Labnews.co.uk…Monthly update

 

Visit LabNews.co.uk for the latest science news and event information.

**Free** subject-specific Internet resources

The word ‘free’ is always good to hear when you are a student!!

Intute are offering a series of subject-specific guides to useful internet resources. Subject areas include environmental science, health and life sciences.

Visit the site for more information and to download your FREE copy today!!

***Congrats Pharmacy Academic Staff!!!***

Hi all,

You will be pleased to know (if you haven’t already heard) that the Pharmacy Academic Staff impressed the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on Wednesday 19th March during the MPharm accreditation.

I’m sure you’re all aware of how hard the staff work on your behalf and will show your appreciation by congratulating them.

Well done Pharmacy!! 

*UPDATE* – Natural Medicines Database

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database eUPDATE

Here are just a few of the hundreds of updates we’ve made to Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database this month. You can learn more about these and thousands of other natural medicines by accessing the Database. Plus you can get fully accredited continuing education credits. • Iron is getting more attention as a potential treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Kids with ADHD are more likely to be iron deficient and the level of iron deficiency correlates with the severity of symptoms. Preliminary clinical research shows that taking an iron sulfate supplement 5 mg/kg/day or 80 mg/day can improve some measures of ADHD symptoms. It’s too soon to recommend iron supplements for all ADHD patients, but it might be worth considering in those patients with low iron levels. • Prostavar Rx is a new supplement used for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This specific formulation has not been studied in clinical trials, but its ingredients have…saw palmetto, pygeum, and beta-sitosterol. Each of these ingredients is rated Likely Effective for reducing symptoms of BPH. Explain to patients that it’s not known if this combination is more effective than taking the individual ingredients alone. Prostavar Rx is also expensive…about $60/month. The specific Standardized Saw Palmetto Extract that has been studied in many clinical trials is only about $12/month. • Caffeine consumption during pregnancy is controversial. Some practitioners recommend complete abstinence, while others say that moderate intake is acceptable. Two new studies suggest that moderate intake is safe, but higher intake might not be. Consumption of caffeine in amounts under 200 mg/day does NOT seem to increase adverse outcomes; however, consuming over this amount is associated with a significantly increased risk of miscarriage. Advise pregnant women to limit caffeine intake from all sources to less than 200 mg/day. This is equivalent to about two cups of coffee or 2-3 cups of green tea or black tea. Alert women to watch for caffeine from unexpected sources. Some supplements and energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine from natural sources such as guarana, mate, cola nut, and others. Find out more about what’s safe and what’s not safe to use during pregnancy and lactation in our new course, Natural Medicines Used During Pregnancy and Lactation.