symptoms.

Cocaine is a powerful drug that stimulates the brain. People who use it can form a strong addiction. They may have to use more and more of the drug to get high. It's sold on the street as a fine, white powder. There are two forms of cocaine: hydrochloride salt and freebase. The salt dissolves in water. People can take it in a vein or in the nose. The freebase form can be smoked. Crack is the street name of a smokable form of cocaine.

Isn’t it odd how different people react differently to stressful situations? What makes some people highly resilient, able to cope with the stressful situation, and go on with their lives in a functional manner? While others, seem to deteriorate. They are vulnerable to the stressor, that the first group rode through easily. For whatever reason, they are unable to tolerate the situation, and become depressed, anxious, or have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Many times, they become dysfunctional to tasks of every day living, and relationships suffer as well.

Schizophrenia is a severe, lifelong brain disorder. People who have it may hear voices, see things that aren't there or believe that others are reading or controlling their minds. In men, symptoms usually start in the late teens and early 20s. They include hallucinations, or seeing things, and delusions such as hearing voices. For women, they start in the mid-20s to early 30s. Other symptoms include:

Alzheimer’s Disease presently claims over 4 million souls in the United States. In the next generation that number is expected to quadruple. One of the heart wrenching facts about Alzheimer’s is that there is a quagmire of obstacles for diagnosing this disease early; from the patient’s denial, to complicated and expensive diagnostic tools. Delaying diagnosis may well mean that the patient’s ability to sustain any type of quality to the life which is left them has been eliminated. Drugs which can slow the process, are no longer effective.

Do you know how a medicine will work, or what the side effects are? Certainly, all you have to do is read the label. Wrong. Many people are surprised to learn that medicines may only work properly in a percentage of those who take them. What's more, whether or not people develop side effects — and if they do, which ones they'll get — varies widely. While many factors such as diet, environment, and the amount of exercise a person gets can help account for this variability in drug response, a key determinant is genes.

Whole blood has typically been stored for 42 days prior to discarding it. Now we learn that after 3 hours, potent ingredients in the blood start to deteriorate. Nitric Oxide (NO) quick deterioration is of major concern. Without NO, blood vessels can not relax sufficiently to allow blood to pass through the vascular walls. Therefore, people requiring blood to survive are often out of luck when given blood components which lack NO. The blood vessels remain constricted, and the blood pools, not allowed to pass. Heart attacks, even strokes, are the ultimate outcomes of this constricture.

Did you realize that within a very small section of skin, you have various nerve cells. Some cells only ‘light up’ or work when you apply pressure. Some are sensitive to temperature. Some are sensitive only to pain. The nerve cells which are sensitive to pain are called nociceptor cells.

Currently, no drug works directly on nociceptor cells; but on nerve pathways which lead to the nociceptor cells. Or a drug may work on all the different types of cells, not solely nociceptor pain cells. Or a drug may totally anesthetize you, in which case you are paralyzed, unconscious, and pain free.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk.

The problem with lung cancer is the diagnosis phase. By the time lung cancer is suspected, it is usually too late to treat successfully. Six out of 10 patients diagnosed with lung cancer die within the first year. The patient's outlook is bleak. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Lung cancer deaths outrank breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.