Cinderella remembers

Grandma may not want to hit the Peloton, but she needs to keep up on her housework. The more housework older people do — and the more intense (e.g., finally cleaning behind the toilet*) — the better their results on memory tests. That’s according to new research out of Singapore.

Cognitive scores were 8% and 5% higher, respectively, in those doing high volumes of light or heavy housework compared with those in the low volume groups.

The researchers caution that “This is an observational study, and as such, can’t establish cause.” But don’t tell the grandfolks that part.

* Or removing that green(?) thing from the back of the fridge

Gabapentin isn’t meant to be a Swiss Army knife

Do any patients actually use gabapentin for what’s it’s approved for — seizures and nerve pain? The answer is yes — about 1 percent of them.

A new study out of the University of Florida found that “Of almost 130 million outpatient visits where gabapentin was prescribed, more than 99% were for off-label uses.”

The big issue is that many patients are also on a CNS depressant, and that combination is dangerous. Patients, though, might not realize it. The author’s recommendation: “[P]eople who are on the drug [should] talk to their pharmacist about any safety concerns, especially if they are simultaneously taking other medications.”

Shout-out to Savannah

High-five to Mercer student pharmacist Savannah Cunningham (you may have seen her name a few times; she founded the GPhA Student Leadership Board). Her op-ed is featured in the November 23 Pharmacy Times: “The Importance of Getting Involved in Professional Pharmacy Associations During Pharmacy School.” Check it out!

Welcome to the future

laser Blast

How can we fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria? There’s always the one kid who shouts “Lasers!” but this time she might be right.

There’s not a lot to do in Saint Louis*, so radiologists at Washington University there worked to make a kind of laser — think “femtosecond pulse” — that can kill bacteria and spores without damaging human cells.

Imagine if, prior to closing a surgical wound, we could scan a laser beam across the site and further reduce the chances of infection. I can see this technology being used soon to disinfect biological products in vitro, and even to treat bloodstream infections in the future by putting patients on dialysis and passing the blood through a laser treatment device.”

* Gateway Arch, Budweiser tour, repeat

“When you’re done printing your paper, can I print a dog?”

“I have printed … life!” Kinda loses some of the Frankenstein kick, but in this case it’s real. Northeastern University chemical biologists have created a 3-D printer that uses a “biological ink” made by genetically engineered E. coli bacteria.

The goal, they say, is to use “living cells, microbes, as factories to make useful materials.”

So yes, it’s a printer that uses living ink to print … things. Things that are alive and that will do other things.

[T]he scientists have used the gelatinous material to print small shapes, such as a circle, a square, and a cone. They have also successfully programmed it to build materials with specified attributes with other applications that could be useful in medicine.

As a fan of science-fiction, I’m just gonna leave that out there.

A pill to stop diabetes

Biomedical engineers at Yale claim to have created a pill to treat diabetes, that, they say, not only controls immediate blood glucose levels, but also “restores pancreatic function, and re-establishes normal immunity in the pancreatic environment.”

Not surprisingly, it uses nanotechnology — in this case, to coat the pill and protect it from stomach acids. And get this: That nanoparticle is made of polymerized bile acid, meaning (the lead researcher said) “that the carrier itself has therapeutic effects.”

Side note: Seeing as he’s from Yale, the lead developer has already launched a company to sell that delivery system.

The evil that men do

Feel like getting angry about something that isn’t politics? How about this story about how Envigo, the nation’s leading breeder of beagles for research, got slammed by the Department of Agriculture for its mistreatment of animals.

Normally I’d have a quote explaining some of that mistreatment, but … no.

However, here’s what Envigo had to say: “The highest quality of animal welfare is a core value of our company and is central to our business.” (It’s not clear whether that came from CEO Adrian Hardy or the company press office.)

That’s either an outright lie, or the company is doing a lousy job with what’s “central to its business.”