Alternative to insulin

Scientists at the Salk Institute have found that insulin isn’t the only way to control diabetes. A hormone called FGF1, they discovered, also regulates blood glucose “potently and quickly”, but it does so in a different way.

Here comes the science: Treating diabetes involves (among other things), suppressing lipolysis. Insulin does this using a signalling pathway called PDE3B. On the other hand, FGF1 uses the PDE4 pathway instead — a ‘parallel road.’ This means FGF1 can work when insulin doesn’t.

Next up:

“Now that we’ve got a new pathway, we can figure out its role in energy homeostasis in the body and how to manipulate it.”

iPLEDGE problems? You’re not alone

If you or your patients are having trouble with the iPLEDGE program for isotretinoin, the FDA is working on it. Honest. But in the meantime, if you have issues with the system, contact the iPLEDGE call center at (866) 495-0654.

Off: the cuff

As much fun as it is to be able to say “sphygmomanometer,” University of Missouri engineers think they’ve built an alternative — one that kinda looks like a pulse-ox meter.

It uses a pair of pulse sensors that, together, measure how fast the person’s blood is traveling, which “has a strong correlation with blood pressure.” A computer does its magic and presto!, BP without the cuff. It takes about five seconds while also measuring temperature, blood ox, heart rate, and respiratory rate.

The prototype is about 90% accurate for systolic blood pressure and 63% accuracy rate for diastolic, but the latter should improve as the algorithm has more data to work with.

Plus or minus

The CDC now says the omicron variant accounts for 95.4% of new U.S. Covid-19 cases. But since the U.S. doesn’t do a lot of genetic sequencing, maybe it’s 34%. Could be 68%. But probably 95.4%.

New shingles vaccine in the works

GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix is the big name in shingles vaccines, but competition’s a-comin’. Fresh off their Covid-19 success with mRNA tech, Pfizer and BioNTech are now teaming up “to fast-track a vaccine for shingles based on the same technology platform.”

Trials are expected to start later this year, and if the speed of development of the Covid vaccine is any indication … well, you might not want to be holding onto any GSK stock next year*.

* Comment is for humor value only, and should not be construed as financial or investment advice.

Be careful with that Viagra

Let’s say you’ve got a mouse who you’ve been giving Viagra. (We don’t judge.) Something to keep in mind: Apparently sildenafil can weaken the artery supplying blood to the mouse’s abdomen and legs, leading to an “abdominal aortic aneurysm.”

In humans…

Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur more frequently in older men who have risk factors including emphysema, family history of abdominal aortic aneurysms, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and sometimes, obesity.

“Caution,” say the University of Rochester researchers who did the study, “may be appropriate.”

Medical shocker

“Smoking Cessation after Cancer Diagnosis Associated with Improved Survivial” (sic)

Patients with lung cancer who quit smoking after their diagnosis have a 29 percent improvement in their overall survival compared to patients who continue smoking after diagnosis.

Thinking about buying a pharmacy?

Really, who wouldn’t want to own one? Low stress, high reward, a lifestyle of leisure, being the envy of your peers … that’s why the good folks at NCPA are now offering their popular Pharmacy Ownership Workshop in a virtual format January 29 and 30.

It covers everything from developing a business plan and choosing a site, to finances and marketing and more. Check out the details and register here.

Captain Obvious is binge-watching “30 Rock” and staring into space

Polls show that Americans are worn out and frustrated by the pandemic.

“A Monmouth University poll taken two weeks after Omicron was first detected in the United States found that six in 10 Americans said they were ‘worn out’ by the pandemic, and nearly half said they were angry.”

Elsewhere: Big Cloudy Sky edition

Here’s an unexpected side effect of marijuana legalization: It could make it harder for people who use medical marijuana to get it.

In January 2020, when recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois, some dispensaries had to close their doors or impose limits on purchases. The same thing happened in Colorado and Washington when the recreational market opened in those states.

Why? Because pot is still illegal federally, so any cannabis sold in a state must be grown in the state — and that means shortages when it becomes legal recreationally.

The good news, though: “A state’s market usually takes six to 12 months to stabilize after recreational cannabis becomes legal.” Or, you know, we could just change federal law….

Big vaccine news

The nightmare is over.