Breakthrough in combating the side effects of quinine
Discovered back in the 1600s quinine was the first effective treatment in the fight against malaria and it continues to be a commonly used treatment against this devastating disease. But the drug is associated with a long list of side effects which can range from sickness and headaches to blindne...Artesunate Is Better For Malaria Than Quinine
A research report published in the latest edition of The Lancet had found the drug artesunate more effective in treating adults with malaria than the common drug quinine. Quinine is the only drug recommended for the treatment // of severe malaria throughout Africa, South America, and most of A...Huh, What Did You Say?: May is 'Better Hearing and Speech Month'
... contributed to their futures." What causes hearing loss? Hearing loss can be caused by certain intravenous antibiotics, high dose pain relievers, quinine or aspirin, autoimmune diseases, viral infection, genetics or a simple blow to the head. Hearing loss is the #1 chronic birth defect today. But the la...A Wristwatch For Detecting Malaria
...to three million lives a year. Traditionally when signs of malaria become apparent, the parasite count is at approximately 3,000, at which stage quinine (the malaria drug) needs to be administered which is reported to be more dangerous than the parasite itself. Lubbe's company Gervans Trading is now de...Tryptophan deficiency may underlie quinine side effects
Researchers have found that the anti-malarial drug quinine can block a cell's ability to take up the essential amino acid tryptophan, a discovery that may explain many of the adverse side-effects associated with quinine. Once confirmed, these findings would suggest that dietary tryptophan suppleme...Brain tweak lets sleep-deprived flies stay sharp
...e runs of a maze with two options: one lighted vial with the bitter-tasting quinine in it and one darkened but quinine-free vial. Flies are instinctively drawn...s: First, they've got to remember that the lighted vial is the one that has quinine in it, and then they've got to suppress their natural instinct to fly towar...Taking a cue from breath fresheners, researcher develops new method for taste testing
... a small amount of a taste stimulus that will give each strip the desired taste: sodium chloride for salty, sucrose for sweet, ascorbic acid for sour, quinine for bitter, and monosodium glutamate for umami taste. Once the solution is cool, it is then poured onto Teflon-coated pans and allowed to dry five t...Psst! Coffee drinkers: Fruit flies have something to tell you about caffeine
...the Gr66a protein, causes the neurons to produce electrical current "spikes" at a frequency of about 20 spikes per second. Other bitter compounds like quinine generated electrical current spikes at about the same frequency in the mutants. Only flies missing the Gr66a taste receptor protein were unable to...Great (taste) expectations: Study shows brain anticipates taste, shifts gears
...e of anticipation. The work, conducted at the UW-Madison Waisman Center using state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques and distasteful concoctions of quinine on a cohort of college students, reveals in detail how the brain responds to a manipulation intended to mitigate an unpleasant experience. "There i...